“Captain’s log, Stardate…that’s not important right now.”

“It’s been exactly three hours since the Morro Bay has been struck by a Vaadwaur ship. They have identified themselves as such and claim responsibility for the blackout. We’ve been given exactly four hours to recover, reconsider, and let them board us. Supposedly..there’s something on here they want, but the Vaadwaur will not disclose what.”

“I’m about to go back onto the Bridge and discuss what to do with some of the crew. Thanks to the quick thinking of an now incapacitated Ensign M’Harak and the recovering Lieutenant Ruuvon, we have power back to our ship and the turbolifts are functioning…but many are injured. Our comms are still down, and I’ve sent out a singular distress call, hoping it works. End log.”

–

Jetta hastily exited her ready room, hair strung up once again and walking straight for the meeting room. When entered, everyone turned to face her, worry plastered across her whole crew.

“I’m positive you all know how dire the situation is.” Jetta sighed, looking around the room. “I’ll be honest, this is not how I expected my first day to go. Dr. Sullivan, what do we know?”

“I’ve gotten the whole science department doing whatever they can to figure out what ‘thing’ the Vaadwaur want. The sooner we find it than them, the better.” The older woman rubbed her temples. “VFR is currently activated and tending to the wounded.”

“How many are wounded?” Jetta asked, hesitant to know the answer.

“Thirteen, including three of the four Ensign’s involved in the west 2B turbolift crash.” She grabs out her glasses from her pocket, flipping them on as the Doctor read through the PADD. “The two that were with Mr. Ruuvon, er…Ensign M’Harak and Mazev? Blunt force trauma that shouldn’t be difficult to patch up. However, Mazev, his leg that was already injured from the year before–it’s even more injured now. So much so that I’m trying to figure out how we can help him.”

“..Ugh. Worst feeling, knowing how helpless we are.” She muttered, turning to Plimmitt. “Speak to me, Mr. Ruuvon.”

“Everything that we can have online, is. I’ve made the killswitch like you’ve asked, locked behind your voice authorization. All you have to do is say Kill The Lights.” He lets out a exhausted sigh, bandaging still across his left eye. It had been a very painful past few hours. “Does the rest of the room know about this?”

“Not yet, but it’s being sent out very soon across the ship on anyones PAAD. Everyone is instructed to tell each other what they can.” She then turned to Numi, the helmswoman of the USS Morro Bay. Her two arms on her side we’re perched neatly in her lap, with her middle arm going through a PADD. “Numi?”

“Navigation cannot offer any help, Captain. They have weapons all around, and we can’t go any further than a crawl right now.” The Edosian paused. “BUT, if we can find a way to possibly cloak ourselves, or even set some sort of loop on their communications..”

“I like the thinking, but we don’t have the power for that.” She then turned to Sylvester. “Please have good news.”

“I…somewhat do.” He gave a smile. “All security detail is accounted for, including weapons. Like you’ve asked, I’ve made sure every person has their phasers set to a high setting. We also have been guarding every main entry point the Vaadwaur would beam in from.”

“Good! GOOD! Yes, Sylvester, good.” Jetta let out a small laugh. “Thank god. Now…I need to tell you all about the kill switch.” Her face goes from smiling to scowling real quick.

“Please tell me it isn’t to blow up the ship.” Amira deadpanned.

“It’s not. But what it does do is shut off every single source of light in this ship. It causes the Warp Core to power down, and permalocks all cargo bays. Can’t be opened unless it’s by Starfleet.” Jetta runs a hand through her hair. “It also will emit a frequency that can disrupt any phaser. But the problem with that part is…”

“..it also disrupts ours.” Plimmitt narrowed his eyes. “Which is why we have to be insanely careful about when we use it.”

“So it’s essentially…” Numi started, trailing off. “Elevating the playing field if we get boarded?”

“Yes.” Jetta walks to the front of the room. “They aren’t here to be friends, and they aren’t here with the intent of non-lethal force. The Vaadwaur are here to kill us to get what they want. That means you cannot take any chances with them, understand?”

“So…de-arm and incapacitate them.” Plimmitt asked, voice hesitant.

“I’ll say what the Captain won’t.” Sylvester stepped forward. “She’s saying that if it comes down to us or them, we choose us.”

There was a long pause.

“Remember that. She’s also saying that, unless they can come to a compromise…” Sylvester trailed off.

Nobody else in the room wanted to finish the thought. An invasion would be unavoidable if the two can’t come to a agreement, and with how extensive this blackout seems, it looks like an attack will happen.

“It-”

“CAPTAIN!” Screamed a voice. Jetta and everyone else instantly jumped out of their seats, looking around. An Ensign—Torres, Jetta recalls—comes running in, panicked and bloodied, holding her side. Amira wasted no time to run forward and begin work.

”Torres, what’s going on?!” The captain called, walking forward.

“They’re…They’re here..! Medbay! They attacked, they’re holding M’Harak, Mazev, and Velau hostage!” She cried out as Amira looked at her side.

“M’Harak?!” Plimmitt shot up. Jetta sat him down.

“Plimmitt, you have the bridge.” Jetta barked, running forward. “Numi, tend to Torres! Amira and Sylvester-“

”On it.” Sylvester hissed as he reached behind him, his rifle already charged. The three didn’t hesitate to take off into the turbolift.

–

“Get—OFF ME, GOD DAMNIT!” Runt screamed, kicking and clawing and thrashing at the intruding Vaadwaur. He still kept strong, holding a phaser eeriely close to the cat’s temple. Mazev and Velau were being held by two others, with Mazev’s treatment still not complete. He was much more awake now, however.

”Please, shut the cat up.” The most first-front Vaadwaur grimaced, glaring to the one holding M’Harak. With the order, he grabbed Runt’s snout and clamped it shut—

“What is wrong with you?!” Velau hissed, spitting on the ground. “You disgust me—muzzling a Caitian because he speaks?! I sure hope—“ Before she can continue, a hand is shoved around her jaw, closing it.

”I curse you by the name of the Prophets, you vile creatures of conquest! Do you know no hum-!” Mazev starts. But he is also very quickly “muzzled”, a hand clamping shut around his mouth.

“Anyone else?”

Nobody dared make a move. Every Ensign was being held at phaser point and one wrong move could lead to their death.

”That’s what I thought.” He snapped his fingers, and just like that, the phasers were set to the highest setting, earning a scream from the muzzled Runt. “NOW. My name Yvuen. I am Captain of the ship just outside yours. You all have something we want.”

He steps forward.

“I demand we see Captain Jetta Dowe! Show yourself!” He reached into the side of his outfit and pulled out. . .what looked to be a Baton. With a flick of a button, electricity crackled through it. “Or else I’ll harm every one of these Ensigns until they’re nothing but hollowed, burnt corpses!” Yuven sneered, aiming the electric baton aimed closely at Mazev’s neck. Before it could reach any further….

”I AM—“ Jetta rushed in, urging with her hands for Yuven to put the weapon down. “I am right here, Captain.”

“There she is! Miss Jetta Dowe herself.” He gives a wide, sadistic smile. “You know, my favorite part about this blackout?”

”Jetta..” Sylvester motioned to the nearby monitor Amira had skunked too. She had the code ready at a whim.

”Not a single person can besides us can speak out. Your voices go into the void of space.” He walks over to Velau, who sneered up at him as he flicked another button on the baton. The electricity stopped, and instead came out a blade. Almost like a miniature axe. “Ah, I truly do love this device.”

“…What’s so special about it?” Jetta asked, as she slowly nodded to Amira.

”Stole it off someone. A poor merchant boy, who tried to offer this for his life.” He chuckled. “But, poor thing, couldn’t keep it. It’s proven awfully useful, however!”

“So your…crooked?” Jetta asked with an uneasy smile. “Surely your superiors know.”

”Possibly.” He runs the blade along Velau’s face. Not hard enough to cut, but hard enough to terrify her. “But they haven’t said anything behind before. Now, as your kind would say it; ‘cut the shit’.” The blade was then thrusted directly under Runt’s neck. The cat let out a mew of terror.

He wasn’t joking. And Jetta knew that.

”Where is it, Jetta Dowe.”

”Where’s what?”

”You think I’m JOKING?!” He sneers, raising the blade. “Last chance. Where is it.”

“Ah, we’re the ones in a blackout. I’m sorry, Captain, but I don’t think our logs can tell you where.” Jetta smiled at the Vaadwaur Captain.

“AHA! HAAA!” Yuven let out a long, hard laugh, as he took the bladed baton away. “You’re a jokester! Ah, how funny! It’s wonderful thing, a group with a bit of humor.” He waves to the other soldiers who are laughing, before closing his fist; the others stop laughing as well, and his face drops. “Kill the runt.”

In an instant, the Vaadwaur holding Runt pressed the gun to his temple–

“KILL THE LIGHTS!” Jetta screamed.

And so Amira did.

They flickered once, then twice, then three times. By the third time, Runt had already bitten down hard on one of the soldiers hand and was actively clawing away at his face. Full chaos erupted as Red Alert flashed on, and people started running. Yuven watched as Jetta glared at him through the flashing red. Almost like a challenge.

It was a game of cat and mouse now. All the USS Morro Bay had to do?

Outsmart the cat.