I'm sorry for the down-time in getting this chapter up. The last few weeks have been really busy. College midterms, Student Legislature Session, etc. Anyway, thanks to everyone who's read Enclave! I hope you've enjoyed it. Feel free to review.

Chapter V: Mirrored Soul

USS Lagrange NCC-26374

Captain Logan knew they were outgunned. The Lagrange had fought in the Cardassian Wars under Captain Richard Olmert and had been severely mauled by two Galor-class destroyers at the 3rd Battle of Mericor IX. Now, the aging warship was surrounded by three Galors and four Klingon Bird of Preys. Everything about this situation was incredibly wrong.

"Commander Khosk, have the Klingons returned our hails?"

"No ma'am. I don't understand it."

Aleksei stepped forward, his eyes staring off into the distance. "Send out this transmission on open frequencies, Zerek-23, Onith-387, Isk-Yev."

Commander Khosk shook his head in silence and did not respond. Lt. Sor looked to her captain.

"Captain, we can trust him."

Captain Logan sighed. "All right. Lt. Commander Davison send out the code."

The helmsman transmitted the code and the crew waited for response as the Lagrange desperately evaded the incoming fire from the Cardassian and Klingon warships.

Commander West blurted out from the tactical station. "Captain, we are receiving a hail. Unknown origin!"

Captain Logan braced herself against an impact. "On screen!"

The view screen flickered and the image of a ruggedly handsome man appeared. "This is Captain Han Solo of the Republic Cruiser Decade of the Hawk. We are moving to assist."

Jungles of Drenok II

Gul Jenot's ragged force had retreated into the massive jungles of the southern continent. Several other units, ranging from platoon to regimental strength, had also retreated to the jungles. The Imperial attack was surprising in its ferocity. However, the surprise at the ferocity paled in the audacity of striking this deep in to Cardassian territory. Not even the Federation or Klingons could strike this deep into the heart of the Union so quickly. Jenot and the other officers were centered around a battle scarred APC. Legate Ralmir was the highest ranking officer present.

"My fellow Cardassians, we are facing a grave situation. The invaders have overrun most of this continent. We must act now if we wish to achieve a breakthrough and link up with our brothers rallying around Dojin."

Gul Jenot stepped forward. "We should depart immediately. Speed is our most crucial element. The enemy has air and space superiority."

A Glinn shook his head in vehement disagreement. "Gul Jenot, with all due respect, our forces need time to regroup. The 349th is down to 35 combat efficiency."

Legate Ralmir silenced the brewing argument with an angry swipe of the hand. "We are Cardassians! If we cannot stand together now, those bastards won't have to fight us! They'll find that we are perfectly capable of destroying ourselves!"

Imperial Prefabricated Base, Veren X

The rumble of the Imperial artillery firing permeated the entire complex. The mining facilities on Veren III were surprising well defended. However, the superior numbers of the Imperials were steadily grinding the Cardassians down. It was only a matter of time before all resistance on the planet collapsed.

Lt. Seljuk and his flight of TIE fighters flew over the battle zone. The Cardassians, not just the military, were resisting the Imperials. Seljuk knew what was coming. The Imperial Army had pushed many of the Cardassians off the primary islands of the archipelago that dominated the western hemisphere. Seljuk loved flight and space travel. He had joined the Imperial Navy in order to fly and due to a sense of patriotism. A part of him hated the navy though. He knew what was coming.

Gul Dukat and his small unit held their position at the edge of the system. The enemy had completely overrun both the defenses of Vokar Nor and the forces on the planet's surface. Dukat's orders were simple. He was to fight his way to Veren III and transport down a load of supplies to the resistance and inflict any damage on the invading fleet. Dukat stood up from his command chair and walked over to his second in command, Glinn Damar.

"Status of the enemy fleet?"

Damar turned to face his Gul. "The Xindi vessels have formed a wide perimeter around Veren III. The Arrowheads have repositioned themselves. It almost looks as if they are blockading the planet."

Dukat shook his head. "There not blockading…"

Captain Mindus stood silently as he looked over the datapad a second time. His orders were clear. He had never carried out this type of operation before or even known another commander who had ever received this order. Davius took a deep nervous breath.

"Commander Omashir, have our troops evacuated yet?"

Commander Omashir nodded, the weight of the orders seemingly crushing him. "Almost sir. The 1008th Legion and the 394th Armored Division have evacuated. Currently… Currently only the 48th Mech infantry and the 13th Artillery Corp remain on station. The 48th is dismantling the prefab garrison and will withdraw in six hours. The 13th should be departing any moment now."

Can I do this? Will I do this? Captain Mindus sense of duty and conscience were battling for control of his mind. "Very well, commander. Contact our Army compatriots and inform them of the need for haste."

The executive officer of the Star Destroyer saluted meekly. "Aye, sir."

Unknown Space

A pair of V-Wing fighters completed a second pass over a wounded Galor-class destroyer as the wounded Cardassian ship jumped to warp. The massive Republic attack cruiser dove into the middle of the fray, shielding the smaller Ambassador-class ship from fire. Several Klingon and Cardassian ships had been caught off guard by the sudden and fierce attack by the unknown assailant and destroyed. The swarms of small, agile fighters had finally convinced the belligerents to withdraw from the battle.

Captain Solo's cocky image was the focus of attention on the Lagrange's view screen. "Wow, I'm glad we could be of assistance in this old bucket. Now, mind telling me how you got Republic distress codes?"

Aleksei stepped forward and spoke before any member of the Federation crew had a chance to speak. "The Force revealed them to me."

Captain Solo raised an eyebrow and wheeled around and shouted towards someone out of camera view. "I hope you Jedi can explain what the hell is going on here! How come this guy looks like Master Mai?!"

Enclave System, Enclave Sector

Inquisitor Hijad Tzarik exited his Skipray Blastboat and reached out with his perceptions. His hatred of the Jedi and of the traitors to his master's empire fueled his connection to the Force. If there were any Jedi they would have undoubtedly sensed his presence. At this point, Hijad didn't really care. They could run to the ends of this galaxy. It didn't matter. He would find them. He would complete his master's dark opus.

Griso Savik felt a tremor in the Force. This disturbance was malevolent and aimed at the Jedi. Rising from his meditative position, he quickly activated his personal ComUnit and waited for Hsiao to answer.

Greeting, my friend. I felt the tremor as well. Master Mikar has just arrived. The Selkath female answered in her native tongue.

"Understood. I'll inform my family and meet at your apartment. We must act swiftly." Griso cut the connection and prepared to tell his family.

"Trouble seems to follow you around. I'll head to the spaceport and get the Wanderer and the Zs warmed up." Griso's father spoke as he put on his coat. Kain followed closely behind Uther.

Elisa sat quietly on the edge of the bed. "Is this the path you have chosen, Griso?"

Griso holstered his pistol and stared towards the source of the disturbance. "No. This is the path that chose me."

The Savik Wanderer and the family's two aging Z-95 Headhunters were active. The Savik smuggling clan had been forced to make several quick exits from various systems through the years. Kain and Uther weren't too happy about traveling outside the established hyperlanes in a strange galaxy, but if Griso was that close to panicking then the trouble had be more than just a couple of Imperial Customs agents.

"Hey Dad, looks like we got a Count Dooku wannabe." Kain motioned towards a dark-robbed figure with a drawn lightsaber getting onto a speeder bike.

"Sith's blood. I'll warn Elisa and Griso. You get the Kite ready to go."

Kain nodded grimly. "Right. Let's hope that Force crap works."

Drenok II

A pair of TIE Bombers roared over the largest ground battle in the post-warp history of the Alpha Quadrant. Nearly 10,000 Cardassian troops and nearly 2,000 Imperial troops were locked in mortal combat. The Cardassians were throwing everything but the proverbial kitchen sink into breaking the Imperial and Xindi lines. The ferocity and determination couldn't match the tactical and technological superiority of the Imperial Army and Stormtrooper Corps. The Imperials possessed artillery, air support, walkers and superior tank designs. Gul Jenot knew that the situation was nearly hopeless. That's why he had volunteered to lead this suicidal feint. If he could draw off the main body of Imperial troops, the main body led by Legate Ralmir would be able to link up with the primary forces under Legate Vakoq.

Glinn Hekun fired his disruptor at an Imperial position. "Jenot, how much longer until the main offensive begins? We can't hold out against all those heavy walkers!"

Gul Jenot stared at the display in his command APC. "Soon! Forward elements are reporting that the reserve company of biped walkers has been drawn off."

Glinn Hekun smiled. "I hope they launch it on schedule. But, you never know with the Legates."

Gul Jenot was about respond, but his horror cut off his remarks. One of the Empire's arrowhead capital ships entered the atmosphere. The vessel, a massive design that Jenot's mind knew shouldn't be able to enter the atmosphere, shattered the morale of the Cardassians. Several units broke into a panicked retreat and still others simply surrendered.

The image of Legate Ralmir replaced that of Glinn Hekun. "Gul Jenot. Retreat and regroup. We'll link up and make another concentrated push."

Horror overtook Jenot. Was the Legate mad? If the Cardassians gathered in one spot, that warship would simply use her weapons to destroy them all at once.

"Ralmir are you insane?! Under no circumstances should we concentrate our forces! That order will throw away the lives of our survivors and render the sacrifices of our brothers moot!"

Hate and rage flared in Legate Ralmir's eyes. "Traitor!" The Legate turned to the second man in the command APC. "Glinn! I order you to shoot Jenot! Bring me his body!"

The infuriated Legate cut the transmission. The Glinn was reaching for his disruptor pistol, but Jenot pulled the knife he always carried with him and lunged at the subordinate. The terrified junior officer tried to shield his face. However, Jenot wasn't aiming for the face. The unjustly accused Gul drove the blade deep into the Glinn's neck and twisted the blade 90 degrees before slicing across the throat and removing from the bony side ridges that visually defined his people.

"Forgive me, Iok."

Orbit of Veren III

The last Imperial ground forces had withdrawn from the surface of Veren III and with them, the last hope for the world. Captain Mindus turned to his first officer and nodded. Somehow, the original trepidation he had possessed had disappeared as his training had taken over.

"Commander Omashir, contact all commands. Base Delta Zero operations are to commence in 3 minutes."

The executive officer gave a quick, nervous military bow. "Aye, captain." The young officer turned on the balls of his feet and went to contact the other Imperial ships in orbit.

The impacts from the Imperial turbolasers flashed across the entire surface of the Cardassian world. The major cities and industrial centers were hit first. In any normal orbital bombardment, the destruction of the world's infrastructure would have signaled an acceptable conclusion to the attack. Unfortunately for Veren III, this was a Base Delta Zero operation. The withering bombardment would continue until the entire surface was a burned-out radioactive wasteland. The seas would be burned away. The world would die.

Gul Dukat was overtaken by horror as he watched the unholy attack on a Cardassian world. There was absolutely no way to save the world. The three Galor destroyers would have been hard pressed to complete their mission before. Now that the very Cardassians they were meant to reinforce had been murdered, Gul Dukat had no choice.

"Damar, inform the others that we are withdrawing. Central Command must know what happened here today."

Damar stood in a trance, staring at the display. Lances of green energy continued to race from the Imperial ships. Hundreds, possibly even thousands of shots had struck the surface of the planet.

"Damar! Order the other ships to withdraw!"

The harshness in Dukat's voice drew Damar back into reality. "Yes, sir."

The three Cardassian Warships slinked away into warp. The world they had hoped to save had been utterly decimated. Nearly 30 million Cardassian civilians had died in a ghastly orbital bombardment that continued for over twenty minutes.