Act Two, Scene Three

[Akirapryde]

Pit Stop (Part Two)
Stardate: 53834.65
Ruins of Logan City
World: Terra Nova (Eta Cassiopeia III)
Location: Eta Cassiopeia star system, Sector 004, Alpha Quadrant

Maura set in the pilot's chair of the Susquehanna going over the repair reports of the work completed. The sisters started the repairs during the late night hours after they first arrived, the repairs continued throughout the following day and in to that night. Thanks to the added help of the Novians, Seona and her sister were able to complete the vital repairs to their stolen runabout. As she scanned her notes of the past few hours, she would best described that time as organized and effective while repairs on the Susquehanna were carried out. Maura didn't like the idea of sitting still for these repairs but there was no other choice. The damages demanded that the repairs be made. The fact that Maura was able to limp the Susquehanna to Terra Nova was a testament to her skill as a Marine pilot.

Before today, the sisters had relied on a long lists of preset tricks and traps that had been created and laid out by Seona ahead of time. Now those tricks had been either used or could no longer be trusted to still be in place. Maura knew that her skills as a pilot were going to be more in demand than ever before. The entire 4th Fleet was out there searching for the sisters and they still had light years to go. The road ahead did seemed all but impossible, yet Seona had explained how important it was that they complete this journey. That the fate of the Federation and billions of innocent people depended on their success. While Seona kept most of what she knew all others, what did tell the Novians about their critical mission gave them a sense of pride that they were helping the sisters. Because of their generosity and compassion, the Novians bestowed their respect and assistance on the sisters. It was not long till the sisters were called, "suitable Oversiders."

Maura went over the repairs that had been completed. The list was long but Maura was grateful that nearly all of the repairs were completed. Despite their best efforts, some components were too badly damaged and needed to be replaced. Luckily Seona was able to convert parts from a few damaged shuttles to help create suitable replacement parts for the Susquehanna. More importantly they were able to restock the runabout's supply of mirco-torpedoes. This was thanks to Maura's knowledge of the nearby ruins of a Starfleet Marine training base. It was from that base that Maura was able to secure a Tricobalt device to forward Seona's end game plan.

Despite the completed repairs, Seona's offer to help the Novians left the Susquehanna's Deuterium reserves were nearly spent. Despite all of the work done to repair the runabout, without Deuterium the ship was nearly helpless. A situation that Seona wrote off as unimportant and one that Maura hated. The pair argued over the issue twice during repairs. Both times, Seona had this belief that their needs would be met along the way. Seona couldn't explain it, but somehow she knew that their needs would be met. She pointed out that it was by her trust in their path which brought them to Terra Nova and this turned out to be a blessing. Seona begged her sister to understand and not be worried. Maura on the other hand made her concerns well known. Not worrying about something like this was beyond the highly trained Marine.

With parts from the Marine base, they were also able to repair a broken sub-space transceiver for the Novians. Ricard decided to keep the current situation on Terra Nova silent till after the sisters had fled the world. Despite the offer of Ricard to hide the sisters, there were still fears. Any moment a Starfleet ship could enter orbit. In reaction to this fear, they did their best to shield the Susquehanna's energy signature by taking the engines and power sources off line. It was a hard choice for Maura to make because that meant that the engines would be taken to a zero state. This meant that restarting the engines would take valuable time. Time that Maura feared they didn't have. However, the benefit of this action was that the runabout could not be detected from orbit by its energy signature. From orbit, the Susquehanna would be able to blend in with the surrounding city.

Using her Marine training, Maura had a large camouflage net erected over the runabout to protect the ship from visual scans. From inside the runabout, Maura organized both repairs of the ship as well as defensive operations. She worked closely with Lethan, Ricard's oldest son, on matters of defense. Lethan turned out to be a surprise for Maura. The man was not only attractive but a quick learner in terms of space combat. Because Maura was not longer giving Starfleet any assumptions about under estimating them, Maura was desperate to keep the odds in their favor. Lethan came up with a very clever plan that could help the sisters in a pinch.

His idea was to beam their captured anti-mater in a wide dispersal pattern behind the runabout. Once the beaming was completed, the anti-mater would react with the surrounding space and cause micro explosions. Not enough to do severely damage a larger ship but enough to blind that ship and confuse weapon targeting sensors. Maura liked the way Lethan thought and worked with him to hammer out this plan. It was more than enough to catch any captain off guard. Especially one who was in close pursuit of them. This little trick could prove to be the deference between life or death for the sisters. Maura knew that the game had changed and the odds were mounting against them.

Clever tricks alone would not save them in any future encounter with Starfleet. Maura wanted to find a way to straighten the shields. Working closely with Seona and Lethan, the three of them came up with a very Novian way to increase the runabout's shields. They stripped the shield emitters off of two shuttles and added them to the Susquehanna. With all three sets of emitters working at full power, it wouldn't be long before the entire grid was blown out. However during a very short period of time the Susquehanna would be able to take two times more damage than anyone would suspect. Just long enough to make an escape from a future Starfleet trap.

For all of her abilities at the helm, Maura knew that the Susquehanna could never out run a Starfleet ship in straight line chase. Nor could it hope to win in a armed engagement. Any future encounter had to be limited in time. This was because Starfleet ships would be on stand by to quickly react to any sighting of the stolen runabout. No, Maura was not going to underestimate Starfleet's ability to organize and carry out an effective search and capture. She knew that they would focus on neutralizing the runabout and even possibly beaming them off of the craft against their will. Maura thought long and hard of any possible way they could escape an escalated encounter with Starfleet. To her disappointment there were none. For Maura, this meant only one thing. That they had no choice but to avoid the next set of encounters all together. There was simply no other choice.

Luckily for them, the Novians were kind enough to provide the sisters with the latest Federation updates regarding their stolen runabout. Sadly these reports were not the same as the ones that were issued to Starfleet vessels. But they were more than what the sisters had before landing on Terra Nova. The updates were those issued to Federation and civilian boomers in the area. According to these updates, Starfleet placed the location of the Susquehanna over a dozen light years away, and badly crippled. Noting the repairs that were completed and their actual location, the reports were far from actuate. This information helped the sisters plot their next heading along their over all goal. A goal that Seona kept to herself. For now, all Maura knew was that they had to reach the badlands. That was their current objective. Despite working closely with Ricard and Lethan, the sisters never spoke of their plans and none of the Novians asked.

Maura was able to find a hole in Starfleet's search pattern. She knew almost right away that it was a trap. However knowing it was a trap meant that she could use that to her advantage. There was still a sensor drone that had not used yet close enough to be useful. Maura thought that it could be used to trip the trap. No she was not expecting Starfleet to fall for that trick again. In fact she was counting on them not to fall for that again. If Maura's plan worked out, then she and Seona could avoid another encounter with Starfleet altogether. Maura studied the locations of some of Starfleet ships in the area. Her training and close working relationship with many of these captains gave her an advantage. As dark as the situation might seem, there were rays of light peeking through these clouds. And they were not about to allow the darkness to prevent them from seeing these rays of hope.

One such ray of hope was that Ricard had a name of a boomer captain that had often helped the Novians in the past. He was a trusted friend that traveled these parts regularly. The boomer captain was a smuggler that had worked with the Bajoran Resistance then later with the Maquis. The captain knew trade routes and also knew how to move without drawing suspicion. With the help of this name, Maura was able to create a plan to help them escape the current search area and move closer to their next objective. As Seona would put it, it was another ray of hope and that they could be grateful. Maura would be grateful once they had completed their tasks and no longer on the run from Starfleet. She didn't like this situation at all.

Even with this name, it was far from a sure thing though. It still required the sisters to convince this captain to agree to help them. Ricard could only promise that the captain would be willing to listen to the sisters' plan. He would not promise that the captain would agree to help. It wasn't much but Maura wasn't complaining. With all the help they got from the Novians and now this gift, it was all more than enough to give Maura some hope that they might actually reach the end of this road, where ever that might be. For their help, the Novians could easily find themselves in trouble with Starfleet and even possibly the Federation.

Maura found that the Federation's reports regarding their limited supply of micro-torpedoes being expended during their battle with Admiral Tate to be miss leading. However she wanted to ensure that this misinformation played in to their favor. She would focus on realigning the four phaser emitters so to spare her torpedoes. In keeping this a secret could help out in an unavoidable encounter. Then there was the lone Tricobalt device. While Seona had her plans for the device, Maura didn't want to write it off just yet. Though the Susquehanna was not equipped to fire device, Maura could still find it useful. These surprises could help turn the odds within any future encounter with Starfleet towards the favor of Maura and her sister.

By the falling nightfall, the Susquehanna was back up to nearly full power again. Far more than what anyone would suspect after the reports of the damage the runabout suffered at the hands of the Valley Forge. Maura had an idea to play in to this assumption. While she wasn't about to underestimate Starfleet, she hoped that the reports issued to the Boomers would be at least similar to those that were issued to Starfleet ships as well. According to those reports, the Susquehanna was badly damaged and lacked not only full power but shields as well. A fact that was no longer true and one that Maura hoped she could use to their advantage. Drawing on what they knew of the ships in the search group, Maura knew that they couldn't relay solely on speed. But the Susquehanna still had a much higher maneuverability over all the ships in the search grid.

Maura turned in the pilot's chair as she switched to the PADS holding the design specs of their opponents. There were four classes of ships that they had to be concerned with. As Maura studied each class, she knew that each held their own advantage and disadvantage. She knew that each of these captains would be studying the Susquehanna and her abilities. Maura had to ensure that she knew each ship that they could face as well as their crews. While Seona slept in the back of the runabout, Maura spent her night studying what Starfleet was planning to send against them. Luckily for the sisters, Admiral Tate was a proud officer and wouldn't ask for help until he was sure that he was over his head. This meant two important fact would remain true till the bitter end. That the 4th Fleet would be the only unit used to find them. And secondly, that there would not be any ships of the latest technology within the search area. Well that was excluding the USS Thunderchild. But Maura was hoping that the Thunderchild would not play a key role in any of this. She didn't like the idea of going up against the man she still loved.

Maura first looked at five Ambassador-class ships assigned to the search pattern. Namely the USS Zhukov, NCC-26136, who had been spotted by a boomer less than three hours ago near Trill. The Zhukov was captained by a seasoned officer but her crew was mostly cadets and a few training officers. Then there was the aging USS Merrimac NCC-1715, a old Enterprise-class ship pushed back in to service during the hight of the Dominion War. The Merrimac was leading a group of scout ships near Plexion Nebula. The scout ships with their large powerful sensor arrays could prove to expose any movement that the Susquehanna were to make within the nebula. These scouts could move through the nebula and give chase, but their lower warp speed didn't make them much of a threat to the Susquehanna. The largest threat of this group was the Merrimac. Even with her haul being nearly a hundred years old, the Merrimac was more than a match for the runabout. The ship's crew were all veterans and had prove themselves under fire during the Dominion War. It was this group that Maura was counting on the play their part in her plan for them to escape.

Then there is the six Excelsior-class ships of Foxtrot Squadron running search patterns that spanned nearly fifty light years. Each of them could easily over power and over take the Susquehanna in just about any encounter. They posed almost the greatest of threats to the sisters and their over all plans. Scatted along the next three sectors, getting past these six ships would be difficult. 'But not impossible,' Maura thought as she scanned over the specs of the ships. Maura scanned the reports of where these ships were as she took a sip of her tea. The music played softly in the background. Maura had always found Celtic music relaxing. She leaned her head back as she soaked in the music for a moment. She could see the sectors of space in her mind. The ships and their projected movements. Getting past them would not be easy if they were still on station. She needed the Merrimac to expect Seona and her to keep playing their sensor drone tricks.

'They will have to expect the Susquehanna to try to runaway from the search grid,' Maura thought as she closed her eyes. She knew that Foxtrot Squadron was Admiral Tate's way of trying to force them in to running and turn this in to a race of speed. One that the Susquehanna could never hope to win. She listened to the music as her mind played out the different possible outcomes where they crossed paths with one of those Excelsiors. There was no way to limit an encounter with Foxtrot Squadron. The unit had to be moved if they were to reach the Bad Lands. She picked up the last PAD and sighed heavily. The single largest threat to them was the USS Thunderchild. Despite the lack of fanfare for her launch just a few days ago, Boomers across the sectors were all talking about the Federation's first dedicated carrier. Maura knew the captain better than anyone out there. He was brilliant and for them dangerous. She would not expect him to fall for any simple trick of the mind.

Maura had always known that the Thunderchild was going to be a threat to them. And now, Admiral Tate was placing the Thunderchild in play. The positioning of the carrier meant that it could quickly respond to just about any course that the Susquehanna could make. This limited Maura's options and she knew that this was Admiral Tate's over all plan. To force the sisters in to making a desperate flight away from the Thunderchild. And thus pinning the Susquehanna in between the Excelsiors and either one of the other two groups. But knowing the plan meant that Maura could plot her next action around it. Admiral Tate would not move the Thunderchild till he had some kind of confirmation of the runabout's location. Distance was what Maura needed on the carrier.

Sightings of the Thunderchild placed her making high warp for Admiral Tate's stricken group. Knowing where the Thunderchild was, was of vital importance to Maura. While in any other encounter, it would pit the runabout against another single ship. An encounter with the Thunderchild would pit the runabout against a large mother ship and numbers of equally matched smaller craft. Alone the Thunderchild and her wings of fighters could easily entrap the Susquehanna in any foreseeable encounter. The more Maura thought of the number of possible encounters, the odds never seemed to be on the Susquehanna's side. No matter what Maura thought of, the end results would be the same. The Susquehanna would find herself entrapped in a running pursuit with anywhere between five to ten fighters while the Thunderchild organized the capture from a distance. She opened her eyes, "Caught between the anvil" she said thinking of the carrier and its fighter wings, "and a hammer" she said speaking of Foxtrot Squadron.

The only way to keep ahead of Starfleet was to not have an encounter with the Thunderchild. It was just that simple, and Maura knew it. Captain Jackson would not be the kind of man to simply fall victim to some trick. She knew him all too well. She wouldn't be surprised if at this very moment, he was studying her own military record. "Tell me Jack" she whispered, "Do you remember us now?" She said closing her eyes. "Tell me Jack, can you feel me thinking of you in this moment." she continued to whisper to herself. "Do you remember how we would play our games of hide and seek? How I used to always beat you." She smiled as she remembered those found memories. Maura opened her eyes once more and returned her mind to the specs of both types of fighters that the Thunderchild carried. She shook her head, "We have to avoid the Thunderchild. At all cost." she said as she set the PAD down and picked up another data pad. "I wonder if you will remember me now Jack" she said as a smile crossed her lips.

Maura's eyes scanned the specs of an Antares-class freighter as a smile crossed her lips. The ship had been modified to maintain a warp factor of seven for long periods of time. Much faster than the Susquehanna and this could help them make up for some lost time. But most importantly, according to Ricard, his friend had dealings and contacts within the black markets. For Seona's plan to work they need to get their hands on some gold-pressed latinum. Selling most of the anti-mater would help them raise the needed latinum for the final stages of Seona's plan. Maura couldn't deny the fact that for them to reach their goal, they had to get passed nearly a dozen Starfleet ships that were searching for them. The odds were not in their favor and this guy seemed like their only hope. It was no easy task and Maura knew it.

It in that moment that Ricard rushed on to the Susquehanna calling out for the sisters. He turned from the entrance just in time to catch a startled Maura with a mek'leth in hand. Maura had learned to use the Klingon weapon during her assignments with Imperial Klingon Defense Forces. Startled by Ricard's rushed entrance, Maura had jumped up from her chair sending PADs across the deck of the Susqeuhanna. Her stance was a clear indication that she was more than ready for combat. Ricard rose his hands in a non-threatening manner, "Burier your blade Oversider" he said with a hasten breath. Maura nodded as she lowered the blade but didn't put it away. Maura didn't like being surprised. "We have trouble" he said as he tried to catch his breath. "A group of bounty hunters are coming."

Maura's face twisted with anger, "bounty hunters? how?"

"Tet" he said softly as his voice came under control. Tet was an out spoken local who didn't agree with helping the two fugitives. While Tet was out spoken against the sisters, he had never posed a threat to them before. It was clear now, that he had become a threat. Ricard continued, "he has a friend who works for these bounty hunters. I suspect that he sent a message to them telling them that you were here. Warned them about you and that you are trapped here." Ricard still held his hands in a non-threatening manner.

Maura nodded as her mind switched to that of a Marine Officer. "Okay, how many and how much time do we have." She had to weigh her options.

Ricard lowered his hands as he spoke, "Five of them coming this way. All heavily armed. They landed just beyond the city an hour ago. They left two more are guarding their ship. They are moving through the ruins as we speak. My men will hold them off for you to escape."

Maura knew that Seona would not approve of Ricard and his people becoming involved in this. Even if they need the help of the locals. She shook her head, "no, inform your people to keep clear of all of this. You have done more than enough for us. There is no need for any more involvement from you or your people." She knew that it would take an hour to bring the Susquehanna's engines on line. So running was out of the question. She had only one choice, to fight. Still, in that choice she knew she had a wild card. "Tell me, do you know how many are they looking for?"

"One" Ricard said plainly. "They were only told of your sister. You are a shadow to them." Because Tet disliked the situation, he had never came aboard the runabout. Because she was so busy during the repairs, Maura never had a chance to leave the runabout. Because of this, he never saw Maura and thus was not able to warn the bounty hunters of her. This was her wild card, the bounty hunters would not suspect crossing paths with a Starfleet marine. The plan was already forming in her head as she smiled, 'Well Jack, it looks like we shall cross paths again. May you enjoy defeat at my hands once more' Maura thought as she nodded.

"Good. Thank you Ricard" she said coming up with a plan, "Go and help them. Tell them that you and your people were forced you to give Seona aid. Give me about thirty minutes to get ready for them. If you can avoid it, do not tell them about me." She said moving back to the control panel and started the sequence that would bring the engines up to full power. "If you have to, tell them everything. Do not place your people in any further danger." Maura explained as she noted the count down clock which told her that she had wait one hour till the engines were ready.

Ricard nodded, "Oversider" he said to Maura's back, "You Earthers might call it luck. I say the Great Rocks brought you two here. I hope you and your sister to stop this war before more suffer. You both can count on us" he said with a smile and a nod

Maura nodded as she turned to face him. She stepped forward as she switched her mek'leth to her off hand and held out her right hand for him, "I want you to know Undersider, that I was wrong when I said that we shouldn't help you and your people. You Undersiders, are good and honest people. I am honored that we dug together here." The two shook hands and exchanged a moment of respect before Ricard turned to rush from the runabout.

Maura turned to the Co-pilot chair and smiled as she saw the compression phaser rifle resting in the chair. "Well it looks like I still wont have a chance to use you yet" she said while holding her mek'leth. This coming battle would all be close quarters where her lower numbers would give her the advantage. Getting the rifle was something that Seona didn't agree with, but Maura convinced Seona of it. Maura had asked Ricard, who was more than happy to, to recover the weapon from the marine base for Maura. Maura activated the perimeter sensors of the runabout and sealed the two doors. At the same time, she killed all the lighting within the ship. This was going to be a dirty, nasty battle and those bounty hunters wouldn't know what hit them.

On that note Maura picked up the rifle and turned to walk towards the aft section of the runabout. In her mind, Maura was working on her plan to fight back the bounty hunters. However a scream from Seona brought Maura back to a heighten sense of alert. She rushed off the flight deck and towards the aft section of the runabout. Maura's heart raced as she ran the short distance to the only crew quarters on the runabout. She saw Seona on the bed thrashing about as Seona screamed out in pain. Maura ran over to the bed and slid on her knees to the edge of the bed. There was clearly concern in Maura's eyes over the condition of her sister.

Maura tried to comfort Seona and bring the trashing arms under control. However, Seona was in a state of panic as she tossed and turned nearly violently. Seona's eyes shifted across the room as she continued to fight off some unseen attacker. With each new scream, Maura face filled with dread. Maura tried to hold her sister but Seona thrashed out more, preventing Maura from holding her down. Changing her plan, Maura leaned back on her heels grabbing Seona's bag by the strap. She pulled it over to the floor where Maura was kneeling. Maura drove her hand in to the back searching it for some unseen item.

As frustration filled Maura, she took the bag and dumped it out. Her hand's shaking as she searched the contents till she found the hypospray with red liquid in the bottle. "Shhhhhh" Maura said as she pulled Seona close and held her tight. It took a few moments for Maura to get Seona under control enough to use the hypo. Seona continued to fight through this unseen nightmare as Maura fought to control Seona's arms. Seona seemed to be lost between some nightmare world and that of the real world. Maura pressed the hypospray up to Seona's neck and activated the medical device. Maura held the spray to Seona's neck long enough for the dose to be injected in to Seona's body.

Within seconds Seona calmed down as Maura continued to hold her tight. Seona seemed to slip back in to a state of sleep as Maura pulled her sister close. Maura held her sister tightly but a surprise came over her face. Maura's eyes widened as she pulled her hand back from Seona's back. Her hand was covered in blood. Maura couldn't explain the blood as she looked completely confused. Seona's back was completely covered in her own blood and fresh wounds as if she had been whipped and beaten for hours. Maura's eyes filled with anger and pain as she looked closer at the fresh wounds.

"Oh Blessed Goddess, what have they done to you?" Maura said softly as she pulled the bruised and bloody Seona close. She looked down at Seona's back to see several clear lines of blood showing through Seona's shirt. There was no way Seona would be helpful in repelling the bounty hunters. Maura reached over and grabbed a Dermal regenerator. She activated the device as it projected a bluish glow. Carefully, Maura hovered the device over the multiple cuts and bruises, "Baby, I am so sorry I can't protect you from this" Maura said as she rocked Seona. Within seconds the wounds started to heal but Maura knew that Seona would need more long term medical treatment as many of these wounds were too deep for the Dermal regenerator to heal.

Seona gave off a deep sigh as she drifted back in to the realm of sleep. Maura rested her head on Seona's head as a tear fell from Maura's closed eye and landed on Seona's cheek. "Oh baby, what did they do to you in that nightmare place." Maura said as she continued to rock her sister.

Time seemed to slip away as Maura held her sister close and comforting her. Just over that of a whisper, Maura hummed a child's melody for her sleeping sister. Maura hated what those people at Starfleet Medical had done to her sister. It wasn't till after Seona had stolen the runabout that Maura had joined her sister on this mission. Before that, Maura was serving with the Marines as they fought back forces of the Dominion. By the time Maura had joined her sister, Seona had already escaped that so called Medical Facility and was on the run from those who were trying to kill her. Seona never talked about what happened during her stay at the medical facility or why they were separated, but Maura had her own assumptions. To think that Maura was risking her life to save the Federation against the Dominion. It made Maura angry, but Seona begged Maura to help her.

Maura almost forgot about the loaming danger of the bounty hunters till the computer alerted Maura of hostiles approaching the runabout. Maura turned her head and nodded, "Sit this one out baby sister." Maura said as she carefully placed Seona back in to the bed. "I will take care of those who would do you harm" Maura said as she pulled the blanket over Seona. Once more, Maura would go in to the breach. But this time it would be in defense of her own family instead of for loyalty of the Federation. She knew in her heart that the Three Goddess would see her through this day. She picked up her mek'leth and turned to walk out of the room. It was time to stand and fight. This day, Maura was going to win.

---

Stardate: 53835.2
Within the system: UIH-0351
Asteroid Field, Search Sector Gama Three
Jolly Roger Squadron
Commander Bonham, Commanding

The VF-84 Squadron AKA the Jolly Rogers, was formed under Starfleet Command's order to create Starfleet's first dedicated carrier based fighter squadron. The order called for three wings of Starfleet's brand new Valkryie fighters, with the first wing being deployed to the USS Thunderchild for Admiral Ross' promotion ceremony. It was Commander Bonham's suggestion to name the Squadron after elite naval squadron from Earth's history. Because of this suggestion, the tail section of each fighter bares a black field with a white symbol of the skull and cross bones. A handful of elite pilots within Starfleet were hand picked to become members of Starfleet's first elite fighter squadron. Even before leaving dry dock, VF-84 were making news as they mastered their skills across the Sol system. This was as much for publicity as it was for actually training.

"So does anyone have any idea how long we are going to be chasing these ghosts out here?" the voice of Lieutenant, Junior Grade Paula Pender spoke over the comlink. The tension in her voice was clear to hear even for those in the flight operation center aboard the Thunderchild. Since the accident that nearly claimed five of their comrades, the tension of the pilots were reasonably high. Lieutenant Pender was a veteran of the last months of the Dominion War and one of the first few pilots to be selected for this elite unit. During the war, her assignment was piloting a Peregrine-class fighter. The same kind of fighters that makes up the Thunderchild's VA-164 Squadron. Her experience, skill and cool headed approach to piloting made her a easy selection for VF-84.

For nearly eight hours, the six pilots and fighters of VF-84 had been flying long patrols throughout this asteroid field. Without the key use of their Cat Eye scout shuttle, this made their search much more taxing on the pilots. Before this patrol, both Alpha and Beta wings of VA-164 Squadron AKA the Ghost Riders, each ran their own eight hour patrols. The flight crews of the Thunderchild were becoming a bit trigger happy and jumpy as they continued to chase sensor ghosts across this system. While the patrols were not overly long, it was piloting in and out of these asteroid fields that was racking havoc on their nerves. Operations in deep space were not overly difficult. However in an asteroid field where sensors were not fully operational, things became a million times more complicated. Not only did the pilot have to track their own flight path, but monitor two dozen other objects moving in completely different directions. It was taking its toll on the pilots of the Thunderchild's air group.

Cadet Treasach laughed, "When the Admiral has enough scans of each Asteroid. I think he means to find one without a name." The Benzite cadet was only a months prior to his graduation of Starfleet Academy's first class of fighter pilots. Despite his age and lack of field experience it was his skill on the 'stick' earned him a place in the prestigious VF-84 Squadron. Commander Bonham saw him during training and requested to have the Cadet do his Cadet Cruise aboard the USS Thunderchild. "Maybe the Admiral might want us to name an asteroid after him."

The laughter filled the com-channel as the other pilots took to the joke. That was, all but one. "Alright, focus on our mission everyone," snapped Commander Bonham. His voice was not characteristic and held more than a hint of frustration. "We started this mission with six fighters, I am not about to loose one because someone is too busy cracking jokes." The stern voice of Commander Bonham brought the laughter to a stop. He had decided to personally lead this flight. It was the Admiral's suggestion that he take command of the search for a nearby runabout or from flight operations. Anything but directly in command of these missions. However Commander Bonham was a hands on leader. He had led the first flight took a four hour break after speaking with Noonia and now was back leading this search group.

Without a Commander of Air Group assigned to the Thunderchild, Commander Bonham was asked to fill in during this crisis. He wasn't sure if Admiral Tate would allow him to remain in that role or not. But for the moment, Commander Bonham was responsible for these pilots. He would not send them in to harms way without his leadership paving the way. Because of his role as Commander of Air Group, Commander Bonham had taken a few liberties that were already getting under Admiral Tate's skin. Namely leading this missions personally. But Captain Campbell had gone to bat for him and Bonham recorded in his personal log his respect for the Campbell and gratitude for the honor of being named CAG of the Thunderchild, regardless of how long it lasted. Still there was a mission to be carried out. No one in VF-84 thought the Susquehanna was still in system. But if it was, Bonham would find it. If for nothing else, than for his captain.

"Sir!" Lieutenant Junior Grade Etxebarria spoke with a high pitched 'r' sound in her voice. The Caitian is the only member of Skull Squadron who had trained with the fighters during their development. "I am tracking a target that matches the energy signature of our runabout" she explained. Each of her 'r' seem to roll with her statement. "Target at 128 by 31 by 079. Speed is....74,770 km/s" Lieutenant Etxebarria was another Dominion War veteran pilot. Like Lieutenant Pender, she was also a experienced Peregrine fighter pilot with a number of kills under her belt. Originally she had planned on leaving Starfleet but it was Commander Bonham who had convinced her to renew her commission and join the Jolly Rogers.

"Commander, I have the target as well" the voice of Lieutenant Josef Ferrer cut in. Lieutenant Ferrer was the ranking officer of the Jolly Rogers. During the war, he was known for being reckless and too brash. However it was an intervention by Commander Bonham who saved his career. Now, the seasoned pilot has become a bit tempered by his experiences. "I think if we fall back, we could maintain our sensor lock while the Ready One squadron deploys to support us" Lieutenant Farrer explained. It was the standard plan that had been ordered by the CIC. Which was right from the books as to how to handle situations like this. The orders were clear, everything was to be done by the books. No unnecessary risks were to be taken. This order came right down from the Admiral himself. But Bonham knew that none of this would be by the books. After all, those books were written by Admirals who were using tactics that were nearly fifty years old.

Sure the orders were sound and ensured that each patrol had enough back up should they stumble across the stolen runabout. It was the safest of plans and ensured that no pilot would find themselves out matched with the stolen runabout. However it forced the pilots to give up valuable time in exchange for waiting for the ready one squadron to arrive on location. In the past twelve hours, they had two sensor contacts with what they believed was the stolen runabout during the second set of patrols. But by the time the ready one squadron arrived on station, the contact vanished deeper in to the asteroid field before visual contact could be made. It became clear to the pilots that this was going to be a cat and mouse game. And it was only adding to the frustration of the pilots.

There was a pause over the com-channel as the pilots knew what falling back meant. Another chance for the contact to vanish before visual contact can be made. "Negative" Commander Bonham finally said. Each of the other two times the contact showed up Commander Bonham had wished he was there to make the call, but he wasn't. However right now, he was here to make this call. "We are going to get a visual on this contact" the Commander added. After a few seconds he added, "Farrer, I want you to take the rest of the Squadron ahead on a wide L pattern. Run your sensors as wide as you can. Make sure you are easily tracked."

He paused a moment before adding, "I will take Ensign Noguerra with me" he said speaking of Ensign Étaín Noguerra. A brand new graduate of Starfleet Academy as a shuttle pilot and one of the newer members to the squadron. The reason behind her addition to the squadron was a mystery even to her. "We will dip low and circle that big asteroid at the far side. Once on the other side of that asteroid, we should have a clean line of sight on our contact. This way we can at least we can see what we are chasing out here.

Over the com-channel a voice broke in from the USS Thunderchild's Combat Information Control or CIC. "Be advised Jolly Rogers, you are to fall back. We are deploying the Ready One Squadron at this time. Do not risk an encounter without backup. Is this clear?" The voice was stern and easily understood. The order was completely by the book and Commander Bonham knew that this would allow the contact to vanish once more.

Commander Bonham shook his head. Once more he spoke up, "Negative. CAG's Discretion. We are going to make visual contact with this sensor contact. Then we will fall back and wait for the Ready One Squadron." While on the surface, it did appear that Commander Bonham was ignoring his orders. Honoring a CAG's Discretion to command his Air Group while they were aloft was a time honored tradition going back to the days when sea going carriers sent warplanes in to harms way back in the 20th Century. A tradition that had not been part of Starfleet before and one that may not be part of Starfleet now. It was something that Commander Bonham didn't really care about. The only thing Commander Bonham was concerned about was how Admiral Tate would handle having his orders ignored. 'That will have to be up to the captain to handle. For now we are going to find out if we are wasting our time or not.' Commander Bonham thought. As he didn't wait for the CIC to confirm his plan his switched his attention to the task at hand, "Farrer, you have your orders. Ensign Noguerra, you are on my six. Let's go find this runabout." He turned his fighter over on its wings and banked hard away from the rest of the group.

Lieutenant Farrer acknowledged the orders as he took command of the rest of the squadron while Ensign Noguerra broke in over the com-channel, "Aye Sir!" Her fighter broke hard over as she took up her position behind Commander Bonham's own fighter. The squadron split up in to two groups as they increased speed towards the ghostly image on their sensors. Within seconds Bonham and Noguerra's fighters both vanished from all sensors. At the same time, the rest of VF-84 lit up the area with their own sensors. It was nearly impossible for anyone to miss the fighter group as they circled wide around the asteroid.

Back aboard the USS Thunderchild Admiral Tate looked up at Captain Campbell as the five officers who are assigned to the CIC fell silent. All eyes fell upon Admiral Tate who didn't seem to like his orders being ignored. Bonham was taking a major risk by disobeying the orders, and Captain Campbell knew it. But Campbell had his CAG's back. With a nod to the Admiral, Campbell ensured that the Admiral would remain silent. Admiral Tate had faith in his officers, including Commander Bonham. Still, it was clear that this issue was not over. But for now, the plan would continue.

Carrier operations were still very new to Starfleet and Admiral Tate had a lot riding on this operation. There were still a lot of learning on all levels to be had. The Admiral took in a deep breath as his eyes shifted back to the view screens as everyone returned to their duties. He slowly let out his anger and watched helpless as the operation played out before them. "Your man better be right Captain, or I will have his career." Admiral Tate whispered at a level that only Captain Campbell could hear.

Meanwhile back in the cockpit, Commander Bonham pushed the throttle forward as he started to take the fighter to its maximum speed. He knew that he had to clear this large asteroid field before the rest of the squadron reached the outer edge of sensor shadow. If he didn't the sensor contact would flee the area and his plan would fail to gain a visual contact. It was critical for him and Ensign Noguerra to be in position to spot the contact while the rest of the squadron caused it to flee deeper in to the field. "Hang with me Noguerra" he said noting that she was falling back a bit. "You are doing fine" he encouraged. He also wanted to put this young pilot to her tests, just as he will with all the other members of this elite squadron.

The situation was understandably frightful as the two fighters were becoming dangerously close to the asteroid that they sped through their orbit. Their speed were being increased as the gravity field of the asteroid was starting to sling them around. It was just as Commander Bonham's planned. On the far side of the Asteroid and beyond the shadow of it, the rest of the Squadron were making a wide sweep. Beyond the Asteroid, the sensor contact started to react to the rest of the squadron moving to remain out of visual contact. In doing so, moving in to position for Commander Bonham and his wingman to catch sight of it. Time was ticking down as the three sensor groups switched to a much more dangerous game of cat and mouse.

"Sir, aren't we pushing it a bit too fast" the nervous voice of Ensign Noguerra spoke up. Her Irish accent was thick as well as her fears. While the Flight Operations couldn't track the pair of fighters, they could hear everything that was said between them. They also knew how the fighters were reacting to the speed and untested maneuver.

Commander Bonham checked his own sensors. She was right, they were pushing the very limits of the fighters, but he knew the fighters could take it. "Its okay Ensign. We are going to conduct a simple roll. Lets put the asteroid under us" he ordered. He knew that piloting was one part skill, one part luck and one part perception. In their current angle, their large cockpit window was filled with a giant rock. While they didn't need to the window, it could be unnerving for the rookie pilot. By inverting their fighters, the asteroid would be out of sight and thus a bit more out of mind. He carefully executed the roll and watched as his wingman followed suit. "There you go" he said softly, "feeling better, Ensign?"

Her voice seem to be a bit more steady now, "Aye Sir." It was still clear that her nerves were still pushed to their limits. Still he knew that she was a good officer and would follow her commander.

Commander Bonham checked the data being streamed in from the rest of the squadron. Their current position kept them out of sensor contact with the target or the rest of the squadron. This also meant that the contact didn't have sensor contact with the two fighters either. "Two minutes, thirty five seconds, Ensign." Commander Bonham said. He saw the medical data on his wingman and knew that her heart rate was still dangerously high. "Tell me Ensign. Back at the Academy, did you take Commander Lindquist's Combat Maneuvering Course" Commander Bonham asked. He knew the answer to his question but wanted to get her mind off of the risks of their dangerous operation.

Her voice was still filled with fear, "Aye Sir."

"Commander Lindquist and I are good friends" he said speaking of his former shipmate. While their parting wasn't in the best of conditions due to the Thunderchild's final battle. The two men had actually mended their friendship shortly before the Thunderchild had left Utopia Yards. Commander Lindquist had been the unofficial CAG aboard the Thunderchild during the Dominion War. He had personally trained Commander Bonham on space fighter combat. In all practical terms, Commander Lindquist was writing Starfleet's books on Carrier operations and Deep Space Fighter Operations. The two had created a wide range of tactics during the Dominion War that were now being taught at the Academy. It was by Commander Lindquist's recommendation that Ensign Noguerra was assigned to Starfleet's very first active carrier combat fighter group.

"Sir" she said questioning the direction of the conversation. Her voice was starting to ease a bit but that fear was still there.

"That's right Ensign" Commander said softly as he checked his sensors. They were less then twenty meters off the asteroid's surface at speeds that would seem insane. He made a short adjustment to follow a long canyon on the surface and make sure that she was following close to his tail. "He came to me with your training records. Would you like to know what he had to say about you?" Commander Bonham watched her medical scans which indicated that she was still suffering from increased heart rate, higher blood pressure and increased breathing. The pair of fighters zip in and out of the canyon. At times with only a few meters to spare on either wingtip. He noted how her skill was right where he had expected it to be. She hung to his six with the skill of a veteran pilot, just as he knew she could. The thought of how Captain Campbell would react in such maneuvers almost brought a smile to Commander Bonham's face. He made a mental note to take the Captain on a 'familiarization' flight in the near future.

Her voice was still filled with fear, but she never backed off on her wingman. She knew her place in the formation and refused to give up any space between them. Her hands worked over the controls as she followed him through the canyon. Their speeds were now nearly twenty percent faster than the very limits that the fighters were designed to handle. This caused a new wave of fear to raise in her heart. She refocused her attention on her wingman. Her eyes fixed on watching what her commander was doing. "Aye Sir" she said than added, "I never thought he liked me. Because he was always so hard on me."

Commander Bonham checked his sensors and noted only two minutes, five seconds remained in their maneuver, "He told me Ensign, that if the Federation's first fighter unit were to survive the test of time, that it would need natural pilots like you and Cadet Treasach," Bonham said than added, "He also said, that I would be a fool not to assign both of you to this unit. He spoke of you personally though. He told me that you took to flying like most of us take to walking. Something about it being in your blood" he commented then added, "care to explain?"

"Aye Sir" She replied with "one of my ancestors was Lieutenant Commander Eugene Esmonde. A decorated officer with the British Naval Air Arm. He lead the No. 825 Naval Air Squadron's Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers in an attack against the German battleship Bismarck. Through out my families heritage, there are aviators. Even the helm officer of the NX-2 was related to me. Ever since Commander Lindquist found out about it. He always said that flying was in my blood." She paused for a moment to remember her experiences back at the Academy. "But I had always thought he didn't like me. He said that I was wasting my ability and skills on helm operations and shuttle training. There were times he challenged me to quit. And I am not proud to admit it, but I almost took him up on his offer a couple of times."

"No Ensign, you are mistaken," Bonham said softly as he watched her heart rate steady a bit. "He actually thought very highly of you. He called me a fool for ignoring your skills. Truthfully I wasn't going to assign you to this unit cause you were only trained as a shuttle pilot and helmsman. The two of us argued over you for almost an hour. He finally convinced me to give you a chance. And I am not disappointed in that decision at all. It IS in your blood." Commander Bonham said as he checked his sensors one last time. 'Thirty seconds' he thought, "Okay. Listen up Ensign. We are going to invert once more and push our engines just a bit more. At the end of this canyon we are going to dive away from the asteroid. Before we can do this, we will have to build up the last bit of speed. All I want you to do is watch my tail wings and follow me. Don't focus on any thing else."

"Aye Sir" she said as she started to roll her fighter over. Once more the large asteroid filled her cockpit window. Her heart rate jumped up a bit as the actual distance between her fighter and the large rock was revealed. She looked right in to the tail of her commander's fighter and cleared her mind. She didn't want to admit it, but she was filled with a sense of pride that the man who she had at one point referred to as her mortal enemy had spoken so highly of her.

The twin fighters had rolled over on their wing tips once more as the bluish glow from the engines grew brighter. The force of the increase in their speed pushed them both back against their seats as the inertial dampeners attempted to compensate for the increase in gravitational force on the two pilots. Back at Flight Operations, the computer was signaling the assured destruction of both craft since the beginning of the maneuver. But to the relief of everyone, the two fighters were still intact. The stresses sensors on the fighters were all in red as their speed reached 97,026 kilometers per second. There were more than enough comments of the insanity of the maneuver. To his credit, Admiral Tate kept his silence as he shot a glare at Captain Campbell. It was almost assumed that within any moment the fighters would break apart under the stress.

Back in the cockpits, with the end of the canyon in sight both fighters were pushing beyond the very limits of the craft's design. But like a pair of cool headed skill surgeons, the fighters snaked their way towards the end. Just beyond the asteroid, the sensor contact was already well on its way fleeing for the safety that the deeper asteroid field offered. There was no way the rest of the wing would be able to catch the contact or gain a visual sight on it. The rest of the wing did their part in chasing the target right to where Commander Bonham wanted the target to be at just the right moment.

Within seconds, the pair of fighters rocketed out from behind the asteroid so fast that the contact was not able to react to the appearance of the two fighters. The maneuverer placed the two fighters in clear view of the sensor contact. It also placed them completely cut off from any support from the Ready One Squadron or the rest of their squadron. The dangerous maneuver left the pair of fighters in a position to where they could easily be out gunned by a much larger runabout. But the dangerous maneuver cut off the escape of the target. Meaning that the rest of the wing could be in a position to support them in a matter of moments. That is, if the two fighters could survive long enough for help to arrive. Luckily for the two pilots, survival would not be an issue today.

"DAMNIT!" Commander Bonham cursed as he locked his targeting sensors on the contact. "I have a lock on our runabout" he added in frustration. "CIC, I hope you are seeing this" he said as he scanned the targeting drone. The screens within Flight Operations lit up with what the Commander was seeing. He switched the safeties off on his pulse phasers and targeted it. "I am done playing!" He said as he watched the highly maneuverable drone attempt to flee the two fighters. Anger filled his eyes as he pulled the trigger on his stick. The twin pulse phaser fire destroyed the drone in a bright light that lit up his cockpit. "CIC, be advised that we have located and destroyed one targeting drone. Give my squadron one hour and I bet we will find the other sensor contacts to be drones as well."

Admiral Tate didn't bother to speak as he just waved his hand. He turned to walk out of the CIC with a look of anger over his face. It was clear that once more, he had been made a fool of again. This was becoming personal for him. "Captain Campbell, deploy the rest of the fighters and all other assets. Lets follow the Commander's lead. Inform all Commands within the search group that the Susquehanna had escaped the system." Originally he had wanted to play it more safe to avoid being led in to further traps. However with the brash and bold actions of Commander Bonham, it was clear that the runabout was not here. It was only a matter of proving the findings. "Find the rest of those drones, damnit" he ordered. Even his long time friend, Captain Campbell knew better than to comment. "In the time being, Captain, you have the command of the fleet. I have to place a report to Starfleet Command" he added.

Within the hour, with the full scope of the Thunderchild deployed, two other Targeting Drones would be discovered and destroyed. The hunt was done with little care for any possible traps that might have been laid. With the search over and no further sightings of the runabout and no other traps found, it was clear that the Susquahanna was no longer in the system. The only questions that remained were where she disappeared to and how long ago did she manage to flee. Unofficially, the hopes of locating the lost runabout would fall to an idea by Commander V'rol.