StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Legal Disclaimer since I will be using canon characters: Star Wars is a registered trademark of LucasFilm Ltd. Star Trek is a registered trademark of Paramount. I do not intend to infringe upon the property rights of LucasFilm or Paramount This is purely for fun and no profit is intended.

Special Acknowledgements: I would like to thank the Furry Conflict.com website for permission to use some of their ships.

Now, on with the fic:

Prologue

The Emperor was sitting inside his shuttle. The pilot, rightfully afraid, sat almost shivering, but tried to conceal his fear. Darth Vader, a few other Dark Siders and Admiral Thrawn were near the pilot. An alert siren rang and he the pilot said, "We're approaching the rendevous point. We'll be exiting hyperspace shortly."

A minute passed and the ship exited hyperspace. Immediately, the pilot saw thousands of warships and an outpost and shipyards being built. The pilot said, "This is the shuttle Triderius, code clearance alpha omega. We are starting our approach."

A voice from the outpost replied, "Acknowledged Shuttle Triderius. We have you on our monitors. The shield is down. We're ready for your arrival."

"I copy that."

The pilot then settled in. His job was almost complete. He did not know what this fleet was for, and he did not dare question the Emperor. Despire the victory at Hoth, the rebels were still causing a lot of trouble in the Empire. Only recently, the Empire lost a convoy bearing over a quarter million occupation troops. The shuttle approached the landing pad and it soon landed.

Inside the outpost, all of the non-essential crew members went to the landing bay and fell into formation. The commander of the base, Admiral Butcher, approached the shuttle. The hatch opened and the Emperor, Vader, the Dark Siders and Grand Admiral Thrawn came down the ramp. Admiral Butcher genuflected before the Emperor and said, "We are honored by your presence. Everything has been prepared. We only await the arrival of the other three waves. We are building a new fleet as you ordered us to. We are actually ahead of schedule." Admiral Butcher smiled when he said that. The Emperor replied, "Unlike those fools building my second Death Star. You've done well Admiral Butcher." The Emperor then turned to Grand Admiral Thrawn and said, "Inspect this base from top to bottom. I want you to make sure that everything is in perfect order. If you see anything that needs to be improved upon, tell Admiral Butcher."

Grand Admiral Thrawn responded, "Yes, Your Excellency."

Palpatine then turned to Thrawn and said, "When you are finished here, I wish for you to return to your section of the Unknown Regions. The Yuuzahn Vong may be quiet for now, but they will not stay that way forever."

Thrawn then said, "Emperor, your plan to expand the Empire into a new galaxy is a bold and daring plan, but should we do it right now? We still have the rebels to deal with and we must ensure that the Yuuzahn Vong are no longer a threat to the Empire."

Palpatine said, "The real reason why I want this expedition into a new galaxy so that we have a new base of operations in case we need to leave this galaxy. The Rebellion is not going to be a problem for us. As long as the Death Star II is completed on schedule and when young Skywalker is a Sith, we won't have a problem dealing with the Rebel scum. You will keep the Yuuzahn Vong in check and inform me if they start attacking your bases."

Thrawn then did his inspection. Vader was examining the troops and when the Emperor approached he said, "My master, things are run well. The troops do their duties without question."

Just then, another Imperial fleet emerged from hyperspace. It consisted of 2000 Star Destroyers, 4,000 Frigates and 10,000 smaller capital ships.

Palpatine then called Butcher over to him and said, "You've done well Butcher. The time to strike will be soon. Start sending in some reconnaissance flights through the rift. Wait for my signal before sending the invasion forces through. Until the order is given, you will continue to build more ships of all classes. You will also build more of the TIE Avengers and TIE Defenders. Also, build more Missile Boats. I want this invasion to go well with minimal losses. When the time for the invasion has come, I will send the signal. Only I, Vader, Grand Admiral Thrawn, or a member of my Dark Side Elite may send the signal to launch the invasion of this new galaxy. Do you understand?"

Butcher bowed and said, "I understand your Excellency."

Palpatine then smiled and said, "Good."

Palpatine then went onboard his shuttle with his Dark Side Elite and departed for Coruscant. Vader went towards the Death Star and Thrawn returned to the Unknown Regions.

Butcher watched them leave and he said, "Soon, we will finally have defeated the Rebels and we'll be able to concentrate all of our forces on this new galaxy.

But the order to launch never came. Palpatine and Vader died at Endor, and Thrawn would die five years after Endor. Then, the Emperor's Dark Side Elite would fall to the Jedi... all except one, Xecr Nist. He was captured by the Jedi, and left in a prison to rot. But he has not forgotten about Operation New Frontier...


Well, what do you guys think so far? Any advice will be appreciated.

It's cool. In so far.

Though I must say.....the Emperor wouldn't order an imperial officer to start production of warships.

Unless of course it's from Imperial shipyards manned by imperial builders.

Cyaround,
Jason

TrekWarsie wrote:Legal Disclaimer since I will be using canon characters: Star Wars is a registered trademark of LucasFilm Ltd. Star Trek is a registered trademark of Paramount. I do not intend to infringe upon the property rights of LucasFilm or Paramount This is purely for fun and no profit is intended.

I think you should keep writing. Most problems I see here will likely disappear in time as you gain experience.

Thanks for the feedback. Here's the second chapter.

Butcher and his soldiers waited at the new base. He had expected the order to come soon but it did not. He and his troops waited year after year, expecting to be given the signal. But no signal came. Thirty years later Admiral Butcher was still waiting and he was still confident that the Emperor would give the order shortly. Another admiral came over and he said to Butcher, "We have been waiting here for thirty years. Some have even sent scouts into the core regions and have found evidence of a new government. I don't think that the Emperor will give the order. If Palpatine is dead or in need of assisstance, it is our duty to go in and destroy whatever new government has established itself in place of our Empire."

Butcher looked at him and snapped, "Palpatine can't be dead. He will come and give us the signal. If he needed our help, he would send Vader or one of his Dark Side Elitists to either give the signal or tell us what to do about any situation. Even if those damned Rebels have established a new government, they would be crushed by the Imperial forces that are already at the Emperor's command."

Havok then said, "But sir, if none of them are alive to give the order, what are we to do; just sit here? We have been sitting here for the last thirty years. Palpatine said for us to expect the signal soon! Something must have happened. Even if there was a change in policy and we weren't ordered to invade the other galaxy, we'd most likely be ordered to become a new fleet in the Empire. We have built over three million ships, 20,000 of them are Star Destroyers of various classes. We even have a few dozen Executor Class Star Destroyers, and two new Imperious Class Star Destroyers and four Sovereign Class Star Destroyers. If the Emperor were monitoring our situation, like he told us he would before the base was built, he'd undoubtedly inform us as to what to do by now?"

Butcher then approached Havok and said, "We will wait here for one more year. After that, then I will go in. But have faith, it won't be long now before the order is given. You may leave now."

Havok then left, muttering something inaudibly. Butcher then looked out at his newest ships, the Imperious and the Sovereigns. He looked at the new Superlaser points on those ships. He then said, "It won't be long now." Little did he know just how close it was to the time of the invasion.

In New Republic Space, a freighter exited hyperapace over a planet. It was a dark and seemingly barren world. Virtually no life grew there, though there was plenty of water. The ship entered the atmosphere and it approached a tall grey building. It was a tower with turbolaser emplacements. It also had several X-Wing starfighters flying around it. The ship approached a landing pad and it engaged its landing pads. The ship landed and several people disembarked carrying some storage crates. Several people came from the complex to assist the pilots. The container had an energy cage. Energy cages were designed to hold force users, and prevent them from being able to trick the guards into letting them escape. The warden, who had a ysalamiri over his shoulder said to one of the pilots, "Get a ysalamiri before you escort the prisoner. He is a very powerful Dark Sider."

The lead pilot said, "Yes sir."

The warden then said, "Don't let your guard down. This one has repeatedly tried to escape. He has killed over two dozen guards in his previous escape attempts."

The pilot said, "Don't worry sir. We'll be careful."

"Good." Then the warden left.

Down in the lowest level of the tower, a prisoner by the name of Xecr Nist sat in a cell. Three guard approached him, one with Nist's meal. Nist noticed that the guards did not have ysalamiri. "How foolish of them," thought Nist. The guards approached cautiously. Two of them trained their blaster rifles on Nist. The guard with the said, "Here's your meal. Don't try anything funny. If you try to take away my sidearm, the others will kill you."

Nist smiled and said, "Don't worry about me me trying to escape. I am well aware of the fact that this prison is inescapable. I also see that you remembered to bring your ysalamiri."

Just then the guards remembered that they had forgotten to be wearing ysalamiri. That moment's panic was all Nist needed. He took the meal and force threw it at one of the armed guards. He called the blaster of the guard who had the meal to him and he fired at the other armed guard. The bolt hit the man in the chest. He immediately fell down dead. He then shot the other armed guard with one bolt through the chest, all the while force choking the guard who had had the meal. Soon, the guard collapsed in a heap and Nist checked his pulse. He was dead. Nist then got the man's holster and he tied it around his waist. He then went to one of the dead guards and got the discarded blaster rifle. He then walked down the hall. Two guards were approaching and he fired at them. One guard was hit but the other had managed to hide behind a trash container. The guard was firing at Nist, but Nist was using the force to generate a shield around him. The guard then charged him, but Nist grabbed his neck and twisted it around. There was a cracking sound and the guard then fell. Nist then went to the turbolift and summoned it. The door opened and he sent it to the landing pad.

The lift went up to the pad and it opened. The dozen guards there were amazed and terrified to find Nist in the left. The guards fired, but each bolt was deflected by Nist's force shield. He then set his blaster rifle to autofire and he sprayed the area with blaster bolts. Four of the guards were hit but the other guards managed to find cover. They then fired again, only to see Xecr Nist jump out of the way. He then fired Force lightening at the guards and some of them fell. Only two guards remained alive. Nist said, "Give me an armed transport and I will let you live."

The guard then approached and said, "Fine, you can have the 'Trident.' It is a modified YT 2400 transport."

Nist said, "Thank you" and then he pulled out his pistol and he shot them. Nist looked around at the fallen guards and he said, "This was too easy. I certainly hope the starfighters put up more of a challenge."

He started the engines and lifted off. A few airspeeders pursued him. He then concentrated and let the Force flow throughh him. He targeted the speeders with the transport's heavy laser cannons and he fired. Two speeders exploded in midair after they were hit and three others had smoke trailing them. Nist didn't look to see if the pilots had ejected. He did not care. He had four new concerns. Four X-Wings were coming at him. He knew that they would be difficult to bear if they could be allowed to manuver. He then armed the concussion missiles and he fired a pair at the first two X-Wings. They broke off with the missiles following them. Nist then fired his heavy laser cannons at the two remaining X-Wings that were coming towards him. One of the starfighters took a direct hit and exploded. Nist then targeted the other X-Wing and fired two missiles at it. The X-Wing soon exploded. The other two X-Wings, who were dodging the concussion missiles were more of a challenge. Nist then opened up to the force again and he held the X-Wings in an invisible grip. The missiles impacted on the fighters' shields, but the fighters were not destroyed. Nist then fired two more missiles at the still X-Wings and they were destroyed. Nist then said, "All to easy."

He then saw some fire pass the cockpit. A New Republic cruiser was headed for his ship. It was time for him to leave. He saw a squadron of A-Wings coming at him firing their laser cannons. They were too far away to hit him, but they were approaching fast. He then began calculating a hyperspace jump to an unexplored area of the Unknown Regions. He said, "This is my chance to rebuild the Galactic Empire, maybe even start one of my own. I will not be defeated by these rebels."

A laser blast hit the ship and it shook. Then more blasts hit it. A warning siren alerted Nist to the fact that his shields were down. After another hit, sparks erupted from a console in front of him. The hyperspace were soon complete and he then punched it. His ship went into hyperspace, towards a fleet that might become a new Galactic Empire.

Note: The Imperious and Sovereign Class SSD's are from furryconflict.com.

It's been a while, but here's the third chapter:

The Trident exited hyperspace in an uncharted area of the Unknown Regions. Nist looked out the viewport and saw that there was a base near there. A full squadron of TIE Defenders soon came to his position and a voice crackled over the comm saying, "Unknown freighter, identify yourself or we will be forced to destroy you."

Nist opened a channel and he said, "This is Xecr Nist of the comandeered freighter 'Trident.' I wish to speak with the commanders of this base immediately. My clearance code is Alpha Omega."

The TIE pilot said, "Very well sir my lord. You are cleared to land in the main docking bay of Outpost S-27."

Nist closed the channel. The TIE Defenders soon flanked him and escorted the captured freighter to the main docking bay of a modified research platform. The freighter landed in the docking bay and Nist stepped off the ramp and saw Admirals Butcher and Havok standing before him. Nist said, "I bring sad news. Emperor Palpatine is dead and the Rebels have established a New Republic. The New Republic, however, is currently engaged in a war with the Yuuzahn Vong. The war goes evenly for both sides. The Rebels have taken back Coruscant from the Vong. I have come to inform you of the fact that we are now the only real remnant of Palpatine's dream. The fool, Admiral Pellaeon has made peace with the Republic.
As it stands, I now assume command of the Galactic Empire. We will continue with Palpatine's plan. We will expand this Empire, the true Empire, into other galaxies. We shall show other races the greatness of our arm. We will move as soon as we have sufficient forces to take over a new galaxy."

Admiral Havok then said, "What about this galaxy? Should we not give a thought to the Yuuzahn Vong and the Rebels?"

Nist glared at Havok. Havok stood petrified and was prepared to die. Nist then said, "Let the Rebels and the Vong destroy each other. At this rate, both governments will be destroyed in only a few years. We don't need to concern ourselves with the Vong yet. We will keep a large portion of our fleet here incase we are attacked by the Vong." Nist then turned towards Admiral Butcher and he said, "What is the status of our fleet right now?"

Butcher responded, "We currently have 100 Super Star Destroyers of various designs, 20,000 Imperial Star Destroyers, 50,000 Victory Star Destroyers, 100,000 Nebulon B-2 Frigates, 200,000 Nebulon B Frigates, 300,000 Carrack Light Cruisers, 4000 Lancer Class Frigates, 10,000 Interdictor Cruisers, 1,000,000 Corvettes, and 1,000,000 Escort Carriers. Each ship is also outfitted with a full compliment of TIE Fighters, Assault Gunboats, Missile Boats, Assault Shuttles and Landing Barges. We have also sent in several reconnaissance flights through the rift. We have found no evidence of any significantly advanced race within 20 lightyears of the rift. Should we begin construction of a base on the other side?"

Nist said, "Yes. Also, send in a few dozen ships as well. Have the fighters do some more recon flights in that galaxy. I want to know if they're just hiding or if this galaxy is really not all that advanced."

Butcher said, "Yes my lord."

Within a few months, a base was built on the other side of the rift. 36 ships went through the rift to defend the base. Of those ships, 5 were Imperator I Star Destroyers, 5 were Imperator II Star Destroyers, and two were of the new Imperator III design. When the base was complete, Nist went to inspect the base. After he inspected the base, he said, "Magnificant. No force could destroy this base. Send three Imperial Star Destroyers on a reconaissance run. Have one of them be of the new Imperator III class. I want to let anyone know that the Empire is the new power in this galaxy."

Admiral Butcher said happily, "Yes sir."

Meanwhile, in another part of the galaxy, the Enterprise was preparing to leave Spacedock. The damaged inflicted by the Scimitar had been repaired, and the ship left stronger than it was originally. A shuttlecraft approached the ship. Captain Picard and a Starfleet Admiral named David Solar were on the shuttle. They saw four new starfighters fly towards the shuttlebay. Picard said, "Are those the Katanas that I had heard about?"

Admiral Solar said, "Yes. You'll also be getting a shipment of Dagger class fighters as well."

Picard then asked, "It's been some time since she's been in space. I just hope that this experiment is successful."

Admiral Solar then said, "I hope so too. The Enterprise is now what we at Starfleet Command refer to as a Quantum Standard vessel. The Enterprise has more advanced Phasers, and all of its torpedo launchers are Quantum Torpedo launchers. If the peace talks go well with the Romulans, we may be getting a cloaking device for the E as well."

The shuttle landed in the shuttlebay. Picard got off the ramp and he went to the Bridge. When Picard got onto the Bridge, an officer said, "Captain on the Bridge."

Picard smiled and he said, "As you were."

He went over to Worf and he asked, "How are the modifications coming along?"

Worf said, "The weapons systems are operating well. My only concern is if the new Transwarp Core uses too much energy to allow us to use shields and weapons when we exit warp."

Geordi LaForge came over and he said, "That shouldn't be a problem. We have another power generator to power the weapons and shields. We'll still be able to fight and manuver at Transwarp speeds."

In a week, the final modifications were complete and the Enterprise ready to go. The ship left Spacedock and was underway. On the bridge, Picard sat in the Captain's seat with a young caucasian executive officer named Martin Madden beside him. Admiral Solar was standing near the center of the bridge. Worf said, "All systems are funtioning within accepted parameters."

Picard said, "Good." He then turned and he said, "Take us to Utopia Planitia, Full Impulse."

The ship accellerated to Full Impusle. The Impulse engines were working fine. Picard was satisfied. Then he said, "Take us to the Bassen Rift, Warp 13."

A young ensign said enthusiastically, "Aye sir."

Admiral Solar then said, "Now we see if this will be the first Federation ship to go at Transwarp speeds."

The ship went to warp. On the bridge of the Enterprise, there was no shaking or signs of stress. The stars were lines on the viewscreen. Picard then said, "Status report Commander Worf."

Worf said, "All stations report no problems. We are at transwarp speeds. We will approach the Bassen Rift in 30 seconds."

B-4 was in his quarters, the quarters that had previously belonged to Data. He looked out at the stars and saw gas clouds coming into view. He knew where they were headed to the place where his brother had died. His expression then looked vacant. He was remembering the memories that Data had put into him. But there was something else going on inside of him. A memory of pain and sadness. Sadness because his friends were sad. But he had only known Picard and Geordi for two months. How could he experience sadness? How could he view them as friends? He knew that they were close to Data, but he had remembered Worf, someone who he had hardly ever seen during the refit. Could a part of Data had been transferred into B-4? Impossible, he thought. And yet, B-4 could not help but feel a sense of sorrow for the sadness that had come about as a result of Data's death.

The Enterprise approached the Bassen Rift and it exited warp. Picard then said, "Choose a set of coordinates. And launch two probe."

A probe was launched. Picard then said, "Lock phasers on the first probe and fire."

Worf said, "Aye sir," and he pressed the firing button. A phaser beam was emmitted from the ventral main phaser array and the beam impacted with the probe and vaporized it."

Picard smiled and he then said, "Lock Quantum Torpedoes on the second probe."

"Torpedoes locked."

Picard then said, "Fire."

A Quantum Torpedo covered in a blue glow emerged from a Torpedo launcher and impacted with the probe. On the bridge, Admiral Solar said, "It looks like our Transwarp drive is successful. The problems with the weapons' systems that plagued the last tests have been solved in this one."

Then Worf said, "Sirs, I am picking up a small craft approaching our position."

Picard then said, "Can you identify it?"

Worf said, "No, it matches no known craft in our database."

Picard then said, "Open a channel to the craft."

But before the channel could open, the craft then jumped to faster than lightspeed. Worf then said, "Sir, the craft has jumped to faster than lightspeed. I cannot detect it."

Captain Picard sat and thought about it. Commander Madden then said, "Sir, should we pursue the craft. We might not be able to detect it, but we may be able to have a rough idea of where it's going."

Picard said, "No. Let's wait here for a bit. I have a feeling that this is not an isolated incident."

Back on the bridge of the Imperator III Star Destroyer, 'Terrorizer', Captain Thrasher was sitting in his command chair. Soon, an officer said, "Sir, TIE Defender Alpha Six reports that it has made contact with a ship 20 lightyears away from this area. The TIE Squadron is already en route to our current location."

Captain Thrasher said, "Good. It seems like we will be killing something today." Captain Thrasher had the nickname of 'Kill Crazy' since he loved killing his enemies instead of capturing them and on some occassions, had razed the bridge crews of some of his previous commands if they did not perform as well as he had wanted. He then said, "I can hardly wait."

The TIE squadron returned and Thrasher said, "Go to that area now. I just hope that that ship has some weapons systems so that they can put up some form of mock defense. How big was the ship?"

"According to reports, around 680 meters, give or take."

Thrasher said, "Excellent. I've been wanting to test our upgraded weapons' systems."

Coming Soon: The Battle!

Not bad, but try using the word 'then' a lot less.

Also, the events or descriptions seem kind of rushed. This is probably, because you use a lot of short (and simple) sentences:
Example:
"The ship accellerated to Full Impusle. The Impulse engines were working fine. Picard was satisfied."
Another example:
"Within a few months, a base was built on the other side of the rift. 36 ships went through the rift to defend the base. Of those ships, 6 were Imperial II Star Destroyers. When the base was complete, Nist went to inspect the base."

I'm not a good writer, so I can only tell you what I feel is wrong - I can't tell you how to do it right.

Chapter 4: The Ecounter

Picard had been waiting on the bridge for an hour. He looked at Worf and asked, "Have any more craft appeared on our sensors?"

Worf responded, "No sir."

Picard then said, "Check long range sensors. See if you pick up any other types of unusual craft in the area as well."

Worf said, "Aye sir." After a moment, Worf said, "There appear to be no ships in the area sir."

Picard looked around and he said, "Well, let's head back."

Worf soon stood up and said, "Sir, a large ship has appeared on our starboard bow."

Indeed, a very large ship had appeared. Coming out of hyperspace, the 'Terrorizer' emerged in front of what looked to be a puny vessel.

Picard looked at the viewscreen and said, "Open a channel to the vessel."

Worf puched a button and he said, "Channel open."

Picard then said in a loud, clear voice, "This is captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship 'Enterprise.' We are peaceful explorers. May we ask who you are and what you are doing here?"

There was no response.

Worf said, "Raising shields."

Picard countered him saying, "No wait, tactical analysis."

Worf punched a few commands on his console and said, "One hundred beam weapons of various power, twenty ion type weapons, and 40 torpedo launchers. The ion weaponry seems to emit pulses similar to a minature ion storm."

Picard then said, "That ship is a ship used for terror."

Commander Madden said, "Sir, if that ship is hostile, we probably won't survive a battle."

Picard listened to his first officer and he then asked Worf, "How powerful are those beam weapons?"

Worf said, "Unknown. They haven't charged them yet."

Picard looked at the vessel and asked, "Have they responded at all?"

Worf said, "No sir."

Commander Madden looked at Picard and said quietly, "Sir, I have a bad feeling about this. This ship is over 1600 meters long and is bristling with over 100 weapons batteries of unknown power and they haven't answered our hails."

Picard said, "Commander Worf, raise shields but do not charge weapons. We don't want to appear to be hostile."

On the bridge of the 'Terrorizer, Captain Thrasher looked at the 'Enterprise' and said, "Tell me what weapons they have."

An officer at one of the stations in the pit below said, "They have sixteen beam weapon emplacements and eight torpedo launchers."

Thrasher said, "What type of beam weapons do they have?"

The officer said, "Unknown, but they aren't turbolasers."

Thrasher then laughed softly. This was going to be easier than he he thought. There was no way that a ship like that could match the most powerful non-command ship of the Dark Empire. The communications officer then said, "Sir, we are receiving a hail."

Thrasher then said, "Put it on speakers."

Thrasher listened to Picard's voice say, "The is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship 'Enterprise.' We are peaceful explorers. May we ask who you are and what you are doing here?"

The comm officer asked, "Should we respond to him?"

Thrasher responded, "No, not yet. Let's keep him waiting for a little while."

A minute passed and the tactical officer said, "Sir, they have raised shields. I can't guage their strength. They are unlike any shield that I've ever seen."

Thrasher asked, "In what way?"

"Sir, they appear to be neither particle nor ray shields; but, as best as I can describe it, a combination of ray and particle shield. As you know sir, our ships have both particle and ray shield generators. Since beam weapons are the greatest threat, we have stronger ray shields than particle shields. But, with this ship, they seem to have perfected the combination of the two. Sir, we might want to take this ship intact. This could give us revolutionary shield technology."

Thrasher thought about this and he said, "Raise our shields to full power. Raise both particle and ray shields."

Thrasher looked at the 'Enterprise' and said, "Open a channel."

On the bridge of the Enterprise, the crew was waiting for a response to their hail. Worf soon said, "Sir, the unknown vessel is hailing us."

Picard said, "On screen."

The screen then showed the bridge of the unknown vessel. A human stood in the center of the bridge. He appeared to be in his mid-fifties and wore a clean uniform with a blaster pistol at his right hip. He had a sadistic smile on his face. He said, "Captain Picard of the Federation Starship 'Enterprise," this is Captain Thrasher of the Imperator Mark Three Star Destroyer 'Terrorizer. You are intruding in Imperial space. Lower your shields and prepare to be boarded. If you do not lower your shields, we will lower them for you."

Picard looked at the cocky man said, "Captain Thrasher, I could say that you are intruding in Federation space. The last time I checked, this was Federation space."

Thrasher responded in an arrogant tone, "Captain, I say that this is Imperial space. Therefore, it is Imperial space. Now I say again, lower your shields and prepare to be boarded. If you do not, I will lower them with turbolasers. You have five minutes to make the necessary preparations. Thrasher out."

The channel closed and the viewscreen showed the massive ship deploying its fighters. Worf said, "The fighters are armed with beam weapons. Some, however, do have torpedo launchers. The beam weapons power is in the kilojoule range and pose no real threat to our shields."

Picard looked as the starfighters flanking the large vessel in front of him. Individually, the starfighters were no real threat, but the fighters that were armed with torpedoes could be a threat if there were enough of them. Worf soon called out "Sir, the Imperial Star Destroyer is raising its shields and charging weapons."
Picard then pushed a button on his chair and yelled, "Red Alert, Mr. Worf, charge weapons. All hands to battle stations!"

The Red Alert claxons sounded and blood red lights that accompanied the Red Alert sirens replaced the normal lighting. The battle was about to begin.

Chapter 5: The Battle

The Red Alert claxons were sounding and all over the ship, Starfleet officers and crewmen were going to their battle stations. Phaser rifles were handed to security personnel. Picard watched as he awaited for the inevitable attack. Worf then said, "Sir, they are targeting our shields and weapons!"

Picard yelled, "Evasive manuvers!"

The Enterprise moved quickly for a ship its size and turned away from the Star Destroyer twisting and turning, but several blasts from the heavy cannons of the Star Destroyer managed to impact the shields. The bridge shook; Picard pressed a button in his chair and his wrists were locked in place. This prevented him from being thrown from the chair. The 'Enterprise responded by firing their phasers at the Star Destroyer but did not cause any appreciable damage. Picard then yelled, "Damage report!"

Worf then said, "Shields are down to sixty percent but are holding."

Just then the massive Imperial starship fired off a volley of Proton torpedoes. They headed slowly towards the 'Enterprise.' Picard said, "Target the torpedoes and fire."

Worf did so and many weak phaser beams were emitted from the rear phaser arrays. The beams shot down the Proton torpedoes before they could impact the ship. Picard then said, "Attack pattern Picard Delta One, target weapons and shields. Engage."

The ship then turned back around to face the gigantic Imperial warship and accelerated to Full Impulse. Green and blue laser and ion blasts came out of the turrets of the great warship, but few hit their mark. The Enterprise passed over top of the magestic Imperial warship. Then, orange beams and blue spheres came from the 'Enterprise.' The Quantum torpedoes and phaser blasts passed though the shields unimpeded and struck the hull itself ripping giant holes in the Imperial Star Destroyer. Turbolaser and ion cannons exploded and crew members were being blown through the breaches in the hull to outer space and their deaths.

On the Star Destroyer, hallways collapsed and sparks were flyin everywhere. There were several console explosions and stormtroopers were being blown out into space. The bridge of the ship shook and consoles exploded killing or injuring the officers that were stationed there. Imperial officers were being tossed around, some falling into the crew pits. After being tossed around, Captain Thrasher stood up. He had a cut on his head, but his makeshift bandage, made from a piece of his uniform, was keeping it from bleeding too profusely. He yelled, "Sithspit, damage report Ensign Warrider! What the hell did that ship hit us with?!"

A voice then said, "Ensign Warrider is dead sir. His console exploded in his face. Sir, upon analysing the weapons used, our shields provided us with no protection whatsoever. And, those torpedoes were matter/antimatter weapons. The beam weapon used seems to be a particle beam that can pass through our ray and particle shields unimpeded."

Captain Thrasher looked at him and said, "Lieutenant Waveskimmer, are you saying that our shields are useless against those weapons?"

Lieutenant Waveshimmer responded, "Yes sir. That's exactly what I'm saying. But even if our shields were working, that ship is too fast and manuverable to get a very accurate weapons lock onto. That and the fact that their shields are stronger than we expected means that even in a fair fight, that ship would be able to defeat this ship. As it stands now, we have no way of winning. We need reinforcements."

Captain Thrasher then said, "We have a Mark One and a Mark Two Star Destroyer only a few minutes away. Call them."

"Aye sir." Waveskimmer then carried out the orders of Thrasher. Thrasher then opened a channel to his starfighters and said, "All TIEs, engage that ship. Try to take down its shields."

Thrasher knew that if the 'Enterprise's' shields were taken down, he could use ion cannons to disable the ship and land boarding parties on the ship. For peaceful explorers, these people were armed with very advanced weaponry, Thrasher thought. But soon, if all went according to plan, the ship would be his and he could study its sublight drive and weapons targeting systems in detail. This would make a great present for Emperor Nist. And if nothing else, the Empire would be able to easily modify its shields to be effective against the weapons of this race.

On the bridge of the 'Enterprise,' Picard and the bridge crew watched as the once magestic Imperial ship now looked ragged. Picard soon asked, "I'd say that that was a successful test of the new weapons systems." Picard then looked at the ragged Imperial warship and said, "What is the status of the Imperial Star Destroyer?"

An ensign at conn then said, "Serious damage to its dorsal weapons systems, shields are down in several areas, extensive hull damage to dorsal surface."

Picard then asked, "How much damage have we sustained?"

The ensign replied, "Our shields are down to forty percent. Minor damage to our port and starboard nacelle."

Picard considered the state of the Imperial ship. He knew that with another few torpedoes, he could destroy the enemy Star Destroyer. By all rights he should blow them to pieces. The Imperials were the aggressors in this conflict. And yet, something held him back. Picard then said, "Open a channel to the Imperial starship."

Worf puched a few commands on his console and he said, "Channel open."

Picard then said, "Imperial Star Destroyer 'Terrorizer,' this is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation starship Enterprise. It does not have to end like this."

On the bridge of the 'Terrorizer' Thrasher listened to Picard speak. He then said, "Put him on the monitor."

When Thrasher saw Picard, he almost fell. Standing on the bridge of a starship from another galaxy, in another time was a human. Thrasher then said, "Captain Picard of the starship 'Enterprise,' this is your enemy speaking. You're wrong. This is Imperial space now. Surrender your vessel or I will destroy you. You may have noticed that I have seventy-two starfighters headed towards your ship. So far, they have not attacked. That will change shortly. Surrender or die. This is my final warning. Thrasher out."

The communication then ended and Thrasher then opened a channel to the fighter wing headed towards the 'Enterprise.' He said, "Attack."

On the bridge of the Enterprise, Worf saw the fighters coming in on his sensors and he said, "Sir, we have seventy-two fighters coming in."

The bridge then shook violently. The 'Terrorizer had risen and was firing his ventral turbolasers at the 'Enterprise.' The Enterprise then fired a phaser volley and did damage to the ventral weapon systems of the 'Terrorizer.'

Just then, two Star Destroyers emerged from hyperspace. Picard looked at them and said, "Tactical analysis Mr. Worf. Are they of the same type as the 'Terrorizer?'"

Worf responded, "No sir. The lead Star Destroyer is significantly weaker than the 'Terrorizer, the other one seems to lack the torpedo armament that the 'Terrorizer' had."

Worf then looked at his sensor readings and he said, "Sir, they are deploying starfighters. At least seventy-two starfighters are coming from each ship. There are also several shuttles and transports coming from these new ships."

Picard said, "A boarding party. They saw something on this ship that they liked and they want us intact so that they can take it."

Commander Madden then said, "Sir, if I were the Imperials, I would take down our shields and use the ion cannons once our shields are down to disable us."

Picard responded, "I know. If the size of the ship is any indication, they proably have a very large number of crew members and troops."

Picard then turned to Admiral Solar, who was standing next to him, and said, "It seems like we will be testing our new Katana and Dagger class fighters today."

Picard opened a channel to the entire ship and announced, "All fighter pilots, report to the shuttlebays. We will be testing our new fighters in combat today. Also, all security personnel, proceed to all access ports. The Imperials will try to board this vessel and take over it should they manage to disable us. We cannot allow this to happen."

Picard then said to the conn officer, "Contact the nearest Federation starships and alert them to the situation. Tell them that we really need their help."

The fighters were preped and were quickly launched.

On the bridge of one of the new Star Destroyers, a young, female ensign said, "Sir, the enemy starship has deployed thirty-six starfighters. Our TIEs will be within firing range within a couple minutes."

The captain said, "Tell the TIE Fighters, TIE Interceptors and TIE Defenders to keep the enemy fighters from attacking any of our assault shuttles, stormtrooper transports and TIE Bombers."

"Aye sir."

The Katanas and Daggers streaked towards their TIE counterparts and they opened fire on the TIEs destroying twenty-four fighters in the first pass. The TIEs then tried to swarm the Federation fighters, but the Federation Katanas and Daggers matched the TIE Defenders in manuverability, but greatly exceeded the fighters in sublight speed. The Katanas and Daggers demonstrated this advantage as they broke through the TIE formations and launched micro-Quantum torpedoes at the assault shuttles and stormtrooper transports. Several transports and shuttles exploded spraying debris all throughout space. Several more shuttles were destroyed and the hulks of one of the shuttles crashed into a transport destroying the transport. The Katanas and Daggers engaged in dogfights against the enemy TIEs and suffered far fewer losses than the TIEs did.

The two Star Destroyers soon arrived within firing range of the 'Enterprise.' The Enterprise fired a volley of Quantum torpedoes at the lead Star Destroyer causing massive hull damage, melting turbolaser and ion cannon turrets. Consoles exploded on the ship killing or injuring any officer manning them. Crew members were being blown into space where there were extensive hull breaches. The other Star Destroyer, an Imperator Mark II Star Destroyer, slowed down and stayed back to keep itself from being targeted. Even with this damage, the Imperator I Star Destroyer was not yet dead. The ship retaliated by firing all remaining weapons at the 'Enterprise,' several of the heavy turbolaser blasts and many lighter blasts hitting their mark.

Explosions shook the 'Enterprise' and sparks erupted from consoles. The bridge shook and a couple unmanned consoles exploded showering nearby parts of the bridge with debris. The ensign manning the helm station said, "Sir, our shields are down to ten perccent. We can't take much more of this."

The 'Enterprise' fired another deadly salvo at the Imperator I Star Destroyer and destroyed the crippled ship. Soon, a squadron of Assault Gunboats and Missile Boats approached the 'Enterprise.

Picard saw the ships and said, "Call back the Katana Squadron. Target all phasers at those assault fighters!"

When the Gunboats and Missile Boats were within range, they fired their Heavy Rockets. The 'Enterprise' managed to target the rockets and shoot many of them down, but a few got through and took down the shields. The damage had been done.

Captain Thrasher stood on the ruined bridge of the 'Terrorizer and Ensign Waveskimmer said, "Sir, the shields of the 'Enterprise' are down."

Thrasher said, "Fire ion cannons!"

Blue ion bolts then came from the crippled Star Destroyer. The bolts hit the 'Enterprise' and blue lightening played across the ship.

The bridge of the Enterprise went dark and lightening played across some of the consoles but the emergency lights kicked in. Picard said, "Picard to Engineering, what just happened?"

Soon, a response came, "LaForge to Bridge. We've just been hit by ion bolts. All of our main systems have been disabled. We can probably shut them down and cold start them, but that will take some time for a ship this size and with the damage we sustained from those Heavy Rockets."

Picard then said, "Do your best Commander."

Worf then said, "Sir, before we lost our primary systems, several assault shuttles and stormtrooper transports were headed towards the 'Enterprise.'"

Then, the ship lurched. But it was not a laser blast or missile impact that shook the ship. Picard swore and turned on the emergency ship speakers and said, "All hands, arm yourselves with plasma, photon grenades and any other weapons. Prepare for boarding parties."

Worf then said, "Sir, I've just got short range sensors restored, "Three shuttles have latched onto our hull. They are attempting to board on deck eleven sir."

Picard then said, "Mr. Worf, assemble a security team and meet the intruders."

Worf then left the bridge and Commander Madden accompanied him. Picard then got a phaser from his chair and he said, "It's time to tell the Imperials that they are not welcome aboard the Enterprise."

The battle for the Enterprise was about to begin.

Coming very soon: The Boarding.

Chapter 6: The Boarding

Lieutenant Commander Worf and Commander Madden headed towards the turbolift and they headed down to deck eleven. They approached a weapons locker and they each took a hand phaser and a phaser rifle. They also took several plasma grenades from the locker as well. They then headed to the area where one of the assault shuttles had latched onto the hull. There were eight other Starfleet officers waiting for the Imperial boarding party. They pointed their phaser rifles at the point where the Imperials would board. Just then, they heard some knocking sounds coming from the point near the bulkhead. Soon, sparks were erupting from that area of the bulkhead and a few seconds later, there was an explosion. The security personnel covered their faces to shield themselves from the debris. Over a dozen Stormtroopers emerged from the hull breach and started firing at the Starfleet officers. Scarlet blaster bolts streaked down the corridor. The Starfleet officers took cover, avoiding the blaster fire. Then, Commander Madden and Worf emerged from their cover and fired at the Stormtroopers. Two troopers were hit in the chest and went down. The other Starfleet officers emerged from their cover and started to fire at the Stormtroopers and the Imperial Special Forces Troopers. Several more Imperial troops were felled and the rest took cover as orange phaser pulses headed their way. The two sides exchanged more fire, with eight more Stormtroopers taking hits and two Starfleet personnel going down. Two other Starfleet personnel provided covering fire so that another two officers could get their wounded comrades to saftey. Imperial Stormtroopers kept emerging from the hull breach and continued to fire at the retreating security personnel. Commander Martin Madden pulled out a plasma grenade and set the timer for five seconds. He then counted, one, two, and he then threw it into the breach, hitting one trooper on the head. A couple seconds later, it exploded, throwing some of the Stormtroopers to the floor. Madden and Worf then set their phasers on autofire and sprayed the area with phaser blasts. The two remaining Stormtroopers caught multiple blasts and went down. Commander Madden looked at the scene and he then said, "It looks clear here. I'll go check out the shuttle. I want to see if it has any information in its database."

Worf then mationed for the remaining personnel to accompany them into the shuttle. Madden stepped aboard and he saw the charred bodies of Imperial Stormtroopers and said, "It looks like the grenade took care of everyone on the ship."

Commander Madden then saw a data port to the ships computer. There was a dead Imperial officer in a black uniform slumped over the console. Commander Madden and Worf approached the console and Madden pulled the Imperial officer off the console. His body hit the ground with a thud. Madden then got out his PADD and a few wires to connect it to the Assault shuttle's central computer. He said, "Keep an eye out for any Imperial troopers."

An ensign said, "Aye sir."

Commander Madden then tapped his comm badge and he said, "Commander Madden to Captain Picard."

On the bridge, Picard heard the transmission and said, "Picard here."

Madden then said, "Sir, my team and I have boarded an Imperial Assault shuttle. There is a dataport on this shuttle that leads to the database. With your permission, I wish to download the information from the database. This may give us an idea of why the Dark Empire attacked the ship."

Picard responded, "Proceed Commander. If the Imperials return, get out of there.

Madden answered, "Yes sir."

Madden then plugged in the PADD to the dataport and began the download. Madden said, "This may take a couple of minutes, keep an eye out for any Imperial troops."

The security officers then took watch near the hull breach.

Worf then went to what appeared to be a communications console and he pushed a button. The radio immediately came to life as voices could be heard over the channel. "All Stormtroopers, engage any hostiles. Kill everyone except for the Captain, first officer and any flag officers that may be on the ship." "Take over the ship quickly, these fighters are mauling us out here!" "Heavy resistance on decks twelve and eleven. We need rein..." The Stormtrooper was stopped mid-transmission and the sounds of phaser fire could be heard." "I don't care about the amount of resistance, we need to take over that ship. The technology on that ship will benefit the Dark Empire. Don't worry about the number of losses you'll sustain. All that matters is taking over that ship!" "We are sending three more Assault shuttles to board the ship. I want that ship taken!"

Worf then tapped his comm badge and he said, "Worf to Captain."

Picard said, "Go ahead Commander."

Worf said, "Sir, the Imperials are sending over three more shuttles."

A transmission from Main Engineering answered the question, "LaForge to Bridge, it's going to be another few minutes before we can try the cold start."

Picard then said, "Do the best you can Geordi. Picard out."

On the Assault shuttle, Commander Madden was close to finishing the data download when the Starfleet personnel heard muffled and crackly voices. Imperials were headed to the shuttle. Worf got his phaser rifle and he waited to see how many Imperials were coming to the shuttle. Four Stormtroopers approached the shuttle. One of the troopers said, "Looks like those bastards got one of our teams. Check the shuttle for survivors."

Three troopers boarded the shuttle and were met with phaser fire. Two troopers were felled almost instantaneously. The third trooper fired at the Starfleet personnel, but failed to hit any of his marks. Worf then pointed his phaser rifle at the Imperial and he fired once. The blast caught the Stormtrooper in the chest and he fell to the floor. The fourth trooper came onboard and was shot by all of the security personnel.

Soon, the download was complete and Commander Madden said, "Download complete. Let's get out of here."

The security team was ready to depart the shuttle when they heard a a beep coming from one of the dead Stormtroopers. Madden looked down and saw one of the dead Stormtroopers holding a black cylinerical device. He picked up the decive and pressed a button. A voice soon cracked over the commlink and said, "Trooper WD-40, report. WD-40 do you copy?""

Madden smiled at the identification of the dead trooper. He removed the helmet of the dead Stormtrooper and put it on his head. He said, "This is Trooper WD-40. My team has encountered heavy resistance on deck eleven. We have managed to take down the security teams in our way, though, but we have taken heavy casualties in the process. Should we head for the bridge? Over."

The voice said, "Negative. They're trying a cold start of the ship. Rendevous with the other Stormtrooper teams on deck thirteen. Then head down towards Main Engineering. We must stop them from cold starting their ship."

"Roger that. This is WD-40; over and out."

Madden then put down the commlink and he removed the stormtrooper helmet. He said to Worf, "Take the security team down to Main Engineering. I'll alert the Captain as to the Imperials' plans."

Worf said, "Yes sir," and he then took the security team to Main Engineering.

Madden walked out the shuttle and he found a communications port near the entrance to the shuttle. He pushed a button and said, "Madden to Picard."

Picard replied, "Picard here."

Madden then said, "Sir, the Imperials are planning to mount an assault on Main Engineering. They wish to stop us from cold starting the 'Enterprise.'

Picard responded, "Understood." Picard then opened a channel to all Starfleet personnel on the ship. He said, "All security teams, go to Main Engineering. That is the Imperials' primary target."

Admiral Solar, who was standing next to Picard then got a phaser and said, "I going down there. You coordinate the defense with the security teams."

Picard said, "Sir, you do realize that you're breaking several Starfleet regulations..."

Admiral Solar cut him off saying, "Picard, since when did you care much about regulations pertaining to what a captain or flag officer should do in a crisis situation?"

Picard responded, "You have a point Admiral."

Admiral Solar then went down to Main Engineering to assist the security teams in the defense of the 'Enterprise.'
Chapter 6: The Boarding

Lieutenant Commander Worf and Commander Madden headed towards the turbolift and they headed down to deck eleven. They approached a weapons locker and they each took a hand phaser and a phaser rifle. They also took several plasma grenades from the locker as well. They then headed to the area where one of the assault shuttles had latched onto the hull. There were eight other Starfleet officers waiting for the Imperial boarding party. They pointed their phaser rifles at the point where the Imperials would board. Just then, they heard some knocking sounds coming from the point near the bulkhead. Soon, sparks were erupting from that area of the bulkhead and a few seconds later, there was an explosion. The security personnel covered their faces to shield themselves from the debris. Over a dozen Stormtroopers emerged from the hull breach and started firing at the Starfleet officers. Scarlet blaster bolts streaked down the corridor. The Starfleet officers took cover, avoiding the blaster fire. Then, Commander Madden and Worf emerged from their cover and fired at the Stormtroopers. Two troopers were hit in the chest and went down. The other Starfleet officers emerged from their cover and started to fire at the Stormtroopers and the Imperial Special Forces Troopers. Several more Imperial troops were felled and the rest took cover as orange phaser pulses headed their way. The two sides exchanged more fire, with eight more Stormtroopers taking hits and two Starfleet personnel going down. Two other Starfleet personnel provided covering fire so that another two officers could get their wounded comrades to saftey. Imperial Stormtroopers kept emerging from the hull breach and continued to fire at the retreating security personnel. Commander Martin Madden pulled out a plasma grenade and set the timer for five seconds. He then counted, one, two, and he then threw it into the breach, hitting one trooper on the head. A couple seconds later, it exploded, throwing some of the Stormtroopers to the floor. Madden and Worf then set their phasers on autofire and sprayed the area with phaser blasts. The two remaining Stormtroopers caught multiple blasts and went down. Commander Madden looked at the scene and he then said, "It looks clear here. I'll go check out the shuttle. I want to see if it has any information in its database."

Worf then mationed for the remaining personnel to accompany them into the shuttle. Madden stepped aboard and he saw the charred bodies of Imperial Stormtroopers and said, "It looks like the grenade took care of everyone on the ship."

Commander Madden then saw a data port to the ships computer. There was a dead Imperial officer in a black uniform slumped over the console. Commander Madden and Worf approached the console and Madden pulled the Imperial officer off the console. His body hit the ground with a thud. Madden then got out his PADD and a few wires to connect it to the Assault shuttle's central computer. He said, "Keep an eye out for any Imperial troopers."

An ensign said, "Aye sir."

Commander Madden then tapped his comm badge and he said, "Commander Madden to Captain Picard."

On the bridge, Picard heard the transmission and said, "Picard here."

Madden then said, "Sir, my team and I have boarded an Imperial Assault shuttle. There is a dataport on this shuttle that leads to the database. With your permission, I wish to download the information from the database. This may give us an idea of why the Dark Empire attacked the ship."

Picard responded, "Proceed Commander. If the Imperials return, get out of there.

Madden answered, "Yes sir."

Madden then plugged in the PADD to the dataport and began the download. Madden said, "This may take a couple of minutes, keep an eye out for any Imperial troops."

The security officers then took watch near the hull breach.

Worf then went to what appeared to be a communications console and he pushed a button. The radio immediately came to life as voices could be heard over the channel. "All Stormtroopers, engage any hostiles. Kill everyone except for the Captain, first officer and any flag officers that may be on the ship." "Take over the ship quickly, these fighters are mauling us out here!" "Heavy resistance on decks twelve and eleven. We need rein..." The Stormtrooper was stopped mid-transmission and the sounds of phaser fire could be heard." "I don't care about the amount of resistance, we need to take over that ship. The technology on that ship will benefit the Dark Empire. Don't worry about the number of losses you'll sustain. All that matters is taking over that ship!" "We are sending three more Assault shuttles to board the ship. I want that ship taken!"

Worf then tapped his comm badge and he said, "Worf to Captain."

Picard said, "Go ahead Commander."

Worf said, "Sir, the Imperials are sending over three more shuttles."

A transmission from Main Engineering answered the question, "LaForge to Bridge, it's going to be another few minutes before we can try the cold start."

Picard then said, "Do the best you can Geordi. Picard out."

On the Assault shuttle, Commander Madden was close to finishing the data download when the Starfleet personnel heard muffled and crackly voices. Imperials were headed to the shuttle. Worf got his phaser rifle and he waited to see how many Imperials were coming to the shuttle. Four Stormtroopers approached the shuttle. One of the troopers said, "Looks like those bastards got one of our teams. Check the shuttle for survivors."

Three troopers boarded the shuttle and were met with phaser fire. Two troopers were felled almost instantaneously. The third trooper fired at the Starfleet personnel, but failed to hit any of his marks. Worf then pointed his phaser rifle at the Imperial and he fired once. The blast caught the Stormtrooper in the chest and he fell to the floor. The fourth trooper came onboard and was shot by all of the security personnel.

Soon, the download was complete and Commander Madden said, "Download complete. Let's get out of here."

The security team was ready to depart the shuttle when they heard a a beep coming from one of the dead Stormtroopers. Madden looked down and saw one of the dead Stormtroopers holding a black cylinerical device. He picked up the decive and pressed a button. A voice soon cracked over the commlink and said, "Trooper WD-40, report. WD-40 do you copy?""

Madden smiled at the identification of the dead trooper. He removed the helmet of the dead Stormtrooper and put it on his head. He said, "This is Trooper WD-40. My team has encountered heavy resistance on deck eleven. We have managed to take down the security teams in our way, though, but we have taken heavy casualties in the process. Should we head for the bridge? Over."

The voice said, "Negative. They're trying a cold start of the ship. Rendevous with the other Stormtrooper teams on deck thirteen. Then head down towards Main Engineering. We must stop them from cold starting their ship."

"Roger that. This is WD-40; over and out."

Madden then put down the commlink and he removed the stormtrooper helmet. He said to Worf, "Take the security team down to Main Engineering. I'll alert the Captain as to the Imperials' plans."

Worf said, "Yes sir," and he then took the security team to Main Engineering.

Madden walked out the shuttle and he found a communications port near the entrance to the shuttle. He pushed a button and said, "Madden to Picard."

Picard replied, "Picard here."

Madden then said, "Sir, the Imperials are planning to mount an assault on Main Engineering. They wish to stop us from cold starting the 'Enterprise.'

Picard responded, "Understood." Picard then opened a channel to all Starfleet personnel on the ship. He said, "All security teams, go to Main Engineering. That is the Imperials' primary target."

Admiral Solar, who was standing next to Picard then got a phaser and said, "I going down there. You coordinate the defense with the security teams."

Picard said, "Sir, you do realize that you're breaking several Starfleet regulations..."

Admiral Solar cut him off saying, "Picard, since when did you care much about regulations pertaining to what a captain or flag officer should do in a crisis situation?"

Picard responded, "You have a point Admiral."

Admiral Solar then went down to Main Engineering to assist the security teams in the defense of the 'Enterprise.'
Chapter 6: The Boarding

Lieutenant Commander Worf and Commander Madden headed towards the turbolift and they headed down to deck eleven. They approached a weapons locker and they each took a hand phaser and a phaser rifle. They also took several plasma grenades from the locker as well. They then headed to the area where one of the assault shuttles had latched onto the hull. There were eight other Starfleet officers waiting for the Imperial boarding party. They pointed their phaser rifles at the point where the Imperials would board. Just then, they heard some knocking sounds coming from the point near the bulkhead. Soon, sparks were erupting from that area of the bulkhead and a few seconds later, there was an explosion. The security personnel covered their faces to shield themselves from the debris. Over a dozen Stormtroopers emerged from the hull breach and started firing at the Starfleet officers. Scarlet blaster bolts streaked down the corridor. The Starfleet officers took cover, avoiding the blaster fire. Then, Commander Madden and Worf emerged from their cover and fired at the Stormtroopers. Two troopers were hit in the chest and went down. The other Starfleet officers emerged from their cover and started to fire at the Stormtroopers and the Imperial Special Forces Troopers. Several more Imperial troops were felled and the rest took cover as orange phaser pulses headed their way. The two sides exchanged more fire, with eight more Stormtroopers taking hits and two Starfleet personnel going down. Two other Starfleet personnel provided covering fire so that another two officers could get their wounded comrades to saftey. Imperial Stormtroopers kept emerging from the hull breach and continued to fire at the retreating security personnel. Commander Martin Madden pulled out a plasma grenade and set the timer for five seconds. He then counted, one, two, and he then threw it into the breach, hitting one trooper on the head. A couple seconds later, it exploded, throwing some of the Stormtroopers to the floor. Madden and Worf then set their phasers on autofire and sprayed the area with phaser blasts. The two remaining Stormtroopers caught multiple blasts and went down. Commander Madden looked at the scene and he then said, "It looks clear here. I'll go check out the shuttle. I want to see if it has any information in its database."

Worf then mationed for the remaining personnel to accompany them into the shuttle. Madden stepped aboard and he saw the charred bodies of Imperial Stormtroopers and said, "It looks like the grenade took care of everyone on the ship."

Commander Madden then saw a data port to the ships computer. There was a dead Imperial officer in a black uniform slumped over the console. Commander Madden and Worf approached the console and Madden pulled the Imperial officer off the console. His body hit the ground with a thud. Madden then got out his PADD and a few wires to connect it to the Assault shuttle's central computer. He said, "Keep an eye out for any Imperial troopers."

An ensign said, "Aye sir."

Commander Madden then tapped his comm badge and he said, "Commander Madden to Captain Picard."

On the bridge, Picard heard the transmission and said, "Picard here."

Madden then said, "Sir, my team and I have boarded an Imperial Assault shuttle. There is a dataport on this shuttle that leads to the database. With your permission, I wish to download the information from the database. This may give us an idea of why the Dark Empire attacked the ship."

Picard responded, "Proceed Commander. If the Imperials return, get out of there.

Madden answered, "Yes sir."

Madden then plugged in the PADD to the dataport and began the download. Madden said, "This may take a couple of minutes, keep an eye out for any Imperial troops."

The security officers then took watch near the hull breach.

Worf then went to what appeared to be a communications console and he pushed a button. The radio immediately came to life as voices could be heard over the channel. "All Stormtroopers, engage any hostiles. Kill everyone except for the Captain, first officer and any flag officers that may be on the ship." "Take over the ship quickly, these fighters are mauling us out here!" "Heavy resistance on decks twelve and eleven. We need rein..." The Stormtrooper was stopped mid-transmission and the sounds of phaser fire could be heard." "I don't care about the amount of resistance, we need to take over that ship. The technology on that ship will benefit the Dark Empire. Don't worry about the number of losses you'll sustain. All that matters is taking over that ship!" "We are sending three more Assault shuttles to board the ship. I want that ship taken!"

Worf then tapped his comm badge and he said, "Worf to Captain."

Picard said, "Go ahead Commander."

Worf said, "Sir, the Imperials are sending over three more shuttles."

A transmission from Main Engineering answered the question, "LaForge to Bridge, it's going to be another few minutes before we can try the cold start."

Picard then said, "Do the best you can Geordi. Picard out."

On the Assault shuttle, Commander Madden was close to finishing the data download when the Starfleet personnel heard muffled and crackly voices. Imperials were headed to the shuttle. Worf got his phaser rifle and he waited to see how many Imperials were coming to the shuttle. Four Stormtroopers approached the shuttle. One of the troopers said, "Looks like those bastards got one of our teams. Check the shuttle for survivors."

Three troopers boarded the shuttle and were met with phaser fire. Two troopers were felled almost instantaneously. The third trooper fired at the Starfleet personnel, but failed to hit any of his marks. Worf then pointed his phaser rifle at the Imperial and he fired once. The blast caught the Stormtrooper in the chest and he fell to the floor. The fourth trooper came onboard and was shot by all of the security personnel.

Soon, the download was complete and Commander Madden said, "Download complete. Let's get out of here."

The security team was ready to depart the shuttle when they heard a a beep coming from one of the dead Stormtroopers. Madden looked down and saw one of the dead Stormtroopers holding a black cylinerical device. He picked up the decive and pressed a button. A voice soon cracked over the commlink and said, "Trooper WD-40, report. WD-40 do you copy?""

Madden smiled at the identification of the dead trooper. He removed the helmet of the dead Stormtrooper and put it on his head. He said, "This is Trooper WD-40. My team has encountered heavy resistance on deck eleven. We have managed to take down the security teams in our way, though, but we have taken heavy casualties in the process. Should we head for the bridge? Over."

The voice said, "Negative. They're trying a cold start of the ship. Rendevous with the other Stormtrooper teams on deck thirteen. Then head down towards Main Engineering. We must stop them from cold starting their ship."

"Roger that. This is WD-40; over and out."

Madden then put down the commlink and he removed the stormtrooper helmet. He said to Worf, "Take the security team down to Main Engineering. I'll alert the Captain as to the Imperials' plans."

Worf said, "Yes sir," and he then took the security team to Main Engineering.

Madden walked out the shuttle and he found a communications port near the entrance to the shuttle. He pushed a button and said, "Madden to Picard."

Picard replied, "Picard here."

Madden then said, "Sir, the Imperials are planning to mount an assault on Main Engineering. They wish to stop us from cold starting the 'Enterprise.'

Picard responded, "Understood." Picard then opened a channel to all Starfleet personnel on the ship. He said, "All security teams, go to Main Engineering. That is the Imperials' primary target."

Admiral Solar, who was standing next to Picard then got a phaser and said, "I going down there. You coordinate the defense with the security teams."

Picard said, "Sir, you do realize that you're breaking several Starfleet regulations..."

Admiral Solar cut him off saying, "Picard, since when did you care much about regulations pertaining to what a captain or flag officer should do in a crisis situation?"

Picard responded, "You have a point Admiral."

Admiral Solar then went down to Main Engineering to assist the security teams in the defense of the 'Enterprise.'

This is the end of Chapter 6.

Chapter 7: The Boarding Pt 2

Chapter 7: The Boarding Part 2

Near the first breach point, Commander Madden closed the channel when he noticed that there was groaning coming from behind him. He turned around and he saw a Stormtrooper struggling to lift a blaster rifle and point it at Madden's chest. The Stormtrooper had a gut wound inflicted by a phaser rifle. The wound, was still cauterized so the trooper was not bleeding yet. Madden approached the fallen trooper and the trooper said, "Go to hell you Federation bastard."

Madden kicked the rifle out of the Stormtrooper's hands and he stood on it. The trooper then pulled out a round, golden golbe. He pushed a button and it started to make a shrill beeping. Madden reached for the trooper's hand and took the globe out of his hand. Madden pushed the same button and the beeping stopped. Madden looked down and said, "What is this, and why did you attack this ship? How many more ships are in your fleet?"

The trooper wheezed and said in a low, pained voice, "I'll die before I tell you anything."

Commander Madden laughed and said, "I doubt that very much."

Commander Madden took the wounded trooper to sickbay so he could be treated. Madden was looking forward to interrogating the trooper.

Near the entrance to Main Engineering, Over a dozen Federation security personnel along with Lieutenant Commander Worf and Admiral David Solar waited. Soon, an explosion came from a door and blaster bolts erupted from the entrance. The scarlet bolts ricocheted off the corridor walls causing some sparks. Almost two dozen Stormtroopers were coming through the corridor, many without any cover. The Federation officers returned fire, hitting almost eight troopers in the first volley. The other stormtroopers managed dive behind some cover. They fired again at the Starfleet personnel managing to hit two Starfleet officers, taking them out of action but not managing to kill them. The other Starfleet personnel returned fire and felled almost a dozen more troops. Admiral Solar then opened the door to Main Engineering and ordered the security personnel to get into Main Engineering. Solar, Worf and two others set their phaser rifles on autofire and provided cover fire for the fleeing Federation troops felling almost a dozen more troopers. But that did not stop the onslaught of Imperial Stormtroopers. Soon, all of the other troops were inside main engineering. Admiral Solar armed two Photon grenades, set the timer and threw them at the Stormtroopers. He and the others went in the door, and they heard an explosion. Admiral Solar opened the door and he saw burn markings along the corridor walls and he saw dozens of dead Stormtroopers. A few more Stormtroopers were coming to get revenge for their fallen comrades, but they were too few in number. The Federation security personnel fired at the remaining troopers, killing them.

In Main Engineering, the last procedures were being made before the 'Enterprise' cold started itself. Geordi LaForge opened a channel to the bridge saying, "I'm ready to cold start the Enterprise now."

Picard smiled and said, "Proceed Mr. LaForge."

Soon, the normal lights came back online. The necelles glowed again and all systems seemed to be operational. Mr. Laforge said, "Sir, we are at full power. Shields and weapons are at full power and we have Transwarp Drive."

Picard said, "Excellent Mr. Laforge." He then opened a channel to the rest of the ship saying, "Red Alert, all hands return to battle stations! We're not out of the woods yet."

Soon, Lieutenant Commander Worf, Commander Madden and Admiral Solar came onto the bridge and went to their stations. Commander Madden said, "One of the troopers survived sir. He is being cared for in sickbay. As soon as this is over, we should interrogate him. I want to know if this is an isolated incident."

Picard responded, "Good work. His testimony should prove useful."

Worf looked at his sensors and he said, "Sir, three more ships have appeared off our port bow. They are smaller than the Star Destroyers, but seem to have the same types of weapons systems."

Picard said, "On screen." Immediately, the image appeared on the viewscreen. Three ships with thin rails connecting the stern with a "V" shaped bow. The Imperial Mark II Star Destroyer was behind them preparing to do battle with the 'Enterprise.' Picard looked at the image and he said, "Damn. Just when things were starting to look better for us."

Then an ensign at conn said, "Sir, I've got good news. Three Starfleet vessels have just come out of Warp. They are the 'Titan,' the 'Akira,' and the 'Thunderchild.'"

The three ships came out of warp and engaged the three frigates. The Galaxy Class 'Titan' fired its phasers at the lead frigate. The frigate returned fire, but only a few turbolaser blasts hit the 'Titan.' The Akira Class 'Akira' and 'Thunderchild' fired Quantum torpedoes from each of their fifteen torpedo launchers. The blue spheres passed unimpeded through the shields of the two other frigates and caused massive hull breaches and secondary explosions. Soon, the two frigates were destroyed. The 'Titan' quickly finished off the lead frigate with a volley of Photon torpedoes.

During the brieg battle between the newly arrived Federation ships and the Imperial frigates, the Imperator Mark II Star Destroyer fired its turbolasers and ion cannons at the 'Enterprise.' About half of the blasts impacted the 'Enterprise's' shields, but did not cause any serious damage. The 'Enterprise' responded by firing all of its forward phasers and Quantum Torpedos at the Imperial warship. The orange particle beams and torpedoes impacted with the hull of the ship, gouging massive holes in it. One Quantum torpedo hit the bridge tower and destroyed it. Soon, the ship was reduced to floating debris. Picard then said, "Target the 'Terrorizer' and lock Quantum torpedoes." After a dramatic momentary pause, he said, "Fire."

On the ruined bridge of the 'Terrorizer, Captain Thrasher watched as the frigates and Imperator II were destroyed. Ensign Waveskimmer said, "Sir, the 'Tyrant' and the Nebulon B-2's have been destroyed. We must abandon the ship."

Captain Thrasher then opened a channel to all hands on the ship and he said, "All hands, abandon ship."

He then entered the nearest access port to a stormtrooper transport. He knew that the anyone in escape pods would likely die since there were no planets for two lightyears in any direction. He saw that there were people trying to board the Stormtrooper transport. He got a blaster rifle and sprayed the area with blaster bolts, killing at least fourteen Imperial officers and Stormtroopers. He boarded the transport and he started the engines. He saw more people standing outside the vesssel, begging him to let them on. He entered an access code and he deactivated the magnetic field that prevented the depressurization of the landing bay. People were blown out into space and to their cold death. Thrasher smiled. He could not let them stand in the way of his survival. He ignited the engines and he flew away from the ship. He saw four Quantum torpedoes head for his 'Terrorizer.' They impacted and the vessel broke apart. Two other vessels emerged from the Star Destroyer with his own ship. He then made his hyperspace calculations and prepared to head back to the rift.

On the bridge of the 'Enterprise,' Worf said, "Sir, I am receiving a hail from the 'Titan.'"

Picard said, "On screen."

The image of Captain Riker came on screen and Picard said, "Thanks for the save Captain Riker."

Riker responded, "It wasn't a problem sir. We're headed back to Earth to file a report on unknown craft that have appeared in the region. When we get there, why don't our senior staffs have a game of Poker."

Captain Picard said, "You're on Captain."

Riker said, "I look forward to it."

The other ships then warped away. Worf then said, "Sir, I have detected three escape vessels."

Picard said, "Target them and destroy them. Then, take us back to Earth, maximum warp."

Three Quantum Torpedoes were launched towards the three ships.

Captain Thrasher soon completed his hyperspace calculations. He looked on his monitor and he saw three Quantum torpedoes headed towards his ship. He punched the button and he rocketed into hyperspace a fraction of a second before the torpedo would have hit his vessel. The other two transports were not so lucky. Thrasher said, "I vow to make the Federation pay for this travesty in blood!"

This is the End of Chapter 7. What do you guys think?

Chapter 8: Thrasher's Return to the Rift Base

The transport was in hyperspace and it would still be an hour before it reached the rift base. Thrasher and the other survivors of the debacle in the Bassen Rift were very aprehensive about facing Xecr Nist in the midst of their defeat. Thrasher said to the vrew, "Do not fear Nist's reaction. I shall tell him what happened and that we need to rethink our strategy before we engage in this conflict any further."

One of the troopers said, with a little bit of fear in his voice, "Sir, you know Nist. He'll kill you for sure and he'll probably kill us all as well."

Thrasher looked at the soldier and asked, "Why are you afraid of Nist's reaction?"

The trooper responded, "Why shouldn't I be? He's a Sith Lord! He might not call himself Darth, but he is a Sith Lord nonetheless. He's just like Palpatine and Vader! We're of no use to him except as expendible toys! We're dead! We lost an Imperial Mark Three Star Destroyer, two frigates and an Impstar and an Impstar Deuce! Over one-hundred thousand lives were lost and we inflicted little if any loss on this new enemy."

Thrasher said, "Nist needs to know that our shields are useless against their warhead weapons and that their warhead weapons are at least in the megaton range. Nist won'y kill us. He'll reward us for giving him such valuable information."

That did little to stay the fear of the soldier, though he said nothing else.

The transport exited hyperspace near the base and a channel opened, and a voice crackled in over the comm saying, "Stormtrooper transport, identify yourself and state your code clearance."

Thrasher pushed a button on his console and he said, "This is Stormptooper Transport, Sigma 1. We are late of the Imperator Mark Three Star Destroyer 'Terrorizer.' My code clearance is Ahpha."

The voice said, "Code clearance accepted. Follow your present course."

The transport soon docked at the main base facility. Two Stormtrooper Squad Leaders approached and one of them said, "Thrasher, your presence is required by Emperor Nist."

Thrasher said with a confident look on his face, "Take me to him."

The stormtroopers took Thrasher to Nist's personal suite and they stood on either side of the exit and Thrasher pushed a button. Soon, a young female human, Nist's personal attendent, opened the door and saw Thrasher. He looked at her, startled to find a beautiful young woman in the Emperor's private suite. He then realized that she must be one of his concubines. She soon turned to a door and said, "My liege, the Captain is here."

Nist said, "Send him in Sariah."

Sariah said, "This way sir."

Thrasher looked at the suite, covered in art and pictures of Palpatine when he was young. Sariah led Thrasher to Nist, who was attired in a long, black robe. Beneath Nist's robe was a lightsaber that he had his left hand on. He then said to Sariah, "You may leave now."

Sariah bowed and left. Nist turned to Thrasher and said, "I hear that some of the locals in this galaxy gave you some trouble."

Thrasher said, "Yes, my liege. They did. They used a warhead weapon that managed to pass harmlessly through our shields. They managed to destroy several ships."

Nist said, "Correct me if I am wrong, but I heard that one ship managed to destroy three Imperial Star Destroyers."

Thrasher said, "You are correct. It's because of those weapons and the fact that our ships don't place much focus on combining our ray and particle shields like this other race does."

Nist said, "There were also several smaller vessels that destroyed three Nebulon B-2 Frigates. The frigates did not inflict any appreciable damage to the other ships either, did they?"

Thrasher said, "No my liege, they did not."

Nist then said, "And you just happened to survive this battle?"

Thrasher responded, "I escaped on the Stormtrooper Transport. Others tried to escape. My Star Destroyer was crippled early in the battle. The 'Enterprise E...'"

"Enterprise E?"

"The 'Enterprise' was the ship that we attacked for intruding in your newly acquired Imperial Space. You ordered us to disable and/or destroy any unknown local vessels."

Nist looked at Thrasher and said, "The 'Enterprise' sounds like an exploration vessel, not a combat ship."

Thrasher replied, "This 'Enterprise' is a combat ship." Thrasher then handed a datapad to Nist and said, "This contains a recording of the battle."

Nist looked at a few parts of the recording and turned to Thrasher. Thrasher asked, "What do you think?"

Nist smiled and said, "I think that you are a coward and that you are incompetent."

Nist then lifted his right hand and suddenly, Thrasher could not breathe. He was gasping for air. Thrasher gagged and croaked, "My lord, I am not a coward. There... was no way... we could win."

Nist looked at him and said, "Maybe, but in that case, you should have died on that ship. I will now help you fulfill that duty."

Thrasher grasped at his throat. Slowly, he was lifted into the air and Nist then clenched his right hand into a fist. A cracking sound came from Thrasher and his body went limp. Nist lowered his hand and the body fell to the floor. Nist summoned two Royal guards and he said, "Clean up this mess."

Nist then went to his conference room and watched the events that occured in the Bassen Rift unfold. He saw the torpedoes pass through the shields of the Star Destroyers and he said, "Lies. Thrasher doctored the recording. There is no way that torpedoes could cause that much damage."

When he was finished, he pushed a few buttons and said, "Call all of the admirals to my briefing room. I have a matter to discuss with them."

End of Chapter 8

Chapter 9: The plan for Invasion

Shameless Bump

exactly what i'm looking for

drphlox

What's with the thread necromancy lately

One word of advice drphlox don't ressurect threads with more than a month old they tend to be locked