The Survival Game

"Damn thing." Second Lieutenant Jack Truman smacked the side of a computer console with his hand. "Work damn it !"

From her "bunk" Rashad observed the disgruntled Marine struggling with his computer console.

The Human tapped his combadge. "Erindor, move the dish to two hours, twenty-three minutes twenty-one seconds, right ascension, twenty seven degrees ten minutes four seconds declination."

[Alright, I'm on it.] Came the reply of Second Lieutenant Erindor J'Lan who was trying to set up the communication dish on top of a nearby cliff.

Her attention wandered away slightly into the reflection of what had happened to them over the past few days. Commander Toran, Major Phanan, J`Lan and a handful of the other Marines and Captain Goerl's people were lucky to be alive. Yet so many more of her comrades-in-arms would now never return to the Leviathan or see their families again. For a moment the Intelligence Officer felt tired of all the albeit necessary killing that had occurred. The voice of Private Ryanna suddenly brought the Romulan-Bajoran back to the reality. For a moment the fatigue had still weighed her down, and she could not comprehend the meaning of the commotion. Then, she suddenly realised that the Marines were working on the appropriated Barien shuttle. Quickly she got up from her "sleeping sack" and headed for the shuttle to observe. Turning to look at her, Major Phanan nodded his silent acknowledgement as she got closer to the control panel.

".......It appears that the bulk of the ships out there are Starfleet. I'm reading a few Akiras, Defiants, a Galaxy and other attack craft. I'm also detecting some unknown vessels." The voice of Private Jorgensen sounded relieved.

Immediately Major Phanan ordered Sharpe to get everyone prepared for what was obviously going to be a difficult departure. Rashad's eyebrows rose and she nodded in her Vulcanoid manner. Her stuff was quickly packed into the sack and all she had left in her hands was a Section 31 issue phaser and the tricorder she often used for her hacking and decryption "activities".

"Okay, people." Phanan briefly addressed gathered at the exit of the cave entrance. "The Calvary is here, but keep your weapons ready, this is going to be a long and rough road home and we need to keep any further casualties to a minimum. That's an order !"

"Aye, sir." Was heard almost unanimously from the whole group.

"J`LAN take the front, Rashad, keep scanning for more "Tangos", Truman, Jorgensen, guard the rear !"

"Aye, Major." Nodded the Romulan-Bajoran immediately recalibrating the tricorder for a broadband scan as the relevant Marines went about following their orders.

With a hand signal from the Major everyone took their positions and slowly, cautiously started moving out of the cave. At first all appeared quiet, too quiet, then suddenly Rashad's tricorder went off the scale with traces of a highly unusual power signature.

"NO ! Get back ! Take cover !" The hacker yelled out intuitively just a split second before what appeared to be a torpedo hit the cliff just a few metres away from them making it explode in thousands of fragments.

Everybody instinctively took cover, but it was too late: a whole "shower" of the fragments came down of them. Luckily no one was seriously injured. Everyone raised their weapons, as Rashad's tricorder kept going off with ever increasing frequency. Then, as if out of nowhere, two highly advanced Barien "shuttles" appeared out of the sky !

"Take cover and fire at will !" This time it was Phanan who yelled out the order, just as the trees around the cave entrance were hit by the phaser fire of the incoming enemy ships. He retaliated with phaser fire, but it appeared to have little effect on the two vessels now landing only a few hundred metres away.

By now all the Starfleet officers taking cover behind one of the external walls of the cave were returning fire. The Marines used their modified Type IIIa combat rifles, while the mainstream Starfleet officers and the remaining Captain Goerl's troops each respectively used their own issued phaser-type weapons. This time something seemed to have worked, as one of the ships suddenly crashed. Yet the other still landed and soon the terrain was filled with a multitude of "armed to the teeth" Bariens.

"Your battle is a lost cause !" It was Beard's voice coming out from some kind of an amplifier. "Lay down your weapons and surrender immediately and we might let you live. The Leviathan has been destroyed and nobody will be coming to help you !"

Phaser fire was still being exchanged as the oncoming Bariens appeared to be encircling the area.

"Traitor !" Commander Toran could not stop himself from uttering the words out loud.

"Murderer ! Y`kllhe ! ("you worm !")" Rashad stood proudly in her Romulan anger burning through the layers of the Vulcan logic training. She turned to look at the others and her eyes fell on the Nuans. "What do YOU think we should do ?"

"Take as many of them to Hell with us as it is possible !" Captain Goerl's eyes were burning with hatred for the enemy who had been murdering and degrading her people for decades.

"Good choice, Captain." Nodded Commander Toran resetting his phaser rifle to the maximum setting.

"Fire at will !" Sounded the amazingly cool voice of Major Phanan raising his rifle and firing at the advancing enemy.

Whole hell broke loose as the phaser fire turned to a literal barrage. At least ten Starfleet officers fell casualty to this exchange, but no lesser was the toll on the Barien invaders.

*Mom, Dad, my time has come.* Thought the Romulan-Bajoran as she continued fighting. *You will see me soon in Vorta Vor. At least I will have died with honour.*

Suddenly the Bariens started unexpectedly evaporating ! T`Kul looked up and saw at least three or four, no, six incoming shuttles firing on the enemy. A couple of the shuttles were recognisably Starfleet, while the others were different, slightly larger. The Nuans !

*Just in time !*

"Charge !" Yelled Major Phanan like he were an ancient 20th century army officer, as whoever was left standing chased the retreating aggressors.