War Party (KDF RP/PVP)

[VADM pRett]

"General, the Cataclysm is hailing us."

A snort. "On screen."

"This is Vital of the Science Starship Cataclysm please withdraw at once, we are evacuating all personnel from this station. Please respond."

"This is General Kejjik of the Klingon Defense Force. Move aside or be destroyed; those are your only options."

He crossed his arms and glowered at the human he saw on his viewscreen.

[VADM pRett]

The human, Vital, seemed to think for a moment before responding.

"Lets see........ if I move aside you will kill everyone and destroy the station……….. and I don’t feel like dying today……… and also, I guess diplomacy is not an option here either………… So, I have come up with a 4th option. This option is to kick your sorry p'tahk back across the NZ or to Gre'Thor. How’s that for an option?"

"You have more spine than most Starfleet commanders I've encountered, I'll give you that. It's a good day for one of us to die, it seems."

The comm signal was broken as both ships began to maneuver.

"Dlamki, let's get some extra power into the shield grid. I expect he'll try to target our generators."

"Let's get the To'Duj and Raiders launched. We need to be rid of this enemy ship as soon as possible."

Vital proved himself to be a canny foe, maneuvering to effect, scrambling the targeting sensors, infecting the ship's computer with a short-lived virus, and even opening up temporary gravity sinks. Both captains were able to activate their ship-mounted holo-emitters, calling in photonic vessels to support them.

Energy beams and pulses connected the two vessels, the space around and between them filling with more and more of it as Kejjik mustered the Hegh'eng's full complement of fighters and raider craft. Every time they seemed to be getting closer to the starbase, the Cataclysm managed to draw them off in another direction. To ignore the vessel would be foolish...and besides, Kejjik's bloodlust was up.

"I want that ship destroyed or out of our hair, Commander Jos, and I want it done now." Kejjik glowered at his Breen Tactical officer, who did his best to comply with the General's wishes.

Time dragged on as the two vessels struggled with the other, but eventually the multitude of craft wore down the shields of the Cataclysm, and she was quickly disabled and left adrift. As Kejjik eyed the sensor reports, he noticed the last of the shuttlecraft departing the starbase being recovered by smaller, faster Starfleet vessels.

"Looks like neither of us win this day, Vital." Kejjik harrumphed a grudging salute towards the viewscreen displaying the stricken vessel.

"Do we destroy it, General?" asked Jos.

"Negative, he has earned the right to fight for survival this day. Take us out of the system."

The ponderous craft turned slowly, preparing to accelerate to Warp speeds back into open sector space.

[VADM pRett]

Brooding silently in his command chair, Kejjik listened to the usual bridge sounds swirl around him. None of the command crew were bothering him with mundane reports - not since the news of the fate of the Drehono. He'd ordered the Hegh'eng into the area it'd been lost, sensors reaching out as far as they could. He had search and recovery crews out in shuttles, though he held no real hope of finding survivors.

Damn the Kliingons and their philosophy that being recovered is a weakness.

He had to draw the Drehono's killer out of hiding, and to do so, he had to hit Starfleet in their soft underbelly. It might not be honorable...but it sure as hell worked.

"Commander Jos, I presume you're familiar with the phrase, 'recon by fire'?"

The helmeted head nodded once, slowly. "If you're referring to eliminating a target, then eliminating whatever pops up in response to the first elimination, then, yes, I am, General."

Nodding approvingly, the Nausicaan smiled a cold, toothy grin.

"It's time to conduct some recon by fire, then. Let's start with the material convoys heading towards Starbase 157. Commercials vessels only, please."

It was one of the most basic rules of warfare; the logistics chain remained one of the weakest links of any military operation.