Imperial date: 7321458M41
Captains log:
The imperial navy, in all their awe inspiring glory, have graced me with the noble and holy task of transporting parts of their war machine to the front lines of one of the millions upon millions of war torn worlds in the segmentum obscurus sector of space. By parts of their war machine I mean troops. Battalions of soldiers now occupy my cargo hold taking space that I would have normally used transporting something that could fill my coffers. But where the emperor decrees I go I go with 'pride' at serving mankind.
The emperor always has a plan for these trials it seems...
Darrius Aestaban stood upon the bridge of the repurposed imperial battleship Enterprise as it glided through the darkness of space. His full black greatcoat was folded and hanging from his arm. His attire was a simple affair a simple button up shirt, somewhat lumpy indicating something underneath, and pants belied his status within the imperium. He had learned early on that he lacked the psychical stature to be imposing and commanding as his thin and lanky frame did little to impress others. So he had chosen to instead to wear clothing that furthered the perception of him turning his weakness into a strength. The only part of him that seemed in place for a Rogue trader such as himself was the many rings he wore on his fingers that he kept polished and clean with an almost religious fervor.
"Lord Captain we're exiting the solar system in another ten minutes." One of the bridge crew said over the loudspeaker built into the command center.
The need for a communication device was apparent in this bridge. A massive open space, uncommon amongst battleships imperial or independent, the most notable aspect of it was the fact that you could see a large amount of space outside from anywhere on the bridge. Windows several stories tall occupied the far wall of this large space giving anyone a clear view of the length and prow of the ship as it flew through the vacuum. Darrius was not a member of the Omnissiah and thus did not understand what the material was made of, however it had held up even in the midst of battle so he trusted that his tech priest had done well in choosing it.
A platform, rounded and forming a half circle built into the wall behind, was located in as close to the middle of the massive room that made up the bridge. Where it connected to the back wall of the ship transit tubes had been built allowing for easy arrival and escape. From where he stood, at the edge the platform, it dipped down to a level below where the first response command crew worked at their stations. From there it dropped down another level where the secondary functions were monitored, then it dropped again and again seven times total. A single large stairway lead down the center allowing for the captain to reach the bottom should the power fail. Darrius brushed aside several loose strands of his blond hair as he watched the crew go about their tasks, 'Time until solar system exit?" He asked his voice being artificially amplified despite having no communication vox around him.
"Five minutes my lord." Came the response over the loudspeaker.
With his free hand he made a broad sweeping gesture in front of him before barking out orders, "Inform all hands we are preparing for warp transit, Astopaths and Navigators ready themselves and inform our cargo of our imminent departure, darken all windows to the void." He said watching the glass substance in front of him start to change color until it was a solid black.
"I still do not understand why we had to wait until we left the system lord captain." A man said behind him.
He was taller and far better built than Darrius allowing for a much more imposing presence then the lord captain himself. It was furthered by a lost eye replaced with a robotic implant that glared at whoever he looked at with a glowing red intensity. He wore combat fatigues underneath a gold plated chestplate and gauntlets. The ornate armor was more for display than practical combat applications. His attire was finished with a sword hanging from his hip in it's sheath, closer inspection revealed a light blue aura glowing from the blade where it was sheathed.
"Lord Commander the imperial fleet might be perfectly fine with operating their warp drives within the solar system since they have a far higher purpose than one such as I. However I am not part of the imperial fleet and must constantly be cultivating good relations with the planets within the system. It does me no good to rip open the fabric of reality within spitting distance of any planet much less the solar system." Darrius said in a placating voice.
"While you may be OK with cultivating relationships with backwater worlds but while you're playing nice imperial troops are dying by the millions!" The commander retorted.
Darrius sighed at the commanders response, "Imperial troops are always dying by the millions Lionus. You know this... I know this... the whole of the imperial universe knows this. The system where we are heading to has clearly been won by now otherwise you'd never outsourced such a task to one like I." Darrius replied.
"You forget your etiquette Lord Captain Darrius." The commander said, "Even if your heritage is of the noble blood of the admirals of the Aestaban line."
"I give you all the politeness that is due." Darrius said, "You know my opinion on helping the Imperial fleet. Do not forget that I am here to assist the Imperium because of my family name, not because I want to be another cog in the great warmachine."
"Your words could be described as treasonous Darrius, do not forget that your uncouth words may be ignored by me but would be harder pressed to go unnoticed by other admirals." Lionus said fixing both his real and robotic eye on the captain.
"Sir we are ready to engage the warp engine. Warp bubble is fully formed, the Geller field is holding at one hundred percent, and the navigators are ready to transit." A voice over the intercom said.
"Time we rolled the dice with the warp again..." Darrius said in a low whisper, "Engage!"
Captains Log USS Farragut:
Our patrol of the nearby neutral zone has been put on hold upon receiving a request from a nearby research station monitoring anomalies. Their sensors picked up a massive surge of some unidentifiable surge is of an unknown energy and source which the research station found quite unusual. Upon approval of Starfleet we headed out to this anomaly unsure of what or who we might meet.
The Ambassador class ship moved through the stars silently. It's various lights and glowing nacelles distinguishing it from the stars it passed by. As quiet and silent as the ship and the space it glided through was the bridge was a practically buzzing with activity.
The room was circular, several meters in length, and two layers high. The second layer stood only a few feet higher than the rest of the room, sloping gently downwards to merge the walkways with the rest of the bridge. The second layer had several wall mounted computer stations where several members of the crew worked diligently. The center was dominated by three chairs of the command officers. In front of the command chairs were the helmsman station where two crew members awaited their arrival at the radiation burst.
Inside the circular room people moved about with various reports and data pads. The command crew operated with calm efficiency as the various reports were being bought and reviewed by the captain and first officer before they reached their destination. The lights flashed yellow at several points amongst the bridge. As they warped towards their destination the captain shooed away the science personnel and looked towards his command crew.
"So, what are your thoughts going in?" The captain asked.
He was an aged man, one who had seen many years of space and exploration. His normally brown hair was slowly receding and turning grey. He wore his captain's uniform well even if he had complaints about how snug it was getting around his waistline.
His first officer responded curtly and promptly. His dark skin and ridged forehead indicating to anyone of his Klingon ancestry. His pitch black hair was formed into a braid behind him that trailed down to the small of his back. The starfleet uniform he wore with pride having fought persecution and resentment to achieve his position. The pride came from never doubting his actions in leaving the Klingon empire behind him to join starfleet.
"It is an unknown situation that we seem to be rushing headlong into. I for one dislike such hasty actions but I can see the benefit of getting there and analyzing the anomaly before anyone else. My family's bloodline prefers battles and war to science and study but I know the value of both. On the bright side perhaps now I'll have a story of some strange happening to tell my friend Worf." He said adjusting his seat and watching the stars move past them on the viewscreen.
"Curious... then apprehensive." The female next to the captain said softly, "This radiation is unlike anything starfleet has encountered. Its not an uncommon occurrence but the way the station described it... their reports almost made it sound like it was alive."
She was human in appearance and could easily pass for one. However by now everyone on the ship knew she was a Betazoid. The only distinguishing Feature was that of her eyes, Pure black irises told those who knew alien anatomy who she was. She wore a Betazoid uniform, skin tight dark purple body suit, with a short dark blue cloak that went down to her elbows over the bodysuit.
"Sir we're approaching the anomaly." The helmsman said.
"All stations this is the captain Hal speaking." He said opening a channel to the rest of the ship, "We're approaching the anomaly, we will maintain yellow alert, everyone on standby."
The next few seconds ticked by while the crew readied themselves for what they might find. As the ship dropped out of warp they finally got their first view. Hal's eyes widened as he saw what was causing the anomaly.
The viewscreen showed what looked like a massive tear in space. Energy tendrils arced out of the rift and the tear spewed bursts of cloudy radiation from it. Simply looking at the anomaly hurt the crews eyes as it twisted and warped unnaturally against the backdrop of space.
"W- What in the name of..." The first officer said looking at the screen.
Before his question could be finished the rift surged and warped. It seemed to collapse in upon itself for a brief second before lurching and almost spewing forth a massive object into space. Once it was free of the warp rift it finally collapsed in upon itself vanishing into nothingness and leaving only rapidly fading radiation behind.
The ship was massive compared to the Farragut. A quick scan from the ships sensors revealed all the pertinent data the captain needed. A full five kilometers long it easily dwarfed the Federation vessel. It's prow formed into a massive wedge with a large ornate eagle figurehead and several large holes along it. At its rear, just before the colossal engines, formed a large tower like structure that contained hundreds of antenna and radio towers Hal recalled seeing in history books. It's engines lit up the darkness behind it like several stars, each one larger than his own ship.
A sweep of the sensors also revealed that it was loaded from tip to tail with a staggering amount of weapons. It also had enough life signs for the computer to initially regard the vessel as a city rather than some sort of space faring ship. The thing that drew the captains attention the most was the shields around it. The sensors readings could only identify it as a spatial distortion.
"It's big... helmsman open hailing frequencies, let's find out what we're dealing with." Hal said looking at the monolith of a ship.
Several minutes prior
"Massive surge of warp energy off the port bow!" Came a call from one of the many crew stations.
"Get more astropaths and navigators working in unison to get us out of here immediately! Stabilize the geller feild and have all hands prepare for possible demonic incursion."
Disaster had struck the moment the Enterprise had entered the warp. Once they were fully in and their entrance portal far behind them the geller feild was suddenly bombarded with warp energies as the immaterium tried to breach the thin shield around the ship. The Astropaths and Navigators were doing their best but the ferocity of the warp storm pushed them to the brink.
Both Darrius and Lionus flinched as they watched another one die at his station, small tendrils of lightning shooting from his eyes as the body was wracked with eldritch energies, "This is insane," The commander said as the ship let out a groan from the strain of maintaining it's hull integrity in all of this, "Emperor preserve us we'll all die in this maelstrom!"
"We won't die Lionus! Get your act together before you unnerve the rest of the crew." Darrius said calmly hanging onto the railing of the captains platform.
"Sir, The warp is stabilizing around us." One of the crewmen shouted, "It's taking hold of us."
"What, how is that possible?" Darrius asked.
"It looks like it's trying to draw us into some sort of anomaly." The crewman replied.
"Ready weapons, get those astropaths and navigators working and-" Before Darrius could finish his sentence the ship let out a groan.
A combination of bulkheads buckling and supports twisting the noise gave an unnerving voice to the chaos outside. The cause was due to the storm outside gaining intensity. Warp tendrils reached out and wrapped themselves around the ship, pulling it towards the gathering of chaotic energies.
From behind the two one of the doors opened up and a man walked through into the bridge. He carried himself with a calm demeanor despite the chaos around and outside the bridge. His long flowing robes moved with an unnatural stillness and the hood was drawn over his eyes, preventing anyone from looking at them.
"Captain, I bring word from the astropaths. Marrim is dead and the others can not hold back this maelstrom." He said calmly and slowly.
"You can't hold it back?" Lionus said in shock, "What are you doing here then, get back down there and help them!"
"My help will not change the outcome of this event." The astropath replied.
"Marrim... if our strongest is dead then we're only delaying the inevitable." Darrius said, "Unless..."
Before Darrius could finish another shift in the storm outside. From the blackened window a spot of light appeared. Red and purple in color it shot forward and collided into Darrius. The Rogue trader was launched back and slammed into the wall, the energies burning and scoring his uniform as he impacted the metal behind him.
Lionus looked at the still body of Darrius as the astropath walked over to him and kneeled by his side. Another groan sounded across the ship and the vessel lurched to the side finally giving in to the pressure of the storm outside. All Lionus could do was hold on as he felt the ship move unnaturally towards the warp anomaly.
"Emperor preserve us..." Lionus said as the ship was drawn into the deepest part of the storm.
"I repeat this is the USS Farragut, do you require assistance." The comm officer said once more.
They had been repeating the same message for almost ten minutes now shifting through various frequencies and communication means. Hal was just about to have his engineers whip up a light based method of communication when they finally triggered an action within. Several of the longer towers atop what Hal assumed was the bridge activated and sent out their subspace transmission. Seconds after the activation of the communication towers a face materialized on the viewscreen of the Farragut.
"I am Lord captain Lionus of the Imperium, and as a representative of the Imperium you will comply with the orders you are about to receive. First you will give us the Astronomican location for this Segmentum of space immediately, Secondly you will provide us with your most skilled Astropath to help expedite our mission, Finally any Techpriests you may have are now drafted to our ship to assist with repairs. Failure to comply with any of those demands will result in your immediate boarding, capture, then destruction." He said.
Hal and his bridge crew wasn't quite sure how to process the communication. Beyond the ship commander's brazen attitude many of the things they demanded he didn't even know what they were much less if they had them. Looking at his first and second officer he found them as flabbergasted as he was.
Clearing his throat he addressed Lionus, "I assume I'm speaking with the captain of the vessel?"
"I am in charge of this ship, and my patience wears thin with your delay." He snapped back.
"Well I'm sorry but I don't really understand your demands and what they consist of. I'm sure if we could just talk about this for a few minutes. My ship can assist you in whatever way possible... but I don't believe our ship has any astropaths or Techpriests as for where you are within the Alpha Quadrant within the territory of the United federation of planets." He said nodding to his communications officer to send over their location on a star map.
Lights lit up over the bridge as the computers tasked with running the massive ship began to work on processing the data they had just received. Once done lights lit up all along the framework of the windows and a massive hologram of the Milky way Galexy lit up the bridge. The image glowed a dull green and while it was displayed the entire room adopted the same coloration.
Lionus looked over at the computer's rendering of the information the ship had just received before scoffing, "If this is some sort of joke to buy time, then you have tried my patience even further. Do you truly think me a fool that you have no Techpriests, Astropaths, and that we are now located within the Segmentum Tempestus region of space? This discourse is now over."
On the bridge of the Enterprise Lions shouted out over the crew, "Ready weapons and arm all Macrocannon batteries, Charge the Titanforge Lance's, and strengthen the Void shield." Combat alarms sounded as he then turned towards the Astropath who was assisting the medical crew in getting Darrius to the sick bay, "Astropath! Find out what their captain knows."
Back on the Farragut everyone was moving once again as commands and relayed information was being shouted back and forth, "The vessel is charging it's weapons, it's turrets are drawing a bead on us! THEY'RE FIRING!" One of the crew members shouted out.
A series of flashes along the top and side of the Imperial ship lit up the darkened space around them. Red hot streaks of metal and energy flew towards the tiny ship as it's crew struggled to adapt to the sudden surge of violence directed towards them. All they managed to do was brace for impact as they shells and energy blasts exploded around them.
"Mother of latinum! I've had less impact from getting hit by an asteroid!" Hal said as the ship trembled violently from the attack, "Status!" He shouted as the vessel finally began to move to avoid the continuing energy blasts from the Imperial ship.
"Shields down twenty eight percent but holding. The drain was cause by the shells launched from the ship's broadside." One crewman replied, "The smaller lasers are doing significantly less damage but they're more accurate and preventing our shields from recharging."
"Get the ship out of the arc of those broadsides, fire phasers and torpedos and target their smaller turrets." Hal said as the Ferragut began moving in an arc over the imperial ship.
The Federation ship glided through the air despite the barrage of smaller energy blasts from the turrets. From it's saucer section beams of red hot energy shot towards the ship impacting the imperial vessels shields and ending at it's circular circumference. The Photon torpedos streaked towards the ship like bright red stars but fared no better against the massive ship's defenses. Impacting but failing to break through or even explode. The shots simply vanished like the phaser shots.
"Sir it's that spacial anomaly!" The helmsman said, "It's coming from the vessels shields."
"What do you mean?" Hal said looking at the results of their attack on the screen.
"The computer is analyzing but from what we can tell now it appears that it's warp the space around it to prevent our shots from hitting. How it's doing that we're still not sure." The helmsman replied.
Any further conversation was cut off as another round of shells and energy blasts struck the ship, "I thought I told you move us out of the line of fire!" Hal shouted once the ships shaking abated.
"We did but it's on the move now and rotating counter to us to get a firing solution on the other side. If we want to get a shot we're going to get shot ourselves." The helmsman said.
Before he could give another order Hal felt a screeching within his mind. Like ten thousand nails being drawn over a chalkboard he fell out of his command chair. He let out an anguished scream as he clutched his head and thrashed about on the floor. He had never felt a psychic attack before but he could almost sense the hands of whoever was in his mind reaching in and pulling out whatever he wanted.
"Captain!" He heard his crew call out to him and his second in command run over to him and put her hand to his forehead.
Meanwhile on the Imperial ship Lionus watched as the command crew worked with seamless efficiency, "Void shields holding steady." One of the crew members further down the command bridge.
"Status of the energy drain from their attack." Lionus said knuckles white from holding onto the guardrail around the command platform, "Rotate and get them back within our broadsides. Their ship is too fast to hit accurately so start timing the detonations to blast the area around the ship."
"Outer void shield layer was stripped when their energy beam hit. The other smaller shots hit and were dissipated without draining any shield layers." A voice from lower down of the command bridge said though one of the many loudspeakers.
Lionus held on as he felt the shift in mass as the Imperial ship engaged it's engines and rotated to bring it's macro cannons to bear against the Farragut. His hands, still gripping the railing, trembled as the ship's cannons sent vibrations throughout the entire hull. Even with multiple impact dampeners the sheer mass of the guns meant the shots could be felt throughout.
"Astropath have you found their captain!" The imperial commander demanded.
"Such impatience for one of your station." The robed figure replied sarcastically, "Yes... I have their captain in my inner eye's sight. Let us see what sort of of man he is..."
The Astropath held still an arm outstretched towards the Farragut as it flew off in the distance. The blackened windows had been undarkened to allow for a visual of the battlefield which helped him focus his mind on his target. Meanwhile the Farragut had launched a second barrage of laser blasts and torpedo strikes against the Imperial ship.
The room was lit up for several seconds as the lasers and torpedos impacted the void shields once more, "Truly we must be far from the eye if I can reach so easily into the mind of the captain..." He said with a sneer as he pushed past what little resistance the man put forth, "Yes... yes I see... Damnation!"
"You see damnation?" Lions asked with a worried tone.
"No they have their own Astropath on board she is unskilled but..." The Astropath said before going quiet then suddenly letting out another curse, "She broke my connection!"
On the Farragut Hal let out several breaths and tried to collect himself, "Easy captain, your mind came under attack, they must have a psychic on board " She said reassuring the captain.
"Shields down to forty three percent! Cracks are forming within the hull from the force of the impacts." One crewman called out.
"Thank you Javana." Hal said standing up and facing the view screen as the Imperial vessel tried to bear down on the Farragut, "We're ending this now. Move the ship to the front of theirs, that'll stop them from getting a shot off at us with those side cannons."
The helmsman nodded and the Farragut pulled to the right in a turn that the imperial ship could only dream about pulling. With a sudden surge of speed it deftly avoided nearly all the shots fired from the energy cannons while it pulled to the front of the Imperial ship. In another display of manoeuvrability it turned again and began bearing down on it's target.
"Phasers full, constant stream of fire burn though that shield." He said as the view screen was lit up with red from the energy blast.
Lionus could only stare in awe at the ability of the smaller ship to turn and avoid all their firepower. The awe turned to incredulity as he saw the ship line up at his prow directly in the firing arc of the Lance batteries. He let out a soft chuckle at the apparent stupidity of his opponent.
"I guess we'll strip the knowledge we want from their burning wreck then. Thank the emperor for his favor this day." He said
"Sir they're firing a constant stream of energy!" One of the crew members called out, "It's bypassing the shields! They aren't meant to take this sort of focused constant stream of energy. There's only two... no one layer left... THEY'VE JUST BROKEN THROUGH!"
"What, divert power to-" Lionus said before he saw the streaks of red from the Farragut's phasers burn though the void shield and begin cutting gashes along the vessel.
The phaser blasts themselves wasn't what made Lionus' heart sink in fear. The beams, powerful as they cut gashes along the hull of the imperial vessel. The sheer size difference between the two ships meant it would take hours for the Federation vessel to cut through to the inner hull of the Imperial ship. What sent shivers down his spine was when the Ferragut launched more of its crimson red torpedos.
They flew through space with unerring accuracy not simply through the hole burned into the ship's shields but arced towards the bridge he was standing on. He could only watch as the red balls of light traversed the ships hull past the point defense lasers as they tried and failed to hit such a small target. His eyes widened as he saw the inevitable impact of his impending doom.
"Emperor preserve us. Brace for impact!" He screamed as the shots made it to the bridge.
"We have them!" Hal said with exuberation watching the photon torpedoes arc past the hole in the shield and towards what they determined was the ships bridge, "Come on come on comeon comeoncomeoncomeoncomeon!"
The crew watched with baited breath as the torpedos moved past everything trying to stop them. Their hopes were dashed when the shot hit a second shield surrounding the bridge. The shots disappeared like the rest, vanished as if they never existed.
"ARE YOU JOKING!" Hal screamed as he watched the shots vanish.
"Sir large scale energy buildup within the target vessel!" One crewman who recovered faster than the others shouted, "It's coming from a set of supplementary reactors and being directed to the prow! There are energy cannons built in there!"
"What? Move the ship, get it out of the firing arc! NOW!" Hal shouted looking at the ship as six points on the front glowed with a massive amount of energy.
"Its too late!" His first officer said.
Lionus cringed in fear looking away from the transparent window to the void. He waited but failed to feel his death, the sound of an explosion, or even the sound of air being sucked into the void. Looking up he saw the Void shields reforming, the crew acting normally without a hint of fear, and even the Farragut pausing in its firing.
"What..." He mumbled wondering where the red balls of death had gone.
"Secondary Titan void shields holding steady, Primary void shields reforming. Damage cause from enemy ships attack... minimal structural damage, no primary systems affected." Lionus overheard as the crew continued to work unaffected by the sudden revelation of their rogue trader's insurance policy.
From behind him he heard a snickering from the Astropath and he felt his cheeks turn red at the embarrassment "Make them pay! MAKE THEM PAY FOR THIS INSULT!" He screamed, "FIRE THE LANCE BATTERIES, DESTROY THEM!"
"Guns charging... charged and ready to fire!" A voice over the intercom said.
"Open fi-"
"HOLD FIRE!" A voice called out over the intercom drowning all other sound within the bridge. "Lionus stand down now!" Darrius said as he stood at the entrance threshold, "What-have-you-done!"
A silence hung over the Farragut's bridge as they crew waited for the charged energy to discharge and blow them out of the stars. Hal scarcely dared breathe as he watched the glow at the front of the ship. However without warning the energy drained leaving the guns silent. Hal looked over at his helmsman awaiting an answer to this sudden shift.
"Sir the energy is draining the guns aren't firing." He said.
"I can see that... " Hal said before snapping to attention, "Helmsman move the ship out of firing arc of those guns, recharge shields, charge phasers and ready photon torpedos."
"Sir... they're hailing us?" The communications officer said with confusion.
"Main guns on the enemy vessel are powering down, they appear to be reinforcing their shields but are making no more hostile gestures towards us." The helmsman said.
Hal looked back towards his first and second officer who both looked as confused as him, "What are they... no this makes no sense as a trap. Put them on screen" He said.
The view screen came to light and instead of the man they had talked to earlier it was someone different. Not just in looks but presence as well. The first man seemed constantly on edge, as if he expected the worst and constantly planned for it. He was still within the screen but standing behind the person in front of it now. This new person was different but similar at the same time, Hal couldn't place his finger on how but let the thought go when the person spoke.
"My name is Darrius Aestaban, captain of the rogue trader vessel Enterprise. There has been a grave miscommunication and I ask humbly for your forgiveness. I hope we might resolve this situation without further bloodshed. I beg your indulgence that we might spare our ships from our wrath."
"Rogue Trader ship... Enterprise?" Hal asked somewhat flabbergasted at the sudden change in mood.
"Captain! this is a trick, some sort of ploy to get us to lower our defenses." Hal's Klingon first officer said, "We have their measure we should end this before they can harm us and others further!"
"Should we?" Hal ask trying to calm himself down from the surge of adrenaline that had been pumping through his veins just moments ago.
A robed man standing in the background walked up to Darrius and whispered a few words into his ear, the rogue trader nodded then addressed Hal once more, "If you wish to continue our feud then I shall allow my compatriot to continue in his attempts to kill you and your ship... but it has become apparent to me that we are a long way from home and I feel further violence in this matter would garner either of us nothing but misery."
Jevana put her hand on Hal's arm and looked at him letting her mind send the message she didn't want the man to overhear, "I do not know about the robed one behind this man, and the one we talked to before has obvious intentions but this... rogue trader... his motivations are complex but far from violence... at the moment." She told him though his mind.
"Darrius... was it? I want to talk but you must understand that me and my crew are feeling rather nervous right now, I would like some sort of gesture of goodwill that I am not making a mistake here." Hal said.
"Perhaps discussion in person at a place you feel comfortable with? I feel diplomacy is easier and more effective when talking face to face." Darrius said.
"You do realize the only place I would feel comfortable talking is on my own ship." He said, "To ensure we do not get fired upon again."
"Then if you will permit me a shuttle and a few personnel I would acquiesce to your request." The rogue trader said.
"Agreed, and I hope our future interactions will contain more talking and less ordinance." Hal said.
"As do I..."
Author Notes:
I suppose I should mention at least once that when it comes to the two universes I am an Imperial citizen first and a trekkie second. That's not to say I won't endeavor to keep each side well represented but if there's a bias or slant in how I perceive facts or encounters it will be because of that. That being said I believe in debates regarding fiction crossovers like this both sides have a tendency to overplay their power and underplay their weaknesses. Things like Phasers being able to disintegrate anything but failing to shoot through barrels people are hiding behind, and Space marines being able to do everything from knit to spit acid but failing to account for how much that information is propaganda.
Also a caveat, while I enjoy both works of fiction I do not claim to know nearly enough to even place in knowledge rankings for either side. If there is a continuity error or snafu that ends up getting into my story let me know so I can work to fix it or justify it. Technobabble is different beast it varies pretty widely from show to show so most of that will end up being under the purview of my own judgement.
Any who I hope you enjoy reading, the first piece has been moved and now we get to see how it affects the board.
