The Queen stared in shock, at Alshain's response. "I see. A very interesting defense." she said to start, after a long period of awkward silence. She looked to the President. "Yes, every member joins the Federation 'voluntarilly', since the only alternatives are worse. Your words have moved me, President Alshain."
She walked back up, looking to the stars and the planet below, speaking in reply. "Respect of the intellect, pursuit of delights, joy. Those values are ones that I personally can hold. "We did not wish for this war to come. And yes, time will erase all distrust... I admire everything you did after our relocation to this strange sector of space, as well as that of your allies."
She then paused for several seconds once again.
"William Alshain, you asked me if I knew what love was. I've lost so much in my life, but I do still understand love." she smiled slowly, lips parting to present a friendly and slightly blushed grin to the man.
"Beam him into space." Nephtys ordered. "And put that on screen." she sat back onto her throne, turning the seat to her view of the planet. The smile remained on her face. She would install her own puppet government soon enough. Now, her mind wandered back to the question of should she assimilate them yet or not... or if she should retrieve Alshain or not.
Space Empires IV Game RP
Moderator: Thanas
Doraf System - Dominion Home System
Stardate 2407.6
Zargat watched dispassionately as his armada surrounded his two great Unities, the Unity of Place and Time. Made by the Queen for him, they were the perfect centerpieces to his legions of mauraders. Another fifty mauraders had been completed across the galaxy at his temporal shipyards, each new batch of ships placing an ever widening gulf between him and his enemies.
Zargat watched the U.S.S. Excelsior, U.S.S. Maxwell, U.S.S. Daedalus and fourteen Romulan King Falcons blockade the wormhole. The remnants of the Romulan fleet had been taken in by Kirk, and now they would be destroyed. No doubt the Romulans and Kirk were planning something, sending such a token force into Dominion space in hopes of diverting his attention from elsewhere. But the Unity could not be fooled. He had more ships than the Klingons, Federations, Tholians and Borg combined. He need only send a fraction of his forces to deal with this pathetic feint by Kirk.
The Unity of Time came through the wormhole, her great shields immediately absorbing emerald lances and firey balls of death. The Excelsior closed to point blank range and fired her transphasic torpedoes, puncturing the Unity's shields and exploding the great fusion cube into a trillion pieces. Zargat laughed. The Queen would be mad at him for losing another one.
Out of the fireball of the Unity forty-seven battlecruisers emerged, immediately firing spreads of quantum torpedoes. The Excelsior's shields instantly collasped and spread its hull across the stars in a brilliant flash. The Romulan King Falcons, having fired their plasma torpedoes at the fusion cube, emptied their disruptors into the emerging Ferengi, but the battlecruisers merely continued towards the King Falcons and fired more quantums and beams until the King Falcons were no more than a hundred meters away from the Ferengi ships. Then the shields of the lions of the galaxy failed and their hulls were saturated by phasers and breached by torpedo after torpedo after torpedo breaking spars and crumpling tritanium until the last Falcon in the galaxy was a smoldering wreck.
Zargat closed his eyes, and his battlecruisers swept the region until the very molecules themselves were dispersed and the Romulan Imperial Navy was no more.
Kirk. Kirk would attack soon, perhaps with Martok.
Not that it mattered. Zargat smiled, feeling his link with the Queen strengthen. The Queen had chose him rather than her biological yearnings. So, the Unity was truly at hand now.
Nothing could stop it.
The Romulans are unworthy of joining The Unity. Yet, they may make useful slaves. Shall we halt our advance?
No. The Romulans are to be destroyed. Those who are unworthy are to be cleansed. This is the will of the master.
Brian
Stardate 2407.6
Zargat watched dispassionately as his armada surrounded his two great Unities, the Unity of Place and Time. Made by the Queen for him, they were the perfect centerpieces to his legions of mauraders. Another fifty mauraders had been completed across the galaxy at his temporal shipyards, each new batch of ships placing an ever widening gulf between him and his enemies.
Zargat watched the U.S.S. Excelsior, U.S.S. Maxwell, U.S.S. Daedalus and fourteen Romulan King Falcons blockade the wormhole. The remnants of the Romulan fleet had been taken in by Kirk, and now they would be destroyed. No doubt the Romulans and Kirk were planning something, sending such a token force into Dominion space in hopes of diverting his attention from elsewhere. But the Unity could not be fooled. He had more ships than the Klingons, Federations, Tholians and Borg combined. He need only send a fraction of his forces to deal with this pathetic feint by Kirk.
The Unity of Time came through the wormhole, her great shields immediately absorbing emerald lances and firey balls of death. The Excelsior closed to point blank range and fired her transphasic torpedoes, puncturing the Unity's shields and exploding the great fusion cube into a trillion pieces. Zargat laughed. The Queen would be mad at him for losing another one.
Out of the fireball of the Unity forty-seven battlecruisers emerged, immediately firing spreads of quantum torpedoes. The Excelsior's shields instantly collasped and spread its hull across the stars in a brilliant flash. The Romulan King Falcons, having fired their plasma torpedoes at the fusion cube, emptied their disruptors into the emerging Ferengi, but the battlecruisers merely continued towards the King Falcons and fired more quantums and beams until the King Falcons were no more than a hundred meters away from the Ferengi ships. Then the shields of the lions of the galaxy failed and their hulls were saturated by phasers and breached by torpedo after torpedo after torpedo breaking spars and crumpling tritanium until the last Falcon in the galaxy was a smoldering wreck.
Zargat closed his eyes, and his battlecruisers swept the region until the very molecules themselves were dispersed and the Romulan Imperial Navy was no more.
Kirk. Kirk would attack soon, perhaps with Martok.
Not that it mattered. Zargat smiled, feeling his link with the Queen strengthen. The Queen had chose him rather than her biological yearnings. So, the Unity was truly at hand now.
Nothing could stop it.
Code: Select all
Daimon Zargat,
I have no Imperial Star Navy left to fight with and your fleets run rampage through my space again. If there was ever a better sign that negotiation was needed, I have yet to see it.
Listen to me, Zargat, my government is not unified behind me as it once was, but what we all agree on is that death is better than assimilation. Agree to leave us unassimilated by your Borg technology and I will surrender to you. If not, we will fight you to the last man. My Empire cannot win, but don't doubt that we can make you bleed for every Romulan world you wipe out.
--Praetor Primus of the Romulan Star EmpireNo. The Romulans are to be destroyed. Those who are unworthy are to be cleansed. This is the will of the master.
Brian
"So, the Ferengi will not allow us to surrender," Primus said, feeling a mixture of smugness and horror. "What do you have to say to that?"
"We should petition Queen Nephtys to allow us to become her subjugates," the Tal'Shiar head, who still had not told Primus his name, said. "Zargat will not attack us for fear of angering his primary ally."
Primus snorted. "I doubt that Nephtys will accept, either."
"But we must try and--"
The Tal'Shiar head was stopped in mid-rant by Primus, who'd managed to reach into his desk and grab a pistol without catching the other's attention. A low intensity disruptor shot knocked him off his feet.
"You changed the original deal you had with me, so I'm changing the other we had," Primus said. "You're a traitor, and I hereby excute you for it."
Primus cranked up the power on his disruptor and fired, vaporizing the former Tal'Shiar chief.
"Well done, Praetor," Hawk said.
"What of the man he said would be ready to replace him and disappear us?" Dove asked.
"I doubt that whatever power bloc he has in the Tal'Shiar will remain unified now that we know the Ferengi are bent on our extermination," Primus said. "And it's time to leave Alpha Onias anyway. We'll have to keep moving from colony to colony, try and avoid the coming hordes."
"Martok has offered us santuary," Dove said.
Primus shook his head. "No. If the Ferengi were willing to accept our surrender, then I could've left the Star Empire in that idiot's hands, seeing as how whoever stayed would only be Zargat's puppet anyhow. But I cannot run to the Klingon Empire while I ask my people to fight to the death. I must remain without our borders."
"Then we should leave as soon as possible," Hawk said. "I will go and secure us an unmarked merchant shuttle."
"Wait," Primus said. "I have to stay. You two can go to the Klingon Empire. I'm sure they could use your help."
Hawk laughed. "Live with Klingons? Klingons who would probably view me as a coward for leaving? Never!"
"What about you?" Primus asked Dove.
Dove smirked. "I've spoken to our ambassador to the Klingon Empire. He tells me the food is terrible. I'll stay with you, Praetor."
Primus grinned, wondering at how humor was possible even now. "I am lucky to have advisors such as you two. Go then, and prepare for our flight. I must thank Martok for his generous offer, and I have some other buisness to attend to."
They left, and Primus typed up his thanks to Martok. He really was grateful. Whatever Klingon aristocracy that had gone with Martok was probably making his life hell for offering to shelter Romulans. It was such a pity. There was so much goodwill between the old "triumvirate," the big three powers of the old Alpha Quadrant. And it looked like they would be overrun after they'd finally reconciled.
Well, the game wasn't over yet.
Romulans prided themselves on playing galactic politics like a game of chess or stratego, but Zargat had so far made Primus look like a Pakled in comparison in that department (a mere few years ago it would've been Klingons in that analogy, but such comparisons were no longer popular).
Perhaps it wasn't too late for Primus to redeem himself in that department. He began typing up a message for Queen Nephtys.
"We should petition Queen Nephtys to allow us to become her subjugates," the Tal'Shiar head, who still had not told Primus his name, said. "Zargat will not attack us for fear of angering his primary ally."
Primus snorted. "I doubt that Nephtys will accept, either."
"But we must try and--"
The Tal'Shiar head was stopped in mid-rant by Primus, who'd managed to reach into his desk and grab a pistol without catching the other's attention. A low intensity disruptor shot knocked him off his feet.
"You changed the original deal you had with me, so I'm changing the other we had," Primus said. "You're a traitor, and I hereby excute you for it."
Primus cranked up the power on his disruptor and fired, vaporizing the former Tal'Shiar chief.
"Well done, Praetor," Hawk said.
"What of the man he said would be ready to replace him and disappear us?" Dove asked.
"I doubt that whatever power bloc he has in the Tal'Shiar will remain unified now that we know the Ferengi are bent on our extermination," Primus said. "And it's time to leave Alpha Onias anyway. We'll have to keep moving from colony to colony, try and avoid the coming hordes."
"Martok has offered us santuary," Dove said.
Primus shook his head. "No. If the Ferengi were willing to accept our surrender, then I could've left the Star Empire in that idiot's hands, seeing as how whoever stayed would only be Zargat's puppet anyhow. But I cannot run to the Klingon Empire while I ask my people to fight to the death. I must remain without our borders."
"Then we should leave as soon as possible," Hawk said. "I will go and secure us an unmarked merchant shuttle."
"Wait," Primus said. "I have to stay. You two can go to the Klingon Empire. I'm sure they could use your help."
Hawk laughed. "Live with Klingons? Klingons who would probably view me as a coward for leaving? Never!"
"What about you?" Primus asked Dove.
Dove smirked. "I've spoken to our ambassador to the Klingon Empire. He tells me the food is terrible. I'll stay with you, Praetor."
Primus grinned, wondering at how humor was possible even now. "I am lucky to have advisors such as you two. Go then, and prepare for our flight. I must thank Martok for his generous offer, and I have some other buisness to attend to."
They left, and Primus typed up his thanks to Martok. He really was grateful. Whatever Klingon aristocracy that had gone with Martok was probably making his life hell for offering to shelter Romulans. It was such a pity. There was so much goodwill between the old "triumvirate," the big three powers of the old Alpha Quadrant. And it looked like they would be overrun after they'd finally reconciled.
Well, the game wasn't over yet.
Romulans prided themselves on playing galactic politics like a game of chess or stratego, but Zargat had so far made Primus look like a Pakled in comparison in that department (a mere few years ago it would've been Klingons in that analogy, but such comparisons were no longer popular).
Perhaps it wasn't too late for Primus to redeem himself in that department. He began typing up a message for Queen Nephtys.
Code: Select all
Heil Queen Nephtys,
I have heard that you are not like the Borg Queen back in the Milky Way, with only a desire to consume everything and make every living being bend to her will.
If this is true, I cannot help but wonder why you have allied yourself with the likes of Zargat. My people knew of him even before we came to this galaxy. He liked to use ostensible gaming devices to control his underlings' minds, all so that he could use them to pad his wallet. If there was anyone who was like the old Borg Queen, it was Daimon Zargat.
And now here you are, claiming to be better than the Borg Queen of old, but allied with a being who wants nothing more than to enslave all those who are "worthy" and destroy all those who are not. All in the name of the Unity.
What is the Unity? Do you know? Has he told you?
I doubt that even he knows! Either he's using this lofty but vague ideal to justify his consumption and destruction of everything, or he's gone mad and has had delusions of godhood.
Tell me I'm wrong, Queen Nephtys. Tell me that my people are being destroyed for a higher reason, at least give me that much. Something to cling to as my beloved Empire falls into the abyss.
Can you? If not, I suggest you look long and hard at your allegiances. Zargat is not invincible. Kirk's Federation remains untouched, Martok has only had to deal with the Tholians so far. I still possess the secret of the Advanced Plasma Torpedo. If you were to side with us, he would have no chance.
You need not assimilate or subjugate everything to be safe. My borders with Kirk and Alshain have been virtually defenseless for years. That is what trust can do, Queen Nephtys. And if there can be such trust between the Romulan Star Empire and the United Federation of Planets, than such trust can be built between the Borg Collective and the other races as well.
Consider my words.
--Praetor 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
Antede System
Blue lightning rips through the void and iridescent azure marbles cohere into a multitude of dancing spheres then a single one which opens its mouth and sings throughout space with behemoths.
"People of the Federation, hear me. You know of the calamity that has befallen the Romulans, and the Borg have assimilated your future counterparts. Billions need not die in a useless war. Serve the Unity, and you and your families, your friends, your loved ones, will be spared grief. You cannot and shall not stand against the Unity. The Romulans were fools, thinking their technology could protect them, but even their mighty battleships could not stop the Unity's wrath. Now their worlds are molten, their people dead or destitute, and their future meaningless."
"Hear me, and listen. Stand down all your military forces. If you do so, your people shall not be assimilated."
"Ignore this at your peril. I make this offer only once."
The behemoths surround a titan, a monster foreshadowing with its emerald interior and nether superstructure the fate that awaits the humans of the twenty-second century should they refuse the olive branch.
"You Benzites, have proven yourselves worthy above all others in your struggle against the Klingons. Bynars, in your fight against the Romulans, and Chalnoth in your fight against the Humens. The will of the master is that these inferiors be cleansed."
"Service the master well, and he will treat you well. Service him badly, and you will die."
Brian
Blue lightning rips through the void and iridescent azure marbles cohere into a multitude of dancing spheres then a single one which opens its mouth and sings throughout space with behemoths.
"People of the Federation, hear me. You know of the calamity that has befallen the Romulans, and the Borg have assimilated your future counterparts. Billions need not die in a useless war. Serve the Unity, and you and your families, your friends, your loved ones, will be spared grief. You cannot and shall not stand against the Unity. The Romulans were fools, thinking their technology could protect them, but even their mighty battleships could not stop the Unity's wrath. Now their worlds are molten, their people dead or destitute, and their future meaningless."
"Hear me, and listen. Stand down all your military forces. If you do so, your people shall not be assimilated."
"Ignore this at your peril. I make this offer only once."
The behemoths surround a titan, a monster foreshadowing with its emerald interior and nether superstructure the fate that awaits the humans of the twenty-second century should they refuse the olive branch.
"You Benzites, have proven yourselves worthy above all others in your struggle against the Klingons. Bynars, in your fight against the Romulans, and Chalnoth in your fight against the Humens. The will of the master is that these inferiors be cleansed."
"Service the master well, and he will treat you well. Service him badly, and you will die."
Brian
Last edited by brianeyci on 2006-02-21 02:04am, edited 1 time in total.
Undisclosed Location in Romulan Space
"Transmission from Alshain, Praetor," Hawk said softly, handing him a padd. "It is a recorded message."
Primus took the padd and sighed deeply. "It's not like it's a surprise. We knew that the Borg had entered their core system. I just can believe it, though. What use could killing him have been?"
"Perhaps he is merely a prisoner," Hawk suggested.
"Perhaps," Primus agreed.
Neither of them wanted to admit it was possible that he'd been assimilated. Death was better.
Dove entered the room, looking pale. "We have the specs on the new Borg raider cubes that have been hitting the far colonies. They're armed with nothing but huge napalm bombs."
"Bastards," Primus snarled. "Have the colonies prepare what defenses they can. Order the Takaran home planet to begin construction of a King Vulture class starbase, and I want the Genesis worlds colonized yesterday!"
"Transmission from Alshain, Praetor," Hawk said softly, handing him a padd. "It is a recorded message."
Primus took the padd and sighed deeply. "It's not like it's a surprise. We knew that the Borg had entered their core system. I just can believe it, though. What use could killing him have been?"
"Perhaps he is merely a prisoner," Hawk suggested.
"Perhaps," Primus agreed.
Neither of them wanted to admit it was possible that he'd been assimilated. Death was better.
Dove entered the room, looking pale. "We have the specs on the new Borg raider cubes that have been hitting the far colonies. They're armed with nothing but huge napalm bombs."
"Bastards," Primus snarled. "Have the colonies prepare what defenses they can. Order the Takaran home planet to begin construction of a King Vulture class starbase, and I want the Genesis worlds colonized yesterday!"
"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:
Frightened by the report of the Federation President being abducted by the Borg, and the terrible weapons which threaten the total destruction of the Federation, the Federation Council begs for the mercy of the Borg, even at the price of subjugation under the rule of Queen Nephtys.
As the worlds of the Federation largely fall into panic and chaos, trade grinds to a halt, and the merchant ships which once aided the allies of the Federation no longer traverse the galaxy.
Federation-class dreadnought USS Phoenix
Under Command of Capt. Maxwell
"Sir... we've picked up fragmentary reports through the Borg jamming. It sounds as though the President has been abducted. We're getting conflicting orders from Starfleet Command... Admiral M'Ress wants us to try and make a last stand at the Protostar system, while Admiral Christy wants us to hold position and make no threatening moves against the Borg."
Ben Maxwell recoiled in his command chair. Even though he'd always felt the President had been soft on defense, he never dreamed that Alshain would willingly sell out humanity. But he remembered a conversation he'd once had with Captain Picard... something about how once you were assimilated, they could rip anything out of your mind that they pleased...
He remembered the last Presidential Order:
"Under no circumstance whatsoever are you to support the Borg or Ferengi aggression."
But if Alshain had been captured... they might extract the fleet command codes from his mind. And if they did that... they could remotely shut down the entire fleet! Maxwell shuddered at the idea of his ship being overrun by Borg drones, turned against the very folks who'd put her together.
He would not let it happen.
"Instruct Engineering to immediately change all the prefix codes. Shut down those sensor feeds to Starfleet Command. Get me a channel with the Huxley and the April. And prepare to set a new course."
"Are we going to engage the Borg, sir?"
"No... not yet."
As the worlds of the Federation largely fall into panic and chaos, trade grinds to a halt, and the merchant ships which once aided the allies of the Federation no longer traverse the galaxy.
Federation-class dreadnought USS Phoenix
Under Command of Capt. Maxwell
"Sir... we've picked up fragmentary reports through the Borg jamming. It sounds as though the President has been abducted. We're getting conflicting orders from Starfleet Command... Admiral M'Ress wants us to try and make a last stand at the Protostar system, while Admiral Christy wants us to hold position and make no threatening moves against the Borg."
Ben Maxwell recoiled in his command chair. Even though he'd always felt the President had been soft on defense, he never dreamed that Alshain would willingly sell out humanity. But he remembered a conversation he'd once had with Captain Picard... something about how once you were assimilated, they could rip anything out of your mind that they pleased...
He remembered the last Presidential Order:
"Under no circumstance whatsoever are you to support the Borg or Ferengi aggression."
But if Alshain had been captured... they might extract the fleet command codes from his mind. And if they did that... they could remotely shut down the entire fleet! Maxwell shuddered at the idea of his ship being overrun by Borg drones, turned against the very folks who'd put her together.
He would not let it happen.
"Instruct Engineering to immediately change all the prefix codes. Shut down those sensor feeds to Starfleet Command. Get me a channel with the Huxley and the April. And prepare to set a new course."
"Are we going to engage the Borg, sir?"
"No... not yet."
Antede System
Transwarp Conduit to Norpin
Over five hundred Federation fighters converge on the Ferengi Armada. For years these fighters have been the front line against the Borg invasion. Many in the fighter wings are grizzled veterans, having fought the Chalnoth and the Borg invasion two years ago when nearly thirty Borg cubes were annihilated as they jumped through a warp point looking to crush Kirk. Then, the fighters seemed unsurmountable, hundreds of heavily armored maneuverable pinpricks that could encircle Borg cubes and fire with near-perfect co-ordination.
But that was two years ago.
The Romulans had felt Zargat's wrath. Now it was time for the humans.
The fighters closed, then all of a sudden appeared at point blank range within the Ferengi Formation! They immediately began to circle and attack the Ferengi battlecruisers, a hundred firing at a single target and destroying one of Zargat's mauraders in one fell swoop.
What was this?
The Picard Maneuver, thought Zargat, as he recalled data from assimilated Federation officers. But the Picard maneuver could only be used with warp drive, or so he thought. They must have adapted it for impulse engines.
Perhaps these humans were worthy of the Unity after all.
They did reject his offer.
But, so had the Ullians and Mintakans and Bynars at first, and they were one with the Unity now. And the Chalnoth would soon be one.
Zargat was shaken from his daydreaming as another one of his battlecruisers exploded.
This was irritating.
Zargat waived his hand.
Two years had given Zargat much time to study the Federation fighter formations. He had given up the pathetic point defense weapons that the Queen had used on her earlier cubes, instead mounting as many large disruptor rapid fire pulse cannons as he could. Many of them chained to fire in overlapping arcs, to give fighters as little maneuvering room as possible. And assimilated technology from the Federation, some of his battlecruisers mounting phaser strips which had no blind angle.
The rapid fire pulse disruptors seared the void with millions of pulses, surrounding the hundreds of fighters. Tractor beams altered fighter formations right into the waiting arcs of concentrated pulse fire. Emerald lances destroyed fighter after fighter after fighter.
The fighters concentrated their fire on more battlecruisers, and three more were turned to nothingness as fighters flew through their warp core explosions. But the Borg enhanced shields of the battlecruisers were too powerful. And the Unity, the great fusion cube the Queen had constructed for the sole purpose of destroying Federation fighter swarms, entered the fray and fired thousands of green pulses, enveloping the Starfleet fighter formations with impossible dilemmas.
The fighter formations thinned. The battle became a slaughter as more Ferengi battlecruisers appeared from the transwarp conduit, warped to point-blank range and opened fire on the stalwart Federation pilots.
Where there were once five hundred Federation shuttles and fighter craft, there were now none.
Antede would join the Unity.
Brian
Transwarp Conduit to Norpin
Over five hundred Federation fighters converge on the Ferengi Armada. For years these fighters have been the front line against the Borg invasion. Many in the fighter wings are grizzled veterans, having fought the Chalnoth and the Borg invasion two years ago when nearly thirty Borg cubes were annihilated as they jumped through a warp point looking to crush Kirk. Then, the fighters seemed unsurmountable, hundreds of heavily armored maneuverable pinpricks that could encircle Borg cubes and fire with near-perfect co-ordination.
But that was two years ago.
The Romulans had felt Zargat's wrath. Now it was time for the humans.
The fighters closed, then all of a sudden appeared at point blank range within the Ferengi Formation! They immediately began to circle and attack the Ferengi battlecruisers, a hundred firing at a single target and destroying one of Zargat's mauraders in one fell swoop.
What was this?
The Picard Maneuver, thought Zargat, as he recalled data from assimilated Federation officers. But the Picard maneuver could only be used with warp drive, or so he thought. They must have adapted it for impulse engines.
Perhaps these humans were worthy of the Unity after all.
They did reject his offer.
But, so had the Ullians and Mintakans and Bynars at first, and they were one with the Unity now. And the Chalnoth would soon be one.
Zargat was shaken from his daydreaming as another one of his battlecruisers exploded.
This was irritating.
Zargat waived his hand.
Two years had given Zargat much time to study the Federation fighter formations. He had given up the pathetic point defense weapons that the Queen had used on her earlier cubes, instead mounting as many large disruptor rapid fire pulse cannons as he could. Many of them chained to fire in overlapping arcs, to give fighters as little maneuvering room as possible. And assimilated technology from the Federation, some of his battlecruisers mounting phaser strips which had no blind angle.
The rapid fire pulse disruptors seared the void with millions of pulses, surrounding the hundreds of fighters. Tractor beams altered fighter formations right into the waiting arcs of concentrated pulse fire. Emerald lances destroyed fighter after fighter after fighter.
The fighters concentrated their fire on more battlecruisers, and three more were turned to nothingness as fighters flew through their warp core explosions. But the Borg enhanced shields of the battlecruisers were too powerful. And the Unity, the great fusion cube the Queen had constructed for the sole purpose of destroying Federation fighter swarms, entered the fray and fired thousands of green pulses, enveloping the Starfleet fighter formations with impossible dilemmas.
The fighter formations thinned. The battle became a slaughter as more Ferengi battlecruisers appeared from the transwarp conduit, warped to point-blank range and opened fire on the stalwart Federation pilots.
Where there were once five hundred Federation shuttles and fighter craft, there were now none.
Antede would join the Unity.
Brian
"The mine fields were a success, Praetor," Hawk said with a savage type of satisfaction. "The Borg raider cubes attempted to wipe out more of our colonies and were destroyed."
"You'd think they'd know better," Primus said. "Especially seeing how they've used mine fields against us more than once. Did they think that we'd roll over and wait for them to wipe us out?"
"Perhaps they mixed us up with the Mizarians," Dove said, smirking. "A glitch in the Collective, perhaps."
"I doubt they'll fall for that again," Hawk said. "They'll bring in mine sweepers soon, I'll bet."
"Indeed," Primus said. "We'll have to find alternate means of defending the far colonies. I'll order what's left of R&D to get on it. Any word from the UFP?"
Dove shook his head sadly. "No. The present Federation's ships are leaving our space. Their merchants recently packed up and left, too."
"No surprise," Primus said grimly. "The Borg always were interested in them for some reason or another. Well, let's hope Alshain's word was good. We don't need Starfleet shooting at us, too. Very well, gentlemen, carry on. I want to show our enemies that we're down but not out of this game, not yet."
"You'd think they'd know better," Primus said. "Especially seeing how they've used mine fields against us more than once. Did they think that we'd roll over and wait for them to wipe us out?"
"Perhaps they mixed us up with the Mizarians," Dove said, smirking. "A glitch in the Collective, perhaps."
"I doubt they'll fall for that again," Hawk said. "They'll bring in mine sweepers soon, I'll bet."
"Indeed," Primus said. "We'll have to find alternate means of defending the far colonies. I'll order what's left of R&D to get on it. Any word from the UFP?"
Dove shook his head sadly. "No. The present Federation's ships are leaving our space. Their merchants recently packed up and left, too."
"No surprise," Primus said grimly. "The Borg always were interested in them for some reason or another. Well, let's hope Alshain's word was good. We don't need Starfleet shooting at us, too. Very well, gentlemen, carry on. I want to show our enemies that we're down but not out of this game, not yet."
"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
-
Arthur_Tuxedo
- Sith Acolyte
- Posts: 5637
- Joined: 2002-07-23 03:28am
- Location: San Francisco, California
The predictable request for surrender had come from the Ferengi as their 100 odd ship fleet had entered the Antede system.
"Let them eat static. Given subspace communication delays, it should buy us at least a month. And mobilize the fighter fleet." had been Kirk's orders. The Ferengi had quantity, but they lacked quality, and they had never engaged Kirk's newer ships, so Kirk had the luxury of running sims against Zargat's ships and Zargat didn't. 100 of his ships could be dealt with shortly, and with minimal losses.
The scenario had played out quite differently, however. The 100 ship fleet was joined by over 100 more, some Ferengi and some Borg, bringing the total ship count up to 215, the largest single fleet ever assembled by anyone in the old galaxy or in this one. Even worse, small Borg raider ships had destroyed two of his colonies, one of which had a shipyard. Kirk didn't see how he could possibly win against such odds, but he could at least give them one last bloody nose. He gave the universal order. "Execute fleet order 12. Resume all construction projects. Death before assimilation."
"Let them eat static. Given subspace communication delays, it should buy us at least a month. And mobilize the fighter fleet." had been Kirk's orders. The Ferengi had quantity, but they lacked quality, and they had never engaged Kirk's newer ships, so Kirk had the luxury of running sims against Zargat's ships and Zargat didn't. 100 of his ships could be dealt with shortly, and with minimal losses.
The scenario had played out quite differently, however. The 100 ship fleet was joined by over 100 more, some Ferengi and some Borg, bringing the total ship count up to 215, the largest single fleet ever assembled by anyone in the old galaxy or in this one. Even worse, small Borg raider ships had destroyed two of his colonies, one of which had a shipyard. Kirk didn't see how he could possibly win against such odds, but he could at least give them one last bloody nose. He gave the universal order. "Execute fleet order 12. Resume all construction projects. 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
Alpha Caranae System
Death before assimilation.
The words extracted from what few colonists Zargat assimilated. Humen soldiers were vaporizing themselves--not content with burning a hole in their chest or poisoning themselves, which Borg technology could rectify, but firing at themselves with phasers on full power so there'd be nothing left but a smattering of neturinos when the assimilation drones came.
Truly, this Kirk inspired his men. The humans were worthy of the Unity after all. Perhaps the Borg Queen was correct about the humens. Of all the species, the humens seemed to be the most multi-dimensional, with thousands of cultures and languages and working in harmony. Chaos, still, but this would be corrected by the voice.
Zargat smiled. The Borg Queen had stayed in the Antede system, heading for five large planets including a worthy gas giant. Let her do what she wanted. The Unity would need diversity, and she was perfect for this.
But Zargat had ordered his one hundred and sixty-seven ships to warp into the star system to the galactic south of Antede. Despite Ferengi attempts at stealing star maps, the Federation guarded them closely with their small but capable Section Thirty-One. Section Thirty-One too, were worthy, and would join the Unity.
Then, Zargat looked through the eyes of a Borg vessel still in the Antede system, and saw Constellation and Excelsior vessels, sixty-five in all, warp hurriedly in pursuit.
Kirk.
Kirk, you are too late.
Zargat looked forward, and saw a lush planet with three hundred shuttlecraft and fighters hastily scrambled to protect the two starbases in orbit. No, not starbases.
Spacedock.
This was New Earth.
Zargat howled with laughter. So, Kirk, like the Romulans and Present Federation, had left his homeworld relatively undefended. No matter. They were still worthy of the Unity. No doubt Kirk was preparing to attack galactic East when the Unity arrived in Antede and he was only now warping back to protect innocent lives.
Sympathy. The Unity would purge that, as well.
"People of New Earth. You among the galaxy have been judged worthy of joining the Unity. Where is your protector, Kirk? He seeks glory amongst new stars whilst leaving you alone. From henceforth, you shall not be alone. You will join the voice."
Zargat raised and lowered his hand. The Ferengi ships formed a perfect wall.
The Humens were his...
Brian
Death before assimilation.
The words extracted from what few colonists Zargat assimilated. Humen soldiers were vaporizing themselves--not content with burning a hole in their chest or poisoning themselves, which Borg technology could rectify, but firing at themselves with phasers on full power so there'd be nothing left but a smattering of neturinos when the assimilation drones came.
Truly, this Kirk inspired his men. The humans were worthy of the Unity after all. Perhaps the Borg Queen was correct about the humens. Of all the species, the humens seemed to be the most multi-dimensional, with thousands of cultures and languages and working in harmony. Chaos, still, but this would be corrected by the voice.
Zargat smiled. The Borg Queen had stayed in the Antede system, heading for five large planets including a worthy gas giant. Let her do what she wanted. The Unity would need diversity, and she was perfect for this.
But Zargat had ordered his one hundred and sixty-seven ships to warp into the star system to the galactic south of Antede. Despite Ferengi attempts at stealing star maps, the Federation guarded them closely with their small but capable Section Thirty-One. Section Thirty-One too, were worthy, and would join the Unity.
Then, Zargat looked through the eyes of a Borg vessel still in the Antede system, and saw Constellation and Excelsior vessels, sixty-five in all, warp hurriedly in pursuit.
Kirk.
Kirk, you are too late.
Zargat looked forward, and saw a lush planet with three hundred shuttlecraft and fighters hastily scrambled to protect the two starbases in orbit. No, not starbases.
Spacedock.
This was New Earth.
Zargat howled with laughter. So, Kirk, like the Romulans and Present Federation, had left his homeworld relatively undefended. No matter. They were still worthy of the Unity. No doubt Kirk was preparing to attack galactic East when the Unity arrived in Antede and he was only now warping back to protect innocent lives.
Sympathy. The Unity would purge that, as well.
"People of New Earth. You among the galaxy have been judged worthy of joining the Unity. Where is your protector, Kirk? He seeks glory amongst new stars whilst leaving you alone. From henceforth, you shall not be alone. You will join the voice."
Zargat raised and lowered his hand. The Ferengi ships formed a perfect wall.
The Humens were his...
Brian
Primus read Kirk's farewell message with pain in his heart. First Alshain had fallen, and now his closest and most trusted ally looked about to enter the void. At this rate, none would remain soon except the Star Empire and the Klingon Empire.
Truly fate had a sense of humor, Primus thought sourly.
The Borg seemed content to keep finding his mine fields by way of hurling raider cubes into them, so there was that much good at least. Unfortunatly, their foes had more than enough ships to be able to employ such a wasteful tactic without slowing.
At least Alshain had apparently made good on his world. Most of his Starfleet had defected to the Klingon Empire rather than fight for and with the likes of Zargat and Nephtys.
"Praetor, our enemies have opened up a warp point to a system adjacent to Klingon space," Hawk pointed out.
"I know," Primus said curtly.
He read Kirk's message again. Give them one last bloody-nose, he'd asked. Well, far be it from Primus to deny his friend that. Unfortunatly, he'd have to do something he truly did not want to do in order to make that more likely to happen.
"Get me a hover car," Primus said. "I need to visit an old friend."
A short time later...
Primus knocked on the door of a small house in a rural part of the colony. The Praetorian Guard was present but out of sight, as was usual whenever he left the safety of wherever the Romulan government was headquartered.
The door was opened by a Vulcan woman, whom Primus knew to be named Dora, after some human friend of her family. She had immigrated to the Star Empire from Alshain's territory years ago, before the war broke out.
"Praetor Primus," she said in the cool tone of a true Vulcan, bowing her head respectfully.
"It's good to meet you at last, Dora," Primus said. "I'd heard much about you from my correspondence with your husband. Is he home? I'd like to speak with him."
"Yes, please, come in," she said.
She led him into a small living room where a tall Romulan man with salt and pepper hair sat, playing with two young children, a boy and a girl. Twins, Primus knew, and just over two years old.
He couldn't help but marvel at them. They were the realization of goal that both the powerful Commander Sela and the famous Mr. Spock had, in their own ways, attempted to reach: reunification.
Primus would've been proud that his policies and his decisions had achieved what both Sela and Spock had failed to do, if only he could guarantee that the two children would not be killed from Ferengi or Borg weapons fire from orbit.
He must've stood in the doorway for too long, because the little girl saw him and asked, "Who's he, Papa?"
The man looked up. "He's an old friend of mine. If not for him, it would've been impossible for me to have ever met your mother."
Primus smiled despite himself. "Hello, C'kan, it's been too long."
"Indeed it has," C'kan answered. "But I'm surprised to see you now, Primus. I'd have thought that you'd be busy, things being the way they are."
Primus sighed. "I'd like to speak to you in private."
C'kan nodded soberly, unsurprised. "Very well."
C'kan led Primus out to the backyard of his house and waited for the Praetor to speak.
"Your little ones are beautiful," Primus said.
C'kan smiled. "Indeed they are. Dora says that they act too passionatly, but you'll never find a full blooded Romulan child who's as calm and collected as they are. I try to explain that to her, but she won't believe me, or makes some comment about how controlling Romulan mothers must need to be. Don't take this the wrong way, my friend, but I never regretted for a moment turning down your offer of being your military advisor when you named yourself Praetor."
"That's all right," Primus said. "I was able to find someone else to fill that spot easily enough."
"Who?"
Primus hesistated, and C'kan laughed. "You don't know, do you? You haven't changed a bit, Primus! How long were we friends before you knew my name?"
"Must've been two years," Primus said. Then sighed. "You never should've been exiled to my corner of the Star Empire back in the Milky Way. You were too good a commander."
C'kan shrugged. "I said the wrong thing about the Tal'Shiar to the wrong person. Being forcefully retired was better than getting disappeared. But I don't think you came all this way in the middle of war to talk about old times."
Primus sighed again. "Of the original five planets we had when we were sent here, only one remains populated. Our enemies killed everyone on the other planets. The Naval Academy was on one of the worlds we lost. I'm trying to put together an 11th fleet, but I don't have anyone to command it.
"I won't order you to do this, C'kan," Primus said. "The fact is that this war's as good as lost. Alshain's fallen, a Ferengi armada's on it's way to New Earth as we speak, we're beaten to hell, and the invasion of the Klingons is imminent. Now it's just a matter of making them bleed as much as possible. I don't want to deny you of whatever time you've got left with your little ones and your lovely wife that you've got left."
"And yet you have to ask," C'kan said, not unkindly. "Because you are the Preator."
Primus smiled weakly. "It's not as glorious as I'd envisioned it."
C'kan was silent for a very long time. At last, he spoke again. "If I can do anything to protect my family, to even buy them a few more days of life, then I must," he sighed. "Even if I have to leave them. When will my fleet be ready, My Lord Praetor?"
"A few more months," Primus said. "Until then, just try and enjoy your time with your family."
"I will."
Truly fate had a sense of humor, Primus thought sourly.
The Borg seemed content to keep finding his mine fields by way of hurling raider cubes into them, so there was that much good at least. Unfortunatly, their foes had more than enough ships to be able to employ such a wasteful tactic without slowing.
At least Alshain had apparently made good on his world. Most of his Starfleet had defected to the Klingon Empire rather than fight for and with the likes of Zargat and Nephtys.
"Praetor, our enemies have opened up a warp point to a system adjacent to Klingon space," Hawk pointed out.
"I know," Primus said curtly.
He read Kirk's message again. Give them one last bloody-nose, he'd asked. Well, far be it from Primus to deny his friend that. Unfortunatly, he'd have to do something he truly did not want to do in order to make that more likely to happen.
"Get me a hover car," Primus said. "I need to visit an old friend."
A short time later...
Primus knocked on the door of a small house in a rural part of the colony. The Praetorian Guard was present but out of sight, as was usual whenever he left the safety of wherever the Romulan government was headquartered.
The door was opened by a Vulcan woman, whom Primus knew to be named Dora, after some human friend of her family. She had immigrated to the Star Empire from Alshain's territory years ago, before the war broke out.
"Praetor Primus," she said in the cool tone of a true Vulcan, bowing her head respectfully.
"It's good to meet you at last, Dora," Primus said. "I'd heard much about you from my correspondence with your husband. Is he home? I'd like to speak with him."
"Yes, please, come in," she said.
She led him into a small living room where a tall Romulan man with salt and pepper hair sat, playing with two young children, a boy and a girl. Twins, Primus knew, and just over two years old.
He couldn't help but marvel at them. They were the realization of goal that both the powerful Commander Sela and the famous Mr. Spock had, in their own ways, attempted to reach: reunification.
Primus would've been proud that his policies and his decisions had achieved what both Sela and Spock had failed to do, if only he could guarantee that the two children would not be killed from Ferengi or Borg weapons fire from orbit.
He must've stood in the doorway for too long, because the little girl saw him and asked, "Who's he, Papa?"
The man looked up. "He's an old friend of mine. If not for him, it would've been impossible for me to have ever met your mother."
Primus smiled despite himself. "Hello, C'kan, it's been too long."
"Indeed it has," C'kan answered. "But I'm surprised to see you now, Primus. I'd have thought that you'd be busy, things being the way they are."
Primus sighed. "I'd like to speak to you in private."
C'kan nodded soberly, unsurprised. "Very well."
C'kan led Primus out to the backyard of his house and waited for the Praetor to speak.
"Your little ones are beautiful," Primus said.
C'kan smiled. "Indeed they are. Dora says that they act too passionatly, but you'll never find a full blooded Romulan child who's as calm and collected as they are. I try to explain that to her, but she won't believe me, or makes some comment about how controlling Romulan mothers must need to be. Don't take this the wrong way, my friend, but I never regretted for a moment turning down your offer of being your military advisor when you named yourself Praetor."
"That's all right," Primus said. "I was able to find someone else to fill that spot easily enough."
"Who?"
Primus hesistated, and C'kan laughed. "You don't know, do you? You haven't changed a bit, Primus! How long were we friends before you knew my name?"
"Must've been two years," Primus said. Then sighed. "You never should've been exiled to my corner of the Star Empire back in the Milky Way. You were too good a commander."
C'kan shrugged. "I said the wrong thing about the Tal'Shiar to the wrong person. Being forcefully retired was better than getting disappeared. But I don't think you came all this way in the middle of war to talk about old times."
Primus sighed again. "Of the original five planets we had when we were sent here, only one remains populated. Our enemies killed everyone on the other planets. The Naval Academy was on one of the worlds we lost. I'm trying to put together an 11th fleet, but I don't have anyone to command it.
"I won't order you to do this, C'kan," Primus said. "The fact is that this war's as good as lost. Alshain's fallen, a Ferengi armada's on it's way to New Earth as we speak, we're beaten to hell, and the invasion of the Klingons is imminent. Now it's just a matter of making them bleed as much as possible. I don't want to deny you of whatever time you've got left with your little ones and your lovely wife that you've got left."
"And yet you have to ask," C'kan said, not unkindly. "Because you are the Preator."
Primus smiled weakly. "It's not as glorious as I'd envisioned it."
C'kan was silent for a very long time. At last, he spoke again. "If I can do anything to protect my family, to even buy them a few more days of life, then I must," he sighed. "Even if I have to leave them. When will my fleet be ready, My Lord Praetor?"
"A few more months," Primus said. "Until then, just try and enjoy your time with your family."
"I will."
"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
-
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:
"Where is Alshain?"
That question had been on the minds of every top military commander since the news of his abduction two months earlier. Alshain had been rather stupid to ask for parley from the Borg; such a duplicitous and conniving enemy, and the President of the Federation blindly trusted them so far that he allowed them to transport him alone and unarmed.
Many Klingons offered their opinions on the matter, vociferous without exception and containing language so foul the paint peeled off the walls. Martok didn't offer any such opinion; he knew that Alshain was trying to buy time: time for his people. Death before assimilation was the motto of the day among the Starfleet types, but Martok doubted that Alshain's populace would be so cavalier about such things. Alshain was now firmly in the pocket of the Borg-Ferengi Unity, joining the Dominion and presumably countless other neutral races among their subjugates.
But the Unity only got the planets. Dozens of starship commanders had chosen to defect to the Klingon Empire, currently the strongest of the Free Nations. Federation vessels from all over the quadrant ignored orders to halt, destroying subjugated worlds and ships in an effort to escape to Klingon space.
Martok wasn't sure whether they acted alone or under secret orders, but he did not take their oaths of allegiance lightly. Swiftly he wrote a brief message to be transmitted to each vessel, bidding them to come swiftly to Klingon space, providing the coordinates of the Klingon home systems. Romulan outposts along the way would act as rest stops and staging areas as the Federation fleet was slowly collected and cohered into task forces.
The war had not been going well. Kirk's forces were being badly hammered, and every month saw more and more Ferengi and Borg vessels completing construction and fanning out, looking for targets, eradicating worlds...destroying the Alliance. Alshain's subjugation was merely the latest blow; with the sudden loss of trade, Martok saw a drastic reduction in resources. Mineral shortages plagued shipyards and construction queues, robbing them of precious building time. Several shipyards would have to be temporarily shut down to try to build up the reserves again.
And if that wasn't bad enough, the Unity had begun to move. Martok stared at the new warp point. A link had been formed from the center of what had once been Romulan space, but in this one case the Unity had miscalculated...and Martok had precious little time.
"I want fleets sent here and here," he said, marking two sectors with his pointer. "They'll have to divide their forces to take both. It is likely that our fleets will be eradicated, but we must make a stand. Today is a good day to die!"
That question had been on the minds of every top military commander since the news of his abduction two months earlier. Alshain had been rather stupid to ask for parley from the Borg; such a duplicitous and conniving enemy, and the President of the Federation blindly trusted them so far that he allowed them to transport him alone and unarmed.
Many Klingons offered their opinions on the matter, vociferous without exception and containing language so foul the paint peeled off the walls. Martok didn't offer any such opinion; he knew that Alshain was trying to buy time: time for his people. Death before assimilation was the motto of the day among the Starfleet types, but Martok doubted that Alshain's populace would be so cavalier about such things. Alshain was now firmly in the pocket of the Borg-Ferengi Unity, joining the Dominion and presumably countless other neutral races among their subjugates.
But the Unity only got the planets. Dozens of starship commanders had chosen to defect to the Klingon Empire, currently the strongest of the Free Nations. Federation vessels from all over the quadrant ignored orders to halt, destroying subjugated worlds and ships in an effort to escape to Klingon space.
Martok wasn't sure whether they acted alone or under secret orders, but he did not take their oaths of allegiance lightly. Swiftly he wrote a brief message to be transmitted to each vessel, bidding them to come swiftly to Klingon space, providing the coordinates of the Klingon home systems. Romulan outposts along the way would act as rest stops and staging areas as the Federation fleet was slowly collected and cohered into task forces.
The war had not been going well. Kirk's forces were being badly hammered, and every month saw more and more Ferengi and Borg vessels completing construction and fanning out, looking for targets, eradicating worlds...destroying the Alliance. Alshain's subjugation was merely the latest blow; with the sudden loss of trade, Martok saw a drastic reduction in resources. Mineral shortages plagued shipyards and construction queues, robbing them of precious building time. Several shipyards would have to be temporarily shut down to try to build up the reserves again.
And if that wasn't bad enough, the Unity had begun to move. Martok stared at the new warp point. A link had been formed from the center of what had once been Romulan space, but in this one case the Unity had miscalculated...and Martok had precious little time.
"I want fleets sent here and here," he said, marking two sectors with his pointer. "They'll have to divide their forces to take both. It is likely that our fleets will be eradicated, but we must make a stand. Today is a good day to die!"
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.
-
Nephtys
- Sith Acolyte
- Posts: 6227
- Joined: 2005-04-02 10:54pm
- Location: South Cali... where life is cheap!
Savoring her conquest, Nephtys made quick work along Alshain's empire. Her fleets spread out, subtly implanting cranial implants within many of the Federation's top political, military and scientific minds on their homeworlds.
Did two months pass already? The shipments of minerals and tribute were already making their way into Borg Space, and she began to smile. Turning back away from her viewing port on the magnificently remodeled fusion cube that served as her flag, she rested back to a chamber before her. Within was the withered and damaged body of the dear President Alshain, regenerating his injuries after being ejected into orbit of his world. He always held interesting conversation, and that would not be wasted.
She would not assimilate him. Or touch him in any manner at all... but for now, he was but her conversation peice, as the fleet steamed for a new objective. The subjugate Federation was to be left relatively untended, but with the threat of an unstoppable armada able to appear at any time over their worlds...
The Queen turned her attentions now to the Romulans. Primus' message meant nothing. She understood full well what Zargat wished... and what she would do after the conclusion of this conflict.
Did two months pass already? The shipments of minerals and tribute were already making their way into Borg Space, and she began to smile. Turning back away from her viewing port on the magnificently remodeled fusion cube that served as her flag, she rested back to a chamber before her. Within was the withered and damaged body of the dear President Alshain, regenerating his injuries after being ejected into orbit of his world. He always held interesting conversation, and that would not be wasted.
She would not assimilate him. Or touch him in any manner at all... but for now, he was but her conversation peice, as the fleet steamed for a new objective. The subjugate Federation was to be left relatively untended, but with the threat of an unstoppable armada able to appear at any time over their worlds...
The Queen turned her attentions now to the Romulans. Primus' message meant nothing. She understood full well what Zargat wished... and what she would do after the conclusion of this conflict.
-
Uraniun235
- Emperor's Hand
- Posts: 13772
- Joined: 2002-09-12 12:47am
- Location: OREGON
- Contact:
In an instant, he had known weightlessness for the first time. Briefly, he saw floating beneath him the planet on which he had been standing not ten minutes ago. It had all happened so quickly.
He was not in a position to appreciate the beauty of the scene before him, however. Space is extremely inhospitable to human life. As he succumbed to oxygen deprivation, he fully expected to never take another breath again.
And yet, here he was.
Just as suddenly as he had been sent out, the transporter beam yanked him back inside. Borg drones immediately tended to his convulsing body. He was unconscious for days, he was told, kept sedated while he was tended to.
The Queen talked to him every so often. They had discussed various subjects at length. If he had been healthier, they would have likely escalated into arguments at least a few times... but as it was, until recently it was an effort merely to speak. On reflection, he realized it had been better that way... with the forced civility of his weakened condition came the opportunity to develop a genuine respect for her. He could raise his voice now... but he never did.
He recieved reports on the Federation every so often. One of the first subjects of conversation was the matter of the Starfleet command codes, and he had quite truthfully told her what his last orders were. When the reports came that most of the Federation fleet had taken off for the Klingon Empire, he fully expected to pay for it.
And yet, here he was.
The general panic in the Federation had died down once it was clear the Borg were not about to start mass assimilations or planetary bombardments. There had been a few mass suicide incidents, but other than that, it seemed that the folks back home would eventually be able to get back to living their lives just as they had a few years ago. Oh, interplanetary travel would probably be curtailed a bit, he imagined... but it's not as if the Felgercarb Cluster, or indeed any of it's new colonies of the past few years, had any major planetary vacation spots yet.
With the Borg no longer menacing his people, he reflected, he had indeed won security for his people. And so long as the individuals were still free to do business with one another, to love and care for one another, wasn't that what really counted?
The Borg had won. And yet, in securing the lives of his people, hadn't he won too?
With this thought on his mind, Wilhelm Alshain closed his eyes and drifted into sleep, with the faint lines of a smile touching his face.
He was not in a position to appreciate the beauty of the scene before him, however. Space is extremely inhospitable to human life. As he succumbed to oxygen deprivation, he fully expected to never take another breath again.
And yet, here he was.
Just as suddenly as he had been sent out, the transporter beam yanked him back inside. Borg drones immediately tended to his convulsing body. He was unconscious for days, he was told, kept sedated while he was tended to.
The Queen talked to him every so often. They had discussed various subjects at length. If he had been healthier, they would have likely escalated into arguments at least a few times... but as it was, until recently it was an effort merely to speak. On reflection, he realized it had been better that way... with the forced civility of his weakened condition came the opportunity to develop a genuine respect for her. He could raise his voice now... but he never did.
He recieved reports on the Federation every so often. One of the first subjects of conversation was the matter of the Starfleet command codes, and he had quite truthfully told her what his last orders were. When the reports came that most of the Federation fleet had taken off for the Klingon Empire, he fully expected to pay for it.
And yet, here he was.
The general panic in the Federation had died down once it was clear the Borg were not about to start mass assimilations or planetary bombardments. There had been a few mass suicide incidents, but other than that, it seemed that the folks back home would eventually be able to get back to living their lives just as they had a few years ago. Oh, interplanetary travel would probably be curtailed a bit, he imagined... but it's not as if the Felgercarb Cluster, or indeed any of it's new colonies of the past few years, had any major planetary vacation spots yet.
With the Borg no longer menacing his people, he reflected, he had indeed won security for his people. And so long as the individuals were still free to do business with one another, to love and care for one another, wasn't that what really counted?
The Borg had won. And yet, in securing the lives of his people, hadn't he won too?
With this thought on his mind, Wilhelm Alshain closed his eyes and drifted into sleep, with the faint lines of a smile touching his face.
New Ferenginar
Yes, it was finally complete. For years now Zargat had hated this shell and its limitations. He was weak, within this tormet of flesh and sinew, at any second prone to one of a trillion calamaties that could finish his existence. But now, to usher in the unity, Zargat had constructed a magnificent structure of solid neutronium in his home system. It had taken the resources of fifty planets and five years to build his new body. The raw materials of the enslaved Ullians, the stolen quantum technology of the Tholians, the computer engineering of the Bynar and the intellect of millions of beings had fashioned this towering one thousand meter high monolith.
Zargat sat down in the chair as his attendants strapped him down and placed electrodes and a dome on his hairless skull.
"Begin."
The power of a hundred worlds seared through the great machine and went into the very molecules themselves, into the sub-atomic, beyond the sub-atomic. Zargat felt himself ebb, then flow into the new structure that would magnify his intelligence by hundreds of orders of magnitude and allow the Unity to come to fruition.
Yes.
Yes, he could see the gestalt, the swirls of hot, passion, fury, fear, happiness, anger, none of it mattered anymore.
He was no longer Zargat the Terrible.
He was The Master.
The Master would have Unity throughout the galaxy. Undesirables would be purged, and eventually all data would be encoded in his matrix for the ultimate coalesence.
The Master stared down at what was once his body. The attendants unstrapped it and looked to him for orders. How many years had his mind been confined to that worthless fleshbag, how much potential was wasted.
"Send it to Primus," boomed the Master. Perhaps the fool would be distracted and make more blunders.
Now that he was ascended, he would need a second. A second... not any second. One to match him, so once the galaxy was his, there would be two and no more, a duality of structure and play of signs, the signified becoming irrelevant because both the sign and signifier would be one and there would be no other. Eternality.
The Master would make its choice, once the uncertainties were eliminated. It already had one in mind.
Brian
Yes, it was finally complete. For years now Zargat had hated this shell and its limitations. He was weak, within this tormet of flesh and sinew, at any second prone to one of a trillion calamaties that could finish his existence. But now, to usher in the unity, Zargat had constructed a magnificent structure of solid neutronium in his home system. It had taken the resources of fifty planets and five years to build his new body. The raw materials of the enslaved Ullians, the stolen quantum technology of the Tholians, the computer engineering of the Bynar and the intellect of millions of beings had fashioned this towering one thousand meter high monolith.
Zargat sat down in the chair as his attendants strapped him down and placed electrodes and a dome on his hairless skull.
"Begin."
The power of a hundred worlds seared through the great machine and went into the very molecules themselves, into the sub-atomic, beyond the sub-atomic. Zargat felt himself ebb, then flow into the new structure that would magnify his intelligence by hundreds of orders of magnitude and allow the Unity to come to fruition.
Yes.
Yes, he could see the gestalt, the swirls of hot, passion, fury, fear, happiness, anger, none of it mattered anymore.
He was no longer Zargat the Terrible.
He was The Master.
The Master would have Unity throughout the galaxy. Undesirables would be purged, and eventually all data would be encoded in his matrix for the ultimate coalesence.
The Master stared down at what was once his body. The attendants unstrapped it and looked to him for orders. How many years had his mind been confined to that worthless fleshbag, how much potential was wasted.
"Send it to Primus," boomed the Master. Perhaps the fool would be distracted and make more blunders.
Now that he was ascended, he would need a second. A second... not any second. One to match him, so once the galaxy was his, there would be two and no more, a duality of structure and play of signs, the signified becoming irrelevant because both the sign and signifier would be one and there would be no other. Eternality.
The Master would make its choice, once the uncertainties were eliminated. It already had one in mind.
Brian
The Denius system was in flames, the Romulan colonies wiped out by the Borg and their terrible napalm weapons. Unlike the other systems, they lacked the defensive mine fields. Denius was one of the Star Empire's main construction systems, made so by Primus in the days before the war, in case the now conquered Takarans declared war and split the empire in two bu doing so.
If the Borg had shown up not much later they would've had to contend with a number of King Falcons, but that was the story of this war. Their foes appearing at exactly the wrong time and dealing crippling blows before they could react.
Primus sighed. Another blow to his empire. Well, they still had some manufacturing capacity. Enough for one last act of defiance against the coming hordes, he hoped.
At least there was some good news: the ships in Alshain's Starfleet that had not defected to the Klingon Empire were now asking to join with his forces. Primus was honored to accept them; they had fought valiantly in his peoples' defense.
"At least we'll all plunge into the abyss together," he said softly.
If the Borg had shown up not much later they would've had to contend with a number of King Falcons, but that was the story of this war. Their foes appearing at exactly the wrong time and dealing crippling blows before they could react.
Primus sighed. Another blow to his empire. Well, they still had some manufacturing capacity. Enough for one last act of defiance against the coming hordes, he hoped.
At least there was some good news: the ships in Alshain's Starfleet that had not defected to the Klingon Empire were now asking to join with his forces. Primus was honored to accept them; they had fought valiantly in his peoples' defense.
"At least we'll all plunge into the abyss together," he said softly.
"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
-
Arthur_Tuxedo
- Sith Acolyte
- Posts: 5637
- Joined: 2002-07-23 03:28am
- Location: San Francisco, California
Kirk stared into the blackness of space, allowing the void to consume him. When a man stares into nothing, he can truly forget everything. And for a man such as Kirk, who had steered his people into utter disaster and annihilation, who was about to lose everything he held so dear, nothing could be more precious than a swim in the River Styx. Kirk basked in the bliss of his ignorance. He did not know that New Earth had been assimilated, did not know a million horrible things.
As Kirk sat in the Captain's chair of the newly rechristened U.S.S. Enterprise, Spock by his side as his XO, and Bones as his chief doctor and curmudgeony advisor, he knew only that he had a mission. Admiral Kirk had failed totally and utterly, but Captain Kirk had never been beaten. It just had to be that way one more time.
As Kirk sat in the Captain's chair of the newly rechristened U.S.S. Enterprise, Spock by his side as his XO, and Bones as his chief doctor and curmudgeony advisor, he knew only that he had a mission. Admiral Kirk had failed totally and utterly, but Captain Kirk had never been beaten. It just had to be that way one more time.
"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
Alpha Carinae System - New Earth
Kirk. Still sitting on the Dappo warp point to Antede. No doubt wishing that the Borg Queen had mindlessly followed you through and been annihilated by your fortification of the transwarp conduit. The Master saw all and would not be deceived by transparent tactic.
And of course, the longer Kirk waited for the Unity to attack him, the longer the Unity had to assimilate Kirk's people. Three more planets had been assimilated, and it was only a matter of time until the entire system was under control, splitting Kirk's Federation in two.
Alpha Onais System - Romulan Home System
Eleven Concordiat Class Battlecruisers patrol the ashes of the Romulan Empire. No doubt guarding lone remaining Romulan homeworld.
They are deployed too far from the transwarp conduit. Suddenly, the transwarp conduit opens, spewing seventy Ferengi monstrosities. All battlecruisers. Much the same as the last time, although less in numbers by half.
The Concordiats could run.
They do not.
They open fire with their tri-cobalt torpedoes, immediately penetrating the shields of six battlecruisers and destroying them.
The Ferengi ships ignore the long-ranged assault and close to point-blank, their shields absorbing quantum torpedoes. The Concordiats prepare for another spread of tri-cobalts, but the battlecruisers fire their own quantums and pulse disruptors shearing then piercing the shields and armor of the Federation warships. They are obliterated before they can loose another volley.
Ophiucus System - Klingon Border
Two warp points have opened in the past month, one deep in Klingon space, another just now in the Ophiucus system. No doubt hundreds of Ferengi warships will stream through to subjugate the Klingons... or will they?
Instead, a mere thirty vessels, many of them older designs, come through the older transwarp conduit. The two newer transwarp conduits were feints, laid by the Unity to divert Klingon forces! And it appears to have worked--there are no Klingon warriors defending the transwarp conduit from Ophiucus to Rura Penthe. The Ferengi battlecruisers move unhindered towards the Klingon listening post of Ophiucus I...
Brian
Kirk. Still sitting on the Dappo warp point to Antede. No doubt wishing that the Borg Queen had mindlessly followed you through and been annihilated by your fortification of the transwarp conduit. The Master saw all and would not be deceived by transparent tactic.
And of course, the longer Kirk waited for the Unity to attack him, the longer the Unity had to assimilate Kirk's people. Three more planets had been assimilated, and it was only a matter of time until the entire system was under control, splitting Kirk's Federation in two.
Alpha Onais System - Romulan Home System
Eleven Concordiat Class Battlecruisers patrol the ashes of the Romulan Empire. No doubt guarding lone remaining Romulan homeworld.
They are deployed too far from the transwarp conduit. Suddenly, the transwarp conduit opens, spewing seventy Ferengi monstrosities. All battlecruisers. Much the same as the last time, although less in numbers by half.
The Concordiats could run.
They do not.
They open fire with their tri-cobalt torpedoes, immediately penetrating the shields of six battlecruisers and destroying them.
The Ferengi ships ignore the long-ranged assault and close to point-blank, their shields absorbing quantum torpedoes. The Concordiats prepare for another spread of tri-cobalts, but the battlecruisers fire their own quantums and pulse disruptors shearing then piercing the shields and armor of the Federation warships. They are obliterated before they can loose another volley.
Ophiucus System - Klingon Border
Two warp points have opened in the past month, one deep in Klingon space, another just now in the Ophiucus system. No doubt hundreds of Ferengi warships will stream through to subjugate the Klingons... or will they?
Instead, a mere thirty vessels, many of them older designs, come through the older transwarp conduit. The two newer transwarp conduits were feints, laid by the Unity to divert Klingon forces! And it appears to have worked--there are no Klingon warriors defending the transwarp conduit from Ophiucus to Rura Penthe. The Ferengi battlecruisers move unhindered towards the Klingon listening post of Ophiucus I...
Brian
Game Over and a New Galaxy Far, Far Away...
All of a sudden, you are here. Where is here? It's in a room full of tables, chairs, dim lights and candles and a buffet table. At the buffet table is food fit for an army from across the galaxy. Romulan Ale, Klingon Gagh and Blue Jello. At one end is Q and Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation. Q is smoking a cigar and has his feet on the table and his hands across plush velvet seating.
"Q, this is wrong. Billions of people are being assimilated. End it now."
"Why should I do that?"
"The game was rigged."
Q coughs. "Please, you've made that same accusation a dozen times. What is your excuse now? The Klingons didn't get this, or the Federation didn't get that. Bah!"
"Hear me out Q. You made the playing field even."
"Finally, we're getting somewhere."
"Because of this, it was not fair."
Q looks like he's about to laugh, but instead furrows his brow as if in deep thought. "Interesting. Go on."
"You tested only one aspect of sentience, aggressiveness, strength--"
"--and decisiveness, intelligence, and so on and so on. Do you forget that war is the measure of a man?"
"They played the game the Borg's way. Little wonder they failed."
"What are you suggesting?
"Put the Federation where they belong, Q. Make the Borg back to their overconfident, arrogant selves. Test one's strengths, not one's weakness."
Q strokes his chin. "As Leonard Nimoy would say, fascinating."
"Who?"
"How about we play this game exactly how you want it. The Borg, the way they were supposed to be. Oh yes, and why not bring The Force into it as well. You humans are always so fond of a destiny. Solo shoots first, and Windu gets another chance to save the galaxy. Oh yes." Q snaps his fingers.
There is a tap, tap, tap of metal hitting wood, and an approaching shadow. As the shadow enters the room, it becomes smaller, then a tiny green figure which stares at Q with eyes of concentration.
"Master Yoda," says Q in a deep voice.
"Q," says Yoda.
"The Dark Side was victorious."
"Know I."
"There is to be another game."
"How concern me does this?"
"They need the light side."
Yoda closes his eyes. His forehead creases, then relaxes. "Yes. But help I, and the Dark Side exist in their galaxy will."
"It's that or--" Q looks at the Borg Queen.
Yoda looks at the Borg Queen too, and nods his head, understanding.
"Very well. The Jedi help will."
"Excellent!" Q turns around and faces Picard. "There you go, you've got a fighting chance now!" Q snaps his fingers. Ten feet in the air, a black humanoid appears and begins plummeting to the ground. Yoda raises his hand, and the figure gently turns upright and stands.
"Master Yoda?" says the man with a look of confusion on his face. Yoda nods.
"You are making no sense Q. This is no time for games!" says Picard, stepping in between Q and Yoda. Yoda smiles, and Q grunts. "If you were half as smart as that one Picard--"
"--patience Q. Young he is."
Q snorts.
"Look, we have visitors," says Q, pointing to you all and ignoring Picard. "Please, make yourselves at home!"
Q stands up and rubs his hands. "Well now that you're all here, we can get to work." Q snaps his fingers. Dozens of file folders appear on the tables, one table for each major power. "Picard has convinced me. Luckily for some of you. Or more accurately, your people. They'll be another game, yes. And each of you will pick your champion. For some of you who have been blown to bits, thrown into space, assimilated, tortured, disintegrated or otherwise are busy, don't worry. You'll be back where you belong in a nanosecond. Oh, and don't try anything funny. I've already had to deal with Smurfs, the Wicked Witch from the West, Richard Dean Anderson and the Powerpuff Girls, so I have no compunctions about snapping my fingers and turning you into goo. And hurry up, me and Picard are hitting the greens in half an hour. You can pick anybody. Well anybody except yourself."
Q pauses.
"And make your choice well. Let's just say the fate of the universe depends on it."
Brian
All of a sudden, you are here. Where is here? It's in a room full of tables, chairs, dim lights and candles and a buffet table. At the buffet table is food fit for an army from across the galaxy. Romulan Ale, Klingon Gagh and Blue Jello. At one end is Q and Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation. Q is smoking a cigar and has his feet on the table and his hands across plush velvet seating.
"Q, this is wrong. Billions of people are being assimilated. End it now."
"Why should I do that?"
"The game was rigged."
Q coughs. "Please, you've made that same accusation a dozen times. What is your excuse now? The Klingons didn't get this, or the Federation didn't get that. Bah!"
"Hear me out Q. You made the playing field even."
"Finally, we're getting somewhere."
"Because of this, it was not fair."
Q looks like he's about to laugh, but instead furrows his brow as if in deep thought. "Interesting. Go on."
"You tested only one aspect of sentience, aggressiveness, strength--"
"--and decisiveness, intelligence, and so on and so on. Do you forget that war is the measure of a man?"
"They played the game the Borg's way. Little wonder they failed."
"What are you suggesting?
"Put the Federation where they belong, Q. Make the Borg back to their overconfident, arrogant selves. Test one's strengths, not one's weakness."
Q strokes his chin. "As Leonard Nimoy would say, fascinating."
"Who?"
"How about we play this game exactly how you want it. The Borg, the way they were supposed to be. Oh yes, and why not bring The Force into it as well. You humans are always so fond of a destiny. Solo shoots first, and Windu gets another chance to save the galaxy. Oh yes." Q snaps his fingers.
There is a tap, tap, tap of metal hitting wood, and an approaching shadow. As the shadow enters the room, it becomes smaller, then a tiny green figure which stares at Q with eyes of concentration.
"Master Yoda," says Q in a deep voice.
"Q," says Yoda.
"The Dark Side was victorious."
"Know I."
"There is to be another game."
"How concern me does this?"
"They need the light side."
Yoda closes his eyes. His forehead creases, then relaxes. "Yes. But help I, and the Dark Side exist in their galaxy will."
"It's that or--" Q looks at the Borg Queen.
Yoda looks at the Borg Queen too, and nods his head, understanding.
"Very well. The Jedi help will."
"Excellent!" Q turns around and faces Picard. "There you go, you've got a fighting chance now!" Q snaps his fingers. Ten feet in the air, a black humanoid appears and begins plummeting to the ground. Yoda raises his hand, and the figure gently turns upright and stands.
"Master Yoda?" says the man with a look of confusion on his face. Yoda nods.
"You are making no sense Q. This is no time for games!" says Picard, stepping in between Q and Yoda. Yoda smiles, and Q grunts. "If you were half as smart as that one Picard--"
"--patience Q. Young he is."
Q snorts.
"Look, we have visitors," says Q, pointing to you all and ignoring Picard. "Please, make yourselves at home!"
Q stands up and rubs his hands. "Well now that you're all here, we can get to work." Q snaps his fingers. Dozens of file folders appear on the tables, one table for each major power. "Picard has convinced me. Luckily for some of you. Or more accurately, your people. They'll be another game, yes. And each of you will pick your champion. For some of you who have been blown to bits, thrown into space, assimilated, tortured, disintegrated or otherwise are busy, don't worry. You'll be back where you belong in a nanosecond. Oh, and don't try anything funny. I've already had to deal with Smurfs, the Wicked Witch from the West, Richard Dean Anderson and the Powerpuff Girls, so I have no compunctions about snapping my fingers and turning you into goo. And hurry up, me and Picard are hitting the greens in half an hour. You can pick anybody. Well anybody except yourself."
Q pauses.
"And make your choice well. Let's just say the fate of the universe depends on it."
Brian