Chapter Two: The First Great Battle
The Covenant vessel Hammer of Justice arrived at the Covenant's home planet. The Hammer of Justice had been the vessel the Borg Cube had attacked. They had been ordered to give the High Prophets a briefing on this new enemy. It took them an hour to get into orbit, and another three to arrive at the Prophets chamber. They were waiting, the High Prophets of Regret, Mercy and Truth.
"You have arrived, what do you have to report," the Prophet of Regret asked.
"When we were destroying a Human colony, a vessel that was not of Human origin appeared out of nowhere and attacked us. They were somehow able to appear on my vessel without docking with it."
"How could that be possible," the Prophet of Truth asked. The Covenant had never encountered a technology like that
"I can only theorize they possessed some type of teleporter technology. Also, they seemed to generate shields similar to the ones our Elites possess. However they only appeared after they had been hit with our weapons."
"Interesting. They must be able to analyze our weapons and somehow generate a shield to repel their energy. We must learn more about this new force. Assemble a strike fleet and capture one of their vessels for study," the Prophet of Mercy ordered.
"There is one more thing my Prophet," the Shipmaster stated.
"Speak."
"After we damaged their vessel, its hull appeared to heal itself."
"Astounding! The Covenant must possess this technology. Assemlbe your fleet Shipmaster, and do as we command," the Prophet of Mercy instructed. The Shipmaster gave a bow and left the chamber. He had his orders and he would carry them out.
Four days later four hundred Covenant warships were gathered for a counter attack against this new enemy. With the technology the Shipmaster had seen, the Prophets were taking no chances.
Meanwhile, at the entrance to the wormhole, the Borg had set up a preliminary Unicomplex. There were now two hundred Borg vessels on this side of the wormhole. The Queen was getting ready to assimilate the first planet in this new galaxy. She had learned through the Covenant data that humans existed in this galaxy.
"Interesting, perhaps these humans will prove to be more of a challenge than the Federation was. This Covenant seems to be a prime race for assimilation. They are very good in close combat however. I will have to find way to adapt."
#Alert! Vessels detected approaching Unimatrix 02. Energy signatures match Species 18458: Covenant. Preparing defenses. #
"At last, I was wondering when they would strike back. We shall see who the superior species in this galaxy is."
The Covenant babble fleet dropped out of Subspace a few thousand kilometers outside the Unicomplex. The Borg fleet rushed to meet them. The main strength of the Borg fleet was fifty Cubes and ten Tactical cubes.
"Open fire. Target the cube shaped vessels first," Ordered the fleet Commander. Immediately nearly a thousand Plasma Beams and Torpedoes shot out at the Borg. Thirty of the Cubes and three Tactical vessels were vaporized by the overwhelming Covenant firepower.
The Borg responded with Chronoton Torpedoes and modified Bio Beams. Seventy Covenant ships were destroyed.
"Sir, we cannot sustain the attack! The enemies' firepower is too great!" Shouted an Elite.
"Continue to target the cubes, and if you continue to question me I will kill you," answered the Shipmaster.
The battle went on. Borg firepower met Covenant tenacity. Gradually, the Borg were forced back. With most of their Cubes lost, the smaller Spheres and Assimilators were being overwhelmed. Then the Queen decided to enter the fight. Her vessel mounted dozens of weapons, and each targeted and destroyed a Covenant ship. The once strong fleet had been reduced to a third of its original size. The Unicomplex was beginning to come under fire. The Queens' Diamond was now under attack from one hundred Covenant warships. Even its formidable defenses could not withstand such an assault. The Queen had no choice. The Borg must retreat! With a flick of her head, the Diamond and the few remaining Borg vessels began to retreat through the wormhole. The Covenant did not pursue. They had only thirty vessels remaining. Instead they began sifting through the debris, searching for useful technology.
On the other side of the wormhole, the Queens' Diamond emerged, trailing debris and plasma. "The Collective will not be defeated so easily," the Queen promised. She had assimilated enough data that she knew what the Covenant was, and where their empire was. The Borg would prevail.
Tune into the next chapter to see the next phase of the war between two of the most powerful races in existence!