Captain's log, Chang Hirozanru commanding USS Apache NCC-59782 – Cheyenne-Class Cruiser…

Stardate 88341.5…

During our excursion to the Delta Quadrant as part of a group of Starships testing the Quantum Slipstream project, our sensors have detected multiple warp trails in a nearby binary star cluster. Starfleet has ordered our ship to investigate these readings, and make first contact if possible…

The Apache flew through space at Warp Six to the binary star system designated by the computer as E-7251. Captain Hirozanru, Hiro for short, sat in the captain's chair. He wondered what kind of new alien life they would encounter. They obviously had to be civilized, at least enough to develop warp drive.

"I wonder what their civilization is like..." Hiro mused.

"I am fairly certain their technology will be intriguing, but inferior." Commander Icheb, the first officer said.

"Oh, Icheb!" Hiro laughed. "You need to learn to lighten up!"

"Dropping out of warp at the edge of the system, captain." The Helmsman reported. The Starfield faded, revealing several planets and nebulae. The Nebulae were shaped like letters, one "X", one "Y" and one "Z."

The Science officer laughed. "Well, those nebuale certainly are interesting! Never encountered any shaped like letters before!"

Hiro couldn't help but crack a smile. This was definitely something unique, if not comical.

"Well, let's do our first in-system scan." Hiro said. "Sensors on full sweep."

"Aye, sir. Scanning now..." The Science officer reported. After a few moments, her console beeped.

"Sir, I've got multiple warp trails, going for the X-shaped nebula in this system. No other ships are present in our area. I'm also reading a lot of energy spikes coming from that area… I believe it could be weapons fire, I'm not sure."

Icheb looked at the screen. He turned to the science officer. "Bring up your scans on the main viewer."

The Science officer turned to Captain Hiro.

"Do it." He ordered. Moments later, the screen was lit up with data.

Hiro's smile faded. "Any ideas, Icheb?"

"There are many undiscovered peoples in this quadrant of space. I theorize we may have just jumped into a warzone."

"In that case, I hope you are wrong." Hiro said. "Ensign, set a course for those co-ordiantes. We still need to make first contact."

"Aye, sir." The Helmsman input the coordinates of the nebula on her console, setting the course into the navigational computer. "Course is set for the nebula, captain."

"Warp One. Engage." Hiro ordered.

Soon, the Apache was flying through space at low warp, on course for the nebula, and imminent disaster.

Meanwhile…

Venomian Crusier VES Hatred...

Dash Oikenney watched as the Cornerian fleet got into combat formation to match his own fleet. This new war was going to put a new spin on things in the system. Soon, he would be ruling over everything, just as his Grandfather had intended.

He then noticed lights going off at one of his subordinates' stations. He got up, and walked over as the officer motioned towards him. According to the long-range scans, there was a new ship heading their way. A ship from outside of the system.

"The game's afoot..." Dash chuckled.

USS Apache…

The Apache dropped out of warp, coming up on the edge of the Nebula. The sensor station went wild with alarms.

"Captain, I'm picking up multiple ships… They appear to be configured for combat, their weapons are powered and ready. It looks like they are all locked on each other at the moment..."

Captain Hiro scratched his chin. "Scan them. I want to know how much damage they can do if they decide to target us instead of each other."

"Scanning… Their ships are armed with high-power particle pulse cannons, and multiple warhead launchers. The canons pose a significant threat . The warheads however, present a much less of a threat. They appear to be matter-antimatter missiles, half the power of a standard photon torpedo. They present a threat to us in numbers, but that's it."

An alert then sounded off at Tactical. "Captain, we are being hailed by the lead ship nearest the nebula!"

Captain Hiro raised an eyebrow. "Open a channel. On screen."

On the screen was what appeared an anthropormorphic medium-height chimpanzee! Fur Colored white, with blue piercing eyes! It started to speak in an unknown tongue in a passive tone.

Captain Hiro looked quizzically at the screen. "Can the universal translator analyze that speech?"

"It's having trouble locking onto the specific speech patterns, sir." The Operations officer reported.

"Don't bother, Captain." The Ape spoke again, this time in fluent english. "It took us a while to locate the… rather old files on your language. A rather interesting language, nonetheless."

Captain Hiro was shocked. "How do you know our language?"

"I have my information channels." The Ape replied. "We've had… contacts throughout the Delta Quadrant that have gained information on your ship, what was it… USS Voyager, I believe? It was enough for us to analyze the language you speak."

Captain Hiro was receptive of this, as it would seem a logical conclusion considering Voyager's many Delta Quadrant encounters. "Reasonable enough."

"Oh, I have forgotten the most important courtesy of introductions: I am Dash Oikonny, of the Venomian Asendancy." The Ape said, introducing himself. "And you are?"

"Captan Chang Hirozanru of the USS Apache, representing the United Federation of Planets." Captain Hiro replied. "So, don't tell me we've arrived in the middle of a neighborly squabble..."

Dash just chuckled. "Nothing so simple, I'm afraid. We've been engaged by a neighborly empire. They have decided we are too much of a threat to them, and have decided to engage us without provocation of any sort. If you would be kind enough to join up with our ranks, and fall into our fleet's formation, it would be greatly appreciated."

Captain Hiro frowned. "Sorry, Dash. Starfleet General order 35: No Starfleet ship may interfere with the affairs or conflict of any outside independent race or faction. My hands are tied here, I'm afraid."

Dash frowed, sighing. "How unfortunate. Then it seems we have no other options..."

The Tactical alert went off. "Sir! The lead Venomian ship is locking weapons on us! Directly onto our bridge!"

"Red Alert! Shields! Shields!" Captain Hiro rose out of his chair.

The Shields were brought up just in time as the Venomian dreadnought fired it's main particle weapons on the Apache!

"I believe this exchange is over." Dash then cut his transmission.

"Captain, we are being engaged by eight venomian ships!" Tactical reported.

"Specs and Armaments?" Hiro asked.

"Three of the engaging ships is armed with particle beams, point-defense pulse weapons, and what appears to be a large plasma cannon on the bow of the ship. They are two-thirds as big as a Defiant-Class ship, according to readings, though they appear to be more like frigates. Defenses are advanced polarized hull plating that can be comparable to low-energy shielding." Ops reported. "Three more of the ships are half-the size of a Constitution-class starship, with similar weaponry and added warhead launchers. The remaining two are roughly the size of a Constitiution-class, except they are armed with point-defense pulse weapons, along with warhead launchers. They also are carrying several squadrons of small fighters."

"The three frigates are on an intercept course!" Tactical reported.

"Tactical, target the post-most frigate! Open fire, phasers only! Half power! Target their weapons and engines!" Captain Hiro ordered.

The screen lit up with phaser fire from the Apache's arrays, burning up small sections of the enemy frigate's hull.

"Direct hit to their primary hull." Ops reported. "I'm detecting micro-fractures and partial buckling, but nothing serious."

"What?! How? They are only using hull plating, aren't they?!" Hiro exclaimed.

"Yes, sir. But it seems it is highly-developed. It is an equivalent match for our Phasers. Their hull plating could match the shielding of a Miranda-class vessel."

The Apache shook again from enemy weapons fire. Captain Hiro had enough of this. "Lock on two torpedoes on the frigate. Fire."

Two photon torpedoes flew across the screen, impacting the frigate with great force! One hit the port engine, while the other impacted on the bow! Sections of it's hull were torn apart from the torpedoes' explosions!

"Direct hit. Their main power supply is offline, and their port engines have been destroyed." Ops reported.

The two remaining frigates then opened fire with rapid plasma bursts, shaking the Apache once again!

"Direct hit to the forward shields!" Tactical shouted.

"Fire phasers on full with a simultaneous spread of torpedoes!" Hiro shouted.

The main screen lit up with both phaser and torpedo fire! The first frigate was able to evade the torpedoes fired at it, bu the other two frigates were still hit, along with the dreadnought!

"One of them has lost it's primary weapons. Another is losing life support. The dreadnought has suffered minor damage."

The remaining frigate then opened fire with it's beam canons, lighting up the Apache's shields!

"Focus phaser fire on that last frigate! Target their engines!" Hiro ordred.

The Apache's phasers lit up the screen once again! They hit the frigate three times! The first shot fried the hull plating, the second caused sections of the hull to vaporize as the beam raked across it, and the third shot took out the engines!

"Three Venomian cruisers are locking weapons!" Ops reported.

"Shield strength?" Hiro asked.

"Shields are at seventy-five percent." Engineering reported.

"That's not good…" The tactical officer said, sweat on his brow.

"Keep it together, people! Target the cruisers, fire at will!" Hiro ordered. "Engineering, I need more power to the shields! Helm, evasive pattern delta seven!"

The first few shots of phaser and torpedo fire rang out from the Apache as it started to maneuver through the debris of the destroyed vessels, using it for cover as it assaulted the Venomian cruisers!

"Minimal damage." Ops reported. "Their fore hull plating seems to be more heavily reinforced than any other part of the ship!"

The cruisers then opened fire on the Apache with both beam and pulse weapons!

"Shields are at fifty percent!" Engineering reported.

"Scan those cruisers." Hiro ordred. "I want to know what damage we can cause."

"Scanning… Sir, their ventral hull plating seems less reinforced than any other part of the ship. If we are to attack any part of the ship, our weapons would be most effective there." Ops reported.

"Just like the Kessok ships..." Hiro mused. "Helm! Bring us underneath them! Tactical, prepare to fire a full spread of torpedoes at all three cruisers!" Hiro ordered.

The Apache flew up underneath the cruisers, right into position.

"Fire at will!" Hiro ordered.

The Apache's torpedo launchers lit up, firing bursts of torpedoes at all three cruisers at once! Between the impact and the explosions of the torpedoes, one was torn apart while the other two were heavily damaged.

"One cruiser destroyed." Ops reported. "The other two are heavily damaged. One has multiple hull breaches, the other has lost main power."

"Sir!" Ops reported. "The other side's armada has sent several ships on an intercept course! Their coming right at us, weapons hot!"

The Tactical officer panicked. "Their going to destroy us! We don't have enough shielding to withstand another assault!"

"Wait a minute!" Ops said. "I'm receiving a signal from the lead ship..."

"There's no time! They're going to destroy us!" The tactical officer snapped. "Firing on the lead ship!"

"No, wait!" Hiro snapped. "We haven't analyzed the signal, lieutenant!"

It was too late. The tactical officer had already programmed a fresh spread of torpedoes, and had hit the fire button.

All Hiro could do was watch as the screen went ablaze with Torpedo fire.

The wide, inaccurately-targeted spread hit several of the ships, while some of them missed entirely! Chunks of their hulls were blown straight off! One of the torpedoes hit one of the ship's engines, sending it into a spiral as it fell back. One torpedo grazed the incoming lead ship's hull.

Captain Hiro frowned, facepalming. He looked straight at the tactical officer with cold eyes. The tactical officer swallowed hard.

"You are hearby relieved of duty, Lieutenant." The Captain growled. "Security! Confine this officer to quarters until we get out of this situation… IF we get out of it. Icheb, take the Tacitcal station."

The Apache then started to shake from a near-constant stream of weapons fire!

"Our shields are starting to buckle!" Engineering shouted over the alarms going off across the ship! "They are ready to collapse!"

"Helm! Get us out of here, warp seven!" Hiro snapped.

The helm did a hard right turn at full impulse, then engaged the warp drive. The Apache flew out of the system at breakneck speed, avoiding what would have seemed certain destruction!