Disclaimer: Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry and owned by Paramount Pictures. Stat Wars created by George Lucas and owned by Twentieth Century Fox and Lucasfilm. I own the story and any original characters/species. No copyright infringement is intended.
The Best of Both Worlds: Part XI
“All men are brothers, like the seas throughout the world; So why do winds and waves clash so fiercely everywhere?”
-Emperor Hirohito-
Author’s Notes:
* This chapter contains spoilers relating to Supreme Overlord Shimmra’s past as was revealed in the final two books of the New Jedi Order, The Final Prophecy and The Unifying Force. If you haven’t read them yet, then read this chapter at your own discretion.
* This chapter also reveals how Tsavong Lah knew that the Millennium Falcon would be in the Naboo system when it was; I‘m mentioning this because of .
* This chapter contains what could possibly be interpreted as subtle hints/spoilers as towards Padme’s fate in Episode III; I have yet to confirm if my source is correct, but I’m simply warning you. Read at your own discretion.
* Everything mentioned about the Betreka Nebula incident can be found in the third novel of The Lost Era series, The Art of the Impossible.
* Since we don’t know the exact Federation casualty tally of the second Borg incursion, I’m going with the estimate provided from
www.ditl.org.
* This incarnation of the Steamrunner-class’ tactical capabilities, as well as the chain reaction pulsar, comes from the best-selling RTS computer game Star Trek: Armada II.
* Even though I said in the Dramatis Personae that Jaresh Inyo was the UFP president, I’m changing it so don’t be alarmed.
Other than that, as always, Enjoy.
***
Location: Earth
The Milky Way Galaxy
“Come in.”
Data had spent the last three hours engaged in conversation with the Republic droids and life for the androids on the Republic end of the wormhole. Data had, thanks to his emotion chip, been saddened and distressed by how artificial life-forms were all but slaves in the Republic whereas they had been saddened and fascinated by the fact that Data was the only one of his kind.
Well that was an exaggeration.
Data was not the only artificial-life form currently existing in the Federation. Others included the sentient Nanites that Wesley Crusher had accidentally created a decade before as well as the Exocomps. Data was simply the only functioning Soonien-type droid - other than his ’mother’ but she was of course, not aware of that. Lal had ‘died’ and Lore had been dismantled right before the Enterprise-D‘s destruction.
The doors to his quarters opened, revealing his commanding officer.
“May I help you, Captain?”
“Yes Data, you can. Computer, seal doors and lock down these quarters, authorization Picard 47AlphaRoulette.”
If his emotion chip had not been active, Data would not have chosen to raise his eyebrow in a distinct human fashion.
“Captain?”
“Data, I need you to scan local space for unusual transmissions or signals originating from the Republic ships in orbit.”
“Understood, sir. May I ask why?”
Picard sighed, yet he was willing to explain; had it been Edward Jellicon on the other hand, Data would have probably found himself relieved of command as Riker had almost a decade earlier.
“Two hours ago, there was an attempted hacking into the Starfleet Intelligence Network. They haven’t been able to determine where the signal originated from, but…”
Data understood at once.
“They believe it was Republic envoy?”
“They’re coming under suspicion.”
“I will proceed with my scans.”
“Thank you Mr. Data.”
***
Paris
Besides being the capital of the Earth state of France, the City of Lights as it was known, bore host to many sights, from the Notre Dame Cathedral to the sparkling River Sine and finally, the administration offices of the Federation President. In that office at that moment were Admirals Uhura and Nechayev were addressing the current President on the failed hacking.
After Jaresh-Inyo had stepped down - the result of internal pressure due numerous factors from the Dominion War that had culminated with the Breen attack on Earth- the Federation Council had nominated and elected Grey’si of Andor. The Andorian representative was well liked by the Andorian people, not in the least because he was the descendent of Shran, an Andorian general who had been a major ally and fighter during the Earth-Romulan Wars. He was charming, charismatic, and intelligent - exactly the kind of leader that the Federation needed to complete the post-war reconstruction of the Alpha Quadrant.
“Have you been able to determine if the signal indeed originated from the Republic ships?”
“Not at this moment.”
Grey’si was silent, contemplating for a moment before replying
“Do you believe it would be wise to postpone or cancel the talks with the Republic?”
Nechaevy responded first before Uhura could .
“Absolutely yes. If the Republic was responsible, then how can they be trustworthy allies? We should just send
“That would violate everything that Starfleet believes in, Admiral.”
“At least I’m looking out for -”
“That’s enough from both of you!! The final decision lies with me. We will continue with the negotiations with the New Republic.”
***
“I was unable to convince Grey’si to stand down and postpone or cancel the talks.
“It does not matter; the seeds of doubt have already been planted in his mind. Continue to make further divisions amongst the Council and Command. In the meantime, I will proceed with phase two of the plan.”
“Understood.”
As the transmission to Zweller ended, Nechayev leaned back in her office chair and smiled. Everything was going according to plan and soon, things would be back to the way had been before Picard had tried once again to bring the Federation to the breaking point.
***
“Well, well, well.”
Viqi smiled with delight as her eyes devoured the lettering of the the report that had reached Ralroost. So, someone had attempted to hack into this Starfleet’s Intelligence computers. Suspicion had instantly gone to the Republic, which was of course denying any role or thought of doing something like that to a potential friend and ally.
However, she hadn’t been responsible. As talented and as gifted as Viqi was - the result of being born into a ruling household of Kuat - she hadn’t been quite ready to try something. Rather, she had been prepared to try her hand where it was best suited, in the political arena.
There were, as she saw it, three possible explanations.
The first was that NRI had attempted to play their hand and had been caught. Given NRI‘s record of efficiency thus far in the course of the war, Viqi was willing to bet the sabbac pot - which she used only as a metaphor; sabacc was a game of the lower masses which she tried not to experience- that Dif Scaur’s hand might had been involed with this.
The second was that it was someone else entirely. This Federation had made its share of foes, as she had learned from the data brought back by Krey’Fey to Coruscant, from Romulans to Borg and it was possible that they were attempting to gain any and all knowledge that the Federation had on her government.
And finally, the one that she had been hoping for and believed was most likely. Someone was just as determined on this side of the Naboo wormhole as she was to scuttle any kind of agreement between the two galactic powers.
And with the first official meeting between both powers scheduled to begin in less than a few hours, Viqi wouldn’t have had it any other way.
***
Location: Naboo system
That Galaxy Far, Far Away
“We’re almost on it now. ETA seven minutes, your highness.”
The Millennium Falcon soared through space, its destination a green and lush planet known through their galaxy as Naboo. They were sending out hails to the planet’s surface, but there had been no reply. In fact, all there was to see was the planet and the occasional orbiting satellite.
Leia, however, knew that diplomacy was a delicate operation that required patience. They were on a mission from the New Republic to reach an agreement with
The Republic, her galaxy needed an ally like the United Federation of Planets and it it could be achieved by being nice with a certain corrupt Bothan, she was willing, at least for the moment, to go along with that.
Still, she was distressed that -
The Falcon’s top of the line - and even after all these years, still pirated - sensor suite started beeping, interrupting what thoughts the adopted daughter of Bail Organa.
“Han, what is it?”
Solo glanced at the displays in the Falcon’s cockpit
“Star-fighters and - sithswpan.”
“What is it?”
“They’re powering their blaster cannon That’s it, I’m raising the deflectors-”
Bur before the former smuggler could do so, the communications equipment came to life.
“This is Lt. Col Elin Olie of the Naboo Defense Force. State your purpose in Naboo space.”
“This is Ambassador Leia Organa Solo we -”
“We know who are, Amassador Solo. We’ve known for two weeks, ever since the arrival of the Enterprise and that wormhole.”
“He Cut right to the chase,” muttered Han from the pilot‘s seat.
“I have instructions to escort you to the landing bays in Theed.”
The channel instantly closed and Han and Leia looked at each other.
“Well that was really friendly.”
“Han, you have to understand that the Naboo has been isolated from the rest of the galaxy since Endor; I don’t blame them for being suspicious of outsiders.”
“Yeah, well I’ll stay with the Falcon anyway; never know if you need a quick ride out of here.”
“Relax Han, this will be no different from any of the other diplomatic meetings with planetary rulers that you and I have been doing since we first met each other.”
At least I hope not, especially with what I know about Naboo’s connection to my past…
***
Two hours after touching down on the planet’s surface, Leia found herself in the Throne Room of the Royal Place of Theed, whose halls she had only stood in through her imagination; Palpatine had pretty much turned the planet into his personal vacation planet until his death and so it had been off limits to pretty much all.
“Her highness, Queen Quital, currently elected ruler of the Naboo,” a page stated as the Queen entered the Throne room Quital, like Leia, was middle-aged and yet had aged gracefully. Yet there was a certain…Leia didn’t know how to describe it, but there was something about the way that she was being looked at. The wife of Han Solo, however, had a pretty good idea of why that was and hoped it wouldn’t
Leia bowed respectfully before the Naboo monarch.
“Your majesty.”
She did not immediately respond, but when she did she had a look of pure contempt upon her weathered face.
“Forgive me if I am not so sanguine.”
Leia took a deep breath. As a former member of the Imperial Senate and a Republic diplomat, she had dealt with snippy and arrogant members of royalty before, both prior and after the destruction of her adopted homeworld. This one would be no different.
“If this is about my family -”
“Yes it is!”
There was now great and unmistakable anger on the face of the ruler of the Naboo.
“Your father was indirectly and directly responsible for the death of Padme Amidala, one of the most well loved and popular leaders of this planet in its modern history!”
Leia knew that officially Senator Amidala she died prior to the end of the Clone Wars, but the exact circumstances she was unfamiliar with. She had read the diary of her and Luke’s grandmother during the mission to Tatooine shortly before the Thrawn crisis and had been long certain that she had been her mother. She knew that Luke had, however, heard rumors that she was still alive and had tried to find her during the Black Fleet Crisis the previous decade, but had failed.
“As a result, I think you can understand why the Skywalker family or any branches of it are not welcome on Naboo. In fact, it if wasn‘t for your diplomatic status, you would have been shot down.”
“Then why did you allow my husband and I to land?”
“I only allowed your landing because of your diplomatic status. I will meet with you, but no matter what occurs, I intend to keep Naboo isolated from the rest of the galaxy.”
Leia was not going to give up that
“Isolation produces stagnation.”
“And involvement in galactic affairs produces exploitation. You know of the Trade Federation invasion, yes?”
“Of course I do.”
“Well it does not take a Library droid to see that Palpatine most likely had a hand in that. We were used by Palpatine during his ascension. He killed his own people to make his power possible. So you see, I will not allow the Republic or this Federation or anyone else to do the same to Naboo again.”
***
Locaton: Qo’nos
The Milky Way
Like humans, Klingons believed in the need for museums, but rather for purposes of showcasing glory and prizes of war over the preservation of the past. The past became legend, the legend became myth, and the myth became forgotten as another myth joined its place.
For Lorgh, it was a constant reminder of the effort and role that Imperial Intelligence played in making sure that there was an Empire to exist tomorrow. Right now, he was gathered in the First City’s museum. His attention was focused on a warrior and his son who were surveying one of exhibits. The father had apparently made a comment about the heroes of the Empire
“I too will find more treasures for the Empire father like the heroes of Ch‘Gram!”
Lorgh smiled at the boy’s comment. It was young blood that could always revive a dying institution. After the Cardassians, the Klingons had suffered some of the worst losses of the Dominion war, due to a combination of the Jem’Hadar seeking worthy opponents and Gowron’s machinations in the final month
Despite his earlier thoughts, though, the Klingon Empire, the legacy of Kahless himself, however was far from dying. Shipyards and mining facilities, both planetary and dilithium-based, were operating at full capacity. The Klingon Empire was becoming stronger and stronger with each passing day. It was not yet back to pre-war strength and probably wouldn’t for at least another decade. But it was at least in a position where it could not be threatned from without and within.
The conservative elements in the Empire that had become popular after Praxis had lost all respect and much of their influence after Worf had killed Gowron and Martok, a true man of the people - though their institutions were vastly different, Lorgh knew that the Federation had welcomed this change in government and the alliance between their two civilizations was stronger than it ever had been.
Yet it had cost the Empire and Lorgh particular, heavily to make that change. They had lost thousands of ships and he had lost a son - true, not his own son, but a son nonetheless.
Kurn.
The second son of Mogh whom he had adopted after the death of his father at Khitomer, Kurn had fled the Empire after Gowron had exiled the House of Mogh from the Empire following their refusal to partake in the Cardassian invasion. He had always felt that that was where his intense dislike of the former Chancellor had begun He had shown upon Deep Space Nine for a time, but had been missing ever since then. When Worf had been appointed Federation ambassador to Qo’nos, he had tried to pry the fate of their kinsman out of him, but he was as stubborn as his grandfather, General Worf, and had not said a thing.
In any event, Lorgh began to shut thoughts of Kurn out of his mind and concentrate instead on the exhibit. The wreckage on display was of one of the ships of the legendary Ch‘gram fleet, the fleet of warriors that had allowed the Empire to march into space and build the most powerful Empire in the history of the Beta Quadrant - though the Romulans would beg to differ. How it had wound up on the Homeworld was quite a different story…
In the Terran year of 2328, a Klingon Bird of Prey, the Wo‘bortas under the command of one Caption Qaolin, had been conducting reconnaissance by spying on a Cardassian vessel, the Solok of the long-decommissioned Akril-class. The Cardassian Union had at the time been expanding into territory that the Empire had been eyeing and had become alarmed with the ruthlessness of this new power.
The Cardassians had ended up doing worse by stumbling across the Ch’gram colony. A hastily put fleet from both sides attempted to claim the planet, but failed and the engagement had since been called the Betreka Nebula incident. The Federation had mediated the dispute and had resolved to led both sides claim it through competition.
They had attempted for eighteen years to take the planet through this competition, but out of the struggle had come the Romulan attacks on Narendra II and Khitomer as well as bad blood between with the Union, bad blood which Gowron had stirred anew during the invasion of the Cardassian space seven years prior.
Yet, after negotiation, they had been able to get the wreckage back. Qaolin was somewhere in the Empire; Lorgh didn’t know and couldn’t care less. The former governor had killed an I.I. Agent and had been smart enough to realize that his posting on the world had been a punishment and an exile.
In fact, Raknal V had been of the first planets hit during the 2372 invasion, planetary Prefect Monor one of its earliest casualties. The insufferable clod, as Qaolin had continually described him, had remained in charge of the planet and its zenite deposits, deposits which the Empire had taken over until a Dominion-backed Cardassia had kicked them out of the Union in 2373.
He was here now because the re-discovery of Ch’Gram had had a revitalizing affect on the Empire, a turning point for their way of life. Now the contact with the Republic galaxy had brought a similar chance, but with the rumors of an attempted hacking into Starfleet Intelligence had greatly troubled him.
Yet, though hey were from different galaxies, this Republic was strangely similar to the Federation. They may or may not have been responsible and Lorgh was inclined to believe that someone else had a hand in all of this. Nevertheless, he was going to recommend to Chancellor Martok that the might war fleet be kept on alert just in case things got messy.
***
High above one of the most important Klingons in the empire, through the windows of the museum there loomed the buildings of the First City. And nestled among the statues of legendary beasts and heroes, was a dark and mysterious figure holding the Klingon equivalent of a sniper rifle
In Klingon society, sniper-rifles were generally frowned upon, reserved only for sensitive military operations, or in the case of the Khitomer conspiracy, assassinations. He looked into his targeting scope and then spoke into a communicator specifically designed to ‘piggyback’ as humans put it, on the signals going through the Klingon capital.
“I have the Director in sight. Preparing to fire on your command.”
“Negative.”
“Negative?”
“If we launch now, then the Chancellor will be without his primary set of eyes and ears. And if the Chancellor lacks these, then the Empire will temporarily be plunged into chaos. And should these Yuuzhan Vong attack so soon, then all of our efforts to restore the Empire’s glory will be lost as well.”
“I understand. Korath out.”
***
Location: Earth
The Milky Way Galaxy
“You don’t strike me as an alcoholic, Captain.”
“I’m not. But after what happened today, I may very well become one.”
The Chateau Picard was one of the more eloquent vintages to come out of the French region. Four years before his death, Rene had given Jean-Luc a bottle of the 2347, one that the Captain had planned to save for a special occasion
But after what had happened that day in the Council chambers, he needed a good dose of French wine and he needed it now as he pried the bottle out of the cabinet in his personal quarters. In his presence were seating Counselor Troi and Master Skywalker.
Skywalker had assured him that he had no knowledge or belief in the suspicion of the Republic’s involvement in the hacking incident. Picard and Troi both believed him. Mara was off the ship, undergoing routine examinations at Starfleet Medical; the doctors were fascinated by the concept of midichlorians and wished to examine them more in depth.
They had gathered to reflect on how things had not gone entirely as expected. The official first meetings with the New Republic had gone off without a hitch, with a reception and the Federation anthem playing the background.
It was only once the envoy and the Council had gotten down to business was when things had gone to hell. The Kuati Senator Viqi Shesh had proceed to be obnoxious, intolerant, and had openly criticized and mocked the Federation and the Councilors.
She had gotten the entire council riled up to such a degree that Picard had been greatly afraid that there would be a repeat of the infamous ‘pompous ass’ display from the Council meeting with a Klingon ambassador almost a century beforehand.
Luckily, cooler heads had persevered. But the first day of negotiations between the New Republic and the United Federation of Planets had gone nowhere except down the exhaust port and Picard was greatly afraid that it would continue to do so.
Yet, there was something that had troubled him about this and why he was now gathered with these individuals in his private chambers.
“Counselor, did you sense anything unusual from the Kuati Senator?”
Troi closed her eyes, sighing.
“Captain, I sensed delight and determination from the Kuati Senator. It’s almost as if she’s intentionally sabotaging these proceedings, as if-”
“- she had an agenda,” finished Master Skywalker.
Picard starred at the Jedi Master.
“You truly believe that?”
“I do. Leia’s been getting a similar feeling and I don’t blame her. In her mannerisms and attitude, she very much resembles Senator Palpatine prior to his ascension to power.”
“Your nephew made that comparison, didn’t he?”
“Yes he did and I’m inclined to agree with him, especially after me encounters with the Emperor.”
“Well to me she’s very Vorta-like, albeit more arrogant and less honeyed. But I‘m also convinced that she‘ll try to stop a Federation-Republic alliance.”
“So what do we do?”
“Not much, I can’t intervene because Shesh will try to stir up anti-Jedi Semitism in your governing body.”
“And I certainly can’t; I’m not exactly on the best of terms with the Council.”
That was true, the result of Picard‘s role in the trial of several Senators after the Briar Patch incident. In any event, the Council was scheduled to begin again in two hours and Picard was greatly afraid of what was going to happen next.
“So what can we do, Captain?”
“Counselor, all we can do is wait and pray.”
***
Location: Romulus
The Milky Way Galaxy
The General had been off Romulus too long; he had forgotten how cold the evenings could be during this season and would much rather have been indoors, either in his apartment or in the military headquarters; with the discovery of the new wormhole, the Romulan fleet had been on hot standby in the event that something disastrous happened.
But this meeting had been called by his co-conspirator and he did not wish to earn his wrath, especially in a dark and cold alleyway in -
“General I’val.”
The General almost jumped involuntarily. He could now see the outline of a Reman military uniform in the dark shadows of the alleyway.
“You do realize how unwise it is to be here on Romulus, with the Tal Shiar’s eyes everywhere, don’t you?
He said the name with contempt; The General had never liked the organization and he personally detested Koval, though the latter. In his eyes, the power-mongering of the Tal Shiar was sapping the morale of the ordinary Romulan citizen.
There were those who remembered better days, the days when the Empire had been content to rule their already large space instead of always launching some kind of secret weapon against their interstellar neighbors, which were guaranteed to succeed by their analysts, but had all failed miserably.
He wanted that for the Empire - but only once those that would destroy the Empire were neutralized and in no position to threaten the livelihood and existence of the Romulan race. And that included Hiren, the most current Romulan to hold the officer of Preator, who had taken the reigns after Neral had stepped down in the aftermath of the war with the Dominion. He was not doing a bad job in managing the affairs of the Empire, but he wasn’t doing anything spectacular He was the reason that the General had entered into this bargain with a Reman of all people.
Or Reman in name, anyway.
“The Tal Shiar has its attention focused elsewhere at this moment.”
“Then you believe that the time for the plan is perfect?”
“No.”
“No?”
“It would not be wise to attack Earth at this point. If a bargain is reached, then you will need your ships in Romulan space. In fact, they should stay where they are right now.”
“I’m afraid I do not understand.”
The Reman sighed.
“Think about it. If I were the Yuuzhan Vong and my enemy was attempting to gain a new ally, would I simply sit around do nothing?”
The General saw where the Reman Commander was going with this.
“You believe that the Yuuzhan Vong will attack.”
“I do. In fact, I have seen it, so to speak”
The General had heard this Reman nonsense and mysticism before; the Reman Commander had demonstrated an aptitude for speaking in riddles and was in no
“What should I tell the other Commanders then?”
“Tell Commanders Donatra and Suran not to do anything. The plan is put on hold for the moment. Should the Yuuzhan Vong attack Earth, the . If they shan’t then we will proceed with the plan.
Either way, the time to strike will come and soon General. Be patient.”
If only it were that simple to keep a Romulan General patient.
But then again, one could expect this when he was dealing with Shinzon of Remus.
***
Location: Sector 001
The Milky Way Galaxy
The Federation’s computer systems, from what little had had been able to glean in the short time he had been exposed to them, were slightly more complicated, yet much more user-friendly then Republic computers and equipment.
It certainly allows this infiltration to go much easier
It wasn’t as if Yuuzhan Vong Executor Nom Anor liked machines. It was simply that his years of infiltration among the infidels and the trouble he had caused on worlds like Osarian and Rhommool had required him to feel more at ease with such devices, however much his culture hated them. If the circumstances called for it, he would not hesitate to use a blaster over an amphistaff.
True, there were advantages to utilizing a living snake-staff capable of spitting poison and becoming either a blade or a whip with a simply manipulation of the creature’s nerve points. Yet, a blaster could make things go much quicker in an operation like this one. Or in the case of this Federation, ‘phasers’.
The average Yuuzhan Vong wouldn’t give it much thought. In fact, all they would give thought to was destroying yet another infidel in the quickest and most destructive method spawned forth from the great strategists like Czulkang Lah, former Warmaster and father of Tsavong Lah. But to Nom Anor, it surprised and even intrigued him that these cultures were to such a degree similar despite being from two different galaxies.
Thankfully for him, the Federation scanners - he knew that this government had to have some kind of detection and scanning system aboard their installations, just as the New Republic did and most likely did thanks to what the infidels had termed the ‘changeling‘ threat - hadn’t detected either him or the biological signature of the ooglith masquer he was wearing.
He had arrived through the wormhole three days ago, posing as a crewmember onboard one of the ships that made up the New Republic’s envoy. He had spent another day attempting to figure out the perfect way to reach the defense perimeter - as much as it was a hated technology, there were advantages to these transporters, though he had opted for a simple shuttlecraft - and had posed as a Starfleet officer whose body would not be found for quite some time.
Such is what is required to further the goals of our people and of Shimrra.
The master spy had never met the Supreme Overlord, though he was well familiar with how Shimrra had come to power, thanks in part to his tutoring with high Prefect Yoog Skell, perhaps the only Yuuzhan Vong that Nom Anor actually trusted and liked.
A little under a decade before the infidels had engaged in the destructive conflict referred to as the Clone Wars, Shimrra had overthrow his predecessor, a conservative and cautious weakling known as Quoreal, and killed all of the warriors in his domain. Even though it circumvented his people’s laws - which he personally was not really bound to in any event; he only maintained the pretense and obedience in order to accommodate his own rise - Nom Anor knew that it was necessary. The Yuuzhan Vong had been dying in the intergalactic void and they had been saved by the efforts of those like Nom Anor who had prepared the galaxy for his people’s invasion.
And of course, the Supreme One would never allow Tsavong Lah to simply stop at Duro; Lah was the second most powerful warrior of the Yuuzhan Vong hierarchy under Shimrra and while he was allowed to do as he pleased, Lah could not disobey the Supreme Overlord‘s final decision on the matter.
Why he had indulged was somewhat of a mystery, though. It wasn’t as if the Vong need a reprieve that badly. Their numbers were still superior to the embroiled Republic, with new warriors crossing the intergalactic void and slaves being implanted with surge-coral implants which allowed a yammosk to control them in a manner similar to a coralskipper.
But it didn’t matter. They would overrun the New Republic, its planets and people property of the Yuuzhan Vong and the True Way all in good time, especially at the rate that it was disintegrating.
But Nom Anor could not help but have his doubts about a similar fate befalling this Federation. The conflict that they had called the ‘Dominion War’ had brought this Federation to the brink of what his people would do to the Republic in due time. Yet they had survive, albeit more to reversals of fortune, but they had beaten these odds.
And though he had never encountered a Jem’Hadar or a Breen (and with good reason; he had only been in this galaxy for a number of days), this Federation had the potential to become a problem for the Yuuzhan Vong. He knew that they were meeting right now, that their main ally in the war on the Republic home front was doing everything in her power to stall or prevent an alliance.
Now it was his turn.
It would be perfect, really. He saw it now, saw the Republic fighting a two-front war against both the Federation and the Yuuzhan Vong. Of course, that would only emerge should the Republic’s meetings with the Federation Council continued to go sour - as well as his own mission. If Shesh was unable to prevent an alliance, then Nom Anor had instructions to proceed back through the wormhole and rally Supreme Commander Nas Choka’s fleet on the edge of Hutt space to attack.
There.
He was done. On his signal, the Republic ships would face an onslaught of this Federation’s weaponry, utterly annihilating it. Well not entirely. There had to, after all, be survivors in order to allow the Republic to declare war on the Federation. After all, one only had to look at the chaos and fear that Ithor’s destruction the previous year had caused and see that the support for his little pet project, the Peace Brigade, had swelled tremendously; the same would work for anti-Federation feelings in the Senate.
Yet again, though he had doubts about it; he head quickly perused the Earth infidels history and had been intrigued by the fear, paranoia, and terror that had been spread by items like ‘the Changeling threat’ or ‘9/11’. Yet, Tsavong Lah, had ordered this mission and far be it from it to disobey a commander or the advice provided by his newest subaltern, Vergere
Vergere…
The Executor inwardly growled at the name. Vergere, who his agents in the infidel’s exobiology circles had finally identified as a little known avian-infidel species called the Fosh, was becoming a threat to his status with the Warmaster - amazing that there was anything there at all given Tsavong Lah‘s intense dislike of him; yet he was still a mastery spy and was given the benefit of the doubt.
The pet had been presumed lost during the failed ‘defection’ shortly before the Fondor offensive, then nearly a year later had turned back up offering her services and insight to the infidel’s culture. It was Vergere who, after demanding an audience with the Warmaster had told Tsavong Lag that the infidel ship that he sought, the Millennium Falcon, would be in a backwater and rarely-discussed system called Naboo.
Nom Anor’s research into the infidel culture had revealed to him that the planet had been the homeworld of Cos Palpatine, the man whose institution, as much as the Executor would publicly deny, would have had far more success in stopping the invasion of his people than the New Republic had. The planet had remained in isolation, cutting itself off from the rest of the galaxy since Endor.
How and where she had learned this information was unknown. But it had proven to be correct and Tsavong Lah had decided to allow her a position as one of his aides.
The Warmaster was but one route through which he could attain the ultimate rank of the Intend ant Caste of High Prefect. After all, as he made his way for the next shuttle headed for Earth, Nom Anor lived for power.
***
Hundreds of kilometers away, another saboteur was completing his task. Cortin Zweller ran through the maze of one of the Republic ships - a Star Destroyer, he believed. He had, through the wonderful invention known as the transporter, beamed aboard this ship and after having neutralized both a crewmember (whose identity he had now taken; Gaiu Caion was the name, he believed) and alarms - the systems were interestingly similar to the Federation tech, but Zweller had given that little thought; his primary concern lay not in cultural anthropology, but in reconfiguring their weapons systems so as to allow his master’s plans to succeed.
He intended to see that it succeeded. In fact, He had seen many things since he had been recruited to join Section 31 fellow operatives killed and old friends like Marta and ‘Johnny’ Picard betrayed and angered by his actions. But it didn’t matter. They couldn’t possibly understand the truth, the true way to protect the Federation, the truth of the sacrifices their organization had made to make sure that there continued to be a Federation.
There.
He was done. On his command, the Republic weapons would fire on the Federation defense perimeter. Their laser-based weapons, while powerful, would not be able to withstand a combined salvo from the entire defense perimeter. And without a subspace filament or relay on the other side of the wormhole, they could not call for reinforcements and would have to retreat.
And once they were driven back, a simple usage of the technique pioneered by the Trill Dr. Lenara Kahn and the wormhole would be sealed and the Federation would be able to use tech recovered from the wreckage to make itself the most powerful and safe institution in the quadrant - certainly there would be great public outrage, but the benefits outweighed the costs.
Such were the steps Section 31 took to safeguard the Federation, he thought as he prepared to beam out to a pre-designated coordinates, his destination a stealth ship that would quickly be moving out of the way once the command was given.
***
Yet moments after Zweller had transported out, an unknown individual appeared in the place of the Section 31 agent. He appeared to be in his late twenties and was dressed in an strange, black outfit that was designed for more for a working environment than for comfort.
But he did not let this bother him. He had little time to act. He had already disengaged the modifications made by the Yuuzhan Vong saboteur and had to undo Section 31’s tampering. It took him but a moment to reconnect the wires and switches of the Republic systems at a near lightning speed - at least to the average human eye.
The reason for his rushed state was simple. Hours earlier, he had appeared on the other side of the wormhole and had sent a subspace signal that to all appearances was a villip signal, one that had been directed thousands of light years away at Hutt space. In effect, the Vong fleet under the command of Nas Choka believed that an attack was necessary and they would be arriving in seconds, if not, minutes.
History recorded that a tragedy would occur on this very day, but one different from what these saboteurs had planned, one that would catalyst this galaxy into a new age, for better and for worse. It bothered him to be a participant in the bloodshed that would occur on both sides in a matter of time.
But sometimes, history had to be altered for the better, no matter what the consequences.
“Initiate Temporal Extraction.”
The man vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving the calm before the storm with him.
***
Location: Naboo
That Galaxy Far, Far Away
Leia sighed. She had spent the last three hours attempting to convince the Naboo queen to listen to reason, but she was so rooted in her anti-Skywalker stance that she had been prepared to something, or anything to get her to listen that went against the procedures of diplomacy.
At least she had been until the page had come running back into the throne room, her arrival being preceded by alarms going off in the distance.
“My queen, a fleet of Yuuzhan Vong ships has just reverted from hyperspace on the outer edge of the system!”
Quial remained calm and Leia had to admire that - thought the Queen would most likely blame Leia and her family for their presence in the system, a system that had held no tactical value until the wormhole‘s appearance..
“Are they heading for the system interior?”
“No They’re heading for the wormhole!”
***
Location: Earth
The Milky Way Galaxy
To Shesh, this Federation Council was a smaller version of the New Republic Senate It had taken little effort to goad them into a furor the previous day and Fey’lya had been hesitant to stop her. He knew that Kuat was vital to the war-effort and did not want to antagonize their lucrative ally.
Here’s to day two.
And then the alarms in the Council Chambers started sounding.
***
“Captain, we’re receiving a distress call from the wormhole defense perimeter. They’ve under attack.”
Picard grimaced from the bridge chair, having just sat down with the red alert klaxons sounded.
Please no.
“From the Republic?”
“No sir, from the Yuuzhan Vong.”
***
“Perimeter status?”
“Holding. But these Vong ships are hitting the turrets hard. Already ten percent of the grid has been either disabled or destroyed. And more and more ships are coming through. There are at least fifty right now and that’s not including their ‘coralskippers’.
Elias Vaughn had been very much afraid that something like this would happen. He had warned the Council and Command alike that it would not be a terrible idea to lay defenses or antimatter mines on the other end of the terminus.
Now, in the TPT he was gathered with Admirals Janeway, Paris, Nechayev, Kyle Riker and analyzing the situation. Granted, this was not the first time that Earth had been attacked by interstellar forces. The Xindi, the Romulans, the Borg, and even the Breen had all taken a shot at it during their respective conflicts with either the Federation or Earth and despite its injuries, the planet, hell the entire sector could hold its own. Nevertheless, they had to do something and do it fast.
Admiral Janeway was the first to respond.
“What ships are position?”
Vaughn peered at the console.
“Well, there’s the Enterprise, of course as well as the Pennyworth, the Spitfire. The Gormenghast was patrolling the perimeter; we‘ve lost contact with it. As for the main elements from the Sector 001 taskforce can reach the wormhole in less than ten minutes.”
“Order them all to get out there right now!”
***
Nechayev starred at the tactical screen, cold terror and horror spreading through her body as she watched the screen.
This was not supposed to have happened. The Federation was supposed to have been saved
Jean-Luc Picard had doomed them all.
***
Nom Anor’s single eye widened as he saw the news of the battle on the Federation’s news-nets alongside a state of Emergency being declared by the Federation president.
He hadn’t sent a villip signal so how could it be that fleet was here? Could it be that something had occurred on the other side of the wormhole?
What in the name of Yun-Shuno is going on?!
***
From the bridge of Section 31 covert vessel, Cortin Zweller started in shock at the carnage being unleashed upon the perimeter. He hadn’t seen this level of bloodlust since the Jem’Hadar during the Dominion Qar.
“Sir, what you like me to do?”
“What can we do against that kind of enemy? Get us out of here now!”
***
“Starfleet Command has ordered us to proceed to the perimeter.”
“We’re on our way. Data, have the Pennyworth and Spitfire fly cover for us. All other Federation starships, proceed at maximum warp to the wormhole!”
“Aye sir.”
The mighty Federation flagship surged forward, with the two Starfleet vessels taking escorting positions, both of the Steamrunner-class. The Steamrunner, while slow, was ideally suited for heavy combat operations thanks to its overwhelming array of weaponry that had been built into it, an array that consisted of phasers, torpedo bays, and tricobalt-device launchers.
***
“Admiral Krey’Fey?”
“Have the Ralroost and the Crix Madine take flanking positions. Have the other ships prepare to scramble their fighter squadrons
“But sir, Chief of State is still on the planet and -”
“I won’t let the idiocy of politicians ruin everything we’ve fought to achieve. The Federation crews on those ships are dying to protect those Republic ships out there and I won’t let any more brave souls. Krey‘Fey to all Republic ships; prepare to iniatea micro jump into hyperspace”
***
“We are being joined by the main Republic ships. They‘ve jumped ahead of us.”
Picard’s grimace softened.
“Good. Tell them we‘re almost there.”
On board the Starfleet ships converging on the battleground, crewmembers, both Starfleet and enlisted, were loading torpedoes, charging phasers, and preparing their ships for a battle that they knew that must win in order to protect the heart of the institution that they had pledged their lives to.
The next few minutes were tense as the Enterprise and the Starfleet ships reached the sight of the battle
“Akira-Wings have launched Chain-Reaction pulsars.”
The pulsar was a specially-designed torpedo that was menat to target multiple ships and gather kinetic energy and speed over each successive hit. It had been developed during the Dominion War, but hadn’t come online until after the Battle for Cardassia Prime.
***
So, these special infidels weapons were capable of targeting vessels with more than one shot. No matter. They were succeeding in targeting and damaging the coralskippers, but little else, least of all the fleet warship Yammka upon which Nas Choka made his flying headquarters.
“Supreme Commander, infidel ships approaching, Federation design.”
“Target them and fire.”
***
“Enterprise, our fighters will handle the coralskippers; it’s the larger craft that take priority. Let’s get to work.
“Understood Admiral Krey’Fey. Close Channel.”
“Channel Closed.”
“Well you heard the Bothan. Let’s get to work.”
The calvary had arrived and the battle was on.
Since ion-cannons were useless against the Vong’s organic vessels, turbo-lasers were the Republic’s choice of heavy weaponry. If it had been an Earth-based laser, it wouldn’t have made a scratch. But since the Republic laser-based technology was much more powerful, they were -provided that they could bypass the dovin bassals.
“Captain, the Republic ships appear to be launching bombers.”
***
“They’re called K-Wings,” stated Luke from the back of the bridge
The K-Wing was the result of the New-class program and had been designed to replace the Y-Wing. Whereas older fighters like the X-Wing, A-Wing, and B-Wing were still
easily useable, the Y-Wing had been in use for years prior to Yavin and could barely keep up with the demands of the present-day Republic Navy. The design was in many ways an offshoot of the Republic Gunships that had been used during the Clone Wars and even in the early stages of the Galactic Civil War.
Yet despite their success, they were not having much luck in penetrating the Vong lines; they were simply too clustered together.
***
Supreme Commander Nas Choka smiled as a trio of Federation and Republic ships were caught in a barrage of volcano missiles. He had, after all, spent the better part of the last several klekkets leading the his Battle-Group against the region of space controlled by the slug-like Hutts.
The Hutts were the most filthy, disgusting, and disgraceful of the infidels that the great pantheon lead by Yun-Yuuzhan had directed to sacrifice and claim their homes as their own. The Hutts were hardly worthy opponents for the might of the Yuuzhan Vong.
But this Starfleet was different, albeit very similar to the infidels of the New Republic, yet it felt good to engage a worthy opponent for the first time since he had arrived in this galaxy at the world the infidels called Obroa-Skai.
Which was not to say he respected these forgiven infidels any more than he did the Repulbic. Either way, this would be good practice for the eventual storming of Coruscant, which Nas Choka knew that Warmaster, even with the temporary cease-fire, had been diligently preparing
“Continue to target the infidel ships; we must clear them and their perimeter before targeting the world Earth.”
***
The U.S.S. Pennyworth and N.R.S. Winds of Alderaan dodged another salvo from a cluster of Vong ships, the Republic ship pounding the larger ship with its turbo lasers, the Starfleet ship concentrating on the fighters with quick bursts of phaser fire and the occasional photon torpedo. The fighters were managing to evade the majority of the Federation fire; thanks to the battle with the Domain Shai forces on the other side of the wormhole, the Yammosk was prepared to deal with the Federation ships and the coralskips maneuverability gave them the edge. The Federation’ own fighter wings were attempting to compensate and inflict damage alongside the occasional chain-reaction pulsar
And at the forefront of the fight to halt the Yuuzhan Vong advance, the Enterprise-E continued to fire off shots whenever a Vong target came into range. It was evading shots one moment and firing off more the next. On the bridge, the ship violently rocked from the Vong weapons fire, forcing all of the officers to hold onto their seats or consoles. Even Luke with his Jedi discipline and mastery of the Force, had to hold onto the far wall.
***
“We have lost two crusier analogs and several waves of coralskippers to their reinforcements. Their defensive perimeter is still holding and continuing to inflict damage. We have lost a third of the fleet.”
It was of no concern - at least yet, anyway - to Nas Choka; the Yuuzhan Vong
“Have the Coralskippers concentrate on taking those turrets out and the larger ships to target the Republic and their infidel allies. Have the left wings attack the Enterprise.”
****
The Enterprise-E swept through the cosmos, phaser banks firing off shots as quickly as it was launching quantum and photon torpedoes from every available launcher. Her captain had seen the Vong ships begin to converge on her and was trying to stop them yet lead them deeper into the crumbling Federation defense perimeter. Whole coralskippers were colloding and exploding with antimatter mines, their dovin basals unable to fully protect them.
Yet they kept coming.
To all observers, the Federation flagship had seen better days. Her hull was scorched from impacts from multiple hits, she was close to leaking plasma from her starboard nacelle, and her bridge was smoking, with sparks flying from all non-essential panels.
One of the rear control alcoves exploded from the energy feedback and the lights flickered for a moment. The bridge hadn’t looked that bad and scarred since the battle with the Son’a ships in the Briar Patch.
“Mr. Data, tactical status!”
“Shields at thirty-eight percent, Phaser banks are down to thirty-five percent and our complement of torpedoes is down to forty-five.”
That was not good. The Sovereign-class was designed to contain over three hundred torpedoes - a number that was not only higher than the complement of her predecessor, the Enterprise-D but gave it the most powerful torpedo armament of any vessel in Starfleet service - as well as 12 Type XII phaser arrays with a total output of 85,000 TeraWatts. For both to be so low clearly showed how desperate the situation was becoming.
If there was ever a time we needed the Voyager transphasic torpedoes and ablative armor generators it’s now.
In short, this was like the Valley of Death all over again, the Federation/Klingon attempt during the Dominion War to run the Dominion blockade of the Bajoran system and retake Deep Space Nine. Except it was the Yuuzhan Vong not the Federation running the blockade.
Even with the Republic and Federation ships working together, even with what was left of the defense perimeter firing off pulse phaser blasts and torpedoes, even with all Federation ships within range of Sector 001 on their way at maximum warp, the simple truth was that they couldn’t hold off the Vong much longer. If they broke through, than Earth was in danger and it was this thought that prompted Picard to come up with one final desperate attack.
“Bring the Enterprise into the center of their formation; have the Pennyworth clear our path first and fire off everything we have left. Launch shuttles filled with warheads if you have to. Geordi, prepare to divert all remaining power to weapons and shields. This ends here and now!”
But before the orders could be carried out, the scientific sensor displays and instruments, usually powered down during combat situations, started up like crazy.
“What is it Mr. Data?”
The android frowned and peered over at the readings.
“Sir, sensors are picking an unusual spatial flux coming from coordinates 344 mark 476.”
“What kind of spatial flux, Data?”
“ScvcanningIt’s a transwarp aperture, sir.”
“Onscreen!”
Just as the view screen chimed open, there was another explosion of light. But unlike the wormhole, this was a swirling maw of ghostly green and white, with blues scattered throughout the aperture. And out of the depths of that swirling green maw were pouring ships.
Borg ships.
Cubes, spheres, and even a Diamond filled the view screen.
“Mr. Data, how many Borg ships?”
“Fifteen, sir and more are coming through.”
The bridge of the Enterprise went silent.
Starfleet had lost thirty-nine starships at Wolf 359 and over three hundred repelling the second incursion six years later - all thanks to two Borg ships. Even with a partially functioning defense perimeter, the chances of even scratching this Borg armada were close to nil.
Unless…
Picard hesitated. He did not want to die on this day, but the Borg had changed all that.
“Take us into the center of the Borg formation. Picard to Engineering!”
“LaForge here!”
“Prepare to initiate a war-core breach, then eject the core into their central formation and - ”
“Wait, Captain, something is happening.”
***
“What in the name of Yun-Yuuzhan are those?”
“More infidel reinforcements, Commander, a variation of which we have not encountered.”
Nas Choka glared at his subaltern.
“Of course we have not encountered them. We have not encountered them because this is our first assualt on this new infidel cultures.”
For even daring to make such a statement, Nas Choka should have had the subaltern killed. In fact, he could have ordered it, but this new development required all of his focus, even with a yammosk at his disposal.
“No matter. Order the Pain Giver and the Scourge of Infidels to -”
***
“Captain, do you - ”
“I see it Number One. I’m just not believing it.”
This couldn’t be right at all. The Borg ships were completely ignoring the Federation and Republic ships. They were instead moving forward past them and actually firing on the Yuuzhan Vong armada!
They were cutting through the heavy cruisers like a sharp blade through a turkey from the ancient Earth holiday of Thanksgiving and obliterating the smaller craft. The cruisers were firing off Volcano missiles and plasma bursts, but if it was truly affecting the adaptable defenses of a Borg ship, then it was not showing. As was to be expected from the Borg, they were targeting the most dangerous and deadly threats first, including some of the heavy cruisers. The Vong lines were beginning to crumble under an assualt far more furious than it had been given by the Republic/Federation ships.
Either way, Picard couldn’t tell if this was a miracle or the beginning of the end.
***
“We’ve lost another wing Commander! Infidel ships continuing tear into the center flanks!”
Nas Choka snarled and closed his eyes. What he was about to do went against everything that the Yuuzhan Vong believed
“Have the war coordinator signal all ships to withdraw back into the anomaly!”
“But sir, the battle - ”
“This is clearly a superior foe. We must return to our own territory and bring more ships and warriors. Only then we can defeat these infidels. This is but a temporary setback and the Warmaster will agree. For the glory of Yun-Yammaka!”
***
“The Yuuzhan Vong ships are withdrawing into the wormhole. The Borg ships are driving them off!”
Well, it was out of the pan and into the fire as far as Picard was concerned.
“This isn’t over yet. Prepare to lock everything we’ve got left and-”
The communications panel interrupted the French captain.
“Sir, we are being hailed by the Borg Diamond, Audio only.”
“Open a channel, Mr. Data.”
“Channel open.”
Picard prepared himself for traditional Borg message that haunted his dreams and nightmares.
“Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!
***
Wait a minute.
That did not sound at all like the traditional Borg message that consisted of resistance being futile and an imminent threat of assimilation.
“This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Enterprise. Identify yourself!”
“My name is Axum, leader of Unimatrix Zero. We’ve come in peace!””
***
Location: The Quintessence
Somewhere in the Universe
Q’s eyes widened as he watched the conclusion of the battle for the wormhole in the flames of the Quintessence’s meeting hall.
“The Borg?!”
The Stranger nodded.
“As I have told this body, many players will become apparent . The Borg Collective is but one , albeit another participant in the game.”
“Look, I may go about the universe traipsing about in drag, acting uppity, and snapping my fingers all the time, but I hardly view the end of existence as a game and -”
Q stopped suddenly, realization dawning in his eyes.
“Wait a minute. Just how did you know that the Borg would join the struggle? You just said a moment ago that . If so, then who’s next? The Travelers? The Nacene?
The Stranger was silent.
“I’m talking to -”
“The answer to that is…complicated, Q.”
“I’d like to hear it - they’d like to hear it
“And so they shall. But not just yet.”
He turned his attention back to the fire-pit
“While this battle, this skirmish has been won, the real fight is just beginning for both them and for us.”
***
To be continued…
