Author's Note: This is a pretty old story I wrote, but I modified and changed it… there are still some problems in there, so if you find them, please tell me! RR! It follows somewhat of the things in the game Star Trek: Armada I and II
For Love or For Glory?
By Lewis Liu
Most of the Federation was still rebuilding its once glorious civilization after the Dominion War, but a new threat has doomed upon the Federation and her allies. And now, The Federation, Klingons and Romulans were again, at war; but not against the Dominion, but against the Borg…
Timothy Stevenson was appointed Captain of a newly commissioned Akira Class Cruiser. Tim wasn't experienced in commanding at all. He was the chief of security of the USS Kila, Nebula Class starship. The Borg assimilated the ship, but he managed to save most of his crew. That is why Starfleet Command appointed him captain, for commanding officers were at short supply, and Starfleet could build more ships faster than it could recruit men and women. The Borg is once again attempting to take over the Alpha Quadrant. But this time, they brought many ships, even Assemblers to build basses.
He walked to the bridge the first time.
"Captain on the bridge," his first officer said.
Tim was just married to Amanda, and both served on the Kila. But she is now commanding one of the newer, yet much less powerful Defiant Class destroyers. Starfleet redesigned the Defiant class hull so it can be mass produced as a expendable destroy class warship. However, they still built those Defiant class battleships—just takes longer time.
Tim asked, "Status."
"Phases are ready. Chain reaction pulsars charging. Shield power standing by. All systems ready at 100%," said the tactical officer.
"Good, we just wait for the command."
Time looked at the viewscreen. He can see the Galaxy class battle cruisers and the Sovereign Class battleships were forming up, along with two Defiant Class battleships in their group. Their objective was an all out assault on the Borg base in this sector. Their armada consisted of eight Sovereigns, five galaxies, 2 Defiant class battleships, 32 Defiant class destroyers, 22 Miranda class destroyers, five Nebula class special weapons cruiser, 6 Excelsior class cruisers, 16 Akira class heavy cruisers, 62 venture class fighters, 38 Peregrine class fighters, 16 Steamrunner class heavy artillery vessels and numerous other miscellaneous vessels.
"I want a display of the armada formation," Tim commanded.
"Aye sir," the com officer said.
He saw a familiar formation on the view screen. Yes, it was the formation when the attacked the Dominion shipyard during the war a year ago. The Peregrines and Mirandas were in the front—used to weaken the enemy. The capital ships, the excelsior destroyers, along with three nebulas will be the main battlefleet. The command ship, the USS Enterprise-E and the USS Avenger and 16 other Defiant will be the protection of the fragile modified Steamrunner class heavy artillery ships. The steamrunners would engage the enemy structures from long rang with tri-cobalt torpedoes. Meanwhile, Tim's fleet, the Akira fleet would be flanking the enemy. Each Akira has one defiant destroyer escort. The ventures will be cover for any ship that is under attack. Two nebula vessels would be used to assist the Akira fleet.
"Computer, locate Commander Amanda Stevenson's ship, and her designation."
On the view screen it pinpointed Tim's wife's vessel, "The USS Jersey, Defiant class destroyer. Objective: to escort the USS Volcano," the computer replied in its monotone voice. Admiral Ross was so in a hurry that he didn't even have a briefing…
The Volcano was Tim's ship. His wife would be providing cover for his ship. That gave him a comforting thought—he can help his wife…
Tim tapped his combadge and said, "Stevenson to Commander Amanda Stevenson."
"Hi Tim."
"I found out that we would be working together."
"Yes, I found that out too…"
"Well good luck, I love you. Stevenson out."
"Love you too, Stevenson out."
Tim stared at his bridge of a moment. This was not your regular Akira Class starship. It had been equipped with Starfleet's Chain Reaction Pulsar. It would attack the first target, then absorb the energy from that and does more damage from the second and finally picking up enough energy to do massive damage to its final target.
Many ships now have been refitted for new weapons, leaving out some of the standard weapons. The steamrunner, for example has been stripped of standard torpedo launchers to be armed with tri-cobalt long-range ballistic torpedoes and the engine overload weapon.
Tim looked around his bridge. It's pretty standard—circular room with standard panels and systems. However, each person was armed with a remodulating pulse phaser rifle in case of a Borg takeover.
"This is Captain Picard, our fleet is ready to go to warp…"
The Federation armada dropped out of warp. Huge Borg complexes loomed ahead.
"Oh my god…" Jim trailed off.
"Sensors are picking up 14 Borg cubes, 30 spheres, 14 assimilators, thirty interceptors and 39 Borg detectors."
"Status again," Jim asked.
"Shields fully up, phasers, torpedoes and the chain reaction pulsar ready. Engines fully functional, triage teams ready… sir… look!" The tactical officer replied.
Tim looked at the veiwscreen. The Peregrines and Mirandas have engaged the Borg fleet. Weapons fire can be seen everywhere. The tension grew, read alert lights shown through the dimly lit bridge…
Suddenly, a cube ship exploded, resulting in a huge deadly shockwave.
"This is Picard, all hands attack at will!" The intercom sounded.
About over two dozen white-silver tri-cobalt torpedoes flew by the Federation forward fleet into the Borg armada. The capital ships powered impulse and went in, firing quantum torpedoes and phasers.
Just then, the tri-cobalt torpedoes detonated, as massive deadly shockwave boomed in its wake, weakening the Borg structures and ships.
Tim hesitated to give the order for his ship to attack.
He closed his eyes and told his helmsmen to take her in. Just then, he saw an Excelsior class starship explored. So many good officers have died…
"Tactical, target the cubes with chain reaction pulsar and target phasers at the smaller ships and fire on my command."
"Now!" Tim almost shouted.
A bridge orange beam emitted out from the dorsal phaser trip and hit a Borg interceptor. Just then, an orange-red energy weapon—the chain reaction pulsar emerged from the aft section of the ship. It passed the spheres and headed right towards the cubes.
Suddenly, three interceptors surrounded the Volcano, pounding it with energy cannons. The Volcano returned fire and destroyed on of them. Then, the Jersey fired a barrage of phased energy at the remaining two interceptors. Their green shields flickered on impact.
The interceptors were just about to shoot the volcano with energy cannons when they got bombarded by pulse phasers from a squadron of Ventures and exploded.
Captain Amanda Stevenson saw that five Borg detectors were coming in after her husband's ship.
Her ship shook as the Jersey took a hit from a nearby sphere.
"Damage report!"
"Shields down to 65%, we have lost warp drive, m'am," the tactical officer said.
On the viewscreen, she saw a fatally damaged Akira, the USS Totem slam right into a Borg sphere, both ships turned into a fiery fireball—a last valiant act of the USS Totem…
"Borg detectors coming…" the com officer said.
"Fall back to 1/5 impulse, and launch antimatter mines now, aft view!" Amanda commanded.
The Jersey's antimatter mines detonated near a Detector and destroyed it.
Meanwhile, the Galaxies and Exclseiors were not doing as well as the Akira fleet.
The Sovereigns, with their heavy shielding looked like they were the only ones that could survive this…with their Corbonite reflector of course.
A Borg cube caught Excelsior, USS Blizzard in a holding beam and quickly began to assimilate the vessel. Life pods began to spring out and was retrieved by a medical ship nearby, the medical ship also fired a barrage of phasers at the cube…. But the Borg gained weapons control of the Blizzard and started to fire its own weapons at Federation ships. Seeing this, give peregrines swooped and dodged while unleashing phasers on the Borg cube and the excelsior.
One Peregrine lost navigation, sot he pilot rammed into the cube, creating massive damage to the already damaged outer hull ad to the Borg ship's holding beam generator.
A galaxy explored and debris started to fly all overwhile a tri-cobalt detonated near the debris field… vaporizing it…
Tim looked at the viewscreen intensively. He lost three Akiras in his team and four Defiant class destroyers. Suddenly, a Borg assimlator-crusier locked an auto-assimator beam onto the Jersey while pounding it with high-yield energy torpedoes.
"NO!!!" Screamed Tim.
"Beam all survivors onboard that vessel and target the assimilator with all weapons."
"Sir… may I suggest," said Tim's first officer.
"I am aware of our shields, but do it."
"Yes sir. Lowering shields…"
Just then, a phaser blast hit the assimilator and a deadly chain reaction pulsar hit a Borg cube, bounced off it and hit an interceptor disabling it, and finally unleashing its destructive energy on the assimilator.
"All survives on board, raising shields," Tim heard his tactical officer say, "Shields raised, but we burned the EPS conduits on the ventral phaser strip…"
"Get it fixed now! We need all the firepower we can muster… and destroy the Jersey; I don't want the Borg to assimilate it."
"Sir," said the first officer, "We have received the survivor list, I am sorry I did not receive your wife…"
"NOOO! Commander, you have the ship, I'm going to the shuttle bay to rescue my wife!"
"But..."
"No, she's all yours, take good care of my ship," Tim said, closing his eyes.
Hr ran down to the shuttle bay and walked into a combat shuttle.
Tim gracefully maneuvered out the shuttle bay of the Volcano. I am disobeying over twenty Starfleet regulations, he thought…
He piloted the shuttle towards the massive Assimilator ahead. Firing all phasers, he punctured a small hole in its shields, transported onboard before the Borg ship destroyed it.
Tim appeared on the eerie darkness of the Borg ship. He quickly few out his tricorder and started scanning for human life signs.
The tricorder beeped as it detected what appear to be some concentrated non-assimilated humanoids.
Amanda looked around the room. Several Borg drones have rounded them up in a forcefield, preparing to assimilate her…
The ship shook again as it took fire from other Federation ships.
Tim lowered his phaser rifle—The Borg perhaps will ignore him until they think he is a threat. He'll be a threat pretty soon, he thought with a slight grin on his face.
Tim made a turn and saw his wife and some of her crewmates rounded up by three Borg drones.
"TIM!" Amanda screamed.
The Borg then noticed him and started to walk towards him.
Tim lifted his phaser and fired. W white-orange continuously modifying phased beam vaporized the first Borg. He fired at the second one, but the third was less than a meter away. It grabbed his weapon and threw it over to the side.
Tim smacked the Borg, only pushing it back a bit.
Just as the Borg is about to inject nanoprobes into Tim's bloodstream, it suddenly dropped to the floor.
"Amanda!" Tim yelled in delight.
He kissed her quickly on her lips and handed out his phasers to the rest of the crew.
"Volcano to Stevenson," Tim's combadge sounded.
"Stevenson here." Tim replied.
"How are you doing sir?" he heard his first officer say.
"I'm fine, eleven to beam out in twenty seconds. Stevenson out."
Tim quickly took out his backpack.
"Here, I want you to throw these grenades everywhere," Tim handed the grenades to the various crewmember of the Jersey.
Tim then took high yield photonic charges and set it for 15 seconds detonation…
In another several seconds, he beamed out to his own bridge.
Tim quickly took the command seat as he watched the planted photonic chargers light up the assimilator from the inside. In a few seconds, it exploded into a bright flash of light.
"Report!" Tim barked.
"Shields at 43@ and holding. Hull breeches on decks 11-12, but force fields are holding. We lost warp drive and most weapon systems. Structure integrity at 82%"
On the view screen, a deadly exchange of fire between the elegant Federation ships and the menacing Borg ships continued. However, it seemed that the Federation is loosing… another Sovereign class just exploded into a yellow shockwave…
"This is Picard, we are loosing the battle, prepare for full retreat!" The intercom sounded again.
Just then, a bright light flashed across the viewscreen as the Steamrunners destroyed a Borg Modification center… but that wasn't enough.
"Sir, the Klingon and Romulan Fleet has just arrived, they suggest that we retreat for repairs and they can handle the rest," the com officer said.
"Okay, lets go and leave this bloody battle," Tim ordered.
Twelve Romulan Warbirds and Seven Neg'vars decloaked and unleashed a barrage of disruptors, ion cannons and torpedoes as their support ships moved it…
"Sir, we are being pursued by three spheres. They are gaining on us!" The tactical officer exclaimed.
"Set a course to the Romulan Shadow Fleet. That's the closet and they'll recharge some of our shields so we may retreat" Tim ordered.
"Aye sir," the helmsmen said
The Volcano screeched forward in space trying to reach the protection of the Romulan Shadow ships.
The spheres were relentless and were gaining rapidly. They were just about to fire when a Klingon Bird of Prey decloaked firing disruptors and photon torpedoes at the spheres, destroying one. The remaining two spheres slowed down to destroy the Bird of Prey…
"Forty honorable Klingon warriors scarified themselves to save our asses," Amanda said shaking her head and looking at the viewscreen.
The remaining two spheres finally entered weapons range of the Volcano, but it was too late for them. The Volcano already entered the protection of the Shadow class ships as they unmercifully destroyed the two Borg ships.
The remaining Borg force was easily defeated by the Klingon and Romulan fleets, but not without suffering tremendous casualties.
Tim held his wife in his arms as they both looked at the viewscreen. The final explosion of Borg complex flickered slightly then disappeared. Tim looked at his wife, knowing that he would face Starfleet court marshal when this was all done… But at least, he saved his wife. His wife.