Star Trek: Nexus

The main docking bay of the Nexus remained largely untouched, thanks to the brave men and women who halted the Fek'ihri onslaught before it could reach this area.

Suspended about three stories above the ground was the USS Alliant, a Defiant-class starship. Despite its compact size, allowing it to be stored in the main docking bay of the Nexus, with only three decks and spanning a few hundred meters in length and width, and a crew of 40, the Defiant-class starships were purpose-built for one thing: War. Originally designed to combat the Borg Collective and playing a pivotal role in the Dominion War, this small vessel served the Nexus more as a sword and javelin rather than a typical shuttlecraft.

Inside its cramped, tight halls, and small quarters, all luxuries found on the Nexus were removed. Shared bunks and quarters for all crew, even Neil and the Praxas shared a room. A small mess hall with four tables that only served replicated foods. A two-bed sickbay, manned by an Emergency Medical Hologram.

The lights of the Alliant turned on and shone brilliantly, the hum of the engines roaring, and the reds and blues of the warp core radiated. On deck, in groups of five, members of the crew teleported in, rushing to their stations, each member looking like they've been through hell. Due to the sensitivity of the Defiant-class ship, only Starfleet personel were allowed on board.

---

Anzyl sat in his captain's chair on the substantially smaller bridge, within easy reach for high-fives and handshakes with every member.

"All hands reporting in, sir," Heluna from Nexus bridge reported, "Alliant you are clear for departure."

"Clear all moors and docking clamps; we have a mosquito to swat," Anzyl commanded.

"Yes, sir," Keten replied. "All moors and docking clamps removed, sir." They could feel the ship move and sway.

"Let's go, Helm! I want that thing off my ship!" Anzyl yelled.

Like an arrow out of a bow, the USS Alliant shot out of the docking bay of the Nexus.

"Lock onto those claws embedded into the hull," Anzyl commanded, revenge and rage in his eyes. "Fire!"

It flew through space with the agility of a hummingbird and stung like a rhino. Soaring upward, it dove-bombed the spider-like legs embedded in the hull, unleashing a gatling gun of red phaser cannons as the small ship tore through the legs clawed into the hull.

"Tractor beam, get those off!" Anzyl yelled. The small ship whizzed by and emitted a broad, conal blue beam onto the now severed limbs, yanking them right off the hull.

The Nexus' unique Borg nanite regenerative hull plating immediately kicked in. The holes gouged into the hull glistened with blue microscopic robots that quickly repaired and fixed the damage.

The Alliant discarded the claw and circled around for another run. Piece by piece, the Alliant ripped the giant mosquito ship off the hull.

---

Inside the Nexus, the doors to Engineering opened, and a calm and collected Tey'un/Kayuli walked in, accompanied by Zide'Mok and half a dozen Jem'Hadar bodyguards.

"Stitch!" Teyu'un called out, peeking into Jeffrey's tube.

"'Bout time you showed up!" Stitch cried back, crawling out. "What took you so long!?"

"Time to get to work, Stitch," Tey'un started pressing buttons on various consoles. "Captain wants shields up and weapons online asap. He is currently flying on the Alliant, removing the claws from the hull."

"Oh... Hi Kayuli... Nice to see you again," Stitch greeted, pressing more buttons.

Moments later, they were fusing wires and rerouting tubes.

After a few intense moments of fixing, welding, and engineering, Tey'un pressed a button, and the engine hummed back to life. He took a step back to marvel at his work and tapped his combadge. "Tey'un to the captain, weapons are back online, shields too as soon as that ship is disconnected; as of now, the Nexus thinks the dreadnought is a part of the Nexus."

"Well done, Tey'un, and thank Kayuli for me!" Anzyl grinned from the Alliant's center chair. "Praxas to Nexus, weapons hot. Shred that thing from the underside!"

---

"That was my plan!" Neil declared from the captain's seat on the Nexus.

"Sir, I recommend using 8 Kinetic cutting beams," Veirik explained at his post on the Nexus, "no energy explosions, just slice the legs right off. Then the Nexus and Alliant can go for the main gangway."

"Agreed, do it," Neil acknowledged.

Above the hull of the Nexus, the dreadnought's claws were bent, broken, or blown off entirely, but it still had half a dozen claws and spikes embedded into the hull. 

The Nexus' Omni-directional beam array illuminated with yellow energy, and eight thin lines of energy shot out from the Nexus. The beams cut through the metal of the dreadnought, severing their connections. With eight connections severed simultaneously, the dreadnought now only clung to the Nexus by the single long blade embedded 15 decks deep.

---

"Anzyl to Veirik, focus on the joint connecting to the dreadnought; Alliant will focus there too!"

"Acknowledged."

As the Alliant swooped around and lined up its shots for the Quad Phaser Cannons, eight yellow beams from the Nexus converged toward the joint of the Gangway blade and the dreadnought. The beams sizzled and sparked like welders in a steel factory, while the joint was bombarded by dozens of phaser pulses from the Alliant. The dreadnought shook and stuttered as the joint to the gangway was completely severed, allowing the dreadnought to slowly float away.

---

Create some distance!" Neil commanded. "Activate the reverse tractor beam and push that dreadnought away from us! Alliant, you know what to do."

The Nexus directed a broad, conal blue beam at the massive dreadnought, resembling a forceful shove between giants. The dreadnought was sent floating away into the vastness of space.

"Fire!" Anzyl and Neil shouted in unison. The Alliant unleashed a barrage of phaser cannons, simultaneously emptying its torpedo bay. The Nexus discharged eight orange antiproton beams, disintegrating the hull upon impact, allowing the Alliant's explosive payloads to penetrate deep into the dreadnought's core.

The dreadnought erupted into a cataclysmic explosion, forming a billowing sphere of fire, metal, and destruction.

"YES!!!!" echoed the entire crew of both ships. Cheers, hugs, and exclamations resonated among the surviving crew. Not a single person, not even the usually reserved Vulcans, held back their praise and gratitude for the victorious battle.

Anzyl grinned from ear to ear. "Helm, take us back home," he chuckled. "Set a course for The Melting Pot, first rounds on me!" He had never been prouder of a crew in all his 480 years.