The Twilight War

[Ender]

Nice. Are these new dark ones going to be part of the famous dark jedi uprisings?

[Stravo]

Nice. Are these new dark ones going to be part of the famous dark jedi uprisings?

Holy shit was there?! I was going to do one in this story thinking it was an original idea. If you have any info on it Ender let me know or point me where I should go.

[Ender]

Nice. Are these new dark ones going to be part of the famous dark jedi uprisings?

Holy shit was there?! I was going to do one in this story thinking it was an original idea. If you have any info on it Ender let me know or point me where I should go.

There isn't a lot on them. We know that a sizable group went bad in the Bfassh sector and Yoda took down their leader, and there was atleast one other group that Neeja Halcyon helped take down. But it was suppossed to be an extermly violent revolution that occured amidst the clone wars. It happened, but few details, so you could pretty much paint your own picture of it. I'd suggest checking out Timetales chronology or the unofficial encyclopedia, both at theforce.net

Oh, and Jedi Master Sora Bulq was rescued from the wreckage on Geonosis by the seperatists, and was the one uniting and turning various wayward jedi for Dooku.

[Stravo]

Chapter 14: Welcome Wagon

“I understand a fury in your words but not the words.”
Othello Act 4, Scene ii



The Federation entourage moved slowly through the winding halls of the Senatorial chambers making their way to the air ships waiting for them on the roof to conduct them to their living quarters.

“It will give you a chance to rest and relax. You have had a very hectic schedule today and the Supreme Chancellor would like all of you to feel your best for the dinner tomorrow.” Sly Moore explained softly.

“We appreciate the Supreme Chancellor’s hospitality.” Dehner replied.

“Although I am up for more. This is precisely what we in Starfleet have always looked forward to, making first contact with new worlds and civilizations” Kirk added enthusiastically.

Obi Wan spared him a sad gaze. These people really were explorers at heart. His thoughts flashed back to the bloody battlefields he had visited this last year and wondered how they would react to the slaughterhouse this galaxy had become.

“A hardy breed our potential allies. An entire day and they have rubbed shoulders with the haughty senators, the lowly aides and the mighty Jedi knights and they wish to continue without rest. The Separatists should be quaking in their boots.” Bastion winked to Meerlinda. She frowned at him.

“Now is not the time for your ill timed jibes, Bastion.”

“One thing this war has taught me sweet Meerlinda is that there is always time for an ill-timed jibe.” Bastion replied with a chuckle.

Meerlinda opened her mouth to reply when the lights in the corridor suddenly winked out.

Kirk turned to Spock and Number One.

“Look alive, Doctor Dehner I’m going to have to ask you to get down.” Kirk ordered calmly as he drew his phaser.

“So much for not bringing down weapons sir?” Number One noted coolly with an arched eyebrow.

“Remind me to put you up for a commendation.”

The Jedi did not hesitate and there were three quick successive snap hisses as they ignited their lightsabers. Obi Wan’s blue lightsaber led the way as he moved quickly to the front of the group.

“Bastion secure the rear, Meerlinda stay close to Kirk and Dehner. I have a feeling that they will be the targets of this ambush.” Obi Wan ordered tersely.

“And the universe, like some perverse sadist proves me right once again.” Bastion snorted as he moved to the rear, illuminating the area with his green blade.

“Surely they can’t be serious that this is an attack Here. On Coruscant.” Sly snapped nervously. It was the first time Kirk noticed her loose her cool.

“Hold fast, Captain. We’ll see you through this.” Meerlinda promised as she waved her blade slowly to help illuminate the area around them.

“If you don’t mind, Meerlinda, we tend to fight for ourselves.” Kirk replied as he checked the power setting on his phaser. He had no intention of blasting house size holes in this building.

“Spock?”

Spock opened up his tricorder and began scanning right away.

Meerlinda watched them in action and could not help but be impressed.

“Give us the Federation representatives and this will all be over. You have my word they will not be harmed.” a voice called out further down the corridor.

“Multiple life signs captain, I am also picking up strange EM emissions. I have to assume they are droids.”

“You don’t sound certain about that.” Kirk noted.

Spock fixed Kirk with a steady gaze. “Vulcans do not like to guess unless they have no other choice.” he replied.

“Who are you?” Obi Wan called out sternly.

A shadowy figure approached and they could see the pearly white teeth of his smile but nothing else.

“Master Obi Wan Kenobi is it? I have always wanted to test my skills against one of the mighty legends of the Republic.” the figure replied coldly.

“You haven’t answered the question. By your rudeness I am to assume you are to be counted among the Separatists?” Bastion called out.

“Separatists? Republic? You really think its that cut and dry anymore Jedi?” the figure spat.

“The Republic security forces will be here momentarily. I would retreat if I were you. You will not have the Federation representatives.” Meerlinda pointed out calmly.

The figure cloaked in shadow nodded slowly.

“Indeed Jedi. You’re right. We haven’t a moment to lose.” He lifted his arms and the darkness around him seemed to gather up like a wave on the ocean. Obi Wan and the others felt it right away. They simply could not believe it. The shadowy figure was using the force to manipulate the darkness itself.

“We’ve got company!” Bastion shouted as he heard the harsh metallic sounds of rushing droid warriors. He brought his saber up in a defensive position and waited for them to make the first more, clearing his mind and letting his senses stretch out into the darkness.

Bastion, like all other Jedi learned relatively early on that simple difficulties such as darkness as being underwater were no bar to the Force. He felt the approaching droids, each one illuminated by the stirrings they caused in the framework of the Force around him.

“Everyone look ou—” Obi Wan’s warning was cut off by the swirling wave of shadows that washed over them. Suddenly engulfed in pitch black darkness and jolted off his feet, Obi Wan’s senses were confused by the head over feet tumbling he took in the darkness.

Obi Wan’s senses were one thing, his connection to the force quite another. He reflexively lashed out with his saber and batted aside a blaster bolt meant for him. He continued tumbling the wave of darkness and crashed against the wall with a loud thud.

The wave continued down the corridor, Meerlinda stepped up and swung her lightsaber in a precise cut and some of the darkness melted away but the rest surged around her and buffeted her.

“Mr. Spock, Number One, fire for the center of that mass.” Kirk ordered.

The other two nodded, aimed and fired.

Thick red beams lanced out from their phasers and struck the center of the mass before it could wash over them. The darkness bubbled and frothed where the beams struck and the dark wave floundered, crashing down around their feet.

Kirk smiled and was about to congratulate his crew when blaster bolts whipped by his head.

“It appears we are surrounded Captain.” Spock noted.

“Tell me something I don’t know.” Kirk replied wanly and fired a phaser burst down the opposite end of the corridor where the first dim shapes of droid troopers could be seen approaching.

“I am unaware of what you know, sir.” Spock stated slightly confused.

Kirk shook his head.

“I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to working with a Vulcan. Number One, what’s your assessment of the situation?” Kirk asked as he fired another blast and thought he may have struck one of the droids.

“This looks like an intricate ambush sir. The Jedi are holding their own but I have a feeling that the faction responsible for this attack would have taken them into account.” She stated and paused long enough to return fire.

“Agreed. Spock try to raise the Enterprise. See if they can’t beam us out of here.”

“Aye sir.”

“Captain, this is most distressing indeed. We have not had an attack on Coruscant proper since the war began.” Sly noted nervously and slid in close to Kirk. Number One noticed how close the pale skinned alien woman was to her Captain and said nothing but she shook her head for a moment.

“Stay close to me Sly, we’ll get you out of this.” Kirk promised as he watched the attack unfold.

“I’ll stay close, Captain.” Sly replied softly.

Obi Wan was up on his feet and flipped over a battering ram formed from shadows that dented the wall behind him. He landed and delivered a slash to the base of the shadow ram. It boiled and writhed into pools of darkness.

Obi Wan was mystified. He had never heard of a force technique remotely like this.

The shadow stranger made a motion with his hand and a massive bubble of darkness vomited down the corridor past them and exploded in the center of the group. A small cadre of mercenaries were disgorged from the bubble.

“Look out!” Kirk exclaimed.

Meerlinda whirled around and her lightsaber instantly bisected an insectoid alien at the thorax. It gave a loud hiss and flopped to the ground wildly. She twirled her lightsaber and strode over to Kirk and the others.

“We need to get out of here now!”

“You’ll get no argument from me!” Kirk shouted back as the battle grew louder and more dissonant.

“This gets dreadfully dull real fast.” Bastion snapped as he whirled his lightsaber in a wide arc, deflecting the growing storm of blaster fire from the approaching droids. In the center the mercs were rushing at Kirk and Dehner, trying to make a quick grab.

Kirk backhanded a human that grabbed Dehner’s arm while Spock wrestled with a huge Rodian that was snarling a string of epithets that the universal translator refused to translate. Several more were bulling their way in.

Meerlinda whipped her blade in a wide arc taking off several outstretched limbs and delivered a force push that sent several of the mercs stumbling backwards.

“We need a way out.”

“Any suggestions would be helpful, for instance I would not suggest this direction.” Bastion replied as he deflected several bolts back at the droids.

Kirk glanced at the walls of the corridor.

“I have an idea. Everyone watch out!” Kirk yelled as he adjusted the power setting on his phaser, ignoring Meerlinda’s flashing saber cutting down the enemy trying to grab them. Dehner to her credit was not screaming or in shock, she tried to fight off anyone that drew too close but found herself very upset for not taking a weapon down with her.

But quite frankly who could have foreseen this?

Kirk aimed the phaser at the wall and fired. The beam blasted through the wall of the corridor with an explosive blast as debris and dust spilled out into the night sky beyond.

“Let’s go, everyone outside and give the Jedi some fighting room.” Kirk ordered and helped Dehner climb up on the lip of the hole blasted into the wall. Sly remained close to Kirk eyeing the attackers with contempt.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Dehner asked as she peered out.

“Its either outside or get brought down by one of these guys.” Kirk replied and kicked one of the mercs approaching.

Dehner climbed out and froze. She must have been hundreds of stories above the street below. In fact there seemed to be a thin cloud cover below that did not let her see past about a hundred stories.

“Who builds buildings this high?” Dehner muttered as she clung to the side of the building and shuffled out on the small ledge that ran along the level.

Kirk offered his hand to Sly and helped her out on the ledge.

Obi Wan saw what the Federation entourage was doing and smiled to himself. So, they could take care of themselves. It was about time he had a group to protect that could think on their feet. Now he had another concern.

The shadow wreathed warrior slowly drew something from his waist as Obi Wan approached.

“You’re coming with me.” Obi Wan assured him as his lightsaber hummed ominously.

“I am not some child or Separatist official that can be easily cowed to come with you by weight of your Jedi authority Master Kenobi. You will find that there is a great many things I do not care for and one of them is arrogant Jedi who do not know when they have been outclassed.” The shadow warrior hissed and suddenly exploded outward in a flurry of motion as his lightsaber activated with a snap hiss in mid strike.

Obi Wan brought his own blade up quickly and snapped his blade forward in a sharp riposte as soon as he parried the blow. The Shadow warrior smiled as an inky tentacle slapped Obi Wan’s strike aside, the end of the tentacle smoking and bubbling where it struck the blade. Another one delivered a hammer like blow to Obi Wan’s gut.

Obi Wan doubled over from the impact.

The Shadow warrior stepped forward and brought his humming white blade down hard to decapitate the stunned Jedi Master. Obi Wan simply continued to roll forward after doubling over and avoided the blade, kicking up with one leg and connecting with the Shadow warrior’s chin.

The audible click of teeth smashing together and a grunt of surprise awarded his strike. Obi Wan rolled back up to his feet and swept at the warrior’s midsection. The warrior turned at his waist and parried the blow, pivoted hard on his right foot and brought his own blade down from a high strike position to Obi Wan’s head.

Obi Wan brought his own blade up and parried.

As he suspected, another tentacle whipped up from the shadows around him but he was expecting it and he tried the defense he suspected would work best against these strikes. If the shadow objects were force manipulated and created as he sensed then the Force could just as easily repel them.

He held out his hand and the force flowed from his outstretched hand reaching out and disrupting the flow of the force coming from the tentacle. The shadow tentacle simply splashed harmlessly against Obi Wan’s defenses.

The shadow warrior’s smile faltered slightly as he took a step back, waving his lightsaber in an intricate defensive pattern, a swarm of shadow appendages rearing up behind him like striking cobras.

“Now,” Obi Wan began a confident smile on his face. “Let’s try that again.”




Bastion flipped forward and landed in a low crouch among the first wave of droids. They turned to fire on the Jedi in their midst. Bastion spun on his left foot in a fast turn, lightsaber blade flashing out and taking out the droids’ legs with one chopping blow.

He launched himself up again as a half dozen droids clattered to the floor. Blaster fire surged around him as he tumbled through the air in a tight ball, his lightsaber out in front smacking aside the more dangerous bolts. He smiled to himself. His job was accomplished. The droids were switching the bulk of their fire on him instead of the retreating Federation personnel.

He landed on top of one droid, turned quickly to face more attackers, precariously balanced on the droid’s shoulders and parried more blaster fire.

The droids advanced on him and his unfortunate attacker who was trying to shake Bastion loose from his perch atop the droid. Bastion chuckled as he parried one bolt into another droid.

The advancing droids increased their rate of fire as two quickly dropped their weapons and tried to pull him off their comrade’s shoulders. Bastion swept his blade down and summarily decapitated both droids.

The droids paused for a moment as if consulting with each other, their thin flat plate like heads twitching slightly.

“We have no choice.”

“Initiate friendly fire override protocols.”

“Roger. Roger.”

“Uh oh.” Bastion frowned.

His droid mount was suddenly riddled by blaster fire. It toppled over and sent Bastion sprawling out on the floor where he slid to a stop against the far wall of the corridor with a grunt of surprise.

He twirled his lightsaber quickly, deflecting the hail of blaster fire as he quickly sprang to his feet.

“No fair. You guys didn’t have those overrides in the Battle of Agelos.” Bastion snapped as he spun on his right foot and danced between a formation of droids, bisecting them neatly into smoking chunks that clattered noisily to the floor.

“Bring in reinforcements.”

“Roger. Roger.”

“Reinforcements?! That just gives me more targets for saber practice you plodding metallic…fools?” Bastion’s voice faltered as the hard stomping noise grew louder than the blaster fire around him and the first of the super battle droids stepped out of the deep shadows and extended its arm.

Bastion’s eyes widened and the heavy blaster fire began tearing through the air. Bastion back flipped, the first volley passing directly over his belly as he continued his back flip out of the cluster of droids.

“We have company!” Bastion warned loudly as he straightened himself in a defensive crouch and began to whether the storm of rapid fire blaster bolts.

Meerlinda saw the events unfolding around her and she extended a hand at a charging pair of mercs and sent them barreling into the opposite wall where they landed like rag dolls. She whirled her lightsaber blade and deflected several blaster bolts and started to advance on Bastion’s position.

“Meerlinda! Watch Kirk and the others. We have no idea what’s out there waiting for them.” Obi Wan ordered as he parried a strike to his throat by the shadow warrior while simultaneously disrupting three shadow tentacles moving to attack.

“We’ve got everything under control here!” Bastion added with a confident laugh that sounded particularly hollow as he seemed to simply stand firm with his lightsaber in hand holding back the torrent of blaster fire from the approaching super battle droids.

“Damn.” she snapped and turned to exit out the hole in the wall when she saw a Trandoshan launch itself at Kirk as he peered back inside. “No!”

Kirk grunted as the large lizard struck him like a missile and they both stumbled desperately at the edge of the ledge. The Trandoshan was trying to get a firm grip on Kirk while Kirk was trying to beat it off with a flurry of arm blocks and kicks. Suddenly they simply plummeted off the side of the building.

“Captain!” Number One shouted in shock as Kirk and the Trandoshan tumbled into the clouds below.

“Oh my god.” Dehner breathed in horror.

“Kirk!” Sly exclaimed, hands up to her mouth.

Meerlinda catapulted herself through the hole and continued down into the abyss below lightsaber blade alight as she too plummeted into the clouds below.

“Meerlinda!”

“This is most illogical.” Spock noted with an arched eyebrow.




Kirk punched the thing’s scaly snout as it struggled to restrain him. The wind whipped through his hair he could barely hear the lizard aliens’ curses as it tried to subdue the human. Kirk managed to pull one of its talons off his shoulder and another talon now holding something was trying to get a firm grip on Kirk’s chest.

Kirk kneed the things where he thought perhaps the groin would be and was rewarded with absolutely no reaction from the alien as it hissed hungrily and nearly slapped the device in its talons on Kirk. Kirk took a firm hold of its wrist as the building continued flashing by, floor by floor.

“We…are…falling!!” Kirk roared.

The Trandoshan said nothing in return as it tried to fight past Kirk’s grip on its wrist and plant the small device.

“What…is…wrong…with…you!” he shouted and struggled vainly against the thing. The brute was strong. He didn’t think he could continued to fight it off much longer. He eyed the device for a moment, fighting the rising fear that at any moment he was going to come to a sudden stop.

He froze.

It looked like the Starfleet emblem.

Sensing Kirk’s hesitation it tried to lunge forward again and pin the thing on him. Kirk roared and turned his entire body causing the two to spin slightly, with Kirk now on top but they were closer to the edge of the building now and Kirk placed both arms against the Trandoshan’s wrist and pushed to the side with all his strength.

Disoriented for a moment by the sudden turn the Trandoshan lost its battle of strength with Kirk for a moment and that moment was all that Kirk needed to shove it’s talon into the passing walls of the building.

The impact was jarring, it sent Kirk spinning off the lizard alien and it shattered the Trandoshan’s talon and nearly tore its arm out of the socket. The device in its hand flashed past them as it slipped from the Trandoshan’s grasp and vanished up into the night sky.

Kirk looked down and saw a flying truck slowly backing out of a loading dock below. The truck’s container was open at the top revealing a pile of garbage and refuse. It did not look like the landing was going to be a good one. They had been falling for some time now and Kirk knew enough about elementary physics to guess that the impact would most likely reduce him to some form of reed paste.

The Trandoshan hissed mockingly and turned its head to glare at Kirk.

“What now human?” it asked sarcastically.

Kirk looked down at the rapidly approaching ‘landing.’ What now indeed?



The clash of lightsabers was loud in the corridor as Obi Wan and the Shadow warrior circled each other like predators, each one looking for an opening. The shadow warrior was wreathed by a dozen inky tentacles of semi solid shadow like some perverse hydra, each one swayed languidly belying their ability to rapidly strike at a moment’s notice.

“Surely you have a name dark one?” Obi Wan asked.

“A name? Even now, in the heat of battle I can feel your mind working, Kenobi. You are trying desperately to find out who I am and whom I work for.” The shadow warrior sneered. His face was a mask of writhing shadows, only his eyes and mouth were free. His lips were turned up in a sneer of contempt but his eyes remained focused on Obi Wan and his dangerous lightsaber blade. “Aren’t you tried of being the council’s messenger boy? They use you like a tool and when the time comes they will be just as willing to discard you. Join me Obi Wan and we can begin to turn that tide. I am not alone, far from it, we are legion.”

Obi Wan smiled softly as he spun his lightsaber at his side and brought it around in an offensive position, arms cocked at his side.

“What is it about you Sith lords that makes you think that I would ever join the likes of you?” he asked.

The Shadow warrior’s sneer grew.

“Obstinate Jedi, you make judgments in your arrogance without thinking that the order has not only alienated the Sith. But if you insist on dying, Master Kenobi, then so be it.”

The Shadow warrior launched a series of lightning like stroke from his lightsaber.

Obi Wan parried and extended his free hand disintegrating two more tentacles reaching around to grab him. He spun completely around and delivered a slashing attack on the shadow warrior’s head. The Shadow warrior parried the blow and brought two more tentacles up around Obi Wan’s shoulder.

The Jedi Master ducked under their attack and slashed his lightsaber through the shadowy base of the tentacles while extending his hand in a fist and driving the shadow warrior back against the wall with a bone jarring impact.

Obi Wan smiled with satisfaction. Switching tactics worked spectacularly well. The shadow warrior had grown accustomed to his lightsaber attacks and the force defense on his shadow appendages. He let his defenses drop slightly and that was all that Obi Wan needed to deliver a devastating force push on his attacker.

He strode over to the fallen shadow warrior ready to restrain him.

“Obi Wan! A little help would be greatly appreciated!” Bastion shouted. “Not that I REALLY need help but—” Bastion was being driven back by the sheer volume of fire and some of the blaster bolts were clipping the edges of his clothes, leaving smoldering black marks on his shoulders and edges of his cloak.

“Calm your thrusters I’ll be right over.” Obi Wan promised and quickly knelt to secure his prisoner. The Shadow warrior smiled.

“Fool.”

The shadows closed around Obi Wan in a fist. Obi Wan immediately centered himself and tried to push outward with the force to dispel the darkness as he had done to all the other constructs but the fist squeezed hard and Obi Wan exhaled sharply as he felt his ribs constricting dangerously.

The Shadow warrior smiled coldly as he slowly got up to his feet, Obi Wan noted with some satisfaction that he was favoring one side.

“I have underestimated you Master Kenobi, and you have underestimated me. The difference here is that your error will cost you your life.” The Shadow Warrior hissed as Obi Wan felt the shadow fist closing around him even tighter.

“A name.” Obi Wan gasped trying his best to catch his breath as he felt the commotion behind him through the Force. “At least give me your name.”

The shadow warrior smiled and drew Obi Wan closer to him.

“Very well, Obi Wan, you may call me Tanis. Not that it matters, because for you this war is now over and you will be the first master to fall to the righteous fist of the New Order.”

Obi Wan stared at him for a moment.

“You’re not a Sith.”

“Fool! You will die with that foolish expression etched on your face.” The Shadow warrior snarled and held up his hand closed in a fist and started squeezing it tighter. Obi Wan through back his head and cried out in pain.

Behind him battle droids began to drop in explosive blasts. His vision blurring he saw a gold shirted human leading a squad of red shirted men firing into the massed droids from behind. They looked like Starfleet men. What was happening?

Bastion did not hesitate as soon as the Federation team began their counterattack. He launched himself backwards, landed on the ceiling, pivoted hard on his left foot, used gravity to his advantage and as he was drawn back down and ran along the wall of the corridor and launched himself in a spinning attack with his lightsaber, severing the root of the shadow fist which promptly collapsed into pools of shadow.

Obi Wan recovered nearly instantly and whipped his lightsaber upward towards Tanis’ head.

Tanis leapt out of the way, not fast enough as the tip of the lightsaber flashed through his ear and flesh sizzled for a moment. Tanis wordlessly back flipped right into a cloud of bubbling darkness and vanished from sight.

“What in the name of the Force was that?” Bastion asked panting.

“A new threat looming, as if this galaxy needs any more of that.” Obi Wan replied softly as he knelt down to examine something he saw on the floor.

“Clear?”

“We’re all clear sir, some of these bad boys just stopped.”

Gary Mitchell paused.

“Stopped?”

“That’s right sir, like these two.” one of the red shirted security team said cautiously pointing to two super battle droids that had stopped in mid attack and were frozen in place.

Gary approached one and lightly rapped on its metal frame.

“Wolchowski, check on the Captain.” Gary ordered as he examined the downed droid. “I don’t like this one damned bit.” Gary muttered.

Obi Wan picked up the object and examined it in his hand. His eyes narrowed.

Bastion noted the interest and walked over quickly.

“What do you have there?”

Obi Wan held it up for Bastion to see in the palm of his hand. Bastion peered down and his eyes narrowed as well.

“Is that?”

“Yes it is.” Obi Wan replied closing his hand around the severed padawan braid. “This means that our mysterious shadow using Jedi is only an apprentice.”

Bastion was about to say something in response when he froze. He looked up at Gary Mitchell sharply.

“Get out of there!”

Obi Wan felt it as well.

“Oh no!”

“Everyone scatter!” Gary ordered and started to race out of the corridor when the battle droids detonated.




Kirk would not close his eyes to die. He watched the looming garbage pile. Suddenly he felt an arm wrap around his waist and another grab his arm and the descent slowed considerably. Kirk’s stomach continued descending sharply. The sensation reminded Kirk of inertial dampeners coming online during battle and stopping you from crashing into a bulkhead. The softness of the skin, the emerald her whipping around him told him precisely who it was and even if he had not seen he felt that he knew. He knew that somehow she would be the one to save him.

He slowed to a feather fall like rate and crashed into the garbage pile with a force as if he had jumped from a ten foot wall instead of the mile long drop he had experienced.

“That lizard!” he exclaimed without waiting to thank Meerlinda.

“I have him Jim.” she replied smiling softly as the Trandoshan struck the garbage pile a little harder than they did but hardly at terminal velocity.

“We need to know what he knows.” Kirk urged as he walked through the raw muck and debris in a determined stride towards the downed lizard.

“You! Where the hell did you get that device!” Kirk shouted.

Meerlinda followed him wondering with growing concern where the security forces were.

The Trandoshan grunted and slowly lifted itself into a half sitting half prone position.

“I will tell you nothing human.” it spat at him as Kirk approached.

“Careful Jim, he’s still dangerous.” Meerlinda warned as she brought her lightsaber close to it.

Kirk grabbed it by the neck and tried to force its head up to look into his eyes.

“That device. Where did you get it? Who gave it to you?”

“You have no idea what you have stumbled into have you human? Your own future wants you dead.”

Kirk shook his head in confusion.

“You’re not making any sense.”

Suddenly the truck rumbled and the pile beneath the Trandoshan began to sink drastically. Kirk’s eyes widened and he reached out quickly and grabbed the alien’s wrists and began to try and pull it out of the garbage pile. The garbage seemed to be swallowing the Trandoshan from the waist down and sucking it further into the dwindling pile.

“Jim get out of there! They’ve activated their disintegrators!” Meerlinda shouted.

“Help me! I can’t let him die!”

Meerlinda glanced around quickly and without hesitation vaulted over the side of the container. She crawled along the edge to the disintegrator controls below. The droid driving the truck turned its head and looked out of the cab.

“What are you doing? Please step away from the disintegrator.”

“Turn off your disintegrator!” she shouted.

“Negative.”

“I am ordering you to---never mind.” she snapped and drove her lightsaber to the hilt into the disintegrator controls. They exploded and a cloud of smoke and sparks erupted from the ravaged panel.

“Jim?” she shouted up, concern putting an edge in her voice.

Kirk stared into the Trandoshan’s eyes. They were empty and glassy. He dropped his head in defeat as the Trandoshan slumped forward, its lower half gone, vaporized by the disintegrator.

“I’m fine.” he replied softly.



Kirk walked slowly through the wreckage of the corridor where they had done battle. He noted some of his security staff being treated by medical droids.

“Jim, Thank god!” Gary gushed and grabbed his friend in a bear hug.

“Gary how did you get down here?”

“Thank Mr. Spock. he called for emergency beam out but a scattering field was in place. So I ordered Scotty to beam me and a security team as close to this fight as he could and we made our way here. Unfortunately we had to burn our way through a couple of sets of emergency doors that closed between here and us so I hope I just didn’t touch off some diplomatic incident.” Gary explained and smiled sheepishly.

“What would I do without you?” Kirk asked and clapped his old friend on the shoulder. he was distracted watching Spock. The Vulcan was showing Number One something on his tricorder and her face suddenly betrayed surprise and grave concern.

“Captain, this is an outrage! I assure you those responsible will be found.” Sly Moore vowed.

Kirk smiled calmly and placed his hands on Sly’s bare shoulders.

“You’re fine, Sly, let’s count our blessings for now. Heads can roll later.” he said and walked past her towards Spock and Number One. Sly watched him shaking her head and looked over at Obi Wan.

“Is he aware of what this means? An attack on Coruscant, in the Senatorial wing?! And where were you!” she snapped at the closest clone trooper who was busy securing the site.

“I’m sorry ma’am but we were busy at the capital dome.”

“What?”

Obi Wan and Meerlinda leaned forward as they felt the implications of the trooper’s words.

“We had an assassination attempt against the Supreme Chancellor. The fight was bloody ma’am. Wookies led by a Mandalorian.”

“This is getting bad.” Bastion muttered.

“Assassination attempt. This is horrible.” Moore breathed.

“What is it Spock?” Kirk asked quietly as he approached the Vulcan and Number One. Spock glanced up at Number One who nodded.

“There is something you need to see sir.” Spock showed Kirk readings on his tricorder. “While making my initial scans during the battle I picked up these quantum particles.”

“Yes?” Kirk replied in confusion. Number One broke in.

“These particles routinely show up when transporter beams materialize an object.”

Kirk looked up at her sharply.

“That’s right Captain. Our attackers were beamed into this building.” she finished.

[Trogdor]

First post!

Edit: Actually, read it, and wow! Nice chapter Stravo. So the TOS Feds are starting to feel the effects of the TNG Feds. Can't wait until this temporal civil war heats up.

[El Moose Monstero]

Very nice work Stavro, I'm surprised to see the paths converging this quickly, but it's not an unpleasant surprise, this is very good stuff.

[Stravo]

Very nice work Stavro, I'm surprised to see the paths converging this quickly, but it's not an unpleasant surprise, this is very good stuff.

You mean you THINK the paths are converging. Plans within plans....*Smith laughing from Revolutions*

[Crazedwraith]

Wow. So the different feds. will soon be aware of each other? Kewl.

[2000AD]

Wow. So the different feds. will soon be aware of each other? Kewl.

Maybe not, maybe the old Feds will think it's the klingons or someone?

[Crown]

Chapter 14: Welcome Wagon

<snip>

I ... it's just that ... hmmm ...

[Stravo]

Chapter 14: Welcome Wagon

<snip>

I ... it's just that ... hmmm ...

Care to elaborate?

[Crazedwraith]

Wow. So the different feds. will soon be aware of each other? Kewl.

Maybe not, maybe the old Feds will think it's the klingons or someone?

I think they'll be able to detect if it as a fed signature or a klingon one. Though they may not be able to tell as its 25th century transports.
I'd like to have them set up 23th century transporter inhibitors and then have a 24th century bea, a bomb through them to blow some important politician. It could help turn the rebublic/kirk's federation to paranoia about each other.

[Ender]

The Wookies are loyal to the Republic. Or is this a group of mercenaries or ones from a colony world or some such?

[Stravo]

The Wookies are loyal to the Republic. Or is this a group of mercenaries or ones from a colony world or some such?

Mercs, this all helps Palpatine down the road when he can paint the Wookies as bad guys and their slavery becomes a little more palpable. I want to portray how he managed to get away with alot of what he does even as of ANH. Many of the prejudices and Imperial evils have their roots here in this time.

[Stravo]

Chapter 15: A Rude Awakening

“Speak to me as to thy thinkings, As thou dost ruminate and give thy worst of thoughts. The worst of words.”
Othello Act 3 Scene iii


Picard nodded slowly as he examined the datapad handed to him by Count Dooku. The table was half empty only the head of the table and adjacent seats was occupied by the Separatists and Federation representatives. The table itself was designed to hold a meeting of representatives of all 10,000 worlds of the Separatists so the current delegation was tiny by comparison and were nearly dwarfed by the table.

Around them holographic projections of numbers, figures, graphs and charts constantly cycled around them. Key worlds would occasionally appear with pertinent information such as population, economic output and defensive installations would scroll beneath the image of the slowly circling planet in question.

It was a constant bombardment of information but all of it rather necessary. The Federation’s decisions in the coming days would seal them to the Separatists’ fate and right now that fate would lead them into a general war the likes of which the Federation had never seen.

Picard would examine the figures and nod trying his best to hide the awe that threatened to overtake him every time he received a new set of information that would give him for information about the Federation’s potential ally. One world on the border of their space was defended by orbital platforms and a “small” defensive fleet of close to 50 Capital ships and several wings of droid fighters.

Picard did not want to contemplate what sort of Federation strike force would be needed to overcome such a “small” defensive fleet.

This just does not make sense, he wondered. We would not be the tipping factor that the Separatists were looking for. What other purpose could the Federation have in this war other than to die horribly?

Dooku suddenly leaned over and placed a calm hand on Picard’s forearm, gently squeezing it as he spoke. His voice was soft only loud enough for the two to hear clearly.

“I remember when I first examined the forces arrayed against me during those dark days when the Civil War was looming. What could I possibly accomplish with 10,000 star systems against the assembled might of the Republic? How many ships and troops could I possibly bring to bear against that mighty juggernaut?” Dooku paused as he nodded looking meaningfully into Picard’s eyes. “I do not regret my decision now Picard. You see I have learned that when the cause is just, when your heart is true, that numbers no longer mean anything.” Dooku stated warmly.

Picard searched Dooku’s eyes and saw grim resolve reflected back at him.

“You’re asking me to recommend that my government go to war. A war that would decimate our fleets and men. It could lead to the eventual ruin of the Federation.”

“Yes, I am asking you to take a chance Jean Luc. It is not my intention to hide anything from you. The war is teetering on a knife’s edge right now. We are inflicting heavy casualties and winning many battles, most of our territory is still in our hands one year after the war started but the Republic is succeeding into turning this into a war we cannot win – one of attrition.”

“You understand that the Federation cannot hope to absorb the casualties that you have been dealing with since the inception of this war?” Picard asked seriously.

“Indeed I do. But we need you nonetheless. You offer several alternatives for us in this war. You offer the possibility of ending this war in a position where we can assure our own survival.”

“I’m not sure how we can possibly—”

Dooku leaned in closer, his grip tightened but not painfully, it was more of an attempt to emphasize Dooku’s point as he spoke.

“Picard, you and your Federation have a strength that you do not yet recognize that we desperately need.”

“I’m not sure I agree with you Count.” Picard replied softly. “The Federation has never been comfortable waging war, frankly we would rather be building new worlds and meeting new civilizations than making war on them.”

“A commendable sentiment, my friend and one I wish I had the luxury of when I was thrust into this role as supreme commander. These people came to me because they trusted me, they knew that I would make my stand with them and help them win their freedom no matter the cost. Now I come to you because I trust your people. I think that once we have allied that the Federation will be staunch allies.”

“This is not about what we will and will not be. This is about what CAN we do, Count? I am not relishing the thought of the dead we will be funneling back through the wormhole once this starts. I fear that we are on the cusp of something terrible as if I am staring into an abyss.”

Dooku nodded slowly and sat back for a moment.

“You are afraid of the cost.”

“Wouldn’t you be if our positions were reversed?” Picard asked.

Riker cleared his throat.

“We have run some preliminary numbers and we estimate the initial deployment of starships will nearly equal 25% of our total fleet strength. We also estimate that in three months fighting if casualty estimates remain unchanged from your previous year of fighting that we will not see a single starship return.”

“Indeed.”

“I can run you through the algorithms if you wish.” Data offered helpfully.

“That will not be necessary.” Dooku said with a kindly smile. “Captain, I’m sure that Sev’Rance has assured you that our fleet yards stand ready to upgrade your starships with weapons and defensive systems that will bring you on par with our own ships.”

“I find that highly doubtful, Count. I’ve been looking at the manifests and plans and our space frames are severely limited by what can be added.” Geordie began. “We pack our ships as tight as we can with all the systems we need. Your shield grid system alone would require a massive refit of all hulls to the point where we might as well rebuild the starship. The power generation would have to be paired with our warp core because of compatibility issues and the plain and simple fact that our ships were designed with warp cores in mind. Replacing them with a hypermatter reactor and hyperdrive would lead to unforeseen design performance glitches that could creep in.”

“I see you have put much thought into this.” Sev’Rance noted coolly.

“A contract to rebuild your Starfleet would not be out of the question.” the Trade Federation representative offered.

“That’s not it.” Picard said firmly watching Dooku. “Count we have been sitting here for hours, examining facts and figures, negotiating, and speaking. But you have not put your cards on the table and I think I’m experienced enough in these matters to know when the other side has something specific in mind.”

Dooku looked into Picard’s eyes for a long moment as the assembled Separatists glanced at each other uncertainly.

“Captain, I commend you on your bluntness. You have asked me a direct question and I will give you a direct answer.”

Dooku rose from his seat, hands clasped behind his back as he started to pace along the edge of the table.

“That’s our signal to get ready.” Bane noted. Janus simply nodded as he watched Troi. The Fallen Jedi sat quietly in the upper seats of the massive conference center lost in the long shadows.

“We have a crisis in our military, one that I suspect may be remedied by bringing your Starfleet in on the war.” Picard said nothing but his eyes narrowed in interest. “The Separatist Union is composed almost entirely of merchants and corporate interests. We know how to make money and build things Captain.” Dooku turned in his pacing to face Picard. “We do not know how to fight.”

“But your combat record is exemplary considering the odds.” Riker protested.

“If you look closely at the combat record you will see that the victorious commanders were either Sev’Rance,” he rested one hand on Sev’Rance’s shoulder and gave it a soft prideful squeeze. “or one of our Mandalorian commanders. All the defeats were under the command of one of our traditional Separatist allies. No poor reflection on them of course.” Dooku added stridently glancing over at the other Separatist leaders at the table. “If we were conducting a hostile take over of the Republic I assure you that this war would have been over months ago.”

“Your officer corps…” Picard whispered as he began to understand.

“Yes, Captain, you see our dilemma. Our people are peace loving merchants by tradition and nature. We do not have a martial tradition nor have we ever needed a standing military.”

“The droid armies…”

“Are useless in a fight without concerted leadership.” Dooku cut Riker off.

“Our droid armies are fearsome fighting machines, Captain but we have learned a….” The techno union representative, Wat Tambor adjusted a control on his breastplate and the feedback hissing in the background of his voice vanished. “painful lesson in our major engagements with the Republic clone armies.”

“Why is that?” Data asked curiously.

“Clones are naturally more creative and show initiative. Our droid armies are exceptionally good at following orders, unfortunately we have few experienced ground combat commanders to order our armies competently while the Republic have Jedi knights.” The Nemoidian representative added darkly shaking his head.

“You lack strong commanders.”

“The droid armies could be as effective if not more so under the right leadership.” Wat added.

“Frankly Captain Picard we do not have the military traditions that you have, your Starfleet Academy is a primary example, an institution dedicated solely for the training of an elite officer corps.”

“I don’t look at it that way.”

“Come now, Captain. I understand that your Starfleet likes to pretend it is not a military organization but you were about to go to war with the Dominion and your officer corps was suddenly a very powerful and sharp weapon.” Dooku said with a smile.

“And we come to the second reason why we need you, Captain Picard. Considering your current mode of thinking regarding Commander Data it could prove to be the most difficult.” Dooku said quietly as he focused his attention on Data.

“Data? What about Data?” Picard asked sharply as he glanced over at the android.

“Your droid would prove a vast improvement on the current battle droid design.” Ias Dillot the Neimodian said with a sly smile.

“My droid? Data is a sentient being.” Picard protested, voice rising.

“Captain, Captain…” Dooku raised his hands to calm him. “I assure you that there is no plan to do anything to Mr. Data at all.”

“Then what are you proposing?” Picard asked suspiciously.

Dooku indicated Ias Dillot with a wave of his hand.

“Simple really, Captain. We would need to have Mr. Data’s permission to perform a series of deep scans and tests on him in order to recreate and improve upon his design.”

“Improve?” Data added curiously.

“Why yes, we would need to make you more combat capable, your design is already optimal for most other duties and our modifications would simply extend to strengthening the basic skeletal framework and plating some of your more vital areas.” Wat Tambor added.

“You are essentially proposing creating a disposable army consisting of clones of Mr. Data.” Troi noted darkly.

“That is precisely what I argued against when we fought for Data’s right to be a free being.” Picard added angrily.

“You? You personally argued for his emancipation?” Wat Tambor stammered.

“Yes, of course he did.” Dooku added as he watched Picard’s reactions. “I assure you that the Droid army we create from his template will not have the same level of intelligence as your own, Captain. His positronic neural net would prove to add a level of complexity that would only hinder our efforts at mass production.”

“It is the principal of the matter.” Picard protested.

“Perhaps.” Dooku began and ran his hand along the edge of the table as he spoke. Bane and Janus immediately rose from their seats and quietly descended down into the conference area carrying datapads. “You should consider Mr. Data’s position on this matter?”

“Excuse me?”

“You emancipated Mr. Data precisely so that he could not be treated as a piece of property, noble indeed Captain but at this moment you are making decisions for him regarding his well being.”

“I am his commanding officer.”

“Indeed Captain, that must be the reason why.” Dooku replied.

Picard and Dooku exchanged a hard gaze.

The two Fallen Jedi swept past the Federation embassy and quickly gathered around Dooku. They handed him the datapads and whispered fervently to him. Dooku nodded and his expression grew troubled and he spared a questioning gaze over at Picard.

“If you will excuse me something has arisen requiring my personal attention.”

“Anything we can do to help.”

“Yes actually speak to the rest of my colleagues and we will discuss matters as soon as I return. This alliance is too vital to allow to wait for me.” Dooku said grimly and strode out flanked by the Fallen Jedi. Janus and Troi exchanged a furtive glance before he exited with Dooku.

“I wonder if he has a point.” Picard muttered.

“Sir?” Data asked.

Picard looked at his old friend. Data had changed so much since those early days on the Enterprise.

“Perhaps I am making decisions for you that you need to be making for yourself.”

Data blinked.

“I am uncertain how to proceed sir.”

“Well, let’s try to do this together Mr. Data.” Picard said with a soft smile.





The comet passed the shadow of the gas giant and continued its million year round trip journey around the system’s primary. A trail of glittering ice was streaming away from the central mass of the celestial body as it fought against the solar winds within the systems, slowly warming up from the absolute freezing cold of the interstellar void between star systems.

He stood at the top of the body of the comet hands held up high above his head and smiling joyfully as he felt the ice crystals exploding around him and fade away into the void. The ground beneath his feet constantly shifted as the comet plunged onward heedless of anything or anyone.

He drew pleasure from riding these rocks of dirty snow into a system, it sometimes made him feel part of something larger. It made him forget how angry and jaded he was. So long ago he had been important, he had mattered. Now he was something discarded.

And worst of all he was obscenely bored.

A flash of light behind him warned him of his approach. He said nothing but smiled even more broadly. Maybe boredom would pass this day.

“I can’t believe what you’ve done.” he said coldly arms crossed.

“You remind me of father the way you’re standing there like that. Judging me.”

“Father hasn’t judged you. I am here to do that.”

They were silent for a moment. The newcomer resembled the comet rider almost exactly, save that he was older, a little less hair, more worry lines around the eyes. Pathetic really. There was no need to keep up appearances, especially here among themselves.

“You’re judging me?” the comet rider laughed deeply.

“No one else seems to want to damnit!” the newcomer snapped.

“Anger? Do you realize who you’re angry at, Q?”

Q shook his head.

“I came here to make you listen to reason.”

“By coming here now you have violated one of our most basic precepts no?”

Q sputtered in outrage and shock.

“You. You are accusing ME of violating precepts?!”

The comet rider smiled and shook his head. They were still not facing each other. The comet rider was still standing looking into the system’s primary back turned to Q.

“Whether you like it or not we’re aren’t supposed to be speaking to each other.”

“Damn you! You’re being intentionally obtuse.”

“You should know.”

“I never—” Q stopped short and snorted as he shook his head. “Enough. Look, even you can see what is coming, what is happening. They are not supposed to meet, they were never supposed to meet. Those galaxies are destined to be separate and never know of the other.”

“And?”

Q sighed softly.

“You’re going to start a war that could mean the extinction of the humans.”

“Ah…yes, the humans. I love them too you know.”

“No you don’t! If anyone knows this it’s me. You’re still angry at them, you blame them for the most childish things and this is some petty revenge.” Q protested bitterly.

The comet rider shook his head sadly.

“I’m sorry, I don’t see it that way. They can learn so much with what I am going to teach them.”

Q took several steps forward.

“Ah, ah, ah, get any closer and I may have to do something…drastic.”

Q stopped short. He eyed the comet rider critically.

“Now, you made your plea. I ignored it. Leave. You have no right to be here.”

“I have every right.”

“You know the law. To each Q his own time reference and no other. You are violating that as we speak, every moment you speak to me, every moment you look on me and inhabit the same time space reference. You are a law breaker. I have done no such thing. If I am breaking the law it is up to the Continuum to do something not you.”

Q stared hard into the comet rider’s back.

“Damn you to hell.” Q hissed. “This war is no longer one of our games, it’s not fun. This is serious. Deadly serious. Whole worlds will die and the history of both will be indelibly changed.”

“Good. That’s what I intend. Let twilight fall on both their galaxies.” the comet rider said and finally turned his head to look into Q’s eyes. “You of all people know how I feel.”

“yes, yes I do. I also know what you are capable of when angry, I know what dark thoughts are creeping about in your mind.”

“Then aren’t you the good son.”

Q frowned.

“Goodbye Q, I trust we will not see each other again or I will be well within my rights to rectify the situation.”

Q opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it and raised his hand to snap his finger.

“Give father our love.” the comet rider whispered.

“I will Q.” He vanished in light.





The Starship was an experimental warship. That was already a tip off that this was not a normal starbase. Four nacelles sprouted from a large boxy secondary hull where a saucer sprouted forward connected with a long sweeping horizontal neck. Torpedo turrets swung in quick snap like motion along the corners of the saucer and the forward and rear portions of the secondary hull’s ventral section. Written along the forward portion of the hull was NX-08895 USS Dominion.

Several other starships were berthed around the starbase, a conglomeration ranging from Constitution classes to small shuttlecraft.

This starbase was unlike any other. Weapons systems dotted the exterior of the base and armor plating ran along the more exposed sections. It was not listed, no number, no designation. If anyone checked Starfleet’s roster of the starbases and starcharts they would not find this base. They would discover that it did not exist. It was not supposed to exist. This base only dwelled in shadows much like the men that ran it and the fleet that serviced it.

The Shadowfleet was the fleet arm of Section 31 a secret organization created to defend and protect the Federation by any means necessary. Unhampered by such restrictions as Due process, checks and balances, chain of command and even morality they were the avenging angels of the Federation.

Captain Elizabeth Van Rensalear finished reading her reports for the day. She was near the top of her class in the Academy long ago her future bright with no limits. Any starship in the fleet open to her. But then she was approached by a group of people offering her something else. A chance to matter. A chance to secure the Federation and make sure her citizens continued to enjoy the peace and freedom that they lived under.

They asked her simple questions.

Do you love the Federation?

Yes.

Would you do anything to keep her safe and secure?

Yes.

Would you break the laws and defy orders to do so?

Hesitance.

You can be honest cadet, this will not get back to anyone.

I’m not sure I understand the question.

Would you break the law cadet, would you violate a person’s rights in order to secure the Federation from enemies both foreign or domestic. Would you war from the shadows against the foes of freedom, would you win victories that can never be acknowledged, command ships that don’t exist and kill enemies that can only do evil? Would you cadet be a member of a Shadowfleet and be this Federation’s avenging angel?

Without thinking or hesitation she answered simply.

Hell yes sir.

And so it began. Now, years later she was the one asking the questions and directing the fleet to their targets, identifying the enemy of her people and making sure that no one harmed the Federation. Those that looked upon the Federation with greed anger or ill intent would have that eye plucked out.

Youngest Captain to make Supreme Commander of the Shadowfleet she could not afford to be too proud. After all this assignment would never be known outside her circle. Van Rensalear died on a training mission to Saturn weeks before graduation. Her parents cried and there was an impressive funeral and that was the last time she had been on Earth. She no longer existed on any records database in the Federation.

But she was very well known among her counterparts in the Klingon Security Service and Tal Shiar. The Klingons called her the Varta Queen. The Varta were voracious insects that could strip the flesh off of bones of a full grown Klingon in under a minute which lived under a strict matriarchal society. The Tal Shiar gave her the code name: Tessa Johr which in Romulan roughly translated into Iron Mother. But above all her favorite was the name given to her by the Tholians. Tholian was impossible to write, since it consisted of different harmonic sounds from their crystalline bodies but the rough translation was Death’s Mistress.

She smiled softly.

None of those names suited her. She was a simple woman with simple tastes trying to run a very complex game and she was very good at it. She never ceased to be amazed by the need to make a female that had excelled at her art as something different and rare. None of her male predecessors garnered such names as Ant King or Iron Father. It was really sad. So much had not changed no matter what the culture.

All but the Gorn. But they were matriarchal so they got a free pass.

She picked up another datapad to review her comments on the day’s reports when the interior of her quarters was illuminated for a moment. She turned her head quickly and watched one of the starships in berth explode, her starboard nacelle shorn away by a steady crimson blast of phaser fire.

She did not hesitate, did not gawk as four starships decloaked in the center of the base. They were large and powerful but there was no mistaking the saucer shaped primary hull and the secondary hull with slung engine nacelles. That was a Federation design.

She raced out of her quarters to the control center just as deep red lights began flashing and the red alert siren warbled loudly.

She reached the command center on the second level and stalked over to one of the ladders off to the side leading down to the primary level.

“Report!” she snapped as she placed her legs and feet on the outside of the ladder and slid down like an ancient Earth firefighter’s pole.

“Captain we confirm four starships. They were equipped with some form of cloaking device.”

“You mean like the one we suspect the Rommies are working on?” she asked as she watched the starships systematically attacking the berthed starships.

“Yes ma'am. We are bringing weapons to bear.”

“Looks like the balloon has gone up, eh?” she asked her XO.

“You called it ma’am. They wouldn’t want to negotiate.”

“It’s what I would do.” she replied with a cold smile. “All weapons focus on the lead starship, have all the other ships in the fleet focus on the same starship, fire weapons Time on target.”

“Acknowledged.”

“They’re a lot more powerful than we gave them credit for.” her XO noted.

“This fight isn’t over yet.” she vowed as the Shadowfleet scrambled. The starships gracefully moved into fighting position under fire. She was proud of them as they maneuvered under withering fire.

“Fire the subspace pulse. Let’s see if we can’t get their targeting sensors into a snit.”

“Aye sir.”

The starbase focused a large sensor array at the raiding starships. It glowed for a moment and nothing else happened except that almost immediately after the pulse enemy phaser fire suddenly fell short or overshot their targets. Torpedoes raced past their target and exploded out of range.

“Our boys are in position.” her XO Christopher Chambers reported eagerly.

“I’ll let Captain Garret know you referred to her as a boy.” Elizabeth said with a wink. “Fire.”

The assembled starships fired their weapons in a concentrated alpha strike accompanied by the Star base’s own blast striking the Nebula class cruiser leading the assault. Her shields overwhelmed by the massive assault, the forward edge of the starship’s saucer section exploded into a cloud of molten metal and hot gasses.

The Shadowfleet vessels surged forward and struck aggressively against the enemy strike fleet.

“They didn’t expect this.” Elizabeth noted coolly.

“How so?”

“They thought this would be a quick in and out. They didn’t think we could hurt them and now they’re going to pay.”

The damaged Nebula class ship limped out of formation and unleashed a storm of torpedo fire at the approaching fleet ships. One of the single engined Saladin class destroyers caught a blast overhead, blowing its nacelle cleanly off the engine mount sending it tumbling end over end. The remaining raiding vessels stood their ground firing a storm of energy into their charging enemy.

A Constitution class cruiser took a phaser blast that ripped through its faltering forward shields and walked its way up the starboard side of the saucer leaving a blackened trail of metal that cut right up to the bridge. The cruiser bucked to port to avoid the last bit of the blast only to have a pair of photon torpedoes explode into its port nacelle, engulfing part of the saucer as well. The maimed vessel continued going to port as the rest of the fleet surged past it.

A pair of lighter ships raced over the damaged Nebula class starship and unload a barrage of photon torpedoes right into the open shield grid. The torpedoes detonated against the center of the saucer section, blasting the bridge into oblivions and punching a hole clear through the saucer.

The Nebula began to slowly drop down, nacelles flickering madly.

The starbase took that moment to unleash another massive volley against the crippled Nebula and the vessel shuddered as dozens of heavy phasers lanced into it, tearing through the deflector dish and shearing off the sensor pod. The ship exploded suddenly in a blinding white flash of light.

The enemy ships spit phaser fire in deadly arcs that tore through ships, slicing through saucers and primary hulls, angry red torpedoes exploded shearing off engine nacelles or consuming command bridges in ever expanding balls of fire. The Galaxy class cruiser among the remaining ships was firing quick bursts of phaser fire that danced along its phaser strips accompanied by bursts of photon torpedoes.

Ravaged by ships several generations ahead of them in technology more vessels fell to the enemy fire but more fire came to bear on the enemy. Individually not as powerful but using focus fire and raw numbers they surged around and surrounded the enemy.

“They’re going to try to cloak.”

“We can’t let them do that.” Elizabeth said simply and nodded to her fleet coordinator. The starbase opened one of its hangars and eight shuttled quickly emerged.

“All systems are go.”

“Engage.”

The small boxlike shuttles suddenly accelerated to near Warp 1 and struck the enemy ships with an explosive impact that sent the ships spiraling out of control by the shockwave. One of the enemy ships, one shuttle impacting against the saucer, another into the port nacelle and the last in the secondary hull exploded afterwards seconds later.

The shadow fleet circling like wolves delivered another time on target alpha strike on the surviving ships.

The battle was soon over as the final ship, a devastated Galaxy class cruiser, half of her saucer section smoldering or on fire, armor plating blasted off in massive chunks as if a giant hand had simply punched through the saucer. Its starboard nacelle was gone, the support pylon spewing a fountain of plasma and ruined metal and the deflector array hung ajar, knocked off its mounting by enemy fire it flickered weakly like the weakening heartbeat of the dying vessel.

It was dying.

“We’re receiving a hail from the enemy ship.”

“On screen.” Elizabeth adjusted her uniform and stood patiently as the screen went to static snow and then the face of a young man, far younger than anyone should be commanding a vessel of that size. It told her two things. One, this fleet was suffering from a man power shortage if they let someone this young command what amounted to a battleship. Two, the fleet had little faith in this attack if they let someone this young take part in the attack.

“Captain.” Elizabeth nodded.

The Captain of the enemy ship was tired and blood was streaming freely from a gash across his forehead, one eye swollen shut by a sudden impact against a bulkhead.

“Captain.” he replied and coughed. “I salute you.”

“So, the negotiations failed.”

“At this moment your negotiation team has been killed. I assure you it was quick and painless. We are not monsters.”

She nodded understanding intimately what he meant. The shadowfleet took no pleasure in what it did. It was a duty nothing more.

“So, why did you decide to do it?”

He smiled softly, blood caking his teeth. “Because we realized that eventually you would have done the same.”

She nodded again.

“You realize that this is not a raid, this was a full assault on us and that you have declared war on the Avenging Angels of the Federation. This won’t be a war like any other we have ever seen. We will war from the shadows against you. This is a knife fight now, no quarter asked.”

“And none given.” the young captain finished and coughed again. “We fully understand what we’ve done. But we have an advantage.”

“I think we’ve shown we’re not afraid of the technological gap.”

“Indeed. But that’s not what I’m talking about.”

She waited patiently.

“You’re history, Captain Van Rensalear, quite literally. We know precisely where you are and what you will do. How do you fight against that?”

“By rewriting history.” she replied and cut off the communications. “Don’t bother boarding her. She’ll be---” The galaxy class cruiser exploded in a brilliant blast of light. “Anyway, alert all commands. I want this base stripped down and on the move by the end of the shift. Re route every fleet ship starting immediately. Tell the Captains to find the nearest safe port. A storm is coming and we need to regroup.”

“Understood sir.” Chambers snapped a salute and hurried to carry out her orders.

She slumped against a chair and watched her people work. She imagined the knives, all the knives in the shadows around her and wondered how this could all end. “The future is trying to kill its past.” she whispered. She nodded to herself. “Time to start a new history book and take these fuckers to school.” she muttered and rose with new found determination.

“Let’s go people! Move like you have a purpose!”




Picard looked up suddenly as Dooku strode back into the conference center just as they were going to break for dinner.

“Count Doo---”

“You’ll excuse me Captain but this is not the time to discuss pleasantries.” Dooku replied sharply. Picard looked confused. Troi’s brow furrowed an she leaned over to Picard.

“He is extremely agitated and angry sir. I think he’s been told something very disturbing in regard to….us?” she finished it as a question, uncertain what the feelings meant. Picard looked back to Dooku who was putting a disk into a viewer.’

“What is the matter Count?”

“Captain Picard, my fleet dispatched a strike team to destroy a Republic target deep in their space, a secret base we believed. That fleet was destroyed but several fighters managed to escape and they carried the following gun camera footage that I would demand an explanation for.”

“I’m not sure what you’re ---” Picard stopped short as the holoimage floated over the table. It was depicting the scene of a battle through the tiny gun camera on the droid fighter. It swung around a massive trade Federation battleship just as a ship flashed into view unloading a massive strike of phaser and torpedo fire into the open bay of the battleship.

“Oh my—“ Riker exclaimed softly.

“This can’t be good.” Geordie muttered.

“That’s Kirk’s ship.” Picard whispered.

“Can you explain this captain?” Dooku asked darkly.

Picard was speechless as the Constitution class cruiser loomed over the gun camera, the registry numbers and ship name clearly visible. NCC-1701 USS ENTERPRISE.

Things had changed.

[Crown]

Boo!

[El Moose Monstero]

Very nice... it's all coming together...

[Chris OFarrell]

Well this is the first time I've had THIS many questions about one of Stravos fics.

Let alone about one small section in one chapter...

But I have to ask it

1. Why does the future Shadowfleet attack the past Shadowfleet? I would have thought it would have been far more interesting if they had decided to work together to protect the 'Federations'

2. Why would they launch such a small raid against such the major outpost? Rather then sending a major force to crush them in one swift stroke? Why wouldn't they bring back advantages to use against such a target with their future knowledge? Like command codes or something?

3. Why would the future Shadowfleet have a manpower shortage? Given that the Dominion war never really took off and I doubt S31 would lose people one way or the other...

4. How could the past Shadowfleet realistically win against four heavy Warships from the future, upgraded with all of section nasties in a surprise attack? Unless they had *hundreds* of ships which is something TOS fleets didn't really appear to have.

All these questions are driving me nuts, but I know wonderful Stravo has a masterplan which will answer all of these questions and is laughing at my confusion.

I have a theory that answers all of this as well, but won't say it for fear of ruining the story

[Stravo]

Well this is the first time I've had THIS many questions about one of Stravos fics.

Let alone about one small section in one chapter...

But I have to ask it

1. Why does the future Shadowfleet attack the past Shadowfleet? I would have thought it would have been far more interesting if they had decided to work together to protect the 'Federations'

They were trying to work together, there is mention of negotiations. But the future shadowfleet realizes that they will be fighting for the Sepratists and the past Shadowfleet knows they'll be fighting for the Republic. The Future shadowfleet decided that the past one would try its best to help their federation win at any cost thus in the twisted logic of Section 31 the past had just become a threat to them.


2. Why would they launch such a small raid against such the major outpost? Rather then sending a major force to crush them in one swift stroke? Why wouldn't they bring back advantages to use against such a target with their future knowledge? Like command codes or something?

The small raid is the result of something happening back in the future whoch has not been revealed yet. But added to that is the fact that they realistically thought that armed as they were they could probably take out or cripple the Shadowfleet headquarters. As to the future advantages of knowledge....that will be turned upside down fairly soon. .


3. Why would the future Shadowfleet have a manpower shortage? Given that the Dominion war never really took off and I doubt S31 would lose people one way or the other...

It will be implied that the Shadowfleet of TNG era is finding it increasingly difficult to find recruits willing to do anything to safeguard the Federation. The humans of the TNG era are far more enlightened now than the ones of the TOS. Think about how Janeway and Picard viewed the TOS era Starfleet, considering many of their great captains cowboys and writing their own rules..


4. How could the past Shadowfleet realistically win against four heavy Warships from the future, upgraded with all of section nasties in a surprise attack? Unless they had *hundreds* of ships which is something TOS fleets didn't really appear to have.

The tech gap is not going to be anywhere near as large as we suspect. As the true fleets start fighting we wil discover that the gaps aren't as wode and there will be explanations on why TNG ships aren't unstoppable for the TOS..


All these questions are driving me nuts, but I know wonderful Stravo has a masterplan which will answer all of these questions and is laughing at my confusion.

I have a theory that answers all of this as well, but won't say it for fear of ruining the story

You can always PM me.

[Trytostaydead]

Damn, now I'm confused (AWESOME chapter btw Stravo.. I read it instead of doing last minute cramming.. I'll blame you for my grade).

If the future shadow fleet knows everything up to that point at least of the old shadow fleet.. why the heck would they think they had a realistic chance and not know of the station's capabilities? I'm sure that would have been in their archive somewhere..

[Illuminatus Primus]

There are tens of thousands, not ten thousand, and those are mostly important and major worlds, like full-member worlds, and this ten thousand was just the initial seccession which was leading to crisis at the beginning of AOTC. By now there should be a hundred thousand plus member systems in the CIS.

[Crown]

“Your droid would prove a vast improvement on the current battle droid design.” Ias Dillot the Neimodian said with a sly smile.

[Illuminatus Primus]

I agree. The Super Battle Droid is vastly superior to Data in every way.


What they really need is more versatility and combined-arms, and to be smarter. The only thing they really need is the positronic brain, if that.

And world counts alone don't reflect things very well. The Republic should be on the defensive, against seas of Droid armies and navies against whatever local fleets and Acclamators they've clopped together.

[Stravo]

Hold on Hold on. Maybe it wasn't clear but Data is intended to replace the standard grunt battle droids, the skinny little "Roger Roger" ones NOT the super battle doids. They are indeed suprerior to Data for their role.

[Crown]

I agree. The Super Battle Droid is vastly superior to Data in every way.

I agree.

What they really need is more versatility and combined-arms, and to be smarter. The only thing they really need is the positronic brain, if that.

Threepio and Artoo have demostrated more than enough times that SW doesn't need the 'positronic' brain of Data, so no really they don't even need that.

And world counts alone don't reflect things very well. The Republic should be on the defensive, against seas of Droid armies and navies against whatever local fleets and Acclamators they've clopped together.

I agree, the CIS had a clear advantage in production capabilities than the GR ...