Chapter 8 Gray Eminence

The Romulan-Klingon Neutral Zone

A cloaked U.S.S. Avenger followed Toral's Negh'Var past the line of Spy Satellites, stationary plasma cannons and torpedo turrets, luckily the Romulans failed to install Tachyon Detection Grids on their sensor arrays allowing the Avenger to follow Toral all the way to a Romulan base at the edge of the sector. Once the alliance was confirmed Worf headed out of the Zone and opened a subspace comm. channel to Martok's Negh'Var.

"Chancellor. It is as I suspected. The Romulans are in league with Toral." Reported Worf

"Those…treacherous Romulans. They have meddled in the affairs of the Klingon Empire for the last time." Replied Martok

"I have been ordered to return to Starfleet Command. What would you have me tell them?" asked Worf

"I cannot allow this Romulan attempt to overthrow my rule to go unanswered. I have no choice but to declare war on the Star Empire. Until this conflict is resolved, I cannot afford to support the Federation in their fight against the Borg." Stated the Chancellor.

Six Klingon ships came out of warp near the Neutral Zone. Two Birds of Prey, one Vor'cha cruiser, two construction ships, and Martok's Negh'Var specially equipped with a cloaking device. "I want every Romulan ship and station in the area destroyed." He said

Pressing a few buttons on his console he sent orders to one of the construction ships to build a mining facility at a nearby dilithium moon. Then the rest of the ships were to proceed forward with caution. Soon they found a long cerulean nebula with a hole through which ships could pass. Martok pressed more buttons on his console and the other construction ship began on a Starbase. By now the mining station was completed so the other ship came over to start building a shipyard and weapons center when the Starbase was finished. The ship that built the Starbase began building turrets and a sensor array. The shipyard was finished and the weapons center began immediately. By now the Starbase had a formidable defensive array in front of it with multiple torpedo turrets. Martok had the Birds of Prey and the Vor'cha decommissioned for resources. Then an Imperial shipyard was finished and began production of Negh'Var battleships. He decided eight of these ships should be enough to sweep the area of Romulans. If not he could always build more.

With the advanced building technology developed during the Dominion war ships could be built in moments not days, weeks or months. It took about half an hour to build his fleet of eight Negh'Var battleships. Ahead of the Starbase was a line of unmanned Romulan stations. Spy Satellites, Plasma Cannons and Torpedo turrets were in this short line of defense. Also by now work on the Ion Cannon was complete so that would be useful against the Romulan Starbases in the area. He assigned all the battleships to Fleet One and cloaked his own ship just in case he got beaten back he could live to fight another day. He sent the fleet to clear the line of turrets and sensor arrays first. They did so with surprising ease, only one ship was severely damaged and only after a small fleet of Romulan ships had passed by intent on destroying the base. However the base, with its torpedo turrets and disruptors easily beat back the onslaught. The damaged ship was repaired, recrewed and back in the fight in no time. With the turret line clear Martok sent the fleet ahead. They found a Romulan Starbase and Shipyard; the Negh'Var used their Ion Cannons to weaken the shields of the Starbase, and then ceased fire when the shields were down. The ships began beaming boarding parties onboard the station. Within moments the beleaguered crew of the Station was killed off and the station was now in Klingon hands.

After capturing the Starbase Martok learned the position and strength of all forces in the area. He built another eight-ship fleet of Negh'Vars and ordered both fleets to attack the Starbase, Advanced Shipyard, Tal Shiar Facility near the lower edge of the map displayed on the console. The sixteen ships went around a line of asteroids then hit a single unmanned plasma cannon and mining operation on the way. They hit the lower base with everything they had. Sixteen Ion Cannon bolts brought down the shields of the starbase and Tal Shiar Facility in seconds. Both stations were destroyed shortly after. As the Klingon ships were hitting the Advanced Shipyard Romulan reinforcements came in the form of several Griffin-class cruisers, Shrike-class destroyers and two D'Deredix-class Warbirds. All of which were destroyed moments after reaching the scene.

Martok then issued orders to go to the 'northern' section of the map displayed on his console, where another Romulan Starbase was situated. The sixteen ships went 'north' and destroyed a shipyard, three plasma cannons and a collection of Griffin, Raptor and Shrike-class ships. The Klingon fleet continued until it came to the Starbase. All ships in range fired Ion Cannons. Six powerful bolts of ionized energy slammed into the base's shield. The rest of the ships opened fire with conventional weapons, destroying the starbase. Then the sixteen ships broke and attacked different targets. A few took on the Covert-Ops Facility at the very edge of the sector and destroyed it with ease.

With most of the major stations destroyed he ordered the Negh'Vars to recrew and repair then to begin a standard search and destroy pattern. He also had the shipyard build many Vor'cha and Nuq'Duc-class ships to help with the search. After a few hours only an assortment of Warbirds, Griffins, Shrikes, Raptors and Talon-class ships were found and destroyed. The search ships even found a Shadow-class science vessel, however its technology was useless because the Tal Shiar Facility had been destroyed.

His second in command turned to him and said "Chancellor, there is no sign of Toral."

"I suspect he was able to sneak away…along with his Romulan conspirators." Martok replied.

"So then…this war is over?"

"Not at all. This war…has just begun." Martok said in a low voice