Chapter Title: Sent on Silver Wings

Chapter Synapses: Part one of two. The mysterious device found on Cosmos without a known purpose activates, opening a wormhole in the Sol system through which a new enemy rears it's head. Starwind learns how Cosmos was discovered.

Written by: Seraph Koji

Several scientists milled about analyzing a device on Jupiter Station. The device was of unknown purpose found aboard the Cosmos, the unmanned ship from which the designs for the Hyperion were reverse-engineered. It had been inactive since it's discovery… until now.

The device began to crackle and glow. It had been plugged into Station computers and was now in control of the station entirely.

"It's taken us over completely in under five minutes!" One scientist exclaimed.

Another fretted at an observation terminal, "I cannot disengage power to the device or sever the device from the main computer."

"Something's happening!" A frantic scientist reported, pointing to a monitor depicting beams of energy from the station merging to create a swirling vortex.

"A wormhole." The first scientist interoperated incoming readings.

Not overly far away, Starwind read a report on the situation, "Fascinating. It's a good thing we didn't get one of those puppies installed." His Ready Room door chimed, "Come!" He called.

VonBach entered, "You read the news from Sector 001?"

"Just now." There was a silence, "What is it, Joseph?"

"Aren't we going to change course and kick the crap out of that wormhole?" VonBach asked.

Starwind shook his head, "We keep on course for the Centauri system. We'll be close, in case they need us. Right now, Starfleet has science ships surveying the event horizon, trying to determine if ships can safely enter, before sending in probes."

"But-" VonBach began a protest.

Starwind motioned for his silence, "Until Starfleet says otherwise, our mission it to re-supply the Federation colony at Alpha Centauri, not to shoot down wormholes."

As if on cue, Starwind's computer interface's display was quickly replaced by the image of Admiral Hayes, "Vic, set course for Sol immediately. A ship has emerged from the wormhole matching Cosmos' design."

Starwind nodded, "Hyperion out." He shot to his feet and walked briskly onto the bridge, "Ensign Ivano, set course for Jupiter Station, warp seven. Commander VonBach, all stations to Yellow Alert."

"Aye!" the two crewmen reported.

"Captain's Log. A device now being called a 'Singularity Projection Device' found aboard the Cosmos has activated and is controlling Jupiter Station. The SPD has used the station's systems to open a wormhole to an unknown location. From this wormhole, a ship matching the design of the Cosmos has emerged. They have maintained strict radio silence since their arrival. Hyperion has been ordered to make first contact with this new race with technology dwarfing our own."

"Sir, the ship from the wormhole is hailing us, but the Universal Translator is having a hard time locking on to the language's syntax and grammatical structure." Talara reported.

"Let's hear what we can, Lieutenant." Starwind ordered.

"Ta'Hak nervoa! Kree lek kree! Vixnavis hol patra! Feratas ner Ju'ka!" came a booming masculine voice.

"Anything on the UT?" Collins asked.

Talara shook her head, "Not a damn thing."

Starwind stared at the Cosmos-look-alike on the screen and the swirling blue vortex behind it, "Keep 'em talking. Send a universal greeting."

"Aye, sir."

"Ju'tak vera ne'ey? Kree ju'ex lek Vixnavis! Vixnavis lek Ju'ka ne'ey?" the voice replied.

Talara sighed, "Not a damn thing."

"Obviously…" Starwind scowled.

"I know a language they'll speak." VonBach smiled, "Let's blow them to hell!"

"Are you stupid, Commander, or just trigger happy?" Collins snapped, "This race is obviously more technologically advanced than us. They can create a stable wormhole with a device smaller than a warp core! They engineered the Multiphasic Cannon! Imagine the possibilities for our technological advancement."

"While the UT tries to make heads or tails of this language, hail Admiral Hayes, there are questions I want answered. I'll talk to him in my ready room." Starwind got up and moved to his ready room.

"Captain?" Hayes' face on Starwind's terminal showed a small amount of concern.

"The UT can't lock onto the language from the ship." Starwind reported, "But I really contacted you to ask you something. Tell me how Cosmos was discovered. I may need details."

"I was aboard the starship Fairview at the time. We first thought she was some kind of Dominion trap, but once we boarded her… well it's save to say she wasn't."

It was a few years into the Dominion War, and the Sovereign class Fairview had boarded an abandoned vessel not matching any known design. It was the hope of Commodore Hayes that the ship was Dominion in origin, so it could be used to infiltrate their lines. It was not.

"Commodore!" An ensign, the chief science officer of the Fairview, reported, "This database is amazing! It's huge! Our linguists can't make heads or tails of it, but from the looks of this ship, it's not Dominion, more likely a species we haven't encountered before. Our information says that the ship has been adrift for at least a year without crew. It seems the race is either part machine or has mastered the dataport concept Starfleet Medical has toyed with, because there are plugs lying about that seem to regulate ships functions as well as the standard access terminals. But this is what you'll like; the ship's main gun is of a design we've never seen. It charges a ball of high-energy plasma with energy like that found in our phasers and photon torpedoes. The hull is also regenerative. The downside to these pieces of technology is hat to reverse-engineer a ship like this could take years, maybe even decades. This technology is so far out of reach!"

"Propulsion systems?" Hayes asked.

The ensign shrugged, "We found a device similar to a Warp Core, and near it a device we have yet to identify. If you are asking if we can fly her, we can't read her terminals yet. We'll have to take her in tow to Jupiter Station, so we can analyze her."

"She's the Federation's secret for this war. We'll have to have her in an orbit of Jupiter low enough that she's virtually undetectable in the gas clouds." Hayes stated.

"She can handle it… I think." The ensign replied.

"Hayes to Fairview, get a tractor lock on us and take us to Jupiter Station." Hayes paused, "Henceforth, this ship will be known as the USS Cosmos. Cosmos out."

After the story was recalled to him, Starwind rose an eyebrow, "That's it?"

"That's it." Hayes nodded, "We did reverse-engineer a prototype Cosmos class vessel, but not till after the war. We gave her to you, and here we are."

"Any info from her database?"

Hayes shook his head unenthusiastically, "We still can't read the damn thing."

"Bridge to Captain Starwind, the UT has something." Talara's vice came through Starwind's badge. Starwind dashed onto the bridge.

"Unidentified ship! Kree lek emulate our vessel! Locate Vixnavis and remove Ju'ka presence! Prepare to face consequences of theft lek Ju'ka!" the voice boomed.

Starwind took the center of the bridge, "I am Captain Victor Starwind of the Federation starship Hyperion. We are here to welcome you to the Sol system."

The vice replied, "Starwind lek Ju'ka! I am Prime Kevata of the Thal'kek."

"Greetings, Prime Kevata, on behalf of the United Federation of Planets." Starwind paused, "Can you tell us where you come from?"

"Starwind, my people are from another ritak. We came through the Space Eye to retrieve Vixnavis." The voice replied.

"I'm sorry, our translator didn't catch that. You are from another sector? Or quadrant?" Starwind asked.

"Quadrant ja ne'ey? We do not know this term."

"A section equal to one fourth our galaxy." Collins elaborated.

"Quadrant lek fourth ritak ne'ey? Regardless, we are from another galaxy here to retrieve Vixnavis."

"Another galaxy?" Starwind asked, shocked.

"Return Vixnavis!" the voice boomed.

"I don't understand, what is Vixnavis?" Starwind replied.

"The starship you stole. Vixnavis the Explorer. The ship you emulate poorly." The voice replied.

"Earlier you said something about consequences…" Collins asked.

"Who are you, female?"

"Dorian Collins, First Officer of Hyperion."

"Dorian Collins, your species will be exterminated as retribution." The voice replied,

Starwind stepped forward, "No. The ship was adrift. We will return it, but we will not die for our actions."

"We will exterminate your galaxy. This communication is over." The voice cut out.

"Red alert. Notify Starfleet." Starwind ordered.

"Captain's log, supplemental. After speaking with the ambassador from what we have discovered to be the nearby galaxy we have labeled Pegasus One, Starfleet ha ordered a fleet assembling at Jupiter Station. With a hostile this close to home, it is very possible that should this battle be lost, the Federation would fall. We did take the ship, but we will not face their punishment. And Starfleet has decided, given the situation, we are to keep the ship as well. It appears there needs to be an SPD at both endpoints of the wormhole, so plans to permanently disable ours are underway. In the meantime, there is a standoff at the wormhole."

"New to the fleet is the Defiant class Potomac, the Yeager class Renewed Valor, the Sovereign class Sussex, the Galaxy class Rembrandt, and the Excalibur class Enigma. This brings out count to 32 ships." Ivano reported from the helm.

"Admiral Hayes has given Hyperion command of the fleet." Talara reported from Operations.

"All systems are go." Collins sat in her one of the three central chairs on the Hyperion bridge.

"Talara, open a channel." Starwind ordered, "This is the Hyperion to the fleet. The ship you see in front of the singularity has promised it's reinforcements. We are not to cross the event horizon of that wormhole, only to shoot anything that does while Jupiter Station scientists work on disabling the Singularity Projection Device. We cannot let them cross our lines. Our orders are to hold this position at all costs. They are more technologically advanced than us, but we have home-court advantage. Remember, our orders are to hold. Hyperion out."

"Neutreno emissions from the wormhole are intensifying." Lieutenant Watson reported from his station.

Starwind nodded, "Hyperion to Thal'kek, if you want to present loss of life, close the wormhole now."

"No response."

"Delta Squadron circle around to protect the right flank. Alpha and Beta Squadrons will take point, and Gamma Squadron take the left flank. Alpha Squadron divide into Wing A-1 and Wing A-2 based on present positions. Let Beta Squadron between you. Let's get this wormhole under siege." Starwind ordered.

"Delta Squadron, reinforce your front line." VonBach called frantically.

"Captain, detecting something exiting the wormhole!" Watson reported.

"One ship. No, two…" Talara paused, "Five, six…"

"This is their first wave?" Collins watched as ship after ship exited the wormhole.

Talara's face showed a pure horror, "Sir, reading 35 enemy vessels."

"We're massively outgunned here!" Ivano began freaking out.

Starwind stared at the enemy fleet, a mixture of awe and fear about him, "All hands, battle stations."

To be continued…