Star Trek: For the Glory of the Empire: Updated 3-7-05
Posted: 2005-03-01 03:10am
Prologue
Stardate 63982.4
Julian Date: December 25, 2385
Location: Sol System, Earth Defense Perimeter Epsilon
William Riker watched the massacre as it played out before him on the view screen. Over a million kilometers away, a group of two hundred Starfleet ships unleashed their firepower against the dagger shaped behemoth. If it wasn’t for the Titan’s sensors and view screen magnification, he would not be able to even witness this.
The fact that it was a massacre didn’t help the fact he was watching it.
“The enemy ship is breaking through the defensive line, 75% of the defense force is destroyed or crippled.”
Riker closed his eyes as the news was given to him, 75% of those ships destroyed or crippled. Who knows how much life was lost, “Status on the enemy ship?”
“Receiving sensor data from the USS Babington, it barely took a scratch, shields are still holding stable.”
“Looks like it didn’t break a sweat even getting past them.” Riker settled back in his chair, his face stern, “Red Alert, all hands to battle stations”
As the klaxons sounded, Riker let himself drift away for a moment, finding the calm center of his mind. Panicking in the middle of an assault wouldn’t be intelligent; the enemy ship was big, strong, and powerful. It had to have a weakness.
“Enemy ship is within weapons range.”
Riker’s eyes snapped open, his face set as he leaned forward, “Helm set course….”
He stopped in mid sentence as a wall of brilliant green fire poured at the defense line from the enemy ship. The Titan shook once as the first bolt impacted with the shields. Consoles exploded and support beams fell from the ceiling, crushing the Helm and Tactical stations in a moment.
Smoke filled the bridge, as William Riker rose from the floor, blood covering half his face, eyes transfixed on the enemy ship, who still now poured a wall of green death into them. Starships spun out of control with the impacts, hulls rupturing and engine cores exploding under hell storm of energy the ship was unleashing.
“I wish I was back on the Enterprise…” was Riker’s last words, as the Titan was consumed by a stray bolt of green death.
“The Enemy Fleet has been dispatched Admiral”
Admiral Qua’lin Jonz watched the destruction through the view port. It was oddly satisfying; these Federation starships were no match for the might of his ship, of his weapons. They buckled so easily. Hands clasped behind him, Jonz turned from the scene, his attention now focused upon the grey uniformed crewman before him.
“This entire mission has turned out to be nothing more than an exercise in extermination….Are we within range?”
The crewman nodded his assent, “Aye Admiral. Well within range, 500,000 kilometers and closing with each second. The superlaser is primed for firing, and target is locked on the third planet, the one known as Earth.”
Jonz smile was supreme as he turned back to the window, the blue and white globe hung in space before him, thirty million kilometers away, and various groups of Star Fleet ships, invisible to the naked eye if not for the massive mounts of them, hung in defense positions.
“Does the planet have any defenses, other than the ships?”
“Only a primitive planetary shield system, Admiral, one shot and it will collapse, a second, and our objective shall be complete.”
“Excellent. Open fire whenever the fire-crew is ready”
The crewman bowed before the Admiral, and moved to relay the order.
The Federation ships moved forward, impulse engines flaring to life as the Epsilon Defense Perimeter was eliminated before the first shot could be fired. Federation phasers and quantum torpedoes transversed the distances, striking the shields of the Sovereign Class Star Destroyer. They were ignored, as all power was channeled into the superlaser.
The one act of desperation saved hundreds of thousands of lives, and left billions to their faith, as the superlaser was fired. The dark hull of the Star Destroyer was light up, as the green energy beam sliced through the cold depths of space, crumpling the planet’s defensive shields. Federation ships not quick enough to clear the field of fire were eliminated in the initial outburst, as Earth’s shields held.
Upon the planet’s surface, the populace watched as the planetary shield, invisible under normal circumstances, became horrible opaque. The Stars and moon were blocked out for a moment. Cheers rose up from the civilians, as they believed the shield had held.
They never had the chance to realize how wrong they where, as the Imperial Command Ship fired its weapon a second time. The shields had crumpled after the first, initial burst, and nothing was left to protect the populace.
When the first beam had been fired, Starfleet had retreated, realizing nothing they could do would stop it. The entire remaining fleet watched in horror as the super laser tore into the planet. Atmosphere heated and thinned with the passage of the beam, the crust at the site of impact glowed first ed, then brilliant white, as it melted, constantly expanding. Massive cracks formed throughout the surface, where it was visible through the remaining clouds. The planet would never recover from the damage, all knew it instantly. Earth was in her death throes.
“Cease fire.”
Admiral Jonz’ orders were relayed through the intercom, and the superlaser was disengaged. He watched in supreme delight, as the planet continued in its death throes, even as his ship continued to advance towards it…
It had been a suicide mission, he knew. There was only enough Hypermatter left in the reactors to empower this one final mission, this one last act to spite their opponents. He and the skeleton crew onboard would pilot this ultimate weapon, one of two left to their small group, and annihilate their enemy’s most treasured world. It was done, and his crew would be remembered for their act.
“Abandon ship.”
Jonz gave the final order, as he remained motionless on the bridge of the ship. He would not abandon, he would remain, and watch as his ship plunged into the heart of the ruined planet below, and took her from the death throes, into final rest.
Crew members rushed from the bridge, to the escape pods and shuttles left on the ship. Seconds passed by, and he watched the dying planet fill his view port. The air on the bridge became noticeably warmer as the massive ship began to enter the atmosphere, its ion engines pushing it through with greater speed than gravity alone would allow.
Clouds rushed by, as the ship plunged into the Earth, as Jonz snapped into a formal salute, the proud words leaving his lips, “For the Glory of the Empire”, before he became a bloody smear on the aft bulkhead.
----- ----- -----
Comments? Suggestions?
I know it's a bit...hard to follow. This is basically just the setup for the real story. It will get better when I go into the actual first chapter, which will be a week or two, depending on reactions to this.
I leave myself at your mercy, gentle SD.Netizens....
Story idea originated with the "Tech Understanding" thread in the SWvST forum, which can be seen here
Stardate 63982.4
Julian Date: December 25, 2385
Location: Sol System, Earth Defense Perimeter Epsilon
William Riker watched the massacre as it played out before him on the view screen. Over a million kilometers away, a group of two hundred Starfleet ships unleashed their firepower against the dagger shaped behemoth. If it wasn’t for the Titan’s sensors and view screen magnification, he would not be able to even witness this.
The fact that it was a massacre didn’t help the fact he was watching it.
“The enemy ship is breaking through the defensive line, 75% of the defense force is destroyed or crippled.”
Riker closed his eyes as the news was given to him, 75% of those ships destroyed or crippled. Who knows how much life was lost, “Status on the enemy ship?”
“Receiving sensor data from the USS Babington, it barely took a scratch, shields are still holding stable.”
“Looks like it didn’t break a sweat even getting past them.” Riker settled back in his chair, his face stern, “Red Alert, all hands to battle stations”
As the klaxons sounded, Riker let himself drift away for a moment, finding the calm center of his mind. Panicking in the middle of an assault wouldn’t be intelligent; the enemy ship was big, strong, and powerful. It had to have a weakness.
“Enemy ship is within weapons range.”
Riker’s eyes snapped open, his face set as he leaned forward, “Helm set course….”
He stopped in mid sentence as a wall of brilliant green fire poured at the defense line from the enemy ship. The Titan shook once as the first bolt impacted with the shields. Consoles exploded and support beams fell from the ceiling, crushing the Helm and Tactical stations in a moment.
Smoke filled the bridge, as William Riker rose from the floor, blood covering half his face, eyes transfixed on the enemy ship, who still now poured a wall of green death into them. Starships spun out of control with the impacts, hulls rupturing and engine cores exploding under hell storm of energy the ship was unleashing.
“I wish I was back on the Enterprise…” was Riker’s last words, as the Titan was consumed by a stray bolt of green death.
“The Enemy Fleet has been dispatched Admiral”
Admiral Qua’lin Jonz watched the destruction through the view port. It was oddly satisfying; these Federation starships were no match for the might of his ship, of his weapons. They buckled so easily. Hands clasped behind him, Jonz turned from the scene, his attention now focused upon the grey uniformed crewman before him.
“This entire mission has turned out to be nothing more than an exercise in extermination….Are we within range?”
The crewman nodded his assent, “Aye Admiral. Well within range, 500,000 kilometers and closing with each second. The superlaser is primed for firing, and target is locked on the third planet, the one known as Earth.”
Jonz smile was supreme as he turned back to the window, the blue and white globe hung in space before him, thirty million kilometers away, and various groups of Star Fleet ships, invisible to the naked eye if not for the massive mounts of them, hung in defense positions.
“Does the planet have any defenses, other than the ships?”
“Only a primitive planetary shield system, Admiral, one shot and it will collapse, a second, and our objective shall be complete.”
“Excellent. Open fire whenever the fire-crew is ready”
The crewman bowed before the Admiral, and moved to relay the order.
The Federation ships moved forward, impulse engines flaring to life as the Epsilon Defense Perimeter was eliminated before the first shot could be fired. Federation phasers and quantum torpedoes transversed the distances, striking the shields of the Sovereign Class Star Destroyer. They were ignored, as all power was channeled into the superlaser.
The one act of desperation saved hundreds of thousands of lives, and left billions to their faith, as the superlaser was fired. The dark hull of the Star Destroyer was light up, as the green energy beam sliced through the cold depths of space, crumpling the planet’s defensive shields. Federation ships not quick enough to clear the field of fire were eliminated in the initial outburst, as Earth’s shields held.
Upon the planet’s surface, the populace watched as the planetary shield, invisible under normal circumstances, became horrible opaque. The Stars and moon were blocked out for a moment. Cheers rose up from the civilians, as they believed the shield had held.
They never had the chance to realize how wrong they where, as the Imperial Command Ship fired its weapon a second time. The shields had crumpled after the first, initial burst, and nothing was left to protect the populace.
When the first beam had been fired, Starfleet had retreated, realizing nothing they could do would stop it. The entire remaining fleet watched in horror as the super laser tore into the planet. Atmosphere heated and thinned with the passage of the beam, the crust at the site of impact glowed first ed, then brilliant white, as it melted, constantly expanding. Massive cracks formed throughout the surface, where it was visible through the remaining clouds. The planet would never recover from the damage, all knew it instantly. Earth was in her death throes.
“Cease fire.”
Admiral Jonz’ orders were relayed through the intercom, and the superlaser was disengaged. He watched in supreme delight, as the planet continued in its death throes, even as his ship continued to advance towards it…
It had been a suicide mission, he knew. There was only enough Hypermatter left in the reactors to empower this one final mission, this one last act to spite their opponents. He and the skeleton crew onboard would pilot this ultimate weapon, one of two left to their small group, and annihilate their enemy’s most treasured world. It was done, and his crew would be remembered for their act.
“Abandon ship.”
Jonz gave the final order, as he remained motionless on the bridge of the ship. He would not abandon, he would remain, and watch as his ship plunged into the heart of the ruined planet below, and took her from the death throes, into final rest.
Crew members rushed from the bridge, to the escape pods and shuttles left on the ship. Seconds passed by, and he watched the dying planet fill his view port. The air on the bridge became noticeably warmer as the massive ship began to enter the atmosphere, its ion engines pushing it through with greater speed than gravity alone would allow.
Clouds rushed by, as the ship plunged into the Earth, as Jonz snapped into a formal salute, the proud words leaving his lips, “For the Glory of the Empire”, before he became a bloody smear on the aft bulkhead.
----- ----- -----
Comments? Suggestions?
I know it's a bit...hard to follow. This is basically just the setup for the real story. It will get better when I go into the actual first chapter, which will be a week or two, depending on reactions to this.
I leave myself at your mercy, gentle SD.Netizens....
Story idea originated with the "Tech Understanding" thread in the SWvST forum, which can be seen here
Esspecialy after reading "Tech Understanding" thread.