Bridge, uss Genghis

For the second time in the battle, Shrin Tasrt stared in amazement. The Groton was launching torpedoes. Two brilliantly glowing orbs of destruction were flying toward the Romulan's down rear shield with a speed that seemed agonizingly slow. The torpedoes, obviously fired in an all or nothing gamble as a narrow salvo, traveled so close together they were almost touching. There was a sudden hush on the bridge as all eyes were drawn to the main view screen which showed the Romulan limping away.
        Then cheers rang out as the two torpedoes exploded against the rear section of the Sparrowhawk. The ship exploded seconds later with a blinding flash as the matter-antimatter reaction that powered the ship stormed out of control.
   The Genghis rocked gently in the explosion. It had been just far enough away to avoid taking anything but minor shield damage. Then the cheers died down as everyone remembered the plasma torpedoes. Tasrt looked back at the screen just in time to see the plasmas travel the last few kilometers that took them within sensor range of their semi-intelligent warheads.
     The torpedoes detonated. But not against the starship that had been their target. Tasrt stared in surprise once more. He had missed the Groton's launch of the decoy shuttle at the last second. He had been too busy watching the salvo of photon torpedoes destroy the enemy cruiser. He swiveled his chair around to face his First Officer.
"C'Dlett, status of the Groton? And of the Romulans?" He added, almost as an afterthought. He watched as the Arcturian peered at his library screen.
    "The Groton is heavily damaged sir. The collateral damage from the torpedo explosions took down her last shield. Damage is extensive." He watched as C'Dlett made a few more adjustments to his computers. "Romulans are withdrawing, Captain. And the Dorsey Pender has arrived."
      "Good. If the Romulans had attacked again, we would have been hard pressed to keep them off of the Groton. They must have been unnerved by the destruction of the cruiser and decided to withdraw after they detected the Dorsey Pender. Otherwise, I'm not sure that even the Dorsey Pender and we could have driven them off if they had been determined to stay."
    He turned around and studied the display showing the Groton. Jankae had fought a good fight. He hoped the Cygnan had survived. They would need good officers for the war that was now staring them in the face.
"Alright. Helm, take us closer to the Groton. C'Dlett, lets get a few damage control teams over there to help them out. Let's get them stabilized so they can take a tow. This may be a long war, and I'm betting we'll need every ship we have before it is over."
     He didn't know it, but he had never been more right in his life.

Bridge, RIS Furious

Bridge, RIS Coalition

Ante-Admiral Androcus Marrak of House Casifax was not pleased. In fact he was furious. Antonius Terralis had failed him. He had given the man a chance to redeem himself and he had failed utterly.
     But there was worse news. Several other battles in his sector had gone badly. The Republic was still in the fight, and the slime-spawn commanding the fleet sent to destroy the Lexington had stupidly parked his command right under the guns of the enemy ship. Idiot! Even the peace-loving Federation had a few captains that knew how to seize an opportunity. The Captain of the Lexington had just such a reputation.
    This was made worse by glowing reports of victories from the other sectors of the front. Admiral Corvallis of House Rama'ch, commanding the fleet on Marrak's left flank, reported the destruction of three Federation warships and the capture of a fourth. The other attacking fleet had done at least that well. Only in Marrak's sector had there been such spectacular failures, although Marrak's other squadrons had managed to pick off a pair of frigates and cripple a cruiser.
       Marrak glowered at the main view screen, which showed feed from the Owl's long range sensors of Battlestation #26. Around it patrolled a full squadron of fighters and a frigate. Not a particularly dangerous target to attack, but without the Furious and the other six ships that were supposed to meet them, and with several Federation ships able to reach the station and shelter under its phasers, failure was too likely to risk.
    He sighed heavily. The first day of his War had not gone well, but there would be better days. His follow-up squadron, dispatched from the capital before the war began, was closing in rapidly, and while they had originally been scheduled to attack the next wave of targets, the plan included contingencies.
      "Helm, take us to the alternative target," he ordered, "the one that the Federation calls McPherson's World.
    "Centurion, signal the follow-up squadron meet us there tomorrow and advise them we will be using contingency plan two-six. Get my staff to the briefing room in ten minutes. We will destroy that colony to force the remaining Federation ships to fight us there, away from their bases. If they don't come to us, we will destroy more colonies until they do, or until the fourth squadron joins us in four days time. Once the Federation ships are defeated, we will destroy the battle station, then the second wave of targets. This will take an extra week, but it will be done."

Vegas II, 16 Years later