Star Trek/Star Wars: The Best of Both Worlds

[JME2]

Good chapter. Is the Akrill class mentioned in this chapter the precursor to the Cardassian Galor class cruiser ?

Probably; 'The Art of the Impossible' stated that at the time this was the main ship-type of the Cardassian fleet.

[Robert Walper]

I slowly got the impression, that you make the SW ships a bit too weak.

The logical consensus of the board would result in TIE fighters slaughtering the entire Borg Collective. I actually find this fan fic quite refreshing. Nice to see Star Trek show a tough side for once, rather than being written up as completely impotent as they usually are.

And please don't tell me that you jumped on the "laser-train". SW weapons are NOT lasers.

I saw nothing suggesting his fan fic is making SW weaponry out to be lasers. At least, not anymore than the dozens of other official Star Wars novels which constantly refer to TL's as "lasers".

Please let the SW demonstrate that they are more superior then Starfleet thinks!

Hey, you got virtually every other fan fic to read which provides that and then some. Be a sport and let us delusional Trekkies enjoy a little victory for our side, huh?

Better yet, let's make this fan fic canon! Chew that Trek bashers! mawhaha!

PS: BTW JME2, I loved your turkey dinner reference there. Cracked me up truth be told.

[Crazedwraith]

Great Chapter!
Unimatrix Zero hey? Kewl.
Ywould have been better if were hugh's borg, though i dont suppose they have a hip anymore.


Also you need to more carful proof read thees. There was at least 1 error the "dominion qar".

Also Vong wouldn't refer to thier vessels as analogues to infidel ships. Instead of "cruiser analog" in the vong POV how about using the "matalok" tag.

[JME2]

Great Chapter!
Unimatrix Zero hey? Kewl.
Ywould have been better if were hugh's borg, though i dont suppose they have a hip anymore.

Actually, the Hugh issue will come up in the chapter - as well as what U0 has been up to since we last saw them.

[Crazedwraith]

Great Chapter!
Unimatrix Zero hey? Kewl.
Ywould have been better if were hugh's borg, though i dont suppose they have a hip anymore.

Actually, the Hugh issue will come up in the chapter - as well as what U0 has been up to since we last saw them.

You know AT fanfiction.net this is at chapter XI. I hope we're not missing anything over here?

[JME2]

No. Both sites have 11 chapters; fear not.

[Robert Walper]

Great Chapter!
Unimatrix Zero hey? Kewl.
Ywould have been better if were hugh's borg, though i dont suppose they have a hip anymore.

Actually, the Hugh issue will come up in the chapter - as well as what U0 has been up to since we last saw them.

Just to bring my considerable Borg expertise to bear, there's some justification to the idea that the Borg Collective dealt with the Borg "revolt" shortly after Voyager began it. We heard absolutely nothing more about this revolt despite promises to the contrary from the "freed" drones. And when we see the Borg Collective in STVOY "Endgame", the Borg queen went so far as to proclaim Voyager a non threat(an interesting assesment if we are to believe this revolt . Given that the renegade Borg were outnumbered by a huge magnitude and the complete lack of evidence of any further damage done by them, I suspect the revolt was eliminated. Frankly, Janeway really screwed the renegade Borg in Unimatrix Zero. They became easily detectable when they were initially extremely difficult to isolate. This was made clear in that episode actually and....er...

...

*glances at post* Guess I'm really ranting here...

[Eaglewood]

Excellent story. One of the best I've read!

I noticed a lot of references and stuff related to Trek books and the "little things" from the Trek universe.

To be honest, I've NEVER seen such detail invested in Trek side of fanfictions. I also must admit that there's a lot of great references in Star Wars.

God forbid, I just might consider this better than Starcrossed, once more chapters are pumped into this story


Any ETA on the next chapters?

[JME2]

Excellent story. One of the best I've read!

I noticed a lot of references and stuff related to Trek books and the "little things" from the Trek universe.?

Well, I read Trek novels on a regular basis, but not every single one. I read only those that pique my interest, like the Section 31 novels and the upcoming 'Tales of the Dominion War' anthology.

To be honest, I've NEVER seen such detail invested in Trek side of fanfictions. I also must admit that there's a lot of great references in Star Wars.

Well it's knowledge like this that causes most people who know me to classify me as a nerd and an...interesting person.

God forbid, I just might consider this better than Starcrossed, once more chapters are pumped into this story ?

Well, on one hand thank you. On the other hand, Starcrossed is in a league of its own; it's, alongside Darth Wong's Conquest are, at least in my viewpoint, the quintessential Trek/Wars crossovers (Manifest Destiny ranks behind these two as my top 3 favorite Trek/Wars fics.

Any ETA on the next chapters?

Working on it, but it'll be some time; probably not for at least two, maybe weeks. Writing chapter 11 pretty much took the fight out of me for a while and I'm also beginning to explore ideas for a crossover fic involving Jack Kirby's Fourth World and the Transformers. But rest assured! You'll get your chapters and soon - as long as Crazed Wraith doesn't threaten me anymore.

[JME2]

Great Chapter!
Unimatrix Zero hey? Kewl.
Ywould have been better if were hugh's borg, though i dont suppose they have a hip anymore.

Actually, the Hugh issue will come up in the chapter - as well as what U0 has been up to since we last saw them.

Just to bring my considerable Borg expertise to bear, there's some justification to the idea that the Borg Collective dealt with the Borg "revolt" shortly after Voyager began it. We heard absolutely nothing more about this revolt despite promises to the contrary from the "freed" drones. And when we see the Borg Collective in STVOY "Endgame", the Borg queen went so far as to proclaim Voyager a non threat(an interesting assesment if we are to believe this revolt . Given that the renegade Borg were outnumbered by a huge magnitude and the complete lack of evidence of any further damage done by them, I suspect the revolt was eliminated. Frankly, Janeway really screwed the renegade Borg in Unimatrix Zero. They became easily detectable when they were initially extremely difficult to isolate. This was made clear in that episode actually and....er...

...

*glances at post* Guess I'm really ranting here...

Not at all. Your input is as always valued and respected.

Your speculation on the fate on U0 brings up another question I have for you RW that will play a role in the Borg parts of Chapter 12 - What do you believe the Collective's response was to Hugh and his followers? To the Cooperative from 'Unity'? Were they even aware of these two groups were active?

[Robert Walper]

Just to bring my considerable Borg expertise to bear, there's some justification to the idea that the Borg Collective dealt with the Borg "revolt" shortly after Voyager began it. We heard absolutely nothing more about this revolt despite promises to the contrary from the "freed" drones. And when we see the Borg Collective in STVOY "Endgame", the Borg queen went so far as to proclaim Voyager a non threat(an interesting assesment if we are to believe this revolt . Given that the renegade Borg were outnumbered by a huge magnitude and the complete lack of evidence of any further damage done by them, I suspect the revolt was eliminated. Frankly, Janeway really screwed the renegade Borg in Unimatrix Zero. They became easily detectable when they were initially extremely difficult to isolate. This was made clear in that episode actually and....er...

...

*glances at post* Guess I'm really ranting here...

Not at all. Your input is as always valued and respected.

*wipes tear from eye* Aww...shucks man, you don't need to be so nice. That makes me emotionally vulnerable.

Your speculation on the fate on U0 brings up another question I have for you RW that will play a role in the Borg parts of Chapter 12 - What do you believe the Collective's response was to Hugh and his followers?

There are actually multiple examples of Borg crews and ships disconnected from the Borg as a whole. This appears to be a defensive measure employed to protect the Collective as a whole and seems to work quite well. Voyager made two examples at least that I can recall offhand that showed a species attempting to create a "ultimate Borg weapon" meant to destroy the Collective. However, in every case the attack cost only one vessel. This suggests that despite Picard's confidence in the program devoloped by Data and Geordi, we have little reason to have expected it to be any more successful. Hugh's individuality affecting a small group of Borg also supports this.

As to the Borg's response to Hugh's group, nothing is really known. If the Borg had encountered or actively pursued Hugh's group, I suspect reassimilation would have been the result. This might have happened since we've never seen or heard from them again, but they also may have just been ignored and left alone.

To the Cooperative from 'Unity'? Were they even aware of these two groups were active?

The Borg in all likelyhood are aware of the seperation and loss of all mentioned vessels and groups. However, their response seems to have been indifference in most cases. This almost seems contradictory since it's been shown and stated the Borg often reclaim their own technology and drones. With the exception of Hugh's group, one might suggest the Borg were more concerned about re-establishing their infrastructure and defenses after the Species 8472 war, since all of these incidents took place after.

[Sarevok]

Any word when a new chapter will be finished ?

[JME2]

Any word when a new chapter will be finished ?

Not for a while; probably later in April. I'm also considering directions that the story could go in - as well as the exact pace through which I reveal the Merging.

[JME2]

Just to bring my considerable Borg expertise to bear, there's some justification to the idea that the Borg Collective dealt with the Borg "revolt" shortly after Voyager began it. We heard absolutely nothing more about this revolt despite promises to the contrary from the "freed" drones. And when we see the Borg Collective in STVOY "Endgame", the Borg queen went so far as to proclaim Voyager a non threat(an interesting assesment if we are to believe this revolt . Given that the renegade Borg were outnumbered by a huge magnitude and the complete lack of evidence of any further damage done by them, I suspect the revolt was eliminated. Frankly, Janeway really screwed the renegade Borg in Unimatrix Zero. They became easily detectable when they were initially extremely difficult to isolate. This was made clear in that episode actually and....er...

...

*glances at post* Guess I'm really ranting here...

Not at all. Your input is as always valued and respected.

*wipes tear from eye* Aww...shucks man, you don't need to be so nice. That makes me emotionally vulnerable.

Your speculation on the fate on U0 brings up another question I have for you RW that will play a role in the Borg parts of Chapter 12 - What do you believe the Collective's response was to Hugh and his followers?

There are actually multiple examples of Borg crews and ships disconnected from the Borg as a whole. This appears to be a defensive measure employed to protect the Collective as a whole and seems to work quite well. Voyager made two examples at least that I can recall offhand that showed a species attempting to create a "ultimate Borg weapon" meant to destroy the Collective. However, in every case the attack cost only one vessel. This suggests that despite Picard's confidence in the program devoloped by Data and Geordi, we have little reason to have expected it to be any more successful. Hugh's individuality affecting a small group of Borg also supports this.

As to the Borg's response to Hugh's group, nothing is really known. If the Borg had encountered or actively pursued Hugh's group, I suspect reassimilation would have been the result. This might have happened since we've never seen or heard from them again, but they also may have just been ignored and left alone.

To the Cooperative from 'Unity'? Were they even aware of these two groups were active?

The Borg in all likelyhood are aware of the seperation and loss of all mentioned vessels and groups. However, their response seems to have been indifference in most cases. This almost seems contradictory since it's been shown and stated the Borg often reclaim their own technology and drones. With the exception of Hugh's group, one might suggest the Borg were more concerned about re-establishing their infrastructure and defenses after the Species 8472 war, since all of these incidents took place after.

Thanks as always Rob. This really does help out for the Borg segments.

[Robert Walper]

I take JME2 you're making one HUGE chapter to make up for the delay you're putting your dedicated, loyal reading fans?

If you are:





BUT...

if you're not:

[JME2]

I take JME2 you're making one HUGE chapter to make up for the delay you're putting your dedicated, loyal reading fans?

If you are:





BUT...

if you're not:

I'm trying to. The reason for the delay is that writing Part 11 took the fight out of me for a while but I'm back at it. I can't garuntee that it'll be as long as part 11 (which was 30 pages) but it'll be good nonethless.

Without spoiling anything, the Borg are going to be the main focus of this next chapter, with many issues being brought up from how U0 survived the Queen's attempted reprisals (as you speculated earlier in the post) to the events of ENT's 'Regeneration' (That'll be a tricky one to handle). They'll also be an aspect of this arc that the U0 will be hiding something significant from the NR and UFP; what , however willl remain to be seen as the story progresses.

Chapter 12 will also continue previous arcs and begin new ones.

I hope to have it ready for posting later this week.

[Sarevok]

I take JME2 you're making one HUGE chapter to make up for the delay you're putting your dedicated, loyal reading fans?

If you are:





BUT...

if you're not:

Hehe

[JME2]

Oh sure, laugh at the bodily threats made towards me - and on the subject of which, Crazed Wraith, hasn't threatened to whip me this time so I take that as a good sign - for now.... :

[Crazedwraith]

Oh sure, laugh at the bodily threats made towards me - and on the subject of which, Crazed Wraith, hasn't threatened to whip me this time so I take that as a good sign - for now.... :

Thanx for reminding me, but i only threaten you with whipping when you miss your own deadlines.
still..

*aims sniper rifle a JME2* ..get writing!
BTW theres no space in my name :d

[JME2]

Oh sure, laugh at the bodily threats made towards me - and on the subject of which, Crazed Wraith, hasn't threatened to whip me this time so I take that as a good sign - for now.... :

Thanx for reminding me, but i only threaten you with whipping when you miss your own deadlines.
still..

*aims sniper rifle a JME2* ..get writing!
BTW theres no space in my name :d

On the subject of which...

It's starting to get there. While there is a slim chance that I may have it up by tomorrow night, it will be more likely on Saturday night or worse case scenario, Sunday morning (as to why not Saturday morning, I'm engaged in community service so alas I must leave my computer for several hours ). Thanks for your patience, as always my friends.

[Robert Walper]

Here's to hoping the real Borg Collective makes an entrance, and an impressive one too. The UZ is a nice twist, but I wanna see the ruthless, relentless Borg striking fear into the Vong for a change. It'd be nice for them to get a taste of their own medicine...an enemy without remorse or compassion, ruthless, powerful, intent on remaking the Vong in their own image.

[JME2]

Here's to hoping the real Borg Collective makes an entrance, and an impressive one too. The UZ is a nice twist, but I wanna see the ruthless, relentless Borg striking fear into the Vong for a change. It'd be nice for them to get a taste of their own medicine...an enemy without remorse or compassion, ruthless, powerful, intent on remaking the Vong in their own image.

Remember what I said earlier:

U0 will be hiding something significant from the NR and UFP; what , however willl remain to be seen as the story progresses.

Maybe it's your wish, maybe it's not. Either way, I'm not telling.

[JME2]

Chapter 12 will hopefully be up later today.

[JME2]

Alright, you've wanted and you've got it! Thank you for not hurting me CW or Rob!

[JME2]

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 XII

“The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it.”
-George Orwell-

Author’s Notes:

* I’m sorry that this chapter isn’t as long as the last two, but it was just too much of an effort to write the kind of chapter length in so short of a time period. I will try to go with medium sized chapters from this point onwards.

* The Gnawing was introduced in the sixth Lost Era novel, Catalyst of Sorrows, and was essentially the Romulan equivalent of the Bubonic plague during their early years on the world that would become known throughout the cosmos as Romulus.

* The Valdore class name, Norexan, is not canonical, but has become widely accepted amongst fans after being listed in non-canon sources and so I am utilizing it for this story.

* The Royal Protocol comes from the second Voyager re-launch novel, The Farthest Shore.

* The DTI logo is not canon; it is actually the incantation used to activate the mystical Phoneix Gate from Disney’s Gargoyles.

As Always, enjoy!

***

Location: Naboo System
That Galaxy Far, Far Away

The YT-1300 freighter known to the galaxy at large as the Millennium Falcon had spent much of her life in a state of constant motion from standard hyperspace jumps to dodging Imperial blockades and dozens of other foes that had threatened the livelihood of those passangers. In a strange, yet understandable way, Han Solo liked it that way - always had. He still did it, but that desire had been tempered to by his ‘going respectable’.

That’s why he hated sitting around like this.

The instant he’d heard of the Yuuzhan Vong fleet entering the system, he’d powered up the Falcon and had shot out of the Theed spaceport as quickly as he could, though the fleet had been long gone through the wormhole by the time he got there..

He had almost been tempted to go in after them and attempt to warn Starfleet of what was coming. But he hadn’t. Though he’d been in many a firefight and had been adept at running blockades like at Yavin 4 and Hoth, he’d never tried it before in a wormhole. Han had never considered himself a scientific man, but he had no idea what kind of effect -

Han’s thoughts were interrupted by the silver and red light that blazed through the Falcon’s cockpit as the wormhole opened once again. His jaw, for not the first time nor the last time, drooped open at the sight greeted him.

“Oh sithspawn.”

***

“The wormhole has opening again, milady!”

“Defense Force status?”

“Colonel Elin Olie has scrambled the orbital defense forces as per your orders. But it will not be enough.”

The elected queen of the Naboo and Ambassador Solo stood in the Naboo Central Command, a mixing of classical Nubian architecture and technology. Com-Scans littered across the room along with holographic projectors, and military officers and their droids. The scene reminded Leia of the tense waiting as the original Death Star had drawn closer and closer to

As hot-headed as her husband could be at times, Leia knew quite well that Han was out of his league and she felt some relief as the Falcon instantly swerved into an arch on a trajectory that would bring him back to Naboo as quickly as possible. He had learned his lesson well after attempting to take on the Executor-class Super Star Destroyer Knight Hammer all by himself at Yavin 4 during Daala’s strike on the Jedi Academy.

Vong ships were pouring through the phenomena that had appeared unexpectedly and without warning nearly three standard weeks ago.

Yet it did not close.

Republic ships followed close on their heels followed by an occasional Federation starship - easily identifiable its saucer and nacelles - and cubed shaped- ships.

Quital frowned.

“What are those cube-ships?”

Leia stared at the holographic screen
She recognized them from the briefings that the Republic had been given by the Federation and from Luke’s talk with Captain Picard shortly before they had crossed the threshold of cosmic energies to arrive in the heart of the United Federation of Planets.

“The Borg.”

***

Location: Denorias Belt, Bajoran System
The Milky Way Galaxy

“Lieutenant?”

“Starfleet Command confirms, Colonel. Sector 001 has been attacked by ships from the Republic’s galaxy - Yuuzhan Vong ships. The defense perimeter surrounding the phenomenon was seriously damaged,

“What about the mysterious rescuers?”

“That also has been confirmed.”

“So it was the Borg?”

“Yes, or rather Unimatrix Zero?”

“What are your orders Colonel?”

Kira Nerys sighed. remembered the stories that Sisko and O’Brien had told of the Borg, of how both men had been among those that had fought the Collective during their first incursion into the Alpha Quadrant, remembered the anticipation that they had all felt five years before as they had watched Worf and the crew on the original Defiant survive the three-day running battle against the second Cube in 2372.

“We’re not taking any chances. Go to yellow alert.”

She turned to Chakotay, standing like as calm as the eye of a storm behind the operations table.

“Commander, I need you in my office.”

***

Millions upon millions of kilometers away from the former Cardassian mining station, a Bajoran male sat in a bungalow on his homeworld pouring over ancient texts and scrolls over a low fire and a half-eaten and cold hasperat soufflé. Hies eyes glanced over the astronomical charts, writings, and most importantly prophecies, prophecies and predictions that had for millennia been considered heretical and banned by the Vedek Assembly - and for good reasons.

He cursed that the signs were correct as they had been the past three weeks, that it had come to pass, that, the cycle was repeating itself as it had once before. But most of all, he cursed that a chance, a way to combat this coming apocalypse was gone, missing, and most likely destroyed - along with one who could wield it.

Why, he asked himself.

Why did Winn Adami have to vanish along with the Text of the Kosst Amojan?

***

Over the last two years, Kira had sought comfort in one of her commander’s enduring legacies - the baseball that he had brought to the station when he had arrived a decade before. She was fascinated that such a small item could hold great significance for her Emissary. She was tempted to glacned over its battered, white appearance, but her attention was focused on Commander Chakotay.

“Commander, you’re our resident expert on the Borg so I wanted to ask your opinion on the matter.”

“It may truly be Unimatrix Zero, it may not be.”

“Explain.“

“After the link with Unimatrix Zero was severed, we never heard from them again during our last year in the Delta Quadrant. We had absolutely no idea of what became of them. I say it might be because the Borg have tricked us before - they lied to Admiral Janeway and myself about who had started their war with Species 8472.

Kira remained silent

“Thank you Commander. I want you onboard the Defiant and bring her status up to hot standby.”

“Understood.”

As the former first office of the Voyager headed down the steps from the office, she thought about Sisko’s words to her in his vision from two nights before.

You will be presented with a path that you must follow, one that will helped to balance the Merging.

What had he meant?

Was it Admiral Janeway’s purposed mission into the Gamma Quadrant - or this?

***

Location: Romulus
The Milky Way

“General.”

General I’val cursed to himself as he looked up from the polished desk in the den of his home. From the shadows, he could make out the Reman military uniform, catch just the slightest hint of a glare from the commander’s bald head.

How in the name of Gnawing was he able to do that?

“I’d offer you a glass of ale, but I take it you don’t drink.”

Shinzon remained silent and I’val poured himself a glass and brought it to his lips.

“So, what can I do for Shinzon.

“The Yuuzhan Vong have attacked Sector 001.”

I’val nearly spit out his ale.

How could Shinzon know that? The Empire was strict about controlling the flow of information from the outside and whatever information came through was usually put off as inaccurate or untrue.

Perhaps he had another Romulan ally other than himself, Donatra and Sutran, or perhaps the Remans had access to Romulan communications protocols; this was plausible given that much of the current communications equipment came from Reman factories.

He frowned at that thought.

If this endeavour failed, and if he survive, then as much as he hated Koval and the Tal Shiar, they would have to be notified of this.

“Yes, it’s true.”

“And the apparent rescue from Borg refuges?”

“Also true. The entire Admiralty is on high alert and Fleet Group Haakona has been called back to within distance of Romulus. I think it’s obvious that our plan has been delayed indefinitely since the Vong will be back and soon I believe.”

The Reman was silent before he began chuckling, causing I’val to wonder if the rumors of the commander’s mental instability were indeed true.

“You find this funny in some way, Shinzon?”

The Reman stopped laughing and suddenly, his young, yet weathered face appeared out of the shadows and stared at the General, his eyes seemingly attempting to pierce the soft, sleeks layers of the Tholian silk robe that graced I’val’s figure and gazed into his very heart and soul.

“On the contrary, General. The timing is perfect.”

If he had taken another sip of ale, I’val would have spit it out again.

“What?!”

“Think about it. The chances of a Federation/Republic alliance actually succeeding has risen significantly. The Senate is weak and will attempt to use their own diplomacy and squander valuable time. The Tal Shiar will be not different. We on the other hand, are ready. We have the support of the entire fleet behind both of us. You and I have the knowledge and experience. But most important of all, I have Scimitar and the weapon it carries.”

Shinzon has made reference to this ‘weapon’ before when I’val had asked him how he intended to assassinate the entire Senate and try as he might, I’val could not determine what kind of weapon it was. Was it one of the new disruptor/polaron beam amalgams that Romulan think tanks had been experimenting with since the Dominion War? Perhaps a transphasic torpedo, which the Tal Shiar had been desperately trying to get its hands on or a least a rough scan.

Or was it something even worse?

“The Commanders will have to be contacted, of course. Donatra will be more difficult; she’s on the Valdore.”

The Valdore was one of the newest ships to enter the Romulan Navy, the result of the successful testing and completion of the Norexan. The Norexan-class had come about as a result of the Dominion War. The D'Deridex super ships, the pride and joy of the Romulan fleet whose purpose had been deliberately to impress and intimidate opponents both foreign and domestic, had not fared well against the Dominion, despite its size and armament.

The reasons were simple.

Much of the vessels internal volume of the D'Deridex was given over to ground forces and their supporting equipment. Although the disrupter armament was impressive, the technology behind it was unfortunately significantly behind that of the Federations phaser banks; the disrupters had a high power but relatively low rate of fire and somewhat limited range. The twelve torpedo tubes were capable of firing only one torpedo each at a time, and had a combined rate of fire some 80% that of the two tubes of a Galaxy-class battle section. The D'Deridex was also somewhat slower than a Galaxy-class starship, and also a great deal less agile.

After the final invasion of Cardassia and the signing of the Treaty of Bajor, many predicted both inside and outside the Empire’s borders that the Romulans would move toward smaller, more sophisticated vessels in the future. The Norexan was that result. While not as large or hardly as heavily armed as the D'Deridex, she have held her own in simulations and war games. Romulan Command had rapidly approved an initial order of twelve.

Of course, Starfleet didn’t know that.

The Romulan Empire, past or present, had always engaged in considerable efforts to confuse outsiders like the Federation about the size and makeup of its mighty fleet - a way to simultaneously hide any of their weakness or their strength. One such measure involved vessels having several names while others having none, in order to create confusion about the number in service.

The General had always had mixed feelings about the supership policy. While he believed in showing his people’s might to the outside world, he also believed in larger numbers of smaller ships; he didn’t like to ‘put his eggs in one basket’ as the human expression went.

“Do it. I will ready my own resources. Keep your part in this plan General and the rewards will be greater than you ever imagined.”

The commander’s face melted back into the shadows and his body was claimed not by the darkness, but by the brief sparkling of a Reman transporter, leaving I‘val to wonder to himself it had been wise to ally with such a man as Shinzon of Remus in the first place.

***

Location: The Quintessence
Somewhere in the Universe

“While this battle, this skirmish has been won, the real fight is just beginning for both them and for us.”

Q had just about had it with the Stranger’s cryptic fairy godmother attitude and his response showed it.

“Look, I may not speak for this group of basically intergalactic gods, but this is getting ridiculous. If you have information, share it with us.”

Sisko was the first to respond.

“Q is correct in this assumption, Stranger.”

M and Ayelborne simply nodded and murmured in agreement.

The Stanger simply stared into the firepit

Before Q could move, the Stranger’s fingers extended across the fire-pit and touched the foreheads of all four other members of the Quintessence.

Images flashed through the minds of all present entities, forcefully, painfully, slowly, and quickly:

…an entire universe set in flame, as a certain insane Cardassian Gul had predicted in 2375...

…Starships of all shape and sizes

…obelisks plotting, scheming, and dooming…

…the Bajoran wormhole exploding, the energy spreading throughout the cosmos…

…their respective groups of beings, their friends and loved ones throughout all of existence dying…

…the darkness spreading, death approaching upon his chariot, and the end of all existence.

***

Location: Earth
The Milky Way Galaxy

This was bad. This was very bad. This was very very bad.

At least for a certain Yuuzhan Vong executor stuck behind enemy lines.

The failure of the Praetorite Vong had not been his fault despite his involvement with their activities during the earlier stages of the war. And while his participation in the failed ‘defection’ and Fondor engagements had been well documented, he partially redeemed himself with his vital role in handing Duro over to his people.

This was even worse.

He had not sent any signal via villip or infidel communications since arriving on the other side of the anomaly. It had proven impossible to do so. The only way would have been to cross back across the phenomenon and into the Republic galaxy.

So why had Nas Choka’s fleet entered the anomaly? Could they have received intelligence vital to the cause of his people? Could Viqi Shesh have sold them out? Could the dull Dif Scaur have caught onto her traitorous activities and fed false information to her?

He could not know because there was no way he was going to be able to easily get back through the wormhole. The Federation was restricting travel and these Borg or Uniomatrix Zero or whatever they called themselves were guarding both ends.

The Borg.

A race of machines…such a thing was heretical and even though he had no qualms about using machines for his own purposes, the very thought of it send ripples of anger and hatred through the Yuuzhan Vong’s very body.

Either way, it probably would not matter to Tsavong Lah; despite his status and talents one of the best, if not the best agents among the Yuuzhan Vong, the Warlord despised him and wouldn’t hesitate to have the Spymaster executed for this. Vergere, that blasted Fosh would further fuel Lah’s desire in order to cement her place as his central advisor.

***

On board the Enterprise, Captain Picard stared at his face through the reflection of his desktop computer. His hand grazed against his left temple, to where the Borg laser and main facial implant had been mounted in that assimilation chamber more than a decade previously.

Though Beverley’s dermal regeneration techniques had healed the physical mark of the implants, the mental scars had never truly healed and now he was faced with either a salvation or a new nightmare in the form of Unimatriz Zero.

The arrival of the Borg peace envoy - if such a thing was possible with the Collective - had forty-eight hours ago driven the Yuuzhan Vong fleet back through the wormhole. A combined taskforce of Borg, Federation and Republic ships had pursued them further and had reported that the fleet had not taken a foot in the Naboo system.

It was the Borg who had made the difference.

Unbelievable.

Republic Admiral Krey’fey, at the urging of his cousin Fey’lya, had already called for reinforcements from other Republic fleet groups to fortify and protect the Naboo end of the wormhole. The Naboo government, apparently previously hostile to the Republic’s overtures, were no longer complaining and were permitting the fleet presence. Word was that this had helped been made possible by Leia Organa Solo.

Several Republic ships were stationed on the Earth side of the wormhole at Starfleet’s request. The Vong attack had resulted in the destruction and/or disabling of nearly seventy percent of the defense perimeter that Starfleet construction crews had put in place around the

The space was also littered with the debris from Republic, Federation, and Yuuzhan Vong ships. Picard hadn’t been that surprised that the Borg had suffered not ship casualties in their initial run on the Vong‘s living ships. The Federation had recovered several Yuuzhan Vong bodies from the vacuum of space and were conducting a genetic analysis a genetic analysis at Starfleet Medical. Beverley, after having treated the seriously wounded Enterprise crew members, had joined the team of doctors doing the procedure that included the Vulcan Selar, the Voyager EMH, and the Jedi’s scientific associate Danni Quee who had just arrived through the wormhole mere days earlier.

Picard in particular was anxious about the results, especially given their humanoid apperance. He wondered if the result of his late archeological mentor, Professor Richard Galen and his theory would hold true for the Republic galaxy and whatever galaxy the Yuuzhan Vong had originated from.

On the subject of the Yuuzhan Vong fleet, it had fled back into Vong territory - or to Hutt space where NRI and other observers near Hutt space had traced the fleet‘s vector point from originally. But this was a short reprieve. It was obvious from this attack that the Vong had broken their temporary pledge of non-aggression and that by attacking the Republic envoy, they were at war again.

Only this time, it looked liked the Federation would along for the ride.

Picard sighed at the thought.

He detested violence whenever possible. The Federation had long prided itself that it is an organization dedicated to peaceful coexistence; indeed, it was the only known power in the Alpha Quadrant which had no dedicated military arm whatsoever. Instead it relied on Starfleet, a body whose primary role is exploration and scientific research, to fulfill the defense role also.

Nevertheless, the last decade had seen the Federation faced with an alarming number of clear and serious threats to its security; the more aggressive stance taken by the Romulans after so many years of inactivity was followed quickly by first contact with the Borg and then the Dominion and then the brief rift with the Klingon Empire.

It was little wonder then that Starfleet had been burdened with an ever-increasing military role; ships designed primarily for peace had participated in conflict after conflict. Many pundits had predicted that Starfleet and the Federation itself would be too weak to survive such a situation. The last decade had demonstrated just how wrong they where.

Picard has seen the ferocity in the Vong’s attack on Sector 001, a ferocity that rivaled and even outdid anything displayed by the Jem’Hadar. The Federation had been successful in repelling this incursion because of the Republic and Unimatrix Zero. Things were only going to get worse in the long run if the Yuuzhan Vong hierarchy considered the Federation a threat, ally to the Republic or not.

Like the Trill and their Symbiots, the New Galactic Republic and the United Federation of Planets were going to have to stick together and depends

The Council would make it difficult and not just because of Viqi Shesh’s arrogance. The Federation mindset had always been primarily liberal since its founding, in part because of Quadrant moving in new directions that had not been possible when the Vulcans were more or less running the quadrant. Unfortunately, the Dominion War changed all that. Conservatism had been on the rise since the end of the conflict. Even with the attack on Sector 001, there was a large element in the council that didn’t want to make any kind of deal with the Republic, even with the scientific and cultural exchanges that such an alliance would bring.

The Captain knew that that mindset could very well doom them.

At the very least they needed to forge a defense pact.

And if what Q had said was true during his visit a week before, they might very well have to go one step further..

***

A drone on a scout ship patrolling the border of fluidic space in a remote sector of the Beta Quadrant with the designation Five of Twelve, Secondary Adjunct of Trimatrix 942, but known as Axum in the dreamstate world of Unimatrix Zero, the leader of the Borg Ressistance movm was one of the rare drones with a recessive mutation that allowed him to experience Unimatrix Zero while regenerating, and in that realm he had a six-year romance with Annika, who as a drone was designated Seven of Nine.

There were many questions that the Federation had - and Picard hoped that he was willing to answer them as he entered the Enterprise’s briefing room. Clustered around the table was Axum, Admiral Janeway, Master Skywalker, and Counselor Troi. Admiral Necheyev

Of all of them, Axum was the most prominent He clearly had been Borg at one point. There were still sings of recent surgical removal of implants and his skin was somewhat pale. But he also had a smile on his face, a sure sign that the Collective was not in control.

“Greetings, Locu-”

The leader of Unimatrix Zero stopped in mid-sentence, realizing his mistake just as a Picard stiffened.

“I’m sorry, Captain. Forgive me. Old habits die hard, even when you‘ve been un-plugged from the Collective.”

Picard slowly nodded as he took his seat.

“I understand.”

“Thank you, Captain Picard.”

Axum spread out his hands and breathed deeply, preparing to begin his tale.

“As you know, two years ago, Captain - forgive me again, Admiral, Janeway assisted those drones like myself that contained the mutation that created the Borg dream world Unimatrix Zero. Though that world was destroyed, we were free from the Hive mind. The initial euphoria of being free from the Collective was short lived. The Queen responded in typical fashion and at the slightest hint of our presence moved to eradicate us.”

Janeway was the first respond.

“We always wondered what happened to you. Every attempt to try to contact you ended in failure.”

Axum nodded.

“And with good reason. We couldn’t risk contacting you or vice-versa because of how intently the Queen was looking for us. We eventually sought refuge on a world outside of the Collective that for security reasons I will not name, but where we found former drones like ourselves from a branch of the Collective that had been freed before us, the Branch of Hugh.”

Picard’s eyes widened.

“Hugh is alive?!”

“Yes, he is indeed. You seem somewhat shocked by this revelation.”

“I’d have thought that the Collective would have moved to stop Hugh and his group after they regained their individuality eight years ago.”

“Well from what Hugh has told me and what we’ve been able to piece together, apparently the Collective either didn’t know that Hugh was still active or that they simply ignored it. I’m personally inclined to believe the latter given that Collective had far more serious matters to pursue since they began their trans-dimensional gateway research around that time, research that led to the discovery of fluidic space - and the Admiral and I all certainly know where that went.”

The former drone paused for a moment to catch his breath before continuing.

“As I was saying our situation changed a short time ago, or shortly after what the Federation would term Stardate 54973.4”

Janeway instantly realized thee significance of that particular date.

“Voyager’s return to the Alpha Quadrant.”

“Yes - or rather, the incident at Unimatrix One. I assume you know what happened there, yes?”

“Based on what we could get from the link with my future counterpart’s shuttle as long as we could, scathing was more appropriate than incident.”

“Scathing is the hardly the word. When the future Admiral Janeway infected the Queen with the neurolytic pathogen, it didn’t destroy her; the Queen self-destructed when she died and her death at the heart of the Unicomplex more or less wiped out the structure. This is important for a very simple reason.”

“And that is?”

“That the Unicomplex was more than just the base of operations for the Collective. The efficient operation of the entire Borg civilization depended on it.”

Axum let this staement sink in before continuing.

“Although the Collective is directed by a single mind, the basic Borg is controlled via the Unicomplex. When the Unicomplex was razed, the Collective and all the drones, Cubes, Spheres, Diamonds and scoutships all shut down, their connection severed. As far as we can tell, the Borg Colletive as a whole is no more.”

“Do you truly believe that?”

“Yes, but I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that there is a contingency in place, a second Unicomplex, that another Queen will arise to bring about the Borg’s reign of terror once more.”

Picard chuckled humorously.

“The thought had occurred to me.”

“Well you shouldn’t be worried. We’ve made contact with the majority of the drones that became free last year and while many hooked up with us, there are some that are fighting amongst themselves, though not for personal gain. It’s really just groups that were traditionally at war with each other before their assimilation and now they are resuming it.’

“With Borg weaponry.”

Axum sighed.

“Yes, though we’re trying to dismantle most of the Borg infrastructure. I won’t deny that, as you saw, we aren’t using any ships. We’ve salvaged ships and are constantly trying to track down the rest of the Borg fleet so as to not allow their technology to fall into the wrong hands; there are many in all four corners of the galaxy who would profit from Borg technology in their hands. As for the secondary concern I mentioned earlier, I’m not worried about another Queen taking over, another borg contingency coming into place, there’s little worry there.

“How can you be sure”

“Well for one because we’ve also been scouting the Collective for any signs of stuff out of the ordinary and there’s thus far been nothing. Secondly, if a Queen was reactivated, we’d know. Thirdly, there won’t be another queen because the future Admiral’s pathogen found its way into some of the coding that makes up the basis of the Borg Collective. In effect, it eliminated the Royal Protocol. By mention of the Royal Protocol, I’m not referring to your Diplomatic Corps’ guide to handling royal dignitaries.”

“Then what are you referring to?”

“The Royal Protocol is literally the blueprint for creating a Borg Queen.”

***

Picard sunk back into his chair, his thoughts whirling from Axum’s revelation.

There it was. So that was how the Borg Queen kept coming back every time they thought she had been destroyed, from the mission to 2063 to Voyager’s first encounter with the Borg leader in 2375.

Could it be true? Could the figurehead and leader of the race that had hurt and cost the Federation so much truly be gone forever?

Yet something didn’t make sense to the Captain.

“How could you know all this? Seven of Nine and I were connected to the Hive just as you were and yet, given the conversations I’ve had with her since Voyager returned, neither one of remembers anything like this.”

Axum learned forward, nodding.

“Under normal circumstances, yes you wouldn‘t and I can tell you why. When a Borg drone is disconnected from the Collective, their neuroprocessors retain some of the Collective’s combined data - that much is evident from you two. But there are certain bits of information that are sensitive and that, even when disconnected from the Hive Mind, will erase themselves in an instant to prevent exploitation. But because we were disconnected from the Collective while plugged into Unimatrix Zero during Regeneration, that level of sensitive data wasn’t erased. It’s still stored in the neuroprocessors of every Unimatrix-Zero drone.

“A reasonable likelihood. It would explain why Seven was not aware of the Transwarp Hub’s location until Voyager entered the nebula,” Janeway replied.

“After sufficient time had passed, we chose to contact the Federation and arrived here intending to make peace. Instead we now find a new, more dangerous enemy than any any of us has known - and one that I think we may be familiar with.

Picard and Skywalker grew wide-eyed.

“Why do you say that.”

“Before I answer that, I need to hear any information you may have on the origin of these ‘Yuuzhan Vong’.”

“Again, why do you want that information and what did you mean about the Collective being familiar with the Yuuzhan Vong?”

“Because our sensor arrays, well, went crazy the moment we exited the transwarp conduit. It’s almost liked they recognized the Yuuzhan Vong and fired on them before we knew what was happening.”

***
Location: U.S.S. Paradox, Alpha Quadrant
The Milky Way Galaxy.

The man in his late twenties, who was dressed in an strange, black outfit that was designed for more for a working environment than for comfort, and who had undone the sabotage of Section 31 and Nom Anor materialized on board a vessel that was undetectable to anyone on board the Republic, Borg, or Federation ships not because it was cloaked, not because it was utilizing sensor jammers, but because it was just wasn’t there.

Or rather, it was not in the year 2379.

This ship, the U.S.S. Paradox was under the direction of the DTI, it’s motto burning brightly on the Paradox’s holographic dedication plaque:

Deslagrate muri tempi et intervalia.

Or Latin for, “Tear down the walls of space and time.”

“Status?”

“Unchanged; the Anomaly is still spreading outwards from the Galactic Barrier.”

This was not only similar, but just as bad as that anti-time anomaly that had materialized at the close of the 24th century, worked its way back through time, and then had promptly vanished before the DTI could act.

“Damm.”

“Perhaps the temporal wake has not yet moved through to this era.

“I doubt it.”

“It does seem to be similar to the invasion from four hundred years ago.

“Yes, except we and Archer saw to it that the Sphere Builders were beaten back. So unfortunately, they are not behind this anomaly.”

“So much for that avenue.”

“Tell me about it.

“What are your orders, sir?”

“Alert DTI. Continue to monitor and scan for key incursion points. Also contact the Relativity of 2875 and the modern-day Krenim. We’ll need their experience and temporal research to stop this before it gets worse.”

***

Location: The Quintessence
Somewhere in the Universe

The Stranger withdrew his fingers from the foreheads of his compatriots and clasped his hands in front of him.

“What you have seen are images of what can and will happen if the Merging continues at the rate it is. These are but bits and pieces of the ultimate fate that will befall all life from single-cell organism to gods unless we prepare to fight and work together in harmony. For the Merging has happened in alternate timelines and universes. I know because I am more in tune with the temporal and spatial aspects of existence. These are a taste of what is to come. But most important of all, our champions, must not falter. Picard, Skywalker, and the others are as critical to our alliance and to the salvation that we must seize.

“Again, how could you know all this if we don’t?”

“I know because it is my purpose to know. And I know this: if both men falter now or at any point down the road that is being laid out for them, than all will be lost.”

***

To be continued…