The thought made Hernandez shiver. If their communications are being jammed, could this be another Romulan stunt?She imagined the cargo vessel crews all trying to defend their ships, even as they used whatever small com devices were on hand to send farewell messages to their loved ones. If thats the case, then we may already be too late to help anybody.

She toggled the communicator on her command chairs arm. “Karl, see if you can pump a bit more power into the engines. Even shaving off a minute or two of travel time might make all the difference.

“Ill see what I can do, Captain, but were gonna bust our new stitches if you push my littleLiebchens very much harder,Lieutenant Graylock replied, clearly concerned about undoing the just‑completed repairs to Columbias nacelles and the other recent war wounds she had sustained.

“All I ask is that you try,Karl, Hernandez said before signing off.

“Coming up on fifteen minutes, Akagi said from her station half an eternity later.

“Do we have long‑range visuals yet? Hernandez asked.

At the tactical station, Lieutenant Kiona Thayer shook her head, her long braided hair undulating across her back with the movement. “Not yet, Captain. Even if we did, whatever we saw would already be old news because of the relativistic light‑lag. On the bright side, our sensors arent currently picking up any subspace signatures consistent with weapons fire. Which could be a good thing.

“Or it could mean that the battles already been lost, Hernandez said, feeling glum.

“Well, arent youa bag of oranges and morning sunshine? Commander Veronica Fletcher said in her lilting New Zealand accent as she exited the turbolift and strode purposefully to her traditional spot at the engineering console to Hernandezs right.

“Only if theyre fully pulped oranges, Hernandez said tartly in response. Her answer made her think of poor Jonathan Archer, who really lookedlike a bag of pulped fruit after his fight on QonoS. She was glad she hadnt been on Enterprisewhen Archer had returned, or she would have had to battle the temptation to take care of him. He alwayshas had that effect on me,she thought, even though she never doubted for a moment that her instinct to protect Columbiaand her crew would have overruled the impulse. Of course, she couldnt deny that shed found the current hotheaded, secretive version of Jon Archer far less attractive than the man she once might have married. So much about the man had changed over the past few years. Particularly since the death of Trip Tucker.

Hernandez got a status update from Chief Engineer Graylock on several belowdecks repairs and retrofits that had just been completed, including some system redundancies that could act as extra computer firewalls that had been put into place after Archers warning about the new weapon the Romulans were using.

A hand signal from Akagi told Hernandez that only a few minutes remained before Columbiawas due to drop out of warp in the outer Alpha Centauri system.

“All right, everyone, were on tactical alert, Hernandez said. Once the bridge illumination had dimmed to combat levels, she continued: “We already know that the cargo fleet is under attack, so I want us coming in locked and loaded for bear. I know youve all been briefed already, but let me remind you that the hostile we are about to encounter may be eitherKlingon or Romulan ships. Either way, were going to target their weapons and propulsion wherever possible. I want to capture one of these bastards, if the opportunity arises. If it doesnt, well do whatever we have to do. She looked toward Fletcher, nodding slightly at her executive officer.

“If we end up facing Klingon battle cruisers, keep in mind that their crews may not be in control of their own helms and weapons, Fletcher said, effortlessly picking up where Hernandez had left off. “And if they arent really the ones running their own control panels, then its likely that they wont return our hails. If the hostile vessels really are being controlled remotely, then their tactical maneuvers might be a bit more sluggish than you might expect. But dont bet the farm on that in the absence of hard information. Until we actually engage the aggressors, I want every sensor focused on telling us whether or not the hostile vessels crews are actively piloting their ships, or if they might just be along for the ride, so to speak.

“Two minutes, Captain, Akagi said.

“Arm phase cannons. Load and arm torpedoes, Hernandez said, settling back firmly into her chair. “The moment we exit warp, charge the hull plating. Ensign Valerian, open a broad‑band hailing channel as soon as we go sublight.

“Major Foyle reports that his full MACO complement is standing by if we need them, Fletcher said. “Theyre also deployed near all emergency containment areas, and ready with pressure suits, just in case.

“Thank you, Hernandez said. “Helm, take us out of warp as close as you can to the line of scrimmage. We want the element of surprise on our side.

The deck plates shuddered beneath Hernandezs boots, and Columbias entire spaceframe groaned in a familiar yet still disconcerting manner. The main viewscreen at the front of the bridge showed the distorted streaks of the stars aligned with the ships flightline compressing to almost dimensionless pinpoints as Columbiaabruptly decelerated to subluminal speeds.

Squaring her shoulders and setting her jaw, Hernandez looked directly toward the screens center, knowing the viewer would pick her image up in the same manner as any other audio/visual hail. “This is Captain Erika Hernandez of the United Earth Starship Columbia. We are responding to acts of aggression against cargo vessels under the protection of the Coalition of Planets. All aggressor vessels must stand down and submit to boarding. Any resistance will be considered an act of aggression, and will be met with deadly force. Hostile vessels, this is the onlywarning you will receive.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hernandez saw Lieutenant Commander el‑Rashad turn toward her from his science station, a gobsmacked expression on his chiseled, mocha‑colored features.

The reason for his reaction appeared on the main viewscreen a moment later. The visual sensors displayed what lay in Columbias path. The aggressor vessels and the cargo fleet they menaced came into sharp focus, and it was immediately clear that the attackers were of neither Klingon nor Romulan design. Nor was their identity a mystery; the attackers long, blunt‑nosed central hulls, with each of their aft sections surrounded by a single wide, ring‑shaped warp‑propulsion module, were all too familiar to everyone present.

“ Vulcans?Why would Hernandez said under her breath, scarcely able to contain her incredulity.

“Captain, sensors confirm the presence of two DKyr‑type Vulcan combat cruisers, Thayer said from her tactical station. “Particle‑beam residue readings show that they arethe aggressors here. Should I hold fire?

Hernandez stood, raising her hand to signal restraint. “Yes. Hold fire. What the hellare they doing? Her mind galloped to find an explanation, but the longer she stared at the image, the more insane it seemed.

“Theyre not responding to hails, Captain, Valerian said.

Hernandez continued staring at the vista on the screen, trying to drink in every detail. The beleaguered convoy consisted of five cargo vessels, many of them already severely damaged. One seemed completely beyond salvaging, as plasma fires burned on what little remained of its outer hull, apparently fed by atmosphere that continued to escape from interior compartments. The cargo vessels almost seemed to cower in the presence of the Vulcan ships that appeared to have instigated the entire situation.