STAR TREK – THE KELVAN CONQUEST
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
Disclaimer: As I've said twice, this story is not mine. The other stuff isn't.
This book is for the execs that said "Let Star Trek have another chance."
STAR TREK – THE KELVAN CONQUEST
Book Two: "Secret Mission"
Act One: "Unexpected Guests"
A year and a half ago . . .
Colonel Kira Neryes stepped out of the Captain's office on station Deep Space Nine and into Ops. The command center of the station was as busy as ever and Kira could tell that with no more darkness looming overheads, life was meeting a strange sort of status quo.
Still, she sighed, the Captain was gone. And though the war was over and the Pah'Wraiths have been expelled from the temple into the fires from whence they came, there still was a sort of emptiness that lingered in the air.
In a silent admittance, she acknowledged what it was. Captain Sisko was gone. So was Odo. And so was Chief O'Brien . . . Worf . . . Jadzia Dax . . . Garak . . . Rom . . . Leeta . . .
She stopped herself and stepped down into the lower level of Ops and turned to Lieutenant Nog. "Station status, Lieutenant?"
"All systems fully function, Colonel. We were having some power cufflink problems on Upper Pylon Three, but the Engineering staff took care of that right away."
"Thank you, Lieutenant. How about the - "
But before the Bajoran Colonel could speak another word, the lights flickered across the station. An alarming beeping noise came from the table-top before them.
"Uh-oh," Nog muttered.
"What is it?"
"Well, it looks like fixing that power cufflink blew out energy transference systems to the main sensor array."
"Can you fix it?"
"Yeah. Just a minute."
Nog made a run to the pit that sat beneath the Main Viewer and started to get to work. Suddenly, a young Ensign looked up from his position.
"Colonel, I'm getting word . . . the Wormhole is opening."
"What? Can we get confirmation on that? Nog?"
"I'm working on it!"
"Now, Nog!"
"Got it!"
The Main Viewer clicked on, displaying the flowing and circulating beauty that was the Bajoran Wormhole. A few seconds after the Main Viewer came on, the Wormhole closed.
"Damn," Kira uttered under her breath. For a moment, she had hoped that a Dominion ship would come through, depositing Odo for her. Or perhaps it would mean the return of the Emissary – Captain Benjamin Sisko himself.
But there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Nothing had come out of that wonderous anomaly. Yet despite all of these disappointments, she couldn't be think. Maybe something didn't come out . . . maybe something came in . . .
***
Present Day
In the two years that the Dominion War has been over, the galaxy has gone through numerous and startling transformations. Not necessarily good or bad transformations – but just plain transformations. Captain Jean-Luc Picard had long predicted this ever since the beginning of the war. There seemed to be a feeling that a great storm has passed and all that's left is to pick up the pieces.
Indeed, he mused. He pulled on the top of his uniform out of habit and walked into the turbolift. When he reached the Bridge, he walked over towards his chair. It was there that Commander William T. Riker was jesting with Counselor Deanne Troi. Captain Picard paused in thought, remembering how the two rekindled their love and attraction for each other while they were on the Ba'ku homeworld.
"Captain," Riker greeted, standing up from his chair and greeting the Captain.
"Commander. Report."
"All ship's systems are working just fine. We're currently on course for the Deneb systems."
"Excellent," Picard piped, sitting firmly into his seat. "What is our ETA, Mr. Data?"
"At our current speed," replied the android, "nine hours, forty-seven minutes."
"Good, good. I - "
Just then, an irregular, rhythmic beeping came from Data's console. "Captain, I am detecting three Federation ships on an intercept course."
"What ships, Mr. Data?"
"The USS Brown, a galaxy-class ship. The USS Epic, a defiant-class vessel. And the science vessel, the USS Homer. They will arrive at our location in seven minutes."
"Captain," said the communications officer, "we are being told to drop out of warp to await further instructions."
Captain Picard stood up and walked a few steps from his chair. "On whose order?" asked Picard, wondering who was pulling the strings.
"Unknown. They are unwilling to give confirmation."
"Well," Captain Picard ventured as he turned back to his First Officer and ship's Counselor, "let's see who's giving the orders around here? What do you say, Number One?"
"I'm curious. Let's bite."
"Just to be on the safe side, let's go to Yellow Alert."
Captain Picard sat and gave the orders. A few moments later, the three ships surrounded the Enterprise.
"Captain, we're being hailed," the communications officer said.
"On screen."
The screen flicked on, revealing an image that shocked Captain Jean- Luc Picard to the core. On the bridge of the Brown was none other than Federation President Eli Decker. A tall man with silver hair, Decker was the first human Federation President in twelve years.
"Captain Picard. Good morning."
Picard stood immediately and walked forward. Behind him, he heard his counselor and his first officer make the same move.
"Mr. President," Picard began, "my most sincere apologies for not appearing in dress uniform."
"Oh, Captain, really. Don't worry about it. Listen, there are a few matters we need to discuss. Would you mind if you came on board? This ship has already been secured for the . . . subjects we must speak of."
"Of course. I'll be over immediately."
"Excellent! Decker out!"
The image disappeared. Captain Picard turned to Riker and Troi, looking worn and just plain out-of-sorts.
"Stand down Yellow Alert," the Captain said, putting on his poker face. "Number One, the ship is yours until I get back."
***
Captain Picard was escorted to President Decker's quarters. He was a bit surprised by this, but decided to just go with the flow.
The Lieutenant Commander that escorted him stopped in front of the doors and pressed the pad. Picard couldn't help but feel familiarity of the corridors as a result of his time spent on the Enterprise-D.
"Enter," said the President from the other side.
The officer nodded and Picard entered, the doors shutting quickly behind him. The President was standing in casual clothing, gazing out at the stars.
"Captain Picard," Decker greeted, his hand out-stretched warmly. Picard took it.
"Mr. President."
"Have a seat, Jean-Luc. I can call you Jean-Luc, can't you?"
"Of course, Mr. President."
Decker smirked and walked over to the replicator. "Would you like anything to drink, Jean-Luc?"
"Uh, yes. Tea. Earl Grey. Hot."
The President nodded and ordered it up, along with a hot cup of coffee with cream. He sat down across from the Captain. Jean-Luc took a sip of the tea and nodded in approval.
"Very good. Thank you, Mr. President."
"Actually, Jean-Luc, I should be thanking you."
Jean-Luc perked his eyebrows as he took another sip. "How do you mean?"
Deck laughed out loud. "'How do you mean?' Jean-Luc, you have saved this Federation as many times as James T. Kirk. Hell, you met James T. Kirk! My being here has everything to do with your hard work and dedication. Not to mention your loyalty to the Federation, and beyond that – morality. And that is what brings me to you."
Jean-Luc put down his tea for a moment, leaned back and interlocked his fingers. The point was coming up and he wasn't planning on missing out on it. "Oh? And how is that?"
Decker paused and looked away for a moment before answering. "Captain, this galaxy is a pivotal juncture. The Klingons and the Cardassians are still recovering from their wars with each other as well as the Dominion, not to even mention the civil wars they were dealing with before that time. The Ferengi are undergoing large amounts of change under their new leadership. The Romulans are licking their wounds from the war and dealing with internal struggles – at least that is what our reports are telling us. Beyond that, we have been informed that the Borg are pulling back their ships and are still reeling from the recent blows. Even the Dominion has been undergoing major philosophical moves.
"And we, as the Federation, stand in middle. I hate to say this, but we are the most stable power in the galaxy, it seems. The Marquis no longer rebel. The war is over. And the return of Voyager boosted our moral to a maximum."
Jean-Luc took all this in. Most of this was common knowledge. What was he leading up to? Jean-Luc was impatient.
"If I may be so bold, sir, what is it you are saying?"
Decker grinned, as if expecting the aged Captain to say something along those lines. "Standing where we are, Jean-Luc, we feel compelled to act. As we speak, the ends of a secret negotiation of peace are taking place."
"With whom? What do you mean?"
"I'm afraid I can't go any further. That information is completely classified. But this peace is depending on the completion of a certain project. A project to which the Enterprise must head up."
"This project is . . . ?"
"Classified."
Jean-Luc sighed and stood up. "Mr. President, with all due respect, I must confess to being confused. How are we to work on a secret project for secret negotiations with a secret race while everything is classified?"
"Honestly, Captain," Decker said, pulling out one of many PADDS, "you won't be heading this project up. Your ship will be taking a team of specialists that will be handling the project."
"Specialists?"
"Yes. They will be under a separate command. You won't even know they're there, Jean-Luc."
"And who will be this separate command?"
Decker grinned and handed him a PADD. "I believe you've heard of her. I would everyone has at this point."
Jean-Luc exchanged glances between Decker and the PADD before finally saying the name.
"Admiral Kathryn Janeway."
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
Disclaimer: As I've said twice, this story is not mine. The other stuff isn't.
This book is for the execs that said "Let Star Trek have another chance."
STAR TREK – THE KELVAN CONQUEST
Book Two: "Secret Mission"
Act One: "Unexpected Guests"
A year and a half ago . . .
Colonel Kira Neryes stepped out of the Captain's office on station Deep Space Nine and into Ops. The command center of the station was as busy as ever and Kira could tell that with no more darkness looming overheads, life was meeting a strange sort of status quo.
Still, she sighed, the Captain was gone. And though the war was over and the Pah'Wraiths have been expelled from the temple into the fires from whence they came, there still was a sort of emptiness that lingered in the air.
In a silent admittance, she acknowledged what it was. Captain Sisko was gone. So was Odo. And so was Chief O'Brien . . . Worf . . . Jadzia Dax . . . Garak . . . Rom . . . Leeta . . .
She stopped herself and stepped down into the lower level of Ops and turned to Lieutenant Nog. "Station status, Lieutenant?"
"All systems fully function, Colonel. We were having some power cufflink problems on Upper Pylon Three, but the Engineering staff took care of that right away."
"Thank you, Lieutenant. How about the - "
But before the Bajoran Colonel could speak another word, the lights flickered across the station. An alarming beeping noise came from the table-top before them.
"Uh-oh," Nog muttered.
"What is it?"
"Well, it looks like fixing that power cufflink blew out energy transference systems to the main sensor array."
"Can you fix it?"
"Yeah. Just a minute."
Nog made a run to the pit that sat beneath the Main Viewer and started to get to work. Suddenly, a young Ensign looked up from his position.
"Colonel, I'm getting word . . . the Wormhole is opening."
"What? Can we get confirmation on that? Nog?"
"I'm working on it!"
"Now, Nog!"
"Got it!"
The Main Viewer clicked on, displaying the flowing and circulating beauty that was the Bajoran Wormhole. A few seconds after the Main Viewer came on, the Wormhole closed.
"Damn," Kira uttered under her breath. For a moment, she had hoped that a Dominion ship would come through, depositing Odo for her. Or perhaps it would mean the return of the Emissary – Captain Benjamin Sisko himself.
But there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Nothing had come out of that wonderous anomaly. Yet despite all of these disappointments, she couldn't be think. Maybe something didn't come out . . . maybe something came in . . .
***
Present Day
In the two years that the Dominion War has been over, the galaxy has gone through numerous and startling transformations. Not necessarily good or bad transformations – but just plain transformations. Captain Jean-Luc Picard had long predicted this ever since the beginning of the war. There seemed to be a feeling that a great storm has passed and all that's left is to pick up the pieces.
Indeed, he mused. He pulled on the top of his uniform out of habit and walked into the turbolift. When he reached the Bridge, he walked over towards his chair. It was there that Commander William T. Riker was jesting with Counselor Deanne Troi. Captain Picard paused in thought, remembering how the two rekindled their love and attraction for each other while they were on the Ba'ku homeworld.
"Captain," Riker greeted, standing up from his chair and greeting the Captain.
"Commander. Report."
"All ship's systems are working just fine. We're currently on course for the Deneb systems."
"Excellent," Picard piped, sitting firmly into his seat. "What is our ETA, Mr. Data?"
"At our current speed," replied the android, "nine hours, forty-seven minutes."
"Good, good. I - "
Just then, an irregular, rhythmic beeping came from Data's console. "Captain, I am detecting three Federation ships on an intercept course."
"What ships, Mr. Data?"
"The USS Brown, a galaxy-class ship. The USS Epic, a defiant-class vessel. And the science vessel, the USS Homer. They will arrive at our location in seven minutes."
"Captain," said the communications officer, "we are being told to drop out of warp to await further instructions."
Captain Picard stood up and walked a few steps from his chair. "On whose order?" asked Picard, wondering who was pulling the strings.
"Unknown. They are unwilling to give confirmation."
"Well," Captain Picard ventured as he turned back to his First Officer and ship's Counselor, "let's see who's giving the orders around here? What do you say, Number One?"
"I'm curious. Let's bite."
"Just to be on the safe side, let's go to Yellow Alert."
Captain Picard sat and gave the orders. A few moments later, the three ships surrounded the Enterprise.
"Captain, we're being hailed," the communications officer said.
"On screen."
The screen flicked on, revealing an image that shocked Captain Jean- Luc Picard to the core. On the bridge of the Brown was none other than Federation President Eli Decker. A tall man with silver hair, Decker was the first human Federation President in twelve years.
"Captain Picard. Good morning."
Picard stood immediately and walked forward. Behind him, he heard his counselor and his first officer make the same move.
"Mr. President," Picard began, "my most sincere apologies for not appearing in dress uniform."
"Oh, Captain, really. Don't worry about it. Listen, there are a few matters we need to discuss. Would you mind if you came on board? This ship has already been secured for the . . . subjects we must speak of."
"Of course. I'll be over immediately."
"Excellent! Decker out!"
The image disappeared. Captain Picard turned to Riker and Troi, looking worn and just plain out-of-sorts.
"Stand down Yellow Alert," the Captain said, putting on his poker face. "Number One, the ship is yours until I get back."
***
Captain Picard was escorted to President Decker's quarters. He was a bit surprised by this, but decided to just go with the flow.
The Lieutenant Commander that escorted him stopped in front of the doors and pressed the pad. Picard couldn't help but feel familiarity of the corridors as a result of his time spent on the Enterprise-D.
"Enter," said the President from the other side.
The officer nodded and Picard entered, the doors shutting quickly behind him. The President was standing in casual clothing, gazing out at the stars.
"Captain Picard," Decker greeted, his hand out-stretched warmly. Picard took it.
"Mr. President."
"Have a seat, Jean-Luc. I can call you Jean-Luc, can't you?"
"Of course, Mr. President."
Decker smirked and walked over to the replicator. "Would you like anything to drink, Jean-Luc?"
"Uh, yes. Tea. Earl Grey. Hot."
The President nodded and ordered it up, along with a hot cup of coffee with cream. He sat down across from the Captain. Jean-Luc took a sip of the tea and nodded in approval.
"Very good. Thank you, Mr. President."
"Actually, Jean-Luc, I should be thanking you."
Jean-Luc perked his eyebrows as he took another sip. "How do you mean?"
Deck laughed out loud. "'How do you mean?' Jean-Luc, you have saved this Federation as many times as James T. Kirk. Hell, you met James T. Kirk! My being here has everything to do with your hard work and dedication. Not to mention your loyalty to the Federation, and beyond that – morality. And that is what brings me to you."
Jean-Luc put down his tea for a moment, leaned back and interlocked his fingers. The point was coming up and he wasn't planning on missing out on it. "Oh? And how is that?"
Decker paused and looked away for a moment before answering. "Captain, this galaxy is a pivotal juncture. The Klingons and the Cardassians are still recovering from their wars with each other as well as the Dominion, not to even mention the civil wars they were dealing with before that time. The Ferengi are undergoing large amounts of change under their new leadership. The Romulans are licking their wounds from the war and dealing with internal struggles – at least that is what our reports are telling us. Beyond that, we have been informed that the Borg are pulling back their ships and are still reeling from the recent blows. Even the Dominion has been undergoing major philosophical moves.
"And we, as the Federation, stand in middle. I hate to say this, but we are the most stable power in the galaxy, it seems. The Marquis no longer rebel. The war is over. And the return of Voyager boosted our moral to a maximum."
Jean-Luc took all this in. Most of this was common knowledge. What was he leading up to? Jean-Luc was impatient.
"If I may be so bold, sir, what is it you are saying?"
Decker grinned, as if expecting the aged Captain to say something along those lines. "Standing where we are, Jean-Luc, we feel compelled to act. As we speak, the ends of a secret negotiation of peace are taking place."
"With whom? What do you mean?"
"I'm afraid I can't go any further. That information is completely classified. But this peace is depending on the completion of a certain project. A project to which the Enterprise must head up."
"This project is . . . ?"
"Classified."
Jean-Luc sighed and stood up. "Mr. President, with all due respect, I must confess to being confused. How are we to work on a secret project for secret negotiations with a secret race while everything is classified?"
"Honestly, Captain," Decker said, pulling out one of many PADDS, "you won't be heading this project up. Your ship will be taking a team of specialists that will be handling the project."
"Specialists?"
"Yes. They will be under a separate command. You won't even know they're there, Jean-Luc."
"And who will be this separate command?"
Decker grinned and handed him a PADD. "I believe you've heard of her. I would everyone has at this point."
Jean-Luc exchanged glances between Decker and the PADD before finally saying the name.
"Admiral Kathryn Janeway."