OBJECTIVE

USS ENTERPRISE, EARTH

JUNE 19, 2376

The Enterprise was finally home, back to the world that had created her, back to where she belonged. The crew was on the planet, taking some well-dissevered shoreleave. Captain Picard walked along the hedge leading to his old house in La Barre, France. He needed some relaxation, with the Borg threat now gone, and the Romulans ravaged by civil war, not one was really a threat to the Federation. After over two hundred years, the Federation was finally at peace. He slid quietly inside the house of his father, which was now condemned. His father had died a long time ago, and the house was passed on to his brother Robret. Robret died in a fire with his twelve year old son, Rene. Picard just stood looking around at everything. He walked out into the vineyard out the back, and for the first time in his life he felt at peace, everything had changed.

USS EXCELSIOR, BRISTAR CLUSTER

JUNE 19, 2376

The USS Excelsior was on a mission of exploration in the Bristar Cluster. Captain Shelby was pacing the bridge of her ship; she loved being a captain. It was tough work though, you had to make the big decisions, because everybody else looked to you for advice.

"Got anything yet, Ensign?" she asked, turning to the science station.

"Nothing yet, Sir" replied the young Ensign McGreggor. "Wait, I think I may have something. Coordinates are 349 mark 43."

"On screen." Said Shelby.

The viewscreen flickered on, and the sight was amazing. A bright red hue was glowing in the darkness, and then like magic the mouth flashed open to reveal a beautiful wormhole.

"Wow." Came the reply from all over the bridge.

"I'm getting something coming through the wormhole." Said Ensign McGreggor.

"Identify." Replied Captain Shelby.

"Two unknown warp signatures, of a type I have never seen."

Shelby knew all to well what those words meant. They were all about to come face to face with pure evil. It also meant that they might be at war. "Red alert, all hands to battle stations!" she yelled.

The blaring alarms went crazy, calling the crew to arms. The wormhole now glowing bright red, deposited its two ships and then just as suddenly as it had appeared, it vanished into the night.

"Show me those two ship!" Shelby called.

The viewscreen now switched to a close-up of the two ships. The crew gasped as they stared into a mirror image of their own.

"Is it possible?" asked Shelby.

"Cross referenced and verified. I am now reading only us and two Federation ships directly ahead, the USS Excalibur, and the USS Nova." Replied Ensign McGreggor from behind the science station.

"Hail them."

"I Sir." Said Comm officer Hawking. "No response."

McGreggor's voice came then, "Captain their arming weapons!"

Oh no, to Shelby that meant only one thing, this time the Federation was under attack from within. "Get me Starfleet Command!" she yelled.

"I can't get through, they're using some sort of jamming system."

The first blue blast hit the Excelsior in the starboard side, slicing through the hull. The Excelsior returned fire, but the phasers were completely absorbed by the hull of the two attacking ships. The Excelsior tried to turn and run, but a second blue beam caught her directly in the engines, blowing the back of the ship totally off. From that point on she had no chance, the next beam hit the bridge section and then suddenly the ship was engulfed in a giant shockwave, and was blown into the shadows.

The two ships turned, activated the wormhole, and slid silently through,. The wormhole closed in a flash of red light, and vanished into the darkness.

USS ENTERPRISE, EARTH

JUNE 20, 2376

Captain Picard walked onto the bridge of his ship, now finished with refits and upgrades. She was once again ready to fly out into the darkness, and make the galaxy safe peace.

"Communication for you, Sir." Said Commander Data.

"Thank you Mr. Data, I'll take it in my ready room."

He walked off the bridge and into his ready room. Sitting down on the chair, he punched in his command code. The voice and picture of Admiral West came to him in a second.

"Jean-Luc, how are you?" asked West.

"Well, I'm fine Admiral, and you?"

"Unfortunately, not well. Captain, Starfleet Command has some serious concerns."

"Concerns, what kind of concerns?" asked Picard.

"Yesterday, at about 1500 hours, the USS Excelsior sent a routine transmission, she's not been heard from since."

"Any speculations as to why?"

"None so far. She was supposed to be investigating the Bristar Cluster. I want the Enterprise to look into the matter."

"We're on our way, Admiral."

"Good. Godspeed, Jean-Luc."

"To you as well, Admiral." Replied Picard.

Walking out the door, he ordered, "Set course for the Bristar Cluster, warp 8."

"I Sir," came the reply.

"Trouble, Captain?" said Commander Riker.

"It would appear so Number One."

USS ENTERPRISE, BRISTAR CLUSTER

JUNE 21, 2376

The Enterprise dropped out of warp, slowing to begin the search for the Excelsior. She slowly and carefully entered the now completely deserted Bristar Cluster.

"Begin scans, Mr. Data. Number one, standard search pattern." Said Picard.

"Aye, Sir," came the reply from both.

Picard stood pacing the bridge, as the Enterprise executed a slight port turn. The bridge crew looked unusually tense at this moment in time, as if they could sense something bad was going to happen.

Data spoke next, "Captain, I believe I may have something."

Picard walked up next to him, "What is it Data?"

"I have detected some unusual readings in sector 3."

"Can you be more specific?"

"The readings come neutron radiation surges."

"Radiation surges? Any idea as to the causes?"

"Several possibilities, however, only one that could exist in the Bristar Cluster."

"Only one?" replied Picard.

"Yes, a completely balanced wormhole effect."

"But there aren't any wormholes in the Bristar Cluster, it's been studied." Said Picard.

"Precisely my point, Sir."

It hit Picard instantly, what Data had said, and he knew why. The Furies, the Furies had attacked the Excelsior. He looked around at his crew and knew that they understood as well. In that same instant, he a vision, he saw Starfleet HQ utterly in ruins. Was it a fantasy or a prediction of the future? He knew he couldn't take that chance.

He turned to the Helmsman, "Get us out of here." He ordered.

"Course heading, Sir?" asked the Helmsman.

He looked at the viewscreen, and without a thought simply said, "Earth."

SPACE DOCK, EARTH

JUNE 21, 2376

The Space Dock hung there, like a beautiful gleaming city floating in the blackness of space. It was an impressive display of millions of lights and tons of tritanium that took 150,000 people over 5 years to build. The scene was beautiful with Earth and her Space Dock, and the sun setting directly behind both. But a small dot of red glowed in the distance. Instantly, the redness flashed open to reveal a perfectly created wormhole. Two ships came swooping out of the redness, and then turned towards Earth. The wormhole closed as easily and silently as it had came. The two disguised ships continued towards Earth, and blended in easily with the local ship traffic. They came upon the Space Dock, and when they were close enough they fired. The blue beams shot through the space doors, and went out the other side. Local traffic tried to help out, but none were starships, and were no match. The next set of beams started picking apart the base piece by piece. When the final beam cut through, the base was engulfed in flames. The two ships now turned their attention to the planet, and started firing at the surface.

STARFLEET COMMAND, SAN FRANCISCO

JUNE 21, 2376

The people of San Francisco walked along the streets, which were very busy as usual. Dr. Leah Brahms slowly walked toward Starfleet Command Headquarters. She was going there to meet with the Fleet Admiral. She had new ideas of warp design theory, better than those ideas she had when she built the Enterprise-D. She heard the squeal of brakes, and the crashing of metal. She looked over her shoulder and saw two hovercars had collided, but their owners were looking up at the sky. She followed their eyes and saw her fate. It glowed bright blue from just being fired, an energy beam she thought. She watched as it fell down from the sky, and sliced into the Starfleet Command Headquarters, blowing it to flames. Windows shattered, hovercars flipped over and over, the noise was too much to bear so she covered her ears. The flames continued to rumble through the city. Leah saw them coming, fast, very fast. She turned and ran for her life, like the others right beside her. She ran, faster, but the flames were still gaining on her. The last time she turned to look, she tripped and fell on the sidewalk. The raised her head ans saw, the falmes were upon her. She closed her eyes and the shadows of death came.

USS ENTERPRISE, EARTH

JUNE 22, 2376

The Enterprise glided smoothly to a close Earth orbit. She turned silently through the debris that had once been a great Space Station but now was only garbage.

Picard was first to speak, "My god, what has happened here?"

Data answered, "Captain, I have been scanning the surface, and-"

"and what? Data?" replied Picard.

"It's Starfleet Command, Sir."

"What about it?" asked Picard.

"I can confirm the location of Starfleet, but I cannot confirm the existence of Starfleet."

"On screen."

The viewscreen flickered on and showed the horrible truth, the city of San Francisco lay to waste. The once proud Starfleet Command Headquarters building that had stood for over two centuries as a symbol of peace, was in shambles.

"Lifesigns Data?" asked Picard.

"I am reading thousands of lifesigns throughout the city, but the attack seem to have been centered around the Starfleet Command building. I am detecting no lifesigns there." Replied Data.

Picard knew what that meant, the Federation President, Vice-President, and Federation Counsel had all been killed. Starfleet Command had been destroyed. A thought came to him; back when he had battled to Borg over four years ago, when the Borg Queen had said, "Watch your future's end!" This was indeed the future's end, for how could you rebuild a government without a government? Chaos would run rampant, and no one would be able to stop it. The Klingons, the Romulans, the Federation; all once proud armies of light, were now soldiers of darkness.