"Captain, long range sensors have identified the vessels." Lieutenant Dukal announced. "Three large vessels only, one Romulan Warbird, one Ferengi Marauder and one Cardassian Galor."

"A Galor, what do the Cardassians have to do with all this ?" The Captain asked rhetorically.

"It would appear from the sensors that the Ferengi and Cardassian vessels are joining forces to attack the warbird." Dukal stated. "The Romulan vessel appears to have suffered heavy damage to most systems."

"Helm how long till we reach them ?" Aki enquired.

"Five minutes." Brayden replied. "Assuming you want to travel the last few miles using the refractive shielding. We'd need to come out of sub-space beyond their sensor range for that to work."

"Understood." Aki confirmed. "Mister Dukal, pass all your sensor data down to the Talon operations room and have Mister Ka'Leth prepare to launch as soon as we reach our destination."

"Done." Dukal replied.

Five minutes later, the Leviathan dropped out of sub-space.

"Go to Red Alert. Helm, maximum impulse." Aki ordered. "Bring the refractive shielding online and power up the weapon systems."

The Bridge darkened as the lighting changed and the ship moved slowly at full impulse towards the three enemy ships.

"Captain, we are coming within weapons range." Dukal announced.

"Bridge to Ka'Leth. Immediate launch." Aki ordered.

On the viewscreen the sight of four small vessels shooting forward of the Leviathan filled the screen. The small vessels made a one eighty turn, flew past behind the Leviathan before turning around once ore and formed up, two above and two below the main vessel.

"Shields up." Aki announced. "Ka'Leth target the Galor, we'll take on the Marauder.

The four fighters broke off from their formation and headed towards the Cardassian vessel, whilst the Leviathan turned to engage the Marauder.
"Captain." Dukal remarked. "The Galor isn't a Cardassian vessel."

"I don't understand ?" Aki replied.

"I'm reading no Cardassian life-signs aboard the vessel at all." Dukal replied. "I'm reading mainly Ferengi life-signs, a few Orion's and a couple of Terran. I'm also detecting alien technology, including a Romulan plasma torpedo launcher and a Klingon cloaking device. Oh no it's got a….

"A what ?" Aki announced.

"A Breen energy weapon." Dukal replied. "If they fire at the Valkyrie fighters, the power drain will leave them as sitting duck."

"Leviathan to Talon squadron." Aki announced. "Evasive manoeuvres, the Galor is equipped with a Breen energy weapon. Change target to attack the Marauder."

"Too late." Brayden announced from the helm. "Look."

On the viewscreen, the Galor class vessel fired its weapons at the four small vessels approaching them. Then the Galor exploded as something hit the Breen weapon. The Romulan warbird had fired at the Galor, realising the predicament the fighters were in. The four fighters split off in different directions, but one of them wasn't luck. The beam hit the vessel and it stopped in mid-space.

"Get the pilot out of there and to sickbay." Aki ordered. "We can tractor the fighter home later."

"We have Ensign Steer in sickbay." Junora Loris announced.

"Fire all weapons at the Galor." Aki ordered.

The Leviathan fired at the Galor with both torpedoes and phasers. The remaining three Valkyrie fighters followed through with their own weapons.

"The Galor's shields and engines are off-line." Dukal reported.

"Captain, the Marauder is heading our way." Loris announced. "Collision course, they're trying to ram us."

"Helm evasive manoeuvres." Aki ordered.

Brayden worked his magic over the helm console and the Leviathan moved out of the way of the approaching Ferengi vessel. The Marauder passed by the vessel and towards the Galor.

"Captain, the Marauder appears to have transported the crew of the Galor off the ship." Dukal announced. "They are heading away from us, attempting to escape."

"Helm pursuit course." Aki ordered.

"Captain." Loris announced. "I'm reading an energy build-up on the Galor, the warp cores about to go critical."

"Move us away." Aki announced. "Inform the Valkyrie to return ASAP."

"Sir, we have a problem." Chu stated. "The Warbird is still within the blast zone. Scans show that their impulse and warp drives are both off-line and their power core appears to be destabilising. They won't be able to get away in time."

"Junora how long do we have before the core explodes." Aki enquired.

"About three minutes." Junora replied.

"Bridge to Engineering." Aki announced.

[Taline here Captain.] Taline replied.

"Lieutenant I need all the spare power you can muster re-routed to the aft tractor emitters, we're going to attempt a tow on the Romulan warbird." Aki reported. "And how long to bring the slipstream drive back online."

[Understood. The drive is already coming back online Captain, you should have full slipstream within a minute. Engineering out.] Taline replied.

"Captain, Lieutenant Ka'Leth has docked the Talon squadron, we have all four fighters back in the hanger." Dukal announced.

"Good." Aki replied. "Helm, move us within towing range of the warbird. Junora open a channel to the Romulans."

"Channel open." Junora replied.

"This is the USS Leviathan to the Commanding officer of the Romulan warbird." Aki announced. "We are going to attempt to pull your vessel away from the blast area of the Cardassian vessel."

[Leviathan. We thank you for offer of assistance, but we can take care of ourselves.] The Romulan commander replied.

"How long ?" Aki enquired, looking back towards Junora.

"Two minutes." Junora replied.

"Sir, the Galor will explode in two minutes." Aki stated. "Your vessel is heavily damaged and you will not be able to escape the blast. Please allow us to help you."

[Your vessel is not powerful enough to pull our vessel away from the zone.] The Romulan replied. [We would prefer to take our chances alone.]
"Sir, do not underestimate the power of this vessel." Aki stated, hurt by the insult about her vessel.

Indeed the Leviathan was only a third the size of the D'deridex vessel, but with the modifications that had been made, she was confident that they could at least pull the Romulan vessel away.

"Commander, we may not be able to pull your vessel beyond the immediate blast zone, but the further away you are from the explosion, the more likely your vessel is to at least survive intact." Aki pleaded. "At least some of you will survive."

[You are a stubborn officer.] The Romulan Commander replied. [Make your attempt.]

"Lock all aft tractor beams on the warbird and prepare to pull away." Aki ordered.

"Tractor beams are operating at one hundred and ten percent." Dukal reported. "And holding."

"Helm increase speed to one quarter impulse." Aki ordered.

"One quarter impulse." Brayden confirmed.

The Leviathan started to creak and complain as the strain of attempting to pull the larger vessel behind them started to show.

"Increase to half impulse." Aki ordered.

"Warp core breach in sixty seconds." Junora reported. "We'll never make it."

"Status of the tractor beams." Aki requested.

"All beams are holding at one hundred and ten percent." Dukal replied. "The Romulan vessel is still firmly in our grasp."

"Helm, full impulse." Aki ordered. "Do we have slipstream capacity yet ?"

"Confirmed." Brayden stated.

"Twenty seconds to warp core breach." Junora announced.

"Prepare to enter the stream." Aki ordered.

"Captain, we don't know if we can tow another vessel into the slipstream." Chu protested. "The forces could rip both vessel apart or worst, the inertia could send the warbird crashing forward into us."

"It's our only hope of us surviving." Aki replied.

"Slipstream in five, four, three, two, one." Brayden counted down.

First the Leviathan and then the Romulan vessel still under tow entered the slipstream vortex. And just in time, as the D'deridex class vessel entered the stream, the Galor exploded the vortex closing just as the blast reached it.