Chapter 24:
Reviewers:
silvanas: Yes, she is older.
BGTom: Thanks. I'll try and get some of the smaller races involved now.
Lennox RH: It's not previous lives. Yes. I'm glad you like it. Long live the Emperor!
Marine Brother Shran: Sorry, I tried my best. It was the first time I did a chapter like that. Its meaning will become clearer in a few chapters.
m6l99: Thanks. Yes, in a way.
oblivionknight7: Yes, she is human. But no ordinary human.
angelus288: Sorry. Emily was reliving memories she had forgotten.
grayangle: It's been a while since I read the Ghosts books, so can you tell me, what are these angels?" The other Emily is only in mind. She is a spirit created by Emily's crystal. I'm not sure if he spirit will mutate Emily. You'll just have to wait and see. I'm pleased you enjoy it so much.
Warhammer40kfanatic: It wasn't meant to be. Try and thing of it as a mix between a Tok'ra blending and the Angelic version of a daemon prince transformation.
Deep within the Badlands, past the plasma storms and a few uninhabited planets, a collection of black structures and blade sprouting vessels waited. The base had come online less than a week ago, but already it was the primary base of the Dark Eldar in the Alpha Quadrant. Nearly two hundred ships patrolled the space around it; in the unlikely event a ship entered the nebula. Some of the structures held vessels undergoing the refit to equip them with Romulan technology. Shadowclaw's plan now was to attack the smaller races and get them involved in the developing war.
N'rok watched the base growing on the view screen as his vessel entered the defense perimeter. The Romulans had supplied the materials, but the Dark Eldar had physically assembled the base. It was different from anything N'rok had ever seen. The shipyards were black spider-like things, with long, thin legs that reached out to ensnare vessels. The research and manufacturing structures were long and thin, covered with extrusions shaped like blades. The Cardassian weapon platforms were there as well, though they had been painted black to blend with the rest of the base. All this combined to give the base a menacing quality, as though any part of it could reach out and strike you without warning.
"We are being hailed," N'rok's first officer reported.
"Put it up," N'rok replied. The screen fizzled for a moment, adjusting to the slightly unfamiliar communications protocols of the base's computer, then stabilized to show Archon Shadowclaw. "Archon," he said in greeting.
"Was your visit to Romulus productive?"
"Yes Archon. I have the information you asked for. My vessel will be docking shortly."
"Very well," Shadowclaw said, closing the channel.
N'rok walked through the dim corridors of the Dark Eldar base. The lighting was low and sparse, the hallways gleaming black and crimson wherever the light was bright enough. Dark Eldar hurried along through most of them, carrying supplies and equipment to complete the base. Something was a bit off. N'rok couldn't place it until he took a deep sniff of the air and realized that the stench of death he had become accustomed to when around the Dark Eldar was absent.
After some time spent wandering the corridors, N'rok arrived at the command center. The inside of the room was a massive sphere. Consoles lined the walls, and a massive tactical star chart occupied the middle. Shadowclaw was leaning over it, making adjustments. He glanced up when he heard the hiss of the doors opening.
"Ah, N'rok. I was just looking over the state of the quadrant. There is much to do. Come with me," he said, heading off into a side room. N'rok followed. Shadowclaw's ready room was large for a room of its function. A massive black desk sat in front of a large window that gave am impressive view of the plasma storms raging a short distance from the base. The walls were filled with weapons: Pistols, rifles, swords, and many others N'rok didn't recognize. N'rok placed three data pads on the desk.
"The information you requested Archon," he said. Shadowclaw had wanted data on the various races in the quadrant. He had also expressed an interest in Romulan history.
"Excellent. The refits to my fleet are proceeding as planned. So far we have refit twenty of my vessels. The dark matter disruptors are being produced as fast as possible. The Cardassian vessels will be used to further our plans to plunge this quadrant into war."
"What are you plans for the Romulans?" N'rok asked. "My superiors are expecting something in return for the assistance they have given you."
"Of course. My scientists have been working on something that I am sure will please them," he said, activating a holoprojector build into the desk. He entered several commands on a keypad N'rok hadn't seen before. His fingers flew over the runes and a moment later an image of a Warbird appeared, but it was different. The hull was jet black, the warp nacelles glowed an angry red instead of green, and Dark Eldar iconography covered several parts of the hull.
"What is that?" N'rok asked.
"It designation is the Shadow D'Deridex class Warbird. Completely rebuilt with Dark Eldar technology and weapons. Powered by a single singularity reactor and two plasma reactors. Its weapons include nine dark matter disruptor cannons, two Dark Eldar Phantom Lances and three photon and Leech Torpedo launchers. Protected by a triple reinforced hull comprised of both Romulan and Dark Eldar alloys and three layers of deflector shields. It is also equipped with a mimic engine and shadow fields. Size has been increased by fifteen percent. Tell me what you think," Shadowclaw said.
N'rok was speechless. Shadowclaw had just presented the Romulan Star Empire with a vessel which, he believed, could take on at least six standard D'Deridex vessels easily.
"Impressive Archon," N'rok said, trying not to let his emotions show too much. "My superiors will be most pleased. If I may ask Archon, what is our next move going to be?"
Shadowclaw noticed that N'rok was now using the term "we" often. That meant he thought himself a valuable asset to Shadowclaw, which was true, but of course Shadowclaw would never admit it. Instead he accessed the same map N'rok had seen in the main room.
"With war between the Cardassians and Klingons imminent, we must take steps to ensure the Federation becomes involved as well. If they are allowed to stand by and build their forces they could possibly pose a threat to us."
"But how will we accomplish this?" N'rok asked. "The Federation may become suspicious if the Cardassians attack both them and the Klingons at once. They know they are not strong enough for that."
"I know. The Federation and the Klingons are allies. They will come to the aid of their allies. They will have no choice. The Cardassian vessels we captured will serve to convince them further. They will claim to be operating in the name a of a renegade Cardassian faction. They broke away after the beginning of the war with the Klingons. They see the Federation as the true threat. Starfleet will be forced to divert resources to deal with them, but they will not know where to look."
"Brilliant Archon. But what if the Federation asks my people for assistance?" N'rok asked.
"Then we will use my ships to simulate an attack by the Breen. That will give us the chance to begin a war among the other empires in this quadrant," Shadowclaw replied. "And while the rest of the quadrant is at war, our two races will be preparing for the day when we are strong enough to make our true nature known and become the masters of this quadrant. For now, have your ships continue to monitor the battles between the Klingons and Cardassians. If either race seems to be gaining an advantage, we will strike and neutralize it."
"As you command Archon," N'rok said as he left. As he began the walk back to his ship, he kept glancing at the data pad which held the future of the Romulan star fleet.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard rested his head in his hands. He had just come from a meeting of the Federation council. Both the Klingons and Cardassians claimed to have been attacked by each other, and they had the sensor and communication reports to prove it. Picard had watched with horrid fascination at the scenes of Klingon Vor'cha cruisers and Cardassian Galors clashing. Both attacks had had heavy civilian casualties, which only made things worse. After ten hours of almost non-stop insulting and accusations, the council had adjourned. Picard was now in his quarters aboard the Enterprise, nursing a cup of Earl Gray. Then his door chimed, the quit sound barely registering to Picard.
"Come," he called. The door opened and Commander Riker walked in and took a seat.
"Tough day?" He asked.
"You have no idea," Picard replied. "I thought the Klingons and Cardassians were difficult to deal with before the war, but now," he sighed. "All either of them care about is punishing the other."
"It doesn't make sense," Riker said. "The Klingons took heavy losses during the war. The Cardassians took even more, but not enough that the Klingons could just role over them, so why now? Why would they strike when both of them are so weak?"
"I wish I had the answer to that question Number One. It doesn't make sense," Picard said, a bit of frustration creeping into his voice. "The Cardassians know the Federation and the Klingons are allies. They must know that sooner or later we'll intervene."
"Maybe that's what someone's counting on," Riker said.
"What?" Picard asked.
"Neither of there attacks make sense. If both races are so eager to cripple each other, how come they didn't attack shipyards or fleet bases? These attacks seem to have been designed with the intention of causing outrage among the Cardassian and Klingon populations, to force them to go to war."
"I see where you're going. I've been considering the same thing. There may be a third party out there. Someone who wants to see the quadrant plunged into a new war. If that is true, then the question is who? But even if it is true, no one will listen without hard evidence. Will, I want you to keep a close eye on any new reports of attacks. If this phantom enemy is out there, I want to know where they're coming from."
"I'll get on it," Riker said as he got up to leave.
"And Will, not a word of this to anyone. If there is a new enemy out there, we have no way of knowing how far they've infiltrated." Riker nodded his head. As son as the door shut, Picard's brain reminded him of just how tired it was with the beginnings of a headache. With a groan he walked over to his bed and fell asleep the instant he lay down, and dreamed of shadowy tendrils reaching out to constrict the quadrant.
Star base 234 was a scientific research outpost and a way station for ships traveling across the Federation. Being relatively close to the Cardassian border, it had been upgraded during the Dominion war. It now mounted over a dozen phaser arrays and seven photon torpedo tubes, along with reinforced shielding and hull plating. Three starships were currently in dock. Two Intrepids in the docking ports and a single Nebula coming in.
Suddenly six Cardassian Galor class cruisers decloaked and opened fire. Somehow they had managed to evade the base's sensors. Their opening volley caught the station with its shields down as the Nebula came in for docking. Most of the torpedo launchers and shield generators were taken out. Pulse phasers and the remaining torpedo launchers returned fire. One of the Galors began listing to port, plasma leaking from its engines.
"Get the ships out of dock! And send a distress signal," Commander Lark ordered. He watched as one of the Cardassian ships began listing. The remaining three continued firing. The starships, now free of dry-dock, began attacking.
"Commander, I can't get a signal out. The Cardassians are jamming us," Ensign Clark reported.
"Then begin evacuating all personnel. Once everyone's aboard, have the ships go to warp," Lark ordered. Suddenly the whine of transporters was heard, and twenty men beamed into the command room. But they weren't Cardassians. Sickly white skin, pointed ears and evil black eyes became visible. Raising long barreled alien rifles, the aliens opened fire. Long crystal shards pierced uniforms and delivered toxins. Those who managed to dodge or ducked behind consoles were set upon with knives and swords. Commander Lark was hit in the shoulder and fell to the ground, dropping his phaser. It felt as though liquid fore was flooding into his body. He watched through graying vision as the remainder of his crew was cut down without mercy. Then, one of the aliens stuck a device to his chest, and the last thing he saw was the wall of transporter energy engulfing him.
In space, one of the Intrepids had managed to go to warp just before the Cardassians destroyed it. When the others had lost warp drive, two of the Cardassians ships shimmered and were replaced with Dark Eldar Torture class cruisers. They fired Phantom Lances, disabling the Intrepid and Nebula, and boarded them. Roughly a third of the crews were killed, the rest were taken prisoner. Dark Eldar troops boarded the star base and took everything they could. When they were finished, the Cardassian vessels destroyed the star base, using high yield torpedoes to obliterate any sign the Dark Eldar may have left.
When Federation reinforcements arrived, all they found was the debris of the star base, along with small amounts of debris from the Cardassian vessel. Captain Jake of the Neptune, the captain of the only ship that had escaped, looked out at the debris and tried to repress the feeling of guilt that was eating away at him. The Cardassians had likely attacked the outpost to obtain supplies that would allow them to strengthen their forces. Who knew what would happen now. It seemed as though nothing was normal anymore.
How was that? Well, the Romulans are about to become far more powerful. Will Picard and Riker be able to uncover the truth of what is going on in the Alpha Quadrant? What will the Federation do now that they have been attacked? What will Shadowclaw's next target be? Keep reading and find out. In the next chapter Vail and Halloway reach Terra. Will they be able to revive the Emperor? Or will those who desire power for themselves ruin everything? Find out in the next exiting chapter of A New Age. See ya then, and don't forget to review!
ENTILZA