When Navaar Orci arrived on the Vaadwaur Supremacy ship; she was greeted by Captain Gokla and a full squad of soldiers.  Korda was alongside her, look as intimidating as ever; however the Vaadwaur had taken the concept of intimidation to a whole new level.

“You puzzle me.” Gokla’s first words to the Orion as she stepped off the transporter pad.

“Is that a good thing?” Navaar replied calmly.

“I’ve yet to determine that.” The Captain answered honestly.  “It’s not often the enemy asks to talk like this.”

They walked towards one of the ships conference rooms, under Gokla’s direction and soldiers both front and rear; weapons at the ready.  Though what the two Orion’s could ever hope to achieve against the eight of them, wasn’t clear; neither of them were armed.

“And what makes you think I’m the enemy?”  She enquired.

“Because I come to take what’s yours and kill those you love.”  The smile was one that could curdle milk and give children nightmares; yet Navaar ignored it, as they arrived at the room and Golka motioned for them to take a seat.

“You make it sound like I care.” She said bluntly, sitting down.  “You could set the universe ablaze for all I care; just as long as I’m standing there to warm my hands on the fire.”

Gokla was taken aback; he’d agreed to see this woman out of curiosity and find out what she was offering.  The message she’d sent before her arrival hadn’t exactly been clear.  The Orion had said it was something that would both make him more powerful and raise his standing amongst the ranks of the Vaadwaur Supremacy.  Both those ideas brought music to his ears.

“So what exactly are you expecting out of all this?” Gokla asked.

“Just to be a loyal subject of the new dominating force ruling over the galaxy.” She touched the back of his hand; which nearly made the guards open fire: had the Captain not stopped them.

The Orion woman didn’t look like the loyal subject sort of person; this was a person who controlled and manipulated people and events.  Gokla had worked with and met quite a few people like this; so new exactly what he was looking for.  “Oh, I think there if far more to it than that.”

“In a way, there is.” Navaar confirmed. “I believe you have something on your ship that belongs to me.”

“Belonged, passed tense.” The Captain clasped his hands together.  “And before you ask, we are aware of its abilities.”

“You’re also no doubt aware of the fact it doesn’t work.”

“If that was indeed the case, what difference would it make?” Gokla asked bluntly.  “Besides, the Supremacy has no need for such toys.”

“What if I could make it work, and on this very ship?”  That got the Vaadwaur officers attention, she could tell.  “It’s a second generation development prototype based on Romulan and Federation technology.  The original proved very effective.”

“How did you come by it?”

“As the humans would say; it fell off the back of a starship.”

“If it works, I’ll let you and your crew; live.”

“Oh, I’ll hold you to that.” Navaar discreetly winked at Korda.

Navaar Orci contacted her ship soon after and her Chief Engineer Hasray and one of assistants soon arrived with the vital components which were required  to make the device function.  Under the watchful eye of Captain Gokla’s engineers and several Vaadwaur soldiers they set to work.  What the Orion didn’t tell Gokla or his people was that this was in fact old and practically obsolete equipment and improvement had been made since.

The task was surprisingly easy considering they were combining technology developed by different races.  But then Hasray was one of the best at this sort of thing.  As an engineer working on an Orion Pirate ship, you had to have the ability to fix things and make modifications with equipment, that wouldn’t normally be together.  Orion, Federation, Romulan, Klingon, Cardassian, Ferengi, it could all be found on their ship; performing some task or other.

The ever watchful Vaadwaur engineers and guards; didn’t seem to fully grasp what was being done to their ship; a fact that was proving rather useful.  Some of them asked questions, all of which he answered in one way or another.  At the end he stood back, proudly examining his handy work.  All it needed was for someone to turn it on, and the device should work.  This vessel had a huge amount of power at its disposal, more than was required to run everything on board, even if it sustained damage in combat.  This ship had been designed with backup and redundant features throughout.  But despite that, Hasray had brought along his own power supply for the device.

Ten minutes later the fighter patrol reported the complete disappearance of the Command Ship.  Captain Gokla stood there in stunned silence as he was given the news.  He’s ship was completely invisible; slowly a grin came to his lips, it grew larger, then he started to laugh, and his laughter soon filled the room.   The Vaadwaur Supremacy now had a Astika-class Heavy Battlecruiser, with a cloaking device.

“Now my people have done our part, we’ll be off.” Navaar announced, making a move to stand.

“I think not my dear.” Gokla looked at the Orion with cold eyes. “I think you should remain my permanent guest.”

It was surprising how swiftly Korda could move when he wanted to; and right now was one of those moments.  They’d been scanned on arrival, to make sure they had no weapons with them.  Those scans did not however detect the two ceramic knives on his person.  Two extremely sharp knives that found their way into flesh and arteries of the guards either side of him.  They did not die quick, but the effect was dramatic and painful enough to render them out of action.

Captain Gokla’s hand moved to hit the alarm button on the edge of the table, his hand seemed unwilling to respond.  The look of triumph from a moment ago; was now one of horror; and he silently cursed his stupidly for only bringing two men into the room.  Six others stood beyond the door; oblivious to what was unfolding in the conference room.

“You know you really should be careful who you let touch your skin.”  Navaar stood up and carefully pealing a thin transparent pad from the palm of her hand; the Vaadwaur Captain went to move, but his whole body, at least from the neck down, was paralysed.

“I’m going to rip your head off and shove it on a spike which I will display on the Bridge of my ship!” Gokla shouted hoarsely. “Then I’m going to kill every stinking member of your race.”

“You can try.” The Orion replied.  “But somehow I can’t see that happening, can you?”

From the pocket of her red leather jacket, she pulled out a Starfleet issue Combadge, with a quick tap, a signal was sent to her ship.  It was the instruction to beam her and everyone else in her group, back to the Raider.

The change had been unperceivable and minute at first; but when Hasray had activated to e cloaking device, he’d also set other events in motion.  The artificial quantum singularity, powering the device, wasn’t as stable as the Orion engineer had convinced those watching him work, thought it was.  The first few seconds after activation, lasted just a fraction more; but as time progressed the length of a second on board the Battlecruiser, became much greater than the time outside it.

**********

On the Bridge of the USS da Vinci; as was the case aboard her sister ship, they’d watched the Orion Raider arrive and waited to see what was happening.  Commander Anacostia-Bolling had placed a pause on their planned attack.

When the Vaadwaur vessel faded from existence right before their very eyes, there was a sense of shock and disbelief.  For twenty minutes they tried to establish if the ship was still there or not.

“I’ve got the Orion Raider.” Ensign Phillanie called out.  “Their Captain is requesting to speak with you.”

“On screen.” The Commander Ordered. As the face of Navaar Orci appeared before them, she shouted at the Orion woman.  “What game are you playing here?”

“Oh, there’s no game Commander,” The Orion replied. “As much as I hate the Federation and all you represent.  The thought of having the Vaadwaur rule are far worse, so I’ve done you a favour.”

“And how precisely is making their warship invisible doing use a favour?”

“Check your scans for a time dilation, right where their ship was.”

Beriev made the relevant adjustments.  “I’m picking up a distortion operating at a two hundredth of normal time and increasing.”

“I should think even your Sabers can handle a ship virtually frozen in time.” The Orion smiled.  “I might even lend you a hand, Dagger One out.”

“The time distortion is now up to two hundred and thirtieth of normal time.” The Saurian Science Officer announced.

“Ensign Phillanie, inform the Grus we are going in for the attack.” Anacostia-Bolling called.  “Attack pattern Delta 3.  Red alert shields up.”

As the lights changed and the USS da Vinci moved forward to engage the paralysed vessel and her three fighters; the Commander wondered where the rest of the Supremacy where and how she’d deal with Navaar Orci.