Star Crossed Fanfic

[Comosicus]

Wait, wait, wait. When did Maul show up?

Gary brought him back in order to win Palpy's trust IIRC.

I read every single chapter and I don't think I would miss a detail such as that either!

Anyone remember what chapter it is in?

It was not said outright, but the shadowy figure used the lines Maul had.

[Chris OFarrell]

Of course, S31 may not be aware that Star Destroyers have been known to endure supernovas.

Tell that to Dalla and her fleet

And in usual Trek parlance, the Trilithim weapon doesn't actualy make a star supernova...it just makes the star generate a massive shockwave as all the nuclear fusion breaks down. Given that said shockwave as it passes is capable of shattering a planet damn near Death Star style...I don't think your going to see an ISD come out of it alive.


You know on that though and with the Battle of Andor comming up...perhaps the final chapter should be named 'No-one gets out alive'

[Hawkwings]

what an ending... everyone, and I mean EVERYONE shows up at Andor, then they all die and the galaxy implodes

[Comosicus]

what an ending... everyone, and I mean EVERYONE shows up at Andor, then they all die and the galaxy implodes

And then Q and Gary end their chess match in a draw

[NecronLord]

Tell that to Dalla and her fleet

I will. Do recall that they actually survived being in proximity to Sun-Crushed stars, though they took damage, they did survive.

[consequences]

Since I'm rereading this once more, I've got a question to eat up valuable time and distract the Author from making progress.

What are the basic strengths of the three separate Imperial contingents? I know that the Imperium had no Carrack cruisers remaining and was down one star destroyer, and that Thrawn took signifigant losses against Shadow Fleet. Whether or not the DS2 has any support craft, or even TIE fighters embarked is not entirely clear.

I'd ask about the other powers, but the idea of keeping multiple fleets of hundreds or thousands of ships in the middle of a war straight in your head is kind of nuts(no offense oh mighty Duchess, but you scare me). Also, if you give a straight answer, it impedes your ability to make stuff up and not have irate fans call you on it.

[Chris OFarrell]

Tell that to Dalla and her fleet

I will. Do recall that they actually survived being in proximity to Sun-Crushed stars, though they took damage, they did survive.

Uhhh the Hydra (or Ballisck, I can't kept her damn fleet straight) got vaporised by the shockwave. The Gorgan got hit by the very edge of the shockwave, lost shields and most of the rear armor but just barely managed to jump the hell out of there on a blind jump. All that was in it was IIRC about two shiplengths that gave Dalla the miliseconds needed to finish powering the hyperdrive.

[NecronLord]

Uhhh the Hydra (or Ballisck, I can't kept her damn fleet straight) got vaporised by the shockwave. The Gorgan got hit by the very edge of the shockwave, lost shields and most of the rear armor but just barely managed to jump the hell out of there on a blind jump. All that was in it was IIRC about two shiplengths that gave Dalla the miliseconds needed to finish powering the hyperdrive.

The Basilisk was destroyed, the others took the blast and survived because they were further away from the seven simultaneous supernovae, (try saying that one quickly) though they were pretty wrecked.

[Chris OFarrell]

Uhhh the Hydra (or Ballisck, I can't kept her damn fleet straight) got vaporised by the shockwave. The Gorgan got hit by the very edge of the shockwave, lost shields and most of the rear armor but just barely managed to jump the hell out of there on a blind jump. All that was in it was IIRC about two shiplengths that gave Dalla the miliseconds needed to finish powering the hyperdrive.

The Basilisk was destroyed, the others took the blast and survived because they were further away from the seven simultaneous supernovae, (try saying that one quickly) though they were pretty wrecked.

The Basilisk was destroyerd instantly, the other (singular) was spared because it had a split second more to jump to hyperspace, its shields had collapsed and its hull was very much extra crispy. If Gorgan had stayed a split second longer and been actualy hit by the shockwave, Dalla would have been dead, instantly. She admits as much in 'Champions of the Force'.

And the ships would only have been hit by ONE supernova shockwave at best. The seven stars could not possibly have been THAT close together to overlap their shockwaves where the ISD's were, otherwise the stars would have long sinced pulled into each other. Kyp just wasted his ammo really.

Anyway the point is that you said the shockwave wouldn't be a threat to the ISD's because they could survive it...this is patently NOT the case. I'll also make a point that the Trilithium shockwave looks to be far more powerful then your typical supernova. As the initial shockwave of a supernova shouldn't come close to fragmenting and blasting a planet appart with the force seen in Generations, when Veridians sun was hit....

[Stravo]

Chapter 87: I tan I Epi Tas*


James Kirk stepped off the transporter pad and smiled at the small gathering of officers squeezed into the large transporter room of Avalon’s main station hub. The applause began, polite at first but then more insistent and jubilant as he made his way through the crowd, shaking hands and clapping people’s shoulders as he walked through them, thanking each of them as he walked.

He stepped out of the transporter room and found the corridors clogged with bodies as people stood shoulder to shoulder and began applauding as soon as he appeared. Several whoops and cheers echoed off the walls as he entered the press of bodies. The crowd parted respectfully as he walked into the throng and continued shaking hands, smiling and nodding at his enthusiastic supporters.

Riker waited for him at the end of the corridor flanked by Data and another figure that made Kirk pause.

Captain Christopher Pike sat in his full body life support seat beside Riker. His face was frozen in a sleepy expression, eyes foxed forward, mouth slightly agape and skin pale and lifeless. But there was a spark of intelligence behind the eyes.

“Captain Pike?” Kirk asked softly.

The gathered officers and crewmen behind Kirk all quieted down as they watched the exchange with curious expressions. Two living legends were meeting for the first time. To many of the more devoted this was akin to a religious experience.

“Captain Kirk. I finally caught up with you.”

“Sir, I’m not sure what to say.” Kirk began. Pike interrupted him, his voice a cold mechanical monotone.

“There is nothing to say, Captain. I came here to offer my support and remind you of something.”

“Remind me?”

An older woman stood by Pike’s side, one hand gently resting on his shoulder.

“It would be best Captain if we discussed that in private. For now we just want to join everyone else in welcoming you back.”

“Thank you.” Kirk smiled warmly.

“Captain Kirk.”

Kirk turned slowly and watched as Captain Jellico strode calmly through the crowd towards him. He did not make any sign of annoyance or anger as he approached. There was no surge of support like this for him. No throngs waiting outside his office when they were left leaderless and alone.

But that was over now.

Jellico was a soldier and he did was he was told and followed his orders. If he stood firm against Kirk he would ironically lose all that he had fought to rebuild here. Jellico would not destroy the Federation in order to save his vision of it.

He stopped in front of Kirk and there was a nervous rustle of murmurs through the crowd. Eyes watched both men intently.

“Captain Jellico.” Kirk immediately held out his hand without hesitation. Jellico regarded the hand for a moment then took it in a form grip. The men shook hands.

“The fleet stands ready Captain Kirk. I formally hand over command to you.”

Kirk nodded.

“Thank you Captain Jellico and the fleet thanks you for all your hard work and dedication. We need more officers like you willing to make the sacrifices necessary to ensure we have victory at the end of the day.”

Jellico nodded in response and stepped back snapping a sharp salute. The assembled officers cheered enthusiastically. The transfer of power was complete. The fleet was whole again.

“Hey Captain Kirk!” Kirk looked over in the general direction of the shout. “Where are we going sir?”

“To Andor and nothing will stand in our way.” Kirk shouted back into the crowd. The roar was like a wave as it passed over everyone. Several people pumped their fists in the air and the only pockets of calm were from the small clusters of Vulcans who looked distantly uncomfortable surrounded by the volcanic eruptions of emotion from their fellow Starfleet Officers.

“I thank you for your warm welcome, I have missed this family more than you know but now there is little time for celebration. I mean to take this fleet into battle within the next 3 hours. Get to your ships, prepare them and your crews because the Federation will be heard today.” Kirk stated with conviction.

The crowds applauded and cheered again but this time it was more subdued as the weight of his words sank in to many of the men an women surrounding him. Soon many started filing out to their ships.

“Captain Jellico, I’d like you to stay with us. We need to plan for the coming battle and I would value your input.”

Jellico covered the surprise on his face well and fell in step behind Kirk as the group walked back into the main conference room behind them. Princess Leia, still green skinned and wearing a Starfleet uniform, was speaking quietly to a team of Alliance engineers when she turned to greet them with a smile.

“We’re ready for the briefing on Project Amber.” Leia stated with a confident nod.

Kirk motioned for the Riker and the others to take their seats but left the seat to his right open for Jellico.

“Project Amber?” Jellico asked pointedly as he took the offered seat warily. Kirk was being very gracious with him. Hardly what he expected from the maverick commander at this stage in the game.

“Yes, Captain, a special project undertaken at my insistence after the Battle of Vulcan.” Kirk replied as he motioned for Spock to begin the presentation.

“The Vulcan scientists we recovered from the Imperium’s Wormhole project were assigned to help develop subspace weapons that could be used against the Imperium forces.” Spock continued as he nodded to a small team of Vulcan scientists standing behind a holographic projector who responded to his signal and activated a display. A strange octagonal device sprang up on the holoprojector for all to see.

Jellico looked from Spock to Kirk, his eyes naorrowed.

“Subspace Weapons? Are you aware that those weapons are strictly banned by the Federation?”

Kirk frowned.

“Captain Jellico out of all my commanders I would think you would realize that doing things the way the Federation has been used to doing them won’t win us this war.”

Jellico shook his head in exasperation.

“Damnit Kirk I don’t give a damn about treaty stipulations or niceties. There’s a reason why subspace weapons have been banned or strictly controlled by every space faring species in the galaxy. Subspace weapons can destroy or render local subspace too chaotic to navigate.” Jellico leaned forward “We would be taking a chance on rendering Federation space a chaos of ruptured subspace domains and spatial anomalies.”

Kirk nodded slowly.

“You’re not willing to take that chance to save the Federation?” Kirk asked quietly searching the older Captain’s eyes as he asked.

“Save it by destroying it?! No, I don’t think so.” Jellico replied icily.

“And I agree.” Kirk replied firmly.

“I don’t understand, you just mentioned developing subspace weapons, why develop them if you don’t mean to use them?”

“That’s what Project Amber is all about. The Alliance Engineers and the Vulcan science teams have spent the last few months since The Battle of Vulcan trying to come up with a subspace weapon that we can use once for maximum effect.”

Kirk nodded to Spock.

“Project Amber is an attempt by the Federation to deploy a subspace weapon of sufficient power that would devastate the Imperium fleet. Captain Kirk when approached with the possibility of using subspace weapons early on in the conflict came to the same conclusion as Captain Jellico. Widespread use of subspace weapons would have potentially devastating effects on Federation subspace nullifying our ability to use warp drives. However the potential of subspace weapons in this conflict could not be ignored.”

“Our fleet has been consistently outgunned in every engagement despite the fact that we outnumber Imperial forces by a wide margin. A weapon was needed that could bypass Imperial shield technology and directly attack the vessels themselves whether by directing assaulting the hull or by other means.”

Spock stepped aside as he motioned for a tall slim Vulcan female to step forward.

“At this point I present Doctor T’Nis of the Vulcan Science Academy.”

Doctor T’Nis was young for someone in her position and considering the relative conservative nature of Vulcan Society that was a good indication to her abilities that she was leading a team of scientists many years her senior.

“Thank you, Mr. Spock.” She turned her attention to the assembled officers around the table.

“Project Amber is the logical result of our analysis of wormhole phenomenon conducted over a period of two weeks in the Science Academy under supervision of an Imperial Officer names Tarsi. We were directed to explore any and all means to generate and control wormholes. When we were rescued by Captain Kirk and his fleet we were asked to continue our research to help develop a subspace weapon to use against the Imperial forces.”

“We were directed to find a way of inducing a subspace wormhole that could either sweep Imperial ships out into deepest space, hopefully to another galaxy or beyond. Or in the alternative the wormhole would induce massive structural damage to the Imperial ships destroying or crippling them. We were well aware that inducing a wormhole of that size and nature would dangerously destabilize local space and would need to be a weapon of last resort.”

T’Nis pursed her lips slightly and the others could immediately deduce that despite the fact she was leading this effort she was no in agreement with many of its goals at all. But like many in this war they found themselves doing things and making decisions they never thought they would make otherwise. Leia imagined that many people in this room would be quite disturbed at what they had discovered about themselves during these dark days.

This war was a twisted mirror indeed. A man she loved like a brother had changed from quietly noble and somewhat naive young man into a dark lord of the Sith and now into some sort of noble dictator. Luke Skywalker was never meant to be anything like what he had become.

But then did any of them belong here? A commander out of his time, a fleet from another galaxy far away and long ago, a rebellion continued here and no end in sight.

“The crux of our dilemma was how to initiate a wormhole of this nature.”

“And that is where the Alliance and our engineers came in.” Leia spoke up as she rose from her seat. She touched a panel in front of her and the Octagonal device shrunk down to a quarter of its former size and instead an Imperial warship dominated the display now.

“This is an Interdictor class cruiser. We’ve had run ins with these vessels in this campaign but their effectiveness has been greatly reduced by the fact that Federation and Alpha quadrant warp drives in general are not as easily blocked by localized gravity wells as our hyperdrive units are.”

“The Interdictor class cruisers use artificially generated gravity wells and project them outward from these points.” Several large egg shaped bumps on the hull of the warship were highlighted in yellow. “This technology is common place in our galaxy and your own technology has lacked a need to generate a gravity well of this magnitude but it is well within your ability to generate a field like this one.”

“Save on the scale that the Interdictors are able to generate.” T’Nis clarified.

“So you’re going to use the gravity well generators that the Alliance is helping you design to be the catalyst for your weaponized wormholes.” Scotty exclaimed awe in his voice.

“Young minds fresh ideas Mr. Scott.” Kirk chided.

Scotty smiled and shook his head ruefully.

“Indeed we are Mr. Scott. Your reputation is indeed well earned.” The young Vulcan nodded in acknowledgement. T’Nis casually raised a laser pointer to the hologram next to her as the Interdictor was replaced by the octagonal device again.

“This is the end result of our efforts. The Amber Device is a hybridization of Alliance technology and our own advances in subspace weaponry. The Amber device works on the principle that a high enough gravitic field compressed into a finite small space will tear open a hole in subspace causing an explosive rupture in subspace domains. That rupture theoretically should form a wormhole or at the very least a spatial anomaly that will either shunt mass into all the subspace domains effectively erasing anything in its event horizon out of our existence or create a series of subspace shockwaves that will tear apart anything up to and including planetary masses.”

McCoy’s hand shot up instantly.

“I heard the word theoretical.” McCoy snapped.

“Yes?”

“You want the fleet to rely on a device that you don’t know for sure works? If that little firecracker fizzles in the middle of our engagement we’ll have our you know what’s swinging in the wind.”

“Actually doctor I do not know what.” T’Nis replied without skipping a beat.

McCoy frowned. Scotty, Sulu and Riker suppressed their smiles and Kirk shook his head. Data was confused as he looked from the Doctor to the Vulcan woman.

“Can you just address the question.” He finally relented with an exasperated wave of his hand.

T’Nis spared Spock a sidelong glance.

“Theoretical because understandably a live fire exercise runs into the obvious problems of destroying the local subspace domains and more importantly these devices are extremely difficult to construct without a dedicated planet bound infrastructure.”

“Well how do we know they’ll work then?”

“All computer simulations have resulted in 99.89% success rate for a weaponized wormhole to be initiated.”

“And what happens .11% of the time?” McCoy pressed.

T’Nis looked into McCoy’s eyes without hesitation.

“A runaway cascade effect that creates shockwaves through the subspace domains comprising the local galactic cluster.”

McCoy blinked.

“From reviewing your data that would constitute the explosive disruption of the Milky Way galaxy and perhaps Andromeda as well.” Data concluded matter of factly.

“Undoubtedly the local Magellanic clouds would be extinguished.” Spock added.

McCoy’s eyes widened and he whirled to face Kirk.

“Jim, you can’t be serious.” He exclaimed in horror.

“It’s a slim chance Bones.” Kirk answered calmly.

“Slim chance?! Jim you’re talking about cooking a thing off that could destroy the galaxy and beyond. There is such a thing as victory at too great a cost.”

“Bones, when they detonated the first atom bombs back on Earth there was a slim chance that it could have ignited the Earth’s atmosphere. They went ahead anyway because the chance was small and the benefits were too large to be ignored.”

“And if I recall my history Jim, those same atom bombs were then use to rain fire and death upon civilians. Do you think that maybe you should rethink that analogy?”

“Bones, this decision like any other command level decision I or any other flag officer makes is not up for review. If we were discussing the overall health of the fleet then I would like your input.”

“Or MAYBE you’d like my input if we were discussing a mutagenic plague designed to specifically target extragalactic humans.” McCoy shot back acidly and instantly regretted what he said.

“Doctor..” Riker began.

“That was low, Bones. Beneath you really.” Kirk replied tightly glaring at one of his oldest friends with anger and bitter disappointment.

Jellico cleared his throat.

“If I may,” he began. “Moral issues aside I have a far more pressing concern.” The gathering at the table turned their attention to Jellico but Kirk and McCoy remained fuming at each other.

“As I understand it this weapon can shatter worlds. We would not be discussing Amber if not because we intended to use it in our upcoming battle at Andor. Has anyone thought about the consequences if the device were to destroy Andor?”

“Every moment of every hour since I decided to deploy Amber at the battle.” Kirk replied evenly.

“Is that really up to us to decide? One thing is using subspace weapons that could leave Andor unable to use warp drives, at least they will still be alive. Quite another to be responsible for 9 billion lives lost and a planet reduced to rubble.”

“I have to admit, Captain, I have to agree with Captain Jellico on this point. What gives us the right to decide Andor’s fate? We’re not talking about losing a battle to the Empire or even abandoning them to occupation. This is genocide.” Riker’s voice caught slightly as he said the last part.

“That’s a decision that some of us may have to live with after this war is over but I am not about to destroy a world that has done nothing but aid us in this conflict without them knowing about it.” Kirk answered as he touched a control at his place at the table.

A hologram unfurled over Kirk’s place at the table. The now familiar face of the President of Andor floated at head level with everyone else.

“That is why Captain Kirk requested my presence here.” The president of Andor stated gravely.

“I was able to inform the president of Project Amber on my flight here to Avalon. He understands the gravity of this situation.” Kirk explained.

“We have our own contingency plans in place should an outright invasion take place against us if the Imperial fleet defeats your forces.” The president’s face darkened and his voice grew quieter and angry. “We have made the decision that we will do anything to ensure that Andor does not fall in Imperial hands. Andor has never been conquered or occupied and it never will. Our world is of one mind on this notion. However we have secretly begun ferrying children, scientists and leaders off our world in fast transport ships to Avalon. We request that the Federation Remnant provide more space lift capability to help move more of our population off world.”

“A planetary evacuation the like of which you are suggesting is nearly unprecedented in our era.” Data noted.

“But it was routine in mine.” Kirk interjected. “Mr. President I have dispatched every freighter, courier ship, starships too damaged or out of date to fight to Andor. They will arrive under command of a Klingon security force so don’t be too alarmed when a Klingon warship decloaks in your system with a ragtag fleet behind it. I have given you every ship we can spare sir. The rest will be needed in defense of Andor.”

“And you are coming?” The president asked him directly.

Kirk nodded.

“Mr. President the Enterprise herself will be leading our task force. We are leaving Avalon in several hours and take up position in your system to defend it from the Imperial attack. We stand together and we will fall together if we must Mr. President but the Federation will not abandon Andor.”

“We had no doubts that the hero of the Federation would not come to us in our hour of greatest need. Whatever the outcome Captain it was an honor working with you in these dark days.”

“Thank you Mr. President. If this war is to end at the gates of Andor then so be it. I know I will be standing with brothers at the end of all things.”

“We await you at Andor Captain Kirk as I suspect Fate does as well.”

The president’s face faded from view and Kirk looked out over the assembled officers and men.

“My decision has been made we will deploy Amber at the Battle should the tide begin to turn. If we’re going down we’re going to take those bastards with us.”

“There is a problem that we have not had time to relay Captain.” T’Nis interjected calmly.

“Oh?”

“Let me guess, someone has to turn a crank on this thing and stay with it when it goes up.” McCoy sighed.

“We do not have the requisite number of Amber devices to create a wormhole large enough to damage a significant portion of the Imperial fleet.”

Kirk frowned and his face darkened.

“Are you seriously going to tell me that on the eve of the definitive battle of this war we won’t have our most powerful weapon ready?” he asked quietly, anger singing in every syllable.

T’Nis shook her head.

“The weapon itself is ready but in order to create a stable weaponized wormhole that can effect a large enough area to make a difference in a fleet engagement of this size we need a minimum of 9 Amber devices. We currently have 4 devices in our stocks.”

“If you knew we needed 9 why are there only 4?” Riker asked shaking his head ruefully. A weapon that could finally hurt the Imperials and it would not be ready for the final showdown. This was so anticlimactic that he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

T’Nis sighed softly. Even her Vulcan demeanor was slipping under the sudden intense scrutiny by everyone in the room.

“As I explained earlier the Amber devices are incredibly difficult to construct without a planetary infrastructure. The industrial replicators on Avalon have all been tasked with mass construction of starship parts and other essential items and we have had to make due with lesser methods of construction. If I may I will add that Captain Kirk’s strict secrecy regarding this project also limited our options in terms of what resources we could allocate and with his absence we were severely limited to what we could use as Captain Jellico was exerting almost complete control of any construction facilities on Avalon to upgrade the fleet.”

Kirk’s hands were splayed out on the table in front of him and Leia noticed that his knuckles were white with tension. Yet another consequence of his leaving the fleet unexpected was rearing its head and there was nothing he could say in his defense. How many more consequences were waiting for him?

Captain Entebbe, quiet throughout the briefing was rapidly writing something in his datapad and checking calculations against a computer terminal at his place at the table. He had begun his desperate scribbling when T’Nis revealed the working mechanism of the Amber device.

“What can we do with 4 devices?” Kirk asked neutrally.

“We can set up a much smaller wormhole, perhaps trapping and destroying several Imperial warships. The damage and area of effect will simply not be as potent if we had a full set of nine devices.”

“If I may sir?” Entebbe interjected holding up one hand as if he were back at the Academy while finishing another equation on his datapad with the other free hand.

“Go ahead captain.” Kirk nodded to Entebbe. The young Captain had been with him since the very first days of his coming into this timeline and he was a constant fixture at his briefings ever since.

“If I’m figuring these subspace resonance equations correctly I think I may have found an option to broaden the effect of the Amber devices we do have.”

Scotty peered over Entebbe’s shoulder at the datapad. Kirk smiled softly.

“Go ahead Captain, and please explain it simply to some of us who wouldn’t know what a subspace resonance equation even looks like.” Kirk chided gently.

“When you’re a captain of one of the newest science vessels around you’re expected to be more scientist than Captain.” Entebbe chuckled. “Anyway the way I figure it, if you get enough ships at the center of the four devices generating a tachyon pulse at this resonance frequency,” Entebbe paused as he plugged his datapad into the table and the equations slowly rotated in a hologram above Entebbe’s head. The frequency in question lit up in bright yellow. “It will build up a resonance cascade effect that should amplify the output of the Amber devices.”

T’Nis was examining the equation but she was ready for this observation. If anything Vulcans were thorough in their calculations and examinations.

“What Captain Entebbe is saying is true.” T’Nis concluded.

“Then we have an answer to our problem.” Riker concluded with a relieved smile.

Jellico did not look as convinced as he watched the young Vulcan woman.

“I detect a but coming.” Jellico concluded.

Scotty’s eyes narrowed as he read a portion of the equation and he looked sharply down at Entebbe.

“Your distance variables…you know what you’re doing lad?” Scotty asked worriedly.

Data’s eyes did not leave the equation but his own positronic net had already extrapolated all the results of the equation.

“The Vulcan Science team came to the same conclusion as Captain Entebbe when we were trying to address the issue of maximizing the effect of the Amber devices. The only way a ship borne method could have any appreciable effect on the Amber devices would be to have the ships nestled directly within the Amber devices’ area of effect.”

Riker’s smile died.

Kirk’s eyes narrowed on Entebbe.

The young Science vessel captain remained impassive as he sat back in his seat and nodded.

“My equation accounts for a zero distance variable. I know it means that any vessel that sits in that zone will be destroyed in the resulting cascade.” He calmly explained.

“That’s unacceptable.” McCoy slapped the table with his hand in frustration. He was not a fool, perhaps an idealist in terms of morality but he also knew that such sacrifices may be called on by this war.

“Is it the only way?” Kirk asked T’Nis.

“We have exhausted all other possibilities that can be instituted on short notice.”

“We leave in 2 hours.” Kirk noted.

“Can’t we wait, Jim?” McCoy pressed.

“No.” Jellico and Kirk replied simultaneously. Both smiled softly at one another.

“No, Bones. Every moment we wait the Imperials can attack. We know for sure there is an Imperial fleet less than 10 light years away massing for the attack. With hyperdrive that’s a few seconds head sup time before they arrive. Andor cannot withstand a full on Imperial assault alone.”

McCoy said nothing in reply but sat back in defeat and glanced over at Entebbe. The young Captain looked completely unmoved by the revelation that other starships would be destroyed trying to amplify their wonder weapon.

“Load up the Amber devices on their assigned ships and begin operations for high speed warp to Andor. Captain Jellico.” Jellico stood up.

“Sir?”

“I’m placing you in charge of getting the fleet assembled and ready in exactly 2 hours. Every proton torpedo you’ve built should be loaded up on anything that can carry it. We leave behind only the ships that are too damaged or undermanned to fight. If this fleet falls Avalon won’t be far behind. There’s no use in husbanding our resources now.”

“I’m on it, sir. Riker.”

“Captain?”

“Take your place on the Excalibur and you’ll be the rally point for the fleet.”

“Understood sir.”

Kirk took a moment to gather his thoughts and nodded to his people.

“I know this is not the way we ever imagined that this could end. But there’s no choice now. I know that I can count on each and everyone of you in this coming battle. I wouldn’t want to stand with anyone else in this our darkest but finest hour. Thank you, all of you, for believing in me and our cause. I will address the fleet before we leave. For now…I need an hour.”

“Sir?” Riker asked confused.

“Just an hour. One hour to myself before we pull out. Can you all give that to me?”

Jellico nodded and took Kirk’s shoulder, gripping it gently.

“You’ll have your hour sir and your fleet will be ready.”

“Thank you Captain Jellico. For everything.” Kirk added with a knowing smile.

“A pleasure and an honor sir.” Riker snapped a sharp salute and filed out of the room with Data. Entebbe nodded to Kirk and smiled.

“I always imagined as a boy being on adventures with you sir. Not many people here can say that their dreams came true in these dark days but I’d like to thank you for letting me be a part of this adventure.”

Kirk extended his hand and Entebbe took it.

“Captain. You were the first to follow me, the first to join the cause and you have never wavered or doubted. Its people like you that made this adventure possible.”

Entebbe seemed to stand 6 inches taller and beamed as he walked out of the room.

“T’Nis, please pass on our deepest thanks and gratitude to you and your team.”

“Many of us disagreed with the goal of our project.” She replied quietly.

“And because of that you have my personal thanks. You could have said no, after all gratitude for saving you from Vulcan’s occupation did not logically include working on a project that violates your conscience.”

T’Nis nodded.

“We never forgot our duties to the Federation, Captain.”

“And the Federation will never forget.”

The Vulcan team filed out in short order. Leia and the others gathered around Kirk.

“Scotty, I’ll need you to make sure the Enterprise is in top condition when we head out.”

“Just give the word, Sir and it shall be done.” Scotty promised.

“Spock, I’m placing you in charge of implementation of the Amber project so oversee the loading of the devices and prepare a plan of deployment.”

“Yes sir.” Spock did not leave however, he remained hovering near the door as Kirk thanked the others and sent them on their assignments. Leia finally faced him and she placed a hand on his cheek.

“I won’t ask you if you’re fine because I know the answer. I’ve been where you are.”

Kirk clasped her hand to his cheek and closed his eyes for a moment as if willing the moment to last forever. He held onto it, locking away the memory and then opened his eyes and smiled warmly at his partner in crime since the early days of this conflict.

“And what is there to say to you, Leia? Thanks for not forcing me to rescue a princess in this story?”

“This story hasn’t been finished, Jim. And you’ll find that this princess tends to do the rescuing.” Leia laughed and kissed him on the cheek. “For luck.” She added.

“You’ll be on the Reckless Hope?”

“Fighting by your side.” She replied.

“Thank you.” There was an awkward pause but Leia demurely nodded to him and smiled as she walked past him and was quickly followed by the droids and her Alliance staff.

Kirk found himself alone with Spock and McCoy.

“Well.” He sighed.

“Jim, now is not the time to let emotion cloud your judgment. You have done everything you can for this fleet. What happens now is out of our quite fallible hands.” Spock noted calmly.

Kirk smiled softly at one of his oldest and dearest friends.

“Just once, Mr. Spock, I would have liked to see you smile.” Kirk commented. Spock raised an eyebrow.

“Really Captain, now is not the time for your rather perverse desires.” Spock replied dryly.

“Say what you will about Spock he knows how to drain the warmth from a room.” McCoy snapped.

“You two have been my rocks. I don’t know where I would be without you.”

“Dead.” Spock replied mater of factly.

“At the very least stranded on that ice planet with massive head trauma.” McCoy added with a shrug of his shoulders.

Kirk laughed hard and he embraced McCoy and Spock in a bear hug. Spock looked distinctly uncomfortable while McCoy clapped his friend on the back.

“You take your hour Jim. We’ll be here waiting.”

“I daresay we will always be here.” Spock added.

“Thank you.” Kirk replied. McCoy and Spock walked out of the room flanking Kirk. Captain Pike and the older woman stood patiently waiting outside.

“Captain Pike.”

“Captain Kirk. I’ve come here on behalf of the Talosians. They wanted me to remind you of something vitally important.” Pike spoke in an odd monotone from his life-support chair.

“What would that be?”

“Remember your errand of mercy to Organia.”

Kirk frowned slightly.

“You know it’s been confusing Captain. Aside from my crew you are the only other person that remembers the Organians. I’ve asked everyone else here and it only draws blanks. Hell even searches on Starfleet databases come up blank.”

“That is because the Organians stretched forth their mighty hand and erased their existence from human history, Captain. The reason why you remember is because you are not from this time. It seems even the mighty Organians cannot foresee where fate takes you, Captain.” Even though Pike’s face was frozen by his injuries Kirk could detect the warm smile in his words.

“And will the Organians help?” Spock asked.

“That remains to be seen. The Organians’ motives can be inscrutable even to their brethren.”

“Thank you Captain Pike, I’ll keep that in mind. Right now you’ll understand if I’m more concerned with winning this battle than Deus ex Machina waiting in the wings that need to be cajoled into saving this galaxy.”

“Of course Captain.”

Kirk paused for a moment.

“Is Charlie with you?”

“Charlie has been running…errands of late. He was supposed to be back by now. He so wanted to be by your side in this battle.” Vina replied clucking like a worried grandmother.

“It would be good to have him. If you see him please make sure he gets to the Enterprise in time.”

“Of course Captain.”

“Good Luck James.” Pike added.




Kirk walked slowly into his office, an office he rarely if ever used on Avalon but one that Captain Jellico had all but lived in. There were stacks of datapads in neat piles along his desk and his work station computer terminal was on standby.

Outside the massive full wall window opposite his desk he could see his fleet beginning to form up. The larger starships elegantly lumbered past the window as they moved towards the massive shimmering blue conical shaped warship sitting patiently at the edge of Avalon’s space.

Some of their hulls were freshly painted with the words THE FEDERATION LIVES proudly displayed on their saucer sections. A declaration of hope and defiance that had rallied his people from the first dark days of this war.

James Kirk stood at the window for a long moment, hands clasped behind his back. Like many commanders on the eve of the defining battle of any war he was reduced to waiting.

“Computer. Play something quiet. Something classical.”

“Classical Earth Period?” the computer enquired.

“Definitely.”

A soft tune began to play in the background. Several lone violins followed by soft horns welcomed his hour of silence and introspection. He had been moving so fast this entire time that he did not remember the last time he was actually able to stand here and think.

He decided to do what he had not done since this all started.

“Captain’s Log Stardate 98897.10. I have been given command of the mightiest fleet that Starfleet has ever assembled. Thousands of starships all waiting for my commands as we embark upon a battle that will decide the fate of the Federation. If Andor falls we lose our main supply base, repair and construction infrastructure and not to mention our primary medical facilities.

Andor has come to represent the Federation. The last of the primary signatories not under occupation and final link to all that we are fighting for. It is everything to us now, our greatest asset, our primary base and our greatest symbol of inspiration. To lose Andor will mean losing everything.

We have no choice but to make our stand. I have withheld hope that perhaps we will have another ally in Luke Skywalker and his Imperium but I cannot assume anything. It will be Thrawn’s fleet we will be facing in this battle and he has every edge conceivable in this battle.

Our only choice is to fight, our only hope is to win. If I do not make another entry in this log let it be known that every single Starfleet officer and crewman gave everything they had to this cause, this war went above and beyond duty and honor. This was the defining conflict of the Federation and she should be proud of her children for she has bred heroes like no other.

I only hope I am worthy to keep their company and deserve their trust in my command. The Federation Lives.”

Kirk bowed his head slightly and placed his right hand against the glass. He stood there head down hand on the glass with only the sound of his breathing and the gentle music.

He looked up slowly and saw his office reflected in the glass. There was someone sitting in the chair to his office. He said nothing.

“You remember me don’t you?”

“How could I forget?” Kirk replied, throat dry and constricted.

“And me?”

Kirk’s eyes followed the reflection of his office and saw the other figure drawn tightly in an X in the doorway. Chains and manacles clinked quietly as the figure moved slightly, its tattered gold shirt and filth blurry in the glass.

“What do you want?”

“It doesn’t end with this battle. The choice still has to be made.” The scarecrow like figure, a mockery of himself stated grimly from his chains.

“There is no escaping destiny Jim. You will have to walk one of these paths.” The Kirk seated in his chair in an immaculate Imperial uniform.

Kirk whirled around quickly.

“I don’t believe in you!”

He stood alone in his office. There was no one in his chair. No one crucified against his door.

He laughed darkly to himself.

“Captain’s Personal Log.

Its really very simple. I’m facing Grand Admiral Thrawn and his fleet. The man who defeated me soundly at Romulus and who has racked up such impressive victories that he has become an instant threat to our forces as well as the Imperium.

I’ve gone over it a thousand times in my head and I don’t know if I can beat the man. He is perhaps the most astounding military genius I have ever faced but in the end he is fighting against freedom and justice and wants to kill the Federation I love and that may be all the edge I need.

This war has been about hope. Its always been about holding onto hope against the storm. And my hope is a simple one. That we will win. We will defeat the Empire and restore peace and order to the galaxy.”

Kirk sat down in his seat and gently laid his head against the back of the chair. He closed his eyes and listened to the music. In the end no matter what happened he would have this moment when he was truly alone and the world did not exist outside his walls

For just this single hour he would know peace.




The Federation Fleet was assembled now. Thousands of starships from all corners of the Federation were lining up in neat orderly battle lines, ranging form state of the art starships like the precious few Prometheus class warships, the mighty Galaxies and the powerful Sovereign class ships. Zipping in between the battle lines like attendant insects were the Defiant class ships and their lesser cousins the Sabers and Steamrunners. Swarming around the wings of the fleet were the Delta Flyer fighters and their larger Runabout counterparts.

At the center of the fleet were three ships. The conical miles long Excalibur, her golden glowing maw pulsed slowly and patiently. Beneath her floated the Reckless Hope, her long spindly shape was surrounded by the fighters of Rogue Squadron. Above both vessels at station keeping was the USS Enterprise ready to lead this mighty armada into the battle of their lives.

James Kirk stepped onto the bridge and took a moment to look around, taking in the sight of his crew eager and ready to do battle. Uhura turned slightly at her station and announced in a beautiful clear voice “Captain on the Bridge.”

His officers all snapped to attention as Kirk strode over to his Captain’s chair.

“As you were. Uhura please put me on the fleet wide band.”

“You’re on Captain.”

Kirk looked out at the screen and on thousands of ships he looked down at the crews, his voice piped through to every speaker available both on the ships and on Avalon.

“You all know me and I won’t take up your precious time with platitudes and jingoistic phrases. We are fighting a war of survival. You are here with me because you could not and would not accept the loss and surrender of the Federation to a dictatorial regime. We are here because the ideals of the Federation mean something to us. We are here because we are the children of the Federation and our mother is under attack.

It is the place of heroes to sacrifice what is necessary to achieve victory and I will not lie to you when I say that this battle will require much sacrifice from all of us. Much blood will be shed on the altar of victory to see this war and in particular this battle through. And the Federation is calling us now. She is calling us to shed blood for her and I have only this to say. If the Federation requires every drop of my blood then she shall have it without hesitation because I am nothing without her but she is an ideal. The Federation is forever.”

Kirk paused as he looked out across his gathered forces feeling their eagerness, fear, apprehension and righteous anger. It would be his to wield now.

“The standing order of the day is a simple one. “I tan I Epi Tas”” He could see smiles spreading across the faces of the more classically trained members of the crew. “On Earth in ancient Greece the Spartan mothers would tell their sons “With your shield or upon it” before he left for battle. The same holds true for us. We either return with our fleet or upon our shields in defeat but we will not surrender, we will not retreat. We will fight and we will stand against the darkness and shake our fists at the storm and say The Federation Lives.

So stand with me Starfleet because we will be heard this day and it will be a sound that will echo throughout history.”

There were no cheers, no exclamations of joy. There was grim resolve and an utter realization that their lives were leading up to this moment. This single battle would define them and their cause. Victory was nearly impossible but it had been that way since the beginning and they were still here and Kirk was still here and that was good enough for all of them.

Starfleet gathered its forces and jumped to warp speed and into destiny.





*Special Thanks to Crown for giving me the Greek Translation of the famous phrase.

[Comosicus]

Yupee

New chapter

EDIT: And first post too .... now my sleep will have to wait till I finish reading this.

EDIT2: Nice introduction to the Federation side before the showdown of titans. Thank you, Stravo! And I am glad you find the time to write this chapter. Hope you're well and that you're having the relaxation you deserve.

[Crazedwraith]

Wow.

[Pcm979]

Stravo, I either love you or hate you. Mainly because I don't think I'm going to get any sleep until the next chapter is posted.

[consequences]

So now, for the sake of redundancy, Andor can be utterly destroyed in three entirely separate ways.

Lets see if I have this straight:

Side A, The Federation: thousands of Starfleet and possibly Klingon ships, the Excalibur, the Reckless Hope, Andor's system defenses, and an untested doomsday weapon. Is there to fight the Empire, will fight the Imperium but don't intend too, will probably be forced to fight the remnants of Shadowfleet.

Side B, the Imperium: a group of battered Star Destroyers and possibly Strike Cruisers, and however many romuland ships they bring to the party, along with the Emperor's Will, with its mini-ultimate death cannon. There to fight the Empire, will cheerfully fight Shadowfleet, will fight the Federation if provoked.

Side C, the Empire: unknown number of assorted GE warships, headed by the Executor, with the most obnoxious superweapon imaginable, Grand Admiral Thrawn unconstrained by the need to keep named characters alive for story purposes. There to crush the Federation, and will steamroller anyone else who gets in their way.

Side D, Overcompensating Assholes: Gary, with Unlimited Power(TM), and the Emperor with the beach ball of destruction. Basically willing to kill anyone and anything.

Side E(maybe) The Borg 2.0: Unknown number of ships, may not even get involved, probably there to fight the Empire but not up on current events as far as we know. Everyone else will probably reflexively start shooting them.

Side F KHAAAAAAAANNNNNN!: limited number of genetic supermen, unknown number of worm-controlled Imperial fodder, there to personally kill Kirk, and will kill or use anyone to achieve that goal.

Side G Shadowfleet: unknown number of ships, superweapon to blow up Andor's sun probably. There to fight anyone they see as threatening the Federation, will probably get shot at by everyone.

Side H Omnipotent Slackers: Don't even know how many still survive, or if they'll ever get their thumbs out of their asses, or which way they will jump if they do.

Side I Q: Trying to save the universe, and getting nowhere fast.

Can we get a flowchart or something?

[desertjedi]

Nice build up... there are so many loose ends to tie up, I can't help but wonder if we are truly near end game here.

[Pcm979]

There's also that Shadowfleet guy running around on Romulus, unless I missed something.

[Trytostaydead]

Wonderful Stravo. Could the Kirk in the Imperial Uniform be right? The Imperial Unifurm may actually be an IMPERIUM uniform, and under Luke Skywalker and not Darth Nemesis, it may be a worthy Empire to join.

[darthdavid]

I'd make one but I'm lazy.

[Captain Cyran]

Just caught up on two chapters. Very very nice Stravo. Beautiful as ever. In the previous chapter Jellico and Kirk's dialogue was absolutely wonderful, you got to see that neither was the bad guy, hell you even pushed it into the territory of Kirk being the bad guy. Wonderful writing. The Mara and Luke part was also wonderfully done.

As for this chapter, a great build-up. We'll probably have another chapter or two before the actual fight so you can get the storyline of the borg completely finished, as well as other minor things we'v probably all forgotten about.

For the battle, Kirk is really going to need both the borg and the Imperium to show up and save his ass. For one simple reason, Kirk's only chance is a one shot doomsday weapon that's going to need prep time to pull off. Thrawn will spot that weapon from the moment Kirk starts his plan, so they're going to need one hell of a distraction.

[darthdavid]

I don't like the doomsday weapon. I've got a prediction about what's going to happen but I'm not going to say it. I will say this though stravo, if you do what I'm thinking of this fic will lose major points in my eyes due to the enormous cliche it would represent.

[Captain Cyran]

Wonderful Stravo. Could the Kirk in the Imperial Uniform be right? The Imperial Unifurm may actually be an IMPERIUM uniform, and under Luke Skywalker and not Darth Nemesis, it may be a worthy Empire to join.

Doesn't matter, him joining means the Federation is dead. Something he is not willing to do.

[Stravo]

I don't like the doomsday weapon. I've got a prediction about what's going to happen but I'm not going to say it. I will say this though stravo, if you do what I'm thinking of this fic will lose major points in my eyes due to the enormous cliche it would represent.

This story will in no way shape or form be decided on a technobabble or gizmo device.

[Mr Bean]

Speaking of new chapters and updating...

*Edit opon review and contimplation

Here, now is the time, now is the act, here is the battle, this is the end of all things and the beginning of the new.

Kirk cares for the Federation, for the freedom loving, explorative Federation of his past, but he has been forced to see and recongize this new federation

Luke has faced his past, his future and his present, and done what no other jedi could do, not even his father.

Thrawn seeks stability, his eyes are turned ever outwards, to defend aginst whats out THERE. Kirk threaten's the stability, his federation must be swept aside for his own goals to be achived and so focuses his efforts to that end.

[Trytostaydead]

What will happen to the continuum when the universe implodes? Do they go too? If so, why aren't they worried?

[Stravo]

What will happen to the continuum when the universe implodes? Do they go too? If so, why aren't they worried?

The Continuum is bored...bored...bored. Frankly they don't know what will happen so for them that means something different and thus they don't fear oblivion because at least it will be different than what they've been experiencing for the last 100 million years.

Its this overall ennui that Q is struggling against and Gary is taking full advantage of.