The Hour of The Wolf
Chapter One

Authors Note:-

Alright a little house keeping. This is indeed a Star Trek TNG and Battlestar Galactica TOS crossover. That means Starbuck is still a man, so is Boomer. The Cylons were built by an alien race. The colonies were destroyed at a peace conference and all that stuff.

However I will be bringing in a couple of things from Galactica 1980, you'll just have to see what. Although I can guarantee that there will be no Doctor Zee. Another thing there will be no is Muffet. I'm exorcising the silly dog played by a monkey in tinfoil (true, the damn thing was called Eve) I might reference it and the gruesome fate it received, but other than that it's gone.

On the other hand there is one thing I'm going to be taking from the remake. The FTL Drive. Let's face it there was no FTL in Classic Galactica. The closest we got was the Galactica itself reaching light speed in an episode (an impossibility in and of itself). Star Trek has Warp Drive, Galactica had… ? So I'm filling in the gap with the jump drive the Remake introduced.

Long story short the fleet hop along in space. Short jumps at a time. The Galactica (and her fighters) can do longer jumps than the rest of the fleet but as they are escorting they have to stick close. I know that will annoy the purists out there, but I see no other way to do it.

With that out of the way, let's go!

Chapter One

Will Riker looked at the empty chair in the ready room. 'Let him go.' Guinan had said. How could he do that. Jean-Luc Picard was more than a friend, more than a Captain. He was Will's mentor, his teacher and in so many ways a father figure. Not just to him, but to his whole crew.

When Will had first come onboard this ship he was a cocky, too big for his own boots, Commander. He'd raced up the command structure without a care in the world, convinced that he'd make Captain long before he was forty. Sure he worked hard for his rank, but he felt he deserved it. He'd argued with his captains and been proved right more than once. The Captain had seen through that ego charged act right away and ordered him to perform a manual docking with the saucer section.

That woke Will up. Next came Q and the offer to become a God. Again Captain Picard saw right to the heart of the issue in a way Will never could. For three years the Captain was there, sat in that chair and guided them with an insight Will Riker could never hope to match.

Shelby's arrival had reminded him of the arrogance he'd had at her age and losing Picard helped him realise what he had gained. He was now a Captain, a field promotion from Admiral Hanson and unless a review board questioned it, or he turned it down, Will Riker was in charge of the Enterprise. This wasn't the first captaincy he'd been offered, he'd rejected the others because he felt there was so much left for him to learn. He wasn't ready, Knowing what he had to do next he knew he'd never be ready.

The chair was still empty. Will had to do something about that, metaphorically as well as literally. Taking up the distance with two long strides Will walked past the desk and finally, ultimately sat down.

As he did so the comm chimed. 'Lieutenant Worf to Captain Riker.'

'Riker here.'

'We're receiving a message from Admiral Hanson. Sir, its a Code 47.'

Riker looked up at the ceiling. 'Confirm Mr Worf.'

'Have done sir. Code 47. Captain's eyes only.' The Klingon acknowledged. Code 47 was one of, if not the single most, secure communication codes in Starfleet. Only used in the direst emergencies or the utmost secret. It was almost never heard of and most Starfleet officers went their whole careers without hearing it. The only thing rarer was the almost mythical code Omega.

'Send it to my ready room Mr Worf.' Will turned the monitor around to face him. After the usual security checks he entered his authorisation code and submitted to an optical scan.

There was a brief few moments where the computer gave a long list of warnings about security and how any information divulged was of the utmost secrecy before Hanson came on the screen. 'Riker, I want you to order the Enterprise to a full stop. Right now.'

'Admiral…'

'Right now Captain. The Borg have been defeated, but there might be an even more dangerous threat we need you to investigate. Stop your ship!' Hanson sounded ernest, even desperate.

Slapping his comm badge Will called the helm. 'Mr Crusher, bring the Enterprise to a full stop immediately and await further instructions. Commander Shelby I want a full systems report as soon as I'm on the bridge.' Tapping it again disconnected the message.

'Good. Thank you Riker… Will. You are ordered to sector three-ten. That's well above the galactic elliptical plain and outside of regular space lanes. Once there I want you to scan for short range civilian comms traffic and follow it to it's source.'

Will sat back. 'Civilian traffic? What do you need me to do?'

Hanson sent a look through the screen that had it been phaser energy would have vaporised him. 'A full survey Captain. I want to know exactly what is out there, how many people, ships and whatever else you can find. Then I want a complete review of any supplies and resources they might need as a matter of urgency.'

Will tried to piece together what the Admiral was telling him to do. On one hand this had to be a threat equal or greater than the Borg, on the other there were talking about civilian vessels and aid. 'Admiral, if I might…'

'I can't discuss this Will. Not even on a code 47. Look I've one hell of a mess over here and it's only going to get worse, specially if the Klingons decide to finally arrive. Do your job and get back here as soon as you can. Hanson Out.' She screen went blank and then was replaced with the Federation flag. Earth, Andoria and Vulcan shining out brighter than the others. Will took a second to let it all sink in before getting back on his feet.

Walking onto the bridge Will saw everyone look to him. They wanted orders, the whole ship was on a knife edge waiting for him to decide what to do. Shelby, utterly fearless stepped up to him. 'Captain, with repairs the ship is now at optimal power and efficiency. Shields, phasers and Photon torpedoes are ready at your command.'

'Scanners?' he asked sharply, trying to puncture her bubble.

'Sir?'

Stepping past her he kept tight control over his emotions. 'Mr Worf, scan all haling frequencies for short-range bursts. Mr Crusher, set course for sector three-one-zero off the elliptical plain, prepare to engage at warp 6 on my command. Mr Data, scan the targeted sector with everything we have, we're looking for a civilian ship or ships at or near those co-ordinates.' he sat down in the Captain's chair. 'Riker to Dr Crusher.'

'I'm here Will.' Came the doctors voice.

'I need you on the bridge Doctor. Have your medical staff on standby.'

'On my way.'

Shelby finally seemed to move. After looking around the bridge she stood next to the Captains chair. 'Captain, could you explain what we're doing?'

'I would love to Commander, if I was able to. I am following Admiral Hanson's direct orders.'

'But the Borg…'

'…have apparently been destroyed. I assume with all hands.' Will said what he knew the crew feared. Besides him he heard Deanna gasp as Wesley spun in his chair to stare at his captain in shock.

Data ran this new information through his positronic processor. The conclusion was inescapable, yet somehow wrong. For almost a whole second he devoted his entire runtime to the problem yet still both the conclusion and the facts were incompatible.

Standing up the Android turned to face Captain Riker 'Please elaborate sir.' He requested. The rest of the bridge crew looked at him, there was something in their expressions he could not understand. Data decided to deal with one problem at a time and stored the question for later.

'Data. The Borg ship was intercepted at Wolf 359 and destroyed.' Captain Riker repeated slowly.

Again, the same facts. Data took a step forward. 'Not possible.' He explained, understanding that his processor must have calculated something his Commanding officer's organic counterpart must not have factored into the issue. 'Captain Picard was onboard the Borg cube. Were the Cube destroyed, Captain Picard would be killed.'

'Yes Data. Your point?' The Captain said in a quiet voice Data knew to be described as deceptively quiet.

With a sharp tilt of his head Data processed the information again. 'Impossible. The factors do not compute.'

Captain Riker looked at Data for a exactly 2.9457345 seconds before bursting out laughing. It was a low, almost bitter sound that did not match the usual sound of his laugher. 'I couldn't agree with you more Data. I couldn't agree with you more.' He laughed again. After another short pause, this one lasting only 1.867 seconds, Captain Riker stood up. 'I think we can all agree with Data on this. It does not compute, but we have our orders. Right now, at this moment in time, our duty is to the Federation. Not just to one man, no matter how important he is. We follow our orders before reporting to Hanson at Wolf 359. Once there I will demand a full investigation into the fate of the Captain. That is my duty to you and to him.'

Data ran this through his processor and was aware on some other level that his fellow crew members, even Captain Riker, were doing the same. Knowing that his systems had processed the scenario faster than his colleagues. 'That would be acceptable Captain.' What Data did not know was exactly why he chose those words.

Sitting back down Data stored the information and proceeded to enter the commands to begin scanning the sector of space ordered.

'Who'd have thought the most human among us would be the Android.' Captain Riker sighed. 'Mr Crusher, Engage.'

As the ship accelerated to Warp speeds Data began scanning. 'Scans of sector 310 coming in Captain. Nothing to report. Beginning to extend scan perimeters.'

'I am likewise not picking up any transmissions from that sector. Long or short range.' Lieutenant Worf announced.

Behind him Data heard the Turbo-lift open and the unmistakeable sound of Dr Crusher's footsteps came down the ramp. 'Will, What's going on?'

'Your guess is as good as mine Doctor. All I know is it would have to be important for the Admiral to divert us here at the last moment.' Captain Riker admitted and the ship continued to the new co-ordinates. 'Deanna, are you sensing anything?' he asked the Councillor

'I… I don't know.' She said in an uncertain voice. 'There is a great deal of uncertainty on board this ship. It's making it hard.' she gasped. 'Will, there's defiantly people out there. Lots of people.'

A subtle beep on his console returned Data's full attention to his duties. 'Captain, I'm picking up something on the extreme edge of sector 311.' he confirmed the readings. 'It is confirmed. Multiple vessels of unknown types. Power source unknown. They are travelling at sub warp speeds '

'How many ships Mr Data?' Captan Riker asked.

'Unable to get an exact count at this range, however I estimate more than two hundred vessels, based on distinct readings.'

'Two hundred ships?' Wesley gasped. 'Where are they heading?'

Data ran a number of complex calculations. 'Unable to get an exact course due to lack of relative speed, however based on our suggested location of the vessels in question and probability…'

'Earth.' Captain Riker interrupted, his guess was correct.

'Indeed.' Data confirmed.

The Captain didn't appear to hear him, however Data knew him well enough to know that was not the case. 'Now picking up multiple transmissions.' Lieutenant Worf announced before accessing them and presenting them to the bridge. To most it would be a meaningless overlapping of noise. To Data it was information to be processed.

'I am recognising at least One hundred and nine different transmissions. Thirty-eight are of a personal nature, a further fifty-six appear to be standard inter-fleet co-ordination. Ten appear to be news, or other current affair reports for public consumption.

'That still leaves four Data.' Wesley noticed.

'I… I am finding it difficult to identify those transmissions.' Data admitted. The coding was obscure, if there was a pattern to the encoding he could not lock on or decrypt it. 'They appear to be highly encoded. Possibly military in origin.'

'I recommend red alert Captain.' Lieutenant Worf suggested. 'We can't guarantee they are not hostile.'

Commander Shelby said:- 'I agree.'

'Good thing this ship isn't a democracy.' Captain Riker told them. 'Mr Crusher, set course to intercept and drop out of warp just within sensor range. I want all duty science teams in position. Mr Worf, go to yellow alert, but keep the shields down. If they do see us I don't want to start a fight.'

'Aye Captain.' Wesley nodded and changed course. 2.684 minutes later the Enterprise dropped out of warp. Data stood up from his station and headed to the science station at the back of the bridge. While operations was indeed a vital ship's function the science station had greater access to the required systems.

Data channeled the readings from the ships multiple sensor arrays to his new console. 'I can confirm two hundred and thirty-eight ships. Two hundred and twenty are of capital ship classification or greater. Two appear to be short range shuttles. Sixteen are small single person vessels. All utilising an unknown fuel source.'

'Weapons?' Lieutenant Worf asked.

'Impossible to know. I do not recognise their method of power generation. It appears to be independent of their main thrusters.' Data continued scanning 'Captain! Two of the smaller vessels have broken off from the fleet. The rest of the ships are accelerating!'

'Speed?'

'Full impulse. Some of the ships are already having trouble keeping formation.'

'Come to an all stop.' Captain Riker ordered. 'What's the heading of the other two ships Mr Worf?'

'Interception. Captain, they have already accelerated to five sixths the speed of light. Now Eight-ninths.'

'At current speed they should be in visual range momentarily.'

'I'd like them on screen, Mr Worf.' The view screen wavered as it's perimeters were reset. It focused on the approaching single person ships. They were small, consisting of three rear engines each with a short wing spaced out evenly along three axis. A relatively long nosecone came out from under a central cockpit.

Data directed the main sensors on to the ships ahead, attempting to get a better understanding of what powered the vessels. Something impossible caught his attention. He ran the scan again, this time deliberately focused on the species identification. There were some differences. Very much akin to the differences between Romulan and Vulcan but the conclusion was inescapable. 'Captain, scans of the pilots read as human.'

'Data's right Will, I can feel it. They're human, they both are!' The Councillor confirmed his readings

Captain Riker looked at the crew. 'That's not possible. Worf hail them. I want to talk with the pilots of those craft.'

'Hailing frequencies open Captain.'

'This is Captain William T. Riker of the Federation Starship Enterprise.' He said carefully. 'Can you respond?'

The two ships flew past the Enterprise at a speed significant to that of light. Data attempted to compare them to any vehicle he had in his database. 'I have no collation to any vessels in my records. I can not identify their classification.'

'They're fighters. Single man attack craft.' Captain Riker identified them.

The comm system activated. 'This is Lieutenant Troy of the Galactica Green Squadron to Enterprise. You have entered Colonial Fleet space. What are your intentions?'

The world, the universe was an immense white void. Light seemed to come from the very air. If there was air. He won't sure where he was. The last thing… the last thing.

Jean-Luc was on his feet, after a moment he clutched at his head. 'Ohh Merde.' He swore, 'My head.' He could remember being on the Enterprise. Kidnapped and altered by the Borg. The uncounted billions in his head, all speaking as one. His voice joining in with the chorus, the voice of Locutus.

He'd fought, he fought with every last bit of strength he had but he might as well be trying to escape the pull of a collapsed star. He'd been Borg. Right down from his head to his toes. The only bit of Jean-Luc Picard left that what they let survive. What they could use.

Then that ship came. It brought death and he welcomed it. The Borg were confused by it, unprepared. They had tried to adapt but there was point of reference. It had no shields, overpowered engines and Jean-Luc fought back with everything he had, a mere flea bite in comparison but he had some satisfaction from that. The ship fired its main guns and he knew it was enough. That his people were safe and the Borg attack was finished.

'Now I'm dead. he said aloud into the empty void.

'Au Contraire, Mon Capitaine.' A familiar and much loathed voice told him. 'Not just yet.'

'Q!'

End Chapter One