To The Victor Goes The Spoils (Part 2 of 3)

Captain's Log Stardate 61027.6

The battle is finally coming to an end. The Barien breadth's incursion into the Alpha Quadrant has been stopped cold just inside the Beta Quadrant and with moderate casualties to Starfleet. Only a small number of older ships were lost, but the newer ones seemed to fair better. I guess in a way this was an opportunity for command to weed out the older derelicts. However as old as they were, at least they received an honourable demise, in battle.

Now the only question that remains is Thomas Beard. What are we to do with him ? The former Admiral no longer deserves the privilege of trial, but rather the opposite end of a phaser rifle. Beard is directly responsible for this massive carnage all for what... Revenge on me. His personal vendetta has cost hundreds of men and women their lives simply for the retaliation of the death of his son. Many of these men and women had nothing to do with his death. I alone was responsible. I had a made a command decision that killed Lieutenant Matthew Beard, but now a decision made by a treacherous turncoat has killed innocent hundreds. A personal vendetta against me.

This must end here and now and I plan to do just that. If there is anything that I can't stand it's treason. Beard has committed the oldest and most hated crime in the civilised world. I no longer have any sympathy for him. I made a decision based on the circumstance that cost a life, but saved many. His sacrifice is remembered by me and the remainder of the crew of the Lakota. However, Beard also remembers it as a personal action against him by myself. How can a man be so hung up on himself to believe that ? How can one man do all that he can to "get" at one man for revenge ? Assassination, sabotage, and even the ultimate for an officer, the loss of a starship under one's command... what more will he do ? That is why the line must be drawn here and now.

This date now marks a change in my personal philosophy. Normally the ideals of Starfleet always stand true in my mind and are the guiding principles by which I live, but now I must end this cycle of hatred. There is no room left for negotiation, deliberation or compromise, but plain savage extermination. Either he will get me or I will get him, but it will end this day. If not then this full scale war can rematerialise in another time, place, or even dimension, but I can not nor will I let this happen.

The Leviathan is currently heading for the planetoid of Limerus IX to rescue the remainder of the crew that was forced to land. The only catch is that the Bariens still control the space around it and Beard's battlecruiser has at least an hour upon us. However the enhanced SlipStream drive will get us at Limerus just before the battlecruiser arrives. Ensign McMillian will pilot the Devastator II to the surface to retrieve the crew, but something inside me tells me that there's more to this than meets the eye. I want to be ready and since it is I who is responsible, it is I who will be there to welcome each and everyone of my crew back to the ship. So I will personally lead the away team in search of the crew and restoration of my personal honour. Then I will deal with Beard accordingly.

End Captain's Log

"Captain. Entering the Limerus system." Cadet McCaffee said bringing the Captain back to reality.

"Very well. Slow to full impulse. Mister Barker, Bring the refractive shielding online. I don't want to give away our position so soon." Devore said.

The refractive shielding was an enhancement made to the original Leviathan just prior to their engaging the Borg in defence of Romulus which acted like the stealth technology of the 20th century. At distances of over 2,500 kilometres when the shielding was engaged, it would deflect or scatter the sensor sweeps of any ship or object, scatter light beams and minute levels of radioactive isotopes to provide a virtually invisible ship. At distance of between a thousand and two thousand five hundred kilometres, the shielding distorts the actual visual perception making the ship virtually invisible except for a slightly distorted foreground apparition. However the shielding has no benefit for any ship within a thousand kilometres.

This refractive technology was very similar to a cloaking device except for the obvious ranges. The Leviathan was to experiment with the shields and report it's findings back to Starfleet at the earliest opportunity so that they could see if this would work for a bunch of larger Sovereign or Ambassador class starships. The test was still on going and was incorporated into the Leviathan-A. Commander Barker had been able to enlarge the shield so that it hid not only the Leviathan but also the Kirusan battleship that had accompanied her.

"Aye Captain." Barker said. "Sir. Shields are operating within normal parameter, the Kirusan is inside the shielding and covered."

"Good. Mac, status report ?"

"All departments report ready. Weapons are fully charged are ready."

"Excellent. Brayden. Make your course bearing 008 mark 2."

"008 mark 2, aye."

The Leviathan banked slightly and headed for the planet. The planet was just as the crew remembered. Large, orange and littered with Bariens. In high orbit, there was a lone battlecruiser that didn't match the marking of Beard's, so Devore instinctively ignored the new ship waiting for the battlecruiser to get here. Far off in the distance was the wreckage of the USS Leviathan, intermingled with that of the Barien battleship Devore had rammed his first command into.

"Captain." Barker said. "Sir, there is Barien battlecruiser coming in bearing 110 mark 4."

"Any indication that they detect us ?"

"No sir."

Devore smiled. "Good. Signal the General Cleteri, take out that damn ship. Execute Devore Gamma One."

"General Cleteri acknowledges orders." Barker said.

The mighty Kirusan battleship broke from the cover the refractive shielding gave to her and engaged the the Barien battleship. The Leviathan banked and accelerated at an intercept course for the one ship heading directly for Limerus. Devore knew that this ship was the one that contained his arch enemy. As the Akira broke the two thousand kilometres mark, the orbiting battlecruiser seemed to alter course, but as she did, the Kirusan quickly made garbage of the once mighty battleship. The Bariens ship had tried to fall behind the Leviathan, but the pelting ensued the ship.

"Captain. The one battlecruiser has been destroyed. The other battlecruiser is within weapon's range."

"Fire quantum torpedoes, full spread. Target their Bridge." That command in itself was difficult to swallow. Rarely even never, does a Captain target the Bridge of any ship. The destruction of the Bridge would result in the ultimate demise of the targeted ship. In this respect, Devore had figured less time to "play" with the battlecruiser and since they needed to progress, a quick and decisive victory was necessary.

"Captain ?"

"We are at war. Do it ?"

"Firing.."

From the Bridge of the Barien battlecruiser, the sensors suddenly picked up a torpedo heading towards it out of nowhere. The Premier tried to determine where it originated, but as he almost found the answer, it split into ten warheads. The battlecruiser suddenly banked and the torpedoes pelted the underside of the Bridge level. The first of the ten torpedoes exploded producing a hole that sucked helpless Bariens into the cold, dark vacuum of space. The remainder detonating initiating a rippling explosion that crippled the ship. However it was still within transporter range of Limerus. In hot pursuit was the Leviathan-A.

Devore rubbed his chin as he normally did and smiled. *Beard. You are mine now.*

"Grafton. Target their engines and weapons and fire at will."

The Leviathan broke the one thousand kilometre mark and she now was visible to the unsuspecting battlecruiser. The warp drive cannon fired consecutive shots into the battlecruiser that irradiated the outer hull. Just as Devore gave the order to fire again, the battlecruiser fired her phaser that connected to the Leviathan. She rocked violently.

"Captain. Shields down to 54%. Refractive shields are off-line." Devore and his ship was now visible to Beard.

"Attack." Devore yelled. "Fire everything we've got."

The sky was filled with phaser blasts and explosions as each ship took a beating. Fortunately for Devore, the Akira was designed to take a beating and keep on fighting. However the Bariens didn't follow that line. Their battlecruiser began to lose life support.

"Captain. The Barien battlecruiser is in bad shape. Their life support is failing, no helm, no weapons."

"Good deal. Fire all weapons. Concentrate at Engineering."

The massive discharge of weapons flew straight through space and ended at the Engineering section of the battlecruiser. She exploded in a brilliant white and yellow light. Parts of the hull that remained in tact burned momentarily from the electrical explosion.

"YES !" Devore said smiling. "Okay Mr. McCaffee. Put us into standard orbit."

"Aye sir."

"Captain." Mac yelled. "It looks like a number of Barien soldiers beamed down to the surface."

"What !" Devore said in amazement. "Is Beard with them ?"

"I am picking up one human amidst the Bariens."

Devore pounded his fist consecutively against his chair. "I don't believe it. How many Marines do I have on board the ship ?"

"We have a squad." MacLeod responded.

"Signal them all to my conference room. Mister Barker you have the Bridge." Devore yelled as he got up. "Well Lieutenant MacLeod ? What are you waiting for ?"

Mac got up and smiled as they both left the Bridge and headed for the conference room.