Chapter Seventeen: Storm Front: Part One

Alissa's Diamond and the Mintal and Endgre scout fleet dropped out of Transwarp near a nebula. They entered slowly. Soon they saw the fleet. It was indeed massive. The Endgre ships were slightly organic looking craft, covered in silk like amour and mostly oval in shape. The Mintal ships were the opposite: Black armored warships with turrets thrusting from the hull. Their engines glowed a menacing red, and Alissa thought about changing the color of Borg ships to match them.

The fleet angled toward a massive Endgre ship in the center of the fleet. Its armor was a deep jade and its engines glowed a soft purple. Alissa and Alana boarded a shuttle and soon entered a fighter bay. Hundreds of Endgre troops shouldered their arms. Alissa and Alana walked forward, being led out of the bay and to a conference room. Alissa saw that the interior of the ship was constructed mostly of the same silk material as the armor.

When Alissa and Alana arrived at the conference room two others were already there, an Endgre and a Mintal. The Endgre rose to her feet. She was tall, over two meters and dressed in regal robes of many colors. Her skin was light green and her hair light blue with a streak of red down the back, the ends pooling on the floor.

"Greetings Queen Alissa. I am First Lady Morsay Uday, leader of the Endgre. Allow me to introduce Malade Hoder, Lord Commander of the Mintal fleet."

Alissa bowed to both of them. "It's an honor to meet you. Now, you are seeking shelter from the Kreedak correct?"

"Yes," First Lady Morsay replied.

"I believe I can find a few star systems for your people. All I ask in return is access to your technology and database. You may possess technology that will aid the Borg in the destruction of the Kreedak."

"You believe you can defeat the Kreedak?" Hoder asked. "Both our empire and the Endgre could only slow them down."

"The Borg armada is much larger than you think. Our fleet currently numbers 4.7 million vessels, 80 percent of which are Cubes. I believe that would provide a decent defense against the Kreedak," Alissa replied. There was silence.

"You possess nearly five million vessels?" First Lady Morsay asked. Alissa smiled.

"Yes, and with the technology from your fleet we will soon launch a massive attack on the Kreedak. If you wish your vessels may fight with us. So, do we have a deal? Your technology in exchange for shelter and revenge?"

"I will agree," Morsay replied. "Even since the Kreedak burned our homeworld my people have thirsted for revenge. You have our support."

"You have ours as well," Commander Hoder added. "We will see the Kreedak burn."

"Excellent. Prepare you ships for-" suddenly the ship's lighting darkened and orange lights began flashing. "What is happening?" Alissa asked. She linked to her Diamond's sensors and saw that Kreedak warships coming out of Subspace.

"Kreedak vessels approaching First Lady," came the reply to Morsay's query.

"How many?"

"Eighty thousand." Everyone was shocked into silence.

"Eighty thousand?" Morsay couldn't believe it. Alissa reacted first.

"Everyone, form your vessels up. I will open a Transwarp conduit to a safe system. Get your ships through as fast as you can. I will hold them off."

"You have only one ship. You can't possibly hold them on your own," Morsay said. Alissa smiled.

"I never said I was alone." Out in space over ten thousand Borg Cubes decloaked. Alissa had been counting on a Kreedak attack. She wanted to destroy a large segment of their fleet before the Borg invasion began. "Move your ships into the conduit. It will open shortly. My fleet will handle the Kreedak." Alissa and Alana beamed back to the Diamond, which took a place near the rear of the Borg armada. The Kreedak's time had come.

…

Commander Haass stood proudly on the bridge of the Battle Hive Death Spitter. His fleet was one of the largest ever assembled in Kreedak history. Eighty thousand vessels, including nearly fifty Battle Hives. The Borg armada numbered eight times his own, but that would soon be remedied.

"Power the main canons of the Battle Hives and set them for flak mode." The drones manning the weapons consoles clicked and hissed as they carried out their orders.

In space, the main guns of forty-six Battle Hives opened and began shining a blinding white. The fleet spread open like an opening flower, leaving the Battle Hives with a clear shot into the Borg fleet. The Mintal and Endgre fleet had gone into a Transwarp conduit. Then the Battle Hives fired, but instead of solid beams, the main Kreedak cannons fired waves of subspace energy. It spread like a wave, thundering toward the Borg. They would not escape Haass's wrath this time.

…

"Alert. Large energy wave approaching. Subspace shockwave, high power reading. Chance of survival zero percent."

"All ships evasive action, NOW!" Alissa had expected Battle Hives, but she had not counted on a flak burst. She sent frantic signals to her ships. Most of them managed to warp out of the way of the shockwave, but nine hundred and fifty vessels were destroyed. The remaining Cubes and Alissa's Diamond returned fire. Alissa called for Demon's Tooth vessels to combat the Battle Hives. Seven arrived moments later, all the Borg currently possessed. With the Kreedak fleet spread out the blasts blew apart seven Battle Hives. The Kreedak ships immediately moved to cover the remaining Battle Hives, but doing so prevented more flak bursts.

The Borg fleet fired volley after volley into the Kreedak. Disruptors, bio-beams and Chronoton torpedoes lashed into the more numerous but technologically inferior Kreedak vessels. Subspace phasers tore through Borg shielding, but heavy armor prevented major damage and regeneration quickly engaged. Kreedak fighters dueled with Borg Daggers as they danced around the larger vessels. Tiny explosions went off constantly. Kreedak boarding pods were dispatched but thankfully none made it through. Alissa called in more vessels and over the next few minutes twenty thousand more Cubes and five thousand Spheres arrived and joined the battle. The Kreedak used Subspace shockwaves twice more, each time killing nearly a thousand or more Cubes, but they lost seven Battle Hives each time from return fire from the Borg Demon's Tooths. The Borg were winning the field.

…

Commander Haass slashed through a nearby worker in frustration, its blood splattering over his shell.

"All vessels fire! We will not retreat from the Borg! We must win! Prepare another flak burst! Target the center of the Borg formation!"

"But my lord, we have already lost nearly-" the officer was killed as Haass speared him with his blade.

"Anyone who questions mo orders will die! NOW DO AS I COMMAND!" Haass watched happily as another thousand Borg Cubes were killed. He could still win this. Then the Borg return volley claimed another seven Battle Hives. His weapons couldn't reach the Borg ship killers. They were hidden behind a wall of Cubes and their weapons were thin beams, which enabled them to fire through the Borg formation. All around him Kreedak ships were dying. Borg vessels had begun wading through his formation, losing dozens to Subspace phasers and torpedoes, but each destroyed many Kreedak vessels before dying. His fleet numbered less than half of its initial compliment, yet Haass would not, could not, retreat. If he did the Elders would surely execute him. No, better to die here and take as many Borg with his as he could. Suddenly he spied the Borg flagship, a massive Diamond, wading into the battle. Its weapons killed dozens of ships with each salvo. "Order all ships to hit that vessel! NOW!"

…

Alissa felt her Diamond shake as the entire Kreedak turned its guns on her vessel. Its shields were weakening; phasers tore at armor, but her escort Cubes protected her. The Battle Hives loomed ahead. One of them was moving to ram. The Demon's Tooth vessels fired again, taking out most of the remaining Battle Hives. Alissa's ship savaged the last one with everything it had. A Concentrated beam cut through ten Cubes in front of her. Then the Diamond exploded the Hive's main cannon, sending the ship spinning. Immediately tens of thousands of drones were beamed aboard. Alissa wanted data on the Battle Hive's main cannon. Casualties ran high, but gradually the defenders were killed. The rest of the Kreedak fleet was destroyed. Only the Battle Hive remained.

…

Hass rammed his blade through the chest of an advancing Borg drone. All around him robotic flying discs killed his warriors. Drones armed with anti-matter rifles fought through ambush and fire. The self-destruct had been disabled. Haass knew he was going to die, but he would go down fighting. He continued killing Borg, his bio acid launchers melting flesh from bone, his claws and molecular blade slicing through armor. He saw his Lieutenant go down, tubules stuck in his neck. He jumped over and killed the offending drone, then felt a sting in his foot. A drone he had thrown to the floor had jammed its assimilation tubules into his ankle. He stabbed downward and killed the drone, but already a wave of grey was spreading. Gritting his teeth, Haass slashed and cut off his foot in an eruption of blood. As he cried out another drone stuck his arm, a second his back and a third in his chest. A disruptor beam knocked him into a wall. As he felt himself being swamped by billions of voices, he cried out one last time.

"NOOOOOOOO!"

…

The battle was over. Eighty thousand Kreedak ships drifted in pieces. The Battle Hive had been secured, but the victory had come at a high price. Over nine thousand Cubes were destroyed, and many more had taken heavy damage. Similar battles had taken place in a dozen other systems, and in all but four the Kreedak had won. Eight Borg systems had been destroyed, their planets detonated by Battle Hives. Vessels losses were over thirty thousand. Still, the Kreedak losses had been far higher. Alissa, knowing the war was now in full swung, was preparing to deploy her full might. The Dominion armada would be assembled and would fight alongside the Borg. The Endgre and the Mintal would take their places as well. The Collective Alliance would face the Kreedak. They would destroy their fleets, burn their worlds, and kill every last one of them. The sleeping giant that was the Borg Collective had been awakened, and it was hungry.

So what did you think? Sorry it's been so long since I updated. I've been busy with school. So the Borg and Kreedak War has finally begun. Who will win? Will the Collective take the fight to the Kreedak, or will they be overwhelmed. Will the Alpha Quadrant Powers intervene? And what will happen to Sinal when she does something unexpected? Find out in the next exciting chapter of A New Way. See ya all then, and don't forget to review!

ENTILZA