- EIGHT -
Descent into Chaos
- February 15th, 2156 -

"Here you go Jon." Archer looked up to see a tired and worn Admiral Forrest handing him another cup of coffee. He greedily took it and gulped it down quickly, surprising even his exhausted superior officer. It was his third cup, but he still felt that there wasn't sufficient caffeine in his system to chase away his sleepiness, but it'll have to do. Gathered in the Admiral's office were four other senior Starfleet officers.

"Any word from the Vulcans?" Vice-Admiral Frier asked, initiating the start of the emergency meeting.

"None yet, we probably won't until the senate meets in two hours." Archer had lost track of the time, sneaking a glace out the office window to see a faint gleam of light rising above San Francisco's skyline, signalling dawn.

"Captain Archer." He quickly snapped back to attention, turning to face Commodore Shields. "You have the most experience out of any of us when it comes to dealing with the Romulans, do you think they intent a full- blown war?" All of a sudden, the spotlight was on him, and he gave himself a few seconds to scramble up an answer.

"Well, to be honest sir, my experience isn't much." He carried on before letting anyone else interrupt. "No one has been able to carry out much of a conversation with the Romulans. An encounter with them usually involves a warning and then a disruptor shot." Normally, this remark would generate some light-hearted laughter, but the atmosphere and mood was simply too tense.

"What do they want? Territory? Resources? There has to be some sort of justification for them to start a war." Vice-Admiral Hooper splat out, clearly frustrated with his failure to understand the Romulans and their actions over the past few weeks..

"Its probable the Romulans believe that we provoked them." That got Archer a few quizzical looks. "When Enterprise and Endeavour were ambushed, the Romulans accused us of violating their space... more then once."

"So they want to start a war just because we accidentally set foot in their turf a couple of times?" Commodore Shields asked again, Admiral Forrest nodded in agreement.

"Gentlemen, we know very little about the Romulans, or their behavioural patterns... anything is possible at this point. Until we get more information we'll have to assume that war is their intention." Forrest said.

"Is that what we'll be telling the senate?" Admiral Ryan spoke for the first time. Forrest let out a sigh, and again nodded.
- December 7th, 2380 -

Captains Jean-Luc Picard and William T. Riker were flung to the floor of Picard's cabin as the first volley of fire struck the Enterprise-E. Immediately the red alert klaxon bared out from every direction as the room was turned into velvet red by the emergency lights. The two captains picked themselves back up.

"Will! Get back to your ship!" Picard yelled over the klaxon.

"But..." Picard interrupted his former first officer.

"Your ship needs you; I can take care of myself." Riker hesitantly nodded in agreement as the guard stumbled into the room. "Ensign, I'm returning to my ship, watch the captain here and make sure nothing happens to him." The young man nodded in acknowledgement.

"Yes sir!" Riker gave Picard a "good luck" look before activating his comm badge.

"Riker to Titan, one to beam up!" A second later, Riker faded away in a twinkle of light. Picard turned back to the windows in his cabin, managing to catch a glimpse of the Merrimac giving chase and firing on one of the attacking ships, only to have two enemy vessels pounding away directly behind it.

We're badly outnumbered. Picard only hoped that Riker could get out of this one alive. A second salvo rocked the Enterprise-E, knocking Picard into one of the cabin's sofas. His guard however wasn't as lucky as he hit the wall and fell to the floor. A desperate voice then sounded over the ship's intercom.

"All hands prepare for intruders!!" What the hell is going on? Picard made his way to the young ensign and helped him back on his feet.

"Are you alright?" The captain asked.

"Yes sir, I'm fine." Before he could continue, the sound of a nearby phaser blast caught their attention. Picard could hear shouting and screaming just a ways down the corridor.

"Retreat!! Fall back..." As several Starfleet officers appeared around the bend, firing while moving backwards, flashes of phaser fire surrounded them as they took cover behind some bulkheads. The ensign grabbed his phaser rifle and ran out of the cabin to join his comrades in arms.

"Wait!" Picard yelled as he watched a security officer take a phaser shot in the chest and fall down. The last three remaining security officers continued to exchange phaser fire with the unseen enemy as Picard struggled to figure out what to do. He was crouching behind the door frame leading into his cabin, taking partial cover while watching the action unfold before him. When out of the corner of his eye, Picard detected some movement from the other end of the corridor. He turned just in time to see another group of soldiers, dressed in black military fatigues and toting some sort of modified phaser rifles emerge from the turbo-lift down the corridor. Damn!

"Behind you!" Picard yelled the warning, but it was too late. He saw the ensign turn his head, and as he swung his phaser rifle towards the new attackers, several phaser blasts struck his legs, torso and face, knocking him into the wall... dead. Picard quickly threw himself back into his room to avoid the crossfire. As he lifted his face off the floor he saw, through the window, what he believed to be the Merrimac's saucer section exploding not too far off in the distance. Picard shielded his eyes from the bright flash that followed the death of the starship. I hope the Titan's alright. This is all happening too fast.

As he started to haul his body off the floor for the second time in as many minutes, he heard the clatter of footsteps behind him followed by a commanding male voice.

"Captain Jean-Luc Picard?" He slowly turned around, to be met by three of the mysterious soldiers clad in black military fatigues pointing their phaser rifles squarely at his chest.

"Yes." Was the only response he could muster. The soldier glared at him for a few seconds more, before patting the comm badge pinned on his chest. Picard however, failed to recognize the design of the insignia representing the communications device.

"Buckler to Dougherty." Picard's eyes flared at hearing the name.

"Dougherty here, report." The voice was eerily familiar.

"We have the target secured. What are your orders?" The unidentified soldier asked without taking his eyes off the captain.

"Kill him." The voice replied coldly. The soldier gave a satisfied grin.

"With pleasure."
- February 15th, 2156 -

News broke fast. Much faster in fact, then Starfleet or the World Government could've predicted. An hour before the senate's emergency session was to begin, word of the emissary's failure hit every news channel and agency on the planet. Thirty minutes later, the first mass rallies begun with thousands of citizens filling the streets with chants and cries for war. Archer and the Starfleet contingent had to fight their way through the crowds across the street to reach the senate building, all with the assistance of a security escort.

"This is unbelievable." Archer said as they entered the main hall. Once inside, he saw the dozens of senators and politicians all squabbling with each other, the noise level was unbearable, as the President repeatedly hammered his gravel to no avail. The Starfleet officers found their seats and quickly dug themselves in. The President then finally lost his patience.

"Enough!" His voice boomed out, finally catching the attention of everyone in the room. "The emergency session will commence immediately. News of the situation has already broken out and we must act quickly." The President then turned towards the Starfleet officers. "Admiral Forrest, what do you have for us?" Forrest stood up and cleared his throat.

"I regret to inform you that we do not have much." This caused some mumbling in the room. "We are however, certain of the Romulan's hostile intentions. We believe that war is the only thing they want."

"Then war is what they'll get!" An overexcited senator shouted, causing an uproar.

"Order! Order! Order!" The President yelled at the top of his lungs, while pounding furiously away with his gravel. He's going to need a new one before the day is out. Archer thought.

"Admiral, what can you tell us of the tactical situation?" Forrest shook his head in some frustration.

"I am afraid I don't have any new information. Our intelligence on the Romulans are extremely thin." Forrest emphasised by making the gesture with two of his fingers. "I would advise that waging war with an enemy we barely know is very unwise at the moment." Many senators disagreed. "However," Forrest continued, "it may not be a luxury we have. War, unfortunately, may be our only option." Many senators however, agreed with this by starting a chant for war. Again, the President utilized his gravel to the maximum extent before turning to face Ambassador Soval.

"Thank you Admiral. Ambassador, what is the stance of the Vulcan government?" The old alien dignitary stood up as the spotlight shifted to him.

"Mr. President, the Vulcans concur with Admiral Forrest. War is an unadvisable choice for now." A few senators jeered and booed him, but failed to rattle the emotionless ambassador. "Admiral Forrest speaks wisely; you must not wage war with the Romulans until you know more about your enemy. You must not let your lust for revenge cloud your thinking, acting rashly will only do more harm then good. Instead, you must proceed logically." This statement unnerved a few of the politicians.

"Shut your mouth you damn Vulcans!" One yelled, to the applause of several others. Others revived the war chant. It took a full minute before the President was able to establish any order, he was clearly exhausted by working his gravel so hard.

"Thank you Ambassador. If there are no others who wish to voice their opinion...?" The President scanned the entire room. "Then we must act quickly. The people are becoming restless, and it is only a matter of time before we descend into anarchy." The President paused for breath. "Now, we must vote for war... or peace. Senators, it is time to make your voice heard." Archer watched as all the bureaucrats picked up a small hand-held device in front of them, through these devices they will vote in favour, or against a declaration of war, and a computer will tally the results. Archer sat quietly besides the admiral for a few tense minutes. The future of earth will be decided here. Finally, a signal beckoned the President, indicating that the voting was complete. He turned to face a large view screen showing the results, as did everyone else in the room.

The decision was unanimous. The President stood to face the senate as a wave of cheers erupted and swept through the main hall. All Archer and Forrest could do was exchange looks of uncertainty.

"Then so be it. The people of Earth have spoken." The President's voice rumbled with authority. "There will be war with the Romulan Star Empire."

To Be Continued...