How about another fanfic (Manifest Destiny)

[Mark S]

Bump.

That wasn't the end, was it?

Hell no! Give me break guys! It takes time to pull this stuff out of my butt. Besides, I just had my first anniversery. I was busy with other things to say the least.

Mark what you don't understand what I have come to the slow realization is that we are now the crack dealers of SD Net. We have created a junkie base that we must feed on a regular basis or they go into withdrawals that makes them cranky and prone to flame.

We are the Tony Montanas of SD Net and if people give you crap about taking too long, just tell 'em "Say Hello to my little freind!"

One of MY ALL TIME FAV MOVIES...

First you get the story, then you get the power, then you get the women.

[Mr Bean]

All in Favor of Mark S being Forbiden to Post on SD.net unless he's updated his Fanfic with a new section that day say
Aye!


...
Aye!
(Serously I jump in here all ready to read more and oops no he just wasted my time speaking instead of writing)


...
Just kidding

Or am I not?

Whatever I don't realy care at this point

[Crown]

I am with you Mr Bean, the exact same thing happened to me!

[Faram]

Aye

[Singular Quartet]

Nay!

Mark S, keep up the good work, but try to keep it fun for yourself.

[Mark S]

The fourth moon of the Yavin gas giant wasn't exactly a quiet place during the night. What little night there was this time of year between the sun and the reflection of the planet. None the less, Jenna focused on blotting the noise out. First the voices in the hall outside of her meditation cell, then the soft, ever present hum of the power generator buried deep within the complex, then the cries of beasts from the jungle drifting in through the tiny, open window, and finally her own breathing, her own heart.

Nothing disturbed her now as she filled herself with the energy of the Force and reflected on the events of the recent past and her feelings about them. She had lost her Padawan. She knew this to be true, she could feel it with every inch of her being. The girl had seemed so confident, so secure. Her physical prowess was almost beyond par. Surely nothing save a Sith warrior should have brought her down. Certainly not those lumbering cyborgs!?

Perhaps my over confidence in her was her ultimate destruction?, She thought. Yet there remained one nagging issue. Why could she not contact Mai-Men's spirit? If she was dead, as the Force told her, where was her apprentice to make peace with?

"You're making interpretations, my apprentice." The voice of her elderly master pulled the Jedi's eyes open with a start. "You felt that the young one was gone, not dead."

"Master Skywalker!" The ethereal image stood in front of the tiny room's only door. "I had felt your passing and I still couldn't believe it when they told me. Could the accident not have been prevented?"

"Why would I want to have done that, Child?!" Luke's translucent wrinkles pulled back in genuine surprise. "Sometimes the things that look the grimmest are really all for the best. If that explosion hadn't happened I'd still be in the other galaxy chatting with aliens and you'd be here meditating instead of trying to put your young padawon out of her misery."

"Then Mai-Men is alive!" Jenna jumped to her feet. "Surely I would have been able to feel her if she was."

"Your judgement is clouded by your feelings for her." Skywalker shook his head with a look of pity. "The cyborgs have stripped the child of all that she was. She gave herself over to defeat them and is now completely insane, a shattered mind spreading over a sea of individuals like a virus. And with each new cyborg she infests, her connection to the Dark Side, and her power, grows stronger."

"Then she has turned?"

"You can sense it, can't you?"

Jenna turned from the apparition to look out the room's lone window, into the bloody face of Yavin. Never in her life had she thought it would come to this. Not for her. She had been too careful.

"I know what I must do." The Jedi turned back to her ethereal master. "I will leave immediately."

"Good. Be mindful Jenna, your apprentice has grown stronger since last you saw her. This will not be easy. May the Force be with you."

The last sentence faded to silence even as its speaker faded from view. Alone once more, the Jedi Knight left to prepare for her immanent reunion.


The three hammer head corvettes tenaciously beat down on their Federation prey while the remains of their fighter escort, six new Y-wing mark five gunboats, deeked and juked around desperate phasor fire. There were seven ships in all that they now closed in on. Each one damaged beyond jumping past light speed. Each one clinging to life by the will of the Force alone. Wait. The savages didn't even know of the Force, did they?

"Watch it Blue three," a voice warned through the com. "You nearly got cooked in that last stream."

"Yeah," came the reply. He was really more annoyed with himself than anything. "Fuckin' savages."

"Hay!" The squadron commander's voice boomed in everyone's ears. "Cut the chatter and act like a fucking professional!"

"Copy that Blue Leader. Target four is breaking from pack. Starting attack run."

"Copy Blue three. Blue two, Blue eight, follow him in."

It was a big one, venting plasma from three of its four engine struts, or whatever they were. The Republic pilots figured it was trying to pull attention away from some of the other vessels. The ones more capable of making an escape. It made little difference. No one would be making an escape.

Three fighters wheeled hard out over the still firing corvettes and accelerated toward the stray. Behind them, energy fire splashed off of shields and their remaining comrades took evasive action. To their side, an enemy craft shattered in multiple explosions, the others of its kind limping sluggishly to get clear.

This was simply yet another in a string of debris that trailed the pursuit, but the distraction was enough for some of the bolder Starfleet crews to launch as many torpedoes and take as many phasor shots as they could.

The hail of fire thundered past the fighter escort, taking down two of the small ships in the process, and slammed full force into the Republic corvettes. Having taken near constant fire since the beginning of the operation, the shields of one vessel finally faltered and it was soon consumed in the effects of the phasors and the force of its own escaping air.

"Damn!" The captains of the two remaining corvettes pounded their fists in unison.

"Fucking Savages got Fel and Bess," one Y-wing pilot shouted over the comlink. In seconds he and his wing man were streaking towards the big stray, weapons blazing.

Four torpedoes rushed to embrace the enemy ship, connecting at last with its aft section at the center of the four struts. The resulting explosion sent the final remains of the Federation ship's shields wisping into oblivion and shoved it forward like a massive, kicked can.

The angry fighters needed no invitation to rack their enemy with strafe after strafe of blaster fire. In seconds the larger craft was covered with black scars and hull breaches. Moments later it was expanding in its own wave of destruction.

In the main pack, the remaining corvettes were wreaking their own vengeance. The two trained their main cannons on whatever was in front of them. It didn't matter which enemy it was. They would all receive the same fate. In unison, torpedoes of their own flew forth like the waves of rage flying from their gunners.

The Republic ships charged through the Federation pack like lions through hobbled horses. One pushed left, firing random shots at every enemy in its path, spreading havoc and chaos in its wake. The other powered right, baring down on one saucer-with-legs that had made a hapless break for a nebula growing steadily in the distance.

The corvette unleashed another volley of turbolaser fire as the Miranda fought back with its phasors. The energy streams crossed each other silently in the still blackness of space before connecting with their intended targets. A light show of reflected and refracted destruction surrounded the ships and the Federation vessel slowed in its course.

Again the Republic ship launched an attack. This time missiles were fired. They were met with another round from the phasor banks. Each missile was consumed in the blink of an eye. The turbolaser gunners doubled their efforts. In moments the wounded Starfleet ship was drifting dead in space.

Behind this battle, the other corvette's rampage, aided by the remaining fighters, was having devastating effect on the last four. Two ships were now spewing their life giving oxygen, one of them in a fiery plumb. Another was running on one engine strut, the other having broken off. The last craft was all but defenseless. With shields and weapon systems gone, its only course of action was to stay out of the way.

But even in their desperation, the Federation vessels changed direction and valiantly circled their lifeless comrade. The corvettes floated before them, glowering across the void in a moment of coordination. Four fighters circled all. Any sign of movement and they would strike like the war hawks that they were.

"This is Captain Raintree of the United Federation of Planets." The bleeding face and rasping voice was transmitted on all frequencies and in thousands of languages. "We surrender. I repeat. We give you our total and unconditional surrender."

Raintree didn't know the extent of the Republic's wrath. He couldn't possibly understand the orders that had been issued for those that had murdered Skywalker.

"I say again. We surrender..."

The corvettes opened fire one last time. One by one, each Starfleet vessel was torn to pieces.

"Fucking savages."


Wieland was one of the industrial hubs of the Federation. If you could call it that. Hundreds of thousands of replicators churning out millions upon millions of machinery parts and circuits for assembly into anything and everything that made Federation life so easy. As such, it was very well guarded. Incredibly well by Starfleet standards. Defense platforms ringed the world in a halo of comforting security, Starfleet security personal confidently walked the streets every alert to danger. The people of Wieland were happy. It barely registered when three Galaxy class and two Intrepid class ships pulled into orbit and set up camp. Ships were always coming and going. They were usually freighters, but hay.

If they had been more interested they would have noticed that not one member of any of the crews had beamed down to the surface. They would have also noticed that each ship, along with their own planetary systems, had been on constant, active, long range scan.

"When do you figure they'll show up?" The Wieland Skymarshal was once again talking to Captain Pullman, the commander of the tiny, new orbital fleet.

"Oh, probably about as long as it takes to figure out that you guys are here." Pullman was a pragmatic man. He had lived through Cardassians, Klingons, Romulans, Changlings and countless other species and he had stopped assuming that he would live to see his next birthday. If was going to be anything like the last one, it would be something to look forward to though. "From what I've been told, their drive system puts transwarp to shame."

Like all conversations of this nature seemed to be, the two men were cut off by their respective tactical officers. Three Star Destroyers had just appeared outside the system. Everyone in Starfleet knew what this meant. Everyone else had a pretty good guess.


"Shall we all ahead full, Captain Mulby," the hologram of Captain Dorchar, a pale humanoid with a crown of short horns, differed to the assigned commander of the trio. Mulby had the most experience of the three. Not by much, but still more.

"Judging from our encounters so far, we could most likely take the planet before anyone on the surface knew the difference." The small creature heading the third battleship sat upon a perch-like chair, leathery wings folded behind his back as if they were a cape. Despite the fact that he spoke from behind a short, trunk-like snout and through a set of gleaming white tusks, his Galactic Standard accent was impeccable.

"No, gentlemen. I think we shall take our time," the human captain replied. "Let them see us come. Let them prepare whatever they wish."


The three behemoth Star Destroyers glided casually toward the planet and its waiting inhabitants. Weapons were not powered, shields were not raised, in fact there was absolutely no overt act of aggression as they closed the distance to the defenders.

"This is Captain Pullman of the Federation starship Magellan. Reverse your course and leave this system immediately. If you do not comply we will be forced to open fire."

There was no response. Only the constant hiss of cosmic background radiation filled the ears of the Starfleet communications officers. Still the Republic ships grew ever larger in their viewscreens. Still they came as if never hearing a word of the warning.

"Vessels of the Galactic Republic. This is your final warning. If you do not respond we will open fire. Now reverse course and leave this system."

One minute past without so much as a sonic ping. One minute of each set of ships staring into the gun barrels of the other. One minute that threatened to open the heavens and let loose a rain of destruction. One minute that precluded all thoughts of breathing.

Finally a voice broke the silence, a face appeared on every screen on the planet. It was a human face, which made it all the stranger for the Federation citizens. People just didn't act this way to each other anymore. They were above that.

"This is Captain Mulby of the Star Destroyer Leviathan. I am claiming this system in the name of the INTER-Galactic Republic. You will cease all aggressive activity and turn over all weapons of war for immediate destruction. Any resistance whatsoever will be met with swift and deadly force.

"To the civilian population of this system, I extend my welcome. You are now citizens of the INTER-Galactic Republic. As such you are entitled to all of the protection and privilege, and subject to all of the laws, that that entails.

"Your lives will not change. Your system of government will not change. Your regular security forces, however, will be replaced by Republic soldiers and a Republic magistrate will be assigned to help you make the adjustment to Republic life."


On the surface of the planet Tom Tworavens finished the bite in his mouth as the image on his wallscreen returned to the local volleyball game.

"Well," he said to his father after swallowing. "Here we go again."


"I'm sorry, Captain," the Starfleet reply finally came. "You will find that the people of the Federation do not give up their territory that easily."

"So be it." They were the last words to be heard before the muting curtain crashed down on their communications and sensors.


Waves of medium turbolaser fire came hurtling forwards at the same time that a quarter pinwheel of phasor fire came rushing back. The Starfleet ships were scrambling to escape the onslaught and get into position to effectively fire their quantum torpedoes while the Destroyers were slowly fanning out and deploying flight after flight of fighter-craft. One of the Interpids was obliterated on the outset, as were a handful of advanced TIE fighters making their run through the orbital defense platforms. Soon the intensity of the battle could be seen from the planet below.

Captain Horii leapt from his perch to fly speedily for the main front window, his wings flapping almost faster than the eye could see.

"Bring us about to provide cover fire for the fighters trying to get to the planet," he called back to his crew.

Seconds later, one hulking warship shifted position, putting itself in line to intensify bombardment on the halo of defense stations. First one, then another, then a third succumbed to its wrath, leaving a devastating gap in Wieland's protection. Soon, fighters and bombers were streaming through unhindered.

At higher orbit another Starfleet vessel, the USS Isis, met its end in a hail of green energy. It had attempted a daring attack run straight for the bridge tower of its enemy, launching spread after spread of torpedoes as it came. To the ship's credit, many of the deadly projectiles contacted with their target. Unfortunately, it didn't survive long enough to bare witness, its split fuselage impacting on the Star Destroyer's primary shields and rolling away into a somewhat unstable orbit.


"That one shook us a bit, Captain," the report came to the horned humanoid. "Bridge shielding holding, the impact caused minor tertiary damage."


The remainder of the Federation forces divided, each pair careening around the planet at high impulse in an attempt to goad their attackers into breaking formation and following. On the other side they had the opportunity to regroup, assess their damage, and position themselves behind the array of fresh defense platforms that were waiting their turn for action.

"Let's finish off these stations before following, shall we Gentlemen," Mulby ordered over the hololink as he ship was drenched in a new wave of phasor and torpedo fire. "Fighter wings, report. What is the status of ground based military resistance?"

"Ground based military is non-existent, Sir," a com/scan officer answered from her pit. "Repeat, bombers have found no sign of established ground forces and have begun deep scans on the far side of the planet where the jamming field has been shadowed."

"Interesting. Tell them to continue their scans. We will lower our field and aid them when we have finished up here."


The Republic Star Destroyers lined themselves up along the planet's equator and made steadily for the pole and the other side beyond. All enemy fire was returned ten fold, reducing everything in their path to vapour. When the three had finally come once again, headlong into the waiting paths of the Federation phasors, there was nothing else standing against them.

The Starfleet craft scrambled anew. Each of the remaining Galaxy class ships chose a target and attacked with wild abandon. The smaller, nimbler Intrepid shot away at maximum warp in the ensuing confusion. It was insanity. Everyone on every crew knew it. It was also the only way anyone else would know what had happened to Wieland.

A single heavy turbolaser bolt reached out toward the fleeing vessel in vain. The ship was already gone.

"Damn!" Horii clenched his clawed fist and stared into the empty void before turning his full attention back to the melee at hand.

The enemy was strafing their ships again. As impotently as ever before. There seemed no limit to the fools bravery in these savage humans. They were hit and hit and still they continued to raise back up for another smack. It was a testament to their limited intelligence and a stain on the whole species as far as he was concerned. He'd have to needle Mulby about that.

Out in the blackness of space another starship was quickly expanding in a cloud of gas. The remaining two were now hopelessly locked in the tractor beams of their giant enemies and in seconds they would be joining their comrades in whatever hell was set aside for Force forsaken savages.

Calm had returned to vacuum above the planet Wieland. Only three ships remained. There was no comfort in this. The face that once again addressed the new citizens of the Republic was almost as calm as those stars above.

"New citizens of the Republic. You will notice that your new security forces will be landing shortly. Please treat them with the respect that you show all those who's job it is to protect you. Illegal and rebellious activity will not be tolerated...."

Behind Mulby the holograms of the other captains shot each other looks.

"I'd be interested to see if they know the meaning of the word respect."

"Fucking savages."


"I told you, Captain! This is a research station! We have no dealings with Starfleet Intelligence of any kind!" The two dimensional face of the woman floating disembodied over the bridge was almost in tears.

"I swear to you," she begged. "We study subspace phenomenon and the interaction between physical objects and subspace particles."

"You don't actually expect me to believe that, do you?" Captain Ranson's Corellian accent did not sound impressed. "Stop this little game of yours. This is a military spy station and you are an agent of the United Federation of Peoples."

"Planets, Captain," the woman slowly corrected, visibly centering herself. "United Federation of Planets. Perhaps there is something wrong with the translation matrix. Perhaps you are misunderstanding me."

"What are you suggesting?" Ranson's eyes narrowed. "I think I've made myself perfectly clear."

"I'm not suggesting anything..." There was a pause as the holo-image shuddered under the impact of light turbolaser fire. The gravimetric sensor array was drifting away in pieces.

"Please," the station commander pleaded. "We are all just scientists here. I've given you all of the information in our database. I don't know what more I can do."

The Republic captain let out a snort of a laugh. "Don't give me that, ‘Doctor'. My droid can hold more data than what you handed over.

"My patience is wearing very thin. If you don't provide your intelligence data I will destroy this station and everyone on it. And I hope that wasn't mixed up in the translation matrix."

"Beam over to the station," she offered. There was no thought of a trap in the woman, only the desperation of one racking her mind to save her life. Not to mention the lives of dozens of others. "You can examine everything you want. I'm telling you. We are not hiding anything."

"Miss, you are a liar and a spy, and this is an intelligence gathering station. I can think of no conceivable reason for you or anyone else to dedicate an entire station to these mundane subjects you claim to study. I DO see an elaborate array of monitoring equipment situated in a perfect location to keep tabs on much of the surrounding area. I will NOT be sending my technicians over to your trap. I will NOT be wasting any more time on you."

The captain turned and motioned to his gunnery officers.

"Wait!" The hopelessness in the woman's voice created a pause that seemed to stop the expansion of the galaxy. "You're right. I've been lying. This is a listening post." This was the first lie she had uttered since telling her best friend she didn't look like a pillow in her new pants.

"I admit it," she continued. "I admit to everything. The scientific research is just a front. We have been spying on everyone in this quadrant. My mind alone is filled with information. I surrender to you. We will not struggle when you beam over to arrest us. We will come along peacefully."

"Are you trying to bargain with me? This has nothing to do with any information you may or may not have. Your very being is an affront to the security of the Republic."

"Please! I'm begging you! Give us the benefit of the doubt! Have some humanity!"

Ranson sneered as he watched the station before him get torn to pieces in a battering hail of energy bolts.

"Lecture me on humanity? Fucking savages."

[Mr Bean]

Ha I knew it! you two have some secret pack, Wendsay is update Fanfic day and you and Stravo are in on it

I KNEW IT!


BWHHWHAHAH I KNEW I WAS RIGHT, THOSE FOOLS LAUGHED AT ME BUT I'VE PROVED THEM WRONG!

BWHAHAHAHAH!

[Stravo]

Bean, I prefer to think of it as two minds that think alike...there are NO CONSPIRACIES here...please move along, nothing to see here...

Cigarette Smoking Stravo

[Captain Cyran]

It's official....Bean's lost it....

[Typhonis 1]

Irt took you this long to figure that out Captain Cryan???

[Captain Cyran]

Irt took you this long to figure that out Captain Cryan???

The insane have trouble identifying other insane people.

[Ender]

Why did you quit in the middle of the battle and shift ahead weeks? Did you skip a section?

Yeah, the outcome was obvious, but Knowing exactly what happened could be important to the plot. Plus I just want more and am whining about it.

[Mark S]

Why did you quit in the middle of the battle and shift ahead weeks? Did you skip a section?

Yeah, the outcome was obvious, but Knowing exactly what happened could be important to the plot. Plus I just want more and am whining about it.

It felt like the right thing to do. Cut it off at an explosive point to leave you hanging and then move on in the next part. I figured I could show one Fed ship getting munched after another more effectively with clips of different battles. Maybe I was wrong but it seemed to flow alright to me

Off camping for the long weekend. Talk later,

Mark

[Hendrake]

It felt like the right thing to do. Cut it off at an explosive point to leave you hanging and then move on in the next part. I figured I could show one Fed ship getting munched after another more effectively with clips of different battles. Maybe I was wrong but it seemed to flow alright to me :?

Off camping for the long weekend. Talk later,

Mark

I personally liked the way you assembled the "clips from the battles, I think it gave the story a good pace.

[Mark S]

"You know what happens when you cross me," Mai-Men's sing-song thoughts echoed throughout the collective. "You should know better than anyone that resistence is futile."

Drones lay inert in every corner of the cube she had intercepted, lulled into linking with. Slowly, methodically she tore through the minds of each one, searching for that singular entity that had dared to taunt her. The one that was controlling them all. Had been controlling them all.

"Where are you, you bitch!" Rage boiled over and one Borg cube opened fire on the other, disintegrating massive crevasses with beam after beam. "I'm going to find you and keep you alive while I cut pieces from your worthless body! You can't hide!" Thousands of voices on both cubes screamed the words as one.

The anger, the unbridled hatred emanating from thousands of lives sparked the Dark Side of the Force like nothing else. Visions began rolling into Mai's disjointed mind. At first they were little more than flashes. Soon, however, they flowed like the head waters of a mighty river.

There was a room in a cube. It was this cube, she knew. The room was filled with perhaps a half dozen drones positioned in a circle facing each other. There was no way of knowing what was going on by looking at the group. Borg faces were impossible to read. She didn't have to look at them to know what they were though, she had felt a few of them as soon as she had taken over their minds.

The vision shifted and she was drifting in space in an area chaotic with Borg space craft. The cubes and spheres soon aligned themselves and began spinning and twisting in a strange spiral dance. They were as one. More than that. They WERE one. The vision shifted.

An incredible structure took up the entire field of view. It was utilitarian but oddly elegant at the same time. Dozens of transwarp conduits terminated here, hundreds of skeletal manufacturing nodes flashed green and white in constant production. It was the beginning and the end. It was the center of everything.

The scenes abruptly ended, increasing the ire of their viewer.

Like a child tearing through a cluttered room, Mai-Men began the process of sifting through her new appendages, hunting down every one with that tell-tale feel, that connection to the Force that they had never had a name for in their past lives. With each one she felt the embrace of the Dark Side tighten. She was within them now. Each one of them was a mere extension of herself, an amplifier of her own abilities.


"Regeneration incomplete."

The beautiful blonde that had moments before been standing peacefully amid the flashing green lights of her alcove stumbled forward gasping for air. After a second's disorientation, the woman composed herself and made straight for the computer on the table across the room. Crossing the sparsely furnished apartment, she punched a number of buttons on the console and waited silently for her connection to be made.

"Mr. President," she began as a haggard looking man appeared on the screen. "It has happened again."

"Alright," the man replied with a sigh. "Fill me in at our advisors meeting today."

It wasn't long afterward that the woman, dressed in her usual skin-tight body suit, was standing before the most important man in the Federation, in person.

"I have to say, Seven, I really hope this turns out to be better than the rest of the news I've been getting."

The President sat at his desk, slumped in a large antique looking leather chair. Behind him, the glittering water of the San Francisco harbor competed with the glittering glass and steel of the city line. Around the ample office stood the rest of the man's advisors. Some had been immersed in Federation politics for years, others, like Seven, were very new at the game.

Every wall in the room was now covered in the ever shifting images of fleet deployments and military statistics. The screens had even advanced their position off of the walls and were displaying their morbid business from tripods littered around the floor. It was information at a glance that nobody wanted to see.

"I am unaware of the other news to which you are referring, Mr. President," she replied matter-of-factly. "Although I assume you are alluding to the advancement of the Galactic Republic within Federation space."

"Not to mention Klingon, Romulan, Breen, and anyone else you can think of," remarked a greying man in a perfectly tailored suit.

"Be that as it may," Seven continued with a sidelong, uninterested look at the aging advisor. "I have been receiving an increasing number of warning signals from the collective through my neural transceiver. Though they have only been strong enough for my subconscious to pickup, considering the distance between here and Borg space, they must be screaming to every drone that they can even hope to contact."

"So the Republic is after them too," the President smirked. "Good! At least something good will come of this."

A number of quick chuckles bounced around the room. Some of them were even genuine.

"No," the ex-drone shot back emotionlessly. "It is not the Galactic Republic that is causing this commotion. According to the images they've broadcast, an increasing number of Borg are attacking their own."

"You mean like a coupe of the collective? How's that possible?" Admiral Thompson looked incredulous at the idea. Borg didn't rebel. They just didn't. Present company accepted of course.

"Could be those free Borg that were being led by the android, Lore, at one time?" This came from the head of Starfleet Intelligence, a middle-aged man, softening around the mid-section. "I'd say that I'd look into it but I've fielded all of my men as it is."

"You know what," the President cut in. "I can't think about the Borg right now. From what you're telling me, Seven, they have their own problems right now so it's unlikely they're going to have any impact on the situation at hand. We have to stay focused on the Republic."

"We certainly do," replied Admiral Thompson as he moved toward one of the displays. "Because they're coming. There is no doubt about their intent. The Republic has been slowly and methodically capturing every single piece of Federation territory they come across. Every military craft or station in their path, they destroy. Mr. President, Frank, they're taking their time but make no mistake. Their goal is Earth."

"Reports indicate the other powers are in the same position," the Intel advisor added. "They're almost at Ferenganar's doorstep already.

"And anyone thinking of outfitting the fleet with cloaks, don't bother. They aren't helping the Klingons or the Romis at all."

"No, they wouldn't." All eyes turned to the until now silent figure standing nearest to the door. It was one of the newest advisors. One of the only people to be able to speak with any intelligence about the enemy.

"What is it, Commander Bala?" The President was interested in hearing the man's thoughts. The thoughts of the only being in the room to pass among these people, let alone see one.

"You've all read the information my team brought back," Bala continued. He was looking the worse for wear. A shadow had been hanging over the man ever since his return. It filled any room he entered and hung like a stench that would not clear. "Seeing through our cloaks is not an issue to them. They wouldn't think twice about it.

"You have to remember that this enemy is centuries, no, millennia ahead of us. I've seen what even their single man fightercraft can do. You want to know my thoughts, Mr. President? In my career I've seen the most powerful weapons in the quadrant and I believe that there is NO WAY that we can stand against this enemy."

The room was silent. No one had the power to pull their attention from those hooded eyes. It was the Borg that finally found the will to speak.

"If there is one thing that humanity has taught me," her demur voice intoned. "It is that resistance, no matter how futile, is never hopeless. We must endeavor to find other options."


In a secluded house, surrounded by the mountains of Alberta, a small, grey creature chuckled harshly through his protruding snout. He sat in meditation in the center of an expansive hall, two men, standing on their pointer fingers alone, on either side of him.

"Did you see it? The Commander is becoming powerful indeed. You will all be powerful, my apprentices."


Questionable moral character. It was a prerequisite for an agent in Section 31. It also seemed to fit right in with this strange new teacher they had found themselves entwined with. It would be worth it though. With this agreement, he would be able to gain the power to protect the Federation from anything. Agreement? A deal with the devil, Lieutenant Jones thought to himself. He could feel the power growing in him daily. He could also feel his soul slipping away.

Soul.

What made him think he had a soul after everything he'd done in his life.

"I must commend your little organization," Gallus praised. "However blindly they did it, they seem to have gathered together only the most strongly connected to the Force. Such a pity your culture is too primitive to realize it."

The Force. Bullshit superstition. Just like souls. Right?

Only here he was, holding himself aloft with unseen hands, listening to the whispered thoughts of others and reacting before things even happened. He couldn't believe the speed that Pellax moved with. He could believe that he could keep up even less.

Bala was by far the fastest, however, the most adept. But that was the Commander. He had always had this luck about him. He had always been oddly persuasive. Now, with the Force in the picture, it didn't seem so odd anymore.

Most strongly connected. Jones almost laughed out loud. Section 31 had weeded through the best of the best that Starfleet, and even the civilians, had to offer and then had only taken the top one percent of those. Every agent had something about them. Something more than the average Starfleet yahoo. If every agent was capable of the abilities that he was now gaining, he was glad his culture was too primitive to realize it.

Questionable moral character.

Fear began to well in the young man. Fear of the predicament he had found himself swept away in. With the fear came the flood of memories. Every face of every being he had killed in his life, guilty or innocent, came forward to stare accusingly at him. The fear doubled.

It was a feeling he didn't like. It was a feeling that made him angry...


Admiral Pooda stared across his desk at the hovering image of the ‘Alpha Quadrant', as the natives called it, and took a slow sip of the steaming drink in his hand. He watched as various blobs of different colors steadily shrank before the green wave front representing the Republic. In the room's dimmed lights, colored shadows played across his ample face. Things had been proceeding extremely well. The resistance they had met thus far had posed no real danger to any of his forces. Casualties had been minimal. In fact, more Republic forces had died of equipment malfunctions than from enemy fire.

It wouldn't be long before they had taken the entire quadrant. Once that happened the Senate could begin the process of introducing civilization. For Grand General Bastin, it would be an excellent staging ground for the rest of the new galaxy. Though as it was turning out, Pooda believed he could continue on with the forces he had and finish the job himself.

Unfortunately, as it was, they didn't yet have a complete picture of the galaxy. There was an entire quarter missing, along with most of another. It would take time for the probe droids to map out that much area. And if they continued to run into the hostility that they had been reporting so far, Pooda would have to send in a contingent. It was getting frustrating, the amount of equipment they had been losing in these unknown areas. If he was going to be forced to commit actual man power to something as trivial as mapping, he was going to make sure those men didn't put up with any crap from the locals.

The large man picked up a control wand and started the image before him zooming in. One of the blobs, the purple one, was singled out and expanded. From that, a section of stars grew to present their secrets. Once more the lights of the hologram splashed across his face and a real-time representation of the battle unfolding over the planet Quo'Nos appeared. He touched another button and the name of the planet materialized below the illusionary orb. What do you know, he had actually gotten the name right that time.

The sleek, arrow shape of the command ship ‘Hope' loomed at the edge of the system, overseeing the deployment of hundreds of Star Destroyers and other support vessels. The fleet was fanning out toward the seat of the Klingon Empire and the defenses gathered to protect it. They would surround the globe and envelope its forces in an inescapable net. From the way Admiral Tannin had carried out the rest of his advancement, there would be no quarter given until all defenders were floating in a cloud of light-choking dust.

Pooda turned his attention to the waiting swarm of the enemy. There had to be thousands of them gathered, desperately pushed back further and further until there was no choice but to make their last stand at their beloved homeworld. The Republic fleet was hopelessly outnumbered. In any other circumstance an attack like this would be pure insanity. Now, he figured Tannin would be mopping up inside of a standard day.

As the Admiral watched, the small image of the Klingon warships raced from one end of his office to the other in a first wave assault. The spacious room lit up as the two groups of combatants clashed together in a brilliant display. Starships winked out one after another and a moment later the lone man behind the desk was plunged once more into darkness.

From start to finish, this opening melee had lasted little more than thirty seconds and the Republic fleet hadn't even slowed in its course. As the mass of ships continued forward, tactical data began to stream into the air off to the right of the scene.

Seven hundred Klingon vessels had been vapourized in the charge. It was an extremely large force to be thrown away so carelessly. With all of the battles that had been fought in this galaxy so far, Pooda would have thought these aliens would have learned something. Yet, even now, they insisted on charging forward, guns blazing.

Speaking of guns blazing, the man thought as he continued to read through the feedback. They had actually managed to up the output on their torpedoes a few points. Interesting. Not that it seemed to be helping them any. The five corvettes, two medical frigates and the single destroyer that had been lost were due more to the fact that the enemy had developed the tactic of surrounding single ships with as many of their own as possible and pummeling with rapid fire artillery until one or the other was destroyed.

Even still, the destroyer, a ship named the ‘Kell', should never have been in the battle to begin with. That tub had never been fully up to spec. even when it had first left dry dock. It was a credit to the engineers and techs that it lasted as long as it did.

Now that the attacking fleet had further closed the distance to its target, hundreds of ships began to break off in earnest from each side to extend the noose around the defenders. With abandon the Klingons charged again. This time it was in full force. Thousands of ships of all classes fired as one and rushed into the Republic line at full impluse.

It was a distraction maneuver, Pooda saw. Even as the waves of warships headed to their doom, hundreds of other craft were lifting from the planet and escaping into warp.

Let them go. As much as Bastin would have him, ‘kill them all', the Senate had ordered that only their military forces were to be destroyed. Civilians were not to be touched.

Before him, the battle over Quo'Nos raged in miniature. He felt detached like this. It was as if he were some sort of god, almost as if it all wasn't real. But it was. He was one of the ones that had to know who his enemy was. They couldn't just be targets to him if he was to develop the most effective way to defeat them. He had to understand who they were and why they did what they did. The Admiral had to admit though, everything was a hell of a lot easier when you had the advantage that he did.

Klingon ships bobbed and wove through his fleet as he knew they would. It was their only chance. They had to keep inside the Republic lines and in amongst them to prevent the use of the big guns. The attackers were forced to use their anti-fighter weapons or risk damaging their own with friendly fire. It was a standard tactic. It was their only tactic.

Three winged battleships blinked out in fiery explosions under the rain of countless turbolaser batteries. It was going to take longer this way, only using the light cannons, but the outcome would be the same. Pooda just hoped he wouldn't lose too many of this ships in the process. Another twenty Klingon craft turned to vapour in a luckless charge.

He took another sip and rubbed his eyes. The lights of the hologram were beginning to give him a headache. This always happened when he watched too long and too intently. And this looked like it was going to take about as long as he had thought.

The Republic forces had now totally surrounded the planet. The big ships were all but ignoring the fighting around them. Disruptor weapons and quantum torpedoes made little difference against their shields. They would serve as the operation points for the bombing runs and the scanning and communications relays for the ground forces that would soon be landing. Generally he wouldn't think to land troops until the surrounding space was secured, and he knew Tannin wouldn't either, but these natives and their technology had a way of making one lax in the rigors of operations. It was a forgone conclusion that they would have space superiority. Waiting to land troops would just be a waste of time.

As the majority of the attacking fleet tangled themselves in the enemy swarms, dealing out death and destruction in curtain after curtain of energy, the orbiting destroyers began precision strikes of the surface. Any indication of military activity was turned to glass. To Pooda it seemed as though they fired down enough to be performing a Base Delta Zero. But these were the Klingons. The Generals would most likely be cleaning out the planet of hostiles for months.

The display flashed again as a Star Destroyer finally succumbed to the masses of enemy ships clouding it in anti-matter explosions and green energy streams. Shit, that was the ‘Devastator'. Captain Antall was a good little Boi'Rod.

Those thoughts were pushed to the side. It was a sad reminder though, that even against these primitives, casualties would still occur. Nothing and no one was invincible. The thought was exclamated by the destruction of another wave of Klingons.

By the Force! They were drying by the thousands and they just kept coming! Retreat you stupid savage fools! Retreat! Pooda found himself not only feeling sick at the terrible waste of life, but also thinking the propaganda spreading through the forces. Everyone called them savages. He had met the one, Picard, and would have argued otherwise. Now, looking at this display of carnage, useless carnage...

Damn that Bastin and his infectious words!

More Klingon ships transformed into balls of quickly extinguishing flame amid the hulking shapes of the Star Destroyers. There were still thousands of their ships however. This battle was going to last forever, even as one sided as it was.

Pooda downed the last of his drink in one long gulp and picked up his controller again. The image of Quo'Nos and its ultimate siege pulled away to the full quadrant once more. The push of another button and the yellow blob rushed to fill the room. Admiral Calram's fleet was still ignoring the Romulan homeworld in favour of capturing the rest of their territory first. The old Mon Calamari always did have a flare for the dramatic.

[Eleas]

Pooda downed the last of his drink in one long gulp and picked up his controller again. The image of Quo'Nos and its ultimate siege pulled away to the full quadrant once more. The push of another button and the yellow blob rushed to fill the room. Admiral Calram's fleet was still ignoring the Romulan homeworld in favour of capturing the rest of their territory first. The old Mon Calamari always did have a flare for the dramatic.

I am ready to sacrifice my money, my life and my computer for the continuance of this fanfic. *worships*

[Mr Bean]

Wap! Suprise! suddenly another one

And a goodie at that

[Singular Quartet]

Wow, that one was just snuck in. Good job, keep it up!

[Mr Bean]

There all nice and spiffy

Please Mark S deliver us a new chapter(And don't mess up this thread! If I see you messing up Stravos to I'll hurt you both!)

[Captain Kruger]

This thing's easily the equal of Conquest, Mark. Keep it up.

[Sabastian Tombs]

More! More!

[TrekkieJeff2000]

Yes Please make more. You have one of the best Fan Fics I have ever read. The sooner you can put more up the better.

[Crown]

MarkS where are you and why aren't you postng?

[Mark S]

Pooda downed the last of his drink in one long gulp and picked up his controller again. The image of Quo'Nos and its ultimate siege pulled away to the full quadrant once more. The push of another button and the yellow blob rushed to fill the room. Admiral Calram's fleet was still ignoring the Romulan homeworld in favour of capturing the rest of their territory first. The old Mon Calamari always did have a flare for the dramatic.

Just then the door to the darkened office raised open, flooding the room with light and dulling the holographic chaos that was hovering throughout. Commander Wullo entered carrying a data pad, the pupils of his saucer-like, yellow eyes visibly widening to adjust to the change. Pooda's pupils closed just as quickly.

"Still no word on that Jedi that re-entered this galaxy, Sir."

"Well," the Admiral replied as his aid stood immersed in a planetary bombardment. "I don't think it really matters. She's not going to interfere and I doubt we'll hear from her. You know Jedi and their ‘Jedi business'.

"What's this," he concluded pointing to the pad.

"Request from the scientists," rasped the reply. "They want to get a closer look at some of the native human technology. The other ships have been of other species."

"So what? Tell them to wait. There'll be more than enough civilian vessels they can get their hands on once order has been brought out here."

"They're requesting a military vessel, Admiral," Wullo responded. "It will be more likely to have the highest grade of equipment. The comity fears that there won't be any left of adequate condition if they are forced to wait. They fear the people won't care about protecting anything from this galaxy for study. If you ask me, I think they're right."

"Fine, fine. Order Admiral Cole to take one of her ships out of service in Federation space so that it can play tugboat and drag some piece of junk back here." The man rolled his eyes. "I'm sure she'll love it."


Mulby took the orders from his exec's hands, read them, and shook his head. The Commander couldn't help but snicker at his captain's exasperation.

"At least we don't have to get out and mop."

The Leviathan's C.O. shot a glare that could freeze lava and looked to the ceiling for help. "You have the bridge, Commander. Let me know when we get to the good part."

"Sure," the other man replied to Mulby's back. "Give me the bug hunt and take the battle for yourself."


The sovereign class starship, USS Oracle, dropped out of warp for the fifth time. It was the fifth course change since the lone Star Destroyer had appeared out of nowhere and begun the chase. It was the fifth time they had tried in desperation to elude that pursuit.

The great grey wedge contracted in front of them once again.

"Shit!" Captain Honshu was getting frustrated. He was running out of options, out of places to run.

"Federation vessel," the bored, young sounding voice with the oddly British accent commanded over the comm for the fifth time. "Heave to and prepare to be boarded. You will not be told again."

Honshu signaled the comm to open a channel. He hadn't fired a shot yet. They weren't going to get off that easily. "Republic vessel. Blow it out your ass."

"Lieutenant Bullard," Commander Ilcha, a Bolian ordered the tactical station. "All weapons fire at will. Helm get us out from under them."

"Take us around behind them, full impulse," the captain finished.

Without a second thought, the Starfleet craft issued forth a spray of phasor fire and a volley of torpedoes into its looming opponent.


Mulby raised an eyebrow to his first officer as the attack splashed brilliantly off of the forward shields. "I certainly wasn't expecting that."

Republic gunners aboard the Leviathan went to work immediately, tracking the savage's vessel and throwing out bolt after bolt of light weapons fire. Why the big men in the grey suits weren't just turning this pissant, backwater, bucket of bolts into a plasma cloud was beyond everyone but the order had been to take all steps to capture it intact. That meant the fighter cannons. Force knew what happened when you even used an ion blast on these things.

The sovereign rocked under the constant barrage of energy, spinning in a tight roll as it rounded the edge of the massive craft and came face to face with the incredible exhaust ports. At this range, the intense blue light was all that could be seen in the main viewer.

A full spread of warheads sped into the overwhelming radiance, followed by another and another. The offending ship took every opportunity it could to take advantage of the decrease in punishment.


"Take us out of range!" Honshu hollered over the explosion of an overhead light. Another salvo of turbolaser fire sent the bridge crew reeling.

The Oracle darted away a second later, safely out of range of its foe's destructive shower. The cascade of interference rose to overcome the main viewer at this distance but at least they knew the enemy wouldn't be able to see them either. It was a welcome respite that the shields needed.


"Helm, take us out of this snowstorm. Get us out of here!"

As if by command, the jamming field dropped, revealing the monstrous Star Destroyer suspended in the distance. Just as quickly it was back. Confusion ruled the bridge for the briefest of moments until it was superceded by the voice of the captain.

"Get us out of here."

"I can't see a thing through all of this static."

"Get us out of here now!

"But I could fly us right into a star..."

"Now!"


The sovereign spun on its axes and prepared for warp only to find itself cartwheeling out of control. The crew were thrown like rag dolls until the inertial dampers finally managed to catch up.


"WAAAHAAA! Did you see that! Two second window, one shot, direct hit! The boys on the light guns can suck on that for a while!"


"Warp drive is off line, Captain." The disembodied voice of the ship's engineer reported the doom with the calm and collection that could only issue from a Vulcan. "The last blast has knocked the dilithium chamber out of alignment and ruptured a number of cooling coils. It will be several hours before we will be ready to make warp speed."

"Damn it! Tactical, give them everything we have, continuous fire on that last position. Helm, set your course straight at them. Get us behind again."


Through the main bridge viewport Captain Mulby could see the tiny speck of light that was his enemy growing larger and larger. He had fully expected to have to scan and jump after them again. That shot had been spectacular. Truly amazing.

"Gunnery officer," he called down into the pits. "Ignore the weapons fire. Disable the ship once and for all. But watch your shots. I don't want to accidently blow the thing out of space. Tractor control, be ready to catch them as they drift past.

"Commander, inform the boarding parties that they will finally be able to launch and have fighter escorts standing by."


As the Federation ship streaked forward, blazing away at its larger opponent, it met with relatively no resistance. The enemy craft had reappeared through the fog of the jamming field but was making little effort to attack. One scant turbolaser blast after another slowly stabbed out, connecting at times, flying wide at others. When the two ships were almost on top of each other, Captain Honshu ordered the matter/anti-matter spread to be fired.

The bridge crew of the Leviathan, and all forward gunners for that matter, shielded their eyes as their viewports adjusted to the powerful bombardment of radiation emitted by the explosions. The massive ship rocked slightly as its shields flared with angry response.

"Fire! Now!" Mulby hollered the order down to his gunnery officers. "Target whatever engines they have left!"

At this range the Oracle was more than close enough for the Leviathan's gunners to rely on their targeting computers. A pair of small, thin bolts shot forth, oddly lonely looking without a pack of their brethren to fly with. They connected to their destinations with deadly efficiency, sending the smaller ship drifting passed, helpless to change vector.

Now the invisible hands of the tractor beam reached out and stopped the drifting ship in its path. A second later, the direction had changed and the two craft were steadily drawn together.


"Attention all hands. This is Captain Honshu, prepare to be boarded. I repeat, prepare to be boarded."


Even as the words were spoken, three assault transports were lowering out of the Star Destroyer's docking bay and speeding for three strategic locations on their target. One would attach itself to the hull of the engineering section, another to the hull of the bridge and the last headed to the largest shuttle bay. On each ship, assault troops were being given much the same speech.

"Alright listen up!" Transport two's troop commander bellowed, his reflective, royal-blue helmet tucked under his burly arm. All of his soldiers sat in two silent rows stretching down the hold. Twenty expressionless blue masks, forty shark-like, black eyes stared back. "You've all been briefed and you all know the mission so you know that you will be outnumbered roughly ten to one. From what I know of you and them, the savages don't stand a chance. But you're going to have to stay sharp and stay tight. You got me?!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Remember, we are here to take the ship, not prisoners. There are no civilians aboard and you will shoot anything not wearing Republic armour."

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Gun them down like the primitive, murdering savages that they are."


With the interference now gone, the bridge crew of the Oracle had a perfect view of one of the small craft assailing their ship heading directly for the saucer's upper hull.

A hush filled the room so profound that the soft hum of the gravity plates competing with the lights was the only comfort for the waiting officers. They clutched their phasor rifles all the tighter as the thump of the boarding ship connecting with the outer hull reverberated around them.

"Attention," the ship's computer alerted. "Hull breaches detected on decks one and fourteen. Unauthorized landing in shuttle bay three."

"Shuttle bay three, this is the captain," Honshu began through the communication system. "Let them land and debark and then decompress the bay.

"All hands, report to security stations for deployment. Computer, isolate all command functions to senior staff only."

Through the closed doors of the captain's ready room, the sounds of invasion continued to echo. Something was cutting through the wall, that much was certain. All weapons quickly trained on the unassuming door.

Honshu looked around the room at the people standing ready. There was no cover, there was no room to maneuver, there was no semblance of a defensible position. "Everyone, get in the turbolifts," he ordered as he moved to the new location. "If they overwhelm us we can make an escape. Fall back position will be ten forward."

As the bridge turbolifts became bristling with phasor rifles, a flash of light filled the ready room, followed by the thud of five pairs of metallic feet landing from the ceiling.

The skeletal battledroids swung their blaster rifles in every direction around the room and finally announced that the beachhead had been secured. Moments later, the Republic boarding party was flooding into the room en mass. Many remained in their own craft until the others could move on to the next room and free up space.

The troopers began positioning themselves around the single door from the room and inadvertently opened it by getting too close. As the bridge beyond revealed itself, pulse phasor fire flooded into them. They weren't ready but they returned fire without hesitation and rushed through.

The first soldier to breach the door was slammed in the right shoulder and left thigh with a spray of phasor pulses. He was spun in the air and hit the floor with a crunch. The two sections of armour glowed an angry red before fading to purple and then a scorched grey. Three more of the man's companions went down in similar fashion.

For the Fed's, the further most turbolift was hit the hardest. It was little more than a death trap. All blasters that left the ready room came out trained on that position first. In the initial seconds of the attack, three officers were gunned down, along with every console between the combatants. The remaining two defenders were the first group to retreat.

In the other, closer, lift, things were only slightly better. The officers there had a perfect shot at anyone sticking anything through the door. And they used it. Invading troopers were thrown everywhere by the effects of the phasors as they poured out. In the end however, there were just too many of them. Even those enemies that had fallen were getting back up. The lift doors closed and the last of the Oracle's bridge staff were gone in a hail of energy.

Now left alone, troopers helped up their squad mates and marveled at the effect of the enemy weapon.

"It looks like it ate all the dye out of it," one man commented through his helmet as he examined his forearm. "Feels a bit weaker but its still intact."

"Its because of how the weapon works," another replied, ignoring a control panel exploding to his side. "It attacks the molecules of a material. You would know this if you actually read the info, Pemmer."

"Yeah, I read it, Shithead. I just didn't think it would suck so bad," the other shot back, pulling out his climbing gear. The turbolift had been locked out and the team would have to cut through the door and get down to the next level themselves.

"They're probably set for carbon flesh or something." The men finished fitting their climbers to their hands and knees and some were taking a look down the shaft.

"What? They didn't expect us to be in armour?"


The boarding team landed in shuttle bay three in baited silence. There was no one there. The large area was completely empty. Once again, five battledroids were deployed first to secure the landing zone but they too could fine no signs of life. When the men had disembarked, the droids took up position around the ship.

On the other side of the bay's entrance doors, a group of security officers readied themselves, one man hunched intently over a control panel, his comrade at his side studying a tri-corder.

"Alright," the man with the scanner said nervously. "They're all gathering on the other side. Drop the magnetic field."

Without an ounce of warning, the atmosphere in shuttle bay three suddenly found a gaping hole and an entire galaxy to try and fill. The Republic soldiers and their droids found themselves flying towards open space. Some managed to find hand holds until the pressure had equalized, others were able to activate the mag-grips on their boots. The remaining troopers were ejected out into the void to hurriedly fit grapplers into their rifles, fire, and drag themselves back toward their objective. They weren't going down that easy for the savages.


"Assault teams, this is Leviathan, report."

"Leviathan, this is Green leader, we have secured the bridge but all computer consoles are either dead or destroyed. We are moving to find another location to try and plug in the droid. Maybe they'll have better luck in engineering."

"This is Blue leader, Leviathan." The sound of combat issued through the commlink in the background. "My team is now making progress through the ship. We are meeting resistance but nothing we can't handle."

"This is Red leader, call me back when I'm not so busy."


Four Republic soldiers charged alertly down the barren corridor amid flashing red lights and blaring alarms. A group of savages had fled down this was after being routed from their stands in the engine room. The Feds had no discipline. They ran ahead and fired with little regard for cover or creating any sort of barricade. And they took so long to take a shot! But what could you expect. They weren't just savages, they were navy too.

As the blue clad troopers progressed to a T intersection in the labyrinth of hallways, their in-helmet displays issued a warning that stopped them in their paths. The intersection was blocked by a force field. Turning back, the men confirmed that they were now trapped.

Without a word, one of them tapped the butt of his weapon against the field, creating a haze of blue radiance. The others moved to the walls to study the interaction of the field and the solid surface. As one, they took a step back and leveled their blasters at the field emitters.

Plasma flared out and thundered against the surrounding walls. Vapourized material filled the enclosure and pieces of debris rained against the invader's armour. In seconds the force field was no more and the acrid smoke was clearing. The Republic soldiers moved on.


"Security fields aren't stopping them," a nameless ensign reported anxiously. "Decompressing the taken decks is having no effect either! Or flooding them with tetrion!"

Damn!"

Ten forward was fast filling with the survivors of the ship. No one's news was encouraging. The invaders were advancing through with incredible efficiency. Nothing was stopping them.


"Red leader to Green and Blue leaders, what's your count?" Red teams gruff lieutenant stopped at the door blocking his path. His men were digitally outlined around him within the yellow-green poison filling the air.

"Hard to say," came one reply. "Hundred fifty, two hundred maybe?"

"Yeah," said the other over the link. "Something like that. I'm slowing down though. I've lost half my men."

"Right," Red leader said as he watched his men set their charges on the door. "Why don't we converge on the forward mess hall. We can start another sweep from there."

"Copy that."

"Copy. Out."

Red teams leader turned his attention back to the task at hand. With a signal to his men, the door barring their way was transformed into dust and the deadly air they were in flooded ahead.

Predictably, the ship's computer adjusted the ventilation system to prevent the gas in the hallway from entering the protected section. Even easier to predict was the volley of pulsed phasor fire that issued through the opening.

The Republic invaders watched patiently from the cover of their cloud as the Starfleet officers fired blindly. When the impotent onslaught had finally stopped, a single thermal detonator was tossed in response. The invaders stepped back as a massive gout of flame exploded from the gaping door.


Two troopers from Blue team's Alpha squad waited as their small spy droids floated around the corner ahead of them. Immediately the tiny globes whipped back into view followed by a battery of phasor blasts. They hadn't even had a chance to link with the droids to see how many hostiles there were.

Checking their ammunition levels, the soldiers positioned themselves at either side of the corridor and risked a quick glance in either direction. They were greeted by another volley from down the passage.

Wasting no time, one man pulled a detonator from his belt while the other made ready to round the corner. With the flick of a wrist, the explosive device was arching down the corridor into the midst of the defenders. The sounds of retreat could be heard mere seconds before plasma filled the surrounding area.

With a steadying breath, the ready soldier rounded the corner and opened fire into the smoke filled hall, his companion not far behind. The two continued their barrage as they pressed forward. They could see no targets, but until they had passed the choking blind spot they would give as much discouragement as they could.

On the other side of the broken, charred and body part strewn passage, the savages were waiting. The cover fire had helped but it was too random to be totally effective. Phasors immediately came to life at the first sign of the attackers. It was a dazzling array of pulses and streams that made the two Republicans dive for whatever protection they could find.

To the right, the trooper had escaped relatively unharmed. He rolled to a crouch and began gunning down anything and everything that he could see. Pieces of wall disappeared in puffs of vapour along side pieces of Federation officers and enlisted. He rolled forward again and continued pressing the assault. As usual, the savages offered one last return of fire and then ran for their lives.

The trooper on the left side of the hall was not so lucky. As his counterpart peppered the corridor with red blasts, his armour was disintegrating in a red glowing endothermic reaction. Heat scorched his body beneath as the plating was consumed. Once he was exposed, another stream of a different setting struck him and the man's tissue was slowly devoured by the same effect. His agonized screams seemed to hang in the air as he disappeared, leaving nothing but the remains of his armour.

With a grunt and a snarl, the remaining invader got to his feet and tossed another thermal detonator around the next corner. Surprisingly, the force of the blast didn't travel back on him but seemed to pull him onward.

"Shit," the man growled to himself as he hurriedly activated his mag-grips. "Must have breached the hull. Oh, well."

Once all of the air had finally left the area, he moved to inspect his handy work. A field had been quickly erected by the ship to plug the hole, but not quickly enough. The Federation forces were drifting away lifelessly into the blackness of eternity. Those few that had been at the end of the corridor protected by the safety field now stared at him with hate filled eyes.

The soldier checked his oxygen supply and weapon energy clip level and looked from the yawning rupture to where the few remaining pieces of his friend's armour had once been. A smile crossed his lips beneath the expressionless blue helmet. With only a moments hesitation to give a friendly wave to his enemies, the man targeted the force field emitters and began to fire.


"Someone's decompressing deck nine, one section at a time!"

"That's it," Honshu exclaimed as the last group he had sent out reported that they were once again falling back. They were being slaughtered. "Computer, initiate auto destruct sequence. Authorization Honshu, beta, gamma, tau, phi."

He looked around for a surviving member of his senior staff to confirm the order. The lieutenant at tactical was all who remained. Before the order could be seconded however, the ship's computer interrupted.

"Auto destruct can not be initiated," it reported passively. "Reactor coolant eject valves have been manually locked."

"Shit!" The captain closed his eyes and let out a slow and steady breath.

"What do we do now, Captain?"

"We fight and we die."

[Ender]

First response, eat it Bean!


ARRRRRRRGHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~Mr Bean