-Chapter Four - By the Prickling of my Thumbs.-
-Imperial Palace Tower, Moscow-
Frank and Victoria were just exiting the turbolift on the floor above the throne room when the both felt a massive telepathic surge. A sudden torrent of rage and pain flooded into them, totally unexpected, catching them unawares. The sheer force of the emotions was almost stronger than even the Fury pair combined could generate. They slammed into the Furies unprepared minds like a sledgehammer, causing them temporary paralysis as they fought to drive the thoughts from their minds and slam their telepathic shields fully into place. Yet they never got the chance, for almost as quickly as the surge came, it faded away to nothingness. Noting that his highly efficient body guards had stopped suddenly, Jack turned around to find out the problem.
"What's the matter?"
-We aren't sure your Majesty. For a moment it was as if a very powerful mind was set loose, then vanished as quickly as it arose. It is most peculiar.- Frank said in Jack's mind.
"Do you have any idea whose mind it was?"
-No, nor do we know how close the mind was. It was there and gone so quickly that we couldn't localize it before it disappeared.-
"Does it pose a threat?"
-We do not believe so, but we shall be extra acute in our guard duties.- The Furies opinion was good enough for Jack. He nearly immediately shifted from personal concern to matters of business.
"I have been meaning to talk to you about them. I feel that another Fury pair can keep watch over me for a little while. I need someone I can trust to be my eyes, and I trust no one more than the two of you."
-We live to serve the Empire, your Majesty.- Victoria's voice sounded inside Jack's head.
"I know you do. Lately, there have been rumblings that the minor powers in the Delta Quadrant have been moving in to former Borg Space, taking over planets that are rightly ours. I believe that my plan for solidifying power might have worked to well, for my underlings are scared to bring me unhappy news. The data analysts might be skewing their results to provide a seemingly more pleasant answer than is the truth. I want the two of you to go the Delta Quadrant and find out if there is any facts to these rumblings or if I am merely jumping at shadows. If they are invading our space, a battle fleet or two will teach them the error of their ways. While they may not be able to do much in the current situation against the Grand Alliance, they will prove more than a handful for any enemy the Delta Quadrant can send against us."
-We understand. When do you want us to go?-
"As soon as is convenient for you."
-It shall be done your Majesty.-
-Section 31 Starbase 001, Terra Orbit, Sol System-
Inside the hollowed out inside of Section 31's primary starbase, a frigate- sized vessel began to power up for operation. She was no ordinary frigate though, for she only had a small, single deck command section deep in her heart. The rest of her was a near solid wall of weapons, armor and subsystems. Small, computer controlled drones scurried about her miniscule passageways, performing the tasks that a starship's crew would normally have done. Inside the ship, blue light strips activated along with the lone manual control station. The whine of a transporter was heard, and two figures materialized on the Spartan bridge. One was a tall man dressed all in black. His trench coat fell almost to the ground, and his glowing eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. The other was a large dog, her gray coat tinged with brown. Her eyes glowed faintly blue as well. As Frank and Victoria settled in to their seats, physical restraints and tractor beams activated, holding them securely against any unexpected movement.
The Furies reached out with their computer augments, binding themselves to the ship, making it an extension of themselves. The computer recognized them and granted full system access. Within seconds, all ships systems were powered up and cross-checked for irregularities. With a speed only computers can achieve, Frank sent a series of commands to the ships computer. Borg STL drives activated as all moorings were cleared. Once the ship was underway, it activated phase cloak and slipped through the armored hull of the starbase. The ships computer meshed with its Fury commanders, its sensors becoming extensions of their own. By mere thought, orders were sent to the ship's computer, molding the ships systems into extensions of the two Furies' bodies. A course was plotted and the ships QSS drive came online. The totally invisible starship disappeared into the many-layered realm of subspace.
-Section 31 Starbase 001 Ops Deck-
The duty command officer looked at the holo of the base's interior as sensors alerted him to the Stalker class Frigate's powering up. One second the powerful vessel was in standby, the next it was fully online, disconnecting from its umbilicals and bringing its phase cloak online. The sleek, sharp edged, stiletto shaped, matte pitch-black hull with dual gleaming red eye like main deflectors near its prow flipped end for end in the blink of an eye. She bore no markings, no windows, no identifying marks of any kind, merely her eye like crimson main deflectors set in her black hull. She merely radiated a sense of doom and foreboding. The deadly vessel was moving rapidly towards the nearest internal wall of the station as it rippled and faded from normal space.
The command officer suppressed a shudder of relief as the evil looking craft disappeared. At least it wouldn't be his responsibility for a while. There were still nineteen other Stalkers sitting in their docking slips on the station, but even a reduction in their number by one was a vast relief. The frigate-sized craft packed enough armor, shields and weaponry to give a Wraith class Super Dreadnought a run for its money. If Section needed something done that couldn't use normal channels, it called upon the Furies and their Stalkers. No one out side of a select few high-ranking officials in Section knew exactly what they were capable of, and that mystery merely added to their already impressive reputation. All people in the empire feared the Furies, even those who didn't quite believe that they existed. Those that did know they existed were terrified of them. Section might watch the Empire and Starfleet, but the Furies watched over all three and answered only to the Council. With it now gone, they answered to only one man, Emperor Jack Chambers.
-Sovereign Class ISS Enterprise NCC-1701-E, Terra Orbit, Sol System-
Admiral Thomas Riker sat in his command chair on the Enterprise's Flag Bridge with his customary grin perking the corners of his mouth. His new brilliant white and gold uniform was immaculate. Just like his rise to the seat he now occupied. He hadn't had to stoop to assassination or a personal challenge to get rid of Picard. The new Emperor had done that dirty piece of business for him, clearing the way for his ascension to Flag rank. After so many years of playing second fiddle to Picard, Thomas was finally in total control of one of the most decorated and best known warships in Starfleet. There had always been an Enterprise. Even before Starfleet was formed, the name Enterprise had a long and honored history in Terran's navies. Every Enterprise since the original Constitution class NCC- 1701 and even Captain Archer's NX-01 had possessed a stellar battle record. The Enterprise-E was no different. With the loss of the Enterprise-D during the Imperial/Dominion war, the one of the earliest production Sovereigns was given the Enterprise name and cereal number. The battle records from each Enterprise that had served in Starfleet had been added to the Enterprise-E's own battle record, but she had soon added to that record all on her own. The latest Enterprise, while not as new and powerful as some of the larger current capital ship designs, was still a deadly vessel with over 9000 confirmed kills.
Thomas glanced over to the seven dedication plaques mounted near the primary Flag Bridge turboshaft. So great had each Enterprise proven in battle, that each one had had its battle records passed on to subsequent vessels. It was usually only one or two ships that distinguished themselves so fully, such as the original Constitution and the latest one, the Constitution-D. Yet the name Enterprise had become congruent with success. She was as close as the Terran Empire came to an actual Starfleet wide Flagship. Every citizen knew of the exploits of the starships Enterprise. The Enterprise was the ship every cadet dreamed about serving on. She was the ship every officer dreamed of commanding. And now, finally, she was Thomas Riker's.
When Picard had finally been promoted to flag rank, Thomas had though he had died and gone to heaven the first time he had sat in the main bridge's command chair and known it was totally his. Yet that memory was but a pale comparison to finally sinking into the command chair on the Enterprise's flag bridge. Being Captain of the Enterprise was good. Being Admiral of the Enterprise Battle Group was better. And the last vestiges of that traitor Picard would be erased from her soon, for the Enterprise's BG was to be rotated out to the new boarder to be used in strike missions against the self styled Grand Alliance. There was currently no better place to add to the Enterprise's battle record than there, and Thomas couldn't wait for the opportunity that the upcoming missions presented.
Thomas looked over a status report handed to him by a crewman, nodding absently as the report told him that everything was running smoothly. The turbolift doors opened quietly behind him, almost lost in the background noise of the active Flag Bridge. Thomas felt a presence enfold his mind. It was both pleasant and mildly painful at the same time. What' the hell. Thomas thought. He began to turn around to try and identify the source of the intrusion into his thoughts when a voice stopped him cold.
"Hello Tom, its good to finally catch up with you again."
-Orion Cartel Starbase 'Flying Dutchman', Near the new Cardassian Union/Terran Empire Border, That same time -
Peter O'tole entered his lavish quarters thoroughly satisfied with the current state of affairs in the Galaxy. Phase one of the original plan had called for bleeding the TE white in a long campaign on all fronts. With the introduction of the Breen Energy Dampening Weapon, phase one had been modified for the utter destruction of the TE. With the new weapon, that goal had seemed attainable. Yet the Terrans had managed to find a counter to it with startling rapidity. The end result was a stalemate with both sides concentrating their forces in core systems and along their new mutual boarder. While not as good of a result as the revised plan had called for, it was almost as good as the original one. Regardless of the first phase's outcome, the second phase was about to commence. It had been slightly modified to take advantage of the new dispositions of the fleets involved. Phase two had been designed to spread chaos and destruction across whomever survived phase one. Since both sides had survived, both sides would be engaged.
No plan ever survived contact with the enemy, but the plan devised by Peter's masters was adaptive enough to make use of the current military and political situation in the Alpha, Beta and Delta Quadrants. The chaos and destruction he would meat out would warm any pirate's soul, and despite its now massive power base, the Orion Cartel was little removed from its pirate ancestry. Peter smiled a predatory as he settled into a comfortable chair.
And soon thereafter phase three would commence, proving the first two phases mere sideshows in comparison.
-Imperial Exploratory Fleet 8, Delta Quadrant, Near Galactic Fringe-
-Battle Group Log, Stardate 14052387: Another day and another "miraculous" spacial anomaly to stop and chart. Sometimes I think that Admiral October and his Scifleet Captains do it on purpose because he knows just how much it aggravates us gunslingers to have to stop almost every light-year. We haven't encountered a combative species in weeks, and I am gravely concerned that even in spite of my regimen of combat drills, the ships of my Battle Group are loosing their edge. Part of me is beginning to question the intelligence level of Starfleet Command, for I can find no intelligent reason to keep my ships out here in the armpit of the galaxy while the real action is happening right in the Empire's back yard. I will try my best to keep my ships in peak combat form incase my requests for transfer are finally answered, but till then all I can do is continue to nursemaid my charges as they slowly plod across the Quadrant.-
How she managed to get stuck shepherding a pack of Scifleet rabble as they went from star to star searching through space for valuable resources and useful technology was beyond Admiral Kathryn Janeway. After all she and the Intrepid class Voyager-A did during the Imperial/Borg War, Starfleet Command had seen fit to reward them by attaching her battle squadron to the latest round of exploratory missions into the newly opened up Delta Quadrant. The five Intrepids and ten Sabers of the Voyager Battle Group were now providing escort for three of Scifleet's Nebulas and a lone Atlas class cargo ship. While the Scifleet battle cruisers retained much of their Starfleet standard weaponry, they lacked the massive weapons pods that most of their cousins sported. In their place, one carried a SWAC array, the next a massive cargo storage pod, and the last a hangar to house the plethora of specialized survey vehicles all survey missions required. While the Terran Empire had only recently taken out the Borg, opening their former space for colonization, they always were looking ahead to the future. As such, there were always at least a few minor battle groups scouting out beyond the borders of explored space in search of new opportunities that the Terran Empire could exploit. Just the same, with the recent resurgence of the conquered Empires in the Alpha and Beta quadrants, Kathryn thought that a battle group with such a strong battle record would have been recalled to help bolster the defense of the remaining core worlds. Instead they were being left out here in the middle of nowhere, babysitting a bunch of nerdy pansies that seemed bound and determined to stop and thoroughly investigate every insignificant spatial anomaly and new culture that they came upon.
Some of those new cultures had proven hostile to even the mostly peaceful Exploratory Fleet. Some of those same hostile cultures had even given the Exploratory Fleet some trouble. True most of them didn't stand much of a chance if Starfleet decided to drop a battle fleet on their doorstep, but the Voyager Battle Group and the Scifleet ships it was escorting were far from a full on Terran Empire battle fleet. The fact that word had gotten around that Exploratory Fleet 8 represented the same species that had brought the Borg down had helped save them from most of the intelligent species in their survey path. It hadn't stopped species like the Kazon, the Vidiians, the Hirogen and the Krenim from sniping at them when they thought they could get away with it. They had proven interesting, sometimes dangerous opponents, but they in most cases lacked sufficient size or firepower to pose a risk to the Terran Empire. Over the past two years Kathryn had experienced enough scientific exploration to last two life times. She longed to be back in the thick of things instead of off on some mostly useless survey and scouting mission.
-Imperial Palace Tower, Moscow-
Frank and Victoria were just exiting the turbolift on the floor above the throne room when the both felt a massive telepathic surge. A sudden torrent of rage and pain flooded into them, totally unexpected, catching them unawares. The sheer force of the emotions was almost stronger than even the Fury pair combined could generate. They slammed into the Furies unprepared minds like a sledgehammer, causing them temporary paralysis as they fought to drive the thoughts from their minds and slam their telepathic shields fully into place. Yet they never got the chance, for almost as quickly as the surge came, it faded away to nothingness. Noting that his highly efficient body guards had stopped suddenly, Jack turned around to find out the problem.
"What's the matter?"
-We aren't sure your Majesty. For a moment it was as if a very powerful mind was set loose, then vanished as quickly as it arose. It is most peculiar.- Frank said in Jack's mind.
"Do you have any idea whose mind it was?"
-No, nor do we know how close the mind was. It was there and gone so quickly that we couldn't localize it before it disappeared.-
"Does it pose a threat?"
-We do not believe so, but we shall be extra acute in our guard duties.- The Furies opinion was good enough for Jack. He nearly immediately shifted from personal concern to matters of business.
"I have been meaning to talk to you about them. I feel that another Fury pair can keep watch over me for a little while. I need someone I can trust to be my eyes, and I trust no one more than the two of you."
-We live to serve the Empire, your Majesty.- Victoria's voice sounded inside Jack's head.
"I know you do. Lately, there have been rumblings that the minor powers in the Delta Quadrant have been moving in to former Borg Space, taking over planets that are rightly ours. I believe that my plan for solidifying power might have worked to well, for my underlings are scared to bring me unhappy news. The data analysts might be skewing their results to provide a seemingly more pleasant answer than is the truth. I want the two of you to go the Delta Quadrant and find out if there is any facts to these rumblings or if I am merely jumping at shadows. If they are invading our space, a battle fleet or two will teach them the error of their ways. While they may not be able to do much in the current situation against the Grand Alliance, they will prove more than a handful for any enemy the Delta Quadrant can send against us."
-We understand. When do you want us to go?-
"As soon as is convenient for you."
-It shall be done your Majesty.-
-Section 31 Starbase 001, Terra Orbit, Sol System-
Inside the hollowed out inside of Section 31's primary starbase, a frigate- sized vessel began to power up for operation. She was no ordinary frigate though, for she only had a small, single deck command section deep in her heart. The rest of her was a near solid wall of weapons, armor and subsystems. Small, computer controlled drones scurried about her miniscule passageways, performing the tasks that a starship's crew would normally have done. Inside the ship, blue light strips activated along with the lone manual control station. The whine of a transporter was heard, and two figures materialized on the Spartan bridge. One was a tall man dressed all in black. His trench coat fell almost to the ground, and his glowing eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. The other was a large dog, her gray coat tinged with brown. Her eyes glowed faintly blue as well. As Frank and Victoria settled in to their seats, physical restraints and tractor beams activated, holding them securely against any unexpected movement.
The Furies reached out with their computer augments, binding themselves to the ship, making it an extension of themselves. The computer recognized them and granted full system access. Within seconds, all ships systems were powered up and cross-checked for irregularities. With a speed only computers can achieve, Frank sent a series of commands to the ships computer. Borg STL drives activated as all moorings were cleared. Once the ship was underway, it activated phase cloak and slipped through the armored hull of the starbase. The ships computer meshed with its Fury commanders, its sensors becoming extensions of their own. By mere thought, orders were sent to the ship's computer, molding the ships systems into extensions of the two Furies' bodies. A course was plotted and the ships QSS drive came online. The totally invisible starship disappeared into the many-layered realm of subspace.
-Section 31 Starbase 001 Ops Deck-
The duty command officer looked at the holo of the base's interior as sensors alerted him to the Stalker class Frigate's powering up. One second the powerful vessel was in standby, the next it was fully online, disconnecting from its umbilicals and bringing its phase cloak online. The sleek, sharp edged, stiletto shaped, matte pitch-black hull with dual gleaming red eye like main deflectors near its prow flipped end for end in the blink of an eye. She bore no markings, no windows, no identifying marks of any kind, merely her eye like crimson main deflectors set in her black hull. She merely radiated a sense of doom and foreboding. The deadly vessel was moving rapidly towards the nearest internal wall of the station as it rippled and faded from normal space.
The command officer suppressed a shudder of relief as the evil looking craft disappeared. At least it wouldn't be his responsibility for a while. There were still nineteen other Stalkers sitting in their docking slips on the station, but even a reduction in their number by one was a vast relief. The frigate-sized craft packed enough armor, shields and weaponry to give a Wraith class Super Dreadnought a run for its money. If Section needed something done that couldn't use normal channels, it called upon the Furies and their Stalkers. No one out side of a select few high-ranking officials in Section knew exactly what they were capable of, and that mystery merely added to their already impressive reputation. All people in the empire feared the Furies, even those who didn't quite believe that they existed. Those that did know they existed were terrified of them. Section might watch the Empire and Starfleet, but the Furies watched over all three and answered only to the Council. With it now gone, they answered to only one man, Emperor Jack Chambers.
-Sovereign Class ISS Enterprise NCC-1701-E, Terra Orbit, Sol System-
Admiral Thomas Riker sat in his command chair on the Enterprise's Flag Bridge with his customary grin perking the corners of his mouth. His new brilliant white and gold uniform was immaculate. Just like his rise to the seat he now occupied. He hadn't had to stoop to assassination or a personal challenge to get rid of Picard. The new Emperor had done that dirty piece of business for him, clearing the way for his ascension to Flag rank. After so many years of playing second fiddle to Picard, Thomas was finally in total control of one of the most decorated and best known warships in Starfleet. There had always been an Enterprise. Even before Starfleet was formed, the name Enterprise had a long and honored history in Terran's navies. Every Enterprise since the original Constitution class NCC- 1701 and even Captain Archer's NX-01 had possessed a stellar battle record. The Enterprise-E was no different. With the loss of the Enterprise-D during the Imperial/Dominion war, the one of the earliest production Sovereigns was given the Enterprise name and cereal number. The battle records from each Enterprise that had served in Starfleet had been added to the Enterprise-E's own battle record, but she had soon added to that record all on her own. The latest Enterprise, while not as new and powerful as some of the larger current capital ship designs, was still a deadly vessel with over 9000 confirmed kills.
Thomas glanced over to the seven dedication plaques mounted near the primary Flag Bridge turboshaft. So great had each Enterprise proven in battle, that each one had had its battle records passed on to subsequent vessels. It was usually only one or two ships that distinguished themselves so fully, such as the original Constitution and the latest one, the Constitution-D. Yet the name Enterprise had become congruent with success. She was as close as the Terran Empire came to an actual Starfleet wide Flagship. Every citizen knew of the exploits of the starships Enterprise. The Enterprise was the ship every cadet dreamed about serving on. She was the ship every officer dreamed of commanding. And now, finally, she was Thomas Riker's.
When Picard had finally been promoted to flag rank, Thomas had though he had died and gone to heaven the first time he had sat in the main bridge's command chair and known it was totally his. Yet that memory was but a pale comparison to finally sinking into the command chair on the Enterprise's flag bridge. Being Captain of the Enterprise was good. Being Admiral of the Enterprise Battle Group was better. And the last vestiges of that traitor Picard would be erased from her soon, for the Enterprise's BG was to be rotated out to the new boarder to be used in strike missions against the self styled Grand Alliance. There was currently no better place to add to the Enterprise's battle record than there, and Thomas couldn't wait for the opportunity that the upcoming missions presented.
Thomas looked over a status report handed to him by a crewman, nodding absently as the report told him that everything was running smoothly. The turbolift doors opened quietly behind him, almost lost in the background noise of the active Flag Bridge. Thomas felt a presence enfold his mind. It was both pleasant and mildly painful at the same time. What' the hell. Thomas thought. He began to turn around to try and identify the source of the intrusion into his thoughts when a voice stopped him cold.
"Hello Tom, its good to finally catch up with you again."
-Orion Cartel Starbase 'Flying Dutchman', Near the new Cardassian Union/Terran Empire Border, That same time -
Peter O'tole entered his lavish quarters thoroughly satisfied with the current state of affairs in the Galaxy. Phase one of the original plan had called for bleeding the TE white in a long campaign on all fronts. With the introduction of the Breen Energy Dampening Weapon, phase one had been modified for the utter destruction of the TE. With the new weapon, that goal had seemed attainable. Yet the Terrans had managed to find a counter to it with startling rapidity. The end result was a stalemate with both sides concentrating their forces in core systems and along their new mutual boarder. While not as good of a result as the revised plan had called for, it was almost as good as the original one. Regardless of the first phase's outcome, the second phase was about to commence. It had been slightly modified to take advantage of the new dispositions of the fleets involved. Phase two had been designed to spread chaos and destruction across whomever survived phase one. Since both sides had survived, both sides would be engaged.
No plan ever survived contact with the enemy, but the plan devised by Peter's masters was adaptive enough to make use of the current military and political situation in the Alpha, Beta and Delta Quadrants. The chaos and destruction he would meat out would warm any pirate's soul, and despite its now massive power base, the Orion Cartel was little removed from its pirate ancestry. Peter smiled a predatory as he settled into a comfortable chair.
And soon thereafter phase three would commence, proving the first two phases mere sideshows in comparison.
-Imperial Exploratory Fleet 8, Delta Quadrant, Near Galactic Fringe-
-Battle Group Log, Stardate 14052387: Another day and another "miraculous" spacial anomaly to stop and chart. Sometimes I think that Admiral October and his Scifleet Captains do it on purpose because he knows just how much it aggravates us gunslingers to have to stop almost every light-year. We haven't encountered a combative species in weeks, and I am gravely concerned that even in spite of my regimen of combat drills, the ships of my Battle Group are loosing their edge. Part of me is beginning to question the intelligence level of Starfleet Command, for I can find no intelligent reason to keep my ships out here in the armpit of the galaxy while the real action is happening right in the Empire's back yard. I will try my best to keep my ships in peak combat form incase my requests for transfer are finally answered, but till then all I can do is continue to nursemaid my charges as they slowly plod across the Quadrant.-
How she managed to get stuck shepherding a pack of Scifleet rabble as they went from star to star searching through space for valuable resources and useful technology was beyond Admiral Kathryn Janeway. After all she and the Intrepid class Voyager-A did during the Imperial/Borg War, Starfleet Command had seen fit to reward them by attaching her battle squadron to the latest round of exploratory missions into the newly opened up Delta Quadrant. The five Intrepids and ten Sabers of the Voyager Battle Group were now providing escort for three of Scifleet's Nebulas and a lone Atlas class cargo ship. While the Scifleet battle cruisers retained much of their Starfleet standard weaponry, they lacked the massive weapons pods that most of their cousins sported. In their place, one carried a SWAC array, the next a massive cargo storage pod, and the last a hangar to house the plethora of specialized survey vehicles all survey missions required. While the Terran Empire had only recently taken out the Borg, opening their former space for colonization, they always were looking ahead to the future. As such, there were always at least a few minor battle groups scouting out beyond the borders of explored space in search of new opportunities that the Terran Empire could exploit. Just the same, with the recent resurgence of the conquered Empires in the Alpha and Beta quadrants, Kathryn thought that a battle group with such a strong battle record would have been recalled to help bolster the defense of the remaining core worlds. Instead they were being left out here in the middle of nowhere, babysitting a bunch of nerdy pansies that seemed bound and determined to stop and thoroughly investigate every insignificant spatial anomaly and new culture that they came upon.
Some of those new cultures had proven hostile to even the mostly peaceful Exploratory Fleet. Some of those same hostile cultures had even given the Exploratory Fleet some trouble. True most of them didn't stand much of a chance if Starfleet decided to drop a battle fleet on their doorstep, but the Voyager Battle Group and the Scifleet ships it was escorting were far from a full on Terran Empire battle fleet. The fact that word had gotten around that Exploratory Fleet 8 represented the same species that had brought the Borg down had helped save them from most of the intelligent species in their survey path. It hadn't stopped species like the Kazon, the Vidiians, the Hirogen and the Krenim from sniping at them when they thought they could get away with it. They had proven interesting, sometimes dangerous opponents, but they in most cases lacked sufficient size or firepower to pose a risk to the Terran Empire. Over the past two years Kathryn had experienced enough scientific exploration to last two life times. She longed to be back in the thick of things instead of off on some mostly useless survey and scouting mission.