On The Assault - Part 13 - Between Fire and Hope

Posted on Thu Aug 13th, 2026 @ 2:22am by Captain Taiga Aisaka & Commander Thomas Johnson & Lieutenant Commander Devon Hunt & Lieutenant Commander Talia Johnson & Lieutenant Commander Jasad Yuvek & Lieutenant Takina Inoue & Lieutenant JG Connor Carey

2,454 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Flight Of The Valkyries
Location: Various
Timeline: March 18th, 2397

[USS Tokyo]

Thomas turned once again. "Lt fire at will... anything and..."

"Commander... the station... its... main weapon is destroyed." Connor replied, disbelief clearly in his voice.

"That is the best news we have heard Lt." Thomas replied as he turned to see that the weapon was gone. "It doesn't take away all their defences, but it gives us a hell of a lot better odds."

“Can we raise the away teams, or the marines?” Talia asked as she stepped up to give her husband an extra pair of hands, whilst still not going too far from the Ready Room and their son. “We need a sit rep.”

The operations officer nodded. "Tokyo to away team." He said as his fingers danced across the flickering screens. "Come in away team".

"We know they are alive, communications may be hindered with the depth they are in. Readings show they are still deep in the station." Connor replied from tactical. His console was flickering, so it could just be reading what it last picked up from the station. having transferred tactical controls to an adjacent console that had been brought back up. Was the only way he was able to fire weapons.

“Understood, thank you.” Talia offered a polite response despite their situation.

"Away team reporting," Came Lieutenant Inoue's voice. "We're still taking heavy fire down here, we've got about... fifteen of them shooting at us at any one time; can we get an ETA on that extraction?"

"I stand corrected." Thomas replied, "This is the Tokyo, we have sent over a group of marines over to assist with the mission as well as assist with extraction. Have you guys met up with them. Extraction will be via drop ship they were sent over in."

"Sorry, Commander, but we're kind of pinned down here," Lieutenant Inoue reported."I can't guarantee the four of us will be able to make it to the drop ship on our own, we're going to need that backup."

"That would definitely be a negative on getting back to the drop ship," Hunt spoke up. The sound of phaser fire could be heard in the background. In the back of his mind, Devon knew that this very well be a one way mission.

"Lt Yuvek, how close do we have to be, to get a lock on them." Thomas replied as he walked up to the help console. "With that main weapon destroyed, we may be able to lower our shields for the brief time to beam everyone back onboard."

Talia took a moment to check on their son, who was still peacefully sleeping, before she returned to the bridge. Looking around she suddenly realised that she was currently the second highest ranking officer on the bridge she was suddenly Thomas’ temporary First Officer.

“It would have to be a narrow window Commander, we can’t risk sustaining any further serious damage to the ship.” Talia added.

Lieutenant Yuvek's hands moved across the helm console, pulling up what remained of the navigational sensors and overlaying the station's known defensive positions against their current trajectory.

"Sir, the point defense turrets are the problem," he said, running the numbers quickly. "Shields down at close range while the turrents are still active would tare through our hull in a heartbeat." He studied the display for a moment, jaw tight. "Unless. . . someone else has their attention!" The Cardassian said.

"Sir, the Graf Zeppelin." He looked toward Commander Thomas. "If Captain Forger moves his ship to the opposite side of the station and opens fire, he pulls the turrets to track him instead of us. That gives us a window — maybe forty seconds — to drop shields, get a lock on the away team, beam them out, and raise shields before the turrets cycle back to our side." He said.

He pulled up the coordinate data. "I can get us close enough for a solid transporter lock if I come in along the station's blind spot on the port approach. The hull damage there from the fighter strike should degrade their sensors enough to buy us the extra few seconds we need." He said as he looked back the Commander. "But we need the Graf moving the moment we begin our approach or the window closes before we're in range."

"Lt get the Graf Zeppelin on Coms for me." Thomas replied as he walked over to the console."

"All yours sir," the Ops officer replied quickly.

"Sir, we need you to cause a bit of a distraction from the Tokyo while we go in close to the station to beam out the away team. Once they are out. Then we can detonate the explosives and get the hell out of here." Thomas replied as he finally realised Talia standing, which he quickly gestured for her to sit. "If we time it right, we have just enough time on the blindside on the Port approach to complete a transport. It has to be fast. But is probably the only opportunity to do this."

[USS Graf Zeppelin Bridge]

Loid listened to Thomas without interrupting, eyes already moving to the tactical display, plotting the opposite side of the station against the Graf's current position.

=/\= "Understood, Commander." Captain Forger replied with no hesitation. "We will draw zeir turrets. Give us ninety seconds to get into position on ze far side before you begin your approach — I do not want zem cycling back to you before you have a transporter lock."

Captain Forger looked to Soval. "Ze far side of ze station, full impulse. Ze moment we are in position, we open fire — everyzing we have, make as much noise as possible." He turned to tactical. "I want zose turrets so busy with us zey forget ze Tokyo exists. Don't let up until ze Tokyo signals extraction is complete."

He tapped his comm unit to reopen the channel to the Tokyo =/\= "Commander, the Graf Zeppelin is moving into position now. Ze moment you see us open fire on ze far side, zat is your window. Do not waste it." The Captain said forcefully. "And get your people out fast. I can only hold zeir attention for so long before zey decide zey can handle two ships at once. Forger out."

He sat back as he signaled for the channel to close.

He looked towards his Helmsman and nodded. "Soval. Go."

[USS Tokyo Bridge]

Talia took a seat keeping her senses alert for her son, whilst monitoring events on the bridge. To say she felt awkward backing up Thomas as his XO was an understatement, she wasn’t used to bridge command at all. “Lieutenant” she looked towards Yuvek. “Are we currently getting a strong enough signal from the away team and marines to ensure we won’t lose it when it matters the most? More importantly do we have the power for safe transport, or do we need to reroute extra resources?”

The Cardassian looked at his console readout briefly before responding to the Counselor.

"Ma'am, we've got 90 seconds before we perform a speed-run in front of this starbase while absolutely naked." He said tensely. "In an ideal situation, we'd be able to reroute power from secondary systems to boost the signal and reinforce the pattern buffer. But we don't even have the ability to do that right now — half those secondary systems are already offline or rerouted to keep this ship flying."

He straightened, jaw tight. "One beam out. That's what we have. Whatever the transporter room can lock onto in that forty second window is what comes home." He said as dispassionately and matter-of-factly as he could. "If anyone from the away team or the marines isn't with the main group when we drop shields — they don't make it back on this transport."

"Johnson to away team. Eta on that beamput is two minutes. Make sure you are all present and accounted for at your location. We are making a flyby close to the station, and will have only one shot at this. I mean only one shot."

[Iconian Starbase]

Devon turned to the rest of the away team and marines. "We hear you load and clear. Everyone get to the beam out point now."

[USS Tokyo — Bridge]

"Beginning approach run." Lieutenant Yuvek brought the Tokyo around on the port approach vector, the damaged saucer groaning as the ship answered the helm — sluggish, listing slightly, fighting him every degree of the turn. Come on. Move. He coaxed what he could out of her, keeping the vector as clean as the damage allowed.

"Shields dropping on my mark." He glanced toward Ops. "The moment we're in transporter range, you handle the lock and beam out. Don't wait on me — I'll be busy keeping us from drifting into their firing arc."

He watched the distance tick down, one eye on the Graf Zeppelin's position on the far side of the station. Waiting. Waiting.

"Mark."

[USS Graf Zeppelin — Far Side of Starbase]

"Ze Tokyo is moving," Helmuth confirmed.

"Zen we give zem everyzing zey need." Captain Forger responded firmly. "Tactical — full spread, sustained fire. I want every turret on zis side looking at us."

The Graf Zeppelin's arrays cut loose, phasers sweeping the station's hull in long sustained bursts, torpedoes following in tight sequence. The point defense turrets swung immediately, converging on the Graf Zeppelin from multiple angles simultaneously.

The ship shuddered hard as the first volley found them.

"Shields down to seventy percent," tactical reported. "The turrets are concentrating fire — all of them, Captain."

Another salvo hit them before the words finished. Then another — heavier this time, the kind that moved the deck under everyone's feet. A console at the rear of the bridge exploded outward, showering the station with debris. Emergency lighting flickered across half the bridge as a power conduit somewhere above them gave out with a sharp crack.

"Shields at forty-two percent, Captain. Hull breach reported on deck nine — emergency forcefields holding, but barely." The Tactical Officer's voice had shed its earlier steadiness. "That station is focusing everything on us...it's definitely pissed."

"Good." Captain Forger held onto the armrest as another impact rolled through the ship, his voice staying flat despite the chaos around him. "Ze Tokyo has twenty seconds. Keep firing."

[USS Tokyo — Bridge]

The Tokyo crawled through the approach, lurching as the damaged thrusters fought to hold the vector Lieutenant Yuvek had plotted. He made constant small corrections, hands working steadily against the lag in the helm response. Slower than I want. Steadier than I feared.

"In range," Lieutenant Yuvek called out. "Connor— now!"

He held the ship as still as the damage would allow, giving the transporter the cleanest platform he could manage while the seconds dragged past. No shields. No room to manoeuvrer. Just the approach vector and whatever the Graf Zeppelin was absorbing on the other side of the station.

"Lowering shields." Connor replied as he went through the steps. "Got a good lock on everyone . Commencing beam over." Within a few seconds, "I have them." He stated as he brought shields back up. "Commencing firing run on the station." Connor replied as he noticed he had partial weapons back online.

"Johnson to Captain Forger. Away team is back, thank you for the diversion. Now let's finish this shall we." He turned to lieutenant Yuvek. "Lieutenant let's get away from the station. I doubt we wanna be this close when we detonate the explosives."

"Shields up — breaking off!" Lieutenant Yuvek yelled towards Johnson as he drove the Tokyo hard away from the station, the ship responding with that same maddening sluggishness, clawing for distance.

Talia was hanging on her eyes darting between the Ready Room, where her son was sleeping, and the viewscreen. They had to get as far away as possible.

"Go see to our child Tal." Thomas replied assuring her it was alright to do.

Talia nodded offering a smile. “I’ll be in the ready room if I’m needed.” With that she headed to be with their son.

[USS Tokyo Transporter Room]

Looking around at the away team and marines who had been fighting for their lives just seconds ago, Hunt nodded with a smile. Extremely happy to see that everyone was accounted for. Moving to the transporter terminal, he patted the Transporter Chief on the shoulder. "Bridge this is Hunt, we're all onboard."

The transporter operator smiled. "Welcome back." he greeted them all with a small smile. The transporter room had clearly seen better days as it had obviously taken damage during the battle. One of the wall consoles was still flickering, and the equipment lockers had several doors missing or broken open.

[USS Graf Zeppelin — Far Side of Starbase]

Another salvo from the point defense turrets hammered the Graf Zeppelin as Commander Thomas' voice came through the bridge speakers. The ship lurched hard to starboard, Lieutenant Soval fighting the helm to hold their position long enough to hear the message through.

"Helmuth—" Captain Forger started.

"Hull breach on deck nine is expanding, Captain," Commander Reinholt cut in, already at the damage console. "Deck eleven reporting structural stress. Shields at twenty-eight percent."

Captain Forger leaned toward the comm panel. "Understood, Commander. Glad to hear it." Another impact rolled through the deck, sending a loose PADD skidding across the bridge floor. "Ve are breaking off now — I suggest everyone gets clear of zat station quickly. Forger out."

He looked toward Lieutenant Soval. "Get us out of zeir firing arc. Full impulse, now — I don't care which direction, just away from zose turrets."

"Aye, Captain." The Graf Zeppelin banked hard, pulling away from the station's far side as the turrets continued tracking, two more glancing hits scoring across the hull before they cleared the firing arc.

Captain Forger exhaled slowly. Only six weeks out of dock. he thought wearily as he watched the damage readouts climbing across his display.

"Commander Reinholt. Damage report. All of it."

Posting by:

Commander Thomas Johnson
Acting Commanding Officer
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Commander Talia Johnson
Chief Counsellor
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Commander Devon Hunt
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Jasad Yuvek
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Takina Inoue
Assistant Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant JG Connor Carey
Tactical Officer
USS Tokyo

Captain Loid Forger
Commanding Officer
USS Graf Zepplin
(Played by Lt Jased Yuvek)

Ops and Transporter Chief NPC Played by: Captain Taiga Aisaka

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