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 IV
"Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal."
- Philippians 3:13-14 -
Author’s Notes: First, I’d like to apologize for the delays. As Star Wars fans know, The Unifying Force, the final book of the 19-book New Jedi Order series has been released and I could not put it down. I’m not going to spoil anything and it’ll be a while before anything in the book is incorporated in the story. Now, after three chapters of building suspense, we’re there baby! We’ve arrived at the flashpoint: Enterprise-E vs. the Vong, mano y mano so to speak. Keep in mind though my writing experience is centered more towards characters and not as much as with the ships. Still, the action sequences will be enjoyable - I guarantee it. Technical information on the Federation systems comes courtesy of the Daystorm Institute Technical Library website (
www.ditl.org). Once again, I thank all of you for your patience and support. Enjoy!
***
Location: Naboo System
That Galaxy Far, Far Away...
“Enemy ships in range in ten seconds…five…four…three…two…”
“Now Mr. Worf!”
The Enterprise was ablaze with light as the mighty Starfleet flagship shot phaser blasts and quantum torpedoes from every available launcher and array across its sleek superstructure. One of the advantages that the Federation’s ships had gained in the last century was the development of the omni-directional phaser array; they could hit multiple targets from a single launcher without overheating the array.
As a result, two of the incoming squadron of Coral skips were instantly vaporized by the onslaught of Starfleet weaponry. Of course, the other ships instantly fired back their plasma weapons at the flagship‘s starboard side. The mighty Sovereign-class’ shields absorbed the energy blasts with ease; they had after all been designed to withstand barrages from superior Borg and Dominion weaponry.
“Starboard shields are at ninety-five percent and holding, Captain” announced Data.
“Initiate Defensive Pattern Kirk-Epsilon and reroute power to compensate,” replied the Captain. “Tactical analysis, Mr. Worf?”
“This can’t be right.”
Picard stared at the Klingon tactical officer whose eyes were widening.
“What is it, Mr. Worf?”
“Sir, of the attacking group, two of the Vong ships have been destroyed but the others have suffered only minimal damage from our phasers.”
Picard frowned as he gazed at the tactical display mounted on the side of the captain’s chair.
“How is that possible? Those were direct hits.”
“It looks like the phaser discharges were…swallowed.”
“Swallowed?”
Data piped in in his usual cool-businesslike manner, made even more so by the fact that he deactivated the emotion chip that his father, Dr. Soong, had given to him, during battles.
“ I believe I may have an explanation. Sensors arrays are picking up what appear to be miniature quantum singularities emanating from the Yuuzhan Vong ships.
In the space of a second, Picard, not unlike Data in many ways, instantly recalled two major instances of where the Federation had encountered miniature quantum singularities. The first and foremost had been with the Romulans.
Whereas the Federation used the Dilithium and Matter/Antimatter warp engine design that had been developed three centuries before by pioneer Zefram Chochrane, the race of Vulcan offshoots known and feared throughout known space as the Romulan Star Empire utilized quantum singularities in their reactors, a feat that while impressive and advantageous had not been without its problems, as Picard remembered all too well from the incident with a Romulan warbird and its collapsing singularity almost a decade before.
The second, while lesser, was still of great archeological importance to himself: The discovery in 2374 by the U.S.S. Voyager of a series of quantum singularity-powered subspace relays, relays which they had used it to send their EMH Mark One across unknown space to the Alpha Quadrant in order to make contact with Starfleet and to inform Command of their plight. In return, before the array had been destroyed by the nomadic hunters known as the Hirogen, Voyager had been brought up to speed on what had happened since they had begun their sojourn.
But this was unlike anything he had seen before.
“What could it-”
“It’s called a Dovin Basal.”
***
Han Solo of Corellia had been on many a ship during his fifty years of life, from the long dead Shrike’s Trader’s Luck to the YT-1300 freighter that, even after he and Leia had settled into a modest apartment in the Eastport district on Coruscant, he still called his one, true home.
But as with the shuttle bay, he was overwhelmed by the Enterprise’s center of operations, its bridge and he was sure that his family, shuffling out of the ‘lift behind him felt the same way too. Again, it had a sleekness that matched that of the Man Calamari ship designs. It sparkled with and glimmered in a way that New Republic bridges, from Bothan Admiral Krey’Fey’s Ralroost to the Mon Calamari cruisers, lacked.
The bridge also heightened Han’s curiosity about this Federation. They had arrived out of the blue, or rather wormhole, and had accepted their offer to help with little or no hesitation. He wondered if this Federation was based in the galaxy - if it was, then it could have been based in the Unknown Regions? Unlikely given the Chiss factor, but still…
In any event, the only organization in his memory that bore the name Federation was the now-defunct Trade Federation. The Trade Federation had been a consortium of merchants and transportation providers that effectively controlled shipping throughout the galaxy during the waning days of the Old Republic. Under the rule of the Neimoidians, a race that remained, by nature, shameful to the present day, the organization had attained enough power and influence to even have full representation in the Galactic Senate.
It was under the control of Neimoidians that the Trade Federation had, for reasons that were still not known, blockaded and invaded the main planet in the Naboo system, the planet that the Falcon had been trying to reach before having been forced out of hyperspace by a dovin basal mine. With the aid of the Old Republic-era Jedi Order, the incursion had been stopped.
The Trade Federation was strong enough to survive the scandal, even with its Directorate mostly intact. However, the Republic had seized most of their fleet and dismantled most of their armed ships and battle droids.
Unfortunately, that hadn’t stopped them from allying themselves with the then-popular Separatist movement and playing an essential role in the commencement of the Clone Wars, a conflict that in hindsight many, including Leia, believed Palpatine himself had engineered as part of his plan to destabilize the Republic and create the Galactic Empire from the chaos of the Clone Wars.
Like the Republic, it hadn’t survived the end of the Clone Wars nor the birth of Palpatine’s dark dream. Han had learned about it through his smuggling years and in his time on Nar Shaddaa, AKA the Smugglers' Moon.
Or rather, what once was the Smuggler’s Moon…
Nar Shaddaa, like Nal Hutta and the majority of Hutt territory, was currently in the hands of the enemy and, according to what little intelligence existed, was being ’Vong-formed’. Han, while sympathetic to those he knew who had been unable to get off the world, had shed few tears to the planet itself. The moon represented a chapter of his life that he had closed a long time ago, a chapter that had begun to end the day he had walked into a cantina in the Tatooine port of Mos Eisley and had been approached by a crazy old man, a farm boy, and two droids in need of passage to Alderaan.
Besides, with such a fate facing the Hutts, those who had suffered from Hutt crime lords like Jabba and Durga felt it was poetic justice.
‘Dovin Basals?”
The voice belonged to the Enterprise’s Captain, something-Picard, who had communicated with the Falcon minutes earlier. He was bald, about middle-aged, but even Han could tell that this man had a radiating presence of command about him, similar to the presence his wife and brother-in-law had displayed on innumerable occasions.
“I’m Han Solo, Captain of the Falcon. They’re organic devices that can manipulate gravity, and can project miniature black holes that deflect or absorb incoming enemy fire. It‘s also their source of propulsion.”
***
“Impressive,” muttered Worf. This dovin basal appeared to have done for the Vong what the cloaking technology, technology that the Romulans had given to Qo’noS a century before in exchange for D7-class battle-cruisers, had done for the Klingon Empire.
“So how do we counteract them?” asked Picard.
“The key is to hit them hard and fast and to try and overload them; they can only absorb so much before collapsing.”
“And their armaments?”
“Two launchers of some kind firing heated plasma,” stated Worf.
“They call them Volcano cannons.”
“Understood.” replied Captain Picard. But beneath the surface, despite the fact that the Federation flagship, his ship was engaged in battle with an unknown enemy, he was fascinated by this.
A different galaxy and a different time, but species using Earth-terms like volcano…
It would have to wait until later.
“Sir, the most damage was done through concentrated phaser blasts and as I was about to say, their lack of shields.”
“How many remaining ships, Mr. Worf”
“Eight small vessels-”
“Coraskippers.”
“- which are coming around for another pass, and one medium-sized cruiser.”
No shields…
“Commander Worf, continue firing on those ships - concentrate multiple firing-vectors on each ship - use quantum torpedoes to try to overload these dovin basals.”
The Klingon nodded.
“Aye Captain.
Picard tapped the side of his chair and accessed the comm system.
“Bridge to Engineering”
“LaForge here, Captain.”
“Geordi, I have an idea.”
***
Onboard the Matalok-class medium cruiser Burning Death, the commander, one Vaikra of the Domain Shai, was not happy. Though he would not admit it to his subalterns, he had made a critical error. He had automatically assumed that the infidel ship was just as similar to the New Republic ships that they had been slaughtering thus far into their invasion of this galaxy. They were prepared for turbo lasers and ion canons, the preferred weapons of choice for the Republic’s capital ships. They had never encountered this new kind of weapons.
But this would not stop him. His reputation, his Domain counted on him, even if it meant his death - which of course, all Vong were prepared to give at a moment‘s notice.
The Domain Shai had been one of most respected and influential castes in the Vong culture They had been so well respected that after the failure of Praetorite Vong at Helska 4, their Domain had been giving the honor of giving the infidel’s galaxy a proper introduction to the wonders and terrors of the Yuuzhan Vong.
Unfortunately that was in the past. In the present, their reputation had been seriously tarnished by the arrogance of their Domain’s leader, Commander Shedao Shai, arrogance that had led to not just his death, but the destruction of the Kor Chokk-class Grand Cruiser Legacy of Torment, one of the few Grand Cruisers in the Yuzzhan Vong’s vast navy of warships, cruisers, coralskippers, worldships, and many more.
That was why he and his ship were here now, at another system promised to the Yuuzhan Vong by the Gods they worshipped without hesitation. The capturing of the Millenium Falcon and its passengers, the most-wanted Jeedai would put him in the influential eyes of figures like Supreme Commander Komm Karsh and Warmaster Tsavong Lah, and help to undo the ridicule and score that Domain Shai had been experiencing the year and a half since Ithor. Soon, the annoyance of their rival Domain Lian would be buried under their undue superiority to the lesser Domain.
If only I can take this infidel ship and-
“Commander!”
The Vong commander glared at his subordinate.
“Commander, our coralskippers - look!”
There in space. With the yammosk that the ship had on board, the fighters flew with a unity the infidels could not match.
And yet they were at that very moment, inexplicably blowing up.
What in the name of Yun-
Before the Vong commander could utter anything, a faint humming that reached his ears, causing Vaikra to swing around. His jaw instantly dropped. There, on the bridge, his bridge, there lay a machine, a long cylindrical device at least by the infidel’s standards, two meters long, with lights that began blinking.
Vaikra Shai had barely time to launch a typical Vong curse at their most hated foe of all, machinery, as the bridge was engulfed in a flash of light and the Burning Death, ironically, began to burn, with detonations all across the interior of the hull from multiple areas. In the space of a few seconds, it collapse upon itself and disintegrated, taking its crew and its commander with his dreams and hopes for the future with it.
***
“That transporter technology sure comes in handy.”
Since this was their first glimpse at the workings of the transporter, Picard couldn’t help but feel a certain amount of pride, though some regret, as the remains of the Vong carrier and seven of the coralskippers began to cool and spread out.
Starfleet’s transporter technology had been first developed two centuries beforehand, one of the field-test systems that had been installed on the legendary NX-class Enterprise during her historic mission of exploration. Although prone to breakdown and dangerous to use at the time, the Starfleet transporter had come a long way in its development since the 2150‘s.
Bur despite all of its many advances, it was still impossible to beam through other ships’ shields.
But these Vong ships had no shields and thus, the transporters were not a problem, though there had been some difficulty since the transporters’ targeting emitters were more effective against slower moving ships rather than fighters. Still, this had been a move that had rarely succeeded in Starfleet history, though there were exceptions, such as the Voyager beaming a torpedo onto a Borg probe-ship in 2375.
“Mr. Worf?”
“Sir, there I am reading one Vong craft left, the coralskipper that we were unable to get a lock on. It appears to have gone to warp, but I can’t be for sure - these gravitic readings are unusual.”
Han frowned.
“Then it’s used its dovin basal to make the jump to lightspeed.“
“Is that unusual?”
Han nodded.
“That’s not like the Vong - they fight to the last man rather than surrendering.”
Picard grimaced.
Sounds like the Jem’Hadar all over again.
“Well, at least it’s over for now.”
“Indeed, Captain,” said a feminine voice, one that Picard instantly recognized from the transmission with the Millenium Falcon minutes earlier.
For the first time since the start of the battle, Picard observed a group of six humans and two apparent androids standing behind Solo on the Enterprise’s spacious bridge. His eyes met with the speaker, a woman dressed in a white flowing tunic, with the air of a diplomat, but the eyes glowed with determination. At her side on her belt there hung a cylindrical device of some sort. The captain also observed similar devices on five of the others.
“Ambassador Leia Organa Solo, I presume?”
The woman nodded.
“Yes. Allow me to introduce my family.” She began pointing out the members of her company. “This is my husband Han Solo, my children Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin, my brother Luke Skywalker and his wife Mara Jade Skywalker. These are our droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO.
Leia outstretched her hand and Picard shook it.
“On behalf of the United Federation of Planets, I welcome you aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, Ambassador Solo. This is my first officer, Commander William T. Riker, who you met in the shuttle bay, and our counselor Lt. Cmdr. Deanna-”
The introduction was cut short as the red-haired woman that Ambassador Solo had identified as Mara Jade, cried out in pain, began moaning and collapsed to the ground. He husband was instantly at her side as Picard tapped his combadge.
“Dr. Crusher to the bridge - Medical Emergency!”
“On my way, Jean-Luc.”
“Forget it. Transporter Room Two, emergency Site-To-Site transport of Dr. Crusher from sickbay to the bridge.”
“Aye Captain.”
Also known as direct beaming, site-to-site transport was a process that had only in the last century been perfected, whereby a transport subject was beamed to the transporter from a remote location. Instead of being materialized in the chamber, however, the subject was then transported directly to another location.
In the blink of an eye, Dr. Crusher had materialized on the Enterprise’s bridge. As she began to examine Mara with a tricorder, Luke explained quickly to Dr. Crusher and Picard that Mara, two years prior, had been attending a diplomatic conference where she had been infected by Yuuzhan Vong agents with one of their bio-engineered diseases, a disease that had killed all other recipients within days or weeks, but a disease that Mara had had go into remission and been able to thus far survive through the aid of The Force.
Picard frowned, a quizzical expression spreading on his face.
‘The Force?”
Luke did not answer and Picard did not blame him - if he had had a loved one collapsed on the floor, that he most certainly-
“Crusher to Transporter Room Two, emergency transport to Sickbay.”
“Acknowledged.”
Luke grabbed Crusher’s arm.
“Is it her disease?”
“It’s more than that.“
She quickly turned to Picard.
“Jean-Luc, she’s going into labor!”
***
Location: Q Continuum
Somewhere in the Universe
“Who initiated the contact, my dear?” asked the Lady Q.
“I’m not sure; all indications lead me to-”
Q stopped suddenly, a smile forming on his face.
“What is it dad?”
The older Q just grinned.
“Dear, we’re in the middle of a crisis that threatens to destroy not one by two galaxies and you’re smiling?!”
Q just shook his head.
“No, no my dear. I am just amused that discover that contact has been initiated by our old friend Jean-Luc…”
***
To be continued…
***
Bravo, Bravo. Now get cracking *whips JME2 with anti lazy whip* get writing! 