Star Trek Vs Star Wars: Federation & Galactic Empire

by watchmen4

Darth Vader leads an attack force into Federation space, looking for new worlds to conquer and more resources for the Galactic Empire. Can Admiral Jean-Luc Picard and Starfleet repel this invasion?

STAR TREK VS: STAR WARS

GEORGIOU STRATEGY CONFERENCE

STARFLEET ACADEMY, EARTH

HOLBURN AUDITORIUM

"Thank you all for coming to this morning's panel, 'Next Steps For Starfleet'. I'm Commander Ezri Dax, and I'll be your moderator." The light conversation in the room dimmed to silence. "We'll be asking three officers with different viewpoints what their thoughts are on what direction Starfleet should orient its operations. Joining us as an advocate for exploration is Commodore Geordi La Forge of the Starfleet Museum. La Forge previously served as chief engineer of the Enterprise and received the Hillen Star for Design Excellence."

Admiral Jean-Luc Picard, seated in the front row of the large room, nodded in greeting to his smiling friend Geordi on the stage. Picard looked from the stage to the audience of Starfleet officers and civilian officials. He'd hoped that the panel could provide insight that not only tge admiralty but the younger generation could benefit from.

"Joining us as a believer in tactical operations is Captain Olivia Mana of U.S.S. John Baker. Captain Mana has served as deputy director of the Starfleet Innovation Lab and Dean of Tactical Studies at Starfleet Academy. "

Picard hadn't met the forty-something Hawaiian woman before, but he knew her by reputation; practical and mission focused, with a string of combat decorations under her belt. She nodded to Dax, her waist-length hair swept over to her left side.

"And finally, a proponent of research and development, Captain Piotr Ivanov of the U.S.S. Altair. Captain Ivanov was once a program manager with the Diplomatic Corp and mediated the Harpsin Accords. "

The dark haired officer nodded a greeting to Dax.

Captain Seven of Nine and was seated to Picard's right, leaned over to him to whisper. "This may become argumentative."

Picard raised an eyebrow. "Really? How so?"

Seven nodded. "Ivanov isn't a big fan of military operations."

"Thanks for joining us today, it's a pleasure to have you all," said Dax. "Let's start with you, Captain Ivanov. What are your thoughts?"

"I believe that we should deepen our commitment to scientific research," said Ivanov. "We need to move away from our current, tactically-focused mindset. It's folly."

Dax nodded. "What exactly did you have in mind?

"Improving energy efficiency would make fleet operations more sustainable. We need to be less dependant on dilithium."

"Would you divert resources from say, ship building, and towards energy research?"

"Absolutely. More ships mean a greater drain on energy provisions."

"And what about you, Captain Mana?"

Mana crossed her legs. "In the last thirty years we've combatted a number of vessels that are significantly larger than Starfleet ships. Dominion battleships are thirteen hundred meters long, Borg cubes are three thousand meters long, and Voth city ships are eleven kilometers long. We've never had a starship that could match them in size and firepower. To make up for that we employed swarm tactics. That's worked so far, but we can't always count on that, so we need to build a tactical vessel that can approach, if not match, at least some of these behemoths in size."

Picard had heard similar arguments before. "'Starfleet must prepare for the next conflict,' some have said. 'We need fewer science ships and more escort ships,' said others." What would Geordi say?

"I used to think that technology could solve almost any problem," Geordi began. "But in the end, technology is just about connecting people. We as explorers are in the connections business. Starfleet must put exploration first. Exploration is what brought Jonathan Archer into contact with those who'd help to build the Federation. Exploration has brought us scientific and historical knowledge. It's a beacon for our way of life." He looked to Mana. "How do we know that the next race that we have a conflict with will feature dreadnaughts like those that you've mentioned?"

Mana smirked. "Maybe we should do some exploring and find out." Picard joined everyone else in the room with a chuckle. "Seriously though, we don't know the design or weapons philosophy of the next threat that we'll encounter. It could be anything from an all-dreadnaught force, or one based around heavy fighters. Since we don't know what we'll face, why not be prepared for the extreme?"

Dax motioned to Ivanov. "What do you think of the Captain's argument?"

Ivanov thought for a brief moment. "If our research develops sufficiently advanced defensive technology, then size wouldn't be so relevant, now would it? Did you bother to consider that?"

"Captain Ivanov is.,,self assured," Seven whispered.

He's slightly belligerent, Picard thought.

Geordi raised a hand. "Unfortunately everything that we've mentioned today can bring about conflict. New technology brings about espionage. Stronger ships can provoke an arms race. And the continued growth of the Federation has caused undue fear among the Romulans, the Tzenkethi, and others. There's risk in everything that we do."

Dax nodded. "So what do we do? Is one focus less risky than the others?"

"None are less risky than others. But the Borg haven't been seen in sone time, the Dominion are silent, and the Voth are a quadrant away." Geordi turned in his chair towards Mana. "We could be building ships to counter a threat that doesn't exist."

Mana turned to face him. "That's true, but even if that happens, at worst we're left with ships that provide tactical superiority against known threats."

Ivanov spoke up. "An order of battle includes intangibles like terrain, psychology, and most importantly, the diplomatic skills to avoid a fight. It's more than just tactical superiority."

"Not when disruptors are bearing down on your ship."

Ivanov released a sigh of frustration. "There's some truth to that, but it's not the complete truth."

"What is the complete truth, Captain Ivanov?" Dax asked.

"The truth is that these larger vessels would be manpower-intensive, resource-intensive ships. Wouldn't it be easier to simply up-gun and up-armor what we have, and protect resources for research?"

"Unless there's a leap in energy efficiency and production, power output is defined by size," Mana responded. "Bigger is simply better in this particular endeavor."

Dax smiled. "Sounds like you need some research done." Picard joined everyone in laughter again.

"I do." Mana looked to the audience. "We can't be Starfleet without all three of these missions. And all three benefit from each other. But we're responsible for protecting billions, and we've come perilously close to failing in that regard more than once. The Borg have reached Earth twice. The Battle Of Cardassia hinged on the Dominion turning on the Cardassians. What if they hadn't?" She let the question hang for a moment. Picard could see from the audience's reaction that her argument had hit home. "We can't keep relying on close calls to save the day. One day we'll face another dreadnaught fleet. We have to better protect ourselves while staying true to who we are." Picard could feel the sincerity in her voice. "Why is it that we're so hesitant to acknowledge our military responsibilities? One day our refusal to build large, purpose-built warships will hurt us badly."

"We may not be able to manage that balance," said Geordi. "Commander Musiker, you bring a lot of experience to this conversation. What do you think?"

Dax grinned. "I think that you're on this panel, sir, and I'm not." Another round of laughs. "Let's open up to questions from the audience..."

SUPER STAR DESTROYER EXECUTOR

BRIDGE

COREN SYSTEM

Darth Vader moved towards the bow end of the bridge where a group of senior officers and a very unwelcome guest awaited him. The streaking stars effect that came with hyperspace travel could be seen outside the viewport. Junior officers stared at their consoles rather than risk making eye contact with Vader. He felt a small rush of dark side energy from their fear. "Report."

Admiral Firmus Piett came to attention. "We can confirm that traveling through the spatial anomaly that we found just outside of Chiss space has brought us to a new galaxy, milord, and not long after arriving we encountered a ship of traders from a race that calls themselves the Ferengi." Piett wore a look of disgust. "Grotesque creatures. They offered us political and military reports as well as navigational info in exchange for details on our galaxy. We, of course, killed them after the exchange to help hide our presence here."

Vader was glad that he didn't have to worry about something so basic. "What did you learn?"

"We're in the space of a government called the United Federation of Planets, a democratic alliance of over a hundred species. In fact, we're headed to a major Federation space station, a Starbase Twenty-Four."

"Like the weak Galactic Republic." Vader felt confident that they would defeat such a monstrosity. "Anything else?"

"We've designated the system that we arrived in as Reign One, leaving four star destroyers as a rearguard as we ourselves attack Starbase Twenty-four."

Anger welled up Vader. "You began offensive operations?"

"Yes, on my authority." Vader felt the presence of Moff Gideon approach from behind. The Imperial politician seemed unafraid of Vader. "The longer that we're here, the increase in likelihood that we'll be discovered by this 'Federation.' I want our first meeting to be on our terms, before they can marshal their defenses against us."

Militarily thinking, Gideon was correct. Politically, it was a move against Vader's authority. He'd have to find a way to contain him, but now wasn't the time for a conflict. "Very well," he said, calming himself. "Tell me of their defenses, Piet."

"Based on the intelligence that the Ferengi have given us, the station carries less than a fifth of our armaments."

A navigation officer turned to Piet. "Dropping out of hyperspace, sir."

"Excellent." Piet turned to the bow viewport, followed by Vader and Gideon, as realspace appeared. Vader could see a cylinder-shaped station, and four moderately-sized ships on the far side of the station.

A small alarm sounded. "Contact, Admiral. One space station, four warships."

"Arnaments on the ships?" Vader asked.

"Compared to us?" The officer smiled. "Subpar."

A communications officer sat up straighter. "They're hailing us, sir."

Gideon stepped forward. "Then let's see them. Main viewer, please."

Vader ignored his irritation at Gideon's attempt to take charge; something in the Force didn't feel right.

Then he saw a human face on the viewer.

"This is Admiral Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation starship Stargazer," said a bald, older man. "Please identify yourself."

This was what the Force was warning him about. How did humans end up here, in an entirely different galaxy? He could find out when he captured some of them. "In the name of the Emperor, I claim this star system for the Galactic Empire. Power down and prepare to be boarded, or you will be killed."

The bald man frowned. "This is Federation space, and you're not in a position to make threats." His disposition became lighter. "Rather than exchange threats, I'd like to learn more about who you are and what you need. Perhaps if we took a moment to discuss your goals we could resolve this peacefully."

Why did he want to talk instead of fight? Vader didn't pick up any fear from him in the Force; in fact, he'd felt the exact opposite. "End transmission."

"Humans? In another galaxy?" Piet asked. "How?"

Gideon didn't seem as confused. "This is a different time period. Perhaps the Empire expanded here at one point."

If that was the case, how could Vader take advantage of that? "We shall found out."

"The four ships are moving to intercept," said a junior weapons officer. "Thirty seconds until they enter weapons range." The space station opened fire on the Executor. "Minimal damage to our energy shields, sirs."

Piet walked over to an intelligence officer. "Run a comparison between these ships' performance and the information that the Ferengi have provided. I want to guard against erroneous expectations."

A small amount of dark side energy ran through Vader. "Fire ion cannons." Vader enjoyed the throom-throom-throom of multiple ion cannons firing in succession at the space station. The station's shields flared as Imperial energy slammed against them. The station returned fire, and though it repeatedly scored hits on the Executor, it couldn't match the super star destroyer's firepower. "Shields at ninety percent, Lord Vader." The station's shields started to sag, and eventually, they collapsed.

"Weapons officers, fire turbolasers."

The ship's main weapons hurled barrage after barrage into the station. Chunks of metal began to break off from the station, followed by explosions all along its spine. When turbolaser fire hit the station's power core the explosion sent debris into every direction.

Vader didn't feel victorious; the Force warned him of another threat. The Federation starships opened fire on the Executor with dozens of some sort of projectile weapon. Like a flight of X-Wing fighters, Vader thought. The Executor shook hard. "Status."

"Shields are at eighty-five percent."

Like X-Wings, a swarm of these Federation ships could pose a threat. "Train turbolaser fire on to the ships."

"As ordered, milord."

The turbolasers hit every Federation ship, but they seemed to accomplish nothing. The Federation ships unloaded another spread of projectiles. "Damage?" Vader asked.

"Shields are at seventy-seven percent, Lord Vader. And our turbolasers are having no effect, sir."

Gideon raised an eyebrow. "No effect? The energy output alone should allow us to smash through their shields."

Vader was taken aback; they'd just pounded the space station into nothing. "You're mistaken. Continue firing."

Gideon took a deep breath. "We need to take a defensive stance until we understand what's happening."

Vader glared at Gideon through his helmet. "Stand fast, helmsman. Weapons, continue firing." He turned back to face the oncoming ships. Once again they fired dozens of projectiles at the Executor, while turbolaser fire splashed harmlessly off of their shields.

"Shields at seventy-two percent; no damage to the enemy ships."

They'd just destroyed the station...Vader had a thought. "Cease turbolaser fire; switch back to ion cannons."

The slower but more powerful ion cannons rang out, with immediate effect. One starship suffered four direct hits, careening off course and off its axis before two more hits blew it to pieces. Another starship was hit, but not before the surviving trio fired another projectile barrage before flying past the Executor and switching to firing energy weapons. As the starships pulled away they fired projectiles again. This time the ion cannons missed their targets.

But not for long. They scored two more direct hits again a starship, causing smoke to plume from one of its engine nacelles. The starships continued to pull away before engaging their faster than light drives and leaving the system.

Piett grinned. "Congratulations, Lord Vader. You've destroyed the enemy's ability to easily counterattack our beachhead."

"Yes, we're impressed," Gideon said sarcastically.

Vader couldn't let that pass, even from someone as protected as Gideon. "You may be a moff, but I will have respect that I am due."

Gideon wore a hurt face; Vader could tell that it was an act. "No offense was intended." Gideon looked at Piet. "What is the next target on our list?"

"A logistical depot for this sector named Farpoint Station, and a communications hub at Epsilon Gamma colony. We've sent out ships to recon the surrounding area to identify any enemy reinforcements; we expect another victory."

"I'll command the mission to this Epsilon Gamma."

That piqued Vader's interest. What was his goal? Did he simply hope to garner a battlefield victory to build his reputation? "Wouldn't it be safer for you here, Moff?"

Gideon simply looked at Vader, not rising to the bait. The Force, however, revealed the hostility that he was holding back. "One cannot serve the Empire without risk."

"Indeed." Vader would have to keep an eye on Gideon.

USS ENTERPRISE-G

MAIN BRIDGE

ORBIT, EPSILON GAMMA FACILITY

Captain Seven exited his ready room and took the center seat as the red alert klaxon blared around him. "Report.

"An unknown vessel just appeared in the system," said Commander Raffiela Musiker, Seven's first officer. The Trill appeared frustrated. "It popped out of nowhere; no warning on the sensors."

"It's metallurgy and energy pattern are similar to the ship that just destroyed Starbase Twenty-four," said Lieutenant Hill at tactical.

Seven saw similarities in the design philosophy. "On screen." A gray, angular-shape appeared, but this one didn't have the superstructure like the ship that they'd fought, and was much smaller. A weaker class of ship, maybe? Seven hoped so; the Enterprise had barely completed her repairs from the previous battle with the Galactic Empire from yesterday; he wasn't aching for another. "Notify Starfleet Command and any starships in the area, and hail the unknown vessel."

Lieutenant Sing at Communications shook her head as Lieutenant Jack Crusher came onto the bridge and sat in the observer's seat. "No response, Captain."

Crusher's eyes narrowed as he gazed at the approaching vessel. "Galactic Empire?"

"Yes, Admiral. We can read their transponder codes; this is the carrier Darkspear."

Seven nodded. "Darkspear is more my size. Hill, their weapons?"

Hill double checked her readings. "She's barely armed, Captain, just two turbolaser cannons."

Crusher shared a suprised look with Seven. "Lasers can't even penetrate our navigation shields; don't they know that from the previous battle?"

"I'll take any advantage." A launch bay opened up, and a dozen smaller craft with round primary hulls emerged. "Are those fighters?"

"I'm detecting proton torpedoes from each one." Hill looked to Seven. "I'd say bombers, Captain." Hill looked confused. "The bombers have no shields or armor, Captain. They're purely offensive weapons."

Why didn't the carrier have an escort? Do they think so poorly of our weapons that they don't think that an escort is necessary?

"Our shields and weapons are at maximum," said Musiker.

Seven leaned in close to Musiker. "Thoughts?"

"Don't be destroyed." The Enterprise didn't suffer any casualties during the first battle; he didn't want to start now. "Fire on the bombers the moment that they enter range," she ordered at normal volume.

"The Athens and John Baker are en route," said Lieutenant Sidney LaForge at the conn. "ETA two minutes."

The bombers attacked as a swarm and released a collective salvo of dozens of torpedoes, immediately followed by the Enterprise's return fire. Four bombers were immediately destroyed, but the Enterprise was rocked as the torpedoes slammed into her shields. Hill covered her face as sparks flew at Tactical. "Shields at seventy percent. Minor damage to the primary hull."

Goodness, they hit hard. They had to take out these bombers fast, or the Athens might arrive to find their wreckage. "Continue firing."

"Aye." The stern phasers took out another four bombers as they flew past. The remaining bombers split into pairs and fired on the Enterprise from different angles. The Enterprise took multiple hits, and more sparks flew, this time near the turbolift. The bombers veered off separately but each took a fatal blow from the Enterprise's phasers.

"Report."

"Shields at sixty-two percent," said Musiker. "Hull damage on deck five; sending damage control to the affected area."

"Incoming vessel!" LaForge warned. "Galactic Empire design!" The vessel appeared next to the carrier, but this was clearly more than a support ship; it's huge size and numerous cannons made it a heavyweight. "It's the star destroyer Havoc."

Seven pointed to Hill. "Analysis, Lieutenant."

Hill checked her sensors. "Sixteen hundred meters long, with sixty turbolaser batteries and sixty ion batteries."

Was a retreat in order? Could they even think of abandoning the relay station staff? Seven turned to Crusher. "I'm open to suggestions."

LaForge smiled. "Two slipstream apertures opening! It's the Athens and John Baker!"

The starships came from different directions, but neither delayed in taking action. The Athens immediately fired her own torpedoes, targeting the superstructure of Havoc. The Prometheus-class John Baker launched four Peregrine-class fighters and charged towards Havoc as well, and each Starfleet ship barraged the superstructure.

Crusher pointed to the main viewer as the Empire's return fire missed. "Could that vessel be built like an old Earth aircraft carrier, with command and control built above the rest of the ship?"

Musiker thought it was a good lead. "What do sensors say, people? Is that their bridge?"

"It's likely, sir," said LaForge.

Maybe they had a way to take down this Goliath. "Helm, attack pattern alpha two. Throw everything at that superstructure. Tell the other ships to do the same."

"Engineering, move auxiliary power to the shields," said Seven.

John Baker and its fighter group began another attack run, weaving towards the enemy ships before unleashing streams of quantum torpedoes and phaser strikes on what Seven was hoping was Havoc's bridge. Ion cannon fire danced all around the fighters and continually missed them, but scored two hits on John Baker. John Baker dove before taking another hit, while the Athens fired her own round of torpedoes. The Enterprise released six torpedoes then fired phasers as she closed in on superstructure before veering to starboard to avoid incoming ion fire. The Enterprise took two hits anyway; part of a bulkhead fell and Picard was thrown from his seat. "Report!" Seven demanded.

"Shields at forty-two percent," said Hill. "Casualties on deck four."

"Medical teams reporting to deck four," Musiker said.

The Athens fired another batch of torpedoes before taking a hit on her port nacelle. Smoke streamed from the nacelle as she slowed from full impulse, but fires could be seen along the Imperial ship as she took damage as well.

Darkspear opened up distance from the first before launching another squadron of bombers. The Starfleet fighters broke off from John Baker to meet them as John Baker began another attack run. She withstood two hits from ion fire while firing a dozen torpedoes. Havoc's shields flashed then dropped, allowing torpedoes to strike the naked hull with maximum damage. Multiple explosions could be seen on the dorsal side of the ship. Before Seven could celebrate, a quartet of bombers, having escaped the Starfleet fighters, attacked the Enterprise. Already weakened, the bombers crippled Athens, and drifted forward, away from the battle. "Weapons, fire on the bombers, don't let them finish off the Athens!"

The Enterprise took a position between the Athens and the bombers, lashing out phaser fire and destroying two bombers. The surviving pair released their payloads before they, too, were destroyed. The Enterprise was punched hard by the blows, and an aft station caught fire. "Status?" Seven asked.

"Shields at twenty percent!" said Musiker as she grabbed a fire extinguisher and doused the flames."Warp drive offline! Torpedoes offline!"

"We're down to half impulse," LaForge said. "Casualties are reporting in from multiple decks. But we can still fight."

Can we? Seven asked hermself. "Let's get the Athens in a tractor beam and see what other assistance she might need."

Darkspear and Havoc began to turn away from Epsilon Gamma, though Havoc took additional shots at John Baker. John Baker and her fighters took a defensive position in high orbit of the planet. Seconds later the Darkspear and Havoc disappeared from the system.

"Sensors?" Crusher asked.

"The board is cleared of hostiles," LaForge said. "Only Starfleet assets detected."

"Captain, we're being hailed by the Athens," said Hill.

Seven breathed a sigh of relief. "On screen, Lieutenant."

Captain Tuvok appeared on the main viewer. "Thank you for the response, Captain. It is unlikely that we would have survived another hit from them."

"What's your status?"

"We have lost navigation and weapons, and sensors are erratic. Repairs are expected to take four hours."

Hill held up a finger. "Captains, John Baker would like to join the discussion."

"The hero of the hour," said Seven. "Let's talk." Captain Olivia Mana's face appeared next to La Forge's. "Captain Mana, your people did good work. The fighters were a pleasant surprise."

Mana smirked. "Not for the Empire." She became serious. "You foks want help with repairs?"

"Though that would be helpful," Seven began, "But I think you'd be best used patrolling the system for now, in case our unwanted guests return."

"Acknowledged. I'd also like to have my people scour the wreckage for an intact computer core, black box, anything that can provide us with intelligence on this Empire."

"We'll guard the Athens while you do that." Seven leaned forward in her chair. "This is the second attack from them in as many days. More may be coming. You must steel yourself and your people from what may lie ahead."

La Forge's eyes narrowed. "A war."

IMPERIAL SHUTTLE FIVE EIGHTY FIVE

DENEB SYSTEM

Darth Vader felt everyone's movement through the Force as his and three other Lamba-class shuttles full of stormtroopers descended towards an open field adjacent to Farpoint Station, a Federation logistical hub. Two shuttles broke towards the other sides of the building, while another landed on the roof. Inferno Squad was already on the ground, serving as the reconnaissance element for the expedition. Vader could see Commander Iden Versio, the unit's leader, through the shuttle's viewport as she ran towards his shuttle as it touched down. The rear ramp opened and stormtroopers fanned out, taking kneeling positions as they aimed their blaster rifles towards the ground-based station. Vader slowly followed and met Versio at the bottom of the ramp. "Are we ready?"

Versio nodded. "Yes, Lord Vader. We've seen groups of Starfleet troops scattered around the city,likely setting up ambushes. The civilians surrounding the station have cleared out; there were thousands here when we landed, but they've somehow disappeared."

"Disappeared? We saw no vehicles leaving this area, and no crowds of people. Where could they have gone?"

"Lord Vader, it's like they've disappeared into thin air." Fierce phaser fire erupted from the station as Starfleet officers began firing at the Imperials out of windows, and a number of stormtroopers were immediately hit. Versio dropped to a knee to minimize her profile. "I have my people in scouting positions in case enemy reinforcements arrive."

Vader drew his lightsaber and activated it. "When we are through here, find this planet's political leadership. They must be executed."

"As you say, milord." Versio took off, and the stormtroopers began returning fire as they advanced towards the base. Vader deflected a pair of phaser beams with his lightsaber as a nearby stormtrooper took a beam to the chest. An Imperial colonel sprinted past the stormtroopers, yelling "Forward!", so the stormtroopers began running at full speed towards the building. Vader, of course, continued at his normal pace. The stormtroopers overwhelmed the defenders at the windows on multiple sides of the building, but not without dozens being shot. Just like that, the group of stormtroopers directly with Vader had been cut in half.

A stormtrooper sergeant attached a detonator to a door, and the other stormtroopers in the group lined up on either side of the door. "Clear the door! One, two, breach!" the sergeant called out, and he exploded the door inward. Stormtroopers poured through the doorway and were met with a wall of phaser fire. A stormtrooper tossed a detonator inside, and the resulting "boom" ended some of the fire. Stormtroopers fired unrelentingly as they entered the building, with Vader not far behind them. But even with the tenacious entrance the stormtrooper unit as losing one soldier after another.

The Imperial colonel approached Vader. "The roof and western entrance have also been breached, Lord Vader, but resistance is strong."

"Overcome the resistance. Dismissed."

Vader saw that they were in a long hallway, with doors on either side. Starfleet officers were firing from each doorway, and from behind a desk at the end of the hallway. For every Starfleet officer that the stormtroopers hit, a stormtrooper went down. Vader reached out with the Force and drug one Starfleet officer into the hallway; he was hit by multiple blaster bolts. Vader drug out another; this time, he Forced choked him before dropping his body to the floor. Three more stormtroopers went down; Vader Force shoved a Starfleet officer into a door frame and knocked her unconscious. The only defenders left were the ones behind the large desk. Vader saw empty additional hallways to the left and right of the desk; there was no one peeking around those corners.

Another group of stormtroopers were hit; the remaining Starfleet officers using the desk were excellent marksmen. "Computer, activate forcefield!" one of them called out. Vader watched the air in front shimmer as a forcefield went up in front of the Imperials.

"This forcefield will not hold us forever," Vader warned.

A dozen Starfleet officers came running around one corner, taking kneeling and standing positions in the hallway to get every rifle possible pointed at an Imperial. A tall, dark-skinned alien with a ridged forehead towered above them. "Holding will not be necessary." He held a long, curved sword at the ready. "Today is a good day to die."

Vader chuckled. "You will."

The tall one raised a hand into the air. "Crewman Holder?"

An officer behind the desk put a hand on a control panel. "Ready, Worf."

He brought his hand down in a chopping motion. "DaH!"

The forcefield came down, Starfleet immediately fired. Another group of stormtroopers were shot, while others returned fire and hit the Starfleet officers. Vader defended only himself, blocking phaser blasts with his lightsaber as the stormtrooper unit was decimated. The tall officer that had been addressed as Worf ducked as the Starfleet officers behind the desk fired closing shots on the last stormtroopers that were on their feet.

"Lieutenant Commander Hollis to all units!" Vader heard over the station communications system. "We need any available reinforcements in the north wing!"

Worf turned to his officers. "Report to north wing!" He raised his curved sword. "I will handle the one with the red blade." The other officers followed the order as Worf approached Vader, slowly twirling his sword as he sized him up.

"I will split you in half." Vader closed on Worf, raising his lightsaber above his head and bringing it down in a commanding slam. Worf blocked the attack, and surprisingly his sword did not break in half when meeting the lightsaber. Is his blade made of beskar, Vader asked himself, or some similar metal? Vader didn't have time to consider the question, as Worf swept his sword to Vader's right side, then upwards in a counterattack.

Vader took a step back, avoiding a knee to the stomach from Worf. Vader began a combination, sweeping his lightsaber at his opponent from multiple angles, but Worf parried each attack. Vader sent a loose blaster from off of the towards Worf's head, and launched another combination while Worf was distracted. Worf had no choice but to take a defensive posture and back away down the hall.

"This is Ensign Meer!z!" blared over the intercom. "Please send any help to the west wing!"

"Did you hear that?" Vader backed Worf up against the desk, their blades locked in a bind until they were face to face, each one struggling to overpower the other. "Your base is about to be mine, as if your life."

Worf shoved Vader away and kicked him in the stomach. "We shall see!"

Vader didn't feel any pain from the kick, but he was surprised by the non-Jedi's competency.

It was making the fight enjoyable.

Worf rushed at Vader with new speed and power, and now it was Vader's turn to take a step back, then another, then a third to parry Worf's onslaught. Vader Force-hurled Worf to the floor, but Worf simply rolled to his feet and made an upward thrust with his weapon, which Vader blocked.

They circled each other, each one looking for a previously unseen weakness. Finally Vader began an aggressive, six-move combination strike that didn't allow time for a counterattack. Worf blunted each stroke skillfully, never allowing a large enough gap in his defenses for Vader to exploit. Vader then initiated another haymaker swing from above, Force-shoved Worf again to knock him off balance, then thrusted directly for Worf's stomach. Not able to block the attack, Worf simply fell onto his back, and the lightsaber met thin air. Vader slashed the blade towards downward, but Worf rolled out of the away, causing the lightsaber to cut into the floor. This time Worf took a defensive stance when he came to his feet.

Vader fainted an attack from the right, then made a full spin left, the twist giving his next strike additional strength. Work deflected it with a grunt, pushed Vader's lightsaber to the side, then swept towards Vader's chest. Vader blocked the move and swung for Worf's head. Worf ducked and replicated Vader's swing; Vader protected himself.

"You are a worthy opponent," Worf began. "Today is a good day to die!"

His stupidity enraged Vader. "Cease your prattling!" Vader began another long combination, and Worf repulsed it just as before. Worf thrusted his sword towards Vader's chest; Vader caught it with the Force and tossed his blade away. Worf increased the distance between them. To give himself more time to react. Vader stepped towards Worf with what he thought was the killing stroke; Worf stepped to the side, avoiding the lightsaber as he slammed Vader's helmet with an open palm. Vader stumbled, momentarily disoriented; Worf used the time to retrieve his sword.

Now it was Worf's turn to begin a long combination; the fact that his blade had two edges means that his strikes could be made in half of the time. Vader had to draw on the Force to keep up.

"This is Captain Tuvok of the U,S.S, Athens to all Starfleet personnel," a voice said over the intercom. "Stand by for emergency beam out."

Worf backed Vader from the hallway into an adjoining room. Vader Forced-tossed a chair towards Worf, who kicked it out of the way. Vader pushed a wooden table out of the way to give himself more room to operate, then began horizontal slashes at Worf, who parried each one before trying to sweep Vader's lightsaber away from him. Failing, he closed in with consecutive slashes. He's taking away my reach advantage. Vader physically pushed him back, and Worf ended up back in the hallway.

Vader charged after Worf, and was about to engage with a powerful thrust when he saw a light shimmer around an unconscious Starfleet officer; the officer then disappeared into thin air. Before he could manage his disbelief Worf spun and elbowed him in the head, then leg-swept him to the floor. Vader used the Force to raise himself immediately as another officer shimmered away. He slashed towards Worf more to prevent an attack then to actually harm him. Worf stepped back and held his sword defensively. He slashed again, and again Worf backed away. Vader smiled beneath his mask. "You cower before me now."

Worf growled. "I can't risk that you'll be caught in the transporter beam; you would endanger my crewmates. "

Vader was genuinely confused. "What is a transporter beam?"

Light began to shimmer around Worf. "This." Worf disappeared in a flash of bright light.

Vader felt Worf leave in the Force; he was certainly no longer there. Where did he go?

U.S.S. JOHN BAKER

MAIN BRIDGE

BETA MAGELLAN SYSTEM

John Baker came out of warp, and Mana immediately saw the star destroyer Bastion moving toward Bynaus, homeworld of the Bynar. The Bynar had sent out a distress call four hours before; fortunately for them, Starfleet already was forming a task force in the area, which would be led by Admiral Picard. Bynaus wasn't a Federation world, but Mana didn't feel any less of an obligation to defend the lives that it held. She pulled a hair tie from her pocket and drew her hair into a ponytail. "Status."

"The Titan, Athens, T'Kumbra, and Stockwood have arrived in system with weapons and shields charged," said Lieutenant Miral Singh at the Intelligence station.

"Bring the group to half impulse." I would have liked another two ships in this flotilla, and at least a dozen more fighters, Mana thought to herself. Acting as the flotilla commander, Mana hoped that they had enough firepower to quickly eliminate Bastion. "Verus, launch the fighters, as well as the Delta Flyer. Miral, remind the group that I want the Stockwood and the small craft to screen us from TIE bombers while the rest of us attack the star destroyer."

"Fighters away," said Lieutenant Commander Verus, Mana's Deltan chief tactical officer. "Delta Flyer away." The Imperial tactical computer that John Baker had found in the Epsilon Gamma system had been a solid intelligence find; Starfleet now had solid information on every asset in the Imperial fleet. Because of that, Mana liked the idea of the Delta Flyer taking on TIEs. "All units are in position, Captain."

Singh's console chirped. "Bastion is launching TIEs; two dozen fighters and a dozen bombers. She's also moving to intercept us." She eyed her console. "Bastion is definitely a maximum level threat, Captain. With those guns expect a frontal attack with no subtlety."

Mana took a deep breath. "All units to full impulse and engage assigned targets."

"Captain," Commander Martin Madden, the first officer, began. "Titan is requesting permission to hail the Imperials and attempt diplomacy."

Why was Captain Ivanov stuck on this? Mana understood exploring the chance to avoid bloodshed, but the Imperials had destroyed one Starfleet station and captured another. In Mana's mind this was an undeclared war. She needed him focused on defending Bynaus, not standard peacetime engagement protocol. "Denied."

The Delta Flyer led the Peregrines in destroying four TIE fighters who blocked the Peregrines from clear shots at the bombers. The bombers bypassed the melee and headed for the Steamrunner-class Stockwood. The Peregrines tried to pursue, but we're distracted by attacking TIE fighters. John Baker, Titan, Athens and the T'Kumbra passed by just as the bombers fired their ordinance at the Stockwood. The Stockwood's phaser banks went to work in response.

Mana took her attention back to her own specific task. "Verus, open fire the moment that we're in range. Marty, order the entire assault element to do the same."

"So ordered," Madden replied.

Bastion completed it's turn to face the starships directly, maximizing the number of ion cannons it bring to bear. Just like Singh predicted, not sublety. With its superior range it fired first, missing in the beginning but eventually landing a blow on the Athena, then the T'Kumbra. Two hit John Baker, which rattled like it was shaken like a giant. "Shields at seventy-two percent," said Madden.

"Firing torpedoes," Verus reported.

"Thunderhawk, hard to starboard. Verus, never stop firing."

"Aye, Captain." Lieutenant Billy Thunderhawk, the senior conn officer, anticipated the order, and John Baker angled away from Bastion immediately. Mana watched the main viewer as quantum torpedoes streak from each ship in the assault element, all of them aiming for the star destroyer's superstructure before initiating evasive maneuvers. "Now to port." Thunderhawk's quick change of direction caused several ion bolts to miss their target. Verus, however, had no such problem. He released a stream of torpedoes from beneath John Baker as she pulled away from Bastion.

The combined barrage from the assault element meant that over forty torpedoes had slammed into Bastion. It's shields coalesced, and multiple ion cannons fell silent. "Moderate damage to the star destroyer," said Singh. John Baker took a hard hit, and a warning alarm sounded.

"Shields at fifty-nine percent. Hull breach on deck ten; force fields are in place," said Madden. "Rerouting auxiliary power to the shields. Bridge to damage control teams: report to deck ten."

"Weapons are still green," said Verus. "Shields now at sixty-seven percent."

"Helm is still green," said Thunderhawk.

Mana didn't like their shield status, but considering their opponents firepower, she could accept it. "Billy, begin the next attack run. Singh, how's the fighter element?"

Miral checked her console, "Stockwood is barely in the fight, but six bombers are destroyed. Those TIEs are still a moderate level threat, Captain."

John Baker now darted towards Bastion. Thunderhawk banked John Baker hard to port, and Mana saw an ion bolt flash pass as it missed. She next saw two, four, six, eight quantum torpedoes leap from John Baker's bow launchers to its target, and they caused damage along the superstructure. Despite that T'Kumbra took a hard hit after an attack run, as did Titan. How many more hard hits can we take? We have to end this fight quickly, Mana thought. "Billy, head straight on; we have to continue attacking."

It was a risk maintaining a straight flight path for this long, but Mana wanted as many of John Baker's torpedo launchers pointed at Bastion for as long as possible. John Baker released another three rounds of torpedoes before taking a direct hit that knocked it slightly off course. Sparks flew from multiple stations.

"Shields at thirty-six percent!" said Madden. "We have multiple hull breaches. Casualties on decks six and nine."

"Just a little longer," said Mana. "Switch to phasers."

John Baker was so close to Bastion that torpedoes were no longer safe to use, and moved into knife-fighting distance with several phaser blasts before Thunderhawk had no choice but to break off to avoid a collision. Verus continued firing as John Baker pulled away.

An alarm blarred at Verus' station. "Explosive cascade on board the Bastion! She's taken heavy damage." Bastion stopped firing, and began to list to port.

Madden pointed to Singh. "What about their faster than light propulsion?"

"Still operative, Commander."

Thunderhawk whipped John Baker towards Bastion's stern until she was facing Bastion's engines. Verus lined up a weapons lock. "With the Bastion experiencing so many power fluctuations I don't know if further damage will be fatal, but I'll shoot to disable, Captain."

Singh wiped sweat off of her forehead as she performed a quick analysis. "She's a moderate level threat, now."

Disabling Bastion could force the few remaining TIES to surrender, saving the Stockwood from having to destroy them. Mana nodded. "Do it."

"Firing phasers." Three blasts from the phasers hit Bastion's brightly lit engines. Thunderhawk pulled John Baker away to starboard, and those bright lights dimmed down to nothing. "Bastion is experiencing internal detonations." His eyes widened as he noticed something on his console display; he slammed the comm key. "All ships, clear the star destroyer! Engine detonation imminent!"

Bastion began to split down the middle as one explosion after another ripped through the hull. T'Kumbra, Titan, and the Athens fled at full impulse. John Baker barely escaped the blast zone.

Mana hung her head. "Singh, scan for survivors and beam them into the brig, and have Titan do the same. Marty, order the Athens to assist the Stockwood. Verus, prepare to tractor beam any escape pods."

"Aye, Captain."

"I recommend using cargo bay three for prisoner overflow," Madden commented. "All of the supplies there are securely sealed, so the prisoners can't destroy them."

That's a good idea. "Do it."

"The TIES are powering down their weapons and engines, Captain," Thunderhawk reported.

Thank goodness. "Assign T'Kumbra to collecting their crafts and personnel." Mana slowly began to relax, seeing everything from this point as a police action as opposed to combat. Then she realized that Starfleet had a new problem.

It needed a facility for these new prisoners of war.

MOFF GIDEON'S CRUISER

BRIDGE

DENEB SYSTEM

Gideon frowned as a TIE fighter streaked past the bridge's transparasteel viewport. "They fight like the rebels. Hit and run attacks, their ships firing projectiles before pulling away to avoid return fire. No ship-on-ship broadside attacks, no heavy blows traded like punchfighters." His frown deepened. "It's disgusting."

Vader stepped forward to stand beside him. "We've enjoyed great success upon our arrival. We've captured an enemy world, destroying six of their ships in the process, and destroyed a major military installation."

"We've also lost a star destroyer."

"They are made to be lost, in advancing the strength of the Empire."

Gideon rolled his eyes. Why were Sith so happy with losing troops? "They're made to be victorious. And now that we have some of idea of what lies here in this galaxy, we must define what counts as a victory for this expedition."

Vader turned to him. "Clearly you have a suggestion."

"Of course." Gideon tapped a button on the console in front of him, and holographic list appeared at eye level. "The world that we captured is rich in a number of precious metals, including what appears to be beskar, and has a docile population that should make for adequate slave labor. That doesn't even take into account the new technologies that we've encountered. Matter replicators that create objects and food out of thin air! Teleportation! We're going to need time to reverse engineer this technology. We should consolidate forces here and begin mining and research operations here immediately."

"Why would I use our forces for that rather than conquering more worlds?"

How can he not see the obvious? "Because we don't know how long this wormhole from our galaxy to this one will remain active."

"The wormhole will remain active for however long we need it to; the Dark Side wills it so." Vader turned towards the viewport. "Acquiring more systems would provide a strategic buffer for this one, as well uncover access to additional precious metals."

While that was true, Gideon knew the real reason why Darth Vader wanted to keep fighting; the more systems that were captured, the more he could brag to the Emperor. That contrasted with Gideon's motivation; to bring back as many precious metals as possible so that he could brag to the Emperor. "Only if those worlds are successfully captured. The failure in the Bynaus system shows that victory will not be simply given to us." Gideon began pacing behind Vader. "We have a dozen star destroyers, a super star destroyer, a carrier, and my cruiser. But we're facing an unknown number of Starfleet ships in this region, so we don't know if a counterattack on the Deneb system is imminent, nor do we know the defenses on the worlds that we might attack. We should consolidate our forces."

"The things that you've said are true," Vader said, "but they are why we need to be aggressive and call for reinforcements."

"Any vessel that we bring here is one that can't fight the rebels."

"Every vessel that we bring here is one that claims new resources for the Empire."

"But at what cost?" Gideon stopped pacing. "We came here to see what was on the other side, and we've found it: a weak, alien-worshiping democracy with a military force that is ultimately weaker than ours. Now that we've established the lack of a critical threat, we should focus on our true enemy: the rebellion."

"This is all about the rebellion." Vader made a fist. "I want to hit them so hard that even tbe idea of a counterattack breaks their spirits, leaving us free to gather resources to use against the rebels."

A broken, subdued, enemy? Gideon liked the sound of that. "What did you have in mind?"

"Any world that we take that does not have the resources that we need, we decimate through orbital bombardment. Then we threaten the Federation: if they try to retake any of our systems, we will find another world and bombard it." He chuckled. "They will back down."

Gideon thought for a moment; could it work? "Once will not be enough. It will simply spark outrage; we saw this after Alderaan." The rebels were able to spread the truth about Alderaan; that, coupled with the destruction of the Death Star, rallied many to the rebel banner.

"Agreed. Multiple attacks will be needed. The message must be expressed in no uncertain terms."

Killing was one place where he and Darth Vader were aligned. The thought made Gideon smile. "What reinforcements do you think that we will need?"

"A dozen more star destroyers. To hide their intended use from rebel spies I've given them fake official orders; the subterfuge means that will not be here for a week."

Depending on where the ships were coming from, a week could be reasonable. But it also gave Starfleet a week to relay forces. "A lot can happen in a week. We must keep the enemy off balance until we are ready to truly strike."

"Do not worry, Moff Gideon." Vader walked towards the exit. "I have a plan."

Vader's walking away irritated Gideon as the obvious power move that it was. Does he see me as a fool? Gideon would have to use this expedition to put Vader in his face.

He just needed to figure out how.

DEEP SPACE NINE

WARDROOM

BAJORAN SYSTEM

Captain William T. Riker walked into the wardroom and took a seat at the table with Picard and Colonel Kira Nerys, the station commander. "Are we ready to go?" When they both nodded, he activated the wall monitor to see that more fifty starship captains with their senior crews, plus miscellaneous others, were involved in this Priority One communication over subspace. Each one was aboard their own ship at numerous locations in Federation space, either in orbit of a world near Imperial forces, or a part of response groups ready to reinforce planets that came under attack. Things are happening too fast to meet face to face. "Thanks for meeting everyone. Your ships are now assigned to Task Force Alpha, commanded by Admiral Picard. For those who don't know me, I'm William Riker; I'll be serving as task force operations officer. Deep Space Nine will be serving as our home port, at least until we have Farpoint back in our hands." He pointed to his right. "I want to thank Colonel Kira of the Bajoran Militia for having her staff work extra shifts in preparation for supporting our repair and supply needs. I also want to thank the Bajoran government for imprisoning the captured Imperial personel." Kira simply nodded. "For now, I want you to know who and what we're facing. I'd like Doctor Soji Asha, an expert anthropologist, to give us details on the who. Doctor?"

Doctor Asha's young visage appeared on screen. "Thank you, Captain. We're facing a foreign power that calls itself the Galactic Empire. They're a fascist government with a track record of genocide on a scale that matches the Borg. They control over half of their home galaxy, and as a matter of policy they hate non-humans."

Nog held up a finger, and the screen momentarily cut to him. "I'm sorry, Soji, but did you say 'their galaxy?'"

Soji nodded. "We can confirm, via multiple interviews with captured Imperials, that they traveled here via a wormhole from another galaxy. The wormhole appeared, they traversed through it on a scouting mission, then attacked targets of opportunity using information that they bought from Ferengi traders." The group shared frustrated looks regarding the Ferengi; Riker shared their frustration. "What their ultimate goal is, we don't know. We should, however, expect more attacks. Those attacks will include killing civilians; several of the Imperials that we interviewed bragged about taking part in mass executions of unarmed people. If you're taken captive by them, you should expect to be tortured." Everyone shared apprehensive looks. "The invasion fleet is led by someone named Darth Vader. Prisoners weren't quite able to quantify his place in their government's hierarchy, other than to say he's extremely high placed. We were able to retrieve an image of him from a captured computed core." She posted his holographic image on the screen for all to see. "Several Imperial officers attributed special, unexplained abilities to him."

Worf frowned. "I fought him at Farpoint Station. He was able to anticipate attacks and block phaser beams with a laser-bladed sword, and move things without touching them, though that may be hard to believe."

Kira shrugged her shoulders. "Shapeshifters were once hard to believe in, and we know what happened with that."

"And the confirm what some of you have already heard," Soji continued, "The Empire is dominated by humans; our doctors have performed every test imaginable, and they are from the same genetic stock as humans born on Earth. When asked what planet humans originally come from, none of them were able to answer where; apparently it's been lost to time."

"Could it be the work of the Progenitors?" Picard wondered aloud.

"The Progenitors?" asked Kira.

"An ancient race that spread life on a number of Alpha and Beta Quadrant worlds. We know little about them beyond that."

It made sense to Riker. They'd spread life in this galaxy; why not another? Would the distance matter to them?

"That's as good a guess as any, Jean-Luc. They have a hatred of non-humans; very few achieve any role of significance in the Empire. We don't know enough of their history to attribute this to humanity's origin there or just plain bigotry. The Federation's celebration of all species is disgusting to them, and motivates them to fight us." Soji shook her head. "I hope to have more information for you soon as we conduct more interviews."

"On that note," Daxinterrupted, "with there being so many prisoners to interview, if your crews or Bajoran Intelligence can assign anyone to help us, it was greatly speed us up what intel that Soji and I can provide."

"That shouldn't be a problem, with these people operating so close to Bajoran space," said Kira.

Picard nodded to Riker. "Make it so."

Riker decided to move on to the next subject. "Commodore La Forge and his team at the Fleet Museum have been examining the wreckage of the star destroyer Bastion. Do you have an update for us, Geordie?"

"Will, my people have been through most of what's left of Bastion, and I can immediately tell you that though the Empire is far behind us technology wise; their star destroyers are in a weight class far above our own. Their ships' power cores generate four times the energy that ours do; it's what makes their ion cannons so formidable."

"That, coupled with the huge number of weapons placements that they have on each ship, is why they can damage our starships so quickly," said Fleet Admiral Kathryn Janeway at Starfleet Command. "Ion beams dampen shield energy. Commodore La Forge, do you think that we can modify our shields to counter that, the same way that Starfleet countered the Breen's energy dampening weapon during the Dominion War?"

La Forge paused for a moment. "It's possible, Admiral. You're going to want a team to look at that specific issue full time."

"I'll send a Corps Of Engineers ship to your location to help with the research." Janeway motioned to someone off screen.

"Does the difference in energy output have something to do with why we can't track them at warp speed?" asked Seven of Nine.

"Commander Hansen, they don't even use warp drive. If my people understand what we've seen, they use a rigid corridor outside of realspace, but without the ability to adjust it midflight. It's substantially faster than warp drive."

"A deployable transwarp conduit?"

"Yeah, that's a good analogy."

"The physics of that brings us to the wormhole itself," said Riker. "Admiral Janeway, I believe that Starfleet Command has a team examining sensor data taken from the Imperials. What did you find?"

"The data from the Imperial sensors is limited; their sensors don't have the power or detail of ours. But we can tell you that the fact that the iris of the wormhole never closes is cause for concern."

Kira eyebrows raised. "Never, Admiral?"

"Never. When we coupled this with the fact that the verteron count constantly fluctuates, we believe that the wormhole is naturally forming. There's just no uniformity with that would imply design like the Bajoran wormhole. Because of this, we hope that verteron beam projected from a deflector dish will cause the wormhole to collapse, and we're running simulations to find out."

"Admiral, has Starfleet Command decided on when it might collapse the wormhole?" asked Mana. "I ask because I think that it would be a grave error to close it without entering Imperial space first."

"Here comes the adventurism," said a clearly irritated Liam Ivanov.

What was Ivanov getting at? Riker asked himself.

"It's not adventurism, Ivanov," Mana argued. "The Imperials may have a base of operations immediately on the other side of the wormhole. We don't need them, if this strange wormhole were to reopen, to have the logistical standing to launch another attack from that base of operations."

"And that's why it's adventurism, Admiral Janeway," said an irritated Ivanov. "If these Imperials are as homicidal as Doctor Asha claims, then they might see our presence in their space as an escalation, not a warning. Protocol says that we try to de-escalate; closing the wormhole at the first opportunity does that. Mana's warmongering will only extend this conflict."

Riker never liked Ivanov; Ivanov lived and died by rules and regulations, with people being afterthought. The fact that he was risk-adverse made him even worse; it was a bad way to lead, in Riker's opinion.

"I'm always willing to hear opinions from my people. It can lead to better results." Janeway's face hardened, and she leaned forward. "But Starfleet Command will decide what counts as warmongering, as well as evaluate our captains."

Ivanov appeared sufficiently chastised.

"Was there anything else, Will?" Picard asked.

"No, that's it. Commander Dax will keep everyone updated with daily threat assessments. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, people. Riker out." He hit a tab on the table, and subspace meeting ended. He sat back in. His chair. "It looks like we have two opponents, Jean-Luc."

Picard appeared confused. "Two?"

Kira understood. "The Empire, and different philosophies."

STAR DESTROYER RAPTOR

BRIDGE

EN ROUTE TO ZAKDORN SYSTEM

Captain Harsher Kaylo inwardly beamed with joy.

He stood on the bridge of the Raptor as it exited hyperspace, leading a mission of three star destroyers. Looking out of the starboard viewport he could see the blue and green orb of Zakdorn Prime floating beneath Raptor, with its two moons in the background. The mission was simple: destroy the Starfleet defenses in the system, then attack her civilians. These civilians were aliens who were reputed to be intellectually superior to humans; the idea that any alien would be elevated above humanity disgusted him. It was why he didn't allow aliens to serve as officers on his ship. And it was why he was going to take special joy in today's mission.

"The Kraven and the Redheart both report ready, Captain," his communications officed rang out.

"Excellent. And enemy forces?"

"I'm counting six enemy ships, Captain," said the comms officer.

Kaylo saw six small dots outside the viewport. "Just six?" Six Starfleet ships were no match for three star destroyers; he's seen that himself at Farpoint. Would this mission be easier than expected? "Very well."

His executive officer, Commander Torka, came forward. "Should we demand their surrender, sir?"

"Surrender?" He scoffed. "I don't want prisoners; I want corpses. Order the Kraven and Redheart to engage the enemy. Bring the Raptor into geosynchronous orbit above the capitol city."

Torka nodded. "Right away, sir."

As the executive officer gave the orders, Kaylo turned to his fighter commander. "Launch the TIEs for the capital, and blow everything and everyone there to bits." This would be the part of the mission that he would enjoy the most; the bombers from the Kraven and the Redheart were already aboard the Raptor. Together they could do thunderous damage.

"TIEs away," an officer reported. Kaylo walked up to the viewport to see seventy-two TIE bombers make their way into the Zakdorn atmosphere.

"Are there any defenses detected from the planet?" Kaylo asked.

"None, sir."

Of course not. Zakdorn were like any other non-human species: weak, slow, and unprepared for warfare.

"The Kraven and Redheart are in weapons range of the enemy," said the executive officer.

The Kraven and Redheart were moving in tandem to provide overlapping fields of fire. This would prevent the Starfleet ships from maximizing their hit and run tactics. Kaylo did not want a repeat of the Bastion on his hands.

Torka moved close to Kaylo. "Should we raise our shields, sir?"

Kaylo shook his head. "We aren't near their capital ships, and I want the TIEs to be able return to base at the drop of a hat."

Torka looked concerned. "Be that as it may, Captain, I strongly recommend that we raise shields."

"Against whom?" Kaylo chuckled. "There are no enemy ships in our immediate area."

Torka walked away, clearly irritated. Who was he to second guess Kaylo? Kaylo decided that he would put him in his place after the mission was completed.

"The TIEs are spreading out over the city," said the communications officer. "The squadron commanders are verifying targets...bombs are being dropped."

Kaylo smiled.

"The TIEs are starting to take ground fire," said the communications officer. "It appears to be shoulder launched weaponry…two bombers have been hit and destroyed."

Kaylo spat on the deck. The aliens weren't completely impotent. "Prepare search-and-rescue teams, and launch them when ready."

"Captain, the Starfleet ships are backing away from our star destroyers," an officer reported.

Backing away? "Are you joking?"

"No, sir."

What were they getting at? We're they going to retreat with no fight whatsoever? "Are there defenses coming from the planet? Fighters, missiles, anything?"

"No, sir. The TIE bombers are operating without interference." He smiled. "Civilian casualties should be high."

Kaylo smiled back. "And the enemy isn't even fighting."

"There's an energy surge coming from the enemy ships," said a sensor officer. "They're powering up their faster-than-light engines!"

Kaylo shook his head in amazement. "They flee while the planet below is being bombed." He turned towards the bridge crew. "This is the vaunted Starfleet!" Several officers laughed. Kaylo turned back around. "Pilot, put us in position over another populated area. Since there aren't any Starfleet ships to interfere, we'll begin an orbital bombardment." Six flashes of light appeared outside as the Starfleet ships that had seemingly left had reappeared right in front of the Raptor; an in-system jump. The Raptor was the bigger threat to the planet, so they ignored the other ships to come for us. He pointed towards the Starfleet ships. "Enemy ahead!"

"Torpedoes and phasers inbound!" an officer warned.

A chill went down Kaylo's spine. "Shields up! Shields up!"

Weapon after weapon slammed into the the unshielded, unprotected Raptor, throwing Kaylo to the deck as large shards from the transparasteel viewport blew inward, impaling multiple officers. An injured officer fell on top of Kaylo, while another flew overhead as he was sucked out into space. He heard metal bending as pushed the fallen officer off of him. Parts of the bulkhead fell on to multiple crewmen. Automated force fields kicked in, protecting the bridge staff from the void. Kaylo came to his feet but couldn't stand up straight. Why were the Starfleet ships moving away at a weird angle? Then Kaylo realized that the Raptor was off of its axis, falling into the atmosphere. "Pilot, regain control! Pilot!" Kaylo looked for the pilot, and found that he was dead. Kaylo ran over and moved the corpse out of the way.

The Raptor's hull began to audibly strain as it hit the atmosphere. Alarms blared all over the bridge, and Kaylo tried to block them out as he tried to right the ship, but couldn't; the Raptor had lost helm control, external communications, and sensors. He considered his grave error of not raising the shields earlier as he gave what he knew would be his last order over the ship's intercom. "Abandon ship! Abandon ship!"

The crew struggled their way to escape pods, each one grabbing a console or a railing as the ship listed further off of its axis. Crewmen who weren't hurt began assisting those that weren't; Torka glared at Kaylo as he helped an injured crewman to the pods. Kaylo waited until the bridge staff had all left the bridge before he, too, made his way out, passing multiple dead bodies. One officer, heavily wounded but alive on the floor, reached up for help as Kaylo walked past. Having no interest in dragging anyone, Kaylo kicked his hand away, heading into the corridor before turning towards the last escape pod in this area of the ship. Multiple crewmen, some injured, some not, were already in the pod. Torka was here, continuing to glare at Kaylo. Kaylo pointed a finger at him. "Don't you judge me! This is not my fault!" Kaylo was the final one to enter the pod, and strapped himself in before hitting the eject button. The pod thumped before jetting away from the Raptor.

Fortunately for him, the pod was on the side of the ship facing space, and it headed towards planetary orbit, and safety. He craned his neck towards the viewport as he watched the Raptor, blazing from atmospheric friction, heads towards the surface. Maybe the ship will hit a population center, he hoped.

USS DAUNTLESS

MAIN BRIDGE

TERRAN SYSTEM

Admiral Kathryn Janeway saw this coming and was prepared.

Starfleet Command had made her responsible for defending Earth against an Imperial attack, and the assault on Zakdorn Prime had made her job all the more important. Over one million people had perished in the bombing, with many more maimed or otherwise injured. Many more could die, as the system was now under Imperial control.

"There are three sensor contacts, just passing Saturn, Admiral," said Lieutenant Hill at the tactical station. "Two star destroyers and a super star destroyer."

"Notify Starfleet Command and Admiral Picard. Destroyers on screen."

The ships quickly appeared on the main viewer. The two star destroyers took the lead in the Imperial formation, with the gargantuan super star destroyer Executor trailing behind. Lieutenant Chang's jaw dropped as she saw the size of Executor. a nineteen kilometer long dagger of death. "It's huge. It makes Borg cubes look small."

"That's a good thing, Chang." Chang looked confused by what Janeway had said. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall." Janeway hit the panel on the arm of the captain's chair. "This is Janeway to Red Leader: move your team to intercept."

"Acknowledged, Admiral."

Red Team, the twelve starships that were patrolling the system, accelerated to full impulse and headed towards the Executor. Dauntless took a trailing position a good distance behind them.

She tapped the comm key again. "Janeway to Gold Leader: Move to intercept."

"Moving now, Admiral Janeway. We'll make some scrap metal for you." Six starships, using the dust and ice from Saturn's rings to hide from Imperial sensors, moved forward to the Imperial's right flank.

Janeway closed the channel and opened a third one. "Blue Leader, attack opposition forces."

Fifty Deimos-class pilot frigates, fully automated, left Martian orbit and headed for the Imperials. Small and fast, with shields, phasers, and quantum torpedoes, tbe pilot frigates were a great answer to the TIE family of craft. Being further away, they'd be delayed to the battle, but they would be valuable.

Janeway considered committing her reserve force, six ships orbiting Earth, and thought better of it. She needed to hedge against disaster. Though she clearly had a large number of ships in the attack force, those ships ranged in firepower from Nova-class science ships to Inquiry-class explorers; would the weaker ships contribute enough to warrant their presence?

"The Imperials are hailing us, Admiral," said Hill.

Here we go. "On screen."

Darth Vader appeared, his helmet dominating the view. "I will make this simple. Resist and we will rain fire upon your cities. Surrender, and we will spare them."

"An empty gesture from an empty man, one who lacks knowhow so relies on threats and intimidation to get things done." Janeway shook her head. "Neither of those will work here."

"Ah, but my weapons work just fine. Simply ask the Zakdorn about them."

"Don't worry; they've given us one million messages to send, in a language you'll be sure to understand."

Vader pointed at Janeway. "You are overconfident. You will fall before the dark side." The transmission ended.

Janeway looked at her crew. "It's time to talk with our weapons. Hill, pass the word: attack plan alpha."

The Starfleet ships all concentrated their attack on one star destroyer. Gold Team, being closer to the target, opened fire first. Each Starfleet ship opened fire before breaking off to allow the next starship an avenue with which to shoot. The star destroyer accurately returned fire, and multiple vollies of ion bolts slammed into and then through one starship. The others evaded as Red Team joined the fray. They released streams of phaser and torpedo strikes, landing blow after blow. Though its guns took out another starship, the star destroyer took heavy damage in a hurry.

The second star destroyer turned into the fight to offer support, and the void became filled with even more lethal light. The combined fire from both star destroyers immediately pulverized two starships. The remaining Starfleet ships continued to press their attack on the original star destroyer, and it couldn't hold up to the sustained beating. It started to explode, and the second star destroyer pulled away to avoid being hit by wayward debris. The Executor simply continued forward, ignoring the fight as it passed over everyone, including Dauntless.

"We've lost four ships so far, Admiral," Chang reported.

Janeway had expected as much at this point.

"Admiral, I recommend re-tasking Blue Team to intercept the Executor," said Hill.

The fifty pilot frigates might slow down the super star destroyer. "So ordered. Chang?"

"Red and Gold teams are prosecuting the second star destroyer."

Janeway turned to the main screen to see the Starfleet ships swarm the second destroyer with the same stick and move tactics that had worked previously. Janeway was reasonably confident of success here; her concern was the Executor. "Switch the main viewscreen to the big boy." Chang did so, and Janeway saw the pilot frigates swirl towards the Executor like a flock of starlings, deftly avoiding point defense fire.

Each frigate fired a pair of torpedoes followed by phaser fire, and though the combined fire would impede a lesser vessel, the Executor simply continued to more forward. "Minimum damage to the Executor," said Hill.

Would she have to move her reserve force out of orbit to engage the Executor? Janeway had wanted to keep them in place to intercept TIE bombers, but if the Executor wasn't stopped before it reached orbit, it could lay waste to Earth with its arsenal of cannons. Her decision would depend on how quickly Red and Gold teams could pivot towards a new target. "Status on the remaining small boy?"

"There's major damage several of their systems," said Chang. "We've lost another pair of starships...make that three. Red Team has four ships remaining, Gold Team has seven."

Janeway decided to gamble. "Have Gold Team break off from the attack and go after the Executor." Red Team would have to be able to finish things themselves.

"Aye, Admiral."

"Helm, intercept the Executor. We open fire the moment that we're in range.

Hill donned a predatory smile.

Janeway stood as Dauntless changed course, with the surviving ships from Gold Team just behind Dauntless.

"The small boy is experiencing massive detonations," Chang reported. "Red Team is breaking off...the star destroyer is now gone."

Janeway nodded, satisfied. "Bring them into the new fight." The math had changed now; eleven attacking starships, which had already sustained battle damage, with pilot frigate support. They were likely to lose at least half of the ships before they could cause significant damage to the Executor, and though the Executor had yet to destroy one of the pilot frigates, the pilot frigates had expended their torpedo loads and were down to just phasers.

"Hill, bring the reserves out of orbit and have them attack. Have Blue Team fall back to Earth and keep an eye out for TIE bombers." The six starships in reserve, with their torpedoes and more powerful phaser banks, would be an upgrade over the fighter-sized pilot frigates that they were switching places with.

As Dauntless completed her turn towards the Executor and Red and Gold Teams formed up behind her, Janeway realized that they were in perfect position to attack the Executor from their vulnerable aft, where its armor and weapons coverage were minimal. Janeway pointed at the viewscreen. "Pass the word; we stay behind the big boy and chip away."

"Aye, Admiral."

"There's an energy surge coming from the Executor," said Chang. "They're powering up their faster-than-light engines."

Darth Vader must have seen the Executor's vulnerability as well. The ship disappeared in a flash of light, and Janeway released a mental sigh of relief. "Janeway to all ships; form up in Earth orbit. I want status reports on my desk in four hours." Hopefully they won't see another attack here. She didn't know if she had the ships to repel it.

FARPOINT STATION

MAIN CONFERENCE ROOM

DENEB IV

Darth Vader felt that he had to make the most out of what was becoming a bad situation.

Though his expeditionary force had captured three star systems, they'd lost three of the eleven star destroyers they'd come with, and may have lost his flagship Executor if he hadn't withdrawn from the raid on the Terran system. Though his forces had stolen a reasonable amount of resources thanks to Denebian slave labor, they were soon about to lose access to that booty.

The wormhole was slowly closing.

His astrometric officers had told him that in just a few days the portal between this galaxy and his would close. Vader could no longer think about what star systems that he could capture, but rather, what concessions could he squeeze out of the Federation before returning to his home galaxy. There was a chance that the Federation didn't know that wormhole was closing; he'd try to use that to his advantage.

For now, he and Gideon were seated across a table from two Starfleet officers. Vader had brought Inferno Squad with him as his security element, and they stood behind him along a wall; Starfleet had done the same thing with four large, heavily armed officers. "I'm Admiral Jean-Luc Picard," said a familiar face. He pointed to a brunette seated next to him. "This is Commander Deanna Troi. We express the Federation's gratitude that you wish to pause hostilities and talk."

Vader hated their desire for diplomacy, hated their weakness. For now, however, he would use it. "You've lost over one million people, three star systems, and the security of your capitol. You've lost over a dozen ships. What have you done in return? How have you hurt the Empire?" Vader chuckled. "I've lost just three ships. With a small investment the Empire has forced you to change your entire defensive posture. What if that investment were bigger? I have reinforcements on the way. Would you like to lose another one million people?"

Picard's face was emotionless. "I take it that you want to discuss an alternative."

"Your only choice," said Gideon.

"The Empire will annex the three systems that it currently occupies, and the Federation will supply engineering instructions for recreating your transporter, sensor, and replicator technologies."

Troi pointed towards a window. "And what about the Denebians that you're using as slaves to mine resources?"

The expeditionary force hadn't made the use of slave labor public; Vader didn't like that Starfleet's intelligence was that good.

"Oh, them?" Gideon smiled. "They would become Imperial citizens." Gideon's smile slowly disappeared. "And no longer your concern."

"And if we don't agree to these conditions?" Picard asked.

This time Vader answered. "We will continue to capture star systems, killing civilians as we go. One million will become two million, which will become three million, until we get what we need." Vader liked the idea of bringing up civilian deaths. If the information that the Ferengi traders had provided was correct, then the squeamish Federation would cave in.

Picard looked questioningly at Troi. "It's what we'd expected," she said.

What did she mean by that? thought Vader.

Picard cleared his throat. "Here's what will actually happen. We will return your prisoners to you, and you will withdraw all of your forces from Federation territory and return to your galaxy. We will not supply any technical expertise for any of our technology, nor agree to any territorial gains. If additional harm is brought to civilians, we will use force to impede your egress and possibly trap you here."

Vader was shocked by their fortitude; he could tell from the Force that it was genuine. Were the Ferengi wrong? "You'd be so flippant with your people's lives? Perhaps my reinforcements should rampage through more of your systems."

Picard slowly shook his head. "We know that the wormhole is getting smaller, and if you plan to return home, then your time here is limited to hours, not years." Picard rose and began to pace back and forth. "Yes, this still allows you time to kill more civilians, but it also allows us time to move reinforcements to the wormhole." He looked directly at Vader. "If civilians die here, then so will your people."

Vader examined Picard through the Force to see if he was bluffing; he wasn't. "How can you be so sure that you would impede us?"

"We could ask you why you're so sure of escape," said Troi. "You don't know what reinforcements of our own that we have on the way, in addition to the seventy-five ships that we now have surrounding your three star destroyers in the Coren system."

If true, then these reinforcements must have just arrived since Vader had landed on the planet. Vader could tell through the Force that Troi was telling the truth; this could be a catastrophe for Vader. The value of what minerals they'd taken so far was considerable; he was already thinking about the side projects that he could use the beskar-like metal on. But it couldn't be diminished by excessive loses; these ships would still be needed to confront the rebellion. He'd have to take what he'd gotten as a victory. "We agree to your terms." He'd expected Gideon to protest, but he didn't.

Troi looked at Vader, then Picard, before nodding. "Some of the Imperial personnel that we've captured, about a dozen, have requested asylum. Do you have that or a similar concept where you're from, Darth Vader?"

Vader said nothing, hoping to intimidate Troi. Instead she simply returned his silence. Would she crumble?

"I can feel that your lack of response comes from a disingenuous place, so I believe that you do have that practice. That leads to my next question, this time for Moff Gideon. We don't have a treaty, but we do want this handled amicably. How do you feel about their asylum request?"

Vader felt that he should punish her for having the gall to dismiss him, but killing her would only provoke the all-out assault on his forces that he was trying to avoid, and more importantly, give her emotional control over him.

Before he could interrupt, Picard held up a hand. "Even if we didn't tell you who they were, you would simply try to determine who made the request and execute them to make an example out of them, won't you? After all, they've turned their backs on the Empire."

"We could," answered a smiling Gideon. "Or you could grant them asylum, and we could execute their families to make an example out of them."

"Yes, I believe you would. Therefore, we plan to grant asylum to these Imperials. We're done here." Picard stood, followed by Troi. He tapped a delta-shaped emblem on his chest; Vader recalled seeing Worf doing the same. "Picard to Stargazer: six to beam up." Just like Worf, Picard and his group disappeared in a coalescence of light.

Vader was furious.

USS JOHN BAKER

CHAPPAS SYSTEM

Worf stood calmly in the turbolift as he headed for the main bridge. He was due for a tactical meeting with John Baker's senior staff. He wasn't sure how this would go; in his experience Starfleet officers had difficulty diving into the intricacies of warfare. Humans weren't afraid to fight, but they didn't seem to enjoy the profession of arms. Would this crew be an exception? Before he could complete the thought, red alert klaxons sounded.

The turbolift opened, and he saw the senior staff at their posts; it was unusual to see the tactical station up front next to the conn. Worf had viewed their service records, and it would be good to match faces to skills. How saw a squadron of Imperial fighters approaching John Baker on the main viewer, but something about these fighters was off. "They're TIE/D fighters, Captain," said Lieutenant Singh. "They're automated craft."

"And augmented, at least as far as we know," said Lieutenant Commander Verus. "They've been upgraded with torpedo launchers."

The Imperials had withdrawed through the now closed wormhole days ago, but their presence was still being felt via booby traps that they'd left behind; a minefield in System Five-Five-Two, timed delayed explosives on Deneb IV, and now a dozen fighters. This system was a part of a commercial shipping route; what would have happened if John Baker's patrol hadn't taken them through this area?

"Verus, launch fighters."

"Aye, Commander... fighters away, and forming up on our stern."

"Perfect. Computer, activate multi-vector assault mode."

Though Worf had fought alongside vessels employing this technology, he'd never had the chance to see this technology up close; John Baker was about to divide into three separate, warp-capable vessels that could either attack a single target from multiple angles, or in this case, increase their numbers.

The Red Alert klaxon was replaced by a softer alarm. "Initiating decoupling sequence," the computer announced. "Auto separation in ten...nine..." Worf moved to an unused auxillary console and called up the ship's status to observe things in detail. "Separation in progress."

A slight vibration could be felt through the deck as the ship began to separate, each section being controlled by the ship's computer. Within a few seconds John Baker was three ships.

Worf could see why Mana didn't employ this mode when facing star destroyers; she needed the full power of the entire ship to survive the weaponry of the overpowered Imperial vessels. But here, multivector assault was an advantage; instead of the TIE/Ds facing one ship and four fighters, they faced three ships and four fighters. Worf admired Mana's tactical savvy.

"We're in ready formation, Captain," said the Lieutenant Thunderhawk. "All systems are go."

"The computer's confirmed the target package, and the fighters are awaiting orders," said Verus.

Mana nodded. "Ahead all units, full impulse. Fire when ready."

"Aye, Captain."

The Starfleet and Imperial craft had formed into two lines and were headed directly for each other, weapons charged. "Here come the torpedoes," Patel warned.

The Intelligence officer was right; the TIE/Ds opened with a volley against the Starfleet seven. Unable to combine their fire on a single, large target, the TIE/Ds lost some of their collective punch. Two Peregrine-class ships took damage, however, and immediately peeled off. Everyone else was able to absorb the attack and return fire with phasers against the unshielded TIE/Ds and destroyed eight of them. As their lines crossed John Baker fired additional phaser blasts, destroying two more enemy ships.

"How are our birds?" Madden asked.

"Major damage to Peregrines Two and Three," Singh reported. "Life signs are optimal, but the ships themselves can't continue to fight."

Madden turned to Mana. "Captain, I recommend having the other two fighters defend the damaged ones, in close guard formation."

Mana pointed to Verus. "Do it. Thunderhawk, bring us about, and let's finish this."

Thunderhawk, who apparently was the conn officer, nodded. "I hate the Empire."

John Baker quickly changed direction, and the TIE/Ds had done the same. "Verus' console chirped as phasers locked from all three modules on targets. "Firing phasers." The surviving pair of TIE/Ds were destroyed with pinpoint precision. "Targets destroyed. Board cleared of hostiles."

"No additional Imperial assets detected on long range sensors," said Singh.

Madden checked a status list on his console. "No damage or casualties reported, Captain. Ensign Lopez, prepare for recovery of the Peregrines once our modules are recoupled."

An officer at the rear of the bridge keyed her console. "Standing by, Commander."

Mana stood. "Lieutenant Moore, you have the bridge. Begin coupling of the three modules and recover our Peregrines." Lopez and Moore nodded to each other. "Senior staff, to the conference lounge." Mana moved towards the conference lounge, the senior staff moving just behind her. She extended her hand. "Aloha, Worf." The door to the conference lounge slid open, and senior staff went through it.

Worf shook her hand. "Hello, Captain."

Moore rose from one of the auxiliary stations and headed for the center seat. "Computer, begin module coupling sequence…"

Worf walked into the conference lounge as the senior staff took seats around the table, where padds were waiting for them. Worf remained standing. "Good morning, and thank you for serving as the solutions team for the task force. Since there's always the chance that they may return, Admiral Picard has asked me to look into the tactical problems that the Empire presents, and stated that your senior staff would make great partners." The conflict with the Galactic Empire was brief, but the casualties were high. Could the crew of the John Baker come up with ideas that would saves lives if the Empire showed up again? Worf had certainly hoped so. "Eighteen starships will be assigned to patrol nearby space. Six will be assigned to the Coren system to replace the defensive capability that Starbase provided before its destruction. The overall size of the task force will drop from week to week as we become more confident that the Imperials won't return. But that confidence won't change the fact that we need to be prepared for another incursion."

"Well Worf, we've put together a plan to prevent the strategic surprise the hurt us before. Let's start with early warning."

"Starfleet Command wants to leave a sensor beacon in the Coren system. If the Federation Council decides to build a new starbase here, then the beacon will be deactivated. If not, the beacon and the six ships will provide early warning. What are your thoughts on that?"

"Miss Singh?"

Lieutenant Singh handed Worf a padd. "We don't know what caused the wormhole, or where it will appear next time, if there is a next time. A sensor beacon in one system won't provide enough coverage."

Worf skimmed the document on the padd. "You propose a new sensor protocol for all Starfleet assets."

"Exactly. Every ship, shuttle, and station will operate a new subroutine where their sensors are calibrated to search for the astronomical activity associated with wormholes. If the activity reaches a certain threshold, an automated warning is sent to Starfleet Command and the nearest starbase."

Worf took a deep breath. "This is certainly ambitious. The protocol will have to be perfectly calibrated so as the avoid false alarms," Worf read the padd again, "as it appears that you know."

"I want to introduce the subroutine to the task force, and once it's proven, the fleet."

"Excellent. I'll recommend to Admiral Picard that we implement this for the task force immediately. And defense?"

"The Imperial assault has shown an overreliance on starship defense," said Madden. "Neither Zakdorn Prime nor Deneb IV have any orbital or planet based defenses, which made it easier for the Empire to capture those worlds. With the AI ban lifted, worlds can field an unmanned ship squadron for basic planetary response."

Worf knew that Madden was right, but Worf had concerns. "That is a political consideration rather than a Starfleet one, as worlds would have to dedicate space to house their squadron, devote manpower to its administration, etc. Some would be offended by that, as they feel that Starfleet should respond to any situation in time to defend them. Even after the Dominion War, some Federation members have chosen not to operate a planetary defense unit."

Madden was visibly frustrated. "Both this conflict and the Dominion War have proven the need to be prepared. It's not what we want, but it's reality."

Worf once felt the same way, but his time as Federation Ambassador to Qo'nos had taught him differently. "Since when has reality been the purview of politicians? You, because of your honor, think like a warrior, but you cannot expect politicians to."

Madden thought for a moment. "What if we use Randall-class runabouts? They can be configured for executive travel, search-and-rescue, even luxury transport. A senior politician might find them useful."

Worf liked that process; senior politicians had no problem with self-indulgence. "A strong start. Continue working on this. Do you all have any other tactical recommendations?"

"Meet Lieutenant Commander Verus," said Mana. "My chief tactical officer."

Verus handed Worf a padd. "We've noticed that not only did Imperial ion cannons have a hard time hitting small craft, but that their TIE craft had subpar weapons and defenses. Computer, display table Verus Imperial One." A hologram with combat data appeared above the table. "I compared the combined amount of energy that the Peregrines delivered via phaser blasts and torpedoes that hit star destroyers versus the amount of energy that the star destroyers delivered via successful hits on Peregrines, and as you can see, there's a huge discrepancy that's in Starfleet's favor. Peregrine-class ships were highly effective against them, and I want to amplify that effect. Captain Mana has authorized upgrades to our Peregrines: regenerative shields, ablative armor, and improved targeting subroutines."

Worf was impressed by the insight that Verus had provided. He tapped the padd. "How hard would it be to implement these improvements across the remaining Peregrine-class fleet?"

"Not hard at all. We only used programs of record, so the upgrades already meet Starfleet safety protocols, and none of the technology is new."

Worf nodded. "I'll pass this on to Admiral Picard. You all have covered a lot, but I still have concerns about our inability to track Imperial ships. It was simply too easy for them to reach Earth unimpeded. Do you have any ideas on this topic?"

Billy Thunderhawk raised a hand. "Lieutenant Thunderhawk, senior conn officer. We're able to track ships at warp because of the energy that their warp field produces. Now, Imperial ships don't create a warp field, but they do emit an unusual radiation, which we can detect in real space. With the Imperials gone we haven't been able to test this in the real world, but simulations looks good."

Worf picked up the padds. "Your crew has done excellent work, Captain Mana. They're to be commended."

"Thanks, Worf, but we all still have major concerns. There are huge imbalances in firepower from a Starfleet ship to an Imperial warship. If Commander Musiker's intelligence is right, the Empire has thousands more ships than we do. What if next time we face a dozen super star destroyers?"

"I may be wrong, but I see the SSD as a Borg Cube," said Singh. "One cube destroyed forty starships at Wolf Three-Five-Nine. Though it's not as advanced, would an SSD enjoy a similar advantage? After all, it's kilometers long, with dozens of weapons emplacements."

Memories of the wrecked starships on the battlefield of Wolf Three-Five-Nine appeared in Worf's mind. He nodded. "Starfleet Tactical asked the same question. The answer was discouraging."

Madden snorted, then shook his head. "Who overdesigns a ship so much? The massive amount of resources that it takes to build, crew, and maintain a ship so large is enormous. Logistically, it's a strategic boondoggle."

Worf thought for a moment. "Perhaps efficiency was not their priority, but overwhelming ability was. Captain, Admiral Picard told me that you predicted such a threat at the Georgiou Conference. Do you think that Starfleet will adjust its priorities now?"

Mana shook her head. "To be honest, Worf, that's not what really worries me. The captured Imperials also told us about their weapons of mass destruction. If we have to face one of these Death Stars…"

Worf, too, had read the reports from captured Imperial personnel detailing this frightening invention. "There's no question that this Death Star would present a considerable challenge. But Kirk's Enterprise defeated a planet-killing ship. If needed, we will do so again." Worf rose. "I will reach out soon for further discussion."

"Great," said Madden. "As we sift through more of Commander Musiker's intelligence we'll run more simulations and send you the results."

The meeting was better than Worf had hoped for; the crew of the John Baker had resolved most of the major disadvantages that Starfleet had suffered from during the conflict.

Though Worf had hoped that there wouldn't be a next time, he still wanted a rematch with Darth Vader.