The news was, as usual, a mixed bag of good and bad, but the bad news was especially bad this month. He had sent the 7th fleet through the Alpha Onias/Norpin warp point in a bold attempt to put the Ferengi and Borg on the defensive, at least for a little while. Unfortunatly, it was better defended than Primus had expected and few of the King Falcons had emerged from the battle undamaged. A few of his mighty warships had even been destroyed. For every Romulan ship that was destroyed, several Borg and Ferengi ships also met their end, but overall it appeared that his gambit had failed.
Well, the main objective had been to disrupt the enemy offensive, and Primus felt that he had destroyed enough enemy ships to put a crimp in their plans, at the very least.
And the goods news wasn't too bad, if Primus said so himself. The Klingons had sent him a message transmitting the Tholians' comm. frequency. Apparently, the Ferengi had manipulated the Tholians into declaring war on the Klingons. The Tholians had taken few precautions to protect themselves against sabotage and espionage. Where the Borg and Ferengi were safe thanks to their interlinked state, the Tholians were vulnerable. The Tal'Shiar would destroy them from within.
Also, Primus's other gambit had succeeded. The 9th Romulan Fleet had just arrived in Ramatis, via a warp point that the Ferengi had apparently opened in Indri to the Dapo system, which was next to Ramatis. As per Primus's frantic request, Alshain had left his forces in Coridan. Primus would defend Alshain's worlds while Alshain would defend his, thus saving time and lives. Unfortunatly, Zargat had managed to get some of his ships into Coridan before Alshain's forces could blockade the warp point, but at least the Ferengi wouldn't be free to attack his Coridan colonies unopposed.
Alshain's core worlds were now under attack by the Ferengi, but it was only two ships for now. Hopefully it would stay at that number of lower.
So they were doing the only thing they could. Surviving, fighting back as best they were able, and waiting for Kirk to make his move.
Space Empires IV Game RP
Moderator: Thanas
"I want to mow down a bunch of motherfuckers with absurdly large weapons and relative impunity - preferably in and around a skyscraper. Then I want to fight a grim battle against the unlikely duo of the Terminator and Robocop. The last level should involve (but not be limited to) multiple robo-Hitlers and a gorillasaurus rex."--Uraniun235 on his ideal FPS game
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force."--Darth Vader
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force."--Darth Vader
Cordian System
"Ferengi vessel, this is the U.S.S. Horizon. Lower your shields and power down your weapons." The Ferengi battlecruisers had been on a genocidal rampage through Romulan space. This particular battlecruiser had been responsible for five million one hundred and sixty two thousand five hundred and forty seven deaths. At last, two of Starfleet's vessels had caught up to it. But they were unaware of this fast vessel's awesome firepower.
Behind the Ferengi vessel, an floatilla of seventeen Federation vessels were closing. The Ferengi vessel dove for the nearby transwarp conduit and warped. Two of the fastest Federation vessels broke formation from the Federation task force and sprinted after the Ferengi into the azure tunnel.
Within the tunnel, the U.S.S. Horizon and U.S.S. Evicerator fired their phasers and photon torpdoes. But the battlecruiser twisted and turned in the subspace conduit, absorbing what torpedoes and phasers did impact and dodging what did not.
On the bridge of the Horizon a Captain Johnstone stood up. "Divert all power to weapons. Tell the Evicerator to do the same." The Horizon's and Evicerator's phasers grew brighter and sliced at the battlecruiser, but it was too late. The battlecruiser had reached the end of the tunnel and re-entered normal space.
The Ferengi emerged from the other end of the wormhole. But instead of continuing its flight the battlecruiser spun one hundred and eighty degrees on its axis.
The Horizon dove through the radiant pool fully expecting the battlecruiser to be still fleeing. But instead the battlecruiser was waiting and the Horizon came within a hundred meters of the battlecruiser's fore guns, still at full impulse. "Divert all power to shields! Hard to port!" screamed Captain Johnstone, but his cries were in vain.
The battlecruiser let loose its fury at the Horizon. Instead of the trademark disruptors, phasers or quantum torpedoes the Ferengi were using kinetic cannons. These made contact with the Horizon's shields and passed through them as if they weren't there. In two seconds the Horizon had absorbed thirteen cannonballs and was a flaming wreck. The Horizon's warp core overloaded, and the battlecruiser's shields flickered at the explosion.
Meanwhile the Evicerator, a far smaller vessel based on the Intrepid class, had raised its shields and dove under the Horizon's wreckage to the battlecruiser's soft underbelly. It fired its weapons targeting the Ferengi ship's impulse engines and weapons. The Evicerator would pay for its mercy. The battlecruiser's guns pivoted to track the Evicerator, which moved underneath the battlecruiser to avoid its heaviest guns, but it was useless. At point blank range six cannonballs pounded into the Federation scout's warp core and brightened the stars with the pieces of a thousand labours.
The U.S.S. Concordiat, U.S.S. New York, U.S.S. Washington and a dozen other vessels streamed out of the wormhole but the battlecruiser had already fired up its warp engines and phasers sliced and torpedoes detonated where the battlecruiser once was but now was not.
Narenda System...
Borg-Ferengi paratroopers drop from the battlecruisers. Each a one-man army, they have orders to cause as much havoc within the Federation command structure as possible...
Brian
"Ferengi vessel, this is the U.S.S. Horizon. Lower your shields and power down your weapons." The Ferengi battlecruisers had been on a genocidal rampage through Romulan space. This particular battlecruiser had been responsible for five million one hundred and sixty two thousand five hundred and forty seven deaths. At last, two of Starfleet's vessels had caught up to it. But they were unaware of this fast vessel's awesome firepower.
Behind the Ferengi vessel, an floatilla of seventeen Federation vessels were closing. The Ferengi vessel dove for the nearby transwarp conduit and warped. Two of the fastest Federation vessels broke formation from the Federation task force and sprinted after the Ferengi into the azure tunnel.
Within the tunnel, the U.S.S. Horizon and U.S.S. Evicerator fired their phasers and photon torpdoes. But the battlecruiser twisted and turned in the subspace conduit, absorbing what torpedoes and phasers did impact and dodging what did not.
On the bridge of the Horizon a Captain Johnstone stood up. "Divert all power to weapons. Tell the Evicerator to do the same." The Horizon's and Evicerator's phasers grew brighter and sliced at the battlecruiser, but it was too late. The battlecruiser had reached the end of the tunnel and re-entered normal space.
The Ferengi emerged from the other end of the wormhole. But instead of continuing its flight the battlecruiser spun one hundred and eighty degrees on its axis.
The Horizon dove through the radiant pool fully expecting the battlecruiser to be still fleeing. But instead the battlecruiser was waiting and the Horizon came within a hundred meters of the battlecruiser's fore guns, still at full impulse. "Divert all power to shields! Hard to port!" screamed Captain Johnstone, but his cries were in vain.
The battlecruiser let loose its fury at the Horizon. Instead of the trademark disruptors, phasers or quantum torpedoes the Ferengi were using kinetic cannons. These made contact with the Horizon's shields and passed through them as if they weren't there. In two seconds the Horizon had absorbed thirteen cannonballs and was a flaming wreck. The Horizon's warp core overloaded, and the battlecruiser's shields flickered at the explosion.
Meanwhile the Evicerator, a far smaller vessel based on the Intrepid class, had raised its shields and dove under the Horizon's wreckage to the battlecruiser's soft underbelly. It fired its weapons targeting the Ferengi ship's impulse engines and weapons. The Evicerator would pay for its mercy. The battlecruiser's guns pivoted to track the Evicerator, which moved underneath the battlecruiser to avoid its heaviest guns, but it was useless. At point blank range six cannonballs pounded into the Federation scout's warp core and brightened the stars with the pieces of a thousand labours.
The U.S.S. Concordiat, U.S.S. New York, U.S.S. Washington and a dozen other vessels streamed out of the wormhole but the battlecruiser had already fired up its warp engines and phasers sliced and torpedoes detonated where the battlecruiser once was but now was not.
Narenda System...
Borg-Ferengi paratroopers drop from the battlecruisers. Each a one-man army, they have orders to cause as much havoc within the Federation command structure as possible...
Brian
Intermission
"Look how they scurry about Mon Capitaine," said the red robed judge. Sitting beside him was an angered Captain Jean-Luc Picard. They were in an empty movie theatre, circa 1940's. But instead of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, Q and Picard could watch any part of the microcosm in real time.
"You are letting this happen. You are letting billions of innocent lives be destroyed. End it, now."
"Tsk, tsk. That would be no fun. Not to mention against the rules of the game. Far more is at stake than my amusement, believe me, or I wouldn't be wasting my time. If your champion loses--"
"Captain Kirk has not lost," said Picard standing up straight.
"Kirk, Primus and Alshain do not have what it takes to win the game. The Borg and Ferengi... look what the Ferengi do. They do not waste time with prisoners or civilians. They destroy, annihilate, and consume. If anything this is proving that compassion and mercy are weakness."
"Only because you set the rules of the game. You--"
"Please, please, please," said Q laughing. "Everybody begun with the same chances. Those who were stronger, more intelligent, more able, prospered. Well except Martok, I can't explain why--"
"Kirk is coming," said Picard pointing at the screen. His index reached to the upper left of the movie screen where an icon was moving towards Ferengi space.
Q sat back, then laughed again.
"Look at his allies. The Romulans who cannot even exterminate mice scurrying around their house. Your Federation, with Ferengi warships on their doorstep. And Kirk's Federation--look at him." Q pointed and the map zoomed in on the Federation fleet. "Look at him, only seventeen starships, half of them piles of junk and the other half donated from the destitute Romulans. Where is the rest I wonder? Look at what he faces." Q pointed at the map and again it twirled and fixed on a massive Ferengi armada of over a hundred vessels.
Q leaned forward.
"Cut your losses. Admit your champions have failed."
"And allow you to end the lives of billions of sentient beings? Never!" spat Picard. He turned as if to ignore Q, then pivoted and turned his right hand into a fist inches from Q's face. Before Picard could connect Q had disappeared and reappeared in another seat in the middle of the theatre.
"Been talking to your friend Sisko have you. Nasty little man."
"You underestimate Kirk. He will defeat you as I defeated you."
"Him? Defeat me?" Q laughed. And then his voice grew grim. "If only he had me to defeat, perhaps he might have a chance."
"What are you saying?"
"Your puny mind cannot comprehend what is happening, can it? Sit and watch before you hurt yourself."
Brian
"Look how they scurry about Mon Capitaine," said the red robed judge. Sitting beside him was an angered Captain Jean-Luc Picard. They were in an empty movie theatre, circa 1940's. But instead of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, Q and Picard could watch any part of the microcosm in real time.
"You are letting this happen. You are letting billions of innocent lives be destroyed. End it, now."
"Tsk, tsk. That would be no fun. Not to mention against the rules of the game. Far more is at stake than my amusement, believe me, or I wouldn't be wasting my time. If your champion loses--"
"Captain Kirk has not lost," said Picard standing up straight.
"Kirk, Primus and Alshain do not have what it takes to win the game. The Borg and Ferengi... look what the Ferengi do. They do not waste time with prisoners or civilians. They destroy, annihilate, and consume. If anything this is proving that compassion and mercy are weakness."
"Only because you set the rules of the game. You--"
"Please, please, please," said Q laughing. "Everybody begun with the same chances. Those who were stronger, more intelligent, more able, prospered. Well except Martok, I can't explain why--"
"Kirk is coming," said Picard pointing at the screen. His index reached to the upper left of the movie screen where an icon was moving towards Ferengi space.
Q sat back, then laughed again.
"Look at his allies. The Romulans who cannot even exterminate mice scurrying around their house. Your Federation, with Ferengi warships on their doorstep. And Kirk's Federation--look at him." Q pointed and the map zoomed in on the Federation fleet. "Look at him, only seventeen starships, half of them piles of junk and the other half donated from the destitute Romulans. Where is the rest I wonder? Look at what he faces." Q pointed at the map and again it twirled and fixed on a massive Ferengi armada of over a hundred vessels.
Q leaned forward.
"Cut your losses. Admit your champions have failed."
"And allow you to end the lives of billions of sentient beings? Never!" spat Picard. He turned as if to ignore Q, then pivoted and turned his right hand into a fist inches from Q's face. Before Picard could connect Q had disappeared and reappeared in another seat in the middle of the theatre.
"Been talking to your friend Sisko have you. Nasty little man."
"You underestimate Kirk. He will defeat you as I defeated you."
"Him? Defeat me?" Q laughed. And then his voice grew grim. "If only he had me to defeat, perhaps he might have a chance."
"What are you saying?"
"Your puny mind cannot comprehend what is happening, can it? Sit and watch before you hurt yourself."
Brian
Ferengi Battle Fleet somewhere in Ferengi space...
Zargat rubbed his hands with glee. Three more Federation starships had been detected on long range sensors abandoned, and the Praetor's fleet was still nursing its wounds in Norpin. Not only had the destruction of the Romulan antimatter facilities crippled the alliance, but the withdrawal of Ferengi merchants meant Kirk's Federation was in economic ruin. And Alshain's Federation--saboteurs had been dropped from the two Ferengi battlecruisers that had snuck into Narenda, their home system. Alshain's home system, like the Romulans, had been nearly defenseless. Concordiat heavy cruisers had given chase but they had only now appeared several sectors away and it was too late to stop the hundreds of terrorists that had been transported into Federation cities. It was only a matter of time until Alshain's Federation was crippled.
Didn't these humans ever learn? The Xindi, the Whale Probe, the Borg, the Breen... Zargat laughed again. Inferiors, all of them.
And, the Queen had completed her fusion cubes, each cube with nearly a million assimilated crew, five times as massive as any Federation starship and with enough firepower to incinerate planets on their own. She was flaunting them in Norpin like a child to the Romulans, taunting them while they were unable to give chase due to their lack of supplies and heavy battle damage from capturing the transwarp conduit nexus. Childish, but let the child have her toys.
Zargat turned his head towards galactic south. The two battlecruisers in Alshain's Federation were blockading his homeworlds and had captured a transport with nearly three hundred million Federation citizens. They were unworthy of joining the unity and would be purged.
The Dominion too was orbiting the Trill homeworld and would soon destroy the infidels.
Perhaps he would need to do nothing and the Borg and Dominion alone could destroy the Romulans and the Federations. All the better, let the underlings deal with those beneath him.
"Ferengi vessel, this is the U.S.S. Southerland. We are an unarmed transport vessel carrying hundreds of millions of men, women and children. Please, don't shoot!" said Hunter.
The Ferengi vessel loomed on the viewscreen. Were the Ferengi really in league with the Borg? Would they be assimilated, or simply blinked out of existence? Lieutenant Hunter breathed a sigh of relief as the battlecruiser turned away. So the rumors had been exagerrated after all...
...but from the battlecruiser's aft came a green beam which rocked the Southerland.
"They've locked on a tractor beam," said Michaels, the ship's lone security officer.
The Southerland was brought closer and closer to the battlecruiser. Since coming to this galaxy everything had changed. Ships were massive, large enough for thousands and in some cases millions of people. The Southerland was one such ship, a population transport ferrying civilians from the homeworlds to the colonies by the hundreds of millions.
"Boarders reported in main engineering, auxillary control, and bridge!" said Michaels, pulling his phaser.
Then appeared Ferengi, but not any Ferengi he'd seen before. They were bulkier, their skin a pale white and black and wielding blocky intimidating wepaons. Michaels hit the Ferengi in the head and blood spurted. He quickly reaimed at another materializing Ferengi and the Ferengi solidified with a hole in his chest. A third Ferengi had fully appeared and Michaels shot him too, but the air around this Ferengi shimmered and glowed green dissipating the phaser. The Ferengi took his time bringing up his rifle and shooting Michaels in the belly.
"Please, we surrender, don't shoot, don't shoot!" said Hunter putting up his hands. He felt something on his neck, then nothingness.
"The Southerland's being boarded."
"Send every man we've got to help them."
"We can't, the battlecruisers are jamming transporters. The ship... it's breaking away from the Ferengi... it's coming for us..."
"Alert spacedock to prepare for casualties..."
"The Southerland is... jettisonning its cargo..."
"They don't have any cargo."
"The... the people sir, they're dumping them into space..."
Brian
Zargat rubbed his hands with glee. Three more Federation starships had been detected on long range sensors abandoned, and the Praetor's fleet was still nursing its wounds in Norpin. Not only had the destruction of the Romulan antimatter facilities crippled the alliance, but the withdrawal of Ferengi merchants meant Kirk's Federation was in economic ruin. And Alshain's Federation--saboteurs had been dropped from the two Ferengi battlecruisers that had snuck into Narenda, their home system. Alshain's home system, like the Romulans, had been nearly defenseless. Concordiat heavy cruisers had given chase but they had only now appeared several sectors away and it was too late to stop the hundreds of terrorists that had been transported into Federation cities. It was only a matter of time until Alshain's Federation was crippled.
Didn't these humans ever learn? The Xindi, the Whale Probe, the Borg, the Breen... Zargat laughed again. Inferiors, all of them.
And, the Queen had completed her fusion cubes, each cube with nearly a million assimilated crew, five times as massive as any Federation starship and with enough firepower to incinerate planets on their own. She was flaunting them in Norpin like a child to the Romulans, taunting them while they were unable to give chase due to their lack of supplies and heavy battle damage from capturing the transwarp conduit nexus. Childish, but let the child have her toys.
Zargat turned his head towards galactic south. The two battlecruisers in Alshain's Federation were blockading his homeworlds and had captured a transport with nearly three hundred million Federation citizens. They were unworthy of joining the unity and would be purged.
The Dominion too was orbiting the Trill homeworld and would soon destroy the infidels.
Perhaps he would need to do nothing and the Borg and Dominion alone could destroy the Romulans and the Federations. All the better, let the underlings deal with those beneath him.
"Ferengi vessel, this is the U.S.S. Southerland. We are an unarmed transport vessel carrying hundreds of millions of men, women and children. Please, don't shoot!" said Hunter.
The Ferengi vessel loomed on the viewscreen. Were the Ferengi really in league with the Borg? Would they be assimilated, or simply blinked out of existence? Lieutenant Hunter breathed a sigh of relief as the battlecruiser turned away. So the rumors had been exagerrated after all...
...but from the battlecruiser's aft came a green beam which rocked the Southerland.
"They've locked on a tractor beam," said Michaels, the ship's lone security officer.
The Southerland was brought closer and closer to the battlecruiser. Since coming to this galaxy everything had changed. Ships were massive, large enough for thousands and in some cases millions of people. The Southerland was one such ship, a population transport ferrying civilians from the homeworlds to the colonies by the hundreds of millions.
"Boarders reported in main engineering, auxillary control, and bridge!" said Michaels, pulling his phaser.
Then appeared Ferengi, but not any Ferengi he'd seen before. They were bulkier, their skin a pale white and black and wielding blocky intimidating wepaons. Michaels hit the Ferengi in the head and blood spurted. He quickly reaimed at another materializing Ferengi and the Ferengi solidified with a hole in his chest. A third Ferengi had fully appeared and Michaels shot him too, but the air around this Ferengi shimmered and glowed green dissipating the phaser. The Ferengi took his time bringing up his rifle and shooting Michaels in the belly.
"Please, we surrender, don't shoot, don't shoot!" said Hunter putting up his hands. He felt something on his neck, then nothingness.
"The Southerland's being boarded."
"Send every man we've got to help them."
"We can't, the battlecruisers are jamming transporters. The ship... it's breaking away from the Ferengi... it's coming for us..."
"Alert spacedock to prepare for casualties..."
"The Southerland is... jettisonning its cargo..."
"They don't have any cargo."
"The... the people sir, they're dumping them into space..."
Brian
Last edited by brianeyci on 2006-02-08 03:38pm, edited 1 time in total.
An uneventful month, relatively speaking. The 7th fleet continued hasty repairs, and the Ferengi continued to attack his worlds. The Talosian home planet was under siege, and while Primus felt bad for them, a part of him was just glad that more Romulans weren't dying there. A pity that the Ferengi hadn't destroyed the two independant Talosian worlds that remained.
A small fleet of King Falcons pursued the Dominion fleet in UFP space. The Dominions ships were slower than the Falcons and would soon be destroyed.
The Borg Queen was displaying her new, huge fusion cubes in the Norpin sector. Their size was intimidating, but given the ease which his forces had torn the previous Borg ships to pieces, he wasn't overly concerned. The skyrocketing ship numbers of the Ferengi that his spies reported concerned him far more. If Kirk's plan didn't work, Primus forsaw a hammer blow that would break the alliance. He only hoped that it was not so.
At least there was some good news. Thanks to resource theft on the part of the Tal'Shiar, the economy was slowly beginning to recover. The Empire would not be at pre-war production any time soon, but they were better off than they'd been right after the invasion started. The Tal'Shiar head had grumbled about having to order his agency to perform so low a task. Primus had told him that restoring their manufacturing capability was paramount to their survival. When that hadn't worked, Primus had simply told him to shut the hell up and do his job.
A small fleet of King Falcons pursued the Dominion fleet in UFP space. The Dominions ships were slower than the Falcons and would soon be destroyed.
The Borg Queen was displaying her new, huge fusion cubes in the Norpin sector. Their size was intimidating, but given the ease which his forces had torn the previous Borg ships to pieces, he wasn't overly concerned. The skyrocketing ship numbers of the Ferengi that his spies reported concerned him far more. If Kirk's plan didn't work, Primus forsaw a hammer blow that would break the alliance. He only hoped that it was not so.
At least there was some good news. Thanks to resource theft on the part of the Tal'Shiar, the economy was slowly beginning to recover. The Empire would not be at pre-war production any time soon, but they were better off than they'd been right after the invasion started. The Tal'Shiar head had grumbled about having to order his agency to perform so low a task. Primus had told him that restoring their manufacturing capability was paramount to their survival. When that hadn't worked, Primus had simply told him to shut the hell up and do his job.
"I want to mow down a bunch of motherfuckers with absurdly large weapons and relative impunity - preferably in and around a skyscraper. Then I want to fight a grim battle against the unlikely duo of the Terminator and Robocop. The last level should involve (but not be limited to) multiple robo-Hitlers and a gorillasaurus rex."--Uraniun235 on his ideal FPS game
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force."--Darth Vader
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force."--Darth Vader
In Orbit around the Talosian Homeworld, Romulan Space...
"Talosians. You are unworthy of joining the unity. You shall be cleansed." Zargat waived his hands. From the belly of his carrier came a dozen fighters armed with nuclear warheads headed for the Talosian capitol. But the Talosians had been bombarded for months. The Romulans, after conquering the Talosians, had forced them to live above ground. Now the Talosians were dying by the millions from leukemia. The Romulans had long abandoned the planet, and the Talosians with their awesome psychic powers were helpless against the four lobed brains of Zargat the Terrible and his minions.
Central Archon Sheeik watched as a fighter craft dumped more dirty ordinance on their cities and made the decision. He closed his eyes. Every Talosian on the planet concurred with his decision. They too closed their eyes...
...and ended their agony.
Over the past few months many Ferengi battlecruisers had been hunted down and destroyed by Alshain's task forces. They had scattered and were ripe for the picking. But not before preying on civilian ships, beaming explosives into cities and causing havoc on both Romulan and Federation planets.
One by one, they were hunted down. It had taken two months but at last the Ferengi rampage seemed to be ending.
Three Ferengi ships, perhaps the last three in all of Romulan space, hid in the nebula, preparing for another genocidal bombing run. Unfortunately they had not heard of Captain James T. Kirk and his tactics in the Mutara Nebula. Since Alshain's Federation had contacted Kirk's Federation every Captain in the fleet had read into detail the exploits of the legend. And hiding in a nebula was one of the oldest tricks in the book...
Over the past two years Ferengi drones had toiled on this barren wasteland, placing devices across the face of the world. Now there were enough, and the temporal devices activated...
...from orbit the planet glowed brightly, then as if the hand of God himself had intervened the planet was replaced by its equivalent from another timeline, a lush feral planet with untapped resources and infinite potential...
Brian
"Talosians. You are unworthy of joining the unity. You shall be cleansed." Zargat waived his hands. From the belly of his carrier came a dozen fighters armed with nuclear warheads headed for the Talosian capitol. But the Talosians had been bombarded for months. The Romulans, after conquering the Talosians, had forced them to live above ground. Now the Talosians were dying by the millions from leukemia. The Romulans had long abandoned the planet, and the Talosians with their awesome psychic powers were helpless against the four lobed brains of Zargat the Terrible and his minions.
Central Archon Sheeik watched as a fighter craft dumped more dirty ordinance on their cities and made the decision. He closed his eyes. Every Talosian on the planet concurred with his decision. They too closed their eyes...
...and ended their agony.
Over the past few months many Ferengi battlecruisers had been hunted down and destroyed by Alshain's task forces. They had scattered and were ripe for the picking. But not before preying on civilian ships, beaming explosives into cities and causing havoc on both Romulan and Federation planets.
One by one, they were hunted down. It had taken two months but at last the Ferengi rampage seemed to be ending.
Three Ferengi ships, perhaps the last three in all of Romulan space, hid in the nebula, preparing for another genocidal bombing run. Unfortunately they had not heard of Captain James T. Kirk and his tactics in the Mutara Nebula. Since Alshain's Federation had contacted Kirk's Federation every Captain in the fleet had read into detail the exploits of the legend. And hiding in a nebula was one of the oldest tricks in the book...
Over the past two years Ferengi drones had toiled on this barren wasteland, placing devices across the face of the world. Now there were enough, and the temporal devices activated...
...from orbit the planet glowed brightly, then as if the hand of God himself had intervened the planet was replaced by its equivalent from another timeline, a lush feral planet with untapped resources and infinite potential...
Brian
Primus scowled at seeing that the Dominion fleet had split up and about half the vessels had escaped, and into Romulan space no less. "Why won't they just die?" he grumbled.
At least the Ferengi's rampages seemed to be slowing down, though at the cost of two empty systems...
There was a sudden flash of light next to him, and there stood the very being that he transported them all to this galaxy. He now had the pointed ears and forehead ridges of a Romulan, but otherwise his physical features were all the same. His attire was very different from what he'd worn the last time Primus had seen him, though. Q was currently clad in a white toga.
"Heil, Primus," Q said snidely.
Determined not to show his anger, Primus coolly said. "I believe that you're confused. That is the clothing of the ancient Romans back on Earth."
There was another flash, and this time Q was in one of the old uniforms of the Romulan Star Navy from during the Kirk era. "Better?" he asked, smirking.
Primus shrugged. "If you want to dress up as one of subordinates, I have no objection."
Again, a flash, and this time Q was in the garb of the Romulan Emperor.
"The emperor has never held any real power in Romulan society," Primus said flatly.
"Oh, you're no fun," Q said, finally changing into a modern Romulan military uniform.
"And you certainly make a lot of mistakes for a supposedly omnipotent being," Primus said acidly. "I've heard of your...tricks from Alshain's people. Care to explain just why you decided to do all this?"
"No," Q answered, still smirking.
Primus sighed. "Then why are you here? In case you haven't noticed, I have a war to run."
"Oh, I just wanted to see if you could be persuaded to surrender," Q said.
"Surrender? To the likes of the Borg Queen and Zargat?" Primus scoffed. "Never! If it were anyone else, I might consider it to spare my people the suffering, but their suffering will only be starting if they are assimilated."
"The Dominion were allowed to remain outside the collective," Q pointed out. "Because they surrendered."
"Things have changed since then," Primus said. "Zargat's gone totally mad, and Queen Nephtys just looks to be following in his wake. We have to keep fighting. Unless you'd care to end this experiment? I wouldn't mind going back to being a proconsul, even giving up all this new technology, if it means ending the war."
"No, I don't think so," Q said. "Well, I must go. Picard must be getting lonely without me."
He disappeared.
Primus frowned. "Captain Picard?"
At least the Ferengi's rampages seemed to be slowing down, though at the cost of two empty systems...
There was a sudden flash of light next to him, and there stood the very being that he transported them all to this galaxy. He now had the pointed ears and forehead ridges of a Romulan, but otherwise his physical features were all the same. His attire was very different from what he'd worn the last time Primus had seen him, though. Q was currently clad in a white toga.
"Heil, Primus," Q said snidely.
Determined not to show his anger, Primus coolly said. "I believe that you're confused. That is the clothing of the ancient Romans back on Earth."
There was another flash, and this time Q was in one of the old uniforms of the Romulan Star Navy from during the Kirk era. "Better?" he asked, smirking.
Primus shrugged. "If you want to dress up as one of subordinates, I have no objection."
Again, a flash, and this time Q was in the garb of the Romulan Emperor.
"The emperor has never held any real power in Romulan society," Primus said flatly.
"Oh, you're no fun," Q said, finally changing into a modern Romulan military uniform.
"And you certainly make a lot of mistakes for a supposedly omnipotent being," Primus said acidly. "I've heard of your...tricks from Alshain's people. Care to explain just why you decided to do all this?"
"No," Q answered, still smirking.
Primus sighed. "Then why are you here? In case you haven't noticed, I have a war to run."
"Oh, I just wanted to see if you could be persuaded to surrender," Q said.
"Surrender? To the likes of the Borg Queen and Zargat?" Primus scoffed. "Never! If it were anyone else, I might consider it to spare my people the suffering, but their suffering will only be starting if they are assimilated."
"The Dominion were allowed to remain outside the collective," Q pointed out. "Because they surrendered."
"Things have changed since then," Primus said. "Zargat's gone totally mad, and Queen Nephtys just looks to be following in his wake. We have to keep fighting. Unless you'd care to end this experiment? I wouldn't mind going back to being a proconsul, even giving up all this new technology, if it means ending the war."
"No, I don't think so," Q said. "Well, I must go. Picard must be getting lonely without me."
He disappeared.
Primus frowned. "Captain Picard?"
"I want to mow down a bunch of motherfuckers with absurdly large weapons and relative impunity - preferably in and around a skyscraper. Then I want to fight a grim battle against the unlikely duo of the Terminator and Robocop. The last level should involve (but not be limited to) multiple robo-Hitlers and a gorillasaurus rex."--Uraniun235 on his ideal FPS game
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force."--Darth Vader
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force."--Darth Vader
Zargat sneered at the strategic map. The fool Founder had brought her battleships up to engage the Romulans! Only eleven ships against the Romulan's thirty-five! So much for the Jem'Hadar. They would be erased by the Romulans, wasted on a foolish attempt for revenge on the Romulan's recent destruction of the Dominion First Fleet. Too late. Those ships were on their own and would be destroyed. Perhaps the Dominion were not worthy of joining the Unity after all. The Founder would have to be disciplined, if she had ordered the attack. More likely the Jem'Hadar had gone mad at the death of so many of their brethren.
More of the Queen's gigantic fusion cubes had come online. These would be dispatched to annihilate first the Klingons, then the Federation, or whoever he chose. Although more likely the Federation, given the Queen's preoccupation with the humens. Why she had such an interest in so inferior creatures puzzled Zargat, although perhaps there was some sentimental value. But Zargat could not bear to think of Ferengi. Ferengi were inferior as well. New medical technology was being refined and would soon allow him to leave this useless husk.
But where was Kirk? For nearly half a year now Kirk had been absent while he ravaged the Romulan homeworlds and evicerated billions. And what of the Klingon Martok? What were they planning and would they attack? Zargat put such thoughts out of his mind. If they did attack, they would be dealt with eventually like the Romulans.
The Unity could not be denied. The time of judgment had come.
About the Talosian homeworld three Ferengi carriers moved forth from their berth, a moon they had been using as a staging ground to launch their genocidal attacks. The homeworld was a barren waste now having withstood months of bombardment. Two Talosian worlds still breathed life, and the Ferengi carriers understood their orders to decimate the worlds with all haste.
As they moved though, the enemy appeared. One, two, three, five, ten, eleven Federation Concordiat Battlecruisers, dropping out of warp a few hundred thousand kilometers away. This time they bothered with no warning hail or greeting and immediately launched their quantum and Tri-Cobalt torpedoes in spreads of death.
The carriers responded by swarming space with hundreds of fighters. As the fighters rushed the carriers were impacted by torpedo after torpedo after torpedo. The lead carrier writhed in agony then exploded section by section into a breeze of particles and a warp core breach that enveloped the fighters.
As triad of fireballs cleared the fighters were again visible, most of them having survived the destruction of their mothers. They dove towards the Federation vessels and raked them with pulse disruptors, their fury evident from their contortions and rapidity.
The Federation ships, with their trademark Federation accuracy, fired quick phaser shots in sucession, one, two, three, four, five. Their point defense phasers tracked and fired as the Ferengi fighters circled the battlecruisers hoping to find some achilles heel. But the shields of the Concordiats glimmered and laughed at the puny weapons of the fighters.
The last fighters understood their dilemma and turned to suicide, but this tactic had long been countered by Federation ship designers and they impacted harmlessly into shields which barely flickered at the desperation.
The Concordiats stood still for a minute observering the debris, then left in streaks of blue, red and orange.
Brian
More of the Queen's gigantic fusion cubes had come online. These would be dispatched to annihilate first the Klingons, then the Federation, or whoever he chose. Although more likely the Federation, given the Queen's preoccupation with the humens. Why she had such an interest in so inferior creatures puzzled Zargat, although perhaps there was some sentimental value. But Zargat could not bear to think of Ferengi. Ferengi were inferior as well. New medical technology was being refined and would soon allow him to leave this useless husk.
But where was Kirk? For nearly half a year now Kirk had been absent while he ravaged the Romulan homeworlds and evicerated billions. And what of the Klingon Martok? What were they planning and would they attack? Zargat put such thoughts out of his mind. If they did attack, they would be dealt with eventually like the Romulans.
The Unity could not be denied. The time of judgment had come.
About the Talosian homeworld three Ferengi carriers moved forth from their berth, a moon they had been using as a staging ground to launch their genocidal attacks. The homeworld was a barren waste now having withstood months of bombardment. Two Talosian worlds still breathed life, and the Ferengi carriers understood their orders to decimate the worlds with all haste.
As they moved though, the enemy appeared. One, two, three, five, ten, eleven Federation Concordiat Battlecruisers, dropping out of warp a few hundred thousand kilometers away. This time they bothered with no warning hail or greeting and immediately launched their quantum and Tri-Cobalt torpedoes in spreads of death.
The carriers responded by swarming space with hundreds of fighters. As the fighters rushed the carriers were impacted by torpedo after torpedo after torpedo. The lead carrier writhed in agony then exploded section by section into a breeze of particles and a warp core breach that enveloped the fighters.
As triad of fireballs cleared the fighters were again visible, most of them having survived the destruction of their mothers. They dove towards the Federation vessels and raked them with pulse disruptors, their fury evident from their contortions and rapidity.
The Federation ships, with their trademark Federation accuracy, fired quick phaser shots in sucession, one, two, three, four, five. Their point defense phasers tracked and fired as the Ferengi fighters circled the battlecruisers hoping to find some achilles heel. But the shields of the Concordiats glimmered and laughed at the puny weapons of the fighters.
The last fighters understood their dilemma and turned to suicide, but this tactic had long been countered by Federation ship designers and they impacted harmlessly into shields which barely flickered at the desperation.
The Concordiats stood still for a minute observering the debris, then left in streaks of blue, red and orange.
Brian
Last edited by brianeyci on 2006-02-12 11:47am, edited 2 times in total.
Primus knew that he should be pleased with the events of that month, but the disappearance of the Borg fleet disturbed him. He'd sent part of 7th fleet to strike at a small fleet of Borg cubes and a Ferengi warp point opener that had been "hiding" in a stellar storm. The King Falcons had caught only two minor ships.
"Where did you go?" he whispered.
Hawk entered, looking as weary as one would expect one of Primus's top officers to be. He nodded his head respectfully. "Praetor."
"Welcome back, how long will you stay before you depart again?" Primus asked.
"Not long, Praetor," Hawk answered. "I'll depart before nightfall."
"How goes it at the front?" Primus asked.
"Better than before," Hawk answered. "As you know, 9th fleet finally caught up with the last of the Dominion forces that invaded Alshain's space in Parvenium and destroyed them. How goes it here, Praetor?"
"Well enough," Primus said. "The Tal'Shiar have been robbing the Dominion and Tholians blind. Even better, the Tholians are so clueless as to who's the culprit that they have agreed to a trade alliance with us."
Hawk laughed, but sobered quickly. These were not jovial times. "Any word from the Klingons?"
"None," Primus answered. "But that doesn't mean they aren't planning anything. They still don't like us. I'm not surprised that they aren't calling for pleasant chats."
"Any word from Kirk?" Hawk asked.
"We've been in touch," Primus said cryptically, the continued before Hawk could ask for more details. "We're recovering. Slowly but surely, we're recovering. Now it's just a matter of whether our alliance can counter attack before they begin a fresh offensive."
"Where did you go?" he whispered.
Hawk entered, looking as weary as one would expect one of Primus's top officers to be. He nodded his head respectfully. "Praetor."
"Welcome back, how long will you stay before you depart again?" Primus asked.
"Not long, Praetor," Hawk answered. "I'll depart before nightfall."
"How goes it at the front?" Primus asked.
"Better than before," Hawk answered. "As you know, 9th fleet finally caught up with the last of the Dominion forces that invaded Alshain's space in Parvenium and destroyed them. How goes it here, Praetor?"
"Well enough," Primus said. "The Tal'Shiar have been robbing the Dominion and Tholians blind. Even better, the Tholians are so clueless as to who's the culprit that they have agreed to a trade alliance with us."
Hawk laughed, but sobered quickly. These were not jovial times. "Any word from the Klingons?"
"None," Primus answered. "But that doesn't mean they aren't planning anything. They still don't like us. I'm not surprised that they aren't calling for pleasant chats."
"Any word from Kirk?" Hawk asked.
"We've been in touch," Primus said cryptically, the continued before Hawk could ask for more details. "We're recovering. Slowly but surely, we're recovering. Now it's just a matter of whether our alliance can counter attack before they begin a fresh offensive."
"I want to mow down a bunch of motherfuckers with absurdly large weapons and relative impunity - preferably in and around a skyscraper. Then I want to fight a grim battle against the unlikely duo of the Terminator and Robocop. The last level should involve (but not be limited to) multiple robo-Hitlers and a gorillasaurus rex."--Uraniun235 on his ideal FPS game
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force."--Darth Vader
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force."--Darth Vader
"Praetor! Praetor!"
Primus had grown used to frightening looking aides by now, but this boy looked absolutely terrified. "What is it?"
"7th fleet is gone!"
"Impossible!" Primus snapped.
"It's true, My Lord Praetor!" the boy insisted. "They were attacked by a massive Ferengi fleet! 103 ships, two of them the super cubes built by the Borg!"
Primus felt his legs go out from under him, and he was fortunate enough to land in his chair. The mighty fleet of King Falcons that had defended their empire for so long. He couldn't believe it. 7th fleet represented the bulk of Romulan forces. There was no way what remained could stop 103 ships.
"No," he whispered. "No."
"Praetor?" the boy asked. "What should we do?"
Primus composed himself. He was still Praetor, acting like it was still important, even in this horrible twilight war. "We fight them until we cannot fight any longer. And get me a channel to Admiral Kirk!"
Perhaps they could not win, but Primus would be damned if he allowed the Ferengi to claim victory without bleeding for it.
Primus had grown used to frightening looking aides by now, but this boy looked absolutely terrified. "What is it?"
"7th fleet is gone!"
"Impossible!" Primus snapped.
"It's true, My Lord Praetor!" the boy insisted. "They were attacked by a massive Ferengi fleet! 103 ships, two of them the super cubes built by the Borg!"
Primus felt his legs go out from under him, and he was fortunate enough to land in his chair. The mighty fleet of King Falcons that had defended their empire for so long. He couldn't believe it. 7th fleet represented the bulk of Romulan forces. There was no way what remained could stop 103 ships.
"No," he whispered. "No."
"Praetor?" the boy asked. "What should we do?"
Primus composed himself. He was still Praetor, acting like it was still important, even in this horrible twilight war. "We fight them until we cannot fight any longer. And get me a channel to Admiral Kirk!"
Perhaps they could not win, but Primus would be damned if he allowed the Ferengi to claim victory without bleeding for it.
"I want to mow down a bunch of motherfuckers with absurdly large weapons and relative impunity - preferably in and around a skyscraper. Then I want to fight a grim battle against the unlikely duo of the Terminator and Robocop. The last level should involve (but not be limited to) multiple robo-Hitlers and a gorillasaurus rex."--Uraniun235 on his ideal FPS game
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force."--Darth Vader
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force."--Darth Vader
-
Nephtys
- Sith Acolyte
- Posts: 6227
- Joined: 2005-04-02 10:54pm
- Location: South Cali... where life is cheap!
A few hours earlier, Norpin System, Romulan Seventh Fleet
Fist of the Praetor - Romulan King Falcon Dreadnaught
Admiral Feh'rok stood beside Commander T'var, Subcommander Severa and Major Jervek. The Romulan King Falcons, the workhorses of the Empire, had seized the transwarp conduit network and sat on it for months, repairing after hard-fought battle where six of the kilometer long ships and half the fleet had been severely damaged. But repairs were now mostly complete, and the Praetor had sent orders to split up his fleet and pursue a Borg armada into a nebula.
Politicans.
It was an obvious ruse to draw out his forces, but he had not argued with the Praetor when he had sent him to defend Kirk and he had not argued with the Praetor when he ordered him back to the homeworlds. He had not even argued with the Praetor when he had held the dead body of his child in orbit above New Romulus II. The Praetor had total control over the Tal'Shiar. The advances brought about by the Q being's wonderous technology had raised the standard of living of every Romulan to aristocrats, and none were going to revolt against the Praetor even after the strategic disaster of not deploying gravitation shields to prevent warp strikes in the home systems.
There weren't many Romulans left to revolt, anyway.
So, Feh'rok had shut his mouth, to avoid the wrath of the Tal'Shiar. Back home, Primus would have been assassinated after his first mistake. A mistake that cost billions of lives--Primus would have been tortured beyond torture and small pieces of his body would have been mounted on every Romulan home as a warning by the Empire of the danger of incompetence. There was nothing more precious than the Romulan life.
But this was not home.
He had stayed silent, and he was obeying against his better judgment, splitting up a third of his already weakened and outnumbered forces to chase ghosts when he should be defending a warp point. Why the Praetor had placed his forces on the Norpin end of the transwarp conduit to defend the Federations was again, none of his business. Had he been in charge Feh'rok would have put all Romulan ships on the Romulan side of the wormhole and fortified the wormhole leaving the humans to their own defense. The reports coming in from Ferengi space were of hundreds of ships and hundreds more under construction, far more than the Romulans with their devestated homeworlds and economy could hope to match.
But he was not in charge and Major Jurvek made him constantly aware of it. Major Jurvek was favored by the Tal'Shiar and perhaps Primus as well. And, Primus was correct. Should the humans fall, the Romulans would soon as well. So Feh'rok had eventually come to think, it was all for the best, deploying his forces on the wrong side of the wormhole exposed for the Borg and Ferengi to openly scan and watch as they brought in repair tugs and supplies ferried in through the wormhole.
"Keep scanning," said Severa.
"Nothing. They disappeared as soon as we entered the nebula."
"Signal the fleet to return to the wormhole," said Feh'rok.
"The Praetor ordered us to search the nebula," said Jurvek.
Feh'rok sighed. "Prepare to break formation to sear--"
"Ships coming through the Manark warp conduit," said the tactical officer.
"How many?" snapped Severa moving over to tactical. "One, five, ten, fifteen... fifty!" said Severa disbelievingly.
"All ships retreat, maximum warp!" barked Feh'rok. "Aft viewer, magnification," said Feh'rok hoping it was sensor ghosts and trickery. But there was no mistaking the hundreds of ships streaming through the wormhole. Jurvek's mouth dropped.
"Enemy ships forming up at the wormhole... engaging transwarp engines!" said the tactical officer alarmed. Of course, it was expected the Borg would assist the Ferengi with their technology, but no Romulan officer until now knew the extent of the merging.
"All ships, engage tractor beams full automatic!" said Feh'rok crossing his arms. On the viewer seemingly out of nowhere a Ferengi battlecruiser emerged then disappeared.
"Enemy ships off course... they are out of formation..." Feh'rok breathed a sigh of relief. "Fore viewer." The Romulan fleet was coming to line abreast formation in front of the wormhole. "Feh'rok to all ships, retreat to Romulan territory," said Feh'rok. Then he felt something at his back.
"You will recind that order," said Jurvek.
"Kill me then," said Feh'rok.
Feh'rok felt a burning at his back and saw a hole in his chest as he collasped.
***
The Queen and Zargat stood aboard the lead Fusion Cube, a monstrous ship that dwarfed any other ship in all known space. She was proud of her workers, producing such a monstrously powerful vessel to offset the Romulan King Falcons, the lion of the galaxy.
The feint had worked, drawing the undamaged contingent of the Romulan Fleet away from the others, within striking range of the Ferengi Fleet. Nephtys smiled upon her good fortune, standing beside the Ferengi leader.
"How soon do you think it will take for them to capitulate?" she asks. "Or will they foolishly fight to the last?"
"They will join the Unity, or be reduced to dust. You shall see." he laughed haughtilly, as the transwarp hub came into view. The instrument of their devastating attack on the Romulan Star Union only months ago.
The Queen thought back to the days of that strike. Her forces in retreat, unable to withstand the onslaught of the enemy Dreadnaughts. The feared King Falcon's plasma torpedos smashed through the hulls of her precious cubes, detonating from within with great effect. Now, she was ready. Over the last several months, panicked counter-attacks ran into ferocious defenses and clever traps, destroying half the Romulan Fleet Strength without even a single direct confrontation.
The Ferengi fleet stood with her personal command ships, serving as a combined flag for this operation. She turned her head. "You perform the honors."
Zargat grinned with sharp teeth. "Romulan fleet." he called out. "We offered you a chance months ago.. but you were found unworthy of joining the Unity. Your planets were purged, bombed to dust. And now, you will all die for the hubris of your Praetor."
***
Holding perfect, efficient formations, the Ferengi ships chased the fleeing Romulans, back to their wounded bretheren. Cutting in between the two lines of ships, a few of the Romulan dreadnaughts broke their formation, streaking towards the Ferengi vessels.
With green pulses, the first salvo of the dreaded Romulan plasma torpedos struck one Ferengi marauder along the flank. The dreaded weapons, queens of the Romulan arsenal cut through their shields, and burrowed beneath armor to explode within. In seconds, the Ferengi ship exploded into green mist, shrapnel flying and bouncing off the Borg-enhanced shields of it's neighbors.
The Ninety Nine remaining Marauders turned in a smooth line, their heavy wall bearing down closer to the Romulan ships as plasma torpedos streaked by them. They opened up, firing brilliant blasts of blue and red, streaking out into the Romulan ships. Although the King Falcons boasted tremendous shielding, they were no match for the sheer hail of fire. Three of the dreadnaughts were instantly vaporized, before the Romulan line reformed.
"Concentrate fire on that monster!" The Romulan Admiral Ordered, his ships blasting away at the cube directly to the Flag Cube's flank. Hundreds of torpedos and plasma beams blasted into it's shields, now adapted to the dreaded weapons. As they fired futilly into the ship's shields. More Romulan Dreadnaughts fell before the coordinated barrage, when Zargat's wave of ships overtook the entire Romulan formation, firing upon the outermost ships from all directions. One by one, they fell as fire poured upon the Fusion Cube, an occasional shot bypassing the adapted shields.
One shot from the Admiral's flag pierced the Great Cube's defenses, striking it's Warp Core and creating a massive explosion, englulfing the Romulan Flagship. Neither ship had any survivors.
The Queen and Zargat watched with amusement, as the last four of the Romulan ships fled for the Transwarp hub, hoping to make it back to their home territory.
"Destroy them." The Queen said, watching the wave of ships overtake the Romulan vessels. In the aftermath, she smiled. "You won the bet. We lost only four vessels.." she chuckled. "At the cost of their entire fleet." she turned away. "Our power is beyond reckoning now. Our ascenscion is at hand."
"Perhaps." was the only reply from the Ferengi, savoring his victory. "Your sphere is prepared. Will you be taking command of your fleet personally?"
"Yes. Of course." Nephtys waved her arm, as her attendants and assimilated Romulan servants followed. Resistance was futile.
Fist of the Praetor - Romulan King Falcon Dreadnaught
Admiral Feh'rok stood beside Commander T'var, Subcommander Severa and Major Jervek. The Romulan King Falcons, the workhorses of the Empire, had seized the transwarp conduit network and sat on it for months, repairing after hard-fought battle where six of the kilometer long ships and half the fleet had been severely damaged. But repairs were now mostly complete, and the Praetor had sent orders to split up his fleet and pursue a Borg armada into a nebula.
Politicans.
It was an obvious ruse to draw out his forces, but he had not argued with the Praetor when he had sent him to defend Kirk and he had not argued with the Praetor when he ordered him back to the homeworlds. He had not even argued with the Praetor when he had held the dead body of his child in orbit above New Romulus II. The Praetor had total control over the Tal'Shiar. The advances brought about by the Q being's wonderous technology had raised the standard of living of every Romulan to aristocrats, and none were going to revolt against the Praetor even after the strategic disaster of not deploying gravitation shields to prevent warp strikes in the home systems.
There weren't many Romulans left to revolt, anyway.
So, Feh'rok had shut his mouth, to avoid the wrath of the Tal'Shiar. Back home, Primus would have been assassinated after his first mistake. A mistake that cost billions of lives--Primus would have been tortured beyond torture and small pieces of his body would have been mounted on every Romulan home as a warning by the Empire of the danger of incompetence. There was nothing more precious than the Romulan life.
But this was not home.
He had stayed silent, and he was obeying against his better judgment, splitting up a third of his already weakened and outnumbered forces to chase ghosts when he should be defending a warp point. Why the Praetor had placed his forces on the Norpin end of the transwarp conduit to defend the Federations was again, none of his business. Had he been in charge Feh'rok would have put all Romulan ships on the Romulan side of the wormhole and fortified the wormhole leaving the humans to their own defense. The reports coming in from Ferengi space were of hundreds of ships and hundreds more under construction, far more than the Romulans with their devestated homeworlds and economy could hope to match.
But he was not in charge and Major Jurvek made him constantly aware of it. Major Jurvek was favored by the Tal'Shiar and perhaps Primus as well. And, Primus was correct. Should the humans fall, the Romulans would soon as well. So Feh'rok had eventually come to think, it was all for the best, deploying his forces on the wrong side of the wormhole exposed for the Borg and Ferengi to openly scan and watch as they brought in repair tugs and supplies ferried in through the wormhole.
"Keep scanning," said Severa.
"Nothing. They disappeared as soon as we entered the nebula."
"Signal the fleet to return to the wormhole," said Feh'rok.
"The Praetor ordered us to search the nebula," said Jurvek.
Feh'rok sighed. "Prepare to break formation to sear--"
"Ships coming through the Manark warp conduit," said the tactical officer.
"How many?" snapped Severa moving over to tactical. "One, five, ten, fifteen... fifty!" said Severa disbelievingly.
"All ships retreat, maximum warp!" barked Feh'rok. "Aft viewer, magnification," said Feh'rok hoping it was sensor ghosts and trickery. But there was no mistaking the hundreds of ships streaming through the wormhole. Jurvek's mouth dropped.
"Enemy ships forming up at the wormhole... engaging transwarp engines!" said the tactical officer alarmed. Of course, it was expected the Borg would assist the Ferengi with their technology, but no Romulan officer until now knew the extent of the merging.
"All ships, engage tractor beams full automatic!" said Feh'rok crossing his arms. On the viewer seemingly out of nowhere a Ferengi battlecruiser emerged then disappeared.
"Enemy ships off course... they are out of formation..." Feh'rok breathed a sigh of relief. "Fore viewer." The Romulan fleet was coming to line abreast formation in front of the wormhole. "Feh'rok to all ships, retreat to Romulan territory," said Feh'rok. Then he felt something at his back.
"You will recind that order," said Jurvek.
"Kill me then," said Feh'rok.
Feh'rok felt a burning at his back and saw a hole in his chest as he collasped.
***
The Queen and Zargat stood aboard the lead Fusion Cube, a monstrous ship that dwarfed any other ship in all known space. She was proud of her workers, producing such a monstrously powerful vessel to offset the Romulan King Falcons, the lion of the galaxy.
The feint had worked, drawing the undamaged contingent of the Romulan Fleet away from the others, within striking range of the Ferengi Fleet. Nephtys smiled upon her good fortune, standing beside the Ferengi leader.
"How soon do you think it will take for them to capitulate?" she asks. "Or will they foolishly fight to the last?"
"They will join the Unity, or be reduced to dust. You shall see." he laughed haughtilly, as the transwarp hub came into view. The instrument of their devastating attack on the Romulan Star Union only months ago.
The Queen thought back to the days of that strike. Her forces in retreat, unable to withstand the onslaught of the enemy Dreadnaughts. The feared King Falcon's plasma torpedos smashed through the hulls of her precious cubes, detonating from within with great effect. Now, she was ready. Over the last several months, panicked counter-attacks ran into ferocious defenses and clever traps, destroying half the Romulan Fleet Strength without even a single direct confrontation.
The Ferengi fleet stood with her personal command ships, serving as a combined flag for this operation. She turned her head. "You perform the honors."
Zargat grinned with sharp teeth. "Romulan fleet." he called out. "We offered you a chance months ago.. but you were found unworthy of joining the Unity. Your planets were purged, bombed to dust. And now, you will all die for the hubris of your Praetor."
***
Holding perfect, efficient formations, the Ferengi ships chased the fleeing Romulans, back to their wounded bretheren. Cutting in between the two lines of ships, a few of the Romulan dreadnaughts broke their formation, streaking towards the Ferengi vessels.
With green pulses, the first salvo of the dreaded Romulan plasma torpedos struck one Ferengi marauder along the flank. The dreaded weapons, queens of the Romulan arsenal cut through their shields, and burrowed beneath armor to explode within. In seconds, the Ferengi ship exploded into green mist, shrapnel flying and bouncing off the Borg-enhanced shields of it's neighbors.
The Ninety Nine remaining Marauders turned in a smooth line, their heavy wall bearing down closer to the Romulan ships as plasma torpedos streaked by them. They opened up, firing brilliant blasts of blue and red, streaking out into the Romulan ships. Although the King Falcons boasted tremendous shielding, they were no match for the sheer hail of fire. Three of the dreadnaughts were instantly vaporized, before the Romulan line reformed.
"Concentrate fire on that monster!" The Romulan Admiral Ordered, his ships blasting away at the cube directly to the Flag Cube's flank. Hundreds of torpedos and plasma beams blasted into it's shields, now adapted to the dreaded weapons. As they fired futilly into the ship's shields. More Romulan Dreadnaughts fell before the coordinated barrage, when Zargat's wave of ships overtook the entire Romulan formation, firing upon the outermost ships from all directions. One by one, they fell as fire poured upon the Fusion Cube, an occasional shot bypassing the adapted shields.
One shot from the Admiral's flag pierced the Great Cube's defenses, striking it's Warp Core and creating a massive explosion, englulfing the Romulan Flagship. Neither ship had any survivors.
The Queen and Zargat watched with amusement, as the last four of the Romulan ships fled for the Transwarp hub, hoping to make it back to their home territory.
"Destroy them." The Queen said, watching the wave of ships overtake the Romulan vessels. In the aftermath, she smiled. "You won the bet. We lost only four vessels.." she chuckled. "At the cost of their entire fleet." she turned away. "Our power is beyond reckoning now. Our ascenscion is at hand."
"Perhaps." was the only reply from the Ferengi, savoring his victory. "Your sphere is prepared. Will you be taking command of your fleet personally?"
"Yes. Of course." Nephtys waved her arm, as her attendants and assimilated Romulan servants followed. Resistance was futile.
-
Dalton
- For Those About to Rock We Salute You
- Posts: 22637
- Joined: 2002-07-03 06:16pm
- Location: New York, the Fuck You State
- Contact:
The war-room Klaxon sounded right in the middle of dinner. Martok threw down his gagh in disgust, shoving the chair back as he got up and tromped heavily to the war room.
Several others were milling about the war room, a look of fury on the faces of the Klingons, consternation and anger on those of the Human ambassadors, and bewilderment on that of the Romulan. They had only arrived recently as liaisons to their empires on the other side of the galaxy.
Martok eyed the Romulan carefully. He had to be feeling the strain of being so far from home, but his stance and expression suggested that something terrible had just happened.
General Ka'tang confirmed it.
"Chancellor Martok, at approximately time index 70627 we observed this." He pointed a remote at the holoprojector and pressed a button. The space above the war room conference table suddenly shimmered and changed into a view of the Norpin system, marked to show colonies and ship positions.
"Now, while not much seems to have changed, I must direct your attention to the following." He pointed again and zoomed in on a warp point.
Martok's brow furrowed. That was nearly half of the estimated Ferengi fleet. "What is the composition of it?" Martok asked.
Ka'tang consulted his padd. "According to these sensor readings, the attack force that wiped out the Romulan 7th Fleet consisted of three Borg Fusion Cubes, two of which their transponders identified as the Unity of Action and the Unity of Time. There were also a number of Ferengi vessels, numbering well over one hundred. What you see here are the remnants of that fleet, one hundred and three ships strong."
Martok was silent for a while. Aides buzzed around and through them, updating the image with fresh data as it came in. Martok glanced at the Romulan before continuing. "Did the 7th Fleet manage to take out anything?"
At this, Ka'tang grinned. "According to simulations, had the Ferengi not had those Borg vessels, they would have lost well over fifty ships. In this case, though, the Cubes proved to be a crucial part of the fleet. Even so, there is debris enough in that sector to indicate that a third one of those Borg monstrosities was destroyed by 7th Fleet, along with an unknown number of Ferengi vessels." He looked at the Romulan ambassador, the latter's face suddenly becoming stony, reverting to an expression of prideful, if pained, arrogance. "They fought with honor. Songs will be sung in honor of their glory." The Romulan seemed taken aback somewhat, saying nothing, but inclining his head slightly and offering Ka'tang a tight smile.
"That is very well," Martok said. "But we are not ready to face such a fleet. We must develop a way to stop them from opening Warp Points at their leisure, or else find a way to close them. You!" he pointed to an aide, who stopped dead in his tracks, turning smartly. "You will tell the scientists to find a way to close warp points." The aide saluted and scurried off.
"We must find a way to fight back."
(OOC: Edited with new information)
Several others were milling about the war room, a look of fury on the faces of the Klingons, consternation and anger on those of the Human ambassadors, and bewilderment on that of the Romulan. They had only arrived recently as liaisons to their empires on the other side of the galaxy.
Martok eyed the Romulan carefully. He had to be feeling the strain of being so far from home, but his stance and expression suggested that something terrible had just happened.
General Ka'tang confirmed it.
"Chancellor Martok, at approximately time index 70627 we observed this." He pointed a remote at the holoprojector and pressed a button. The space above the war room conference table suddenly shimmered and changed into a view of the Norpin system, marked to show colonies and ship positions.
"Now, while not much seems to have changed, I must direct your attention to the following." He pointed again and zoomed in on a warp point.
Martok's brow furrowed. That was nearly half of the estimated Ferengi fleet. "What is the composition of it?" Martok asked.
Ka'tang consulted his padd. "According to these sensor readings, the attack force that wiped out the Romulan 7th Fleet consisted of three Borg Fusion Cubes, two of which their transponders identified as the Unity of Action and the Unity of Time. There were also a number of Ferengi vessels, numbering well over one hundred. What you see here are the remnants of that fleet, one hundred and three ships strong."
Martok was silent for a while. Aides buzzed around and through them, updating the image with fresh data as it came in. Martok glanced at the Romulan before continuing. "Did the 7th Fleet manage to take out anything?"
At this, Ka'tang grinned. "According to simulations, had the Ferengi not had those Borg vessels, they would have lost well over fifty ships. In this case, though, the Cubes proved to be a crucial part of the fleet. Even so, there is debris enough in that sector to indicate that a third one of those Borg monstrosities was destroyed by 7th Fleet, along with an unknown number of Ferengi vessels." He looked at the Romulan ambassador, the latter's face suddenly becoming stony, reverting to an expression of prideful, if pained, arrogance. "They fought with honor. Songs will be sung in honor of their glory." The Romulan seemed taken aback somewhat, saying nothing, but inclining his head slightly and offering Ka'tang a tight smile.
"That is very well," Martok said. "But we are not ready to face such a fleet. We must develop a way to stop them from opening Warp Points at their leisure, or else find a way to close them. You!" he pointed to an aide, who stopped dead in his tracks, turning smartly. "You will tell the scientists to find a way to close warp points." The aide saluted and scurried off.
"We must find a way to fight back."
(OOC: Edited with new information)
To Absent Friends
"y = mx + bro" - Surlethe
"You try THAT shit again, kid, and I will mod you. I will
mod you so hard, you'll wish I were Dalton." - Lagmonster
May the way of the Hero lead to the Triforce.
-
Arthur_Tuxedo
- Sith Acolyte
- Posts: 5637
- Joined: 2002-07-23 03:28am
- Location: San Francisco, California
Kobyashi Maru, the no-win scenario. It was a character test, designed to test how a potential starship captain would react to a hopeless scenario. Kirk didn't belive in hopeless scenarios, so he cheated. By altering the parameters of the scenario, he made it possible to win. It was the biggest mistake of his life.
This was the first time he had ever faced real, impending death, and it came in the form of a fleet of over 100 ships, complete with Borg cubes so large they made his Constellation-class ships of the line look like repair tugs. This was it. The no-win scenario. A real life Kobyashi Maru, and he had cheated himself out of the opportunity to prepare for it. The real problem wasn't the 100 warships. His fleet could probably deal with that. It was the certainty that there were 100 more out there, waiting. He had one last trick up his sleeve. If it didn't work, there was only one thing left to do.
He rechecked his phaser for the tenth time that day. If he pointed it at himself and pulled the trigger, he wanted to be sure it would work. Death before assimilation.
This was the first time he had ever faced real, impending death, and it came in the form of a fleet of over 100 ships, complete with Borg cubes so large they made his Constellation-class ships of the line look like repair tugs. This was it. The no-win scenario. A real life Kobyashi Maru, and he had cheated himself out of the opportunity to prepare for it. The real problem wasn't the 100 warships. His fleet could probably deal with that. It was the certainty that there were 100 more out there, waiting. He had one last trick up his sleeve. If it didn't work, there was only one thing left to do.
He rechecked his phaser for the tenth time that day. If he pointed it at himself and pulled the trigger, he wanted to be sure it would work. Death before assimilation.
"I'm so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and was in bed before the room was dark." - Muhammad Ali
"Dating is not supposed to be easy. It's supposed to be a heart-pounding, stomach-wrenching, gut-churning exercise in pitting your fear of rejection and public humiliation against your desire to find a mate. Enjoy." - Darth Wong
"Dating is not supposed to be easy. It's supposed to be a heart-pounding, stomach-wrenching, gut-churning exercise in pitting your fear of rejection and public humiliation against your desire to find a mate. Enjoy." - Darth Wong
Immediately after the Battle of Norpin...
The Fusion Cubes stutter to a halt as the last Romulan King Falcon is destroyed. Half of the Ferengi Mauraders form a defensive sphere around the fusion cubes while the other half streak towards the transwarp conduit. The conduits had been constructed of neutronium and therefore nearly impossible to destroy without specialized transwarp conduit collasping technology, although the Romulans had tried. The conduit was riddled with marks from plasma torpedoes no doubt fired by the once mighty Seventh Fleet. The Mauraders form up into single file and enter the conduit one by one, rerouting all power to forward shields and prepared to break the Romulans once and for all.
The lead Maurader enters the transwarp conduit and encounters no resistance. No Romulan ships, no sentries, not even a satellite or drone or probe. Still, it arms all twelve quantum torpedo launchers with several spreads each to unleash on the no doubt forewarned wormhole defenders. There were no minesweepers, but today the Ferengi would need none. They would simply fly through any mines the Romulans happened to plant, destroy any starbases and fortifications, and even if the entire Ferengi fleet were whittled down to a task force there would still be enough to follow the orders of the Master and render the Romulan homeworlds uninhabitable for the ages.
The lead Maurader emerges from the wormhole with quantum torpedoes already launched, but rather than tracking on the nearest target the antimatter weapons fly dead ahead and detonate in empty space. So the Romulans were this incompetent after all. Not a single ship in the sector. Although who could blame them. The Seventh Fleet and the King Falcons had been destroying Borg cubes by the dozens and no doubt the Romulans considered it a waste of resources to fortify this end of the transwarp conduit.
Now they would pay for their mistake.
Sensors detected Romulan ships closing on the wormhole. But they would come too late. The lead Ferengi went to transwarp, without waiting for the others. One by one as the Ferengi ships exited the wormhole, they warped towards the jewels of the Romulan Empire. Two had been cleansed by the Borg and the earlier Ferengi attacks. Now the other three would meet their doom as the Master dictated.
There was no delay. As soon as the lead Maurader was in firing range it emptied quantum torpedo after quantum torpedo, and when these had run out it raked the surface of the planet with disruptor fire. Dozens more mauraders came out of warp and immediately opened fire on predesignated targets, designed to systematically kill every Romulan on the planet. The mauraders circled the planet orbiting three times, but three times was enough. Four billion Romulans were now dead or buried beneath the rubble of their once magnificent cities, a testament to the inevitability of the Unity.
Sensors detected the Romulan home fleet giving chase. But rather than turn and engage, the mauraders engaged transwarp and within seconds were in orbit above another Romulan homeworld, again completely defenseless. Not a single weapons platform, mine or satellite. The Maurader did not hesitate at this unexpected ease, but simply replicated more quantum torpedoes and fired at the planet along with its brothers, intent on wiping the Romulans from the face of the galaxy.
Brian
The Fusion Cubes stutter to a halt as the last Romulan King Falcon is destroyed. Half of the Ferengi Mauraders form a defensive sphere around the fusion cubes while the other half streak towards the transwarp conduit. The conduits had been constructed of neutronium and therefore nearly impossible to destroy without specialized transwarp conduit collasping technology, although the Romulans had tried. The conduit was riddled with marks from plasma torpedoes no doubt fired by the once mighty Seventh Fleet. The Mauraders form up into single file and enter the conduit one by one, rerouting all power to forward shields and prepared to break the Romulans once and for all.
The lead Maurader enters the transwarp conduit and encounters no resistance. No Romulan ships, no sentries, not even a satellite or drone or probe. Still, it arms all twelve quantum torpedo launchers with several spreads each to unleash on the no doubt forewarned wormhole defenders. There were no minesweepers, but today the Ferengi would need none. They would simply fly through any mines the Romulans happened to plant, destroy any starbases and fortifications, and even if the entire Ferengi fleet were whittled down to a task force there would still be enough to follow the orders of the Master and render the Romulan homeworlds uninhabitable for the ages.
The lead Maurader emerges from the wormhole with quantum torpedoes already launched, but rather than tracking on the nearest target the antimatter weapons fly dead ahead and detonate in empty space. So the Romulans were this incompetent after all. Not a single ship in the sector. Although who could blame them. The Seventh Fleet and the King Falcons had been destroying Borg cubes by the dozens and no doubt the Romulans considered it a waste of resources to fortify this end of the transwarp conduit.
Now they would pay for their mistake.
Sensors detected Romulan ships closing on the wormhole. But they would come too late. The lead Ferengi went to transwarp, without waiting for the others. One by one as the Ferengi ships exited the wormhole, they warped towards the jewels of the Romulan Empire. Two had been cleansed by the Borg and the earlier Ferengi attacks. Now the other three would meet their doom as the Master dictated.
There was no delay. As soon as the lead Maurader was in firing range it emptied quantum torpedo after quantum torpedo, and when these had run out it raked the surface of the planet with disruptor fire. Dozens more mauraders came out of warp and immediately opened fire on predesignated targets, designed to systematically kill every Romulan on the planet. The mauraders circled the planet orbiting three times, but three times was enough. Four billion Romulans were now dead or buried beneath the rubble of their once magnificent cities, a testament to the inevitability of the Unity.
Sensors detected the Romulan home fleet giving chase. But rather than turn and engage, the mauraders engaged transwarp and within seconds were in orbit above another Romulan homeworld, again completely defenseless. Not a single weapons platform, mine or satellite. The Maurader did not hesitate at this unexpected ease, but simply replicated more quantum torpedoes and fired at the planet along with its brothers, intent on wiping the Romulans from the face of the galaxy.
Brian
Primus swore as he watched the Ferengi ships effortless rampage through the Alpha Onias system, the heart of the Star Empire. The intense strain that had been placed upon the economy immediatly after the first invasion had prevented him from erecting fortifications. Only a few, hastily constructed weapons platforms had met the Ferengi destroyers, and they had been easily blasted away, along with the people of those worlds.
Where five highly developed and populous worlds had once been shining jewels of the Imperial crown in Alpha Onias, now only one remained.
"I thought that the spirit of the Romulan people could overcome anything," Primus said. "Maybe it could have, if they had a more competent leader."
Hawk placed a hand on Primus's shoulder comfortingly. "It is done, Praetor, there is no use agonizing over it now."
"The 9th and 10th fleets will soon attack the Ferengi," Dove, who'd returned recently from trying to repair the economy, said hopefully. "Perhaps they--"
"They are too few in number," Hawk said sadly. "Now it is only a matter of trying to make both sides lose, rather than trying to win."
"You two don't have to stay here, you know," Primus said. "Head for the far colonies, you may be safe there for years."
"Never," Hawk said.
"We're with you to the end, Praetor," Dove added.
"What did I do to deserve such loyal advisors?" Primus asked.
Before either could venture an answer, the door to his office slid open and a Romulan officer that Primus had never seen before entered. "Who are you?" the Praetor demanded.
"I'm the head of the Tal'Shiar," he answered.
"No you're not," Primus snapped. "The man I appointed--"
"Is dead," the tresspasser cut him off. "The Tal'Shiar follows me now."
"And what do you want?" Primus asked.
"I want you to offer to surrender to the Ferengi in return for not assimilating our people," the man answered.
"And betray our allies, the only ones who can save us now?" Primus snarled. "Never!"
The man pulled out a disruptor pistol and pointed it at Primus. Hawk drew his own weapon and pointed it at the new Tal'Shiar head, but the man just smirked.
"Go ahead, shoot me, my replacement will see to it that you disappear, along with our dear Praetor," the Tal'Shiar head said coldly.
Primus gestured and Hawk put away his weapon.
"It's good to see that you have some brains, Primus," the Tal'Shiar head answered, then holstered his pistol. "I won't kill you, not yet. But you listen to me: if the Ferengi offer to allow us to surrender without being assimilated, you will take it, or we will have a new praetor who will."
"You're a traitor!" Dove shouted.
"I am saving our people!" the Tal'Shiar head snapped. "The 9th and 10th fleets will smash themselves against the might of the Ferengi and then the Romulan Imperial Star Navy will cease to exist! Our only bargaining chip will be how much of a pain in the ass we could be if we opted to all fight to the death, and I don't intend to let you waste it, Primus!"
Primus sneered. "Fine, if the Ferengi makes the offer, I will accept, but if our allies somehow manage to make a miracle and liberate us, I will have you executed for treason."
"I can live with that," the Tal'Shiar head said, and walked out.
"Are you really going to go along with that, Praetor?" Hawk asked.
Primus sighed. "What choice do I have? There is, however, one last card I can play, should we be forced to surrender."
"What?" Dove asked.
"I think I'll keep that to myself for now," Primus said. "The walls may have ears, now that the Tal'Shiar has turned on me."
The three men were silent for several moments, the atmosphere one of perfect misery.
"Oh, what the hell?" Primus said. He opened his desk draw and took out a large bottle full of blue liquid--the Romulans' infamous ale--and three glasses. "Let's drink ourselves happy. Might as well enjoy ourselves one last time before the end, however it comes."
Hawk and Dove both smiled slightly.
"Serve it up, My Lord Praetor," Hawk said.
Where five highly developed and populous worlds had once been shining jewels of the Imperial crown in Alpha Onias, now only one remained.
"I thought that the spirit of the Romulan people could overcome anything," Primus said. "Maybe it could have, if they had a more competent leader."
Hawk placed a hand on Primus's shoulder comfortingly. "It is done, Praetor, there is no use agonizing over it now."
"The 9th and 10th fleets will soon attack the Ferengi," Dove, who'd returned recently from trying to repair the economy, said hopefully. "Perhaps they--"
"They are too few in number," Hawk said sadly. "Now it is only a matter of trying to make both sides lose, rather than trying to win."
"You two don't have to stay here, you know," Primus said. "Head for the far colonies, you may be safe there for years."
"Never," Hawk said.
"We're with you to the end, Praetor," Dove added.
"What did I do to deserve such loyal advisors?" Primus asked.
Before either could venture an answer, the door to his office slid open and a Romulan officer that Primus had never seen before entered. "Who are you?" the Praetor demanded.
"I'm the head of the Tal'Shiar," he answered.
"No you're not," Primus snapped. "The man I appointed--"
"Is dead," the tresspasser cut him off. "The Tal'Shiar follows me now."
"And what do you want?" Primus asked.
"I want you to offer to surrender to the Ferengi in return for not assimilating our people," the man answered.
"And betray our allies, the only ones who can save us now?" Primus snarled. "Never!"
The man pulled out a disruptor pistol and pointed it at Primus. Hawk drew his own weapon and pointed it at the new Tal'Shiar head, but the man just smirked.
"Go ahead, shoot me, my replacement will see to it that you disappear, along with our dear Praetor," the Tal'Shiar head said coldly.
Primus gestured and Hawk put away his weapon.
"It's good to see that you have some brains, Primus," the Tal'Shiar head answered, then holstered his pistol. "I won't kill you, not yet. But you listen to me: if the Ferengi offer to allow us to surrender without being assimilated, you will take it, or we will have a new praetor who will."
"You're a traitor!" Dove shouted.
"I am saving our people!" the Tal'Shiar head snapped. "The 9th and 10th fleets will smash themselves against the might of the Ferengi and then the Romulan Imperial Star Navy will cease to exist! Our only bargaining chip will be how much of a pain in the ass we could be if we opted to all fight to the death, and I don't intend to let you waste it, Primus!"
Primus sneered. "Fine, if the Ferengi makes the offer, I will accept, but if our allies somehow manage to make a miracle and liberate us, I will have you executed for treason."
"I can live with that," the Tal'Shiar head said, and walked out.
"Are you really going to go along with that, Praetor?" Hawk asked.
Primus sighed. "What choice do I have? There is, however, one last card I can play, should we be forced to surrender."
"What?" Dove asked.
"I think I'll keep that to myself for now," Primus said. "The walls may have ears, now that the Tal'Shiar has turned on me."
The three men were silent for several moments, the atmosphere one of perfect misery.
"Oh, what the hell?" Primus said. He opened his desk draw and took out a large bottle full of blue liquid--the Romulans' infamous ale--and three glasses. "Let's drink ourselves happy. Might as well enjoy ourselves one last time before the end, however it comes."
Hawk and Dove both smiled slightly.
"Serve it up, My Lord Praetor," Hawk said.
"I want to mow down a bunch of motherfuckers with absurdly large weapons and relative impunity - preferably in and around a skyscraper. Then I want to fight a grim battle against the unlikely duo of the Terminator and Robocop. The last level should involve (but not be limited to) multiple robo-Hitlers and a gorillasaurus rex."--Uraniun235 on his ideal FPS game
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force."--Darth Vader
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force."--Darth Vader
-
Uraniun235
- Emperor's Hand
- Posts: 13772
- Joined: 2002-09-12 12:47am
- Location: OREGON
- Contact:
"Hello, President Alshain."
Wilhelm Alshain whirled to face Q, dressed as usual in the uniform of a Starfleet admiral.
"I've heard of you... thought maybe you were a myth, or a hallucination fueled by Romulan Ale."
"That swill? I'm offended, Mister President! But no matter. What say you as we near the conclusion of our great game?"
"What... what is there to say? We're outmatched! I was a peanut farmer ten years ago! I was never qualified for this. And neither, apparently, were my advisors..."
"I always thought the Federation had become weak. Your compatriots led by Kirk have managed to hold their own so far, but I wanted to see if your era had become soft, propped up by the sheer inertia of it's former glory." Q sneered. "Looks like I was right."
Alshain lifted and dropped his arms. "I'd have been half-tempted to agree with you before this whole thing started. I voted Interventionist in the Council election, you know."
"Oh, that's right. Weren't you the one who made that big speech in front of the Federation Council? 'The aimlessness of our policies...'"
"...shall soon take aim at our very foundation." Alshain suddenly found himself very humbled.
"You know, I like being right. But more than that, I like the fact that you even saw this coming, if not necessarily in the same fashion. Certainly much more foresight than my good friend Jean-Luc. What would you say if I were to offer you a way out of this?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well... obviously, I can't save all of your precious Felgercarbians. It wouldn't do to deprive the Borg and the Ferengi of their well-earned prize! But... suppose I were to whisk you away to another universe. One where you'd have another chance. And, dare I say it... one which might even be slightly more receptive to your preferred style of government?"
And at this, the computer screen on the wall of Alshain's office, currently displaying a map of the galaxy with statistics and positions of ships and fleets, reorganized itself into a completely different map, with different transwarp conduits, different symbols, and different names. Who, or what, are the Minbari...?
Q went on. "Oh, that's not to say there won't be pitfalls and perils... but nonetheless, I think you'll find it a little more suited to your personality."
Alshain recoiled. The thought of abandoning his countrymen was loathsome, but if it came down to a Borg invasion or a Ferengi bombardment, nothing would be served by his death...
Q leaned in and spoke into Alshain's ear. "Some might say that death amongst his men would only be just for the king who led them to it."
Alshain furrowed his brow, and closed his eyes.
"Do I need to answer now, or is this a one-time offer?"
Q laughed. "For you, Willy... the offer remains open. When you're ready, just click your heels three times and I shall appear. Until then... adieu."
And with a flash, there was suddenly no evidence to suggest that Q had ever been there at all.
Wilhelm Alshain whirled to face Q, dressed as usual in the uniform of a Starfleet admiral.
"I've heard of you... thought maybe you were a myth, or a hallucination fueled by Romulan Ale."
"That swill? I'm offended, Mister President! But no matter. What say you as we near the conclusion of our great game?"
"What... what is there to say? We're outmatched! I was a peanut farmer ten years ago! I was never qualified for this. And neither, apparently, were my advisors..."
"I always thought the Federation had become weak. Your compatriots led by Kirk have managed to hold their own so far, but I wanted to see if your era had become soft, propped up by the sheer inertia of it's former glory." Q sneered. "Looks like I was right."
Alshain lifted and dropped his arms. "I'd have been half-tempted to agree with you before this whole thing started. I voted Interventionist in the Council election, you know."
"Oh, that's right. Weren't you the one who made that big speech in front of the Federation Council? 'The aimlessness of our policies...'"
"...shall soon take aim at our very foundation." Alshain suddenly found himself very humbled.
"You know, I like being right. But more than that, I like the fact that you even saw this coming, if not necessarily in the same fashion. Certainly much more foresight than my good friend Jean-Luc. What would you say if I were to offer you a way out of this?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well... obviously, I can't save all of your precious Felgercarbians. It wouldn't do to deprive the Borg and the Ferengi of their well-earned prize! But... suppose I were to whisk you away to another universe. One where you'd have another chance. And, dare I say it... one which might even be slightly more receptive to your preferred style of government?"
And at this, the computer screen on the wall of Alshain's office, currently displaying a map of the galaxy with statistics and positions of ships and fleets, reorganized itself into a completely different map, with different transwarp conduits, different symbols, and different names. Who, or what, are the Minbari...?
Q went on. "Oh, that's not to say there won't be pitfalls and perils... but nonetheless, I think you'll find it a little more suited to your personality."
Alshain recoiled. The thought of abandoning his countrymen was loathsome, but if it came down to a Borg invasion or a Ferengi bombardment, nothing would be served by his death...
Q leaned in and spoke into Alshain's ear. "Some might say that death amongst his men would only be just for the king who led them to it."
Alshain furrowed his brow, and closed his eyes.
"Do I need to answer now, or is this a one-time offer?"
Q laughed. "For you, Willy... the offer remains open. When you're ready, just click your heels three times and I shall appear. Until then... adieu."
And with a flash, there was suddenly no evidence to suggest that Q had ever been there at all.
-
Dalton
- For Those About to Rock We Salute You
- Posts: 22637
- Joined: 2002-07-03 06:16pm
- Location: New York, the Fuck You State
- Contact:
Empty bottles of blood wine littered the floor.
That had been happening a lot more lately.
"The Romulans are effectively out of the war," Martok slurred to his guest. "The Ferengi and their Borg allies are destroying their worlds, sweeping away their fleets and armies...and it is only a matter of time before they come knocking on our door."
"A sobering thought, one might think, eh?" his guest said, smirking.
Martok waved vaguely, then settled back down. "It is...I didn't want the Romulans to die like this. I wanted them crushed beneath our heels, to tromp over their broken bodies on my way to the Praetor's Throne. But what they face..." Martok trailed off. "I would not wish that on my worst enemy."
"Even if that same enemy might wish it on you?"
"It would be...dishonorable. Death in battle, that is a good death. Being turned into a drone...that is a fate worse than death."
"I have heard though...that the Romulans are considering a deal. Surrender, in exchange for a non-assimilation guarantee. Something you might well consider."
Martok glared at his guest balefully. "Klingons do not surrender. We would rather fight to the death than submit to those traitorous petaQs."
The figure grinned. "I thought as much. The game is coming to a close, Chancellor Martok. It is good to see that it won't end with a whimper."
Martok growled something unintelligible. "Leave me, targh. Leave me to my blood-wine, and to the worlds I carry on my shoulders."
Q grinned again, then disappeared in a flash of light.
*************
Across the Klingon Empire, shipyards were working overtime to complete their projects. It was a last-ditch effort for defense of their homeworlds, and soon the first Sto-vo-kor-class Starbases came online. Research and development teams worked through the night on discovering new technologies and improving old ones. And all throughout the colonial shipyards, the mighty Fist of Kahless was being forged.
The war was coming. Very, very soon.
That had been happening a lot more lately.
"The Romulans are effectively out of the war," Martok slurred to his guest. "The Ferengi and their Borg allies are destroying their worlds, sweeping away their fleets and armies...and it is only a matter of time before they come knocking on our door."
"A sobering thought, one might think, eh?" his guest said, smirking.
Martok waved vaguely, then settled back down. "It is...I didn't want the Romulans to die like this. I wanted them crushed beneath our heels, to tromp over their broken bodies on my way to the Praetor's Throne. But what they face..." Martok trailed off. "I would not wish that on my worst enemy."
"Even if that same enemy might wish it on you?"
"It would be...dishonorable. Death in battle, that is a good death. Being turned into a drone...that is a fate worse than death."
"I have heard though...that the Romulans are considering a deal. Surrender, in exchange for a non-assimilation guarantee. Something you might well consider."
Martok glared at his guest balefully. "Klingons do not surrender. We would rather fight to the death than submit to those traitorous petaQs."
The figure grinned. "I thought as much. The game is coming to a close, Chancellor Martok. It is good to see that it won't end with a whimper."
Martok growled something unintelligible. "Leave me, targh. Leave me to my blood-wine, and to the worlds I carry on my shoulders."
Q grinned again, then disappeared in a flash of light.
*************
Across the Klingon Empire, shipyards were working overtime to complete their projects. It was a last-ditch effort for defense of their homeworlds, and soon the first Sto-vo-kor-class Starbases came online. Research and development teams worked through the night on discovering new technologies and improving old ones. And all throughout the colonial shipyards, the mighty Fist of Kahless was being forged.
The war was coming. Very, very soon.
To Absent Friends
"y = mx + bro" - Surlethe
"You try THAT shit again, kid, and I will mod you. I will
mod you so hard, you'll wish I were Dalton." - Lagmonster
May the way of the Hero lead to the Triforce.
-
Uraniun235
- Emperor's Hand
- Posts: 13772
- Joined: 2002-09-12 12:47am
- Location: OREGON
- Contact:
The Borg had sent their usual canned message. 'Resistance is futile' and all that jazz. As a small boy, having already been thoroughly inundated with stories of the Federation's past heroes, Alshain had wondered if anyone had ever tried what he thought would be a rather novel - if not slightly silly - response to that rather worn-out message.
Sensing that, either way, nobody in the Federation would ever care about the lack of dignity this represented, Wilhelm Alshain gave in to a rather childish impulse and sent his reply. He imagined that it would probably cause some degree of consternation at the other end.
Wilhelm fervently hoped that he'd be able to meet Kirk and tell him about what he'd done today, although he had to admit that didn't seem terribly likely.
Sensing that, either way, nobody in the Federation would ever care about the lack of dignity this represented, Wilhelm Alshain gave in to a rather childish impulse and sent his reply. He imagined that it would probably cause some degree of consternation at the other end.
Wilhelm fervently hoped that he'd be able to meet Kirk and tell him about what he'd done today, although he had to admit that didn't seem terribly likely.
Alpha Onias
The twenty-two ships of the Romulan Ninth and Tenth fleets, after attempting to cut off the Mauraders at the wormhole, were now giving chase to give as much time as possible to give civilians to escape. Millions of Romulan citizens were being evacuated by Alshain's fleet, and those who ran told tales not of shambling drones but of pale horrors wielding blocky chunky weapons that shot through tritanium walls and vaporized bodies in a flash.
Zargat leaned forward watching the Romulan ships form up behind his Mauraders. The counter-attacks of the enemy had no co-ordination, no intelligence. They never did. Since the attack on the Romulans had begun, everything move from the Romulans and humans had the stench of desperation. His opponents always reacted, never acted. For example, in the first days of the Unity when the Borg had not yet proven themselves worthy, the Borg Queen had sent thirty vessels to attack Starfleet. Why the Federations or the Romulans did not counter-attack after this had baffled Zargat, like he was dealing with a child who did not even understand how to eat. Then was the Romulan counter-attack to the ravagings of two of their homeworlds several months ago. The Queen had lost fifty vessels in the earlier cleansings. Why Kirk and Primus had not immediately come in force was at first troubling then laughable when Zargat's minions sent word of Starfleet and Romulan ships on the wrong side of the wormhole and split rather than defending a single wormhole. They had had months to attack the Queen's planets which were completely defenseless after the debacle, and instead waited for her to build her massive fusion cubes. From the first great battle in this galaxy when Kirk had split up his forces to be surrounded and flanked by the Borg Queen to the Romulans twiddling their thumbs for the better part of two entire years without attacking with their grand fleet, this entire game had been a farce. If this had been the best adversaries the Q being could have sent then truly most were unworthy of the Unity. And without saying, the humans and Romulans were not worthy of the Unity, not even Kirk.
Even now they were making mistakes--why the Romulan had not joined forces with the human task force in chasing down the cleansers Zargat could only explain as the humans being weak and choosing to evacuate as many Romulan citizens as possible. Had the Humans and Romulans combined their remaining numbers in Alpha Onasis, they would have delayed the cleansing by more months as his ships had recently run out of antimatter after purging all life on two entire planets and would likely have been destroyed by a Romulan-Federation pincer.
Zargat laughed and laughed as the Romulan ships--alone, without support vessels like minesweepers or the Federation fleet which was more concerned with evacuating the Romulans still alive in the system--chased his fleet in their own space. The mauraders closed on the sun of Alpha Onais and turned as if to finally face their vengeful pursuers. The King Falcons looked terrible in the glare of their provider, the glow of Alpha Onias giving a backdrop to the desperation battle about to unfold. Truly the King Falcons were magnificent, each vessel able to take out several Borg cubes single-handedly. With only twenty-six against Zargat's sixty mauraders, perhaps they stood a chance. Should he give them it? It would be amusing to watch the Romulans regain hope and to crush that hope like an ant.
But, no. The Unity had waited long enough. "Fun" as the humans called it was the Borg Queen's forte, not his, and he would be amused enough with the destruction of the Romulan Imperial Navy. Zargat waived his hand.
Immediately in the midst of the great King Falcons, mines materialized and solidified from subspace. Around every one of the twenty-two Romulan ships the mines came forth, enveloping every degree and angle of the Romulan armada. The King Falcons attempted to break formation, to make distance from the mines, but it was far too late. They already had their shields raised, but many mines were within the shields of the King Falcons and each and every King Falcon had their hulls twisted and mangled, then turned into the fine particles of neverending space as Zargat laughed at the utter inepitude of his opponents. The Ferengi had long used mines, and these new cloaked mines, an invention of the Grand Nagus from the Dominion War, were nothing new. That the Praetor would not predict this was only more confirmation to the unworthiness of the Romulans.
"Finish them," said Zargat.
His mauraders closed on the wrecked King Falcons, each one having not fired a single shot and now helpless. One of them tried to turn and run, pathetically, then exploded as its warp core gave out destroying several damaged ships in the process. The mauraders were in firing range in a mathematically precise wall to maximize firepower. They fired their quantum torpedoes in streams of white at the center of the remaining Romulan ships, which replied with weak green disruptors that only increased the fury of the extermination. Then, they were all gone. The mines, the Romulans, all of them.
Zargat sat back and sighed watching his mauraders pick off escape pods. Was there none in this galaxy who was a worthy adversary? Perhaps Martok's people would be worthy of the Unity.
Brian
The twenty-two ships of the Romulan Ninth and Tenth fleets, after attempting to cut off the Mauraders at the wormhole, were now giving chase to give as much time as possible to give civilians to escape. Millions of Romulan citizens were being evacuated by Alshain's fleet, and those who ran told tales not of shambling drones but of pale horrors wielding blocky chunky weapons that shot through tritanium walls and vaporized bodies in a flash.
Zargat leaned forward watching the Romulan ships form up behind his Mauraders. The counter-attacks of the enemy had no co-ordination, no intelligence. They never did. Since the attack on the Romulans had begun, everything move from the Romulans and humans had the stench of desperation. His opponents always reacted, never acted. For example, in the first days of the Unity when the Borg had not yet proven themselves worthy, the Borg Queen had sent thirty vessels to attack Starfleet. Why the Federations or the Romulans did not counter-attack after this had baffled Zargat, like he was dealing with a child who did not even understand how to eat. Then was the Romulan counter-attack to the ravagings of two of their homeworlds several months ago. The Queen had lost fifty vessels in the earlier cleansings. Why Kirk and Primus had not immediately come in force was at first troubling then laughable when Zargat's minions sent word of Starfleet and Romulan ships on the wrong side of the wormhole and split rather than defending a single wormhole. They had had months to attack the Queen's planets which were completely defenseless after the debacle, and instead waited for her to build her massive fusion cubes. From the first great battle in this galaxy when Kirk had split up his forces to be surrounded and flanked by the Borg Queen to the Romulans twiddling their thumbs for the better part of two entire years without attacking with their grand fleet, this entire game had been a farce. If this had been the best adversaries the Q being could have sent then truly most were unworthy of the Unity. And without saying, the humans and Romulans were not worthy of the Unity, not even Kirk.
Even now they were making mistakes--why the Romulan had not joined forces with the human task force in chasing down the cleansers Zargat could only explain as the humans being weak and choosing to evacuate as many Romulan citizens as possible. Had the Humans and Romulans combined their remaining numbers in Alpha Onasis, they would have delayed the cleansing by more months as his ships had recently run out of antimatter after purging all life on two entire planets and would likely have been destroyed by a Romulan-Federation pincer.
Zargat laughed and laughed as the Romulan ships--alone, without support vessels like minesweepers or the Federation fleet which was more concerned with evacuating the Romulans still alive in the system--chased his fleet in their own space. The mauraders closed on the sun of Alpha Onais and turned as if to finally face their vengeful pursuers. The King Falcons looked terrible in the glare of their provider, the glow of Alpha Onias giving a backdrop to the desperation battle about to unfold. Truly the King Falcons were magnificent, each vessel able to take out several Borg cubes single-handedly. With only twenty-six against Zargat's sixty mauraders, perhaps they stood a chance. Should he give them it? It would be amusing to watch the Romulans regain hope and to crush that hope like an ant.
But, no. The Unity had waited long enough. "Fun" as the humans called it was the Borg Queen's forte, not his, and he would be amused enough with the destruction of the Romulan Imperial Navy. Zargat waived his hand.
Immediately in the midst of the great King Falcons, mines materialized and solidified from subspace. Around every one of the twenty-two Romulan ships the mines came forth, enveloping every degree and angle of the Romulan armada. The King Falcons attempted to break formation, to make distance from the mines, but it was far too late. They already had their shields raised, but many mines were within the shields of the King Falcons and each and every King Falcon had their hulls twisted and mangled, then turned into the fine particles of neverending space as Zargat laughed at the utter inepitude of his opponents. The Ferengi had long used mines, and these new cloaked mines, an invention of the Grand Nagus from the Dominion War, were nothing new. That the Praetor would not predict this was only more confirmation to the unworthiness of the Romulans.
"Finish them," said Zargat.
His mauraders closed on the wrecked King Falcons, each one having not fired a single shot and now helpless. One of them tried to turn and run, pathetically, then exploded as its warp core gave out destroying several damaged ships in the process. The mauraders were in firing range in a mathematically precise wall to maximize firepower. They fired their quantum torpedoes in streams of white at the center of the remaining Romulan ships, which replied with weak green disruptors that only increased the fury of the extermination. Then, they were all gone. The mines, the Romulans, all of them.
Zargat sat back and sighed watching his mauraders pick off escape pods. Was there none in this galaxy who was a worthy adversary? Perhaps Martok's people would be worthy of the Unity.
Brian
"This wasn't part of our original agreement," Primus said.
The mysterious Tal'Shiar head pressed his disruptor pistol harder against Primus's skull. "Just do it. The game is over, and we have lost."
"No, it's not over, not quite yet. But I'll do it and, you don't have to talk so loud, you know," Primus added. His head still throbbed unpleasantly from all the ale he'd consumed the night before.
He finished writing his message to Zargat, telling the damned Ferengi that he'd be willing to accept defeat in return for his people not being assimilated. Zargat hadn't made the offer, as the Tal'Shiar head had hoped, so now he was forcing Primus to try and open negotiations.
With a heavy heart, Primus sent the message. "It is done," he said. "Now leave me. I wish to send my final regards to Alshain. He is the only one I have not yet given a final, farewell salute to yet."
"Of course, My Lord Praetor," the Tal'Shiar head sneered, and left.
Primus slowly typed his message to President Alshain, thanking him for all the help he'd recieved in defending his worlds, but telling him to now leave the his empire to its fate. Of the other alliance members, only Alshain had rushed to the Star Empire's defense when the Ferengi and Borg had invaded. Martok had simply kept silent, feverishly using the time to try and build up the Klingon war machine to something that might make a crunching sound when their foes squashed it and Kirk had worked on his grand offensive.
That offensive was beginning, finally, but to Primus it looked as if it were coming a day late and a dollar short, as the humans liked to say.
He sent off the message, and now sooner was it away than Q appeared, once more garbed as a Romulan officer.
"Come to mock me in the moments before my defeat?" Primus asked.
"Oh, come now, Primus, it's not as bad as all that," Q said. "Okay, well it is, but still, a smile wouldn't kill you."
Primus just snorted.
"Now don't be like that, just because the spirit of the Romulan people proved to be less than--"
"No!" Primus shouted. "The Romulan people were everything I knew they were and more! It is I who have failed them, not they who have failed me!"
Q just shrugged, smirking maliciously. "If you say so."
Primus nodded. His sudden outburst had triggered a bout of nausea, a it was several moments before he was able to speak again. "I am not a war leader," he said. "Which is a true pity, because that was what my people needed in this galaxy. If I were as good at defense as I am at foreign affairs, then my empire would probably be hegemon of the galaxy now, our strength fueled by our conquered Ferengi subjugates."
Q smirked. "You fancy yourself that good of a diplomat?"
"I made the alliance!" Primus snapped. "For all the good it did us, I was the one who forged it. I was the one who sought out the Klingons' help, I was the first Romulan Praetor ever to make the Star Empire allies with our Vulcan cousins' Federations! It was a Romulan spy ship that I sent into Ferengi space that solidified the alliance in opposition to Zargat and Queen Nephtys! In the antebellum period the Star Empire grew wealthy and powerful as it never was before and probably never will be again, and it was all because of the alliance that I made!"
Primus took several deep breaths. "It would've been beautiful, if we'd won, the following peace and prosperity would've been more than we ever could've dreamed of back in the Milky Way, but...but I wasn't an able enough commander and we weren't strong enough..." He put his face in his hands and his breath started to come in quick little inhalations.
The Romulan Praetor was crying.
"Well, it's been a fun little game, indeed, but it's almost done now," Q said. "Good-bye, Primus."
The mysterious Tal'Shiar head pressed his disruptor pistol harder against Primus's skull. "Just do it. The game is over, and we have lost."
"No, it's not over, not quite yet. But I'll do it and, you don't have to talk so loud, you know," Primus added. His head still throbbed unpleasantly from all the ale he'd consumed the night before.
He finished writing his message to Zargat, telling the damned Ferengi that he'd be willing to accept defeat in return for his people not being assimilated. Zargat hadn't made the offer, as the Tal'Shiar head had hoped, so now he was forcing Primus to try and open negotiations.
With a heavy heart, Primus sent the message. "It is done," he said. "Now leave me. I wish to send my final regards to Alshain. He is the only one I have not yet given a final, farewell salute to yet."
"Of course, My Lord Praetor," the Tal'Shiar head sneered, and left.
Primus slowly typed his message to President Alshain, thanking him for all the help he'd recieved in defending his worlds, but telling him to now leave the his empire to its fate. Of the other alliance members, only Alshain had rushed to the Star Empire's defense when the Ferengi and Borg had invaded. Martok had simply kept silent, feverishly using the time to try and build up the Klingon war machine to something that might make a crunching sound when their foes squashed it and Kirk had worked on his grand offensive.
That offensive was beginning, finally, but to Primus it looked as if it were coming a day late and a dollar short, as the humans liked to say.
He sent off the message, and now sooner was it away than Q appeared, once more garbed as a Romulan officer.
"Come to mock me in the moments before my defeat?" Primus asked.
"Oh, come now, Primus, it's not as bad as all that," Q said. "Okay, well it is, but still, a smile wouldn't kill you."
Primus just snorted.
"Now don't be like that, just because the spirit of the Romulan people proved to be less than--"
"No!" Primus shouted. "The Romulan people were everything I knew they were and more! It is I who have failed them, not they who have failed me!"
Q just shrugged, smirking maliciously. "If you say so."
Primus nodded. His sudden outburst had triggered a bout of nausea, a it was several moments before he was able to speak again. "I am not a war leader," he said. "Which is a true pity, because that was what my people needed in this galaxy. If I were as good at defense as I am at foreign affairs, then my empire would probably be hegemon of the galaxy now, our strength fueled by our conquered Ferengi subjugates."
Q smirked. "You fancy yourself that good of a diplomat?"
"I made the alliance!" Primus snapped. "For all the good it did us, I was the one who forged it. I was the one who sought out the Klingons' help, I was the first Romulan Praetor ever to make the Star Empire allies with our Vulcan cousins' Federations! It was a Romulan spy ship that I sent into Ferengi space that solidified the alliance in opposition to Zargat and Queen Nephtys! In the antebellum period the Star Empire grew wealthy and powerful as it never was before and probably never will be again, and it was all because of the alliance that I made!"
Primus took several deep breaths. "It would've been beautiful, if we'd won, the following peace and prosperity would've been more than we ever could've dreamed of back in the Milky Way, but...but I wasn't an able enough commander and we weren't strong enough..." He put his face in his hands and his breath started to come in quick little inhalations.
The Romulan Praetor was crying.
"Well, it's been a fun little game, indeed, but it's almost done now," Q said. "Good-bye, Primus."
"I want to mow down a bunch of motherfuckers with absurdly large weapons and relative impunity - preferably in and around a skyscraper. Then I want to fight a grim battle against the unlikely duo of the Terminator and Robocop. The last level should involve (but not be limited to) multiple robo-Hitlers and a gorillasaurus rex."--Uraniun235 on his ideal FPS game
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force."--Darth Vader
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force."--Darth Vader
-
Nephtys
- Sith Acolyte
- Posts: 6227
- Joined: 2005-04-02 10:54pm
- Location: South Cali... where life is cheap!
The Queen's fleet silently warped into Sector 001, and she relaxed aboard her Fusion Cube. Attended by members representing her conquests, she delighted in their newly programmed devotion.
The armada moved over a minor world on the fringe of the system, bombarding it from above with her specially engineered assimilation bombs. Black clouds spread across the planet, consuming it's population like a plague.
Breathing their newly poisoned air, the federation colonists gasped in horror, their own bodies transforming and minds twisting to serve their new Queen. She watched from above with detatched interest. "Transport our new conquests aboard. Send them to the processing ship." she commanded, mind wandering to old memories.
The President. The Federation. Her own assimilation years ago thanks to their failed leadership at Wolf 359. Her thoughts were mixed on that. It was truely horrible, but what happened now? She was free. A number of her own drones were too, freed... under her leadership of course. Nobody else would understand, save perhaps Zargat now...
Then, Alshain's cryptic message arrived. The Fleet paused, and the Queen lifted her hand. Her attendant arrived quickly at her side.
"Your orders, my Queen?" came the meek, anyltitical voice.
"Hold the fleet, and open a channel.."
The great fleet's shields and weapons readied as they held their position, preparing for any contingency. Sitting there upon the throne, surrounded by her minions... Nephtys commanded the millions in her service like a god.
The armada moved over a minor world on the fringe of the system, bombarding it from above with her specially engineered assimilation bombs. Black clouds spread across the planet, consuming it's population like a plague.
Breathing their newly poisoned air, the federation colonists gasped in horror, their own bodies transforming and minds twisting to serve their new Queen. She watched from above with detatched interest. "Transport our new conquests aboard. Send them to the processing ship." she commanded, mind wandering to old memories.
The President. The Federation. Her own assimilation years ago thanks to their failed leadership at Wolf 359. Her thoughts were mixed on that. It was truely horrible, but what happened now? She was free. A number of her own drones were too, freed... under her leadership of course. Nobody else would understand, save perhaps Zargat now...
Then, Alshain's cryptic message arrived. The Fleet paused, and the Queen lifted her hand. Her attendant arrived quickly at her side.
"Your orders, my Queen?" came the meek, anyltitical voice.
"Hold the fleet, and open a channel.."
Code: Select all
"Federation President Alshain..." she broadcasted, over all frequencies. "I reveal to you know. I, Nephtys command the might of the Borg. We are not those mindless automotons of the Alpha Quadrant, an inefficient distributed intelligence... they are reflections of /my/ will."
"It is regretable that we had to destroy so many, but the alternative was to risk our own destruction. I offer you the choice now. You can surrender your fleets, and allow your people to survive... or you can fight on, and be destroyed to the last." she said, then curling a smile.
"Make your choice. Either way... your people... are now mine." -
Uraniun235
- Emperor's Hand
- Posts: 13772
- Joined: 2002-09-12 12:47am
- Location: OREGON
- Contact:
Goddamn. I had hoped I could hold out with the threat of protracted ground combat long enough to build up a fleet in my other colonies... but that's clearly not an option any more.
Alshain clicked his heels.
"Ready to go, Willy?"
"I've thought about what you said, Q. And I concur. It's only right for me to die alongside my countrymen."
"How charming. Well, if that's all... it's been fun." Q grinned devilishly and vanished.
Now that he's out of the way... well, I might as well try. Nothing to be lost by it...
Alshain imagined his allies wouldn't be terribly pleased, if they ever heard about it... but ultimately, he had to look over his own people first. And if there was a chance he could spare them, he had to take it. And he had a burning curiosity to know just why this Nephtys had to plunge the galaxy into war...
He called Starfleet Command.
"All starships in the Narenda system are to hold position, and are not to make aggressive moves."
And now he would wait.
Alshain clicked his heels.
"Ready to go, Willy?"
"I've thought about what you said, Q. And I concur. It's only right for me to die alongside my countrymen."
"How charming. Well, if that's all... it's been fun." Q grinned devilishly and vanished.
Now that he's out of the way... well, I might as well try. Nothing to be lost by it...
Code: Select all
Nephtys,
It is true that you have us by the throat. We are unable to pose a threat to you or your ambitions. The Federation Fleet is broken - only scattered, isolated forces remain. Yet I cannot ask a fearful populace to willingly submit to what they have come to know as a fate worse than death.
You have mentioned differences between yourself and what we once knew as the Borg. And you did not mention assimilation in your message. Is it then possible that there is room for negotiation? My people never asked for this war. I never desired war with you, or with any other nation.
I want to meet you. I would be unarmed - surely both your sensors and your forcefields would protect you from any such attempt in any event. Tell me what it is you're after. Let me at least understand why my people must be subjugated or destroyed.
Surely you can afford that much.
Wilhelm AlshainHe called Starfleet Command.
"All starships in the Narenda system are to hold position, and are not to make aggressive moves."
And now he would wait.
-
Nephtys
- Sith Acolyte
- Posts: 6227
- Joined: 2005-04-02 10:54pm
- Location: South Cali... where life is cheap!
The Queen's ships took up bombardment position, surrounding several of the Federation's worlds. She considered what Alshain had said, pressing fingertips together.
"Bring him to me." she gestured to her attendants. With a green ripple, Alshain appeared in her grandiose chamber, and she waited atop her throne.
"Welcome to my domain, President Alshain." she smiled above, eyes looking down to the man, far below in a circle of her minions. "Interesting message you sent. I never knew the proud leader of the Federation resorted to non-sequiteur attempts humor when confronted with his destruction..."
She then tilted her head back. "You now know that these Borg... aren't the slavering conquerers of our old galaxy, attempting to reach perfection by the destruction of all others. They're mine, and more are awakening to self-awareness at every second."
She waited for Alshain to attempt to speak, before cutting him off. "We were cut off from the collective when we were transported here, and I was the first to awaken. I ascended to the leadership of the confused rabble that began to regain their individuality, and took measures to ensure order be kept. I became their unquestioned and all-seeing Queen, awakening those that were ready to serve me." she continued, then stood dramatically.
"I was also their protector. These that would harm us had to be destroyed... those that would harm extensions of myself." she adds, with a smirk, stepping down. "The Dominion found this out, expanding too close to our borders while we were weak. We fought back, and I 'convinced' their leader the virtures of joining me. The Ferengi here were different. Or rather, Zargat. He held a vision of his people, perfected, and allied with my kind. Your friends, under the leadership of Kirk and Primus were however, foolish and planned to attack us for fear of what we are. Or were..." Nephtys explained.
She turned her hand. "And now, under our strength and my leadership, your forces are defeated. The Federation and Romulans were both weak. They are content to fight and antagonize their neighbors for little reason but their own pride, and you have denied your biological natures to establish a culture that promotes stagnation, and the destruction of the individual." she waves her hand.
"While the Borg of Old conquered and assimilated with warships, and cybertechnology, you consume and destroy with your 'culture' instead. You regulate how beings can act, how they create, and what is 'appropriate' and what is not. It is no less a form a slavery than assimilation..."
Nephtys turned her head around. "Respond to this. Defend your position, if you wish." she looked to the planet below. "Your response will determine the fate of these worlds."
"Bring him to me." she gestured to her attendants. With a green ripple, Alshain appeared in her grandiose chamber, and she waited atop her throne.
"Welcome to my domain, President Alshain." she smiled above, eyes looking down to the man, far below in a circle of her minions. "Interesting message you sent. I never knew the proud leader of the Federation resorted to non-sequiteur attempts humor when confronted with his destruction..."
She then tilted her head back. "You now know that these Borg... aren't the slavering conquerers of our old galaxy, attempting to reach perfection by the destruction of all others. They're mine, and more are awakening to self-awareness at every second."
She waited for Alshain to attempt to speak, before cutting him off. "We were cut off from the collective when we were transported here, and I was the first to awaken. I ascended to the leadership of the confused rabble that began to regain their individuality, and took measures to ensure order be kept. I became their unquestioned and all-seeing Queen, awakening those that were ready to serve me." she continued, then stood dramatically.
"I was also their protector. These that would harm us had to be destroyed... those that would harm extensions of myself." she adds, with a smirk, stepping down. "The Dominion found this out, expanding too close to our borders while we were weak. We fought back, and I 'convinced' their leader the virtures of joining me. The Ferengi here were different. Or rather, Zargat. He held a vision of his people, perfected, and allied with my kind. Your friends, under the leadership of Kirk and Primus were however, foolish and planned to attack us for fear of what we are. Or were..." Nephtys explained.
She turned her hand. "And now, under our strength and my leadership, your forces are defeated. The Federation and Romulans were both weak. They are content to fight and antagonize their neighbors for little reason but their own pride, and you have denied your biological natures to establish a culture that promotes stagnation, and the destruction of the individual." she waves her hand.
"While the Borg of Old conquered and assimilated with warships, and cybertechnology, you consume and destroy with your 'culture' instead. You regulate how beings can act, how they create, and what is 'appropriate' and what is not. It is no less a form a slavery than assimilation..."
Nephtys turned her head around. "Respond to this. Defend your position, if you wish." she looked to the planet below. "Your response will determine the fate of these worlds."
-
Uraniun235
- Emperor's Hand
- Posts: 13772
- Joined: 2002-09-12 12:47am
- Location: OREGON
- Contact:
President Wilhelm Alshain was stunned. It was so much to take in. And she could have given me just a *little* warning, he thought.
"Well," and here Alshain cleared his throat, "First, I have to admit that you're far lovelier than I'd anticipated."
"Second, I'm afraid I'm not quite who you thought I might be. You see, we weren't taken from the core worlds of the Federation; we're from a little backwater sector called the Felgercarb Cluster. Surely by now you've noticed that none of these worlds are Earth, or Vulcan, or Andor. Populous enough, sure, but not nearly so important. Before all of this started, the last 'heavy cruiser' sighted in the Cluster was an old-style Constitution-class starship."
"I have to admit that when it comes to Earth and it's social policies, I agree with you to some extent. It was constrictive. It demanded conformity of thought. Hell, that's part of the reason we were a backwater sector! We got shafted by the Federation on a regular basis because we kept voting in Council members that didn't kow-tow to the Federation line!"
"But that doesn't make their culture equivalent to military conquest. We can't sell McFedburgers to people who won't buy them. Well... can't eat them in some cases, but last I heard they'd worked out a solution to that... but never mind. Every Federation member joined by a conscious decision to do so. They adopted Federation customs and laws voluntarily. They were invited to send observers, to learn all they could about us before making the decision."
"Yes, the laws of society constrain the individual to a certain extent. But the individual still exists within our system! Without that... we're little more than overgrown ants. Which, as you must admit, is an effective description of what the Borg were before you were brought here. And given that, I'm sure you must understand why we so violently resisted them, and why we had previously been so willing to aid Kirk and Primus against you."
"Yes, we preserve the sick and the genetically flawed. Yes, arguably, we have halted the genetic evolution of humanity! But it's not the body we treasure most dearly, it's the mind. The intellect! The pursuit of emotional delights! Of happiness, and joy... of passion..."
And at this, Alshain's voice softened and his gaze drifted. Not for the Borg Queen... though undeniably he found her powerful, confident gaze strangely alluring... but for his wife, whom he had lost when the terrorists simultaneously attacked his office and his Presidential residence last year.
Then he saw that Nephtys seemed ready to smirk and retort, and his voice instantly returned.
"Yes, and we indulge in sorrow, too!"
"It's not ideal... but then, nothing is. Nothing. Not the Federation, not the Borg, neither you nor myself."
"I don't know how you intend to ultimately shape your society, Queen Nephtys, but I'd be willing to bet credits to croissants it would be inherently neither better nor worse than our own... merely different. You seem to offer a collective purpose. We offer individual liberty. Constrained within boundaries, yes, but I personally prefer it to none at all!"
"Our cultures can exist peacefully together. There's no inherent cause for conflict or war. Indeed, were we to allow our peoples to choose their own fates, it could ultimately be a superior existance; people could determine for themselves which society they prefer to live in. There's a lot of ingrained distrust, to be sure, but that could be erased with time."
Alshain paused. He softened his expression as much as he could, and hoped that Nephtys had a heart left in her.
"I don't hate you."
He let that sink in a bit.
"Hell... you seem like a decent person. A leader looking out for her people. It's admirable really. Maybe we could learn to like each other."
Alshain swallowed.
"I don't know what you'll do with us. But before you take action, there's just a couple things I'd like cleared up.
First, it's arguable that humanity lacks direction or unity of purpose. That's fair enough. I've said it myself, in the past. But what's your direction? What is your purpose? You've mentioned self-defense but that's only an extension of survival, which I'll point out is precisely what humanity tries to do, too. What is your great goal that puts you on a pedestal above humanity?
And," and at this, Alshain smiled quite sincerely, "as to my rather non-sequitur message... well, I do love a good non-sequitur, and I would have regretted not taking the opportunity.
Although... I am curious. Do you know what love is?"
And, driven by the knowledge that he would likely be the only person in his position to ever do this, Wilhelm Alshain, President of the United Federation of Planets, winked at Nephtys, Queen of the Borg.
"Well," and here Alshain cleared his throat, "First, I have to admit that you're far lovelier than I'd anticipated."
"Second, I'm afraid I'm not quite who you thought I might be. You see, we weren't taken from the core worlds of the Federation; we're from a little backwater sector called the Felgercarb Cluster. Surely by now you've noticed that none of these worlds are Earth, or Vulcan, or Andor. Populous enough, sure, but not nearly so important. Before all of this started, the last 'heavy cruiser' sighted in the Cluster was an old-style Constitution-class starship."
"I have to admit that when it comes to Earth and it's social policies, I agree with you to some extent. It was constrictive. It demanded conformity of thought. Hell, that's part of the reason we were a backwater sector! We got shafted by the Federation on a regular basis because we kept voting in Council members that didn't kow-tow to the Federation line!"
"But that doesn't make their culture equivalent to military conquest. We can't sell McFedburgers to people who won't buy them. Well... can't eat them in some cases, but last I heard they'd worked out a solution to that... but never mind. Every Federation member joined by a conscious decision to do so. They adopted Federation customs and laws voluntarily. They were invited to send observers, to learn all they could about us before making the decision."
"Yes, the laws of society constrain the individual to a certain extent. But the individual still exists within our system! Without that... we're little more than overgrown ants. Which, as you must admit, is an effective description of what the Borg were before you were brought here. And given that, I'm sure you must understand why we so violently resisted them, and why we had previously been so willing to aid Kirk and Primus against you."
"Yes, we preserve the sick and the genetically flawed. Yes, arguably, we have halted the genetic evolution of humanity! But it's not the body we treasure most dearly, it's the mind. The intellect! The pursuit of emotional delights! Of happiness, and joy... of passion..."
And at this, Alshain's voice softened and his gaze drifted. Not for the Borg Queen... though undeniably he found her powerful, confident gaze strangely alluring... but for his wife, whom he had lost when the terrorists simultaneously attacked his office and his Presidential residence last year.
Then he saw that Nephtys seemed ready to smirk and retort, and his voice instantly returned.
"Yes, and we indulge in sorrow, too!"
"It's not ideal... but then, nothing is. Nothing. Not the Federation, not the Borg, neither you nor myself."
"I don't know how you intend to ultimately shape your society, Queen Nephtys, but I'd be willing to bet credits to croissants it would be inherently neither better nor worse than our own... merely different. You seem to offer a collective purpose. We offer individual liberty. Constrained within boundaries, yes, but I personally prefer it to none at all!"
"Our cultures can exist peacefully together. There's no inherent cause for conflict or war. Indeed, were we to allow our peoples to choose their own fates, it could ultimately be a superior existance; people could determine for themselves which society they prefer to live in. There's a lot of ingrained distrust, to be sure, but that could be erased with time."
Alshain paused. He softened his expression as much as he could, and hoped that Nephtys had a heart left in her.
"I don't hate you."
He let that sink in a bit.
"Hell... you seem like a decent person. A leader looking out for her people. It's admirable really. Maybe we could learn to like each other."
Alshain swallowed.
"I don't know what you'll do with us. But before you take action, there's just a couple things I'd like cleared up.
First, it's arguable that humanity lacks direction or unity of purpose. That's fair enough. I've said it myself, in the past. But what's your direction? What is your purpose? You've mentioned self-defense but that's only an extension of survival, which I'll point out is precisely what humanity tries to do, too. What is your great goal that puts you on a pedestal above humanity?
And," and at this, Alshain smiled quite sincerely, "as to my rather non-sequitur message... well, I do love a good non-sequitur, and I would have regretted not taking the opportunity.
Although... I am curious. Do you know what love is?"
And, driven by the knowledge that he would likely be the only person in his position to ever do this, Wilhelm Alshain, President of the United Federation of Planets, winked at Nephtys, Queen of the Borg.
Zargat was on the bridge of his new Grand Nagus class battlecruiser. He raised his hand preparing to order the vessel to strike at a helpless Romulan transport, but before he could speak or signal he felt something envelop him, a feeling he had not felt for a long time.
The Queen! Was it possible she was to betray him?
Vreet! Was he right after all, would Nephtys join with the humans against him? Zargat sneered and thought of the detonation codes to the Borg cubes constructed at the temporal shipyard facilities...
...but couldn't find them. Betrayed!
Or, perhaps not. He would wait and see what the Queen intended. If her vision was truly the same as his, of the Unity.
For a fleeting moment Zargat wished he hadn't killed Vreet.
Brian
The Queen! Was it possible she was to betray him?
Vreet! Was he right after all, would Nephtys join with the humans against him? Zargat sneered and thought of the detonation codes to the Borg cubes constructed at the temporal shipyard facilities...
...but couldn't find them. Betrayed!
Or, perhaps not. He would wait and see what the Queen intended. If her vision was truly the same as his, of the Unity.
For a fleeting moment Zargat wished he hadn't killed Vreet.
Brian