Star Trek: Phoenix

by Dewdrops on the Grass


Season 2 Episode 1: "It All Begins In Pain"

STAR TREK: PHOENIX

S02E01

“It All Begins In Pain”

Sunlight streamed down through the gaps in the forest canopy, the dew dripping off the leaves gleaming in the light. A warm breeze wafted through the air, carrying with it the scent of mixed conifers and deciduous trees. The ground was split up by several small ridges. The one before us descended into a small creek about a meter across, babbling cheerily as the water poured over rocks.

But we were far too busy to appreciate it. I carried a phaser rifle and tricorder in my magic, scanning the surroundings for Jem’Hadar. Nearby, Preta and Maia, both carting rifles, watched our flanks. Maia kept a smooth movement, her rifle raised, sights activated, while Preta jerked around every few seconds or so.

Meanwhile Cadeneza, up ahead of us, was running continuous tricorder scans with one hand while gripping her hand phaser in her other. “Nothing yet, ma’am,” she said quietly.

“Keep an eye out,” ordered Sunset, who carried a rifle of her own as she led us. Her horn stayed lit up, ready for a shield if necessary. “They don’t appear on tricorders when they shroud.”

“Are we sure they have a base on this planet?” Preta spoke up in a normal tone.

We all whirled and shushed her at once. “Keep it quiet, Ensign!” Sunset hissed. “The intel was crystal clear. There’s a base here, and if we take it out we can cripple them in this entire sector for months at least.”

“Got it,” Preta replied in a whisper.

We continued to press forward as a group. I shivered as my hooves trod through the cold water of the creek. I tried to focus on my tricorder, which showed no sign of anything save us and the local wildlife. So I switched to scanning for energy signatures or metals. “I’m not picking up any sign of the base,” I said.

Once we finished crossing the creek, we started up a slanted hill, with trees lining the crest up above. Sunset kept her rifle forward as she ascended. But we still saw nothing. “It’s probably stealthed in some way,” she said as she reached the top and passed by a pair of trees. “We’ll have to get close before we can–hrrgh!”

We all froze in place, staring in utter horror as blood streamed down Sunset’s front from a large knife wound in her throat. She gurgled something at us, her pupils narrowed to pinpricks as she stumbled, then crumpled like a puppet with its strings cut, rolling down the hill to come to a stop in the creek. She didn’t move.

“Sunset!” I ran for her at once, shaking, my blood like ice in my veins as I checked for her lifesigns. “She’s… she’s dead,” I breathed.

But I had no time to grieve. Disruptor blasts seared through the air, flash-boiling water on both sides of me. “Take cover!” Cadeneza shrieked as several Jem’Hadar appeared from their shrouds at once, firing down the hill at us. 

I galloped for a large boulder nearby, diving behind it as several more shots went wide. Maia dropped prone behind a nearby tree and unleashed a withering amount of phaser fire, covering for Preta and Cadeneza who were still running down the hill.

Cadeneza managed to reach cover in time, but Preta let out a high-pitched feline screech as she took two separate shots into her back. She fell face forward, her rifle unleashing a stray bit of fire as she collapsed on the dirt, smoke rising from her burn wounds. She let out one last mewl of pain, and fell silent.

“Cadeneza to Phoenix!” Cadeneza screamed as she popped out of cover long enough to fire two shots. “We’ve got two fatalities and Jem’Hadar all around us! We need immediate evac!”

“Negative, Cadeneza,” replied Ishihara. “Four Dominion fighters are on our tail. We’ve got our hands full up here.”

“Damn it!” Cadeneza scowled, then glanced over at me. “Sparkle! I need you to bring up a shield so we can flank them!”

“R-right!” I answered, my voice shaking. My heart pounded at warp speed as the disruptor fire continued unceasingly, making every action feel like it would be my last. Nevertheless after a few false starts I managed to form the spell matrix in my mind for the shield. A glimmering energy field formed in front of Cadeneza.

She flashed me a quick grin then glanced over at Maia. “Maia! Keep up the cover fire! We’re going to try and circle around to the south!”

“Got it!” Maia rose up to one knee to take better aim and slapped in a fresh power pack for her phaser. “You’re good, ma’am! Go!”

“Right! Sparkle, let’s move!” Cadeneza leapt out of cover, with me trailing behind. As soon as we showed ourselves disruptor blasts pummeled my shield.  As each one washed over it, cracks formed, like glass. But the shield held as we scurried along the hill, showered by hot dirt sent flying from missed shots.

Maia’s returning fire lanced out and burned a hole in the chest of one Jem’Hadar, who screamed as he fell down, rolling in our direction. She continued to fire several more well aimed shots, killing a Jem’Hadar with every squeeze of the trigger.

Finally, as my shield was subsumed by cracks and threatened to shatter, we reached the top of the hill and flanked them. We wasted no time in taking fresh cover and firing into their sides, picking off several.

Then one screamed, “Retreat!” and they all shrouded, fading away like ghosts.

Silence reigned. Not even the animals made a sound, mostly likely too scared by the sounds of battle. “Shit,” Cadeneza breathed, doubling over as she huffed and puffed for air. “Come on, let’s… let’s regroup.”

We ran back down the hill in a hurry, rejoining Maia. As I ran my eyes fell upon the bodies of Sunset and Preta. At that moment, I wanted to cry, but I clamped down on the urge. I wrapped my heart in stone and refused to waver. I couldn’t. Not now. Not while we were still in serious danger.

“What do we do now, ma’am?” Maia asked as she kept a stern lookout. “We’re down two people.”

Cadeneza frowned as she leaned up against a tree. “How many Jem’Hadar did we take down? I counted six.”

“Nine,” I corrected gently, holding up my phaser rifle. The end glowed a cherry red, still warm from use.

“I counted six left as they retreated,” Maia added. She gazed back up at the hill. “Could be that’s all they have left.”

Cadeneza scowled at that, then tapped her badge. “Cadeneza to Phoenix. We’re clear for now, but I don’t think we have enough personnel to take the base. Please advise.”

“...can’t...too much damage...we’re going to…” Then her badge let out a loud whine and the transmission fell silent.

I gazed up at the sky and my jaw fell open. “Look!” I cried, pointing at the burst of light, visible even during the day.

“...well.” Cadeneza sighed and slapped a hand against the tree. “There went our ship. Guess we’re on shoreleave now.”

“Ma’am,” Maia said coolly. “I think we should try to take the base. If we can get control over it, we can send out a distress signal. Starfleet might be able to rescue us.”

Cadeneza sighed, stared at the ground for a moment, then nodded. “Right… right. You’re right, Ensign, that's what we’ll do.”

“But, what about Sunset?” I spoke up. “A-and Preta? We can’t just leave–”

“I don’t want to either, but we have no choice, Sparkle,” Cadeneza interrupted, her tone ice-cold. “We don’t have time to bury them.”

“Besides,” Maia interjected, “if we manage to contact the Federation, the rescue team can find the bodies with their combadges.”

“Exactly,” Cadeneza said. She gestured up the hill. “Come on. If the direction they retreated in is any indication, the base is to the west.”

Swallowing, I nodded, and tightened my grip on my phaser rifle. “Yes ma’am,” I whispered. As I followed them up the hill, I gave one last glance at the bodies, and bid them a silent farewell.

A large grassy meadow came into view as we crested the hill. It was wide open as far as I could see, save for a few scattered trees. The wind whistled as it swished through the grass, the sun shining high in the sky. It was idyllic. In the back of my mind, my pony instincts neighed in delight at the sight, giving me a sudden urge to roll in the grass. I ignored it.

We walked a few moments before my tricorder started beeping. “I’m picking up something,” I said, pointing it forward. “There’s definitely something large and metallic up ahead, about a hundred meters that way.”

“I still don’t see it,” Cadeneza said as she peered forward. “Is it cloaked?”

“Might be hidden by a holographic field,” I said. I tapped a few controls on my tricorder. “I’ll see if I can’t disrupt it with the right resonance frequency.”

“I don’t like this,” Maia announced as I worked. “We’ve got no cover here. They attack us again, we’re dead.”

Cadeneza threw up a dismissive hand. “Take it easy, Ensign. We’ve got Sparkle. She can shield us.”

Maia snorted, and knelt down to take up a firing position, her phaser readied and aimed in the direction of the hidden building.

I pushed a few more buttons and waited for the tricorder beeps to indicate it was ready. “There. I’m initiating it now.” I held up the tricorder and pushed the execute button. It warbled a bit, then before our eyes, a large building materialized from nowhere, standing a good ten meters tall, with several large transmitter towers poking out from the roof. “There!”

“Good job, Sparkle,” Cadeneza said as she hefted her phaser. “Let’s go. Maia, you take point. I’ll watch the rear. Sparkle, be ready with a shield.”

We crossed the distance to the building in a hurry. With no Jem’Hadar in sight, my nerves went haywire. If they weren’t out here, they were inside, waiting to ambush us. “Maia’s right. We’re walking right into a trap,” I said as we approached the closest door.

“I know,” Cadeneza replied. “That’s why you’ve got a shield ready. They won’t take us by surprise again.”

Maia paused at the door, which refused to slide open. “Sparkle,” she said after examining a nearby console. “Need your help.”

“Right.” I bounded forward and aimed my tricorder at the panel, setting up a wireless connection. “Let’s see, here, here… there!” The door slid open.

Maia pushed past me, her rifle ready. I followed shortly thereafter. The harsh interior lighting humming away in the ceiling hurt my eyes as I stepped inside. Everything was metallic and non-descript in shades of purple and grey. There was only one path forward, so we took it.

Eventually after a couple dozen or so meters we entered a new room, this one easily the size of the Phoenix bridge, with an upper balcony running along the wall on all four sides, and a large bank of consoles down below.

“This doesn’t feel right,” Maia said as we approached the consoles. “Where are they?”

Cadeneza stared up at the balcony, then switched settings on her phaser and swept its beam all the way around. “Not up there,” she murmured after a moment.

As she fumbled in her pocket for a spare power pack, I heard that same horrible sound of shrouds switching off and my blood ran ice cold all over again. “Get down!” I screamed, grabbing both Maia and Cadeneza and pushing them into the floor.

Just in time too, as a dozen or so disruptor bolts sizzled overhead, peppering the area where we just stood. I threw up a shield as we dove behind one of the consoles. I heard doors slide open behind us and to our left, and Jem’Hadar began pouring into the room. Far more than just the six that retreated; I counted at least a dozen sets of boots clanking against the deck, or more, each wielding rifles that had to have been set to maximum, since the console we were hiding behind turned into molten slag after just one shot.

I reinforced my shield at once, pouring power into it even as it cracked under repeated fire. “Retreat!” I said. “Let’s go back the way we came!” 

Maia brought her phaser rifle up to return fire, the orange beam searing out to strike down a Jem’Hadar soldier, scoring a nasty hole in his chest as he collapsed. “Go!” she cried.

We all backed up quickly until we slipped into the corridor. My shield barely held, all but shattered now as we fled, Cadeneza and Maia firing back every now and again to stave off pursuit.

As we closed on the exit, my shield broke entirely. Disruptor blasts began pelting the walls around us, melting holes in the metal. “I can’t keep it up!” I shouted as I stepped outside.

“We’re almost there! Move, move!” Cadeneza thundered. She fired back a few more times, then popped outside herself. Once Maia joined us, she turned her phaser on the door controls, sealing it. “God damn…”

“Thank you,” I breathed, trying to catch my breath. “I wasn’t sure I–”

“Twilight!”

Cadeneza charged forward and slammed into me, sending me flying. I tried to yell, but my voice was drowned out by twin disruptor blasts.

And a bloodcurdling scream.

Maia whirled around instantly and took out both Jem’Hadar, leaving things silent again. She said something, but I didn’t hear it. I was too busy kneeling down to check our fallen friend. “Cadeneza, “ I whispered as I looked at her broken, barely breathing face. “Why?”

She grinned. “Couldn’t… couldn’t let Sunset’s sister die… not on my… watch.” Then she slumped, the light fading from her eyes.

Before I could even whisper a goodbye, Maia grabbed me by my mane and lifted me up. “Come on. If we go around this way we might still have a chance,” she said, gesturing to one side of the building.

I nodded, and hurried to follow as Maia raced ahead. When we came around the side we found a small paved over yard filled with containers. Unfortunately we didn’t get far before more Jem’Hadar appeared, forcing us to take cover. “Now what?!” I cried.

“Just keep firing!” Maia said as she poked up to fire two shots, both reaching their mark with matching twin cries of pain. “There can’t be that many of them left.”

I started to answer, then my eyes caught sight of what was listed on the container Maia took cover at. My eyes bugged out as I screamed, “Maia, get away from that–”

A stray disruptor bolt seared past and ruptured the container. I leapt away, raising up a fresh shield to protect myself from the explosive blast. The deafening sound overwhelmed me, so painful I screamed just to keep breathing. When the blast faded, I looked up to see what happened to Maia.

There was little left save for a few pieces of smoking meat.

Sheer terror rose up inside me, threatening to eat me alive as I ran for fresh cover and tried to hide away from the Jem’Hadar closing in. My ears were ringing so badly I couldn’t hope to discern which direction the shots were coming from now, so I warped what shield I had left into a full bubble. They continued to fire mercilessly into my shield, threatening to break it once again.

So I threw my hooves up and tossed my phaser rifle away. “I surrender!” I cried at what I hoped was the top of my lungs. “I surrender! Please!”

They ceased fire long enough to close in all around me as I dropped my shield. One particularly ugly one sneered at me as he stepped over, his mouth moving, saying words I couldn’t hear. I pointed at my ear and shook my head, hoping he’d get the message.

He got the message alright. So well that he walked right up to me, grinned, then pressed the end of his disruptor against my forehead. I had just enough time to cry, “No!” before he pulled the trigger.

My world went white. And then a crystal clear voice called out, “Computer! End program!”

Everything faded around me, replaced by the black and gold grid lines of the holodeck. Cadeneza, Preta, and Maia all got up, grumbling or grunting in frustration. “And people say the Kobayashi Maru isn’t fair. Jeez...” Cadeneza snorted.

“Hey, at least you lived longer than five minutes into the simulation,” Preta murred, her nose wrinkling. “I can’t believe I died so quickly.”

“It’s because you weren’t paying attention,” said Sunset, stepping forward to stand before us, her mane a tangled mess. Thankfully the stain of blood and the throat wound had faded with the rest of the holograms. Sunset wasn’t on my good list, but that didn’t mean I wanted to see… that even one second longer than I had to. “None of you were. You could’ve saved my life if you had been.”

Glaring at Sunset, I shot back, “So you mean you weren’t supposed to die right there?”

“Oh, I was,” Sunset said. She looked back at the holodeck exit. “You can come in now.”

The doors wheezed open, allowing Commanders Ishihara and Zhidar to enter, each giving us matching disappointed looks. Ishihara focused her gaze on Cadeneza. “I’ve got to congratulate you, Lieutenant. You managed to step into every single trap in the program.”

“Maia warned you about one of them, even!” Zhidar added, his voice rumbling as he glowered at us. “But you became overconfident. You can’t always rely on Sparkle’s magic.”

“Or mine for that matter,” Sunset thirded, gesturing to her horn with a wing. “Like you saw, if I’m taken by surprise, I could die without being able to cast so much as a spark. Twilight and I are powerful, but we’re not invincible.”

Cadeneza shrugged. “Hey, I threw myself in the line of fire for Sparkie. I saved her life. That’s gotta count for somethin’, right?”

All three Commanders glared daggers at her. “No,” they said in unison.

Sunset stepped in between us and the Commanders. “Heroism’s easy when the safety protocols are on. Look, the point is, you could’ve saved her without getting yourself killed.”

Cadeneza chuckled, but she nodded. “Yeah, okay Sun–err, ma’am. You caught me. I couldn't really take it seriously.”

“But you’re supposed to,” Zhidar said, wagging a thick sausage-like finger at her. “We must all be prepared for combat with the Jem’Hadar.”

“As for the rest of you,” Ishihara said, eyes scanning over each of us in turn. “Re’l, you of all people should’ve sensed the initial ambush. You’ve got a keener sense of smell than the rest of us. Why didn’t you use it?”

“I, I did ma’am,” Preta replied quietly. “But Commander Sunset was talking, so I didn’t want to… interrupt her.”

Ishihara nodded in understanding. “Of course. You did just graduate from the Academy a couple months ago. But while they may have you siring and ma’aming and whatever else, when you’re in a combat situation, you need to use your head.” A slight grin crossed her face. “Tell me, Re’l, you recall your military history class? If they’re still teaching it the way they should, they should’ve mentioned the Japanese fleet in Earth’s World War II.”

Preta blinked. “Um, yes ma’am, I think I remember. What about it?”

Ishihara’s smile grew. “Simple. While there were many factors behind the demise of the Japanese fleet, one of the most important ones is that no one ever spoke up about issues. Higher ranking officials were never challenged or questioned, observations in the moment never made due to extreme deference to protocol. In other words, exactly the same thing you did. If you’d spoken up you could’ve easily kept that knife out of the Commander’s throat. And if you had done that, chances are Ensign Sparkle wouldn’t have ended up with a disruptor against her forehead.”

Preta nodded and bowed her head. “Yes ma’am. I’ll… try to remember that, ma’am.”

“Good.” Ishihara glanced over at Maia and sighed. “You want to explain why you didn’t read that container label?”

Maia stared right back, unyielding. “I was focused on protecting Sparkle. I made a mistake.”

Ishihara snorted a single laugh. “Yeah. You did. I know you’re better than that, Maia. Don’t make that mistake again.”

“And as for you,” Sunset said as her eyes turned to me. “You–”

“Yeah, I know, I know,” I scowled, rolling my eyes. “I shouldn’t have surrendered.”

“Actually, that was exactly the right move,” Sunset continued, giving me a strained smile. “Unlike the Klingons, the Jem’Hadar do take prisoners. You did well in this exercise, Ensign. You kept your wits about you, used your abilities wisely, and…” she paused for a second and swallowed hard, “didn’t let your emotions distract you when the mission was compromised.”

“It’s true. They only blew your head off here because we programmed them to do it, hahahaha!” Zhidar guffawed.

Sunset shot a glare Zhidar’s way. “Regardless, it was a solid combat exercise, even if you did poorly overall. You’ll do better next week.” She waved a wing to the door. “That will be all. Dismissed.”

I let everyone else file out of the holodeck ahead of me before I wandered forward. “Twilight, wait,” Sunset called out.

Sighing, I pivoted on my hooves. “Yes? Ma’am?” I answered, deliberately stressing the honorific so she’d get the hint.

Of course, she didn’t. She eyed me curiously for a moment, then said, “Twilight, I meant what I said, you know. You did–”

“Didn’t let my emotions distract me, huh? You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” I cut her off. “You knew the ambush was there. You walked right into it.”

“...of course I did,” Sunset replied, her expression turning stern. “Who do you think wrote most of the simulation.”

My lips pulled back into a sneer. “So why didn’t you warn me then? You think I like watching you die, even when I know it isn’t real? I don’t! It’s awful!” 

“Why would I warn anybody about that, Twilight? I’ve been testing every single squad the same way–”

“Bullshit.” I couldn’t help but grin internally when I saw the look of shock on her face. Every time I used profanity, without fail. Like she couldn’t believe I had the words in me. “You still could’ve warned me. I’m not just another member of the crew here, you know. I wouldn’t have said anything!”

She took a deep breath, and I saw her eyelids flutter a moment as she practiced a meditation technique. Then she continued, “You weren’t supposed to know. Testing your reaction to a surprise loss was part of the whole point to–”

“Oh shut up,” I cut her off, my muzzle twisted with rage, bearing every last one of my teeth. “You’re full of it. You knew that would hurt me, and you wanted to hurt me, didn’t you? Because I still haven’t forgiven you yet for disappearing on us.” I felt a small mote of satisfaction when I saw her grit her teeth, her eyes twitching with rage. “But I really should’ve expected that from the way you’ve been acting ever since you came back. You let that promotion go to your–”

“That is enough, Ensign!Sunset roared, her voice magically enhanced. Her wings flared out to their furthest extent as she bore down on me. “Like it or not, I am still your superior officer and you will not talk back to me that way.”

The sheer authority in her voice cowed me, despite my own temper flaring. I found myself standing at attention without wanting to. “Y-yes, ma’am.”

“You might be my sister, but I’ll be speaking with your department head about this,” Sunset continued, still scowling. “When we’re on duty I am your superior officer. Period. Is that understood, Ensign?”

I nodded, trying not to shake from fright. “Understood.”

Her eyes flashed as she raised a hoof and pointed it at the door. “Dismissed,” she hissed.


As soon as Twilight fled the holodeck, her tail between her legs, I let out a scream of frustration. “Damn it, Twilight, what the hell is the matter with you?” I growled, slamming my hoof into the metal floor. “You haven’t acted this bad since I first came back.”

“Since I first came back,” I repeated in a whisper. I sighed and slapped a forehoof to my face. “Ugh. Guess I should’ve expected some kind of reaction out of her though.” I knew why I didn’t warn her, but should I have?

“Then again, would it have mattered?” I grumbled, kicking my hoof against the floor a few more times. “Seems like everything I do, or don’t do, hurts Twilight somehow.”

“Liang to Shimmer. Number One, please report to my ready room immediately.”

“Oh what now?” I murmured. Then I tapped my combadge. “On my way, sir.”

I made my way swiftly through the corridors, nodding to the various crew members I walked by. As I did so I tried my hardest to remember their faces and names. I’d need to, for crew evaluations. I felt rather proud when I managed to name most of them, only struggling on one particular human woman. Blalock? Jannsen? Something like that.

Arriving on the bridge, I nodded briefly to Williams in the center chair before I entered the ready room. I found Liang glaring at his terminal, listening to someone speaking. He looked up just enough to wave me forward, then turned his attention back to the screen, “While I am sure your logic is impeccable, Admiral, I must disagree. When Starfleet asked me to come back because they needed my experience, I assumed they were referring to my wartime experience.”

I sat down just in time to catch sight of an Admiral I didn’t recognize, a much older human man, balding with white hair. “And I’m sorry, James, but we just can’t justify putting the Phoenix on the front lines. Your crew is too young, too inexperienced. And you have the only two Equestrians in Starfleet, whom the Dominion are keen to get their hands on. If the Phoenix were lost in combat–”

“But we won’t be, Owen,” Liang insisted. “For goodness sake, you and I went to the Academy together. You know I’m an expert tactician.”

“Yes, I do. But that was thirty years ago, James. Space combat tactics aren’t what they used to be. Hell, nothing is what it used to be. But we all had to change, and you’ll have to do the same. You have your orders, James. Paris out.” The Admiral’s image disappeared from the screen.

“Damn him!” Liang snapped, sneering at his terminal. “I’m not an invalid, and neither is this ship.”

“For what it’s worth, sir,” I said, “I think you’re right. We should be on the front lines.” My lips rippled to show my teeth as I added, “Those Dominion jerks are going to pay for every millimeter of space they take.”

“Yes, well,” Liang replied with a sigh as he snatched up his cane, staring at the top piece, “If wishes were pips on our collars…” He sighed again and sat up straighter in his chair. “If Paris wants us to prove ourselves then that’s exactly what we’ll do, and that starts with escorting back-line supply convoys from Earth to Starbase 375.” He glanced over at me and frowned. “Nevermind my own concerns. Is something troubling you, Sunset?”

Captain Liang had taken to using my first name on occasion over the past couple of weeks, a sign of familiarity I appreciated, even if I was too afraid to repay it in kind just yet. “Just the squad training, sir,” I answered. “It was my sister’s turn.”

He nodded in immediate understanding. “Of course. I can’t imagine your sister was too happy to see you take a fall.”

“...no. No she wasn’t,” I admitted, bowing my head in shame. “She acted out of line. Even told me to shut up, if you can believe it.”

Liang considered that for a moment, then gestured to an empty chair. I took the invitation to sit. “And I take it you responded by putting your hoof down.”

“Of course I did, sir,” I said, my face screwing up in disbelief. “We were both on duty. No one should mouth off to their superiors like that, especially an ensign. Besides, if word got out that I let something like that slide, the favoritism charges would spread like wildfire.”

“Indeed not, but tell me.” Liang leaned forward, his lips spreading in that knowing smile of his “Was anyone else present at the time? Or were the two of you alone?”

I stared back for a moment till my face heated up like I’d stuck it in a furnace. “I… asked her to stay back, yes.”

Liang’s smile grew. He tapped on his desk once with his staff. “So, my dear, don’t you think she might’ve seen it as two sisters talking rather than an ensign speaking to the ship’s first officer?”

I groaned and planted my face on his desk. “I messed up, didn’t I?” I murmured.

“In one or two ways, yes,” Liang answered with a chuckle. “Given what she’s been through psychologically, I do believe you should have warned her ahead of time, even if it compromised part of the training. These squad exercises I’ve ordered are for more than just testing reactions to specific circumstances. I want my whole crew capable of fighting the Jem’Hadar face to face, hand to hand even if necessary.”

“You’re right, sir,” I said, picking myself up off his desk and straightening my mane. “I should have.”

“As for dressing her down, I wouldn’t worry too much,” Liang continued. “However, I would try to avoid it in the future, especially if the two of you are alone. As you intimated, the last thing we need is Ensign Sparkle, or anyone else, thinking they can get away with insubordination. Dismissed, Number One.”

I nodded and got out of my chair. Once I was halfway to the door, Liang called out, “That said, if you’d like some personal advice…”

“Yes, sir?” I said, turning around.

Liang hopped out of his chair, came over to me, and clapped me on the shoulder. “I would consider finding a subtle way to apologize to her for not warning her.”

“Thank you sir, that’s a good suggestion,” I said, still flushing with embarrassment.

He eyed me for a moment, then smiled. “Oh don’t worry so much, Number One. We all make the occasional error in the line of duty. Part of being sapient. Comes with the territory.” He sat back in his chair and turned back to his terminal. “That’ll be all.”

I nodded in acknowledgement and left the ready room. I paused briefly on the bridge to check my duty roster, then decided on my next task. Entering the nearby turbolift I called out, “Deck 12, Main Sickbay.”

A few minutes later I swept through the doors of Sickbay. Like many facilities aboard the ship, Sickbay’s resemblance of its original state when it was part of the Enterprise was almost entirely superficial. The multiple walls and doors that had subdivided Sickbay were gone, along with the warm, neutral colors used for the decor. Now the entire space was opened up, and thanks to warmtime necessary, greatly expanded to span at least three more sections. Now Sickbay seemed almost like a small hospital, with dozens of additional biobeds, scanners, and surgical equipment ready to receive the inevitable casualties of war.

I made my way to the CMO’s office, fortuitously finding Doctor May there. But there was also another figure present, one I recognized. “Doctor Selar?” I said.

Selar gave me a cool look, her eyes darting to the pips on my collar, then focusing squarely on me. “Yes, Commander,” she said. “I was assigned to the Phoenix per Doctor May’s request.”

“It’s true,” May said, giving me a smile. “I’ve worked with her before. She might not take much of a joke, but she’s a good doctor. I’ll be needin’ good staff if I’m to succeed here.” She faced Selar. “Thank you for the report, Selar.”

“Of course, Doctor,” she said, then gave me a nod. “Commander.” She courteously stepped around me as she left the office.

“I take it you know Selar, Sunset,” May said, her eyes twinkling with amusement. 

“Yes. She was the first doctor to examine me when I arrived on Earth.” I frowned, my expression turning dark as I remembered the experience. “Didn’t exactly have a good bedside manner.”

May chortled, only laughing harder when I shot her a glare. “Oh don’t be givin’ me that look now, Sunset. You can’t be dislikin’ Selar just ‘cause of the way she acted back then. She’s a good doctor. She deserves to be here.”

“Wasn’t gonna question it,” I replied. I cleared my throat. “I came by to ask how you and your staff are settling in.”

May looked down at her terminal, tapped a few keys, then took a PADD from her desk and handed it over. “It’s all right here, Sunset. Really, everything's been goin’ well. No equipment issues so far, and the staff’s already working together like clockwork. We’re ready for triage at any time.”

“Thanks,” I said, taking the PADD. Then I gave her an apologetic smile. “Listen, Sarah, I never apologized for the way I recruited you. I shouldn’t have–”

“Oh no. Don’t be apologizin’ now,” May cut me off with a stern look. “I won’t lie, I wasn’t very happy at first, but I wouldn’t have accepted the post if I didn’t think it was what I really wanted.”

I sighed in relief. “Glad to hear it. I didn’t want you to feel guilted into it. That’s not why I offered it to you.”

May shook her head and smiled. “I know that. You’re a good person, Sunset Shimmer. You make some mistakes, but you’re never intendin’ to hurt people.”

“...tell that to my sister.” I tucked the PADD she gave me into my pocket. “Excuse me, I need to go check on another department.”

She turned her attention back to her terminal. “Right. Just don’t be forgettin’ I have you for a physical next week. I don’t want you bein’ late to that now.”

“I won’t be,” I said as I swiftly made my way out, trying my best to ignore her chuckling. Once outside I tapped my combadge. “Computer, current location of Belle Hendricks.”

“Belle Hendricks is in her quarters.” 

After a swift turbolift ride to Deck 7, I trotted up to her door and tapped the door chime. “Come in!” she called.

I stepped inside, feeling a sense of familiarity. I’d made sure Belle had the same quality of quarters that Counselor Troi had aboard the saucer once upon a time, and the layout was so similar to my own it confused me for a moment. Then I saw the various decorations scattered about, all taken from her office as well as a few I didn’t recognize that likely came from her home, and the confusion dissipated.

Belle sat on a sofa, and she was not alone. An Arabian woman dressed in flowing robes sat next to her, cradling a cup of tea. “Oh, Sunset!” Belle said, smiling warmly. “Good timing. I wanted to introduce you to my colleague, Inanna Eresh. She’s been an invaluable asset ever since I hired her on. Inanna, this is Sunset Shimmer, Twilight’s older sister.”

Inanna gave me a small smile and offered a hand, which I shook. “It is a pleasure to meet you,” she said, her voice lightly accented, with an ephemeral sound like wind chimes on a cool spring morning.

“Likewise,” I replied, taking a seat in the nearby armchair. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to meet with you sooner. It’s been a busy couple of months.”

Inanna shook her head, her dark hair flowing behind her in a way that reminded me of Celestia’s mane. “It is no trouble. I’m glad to finally have a chance to speak with the sister of Twilight Sparkle. She has spoken a great deal about you, albeit in the past tense.”

I tried not to wince visibly. “Yeah. Been getting that a lot lately.”

“Speaking of which, Sunset,” Belle spoke up, her eyes twinkling, “I did want to speak with you about scheduling some regular counseling. I know I saw you a couple of times while you were on medical leave and I cleared you for duty, but it’s my medical opinion you could use some additional therapy.”

An exasperated frown pulled at my muzzle. “...that’s not really why I came by, Belle.”

“I know,” Belle replied with an innocent smile. “But I thought we should discuss it while you’re here.”

“From what I understand of your psychological history,” Innana spoke up, “I must concur with Belle. It often takes patients many years to fully recover from traumas much lighter than the ones you and your sister have suffered. I suspect you both have much healing left to do.” 

I waved my forehooves in a dismissive fashion. “I’ll try to fit it into my schedule somewhere, okay? Send me a communique. I really came here to see how you were settling in.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Belle said. She bent over and reached for her own tea cup, and took a sip. “To answer your question, everything is satisfactory per Starfleet regulations. I have several other therapists working for me. They’re young and inexperienced. But they’re good people too. I’ll send you my official report later.”

“Good.” I adjusted my seating, then looked at Belle. “What about you personally? And you for that matter, Inanna?”

“Personally? I’m fine. Better than fine, actually,” Belle replied with a light chuckle. She turned to look over her shoulder out the window, where we could see the stars streaming by at warp speed, along with the barest edge of one of the convoys we were escorting. “Still intimidates me a little, looking outside to see stars rather than ground and sky, but it’s been exciting, exhilarating even, finally getting to ride a starship.”

“Indeed, it is always a pleasure to travel aboard one,” Innana seconded. “Especially one as comfortable as this ship.”

“Although,” Belle continued as she set down her tea cup, “I do have to make a protest. I don’t like the idea of being required to train with a phaser. I told you before, Sunset, I’m not a Starfleet officer.”

“Normally you wouldn’t have had to do that, but in war time, all persons on a crew, even civiliants, must go through basic firearm and first aid training.” I glared down at the type-two hand phaser sat nestled in its holster on my right side. “I don’t like carrying this thing around constantly either. But the last thing I’d want is for a Jem’Hadar soldier to burst in here and kill you because you couldn’t defend yourself.”

Belle snorted, twitching her eyebrows. “I’m well aware of the logic behind it. But I don’t like it.” She glanced over at the pair of phasers sitting on her desk across the room. “I don’t like having weapons around, especially in my line of work. Makes me and the patients uncomfortable.”

“I know the feeling.”  Sighing, I stood up from my chair. “Thank you for meeting with me. I’ll expect your report later.”

Belle snickered. “Yes ma’am,” she said, flashing me a toothy grin.

“You don’t have to say that you know,” I called back as I left her quarters. Like May her chuckles followed me out the door. “Jeez, everyone’s laughing at me today.”

“Cadeneza to Shimmer.” 

I tapped my combadge. “Go ahead.”

“Ma’am, can you please come see me in the xenobiology lab right away?”  Despite the respectful words, they were encased in a slick coating of snark, and a bit of irritation.

Hoo boy. “On my way.” I hurried over to the nearest turbolift and directed it to deck six.

A short ride later and I was marching down the hallway to the xenobiology labs. Despite the drastic change in the Phoenix’s primary mission, xenobiology had kept almost all of its original space allotment from the Enterprise. The only larger labs on the ship were the physics lab and Stellar Cartography. I found Cadeneza squatting over a lab station, messing with some sort of experiment of hers. Several other scientists crowded the lab as well, working on various projects.

“Oh, good, you’re here,” she murmured, jerking her head over to one door, which led into a small office. “C’mon.”

Bemused, I followed her into the office. The instant the doors closed, I said, “Look, if this is about the squad exercise–”

“You’re damned right it’s about the squad exercise!” Cadeneza hissed. She bent over to glare at me in the face. “Twilight came to me about what happened. Reprimanding a friend is bad enough, but it’s even worse when I know she’s right!” She jabbed a finger into my chest. “I can handle watching you die on the holodeck, but she can’t! Where the hell did you get off not warning her beforehand?”

I calmly pushed away her finger with my magic. I wasn’t going to let my temper get the better of me again. “It was a mistake,” I said simply. “I admit that.”

“Don’t you dare–oh.” Cadeneza blinked and stood up straight, bemused. “I… was half expecting you to yell at me too.”

I eyed her. “I should. You technically struck a superior officer just now. But I won’t, because you’re right. And I know that. I’m going to apologize to her, somehow.”

Cadeneza snorted, and casually leaned over on her desk. “Uh huh. You’d better. But a simple ‘I’m sorry’ isn’t going to cut it, just so you know. You’ll just piss her off more.”

I resisted the urge to snap at her. “What’re you suggesting, then?” 

Cadeneza rapped her fingertips on the desk a few times. “Take her out for a drink.”

“W-Wait, what?” I nearly choked on my words. “I doubt a party is going to solve this, Cadeneza.”

She shrugged. “Doesn’t have to be a party. But if you wanna get her to talk at all, well…”

I did not like where this train of thought was heading. “I-is Twi–”

“An alcoholic? No, since that’s what you were going to ask,” She snipped. “Trust me, I would know if she was.”

I decided not to ask how she’d be able to tell. “Still, you mean to tell me the only way I can talk to my own sister now is to get her liquored up first?”

Cadeneza walked around the desk and sat on the corner. “We all thought you were dead. Had to find some way to comfort her, to help her through the pain. AIn’t my fault she found me and the others less helpful than Jack, Johnnie, and Jim.”

A small mote of fear twisted my stomach into knots. “Please tell me you’re talking about booze, not some group of guys she hooked up with.”

Cadeneza burst out laughing, doubling over as she wheezed. “Oh my god, Sunset!” she stammered, slamming her knee over and over with her fist.

I shot her the flattest look I could manage. “I’m guessing that’s a yes,” I said, my words dripping with sarcasm.

“Yes, I’m talking about booze, good grief,” Cadeneza replied, still snickering. “Twilight’s way too much of a prude to do anything like that.”

“Erm, I’m not sure how you know that,” I replied, my stomach twisting harder, “And I’m not sure I want to know.”

Now it was her turn to flash me a flat look. “I haven’t slept with your sister. She’s not the one I’d–” Her eyes widened as her hand shot up to cover her mouth.

“What–”

“Okay that’s enough of that ma’am I’m sure glad we had this conversation I’ve got lots of experiments to run!” she babbled as she pushed me out of the office and back into the main lab. “I hope you have a great day I’ll be sure to send you my report bye now!”

Before I knew it I found myself standing outside in the corridor, utterly nonplussed. “What the hell was that about?”


I squatted in my chair in the corner in Ten-Forward, glumly nursing my drink and wishing the bartender had bothered to stock real alcohol. Synthehol just wasn’t the same.

“Listen, Sparkie,” said Wattson, who sat across from me, a plate of stir fry half eaten in front of her. “I think you’re overblowing it. Sunset’s not that unreasonable.”

“She sure seemed like it,” I snorted as I swallowed another mouthful of useless, pointless liquid. Dropping my glass to the table, I glared out at the stars as they swept on by.

Wattson rolled her eyes at me and dove back into her stir fry. When she came up for air, she said, “Seriously? You told a superior officer to shut up. What did you think was going to happen?”

I shot her an icy glare, then sighed. “Bull. She wouldn’t stop making excuses. She’s let her power go to her head.”

Wattson set her fork down on her plate with a quiet clatter, then steepled her hands and looked at me. “Twilight. You’re my friend. A good friend. You know that, right?”

“Yeah…?” I said, not sure where she was going with this.

She smiled, but it failed to reach her eyes. “Then believe me when I say you’re acting like a complete moron. Your sister is not letting power go to her head. I think we all agree that she made a mistake not warning you, but you acted way out of line jumping down her throat over it. We’re all Starfleet here, Twilight. We need to act like it.”

That foul black hatred rose up in my breast again, threatening to spill out my mouth with harsh retorts and harsher insults. But as I glared back at Wattson, who’d never been anything but a good friend to me, the hatred evaporated, leaving behind a core of hurt. “I… Amelia…” 

She sighed, then scooted her chair around the table so she could give me a one-armed hug. “Hey, hey. It’s okay. I get it. Well...” She drummed her fingers on my shoulder. “I sort of get it. For me and the others, losing Sunset was like losing a piece of our unofficial family, so to speak. It’s been three months and it’s still kind of unbelievable to see her here.”

“You’re telling me,” I murmured. I reached out for my beverage with my magic and slung it back, grimacing at its fake taste. “She keeps trying to act like nothing’s changed. Like the past two years didn’t happen. Like she can just walk into my life again and I’d take her back.”

“And again I’ll ask why would you not take her back, Twilight?” Wattson shifted her hand to knead at my neck instead, just the way I liked it. “We’ve talked about this. You know she did what she thought she had to do.”

“Please don’t start that.” I leaned forward, letting her shift her hand down further into my neck muscles, right where they met the shoulders. “I don’t need to hear it right now.”

“Okay.” Wattson shrugged, and kept up her massage for a few moments. Then she suddenly pulled away. “Oh, hey, look who’s just come in.”

I looked up at the doors on the far side of the lounge and spotted Sunset, carrying a large bottle cradled under one wing. “Oh no. Hide me.”

Wattson snickered and moved away from the table. “I think I’ll give the two of you some alone time.”

My jaw fell open as I reached out a hoof to her, desperately wishing she’d come back. But it was too late. Sunset spotted me immediately and rushed over, meandering her way through the crowd. “Hey, Twilight,” she said with a wave of her free wing. “Mind if I join you?”

“Why?” I said, sneering. “Did you think of more ways my apparently inept team could have saved your life in there?”

To my irritation she didn’t even miss a beat as she set down the bottle, along with two snifter glasses I hadn’t noticed she was carrying. “No. I thought I’d buy you a drink. Got this off of a Saurian crewman for about ten strips of latinum. Aged Saurian brandy, real good stuff.”

My eyes locked onto the bottle, my mouth watering at the thought of the taste of liquor, real liquor, dancing on my tongue. Even if it was Sunset presenting it, I… I couldn’t resist. “Okay,” I said, gesturing to the chair. “Have a seat.”

Sunset sat at the table and promptly uncorked the bottle, pouring us each a hefty glass. She floated one over to me. “Here you go.”

I took the glass in my magic and lifted it to my muzzle, letting the odors waft into my nostrils. “Oh that smells good,” I breathed.

“He told me it was aged for over twenty years,” Sunset replied, lifting her own glass up to her muzzle. “Said it was worth even more than I paid, but he gave me a discount in exchange for a few magical parlor tricks.”

“Uh huh.” I paid her no heed as I tipped the glass back, letting some of the brandy wash its way across my tongue. “Ooooh,” I gasped in delight as the smooth, elegant and rich flavor bedazzled my senses. I swallowed and let the warmth wind its way down into my stomach, effortlessly gliding like an expert ballroom dancer. “Wow.”

“Yeah, it’s not bad,” Sunset commented as she drank some, slamming it back.

“Hey!” I grabbed her glass in my magic before she could drain it all. “This is brandy, not whiskey. You have to savor it.”

“Oh yeah?” Sunset stole back her glass from me, then carefully sipped the last of the brandy, swishing it in her mouth before swallowing. “Huh. You’re right. it is better that way. You know your booze, sis.”

I drank the last of my first glass, then reached for the bottle to pour a second. “I’ve had a lot of practice.”

Sunset jerked, her mouth falling open. Her lips strained to form a smile. “Ahehe, yeah, I uh, I’ll bet you have… yeah.”

“Plenty.” Pointedly slamming the bottle down on the table before I passed it over to her, I picked up my glass to sip. The second glass tasted even smoother than the first, like the first glass had laid out a red carpet for the second to strut along. “I had a lot of sorrows to drown.”

Shriveling up like a dried prune, Sunset sank into her chair. “And this morning didn’t help.”

My magic grip tightened on my snifter glass, cracking it. Drops of brandy began to drip out onto the carpet. “You think?”

Sunset sighed, sipping at her glass. “Twilight, for what it’s worth, I–”

“Oh no. Don’t you dare,” I interrupted in loud, harsh whisper. I swallowed the last dredges of brandy from my broken glass then set it aside, opting to drink straight from the bottle. The third glass worth pirouetted through my mind, sweeping aside my inhibitions and what little patience I still had for any of this. “You don’t get to walk up to me and apologize now. You think this is enough?” I held up the bottle in my magic and gestured to her with it. “It’s not. But I heard what you said earlier, ma’am. I’ll obey. I’ll follow your orders. But if you think you can just–”

Sunset’s snifter glass cracked in several places. “You were right!” she hissed. “Damn it, Twilight, you were right, okay? I should’ve warned you!”

Somewhere in the back of my mind I became aware of murmurs and whispers targeted our way, but I paid them no heed. “Oh that’s rich, Sunset. Let me guess. Everyone else yelled at you, so here you are with your tail between your legs, hoping to make up for your stupid mistake. It doesn’t work that way anymore, Sunset. I’m not that forgiving anymore.”

Her face twisted up, her muzzle contorting into a sneer. “Ensign…” she began.

A snort of laughter escaped me as I took another drink of brandy. Spots formed behind my eyes, and Sunset split in two for a few seconds before snapping back. “You don’t get to pull rank on me here,” I chortled. “We’re both off duty and you brought the brandy to my table. Right now? We’re just two sisters having a disagreement.” I set the bottle down and slid it over to her. “Here. Have some more. Might give you some courage to stop hiding behind that uniform.”

Sunset shot up out of her chair, her wings unfurled. She raised one rear leg, preparing to buck. “Oh are we? Because I’ve felt like I’m the one who’s lost their sister now, with the way you’ve treated me,” she hissed through gritted teeth. “I did what I had to do and you know it. If I hadn’t done that, the Enterprise would’ve been destroyed and I would’ve died with everyone else anyway!”

A savage grin split my muzzle as I leapt up to my hooves. “I know, Sunset,” I said, laughing at the look of shock on her face. “You think I’m that stupid? I spent weeks going over every last bit of telemetry from the Enterprise’s sensor logs.”

“What?” Sunset gasped. “Then you know the saucer wasn’t far enough away.”

“Yes.”

“Then you know I had no options left. Nothing else would’ve bought them enough time!”

“Yes!”

“Then what did I do wrong?!” Sunset wailed.

The words came rushing out from the coldest, darkest depths of my broken soul.

“You didn’t stay dead!”

Only after I said that did I notice the crowd that formed. Everyone stared at us with mute expressions of shock and horror. Wattson was among them, gripping her fists and taking a step forward, like she was prepared to intervene. Sunset reeled back like I’d slapped her across the face. Her eyes burned like fire as she opened her mouth to shout back, then she shut it again. 

She took a look around the room, then faced me again and said, “If you want to continue this, you know where my quarters are.” She raised her head and straightened herself up, as if she was reasserting her authority. “The rest of you, there’s nothing to see here. As you were.”

She trotted off and out the door before I could say another word.

Had I been in a more sensible state of mind, I might’ve let her go. Might’ve let it drop, might not have bothered to chase after her. But I wasn’t. I was drunk. Brandy was my blood. Blood pumped by a hateful, bitter heart that somehow occupied a gaping, cold void in my chest where somepony named Twilight Sparkle, citizen of Equestria and future student in Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns used to exist.

So I waited just long enough to be sure she’d gotten into a turbolift before I scooped up the brandy bottle in my magic and cantered out the door. As I passed through it I stumbled and smacked my hip into one wall, hissing from the pain. But I used it to maintain my focus, and guided myself to the turbolift. “Deck eight.”

My vision swam as the turbolift carried me up two decks, dumping me out somewhere near my destination. I smacked my lips, my mouth dryer than a desert as I trudged my way down the corridor, using the wall to keep me balanced.. I popped open the bottle and took a long swig, heedless of the brandy spilling down my cheeks on both sides. As I reached Sunset’s quarters, I brazenly charged the doors, only realizing they were unlocked after I passed through them unhindered, just barely avoiding falling on my face.

“...yes sir,” I heard Sunset say. She wasn’t looking my way, so I decided to stay quiet and listen.

You realize the harm this could do to the crew’s morale,” said the voice of Captain Liang, emerging from her combadge. “A public scene like this is inexcusable behavior from the ship’s executive officer.” 

“Believe me sir, I know,” Sunset replied. “It was a mistake, one I won’t be repeating.”

See that you don’t. I trust your judgement, Number One, but if your sister continues to cause issues like this, I may have to request she be transferred elsewhere.

“You know I’d rather that not happen, sir,” Sunset choked out.

I know. I’d rather not either. She’s a stellar officer, when she’s not acting like a child. Get this settled, Sunset. Liang out.

“Right.” Sunset sighed, and flopped down onto her rump. “Damn it, Twilight. I love you, but…”

“But what?” I spoke up, unable to hold back any longer. I lifted up the bottle, holding it upside down like a mallet. What was left of the brandy spilled out all over the floor. “But what? You’re going to get rid of me? Huh?”

To her credit, Sunset only briefly winced as she whirled about, her horn lit up as she struck a defensive posture. “Twilight, you… no! No, I’m trying to do everything I can to keep you on this ship.”

“Why bother?!” I hopped forward, and unleashed my own magic to charge up my forehooves with force. But my magic sputtered and spurted, winking in and out in a haphazard fashion. “Huh? Why? I won’t forgive you, damn it! I won’t!”

“Oh for goodness–Twilight, you’re drunk!” Sunset effortlessly ripped the brandy bottle out of my magic and set it down far away on the furthest table.

“‘Course I’m drunk!” I slurred, reaching back out for the bottle again with my magic. “You gave me real booze.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m deeply regretting that now.” Sunset scowled, and whispered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like “Damn it Cadeneza.” Then she fixed her gaze on me. “Twilight, I still don’t understand why you’re so endlessly mad with me, but we’re not going to work it out while you’re drunk. You need to go back to your quarters, sleep this off, then tomorrow at 1300 you and I are marching our rears straight down to Belle’s office and seeing her together, okay?”

I howled and tried to charge her, only to end up falling on my face. Then she picked me up in her field and neutralized my magic as easily as a human might snuff out a candle flame with their fingers. “Lemme go!” I shouted, flailing uselessly in the air. “Lemme… lemme go.”

“No.” She wrapped a field around my mouth for good measure to keep me silent, then tapped her badge. “Shimmer to security. I need security at my quarters right away.” She paused, then added, “Make that Ensign Maia.”

Less than a minute later the door chime sounded, and to my dismay Maia stepped in. She took one look at me floating in the air, then snorted. “I take it this is the problem, ma’am.”

“So to speak,” Sunset replied. She set me down on my hooves and released me. I remained standing. Mostly. “Please escort my sister back to her quarters so she can get some rest.”

I considered struggling, or running away, but before I could do more than consider it, Maia stepped forward and placed a single hand on my withers, positioned in just the right way to remind me how easily she could snap my spine in two if she wanted. “Aye, ma’am,” Maia said. “Come on, Twilight.”

Grumbling to myself, I allowed Maia to lead me out the door and towards the nearest turbolift. “This is stupid,” I murmured. “Stupid Sunset. Stupid Maia. Stupid booze.”

“So you are drunk,” Maia said as we stepped inside the lift. “Deck three.”

“Ugh… no… I’m not as think as you drunk I am.”

Maia inclined an eyebrow. “Right. Sure.”

As we stepped off the turbolift, she guided me directly to my quarters, which I shared with Preta. I only picked up four or five more bruises along the way.

The instant I stepped inside, Preta rose from a chair at our shared dining table to gape at me. “Twilight? What happened to you?”

“Dunno, but she’s drunk,” Maia snorted. “Get her to bed, would you?”

“Err, yeah, okay,” Preta responded.  As Maia left, she knelt down to look me in the eye. “You okay, Twilight? How’d you even get drunk? I thought Ten Forward didn’t carry any real alcohol.”

“They didn’t,” I replied. I wasn’t sure what was happening just then, but everything seemed to slow way down. Like the brandy in my veins had been replaced with molasses. “It was… it was Sunshet. S-she gave me b-brandy. Tried to...to schweet talk me… into forgiving...”

Preta frowned. “...I see. Okay, Twilight, you need to get some sleep. C’mon. This way.”

She led me, still stumbling, into my bedroom and up onto my bed. Then she sat down next to me. “Are you going to be okay if I leave you here?”

Now that I was lying on a bed, slumber beckoned me with an irresistible call. “Y-yeah. I’ll be fine.”

Preta patted me on the shoulder and stood up. “Okay. I’ll be nearby if you need anything.”

“Sure.”

As she left, I rolled over, and closed my eyes. Darkness sucked me down, sending me into a sleep so deep I barely registered when the red alert klaxons began to blare.


I gulped down another large glass of water before shoving the empty cup back into the replicator. I hadn’t drunk as much as Twilight, but I still felt a bit woozy, and the last thing I needed in the morning was a hangover headache.

“Note to self,” I murmured as I bustled my way over to my bedroom. “Kill Cadeneza for this stupid suggestion.”

But before I could begin to strip off my uniform, the lighting dimmed, red lights flashing, alarms ringing. Then the ship rocked. I spotted the brief glow of Cerenkov radiation from the windows as the shields flared in reaction to weapons fire. “All hands!” called out Williams over the intercom. “Battlestations! Senior staff to the bridge!

Cursing under my breath, I rushed out of my quarters and galloped to the nearest turbolift. “Bridge!” I barked. “Emergency speed!”

The turbolift rocketed upwards, fast enough for its inertial dampers to slip just enough for my stomach to lurch. The Phoenix shuddering from another burst of fire only added to the effect. But soon enough I stumbled out of the turbolift onto the bridge. Liang wasn’t here yet, so I took the center chair, Williams quickly moving off to my left. “Report!”

“Four Jem’Hadar attack fighters,” Williams said as I took a moment to scan our readiness on the nearest console. “They came out of nowhere. Didn’t show up at all on sensors till they dropped out of warp.”

“Shields down to eighty-five percent!” Ishihara called out. “We’ve got two of them right on our tail!”

“Helm, evasive maneuvers, pattern delta!” I ordered. “Ishihara, concentrate your fire on the closest fighter! Photon torpedoes, full spread!”

“Aye, ma’am!” Ishihara replied as she tapped her console. I saw briefly on the viewscreen the torpedoes fly out to encompass one of the fighters, the explosions tearing into their shields.

Liang emerged from the turbolift, prompting me to move over to my proper chair as first officer. “Status, Miss Shimmer?” After I gave him the answer, he turned to Williams. “And the convoys?”

“One of them was destroyed immediately,” Williams answered, his voice harrowed and drawn. “The others are retreating. Two of the fighters broke off to chase after them.”

“Well, let’s not let them get away with that,” Liang stated. “Helm, pursue the other fighters. Continue evasive maneuvers. Ishihara, as soon as we close to weapons range I want every last phaser and torpedo the Phoenix can muster on them. These convoys are crucial.”

The Phoenix surged to life, fishtailing and spinning like crazy through space to avoid the fire of the fighters chasing us. I kept a close eye on my console, watching us approach the convoys. When we closed, we saw them appear on the viewscreen. Like all the convoy ships, these were bulky freighters, resembling nothing so much as a millipede, with each set of legs clutching a trapezoidal shaped cargo container. Only the greyish white hull painting, the Starfleet chevrons trailing along the sides and the small warp nacelles at the back gave away that this was a starship, not an insect.

Unfortunately we were too late to save this ship. The Jem’Hadar’s phased polaron beams sliced up the freighter’s minimal shielding and ripped it open. Thousands of tonnes of now worthless cargo shredded out like spilled guts before its warp core overloaded and burst in a brilliant flash of light.

“Damn it,” I heard Liang mutter. “Ishihara! Fire!”

On screen I saw every forward-facing phaser strip light up, five orange beams of concentrated energy lashing out to engulf the fighter’s shields. I saw a small breach open up in the ventral shielding, and Ishihara wasted no time taking advantage of it, launching another brace of torpedoes right through the hole. The fighter exploded, the debris and shockwave from the detonation washing over the shields of both the other forward fighter and the Phoenix.

Unfortunately, while that was one down, we still had three to go. As if sensing the Phoenix was a proper threat, all three fighters shifted to focus on us. The freighters, meanwhile, took the opportunity to jump to warp, escaping the battlefield.

As polaron beams and plasma torpedoes pummeled us on all sides, sparks flared from one of the aft consoles. The whole ship trembled. “Shields down to fifty percent!” Ishihara screeched.

“Keep firing!” Liang ordered. “Concentrate on the nearest fighter. We have to thin out their numbers!”

“Trying, sir,” Ishihara replied as she launched another salvo of photons. One punctured through the shields of one of the fighters, blowing off part of its port nacelle and sending it lurching through space in a flat spin.

Another volley of fire from the Jem’Hadar pounded us hard enough to send a shock through Ishihara’s console, burning her hands and knocking her to the ground. Liang grunted, then turned to me and said, “Med team to the bridge! Number One!”

“On it!” I eschewed my hooves and used my wings to flutter up over to the tactical console, and swiftly took control of the weapons. I couldn’t spare more than a glance at Ishihara, who lay on the ground groaning as a med team emerged from the turbolift. “Shields at forty percent! Hull breach on deck six! Port phasers offline.” 

“Don’t let up now!” Liang called out. “Keep firing. Helm, shift to evasive pattern Liang Omega. You remember, right Rodrigo?”

“Always, sir!” Rodriguez replied with a brief grin. The ship abruptly plummeted on its Z axis down several hundred meters before spinning out and about in a variation of an Immelmann turn. This allowed us to briefly shake off the fighters and bring them square in our sights.

I keyed up a burst of phaser fire, and followed it up with a good ten photon torpedoes to boot. Despite the lacklustre fire from the starboard strips, the torpedoes got the job done, penetrating their shields and disabling the ship.

That left us in a one on one brawl, but the Phoenix had taken more than a few knocks. The following fusillade of fire from the remaining fighter tore a hole through our dorsal shielding. The ship rocked to the side, the dampers briefly failing enough for us all to grab hold of the nearest object to keep from falling over.

Tapping the key for returning fire from the phasers produced no effect. “Phasers offline!” I called out. “We’ve just got torpedoes left.”

“They’re coming about,” Williams added. “Looks like they’re preparing to ram us!”

“Oh no,” Liang declared as he stared down the fighter rushing at us in a kamikaze run. “We won’t be going the way of the Odyssey. Number one, did they load us with quantum torpedoes?”

“Uh, yes sir, but–”

He turned back and eyed me. “Then use them!”

I winced. We weren’t supposed to use our small number of quantum torpedoes except in a dire emergency. They were much more powerful than the photons, but they were in short supply. Most went to the frontline ships, Sovereign-class and the like. Still, if a Jem’Hadar fighter preparing to suicide ram us wasn’t an emergency, nothing would be. “Yes sir. Loading quantum torpedoes.”

As second after agonizing second of waiting for the torpedo launchers to switch over their armaments passed, the fighter grew ever closer. “Number One…” Liang said, his voice harsh. “I do hope you plan on firing before they run us through!”

“Sorry sir,” I murmured. I had to wait two seconds more, then shouted, “Firing!”

The flurry of blue shimmering lights flew forth, splitting up like buckshot from an old-fashioned shotgun, perforating the fighter’s shields from all sides and annihilating it in a brilliant blaze of glory. Rodriguez reversed course swiftly enough to keep the subsequent explosion from overwhelming our shields.

The bridge fell silent for a few moments as we all took some deep breaths after our close call. “Any sign of more Jem’Hadar?”

“No sir,” Williams replied. “Nothing in the vicinity.”

Liang nodded. “Number One, signal the freighters to return to us, and send a distress signal to Starbase 375. Let them know we’ve taken some heavy damage and will need repairs.”

“Aye,” I acknowledged, and sent off the messages in a hurry. Then I knelt down to check on Ishihara, whom the med techs were lifting onto a hover stretcher. “How’s she doing?”

“I’m fine,” Ishihara grunted. She held up her hands, which smoldered with burns. “Just this. Nothing a dermal regenerator won’t fix.”

Frowning, I glanced at the med tech. “She should be back on duty within twenty-four hours, ma’am,” he said.

“Okay. Don’t push yourself, Ishihara,” I said, clapping her on the shoulder.

“Stand down from red alert,” Liang said. He gestured to my usual chair. “Commander, if you would.” Once I sat down, he gave me a stern look. “We need to go over the sensor logs. I want to know why the hell we didn’t see those fighters coming.”

“Agreed, sir.” I turned to look over my console and took a brief glance over the logs. “I’ll make sure they get analyzed. I don’t get it either. We’re not exactly on the front lines.”

“No. We’re not. That’s what concerns me.” Liang picked up his cane and ran his finger along it. “Makes no sense. Why would a raiding party be this far in?”

“Sir, incoming hail from Starbase 375,” Williams said. “It’s Admiral Ross.”

Liang pointed to the viewscreen with his cane. “Very well, on screen.”

Ross appeared on screen, a pale-skinned older human with short-cropped brown hair and a face like a rough-hewn statue come to life. “Captain,” he said. “We just received your distress signal. Will you need assistance in reaching Starbase?

Liang glanced over at me, and I shook my head. “No, sir,” Liang said with his usual charm, his dashing smile slipping into place. “The Phoenix can maneuver on its own power. Unfortunately we lost a pair of freighters. We’ll only be bringing you sixty percent of the cargo.”

Ross shook his head. “Understood. Do you know why the Jem’Hadar were so far into Federation space?”

“Not yet, but believe you me, sir, we’ll be puzzling out the answer to that question,” Liang answered. “I’ll be sure to send you a full report.”

Good. We’ll make sure the repair facilities are standing by for your arrival. Ross out.

As the screen winked off, Liang turned to me, his smile sliding off like a melting piece of chocolate. “What’s our status, Number One?”

I checked my console. “Phasers are down. Dorsal shields are gone, and the rest are stuck at twenty percent. The high-energy physics lab on deck six was obliterated. Sickbay reports numerous injuries, and… three fatalities from the hull breach.” Inwardly I breathed a quick sigh of relief when I didn’t recognize the names of those who died.

Liang pondered that for a moment. “We were lucky, weren’t we?”

I closed my eyes and nodded. “Yes, sir. The Phoenix is tough, but she’s no Akira or Galaxy-class, let alone a Sovereign. If the freighters hadn’t absorbed some of their fire…”

“We wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Liang finished. “I thought as much. I’m going to need you to coordinate with damage control teams. I want the phasers, and as much of the shields as we can manage, back online as soon as possible. If one squadron can appear out of nowhere, I don’t trust anything. And get someone analyzing those sensor logs right away.”

“Yes sir.” So much for sleep. I made a mental note to get some raktajino.

“Excellent.” Liang hopped up from his chair. “I’ll be in my ready room, composing my report. Williams, you have the bridge.”

I left the bridge and headed straight to Main Engineering. While in the turbolift I tapped my combadge. “Shimmer to Cadeneza.”

Yeah, I’m here,” came her voice, weak and fluttering.

Worry bubbled up inside. “Are you injured?”

No, no. Just… took a hit to the head. Damn bulkhead rose up and punched me. Had worse before, just need a few.

“Get it seen if you haven’t already,” I ordered. “I need you on duty ASAP so you can analyze our sensor logs. Get Twilight to help you, once she’s awake.”

Oh, yeah, I heard about what happened in Ten-Forward,” Cadeneza said, embarrassment clear in her voice. “Sorry about that. I, uh, I messed up.

Trying not to sigh, I rubbed a hoof on my forehead to soothe my growing headache. “It’s fine. Now’s not the time to worry about personal problems.”

I hear ya, Sunny. What’re we looking for in the logs?

“The Jem’Hadar snuck up on us.”

As the turbolift halted on Deck twenty-four, Cadeneza replied, “Oh. Shit. Out of nowhere, huh?

“Yup. Get it done. Shimmer out.”

I left the turbolift and made my way into Engineering, ready to give Wattson her orders. I found her already hard at work on repairs herself, fixing a broken panel. “Wattson,” I said without preamble. “Tell me you’re focusing on the phasers and shields first.”

“Oh don’t you worry, I’ve got that under control,” she replied. She set down her tools and looked over at me. “Sunset, about Twilight–”

“Forget about it, Wattson,” I cut her off. “Not right now. We’ve got too much work to do.”

“You’re telling me,” she said, scowling at her engineers milling about the place. “Those Jem’Hadar weapons are nasty. Damned disruptors blew out half the phaser manifolds. I just finished fixing those before we left McKinley!”

“But you can get them back online, right?”

Wattson turned her scowl on me, then after a moment her expression softened. “Yeah, yeah I’ll do my best Sunset. Err, ma’am.”

I shrugged. “Whatever works. I’m here to help. Put me to work.”

Wandering over to the closest replicator, Wattson asked, “You want some raktajino first?”

“Please,” I said. “It’s going to be a long night.”