Hello people. Here is a story I've decided to write after viewing an interesting site, called Star Wars vs Star Trek. As you might guess from the site name, this story will be a cross-over between the universes of Star Trek and Star Wars, and I'm looking forward to doing it. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: Don't own much in this story, except Katel, Lieutenant Richards, the Nova, the Godhammer, and any other original ship classes I make. Everything else is owned by Paramount or Lucasfilms, unless I list it.

Original vessels introduced this chapter:

-Vestige­-Class Star Destroyer
-Nova-Class Star Destroyer
-Paradoxic-Class Light Cruiser

Angels and Demons: Searching for Elysium

Chapter 1

"Sir! We're taking heavy fire to the starboard deflectors! Long-range communications have been jammed!"

Admiral Halfrey nodded silently to his crewman who had shouted across the bridge to him. The man was young, obviously, and one of the new trainees. How he got a placement on the Discontinuity was a mystery to Halfrey, but no matter. He had more pressing matters at the moment. For a moment he felt saddened that that young trainee would soon be dead.

"Captain. Lower the shields." Halfrey's voice was calm and cool, not betraying the worry he felt. The Discontinuity was a Vestige-class Star Destroyer, two kilometers in length, and stronger than an Imperator, but the planetary defenses of this strange colony were more well established than he'd been lead to believe. His hard brown eyes glinted slightly as his captain looked up at him in shock.

"But sir! If we lower the shields-" the captain was cut off by the stare that Halfrey shot him from under the black locks of his fringe. Unlike Palpatine's empire, the empire of Emperor Solo was a lot more forgiving about expressing individuality, but still preferred experience and suitable image from its commanders. Halfrey's hair, which fell just below the ears, was streaked through with a peppering of gray, unsurprising at his age of fifty.

An explosion rumbled through the ship as one of the shields fell, destroying several generators. Halfrey listened in on the chattered reports coming in from his commlink. The Discontinuity couldn't take much more of the battering it was taking.

Admiral Halfrey sighed a heavy sigh, knowing what would happen if the shields were lowered, but well aware of what would happen otherwise.

"Captain, drop the shields, and put full power to the tractor beams. We have to launch as many ships as we can, so some of us will have a chance of escape. The Discontinuity suffered major hull breaches on entering the atmosphere of the planet, and once the shields fall the ships will not have time to escape." Admiral Halfrey stared impassively at the captain he barely knew; completely aware he was signing that man's death warrant, along with his own.

"However, if we drop the shields we can shunt the power to the thrusters and turn my ship to port, allowing the less damaged side to take the brunt of the attack, and shielding the starboard docking bay, which is our only hope for people to survive. We have the only map for the Godhammer, and I'll be damned if we don't get it back to the Emperor. Drop shields."

The captain, a man of forty five, lowered his eyes and pressed a button on his commlink.

"Lower shields."

There was a flurry of activity as the once-great ship, now a mass of flames and broken hull, began to slowly rotate with its lone remaining sublight engine. Turbolaser fire lanced upwards from the planet, scoring and rending the hull deeply. On the side that faced deep space, a swarm of TIE Defenders, assault shuttles, scouts and Lambda-class craft shot out of the Star Destroyer. Several flashes of laser fire lanced across the spatial horizon, as two battle cruisers of unknown origin shot down the majority of the craft. The smaller fighters screamed and yowled as they took hits that sent them spiraling away, caught in the planetary gravity mass. A few of the ships slammed into the cruisers, causing small explosions.

Aboard the Discontinuity Halfrey watched the surprise approach of the battle cruisers with a feeling of sinking dread. As the ships ripped through his only hopes of getting a map through to the Emperor, Halfrey came to a decision. His ship was about to be destroyed, and he planned to take out some of the enemy along with him.

"Captain, accelerate to maximum speed. Mark, twenty degrees starboard."

The captain glanced at the viewport and understood immediately.

"As you order, Admiral. It's been an honour to work with you, sir."

Admiral Halfrey inclined his head to signal that he felt the same. A moment later the Star Destroyer crashed straight into the side of one of the alien ships, exploding instantly, and taking the other ship with it.

In the confusion, a single TIE Defender winked into hyperspace and vanished.

The glowing red blade slammed down onto another lightsaber blade, this one glowing a deep vibrant purple so dark it appeared black. The woman who was wielding the purple blade grunted and hefted it up, throwing her mentor back a little. She flicked her head, causing her waist-length braid of dark brown hair to wrap around his arm and jerked backwards, unsteadying him. Then she drew back her lightsaber and swung it down at the exposed neck. The blade halted mere millimeters from the man's jugular vein, humming threateningly.

"Very good Katel. Your training is nearly over. Soon, you will be a Sith."

The voice was gravelly and hoarse, and Katel stared into the yellowed eyes of her mentor, Emperor Anakin Solo. He was well over 100 now, and the wear was showing. However, the Dark Side of the Force kept him strong. Anakin smiled at her, pleased, and then shut down his lightsaber. Katel followed suit, and clipped it to her belt.

"Now go, clean up. You've had a hard day of training Katel." Emperor Solo laughed, again in the hoarse croak of a voice he had left, and then turned to sit back in his throne. Katel bowed respectfully and headed towards a refresher station.

When she arrived, Katel stared at herself in the reflective panel, studying her figure. She was young, only just turned sixteen, but had been training in the way of the Force since she was three. She wiped her brow, which was perspiring a lot, and stared, into her own eyes, which were a clear emerald green. She had a piercing stare, and she frowned slightly at herself, drawing her full lips into a slight grimace. She was exhausted after that training session.

Moaning slightly from exhaustion, Katel unclipped her belt, and then unzipped her training outfit, a body-tight black second skin which clung to her lithe, athletic body. Throwing the suit into a locker, Katel stepped into a shower and let the hot water run over her, releasing the tension in her muscles. She massaged her legs, and her abdomen, wincing slightly at the taut feeling in them. But she didn't mind. Soon, she would become the heir to Anakin's throne, and then she could enjoy life. Thirteen years of training were leading up to her moment as the heir to the throne, and she wanted it.

"Your Highness… we have a report from someone called Lieutenant Richards. Says he's from the Discontinuity task force. Important information apparently, for your eyes only." The voice crackled over the commlink and Emperor Solo smirked. So his feelings had been right. The Discontinuity had been lost. Why else would a relative unknown be handing him this report?

"Upload it to my personal terminal. And send the man up, if he is in the condition for it." Emperor Solo issued his orders, and turned to his datapad with excitement. This may well be what he was looking for. Fifty years of searching, and he might finally have the map to the Godhammer. Then the power of the Galactic Empire would be absolute. Then no one would disobey him.

Unlike Palpatine before him, Solo intended to run his Empire with common sense. He'd immediately placed into stasis almost every resource-hungry project that had been in progress, and he believed in covert propaganda, and carefully cultivated appeals to the good morals of his people. The attack on the Discontinuity was one of those. Now he could declare a war on the rogue system of Dov'nik II, and all others in the Unknown Regions who came to its aid. All while generating support from the masses. After all, the uninformed feared the unknown. The fact that he'd stolen a precious treasure they'd sworn to protect was entirely coincidental, and would be covered up as such.

Solo settled down into his throne, a large obsidian piece that sat in the middle of the Emperor's Chamber at the highest point of the Imperial Palace on Coruscant. In front of him stretched a panorama view of the city that stretched onward over the horizon. It was a clear night, but few stars could be seen through the blazing spectacle of light the city threw through the window. Solo gave a cursory glance through the window and then looked down at the illuminated datapad. As information scrolled across the screen, bathing his face in an almost ethereal aura, his withered, gnarled face broke into a triumphant grin. He had it. The Godhammer was his.

Closing his datapad, Solo felt a presence approach him, and smiled tightly. Lieutenant Richards. And he was just about to meet one of the Emperor's legendary Shadow Guard. The Shadow Guard were the best of the best of the Imperial military, those with a little something extra. And with the Emperor's help, they had become legends to the galaxy at large. By manipulating their minds and auras, Anakin Solo had made them completely subservient to him, but with better reflexes, and lateral thinking ability than normal citizens. By subtly tweaking the aura of a Shadow Guard, Anakin had ensured they would never be noticed unless they drew attention to themselves. This made them masters of stealth and infiltration, and they were highly valued to the Emperor.

Lieutenant Dylan Richards stepped out of the turbolift and stared down the imposing hallway. It was darkened almost to the point of pitch blackness, with only small running lights leading the way to the huge double doors. However, by the time Dylan had taken five steps, huge illumination panels had activated, bathing the whole hall in natural-feeling light.

Dylan looked around. The hallway was completely bare, with plain white walls, and reflective metallic floor plates. Dylan stared into one for a moment, observing his image. He was young, twenty-four in fact. Extraordinarily young to be a lieutenant in the Imperial war machine. But then, he was brilliant, strategic and skilful, so it was a well deserved honour.

He had wavy ginger hair which was a source of good-natured ribbing from many of his comrades, and this hair was loose and short, and the waves made it spike very slightly over his forehead. Below that was set a pair of aqua-green eyes, which were deep and boyish, and which looked luminous and blue in the right light. He considered his enigmatic eyes his best physical feature. Below his eyes was a narrow, straight nose, and then his friendly-looking mouth. He was an Imperial full of good cheer and humour, a rare sight in the upper echelons.

Dylan studied his grey uniform, picking a piece of lint off the suit that looked stiff and strange on his lean form. He measured up to an average of maybe five feet ten inches, so he was in general a fairly average looking person. Dylan grinned at the thought, and continued on his way towards the door. As he reached the behemoth entrance Dylan paused, puzzled. There seemed to be no way to enter, no panels, no switches, nothing.

"Declare yourself, soldier!" snapped a deep, brawny voice from behind Dylan. Dylan jumped and spun around, to stare straight into the blood-red iris of a Shadow Guard. The eyes were the distinctive feature of the Guard, and the man's look seemed to fit Dylan's idealized version perfectly. The man was huge, around seven foot, and his entire body was toned and muscular. He had tight cropped raven black hair, and a twisted scar crawled across his face. The man radiated power and tense energy.

Dylan understood the power part. After all, the Shadow Guard were Force Adepts, and quite capable of taking on entire armies successfully. The man wore a suit that repressed all technological readings that could be gleaned from a living being, and clipped to his belt was a high-power PK-23 Imperial Disruptor Pistol, and a small Lightdagger. Cradled in his arms was a customized E-11-23 Blastech Carbine, its muzzle shoved into Dylan's chest. Dylan gulped.

"Lieutenant Dylan Richards, serial code 12-62-90, 273rd TIE Squadron, Discontinuity fleet services." Dylan snapped off a perfect salute, and glanced nervously at the guard. The man blinked for a moment, seeming to be trying to recall something. Then the man's look hardened, and then Dylan felt an almost tentative, barely noticeable touch on his mind as the man checked the validity of his claim.

"Alright. Go in." The man pressed a button on his belt and the doors slid open smoothly. Dylan straightened his collar, and marched into the huge chamber. He stood at the edge of the chamber, waiting for his Emperor's command.

"Step forward. Come to me, Lieutenant Richards." The voice was commanding and booming, and Dylan approached at a rather fast clip. He came to the throne and knelt in front of it, averting his eyes.

"I thank you for the honour of this meeting, my Lord." Lieutenant Richards' voice was humble and quiet.

"You are the sole survivor of the Discontinuity fleet?" Emperor Solo commanded. Dylan hastily answered, still looking down at the ground.

"Yes my lord. We established a rendezvous point, as per standard mission protocol, but three days after the incident I was the only member who had reported to the point. I fear what you say is the truth my lord."

Emperor Anakin Solo stared down at him, and then placed his hand under Dylan's chin.

"You may look up. Now… I've been observing your mission record," at this the datapad flashed with an image of Dylan, and a list of his activities. "It makes for entertaining reading. You seem to have a skill for achieving above and beyond the call of duty. You utilized a Kukateni Manoeuvrer and a Morg Sambl formation in the Battle of Dantooine against insurgent forces to save the Discontinuity and the Vibrant Hail from destruction, and used a unique method of tractor beam manipulation to crush and shatter the hull of a Nebulon B frigate while commanding the Congratulatory Bantha, a mere modified assault shuttle. Among many other things." Emperor Solo raised an eyebrow and the edge of his mouth twitched.

"I believe you deserve somewhat of a reward for your service to the Empire. Thus, I have a proposal for you."

Emperor Solo reached into his robes and pulled a datachip from them. He placed it into Dylan's palm, and stared him in the eyes.

"Take this, and view it at your leisure. Your new orders, responsibilities and perks are all there, Captain Richards. I think you'll find your new orders most… exceptional." Again, Solo's mouth twitched slightly. Dylan stared down at the chip, stunned. He eventually managed to shoot a shocked look at Anakin.

"Captain, sir? But… but.. I don't understand… such a promotion… and..," stuttered Dylan, quite awe-struck. Solo chuckled, a throaty sound.

"It is well deserved, Captain. One thing though. You must learn to make your emotions less visible." Solo glanced at him and then waved his hand dismissively.

"That is all. You may leave. All further information is in that datachip."

"Thank you, thank you my lord." Dylan bowed hastily and backed out the door, then strode stiffly to the turbolift, staring at the datachip in his hand. Such a promotion, and from the Emperor himself!

There must be more to this mission than I would normally think. And more to me as well, if the Emperor has noticed me.

Katel snapped her lightsaber to her belt and stalked into the Emperor's throneroom, eager to find out why he had summonsed her. When she saw him, she tried to get a glimpse into his mind; however it proved untouchable even to her prodigious skills.

Emperor Solo had his back to her, and was looking at a giant holoscreen, but she was not surprised to see him beckon her to him. She strode over to his side and looked at the holoscreen. It was a map of the galaxy, like the map the late Emperor had installed at Mount Tantiss. It was filled with exquisite detail. Katel looked at the screen and quickly located her home planet, Chorax. Then she shifted her attention to her master.

"Katel. I have found a map to Godhammer. I now know of its location. This is a great moment for us, Katel." Solo's voice was reverent and he seemed to be in a slightly dreamy state.

Katel shot him a look and her insides tensed up. So the Godhammer wasn't just a myth? She'd always dismissed it, but as usual, her Emperor was right and she was wrong. She thought about the legend. An artificial planet, which drew upon the power of the Force, and had technology beyond anybody's dreams. If it was real, it surly had to be over 300,000 years old! What a find if it really was real! In her stomach, Katel began to feel the first stirrings of excitement.

"So… where is it then? Where is Godhammer?" asked Katel with some interest. Emperor Solo motioned to the galactic map, which shifted and zoomed in on a part of the galaxy. Katel was surprised to find it zoom towards the Galactic Core instead of the Unknown Regions.

"What do you know about the Galactic Core Katel?" asked Emperor Solo as he crossed his hands behind his back and stared at the map. Katel looked at him, slightly surprised.

"Well… it has all the main planets of the Galactic Empire's political status, and is where the biggest civilizations live. The most advanced and wealthiest planets tend to be in the Galactic Core."

Solo nodded. All of what she said was true.

"What you didn't mention Katel was that we've never been to the true Galactic Core. There's a large area there we've never explored. Why is that?" asked Solo, acting like he didn't know.

Katel thought for a moment, then it occurred to her.

"The ambient gravity wells are too strong, and the rays of the cluster stars too powerful. Also, It's believed there are powerful chains of black holes scattered throughout the Core, and no planet that did manage to form despite the gravity pull would be uninhabitable. No point to exploring." Katel announced, light dawning on her as to how the Godhammer could stay hidden for 300,000 years.

"Exactly. No ship would be able to survive a trip into the Galactic Core. It's the perfect hiding place for the Godhammer. I want you to retrieve it for me, Katel," added Emperor Solo casually, as if what they were discussing was an everyday conversation.

"What!" said Katel, her voice rasing a fraction out of surprise. She'd not been expecting this. She glared at Emperor Solo, and demanded to know how he planned for her to accomplish such a thing. Solo merely motioned for her to follow. Exiting his throne room, Emperor Solo stepped into the turbolift, Katel by his side, and ordered it to move to the hangar.

The turbolift halted, and they stepped out to the hangar. Emperor Solo walked towards his personal yacht, a Paradoxic-Class Light Cruiser, which was sitting majestically in the middle of the hangar. Surrounding it was a crowd of people. As Emperor Solo approached, all the people in the crowd bowed deeply, falling silent as he moved past, his heels clicking on the metal floor. He stepped up into the entrance of his yacht, and then turned to face the crowd.

"My faithful servants!" called Anakin, his voice echoing across the room. The crowd shuffled slightly, but remained silent.

"My faithful servants! All of you who received orders from me, please board my yacht. The rest, please leave the hangar." With that, Emperor Solo turned again and entered his yacht. There was a flurry of movement as people boarded and left. Katel calmly stepped on board, to see what all this was about. There were about 100 people in the yacht.

"My emperor, may I respectfully ask where we are headed?" asked one of the officers nervously. It was Captain Richards, eager to find out what all this was about.

"My private shipyards, in the Tamora system. Now, relax, enjoy. The trip will last about an hour." With that said, Emperor Solo retreated to his private chambers, and Katel followed, not wanting to mix with others at the moment. Emperor Solo's private shipyards… the only thing she could find out about Project Nova was that it was stationed at these shipyards, and she believed she was about to find out what Project Nova was.

In the middle of space, a few thousand kilometers from the giant metal structure of the shipyards, there was a brief flicker, and then the luxury yacht, two hundred and fifty metres in length, fifty wide, fifty deep, returned to realspace. The modified sublight engines fired up, and the ship accelerated towards the shipyards. The many passengers crowded around the viewports, curious to see what the fuss was about. They couldn't see anything unusual. There was a structure, about 30 kilometers long, with various implements and appendages poking out and floating around it. There was a suspicious lack of ships though.

"What are we looking at?" asked one captain impatiently. The others murmured and conversed, some still studying the structure. Captain Richards stared at it intently, something niggling him. There was something about the structure that made him think of a… but that couldn't be right. There couldn't be. No chance.

"That's… a Star Destroyer…" uttered Captain Richards in disbelief, his eyes widening slightly. The others stared at him incredulously, dismissed the notion, then… gasped as the shape came closer and they realized it really was a Star Destroyer.

Dylan looked at the ship. It was huge, at least twenty nine kilometers in length, twelve wide at the stern, and at least eight kilometers deep. The dorsal surface was covered in a honeycomb cortex of equipment and metal, and protruding from the front was a large spike that Dylan recognized as a superlaser. The engines at the back were huge, and there were 17 that he could count. Dylan wasn't sure but he thought that attached to the stern might be some kind of miniature shipyard, about 3 kilometers in length. Studded along the length of the ventral and dorsal planes were hemispheres of unknown purchase, and near the back on the ventral surface was a cannon that pointed directly at the laser spike. The entire Star Destroyer was a blood red.

Emperor Solo stepped into the observation chamber everyone else was in, and motioned at the ship.

"People, this is your new command ship. This is the Nova."