TREK WARS: Empire Rising

Chapter One: Uncertain Future

Captain Picard sat in his ready room looking at the reports that came in, they didn't look good. While the Enterprise NX-01 and its crew accompanied by Captain Kirk, Captain Spock, Data, Dr. McCoy, Worf, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and others slipped into another dimension the Empire hacked their technology and destroyed the U.S.S. Nixon. The Nixon was sent to claim the weapons and other technology that the federation and the Klingon Empire had lent to the Empire to aide them in their fight with the Borg. Now, the Empire had sent a declaration of war to every major power in the Alpha and Beta quadrants. To make matters worse they had lost contact with the rebel alliance, the only saving grace was that a Romulan scout ship was able to bring Master Yoda to safety aboard the Enterprise. Picard sighed as he continued to skim the reports until an all to familiar voice interrupted him, "Picard, I must speak with you, this time no games I promise." Picard looked up to see none other than Q standing next to him.

Picards anger boiled over, "Q, what the hell do you want now? I don't have time for your childish games, you're omnipitent so you should know damn well that this isn't the time!" Picards anger turned into shock when the entity only shook his head in agreement. "Q, why are you here?" the captain asked with a puzzled look on his face.

Q sighed, "Normally, I'd send you to neverland dressed as a princess for raising your voice but times have changed." Q paused as he walked around the ready room and looked into Picards little fish tank, "I'm here because I want to help, I am going to give myself Jedi powers and aide you in your fight against the emperor and his little pet lizard Vader."

Picard stood up and glared at Q, "What do you mean give yourself Jedi powers? You're omnipotent and immortal, you can turn those two into anything you wish and end this with a thought."

Qs expression turned even more serious as he turned to face Picard, "Because the emperor is far more powerful than you could imagine, long ago he was able to become so powerful that he made it so my powers are useless in that galaxy, unless I gave myself the ability to harness the force like the Jedi are able to, that he cannot block." Q walked even closer to Picard and put his hands on his shoulders, "Picard, me and you have a history, granted it's not a warm and fuzzy one but if you do not accept my offer you stand no chance against those two hapless nitwits."

Aboard the Enterprise NX-01 the bridge was silent, too silent. After the news had broke about the destruction of the Nixon and the Empire declaring war on all of the major players in the milky way the crew had become stiff and full of fear. The news that Q was joining them and his powers would be useless once they crossed into the empires territory via wormhole to meet up with the fleet was even more disheartening. Captains Archer and Kirk stood next to one another staring at the wormhole they were about to enter. To end a war with the Borg and to start another with an Empire more than fifty times your size in man power was disheartening enough, but to find out that they now were able to outgun you as well made the outcome of this coming conflict look grim. The Federation fleet was already in shambles due to the clash with the borg only a month prior and it would take Starfleet more than two years to build enough ships to replace those lost, and to add to that the Romulans and Klingons were in the same boat. Kirk turned his head, looked at Archer and tried to brighten the mood a little, "We'll come out of this alive, the federation always does. I've been through hell and back and I'm still here, we're in for one hell of a fight but this isn't impossible."

Archer kept his gaze on the wormhole and didn't say a word, there was no need to. He knew that Kirk was only trying to lift his spirits and the spirits of those on the bridge, this fight was next to impossible. The federation along with the Romulans, Klingons, Ferengi and Cardassians had around five thousand ships and five hundred million men and women at their disposal while the Imperial fleet had over fifteen thousand large ships and thirty million tie fighters now equipted with federation shields, Romulan plasma turrets, federation phasers and Klingon cloaking devices. Once they crossed into the other galaxy Qs powers would be useless and although he'll have the powers of a Jedi and a lightsabre, that does not help them in a space battle. Ever since Daniels had sent him and his crew to the future Archer had been questioning his judgement and wondering if he had made an error. What if this wouldn't have happened if he and his crew were not present? What if it still would have? Archer didn't have an answer to that. Then again, neither did Spock. Before Archer could finish his train of thought the ships entered the wormhole and came out on the other side. The war for their very survival started now.