Their destination wasn't a simple starbase as the Gorn delegate had first told Admiral Janeway. They were in fact warping to the Gorn navy's main shipyard, a target of prime strategic value to be sure. And it was located only about ten parsecs away from their homeworld. Whoever it was that was launching these attacks was incredibly bold and incredibly elusive.
The Gorn Hegemony was not a very large territory especially when compared to the Federation and Klingon Empire. And setting course for this shipyard was taking them back towards the border with Federation space, behind the location they had been at. This bothered Picard more than a little as it suggested that their adversaries operated a cloaking technology much better than current Klingon tech which could be circumvented with proper sensor techniques.
As Picard stared blankly at the viewscreen without seeing it, a sudden voice issued from the open audio channel that Janeway had ordered all ships in the taskforce to maintain. "We are thirty seconds out," the admiral said. "We're still not picking up any communications from the Gorn facility so we will assume the worst. All ships, red alert."
Seeing Data look over at him out of the corner of his eye, Picard gave the commander a quick nod. "Red alert," the android called. The overhead lights immediately dimmed in response and red bars of light that were evenly space around the bridge began to slowly flash. Jean-Luc heard similar calls from the other ships over the channel.
The gentle curve of the Hydra's saucer filled the lower portion of the viewscreen and upon Captain Lawson's call for red alert a pair of large rectangles that were roughly the size of the ship's bridge quickly rose up, one on either side the command deck. He knew there would be another emerging from where the captain's yacht used to be. These new additions to this Galaxy class were turreted torpedo launchers.
Rapid Engagement Photon Repeater "R.E.P.R."
"Coming out of warp five seconds," announced the helmsmen.
Adjusting his position in the Chair, Picard had to consciously loosen his grip and took several measured breaths. While he had and would always think of himself as an explorer first and foremost, Jean-Luc couldn't help but to feel oddly excited about a potential battle.
As the warp engines disengaged, the stars quickly shifted from rainbow streaks back to their normal points of light. As he beheld the scene of a battle ended, Picard couldn't help but to feel a pang of regret that they hadn't gotten there sooner. If they had only been faster.
Broken and shattered hulls of starships drifted lazily through space. Here and there, he saw an unfortunate soul who had found their end in the vacuum of the void. In the background, the hulking remains of a starbase tumbled slowly, its windows dark and lifeless.
"Scan for survivors," he ordered and heard the rapid tapping of buttons in response.
"Between the ssstarshipsss and personal working at thisss sssite… nearly ten thousssand of my people." The Gorn delegate's voice sounded over the audio channel. Normally emotion was something hard for outsiders to hear in the Gorns' gravely voices. But in this instance Picard could easily pick out despair.
"I'm reading a number of escape pods scattered though out the debris field, Sir," Data said. Picard glance at his first officer and was not surprised to see that the android, ever the multitasker, was making use of the sensors.
"Helm, move us into transporter range." Jean-Luc ordered.
"Hold position, Enterprise," Janeway ordered. "We picked up an unknown ship on the other side of the debris, roughly three hundred thousand kilometers out."
"Data?" Picard asked.
Rapidly tapping buttons, the android looked intently at his console. "Reading a single ship of unknown class. Five-hundred meters in length and nearly two and a half thousand life signs, Captain."
"On screen," Jean-Luc ordered. As the mysterious ship filled the viewscreen, Picard immediately recognized it as the same type from the grainy image he had seen at K-7. Its wedge hull was mostly devoid of windows except for a raised "T" section that commanded much of the ship's aft dorsal section.
"Tactical analysis, Mr. Worf," Picard called.
After a moment, the Klingon answered his voice with confusion. "Sir, I'm detecting what seems to be a number of turreted weapons." An alarm issued from the tactical station. "Sir, they're scanning us."
"This ship couldn't have carried out this attack on its own," Lawson stated over the channel.
After a moment of silence, Janeway said, "All ships hold position. We're moving forward."
"Track Voyager," he told Data. The viewscreen flickered, switching from the unknown ship to Voyager, which was already making its way above the debris. In the distance, Picard could see the unknown ship was turning towards Voyager and beginning to slowly edge forward.
Minutes later Voyager was less than a kilometer away from the other ship, Janeway's voice sounded, "Hail them."
The Gorn delegate was clearly not happy with this. "No," he cried. "Thisss ssship killed thousssandsss of my people. You ssshould dessstroy them now!"
Janeway's response was calm yet hard. "Ambassador, you will refrain from such outbursts or find yourself removed from the bridge and confined to quarters." A low, long hissing sound was the only response that could be heard. After a moment, Janeway continued with, "Now that that's settled. Open hailing frequencies."
Data rapidly tapped his console and the image of Voyager disappeared and replaced by Janeway's face that filled half the screen while the other half was black. "I have tapped into the channel, Sir."
Time ticked by with agonizing slowness and Picard was just beginning to think there would not be a response when the blank portion of the screen blinked into life. The face that stared out at them looked to be that of an aged human male. The man had neatly trimmed gray hair that looked to be thinning at the top of his head. His eyes were cold and intent, quickly scanning Janeway's face. His mouth was a hard, thin cut in his face. He wore a gray uniform that had a number of colored squares over the left side of his chest.
"I am Admiral Janeway of the United Federation of Planets. You have committed unprovoked acts of aggression against the Gorn Hegemony, and I order you to surrender."
The man wasted no time in responding, but his reply was spoken in a strange language.
Looking perplexed, Janeway quickly looked to something or someone off screen. "Why can't we understand him?" she asked.
"The Universal Translator has no record of their language, Sir. We need to keep him talking to build a database," someone replied.
Janeway faced the screen again and seemed to consider the situation for a moment, before saying, "What government do you represent, Sir?"
The man stared for a moment before launching into a monolog. As he talked the wedge shaped ship moved even closer to Voyager. There was a gleam in the man's eye that Picard didn't trust, and he desperately wanted to know what the man was saying.
"We got it, Admiral," Lawson's voice quietly said.
"…were the last thing I was expecting," The man was saying.
"Pardon me a moment," Janeway said hurriedly when the man paused to take a breath and judging by the look on his face, sudden understanding caught him by surprise. "As I was saying," Janeway continued. "I am Admiral Janeway of the Federation starship Voyager."
Again the man stared for a moment before saying, "I am Grand Moff Tarkin. And I lay claim to this area of space and all its inhabitants in the name of Emperor Palpatine."
"I think the Gorn might object to your claim Grand Moff Tarkin," Janeway replied flatly.
Picard noticed Data trying to get his attention and looked to the android. "What is it, Commander," he said in a low voice.
Also using a low voice, Data replied, "Sir, the communication we are receiving is not originating from the ship but rather being relayed through it."
"Then where is it coming from?"
"Unknown, Sir," Data said. "I am attempting to locate the source."
"What is your purpose in being here, Admiral?" Tarkin was saying when Picard turned his attention back to the view screen.
Janeway almost seemed taken aback by the question and it took her a moment to respond. "We're here looking for you, Grand Moff. To either arrange your withdrawal from Gorn space or force you to leave."
Tarkin regarded Janeway intently for a moment, and Picard could almost see the man looking for better angles. "While the Empire has no intentions on relinquishing its claim on this area, I am willing to cease hostilities on these Gorn as you call them. I do however want something in return."
"You may demand nothing!" Snarled the Gorn delegate. "I would sssee you dead at my feet for the Gorn you murdered here."
"That is highly unlikely. I am also disappointed that negotiations have failed." Tarkin's expression never changed during the exchange leading Picard to wonder if he hadn't planned this from the beginning.
Janeway tried to push the Gorn but looked to be failing. "Security!" she called. "Remove him from the bridge." As two men rushed into view and began pulling the Gorn away, Janeway quickly composed herself and turned her attention back to the viewscreen. "Negotiations have not failed, Sir. They haven't even started. But perhaps it would be better to remove your ship from the area."
Tarkin was silent for a moment. "I require your ship," he said suddenly.
"W-what?" Janeway asked.
"If you surrender your ship to the Empire I will withdraw all Imperial forces from this section of space." Tarkin slightly leaned his head forward and the faintest hint of a smile played at the corner of his mouth. Picard's stomach started twisting into knots.
Janeway huffed a short laugh. "That's out of the question Grand Moff Tarkin."
"That is most unfortunate," Tarkin said, though Picard was certain he didn't mean it.
Suddenly Janeway's portion of the viewscreen shook slightly. She looked around uncertain for moment before calling out, "Report."
"They've locked on with some kind of tractor beam," a voice replied.
"Release my ship," the admiral demanded. Tarkin's image suddenly went dark as communications ended. Then there was a low booming as something hit Voyager's hull and Janeway's image suddenly went dark.
"What happened," Picard demanded.
The viewscreen switched back to space and in the distance Picard could see that the wedge shaped ship was bombarding Voyager with bolts of energy that were arcing along the Federation ship's hull. The lights in the ship's windows and warp nacelles flickered for a moment then went dark.
Rising from his chair, Picard stared in disbelief. "Data, what's happening?"
"The attacking ship is firing some kind ion based weaponry that appears to shutting Voyager down."
"Helm, full impulse," Picard ordered. "Mr. Worf, lock weapons and fire as soon as you have a clear shot." He was vaguely aware of other captains calling out orders over the open channel.
"Aye, Captain," the Klingon replied.
"Captain," the operations officer called. "The Hydra is engaging it warp engines, Sir."
"What?" Jean-Luc asked in surprise.
Looking to the viewscreen, he saw a flash of light an instant before a section of the debris field simply exploded. Suddenly the Hydra was behind the attacker and was banking hard to port. Bolts of phaser fire erupted from Galaxy's numerous arrays and the ship's torpedo turrets began raining glowing munitions with a ferocity that Picard couldn't believe. In mere moments whatever shielding the unknown ship had was stripped away and a new debris field began to form behind it.
The enemy ship did not halt its attack however. If anything the attack intensified as small dots began to pour out the opening in the front of the ship. Some of these dots flew at Voyager and buried themselves into the ship's hull. Others arced up and back making their way towards the Hydra, firing green bolts of energy as they went.
"Get us in there," Captain Nguyen's voice called over the comm. "And get our fighters in space now!"
"Report!" Janeway called as her eyes adjusted the darkness.
Emergency lighting that was supposed to kick on in the event of main power loss flickered unpredictably. Looking up to the large windows set into the ceiling, she could see the hull of the wedge shaped ship growing larger as they were pulled closer by the enemy's tractor beam. There was a near constant shaking as the attacking ship continued to fire on Voyager.
"All systems are dead, Sir," someone replied.
Tapping her combadge, Janeway pulled her eyes away from the windows and started making her way to the command chair. "Janeway to engineering." When she decided no answer was coming she tried to ignore the tightness in her chest. "Janeway to Enterprise. Janeway to Hydra. Someone get down to engineering and find out what going on."
"We have to use the Jefferies Tubes. Turbolifts are down," a voice said in the darkness.
No kidding, she thought irritably.
A distant boom followed by the sound of screaming metal made her heart skip a beat.
"Arm yourselves," Janeway called and immediately she saw people running to the weapons' lockers located on either side of the bridge. It was quickly apparent that lockers were also without power and the crew had to force them open.
When all the weapons were passed out, Janeway noted that there were only a few who didn't have a phaser and she was one of them. Pointing at two people that had rifles, she said, "You two go through the conference room. The rest of you come with me."
Making her way towards the curving hall located in the rear of the bridge, she walked up to the inoperable door and regarded it in frustration. Looking behind her, she snatched a phaser pistol from a young man behind her. "Force it open," she said as she stepped to the side.
As the man placed his hands on the door and started to set his feet, he froze suddenly. Janeway was just about to ask what was wrong when she heard the sound of heavy feet stomping in unison, approaching the door. "Back," she ordered but everyone was already on their way back down the hall.
Phaser still in hand, she took up position over the shoulder of a woman holding a compression rifle and pointed her weapon at the door. Janeway didn't have to wait long as two large sets of metal fingers forced their way between the doors and slammed them open with enough force that she felt a tremor in the floor.
Immediately stomping resumed and the flickering light revealed a two meter tall humanoid robot that didn't look to have a head with its right arm raised vertically before it. The lead robot must have caught sight of them as it quickly pointed its right arm in their direction. Its hand swiveled lower than it looked like it should have revealing what seemed to be double barrels in its wrist.
Not wasting any more time, Janeway called, "Open fire!" as she smashed the trigger with her thumb. Her vision was lost as brilliant beams and bolts of phaser energy streaked down the hall and hammered the robot, ripping it to pieces. The return fire from the robots behind their fallen comrade however was deafening and savage as bolts of red energy rained back at Starfleet personal.
The woman in front of Janeway was struck multiple times which caused her to fall backwards into the admiral's lower legs. As she lost her balance and fell, pain exploded from her shoulder. Rolling further into the bridge, Janeway reached up to feel her shoulder. Pulling her hand away, she found it was covered in warm blood.
As Janeway looked up, she realized one-third of her bridge crew had already fallen. This can't be happening, she thought as she pushed herself up to her feet. Hearing a distant scream of pain, she looked over her shoulder and saw the flash of weapons fire coming from the conference room.
A robot stomped out of the conference room and immediately began leveling its weapon arm at Janeway. Her chest tightening in panic, she pressed the fire button on her phaser before she had even aimed the weapon. This caused a burning line of energy to rake its way across the wall, starting small fires before finally making contact with the robots chest. But not before it had fired several bursts that caught Janeway in the stomach and dropped her heavily to the floor again.
Striking her combadge with the back of her hand, she could only hope it worked. "All hands. Abandon ship," she said weakly.
As a pair of metallic feet came to halt in front of her, it was only then that Janeway realized the fighting had come to an end. Looking up at the robot, she noticed that it did indeed have a head it was just tucked into its chest. "Go to hell," she spat as she stared into the barrels of its weapon. She pressed the trigger of her pistol, but was disappointed to see the beam go harmlessly past the robot.
Her disappointment lasted only a moment as her world exploded in red energy.