Among the Naked Stars (Star Trek AU)

[Einhander Sn0m4n]

Oh this is getting good!

[Cao Cao]

I like it. Antagonists who aren't a bunch of simpering evil cretins. And Klingons no less.
I sorta hoped these "real" Klingons would go up against their space-viking counterparts... but that'd be too easy!

[Imperial Overlord]

"Captain!" came the shout from the sciences station. "Transporter activity near the surface!"

"Origin point," Sandra Quan asked crisply. The news that a killer Klingon battlecruiser was on its way was going to do damage to morale any way you slice it. In Captain Quan's opinion the best way to counter it was to appear calm no matter what.

"Five thousand kilometers aft," said Lieutenant Michaelson. "Klingon battlcruiser decloaking. It's them!"

"Break orbit, full impulse," Quan ordered. "Target them with aft phasers and photon torpedoes. Signal the ground party to activate the demolition charges."

"Our signals to the ground are being jammed," said Lieutenant Commander Radcliffe at tactical. "Direct phaser hits on the Klingon's forward shields. Enemy shields holding."

The ship shook. "Disruptor hits on aft shields. Shields at sixty percent," continued Radcliffe.

"Take us to warp. Now." The Bellerophon shuddered and broke past the light speed. "Take us to warp nine point eight. Set course towards the rendevous with Tycho. Signal them that the Klingons arrived early."

"The battlecruiser has entered warp and is pursuing," said Michaelson. The young woman had gone as pale as her caffe au lait skin tone allowed. "Warp nine point two and accelerating."

"Divert power to aft shields," Quan ordered. "Aft torpedoes, wide spread."

Torpedoes sped through space, one scoring a glancing hit on Lancer and another scoring a direct hit on the battlecruiser's forward shields.

"Shields holding," said Kaan. "Seventy-three percent."

"Torpedoes," ordered Kardon. "All forward launchers."

"Acting," said Kaan calmly. Torpedoes wrapped in crimson shield flares were shot from the bow and dorsal launchers. Proximity torpedo detonations flayed the Bellerophon's shields and direct hits hammered the Starfleet vessel.

"They've fallen out of warp," Azrithel announced calmly. "Shields heavily damaged. We've overshot."

"Zan Krevon, drop us out of warp and bring us around for the kill. Disruptors, fire as we bear."

"Three Federation vessels detected on long range sensors," said Arizhen at sciences. "Closing at high warp. Norway, Akira, and Prometheus class."

A Federation heavy cruiser, a light warship, and what the Fedarazhon kuve called a "tactical" cruiser because they could not bear to call to actually call a warship a warship. "Belay the order," Kardon snapped. Tactical displays still showed the Intrepid with a third of its shield strength and only minor damage. Lingering to finish it off would mean that all three reinforcing vessels would arrive just after Lancer had reduced the Bellarophon to dust. "Warp speed. Take us back to Atria Beta." A ship had to move to live and against these odds he needed every advantage he could seize from an uncaring universe.

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Two disc shaped drones silently materialized over the wedge shaped Iconian building. Broken rock and alien weeds chocked the surrounding ground, broken only by the occasional stunted tree, the tallest of which was six meters. Dark purple leaves glistened from their branches. Three of Bellarophon's crew remained outside the structure, minding the communication relay. The ultra dense structure of the Iconian portal building prevented communication signals from penetrating, so a short ranged console had been set up, with cables snaking inside to convey signals into the building's interior.

The first pod was an electronic warfare device, jamming sensor and communications signals. It only needed to prevent the ground team from understanding what was occurring long enough for the other drone to do its job. There was a slight hissing from several of the nozzles on the other drone.

Invisible, odourless, Theragen gas seeped down on the unprotected Starfleet personnel and began to penetrate the Iconian structure. "Hey chief," said Ensign Ritter.

"What is it?" said Chief Sutter, a grizzled veteran of both Cardassian Wars.

"My tricorder's acting up," said the young officer. "I'm getting garbage."

"Let me take a look at it," said Sutter. Starfleet seemed to like instruments with too much sensitivity and too little shielding. Would it kill anyone in the design departments to make something that was robust?

He took the tricorder. "Probably just a spike from one of those intermittent power sources." He wrinkled his brow. "That's odd. Looks more like jamming." There was an odd metallic taste in his mouth.

"Christ," muttered Ritter. "Does that mean the Klingons have shown up? Wouldn't Bellarophon have told us? You alright chief?" Then the ensign's arms started shaking. All strength left his limbs and he collapsed, convulsing.

Three minutes latter the armoured forms of Klingon Marines arrived at the front of the building. "Section two, secure the front of the building and set up defences," ordered Force Leader Memneth. "Section three, take point. Take it slow. Let the gas do its work. That way they'll be dead before they know what's happening."

[Ford Prefect]

Well executed tactical sense there. Ah, it's a joy to read about these Klingons.

[Imperial Overlord]

Lancer swooped by the Bellerophon, trinaries on the battlecruiser's dorsal side firing as she did. Phaser beams flashed from the Bellerophon's phaser strips, striking the battlecruiser's shields in a blaze of light before the Klingon ship went into warp and was out of range.

The Cerebus came charging ahead at warp nine point nine closing on the Bellerophon. "It looks like you could use a hand Sandra," said Captain Vance Mather of the Cerebus. The Prometheus class vessel was leaner than classic Starfleet designs, with double warp nacelles on each side. The dedicated warship was heavily automated and light on crew. Regenerative shields covered a hull plated with ablative armour, allowing the ship to take massive amounts of punishment. With multiple phaser emitters and quantum torpedo launchers, the Cerebus was ready to go head to head with the Borg or Dominion battlecruisers. Or Lancer.

"I'll call you a liar if you repeat it, but I'm glad to see you Cerebus. And your friends to."

"Can your ship still fight?"

"Ship's in good shape, but our shields have taken a beating."

"Bellerophon, this is Admiral Janeway aboard the Tycho. Fall in at the rear of our formation. We'll show these Klingons a thing or two."

"Admiral," replied Sandra Quan, "the Klingons beamed to the surface before they decloaked and attacked. I've got people down there, people who may be fighting for their lives at this very moment."

"Alright captain," said Janeway. "Let's go and lend your away team a helping hand. Where is the battlecruiser?"

"They're near the fifth planet," answered Anek Celzu. The Andorian's antenna quivered with anticipation. "A ringed gas giant with a moon system."

"They're choosing a fighting ground where they can try and use their maneuverability to fight us one at a time," said Smyth. "Or they can play hide and seek with us until their landing team gets results from the Iconian device. I doubt they will take it as slow or carefully as we did."

"And what would you do in this situation?" said Janeway.

"Nothing fancy," said Smyth. "I would smash a moon into them until there weren't any pieces left larger than a molecule. These Klingons are slippery. Don't give them the chance to try anything clever."

"Your opinion is noted captain," said Janeway, "but I have a few tricks of my own."

---------------------------------------------------------------

Sergeant Mang ejected the power cell from his disruptor rifle and slammed another one into butt of the weapon. He had disintegrated a semicircular trench in front of the entrance of the Iconian installation. Two portable, rapid fire disruptor cannons were being wrestled into place and set up with the ease and smoothness of frequent practice.

"Portable force field generator online," said Corporal Mehong. He was standing next to the portable generator and the force field projector. On the other side of the trench was a small missle battery.

"Good," said Mang. "I want everything online before the Federazhon kuve even think about showing up."

Deep inside the Iconian installation, within walls that blocked sensor scans and communications signals, Arkehd walked in front of two marines carrying heavy cases. Ahead of him was Force Leader Memneth and four other marines.

The Klingons stepped into a large, circular room with only one entrance. Alien displays lined the walls and a circular console sat in the center of the room. On the wall opposite of the arch stood an empty doorway. Three Humans and a Vulcan wearing the blue under tunics of sciences lay on the ground. Their equipment was lying next to them or by the central terminal.

"Put the cases down over there," said Arkehd. He activated the suit tricorder. "The Federation gear is still active. They must have been dying before they knew what hit them."

"Prevented this from being a wasted trip," said Memneth. He pointed at two containers. "Those are bombs." The four marines with him, combat engineers, moved forward to deal with explosives.

Arkehd opened one of the cases and withdrew leads from the computer inside. He attached them to the Federation tricorders. "Unencrypted data. Typical."

"They got power to the console. And have performed some additional linguistic analysis." The computer hummed slightly as it compared databases. "Who needs a g'dayt Vulcan anyway?

[Sidewinder]

"Admiral," replied Sandra Quan, "the Klingons beamed to the surface before they decloaked and attacked. I've got people down there, people who may be fighting for their lives at this very moment."

Considering that they're already dead, I'm wondering if the human fusions in the Klingon ground forces will put on the dead Federation personnel's clothing and pretend to be fighting and dying to lure other Federation personnel into a trap. (The Vietcong used a similar trick, wearing the uniforms of captured/killed US pilots to lure US rescue helicopters into a kill zone.)

[Imperial Overlord]

Considering that they're already dead, I'm wondering if the human fusions in the Klingon ground forces will put on the dead Federation personnel's clothing and pretend to be fighting and dying to lure other Federation personnel into a trap. (The Vietcong used a similar trick, wearing the uniforms of captured/killed US pilots to lure US rescue helicopters into a kill zone.)

Human fusions are easily distinguishable by tricorder scans and there is the little issue of lingering Theragen gas.

[Cao Cao]

Janeway still being sensible. Why do I get the feeling it's all going to end in tears?

[Trogdor]

Janeway still being sensible. Why do I get the feeling it's all going to end in tears?

Because of this line perhaps?

"Your opinion is noted captain," said Janeway, "but I have a few tricks of my own."

I don't know what she's planning to do, but I'd be willing to wager that it will fail spectacularly.

[Imperial Overlord]

"All Federation starships are in high orbit above the Iconian facility," said Azrithel. Lancer was cruising just above the cyan and white gas giant's ice rings.

"Weapons, status?" Kardon said.

"The last stealthed sensor drone will be deployed in . . . ten seconds," said Kaan. "Special ordinance will be ready within two minutes."

"Shields over ninety percent and rising," Azrithel said.

"Navigation, lay in a long range strafing course against the Starfleet vessels. Helm, weapon, stand by."

"Course laid in," said Lieutenant Kalmath.

"Action," Kardon ordered.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Captain," said Lieutenant Commander Celzu, "we are receiving no signals from the surface and are detecting the presence of Theragen gas. In addition, a force field has been erected covering the entrance of the Iconian site."

"Theragen gas?" Janeway asked. "I'm not familiar with it."

"Klingon nerve gas," said Smyth. "They don't consider it an honourable weapon, but that didn't stop them from using it on the Jem'Hadar. It's very deadly. That's why we aren't getting any communication from the surface. They may have been incapacitated before having the chance to set the destruct charges."

"We can't let that facility remain in the renegade's hands."

"Agreed Admiral, but our security people need time to suit up or they're just committing suicide." He turned to his tactical officer. "What else is down by the entrance?"

"A lot of jamming, so I can't be sure," said Cezlu.

"A force field and even one synched disruptor cannon and we're going to take heavy casualties trying to storm the place. Admiral, I recommend we send security compliments from every ship, suited up and with every heavy weapon in the armory. Fighting Klingons in close quarters is hell under the best of conditions. I hate to say it, but we are going to have to accept that we are going to take heavy losses retaking the installation."

"I think you are underestimating our people captain."

'I think you are underestimating our enemy Admiral, but that's beside the point. Do you concur with my course of action?"

"Yes," she said. "Give me an all ships channel," she ordered. "This is Admiral Janeway. All security personnel are to don environmental suits and arm themselves with the heaviest weapons in the armories before reporting to transporter rooms. Beaming sites will be coordinated through Captain Smyth."

"Mister Cezlu," Smyth ordered. "Target the front of the Iconian facility and any other Klingon target you can find on the surface. After lock is achieved, fire phasers."

"Yes sir," said Anek Celzu. "Firing phasers."

--------------------------------------------------------------------

"Khest it," Memneth swore.

"Problem Force Leader?"

"I just lost contact with the outer perimeter Accredited Specialist," the marine replied. "Observations consistent with orbital beam weapon fire. Apparently the this Federazhon has not completely lost the concept of fire support."

"Bad?"

"Yes, but we are prepared. They will attempt ground assault soon. Are you making any progress?"

"Yes," said Arkehd. One of his computers was projecting a complicated holographic model. He consulted it and then approached the center terminal. He touched three panels in sequence.

"What did you just do?"

"Powered up the reactor, if I did it right. If not, hope the Iconians built their power plants better than this universe's Starfleet does its warp cores."

"That was not entirely reassuring."

"Wasn't meant to be. The alternative is to be like those khex Federazhon kuve and be afraid to take the necessary steps forward." He consulted readings. "Power levels rising."

"Just get that portal open. Preferably before the ground assault begins." Memneth and his combat engineers headed toward the exit.

"Where are you going?"

"To lead the fight."

[Imperial Overlord]

"Transporter beams detected," said Lieutenant Arizhen at sciences. "All Federazhon vessels now raising shields. Beginning maneuvers. They definitely see us."

"With the amount of transporter activity they have had time to beam down a contingent that outnumbers our marines three to one," said Security Chief Mara. Security rarely had much to say during battle conditions, but with Lancer's marines deployed Mara covered Memneth's duties. "Conservatively."

"Three to one is bad odds storming a defended position," Kardon replied. "Weapons, target Bellerophon."

"Bellerophon is at the rear of their formation," Arizhen said. Kardon shot him a look. The junior officer shut up.

Kardon wasn't inclined to explain himself. Long range attacks on the weaker vessels, the Sweden and the Bellerophon, would either wear down and destroy the vessels or goad Starfleet into pursuit. Kardon was prepared to take either, but expected the latter. One thing that had been repeatedly demonstrated was that Lancer held the edge in long range accuracy and that her torpedoes had more powerful warheads than those of the Starfleet vessels. They would hold the advantage in long range sniping engagements.

"Weapons, fire at will," Kardon ordered.

"Acting," said Kaan. Orbs of bloody light shot from the bow and dorsal launchers and shot across open space. One struck Bellerophon directly, two more were close proximity hits.

"Federazhon vessels accelerating, full impulse," said Arizhen.

"Zan Krevon take us to our chosen battleground. Full impulse."

"Acting," said the helmsmen. Lancer's course changed and arced back to the cold gas giant in the outer system.

"Starfleet vessels in pursuit," said Arizhen. "Bellerophon and Sweden trailing."

"Tycho and Cerebus firing torpedoes," said Kaan.

"Evasive," ordered Kardon. Lancer shook with the impact of several hits.

"Tycho is equiped with rapid fire launchers," Azrithel commented. "And Cerebus is armed with quantum torpedoes." And quantum torpedoes packed an even heavier punch than Lancer's.

"Continue with evasive. Angle around the seventh moon as cover and put us on the other side of the gas giant." Lancer shook again.

"This only works if they take the bait," said Mara.

Kardon bit back a snarl. His security chief was getting so bold because she didn't think he was going to win. Security's job was to doubt the captain, but if the doubt spread to his other officers she might try to relieve him of command and get them all killed. "They'll take the bait," he snarled. "If they don't we can either snipe them or take an attack run on their ground forces on the second planet. After we bleed them for a second time they won't be able to resist."

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Starfleet security officers warily approached the Iconian structure. Tycho's phasers had blasted a smoking crater in the ground and scorched the exterior of the building, but hadn't done any noticeable structural damage. There weren't even bodies left of the Klingon's who had been defending the building's entrance. None of the men and women advancing thought the rest of the fight was going to be that easy.

They wore bulky environmental suits that only moderately encumbered the wearer. Most of them were armed with phaser rifles, although some support teams carried heavier weapons for blasting strong points and blowing through defensive force fields. Everyone expected the fighting to be rough.

Disruptor bolts flashed from the interior in a rapid stream. A stunted tree had its trunk blown apart by a single bolt and two security officers were hit. Return fire was directed towards the interior of the Iconian structure. The hose of disruptor fire swivelled and blew apart a large boulder in a hail of shots and then disintegrated one of the Starfleet officers hiding behind it.

Phaser pulses were filing the corridor, but the fire kept coming. "Launchers!" ordered Commander Sanderson. Two officers rose with tubular weapons resting on their shoulders. Scanning beams adjusted for range. Shielded projectiles shot into the corridor and loudly detonated in brilliant flashes of light.

Sanderson checked his tricorder. "Force field down, no life signs. We bagged them. Remember, we can't scan through the walls at all. The area could be literally crawling with Klingons. They don't die easy. Don't stop shooting them until they drop. There's a lot a dead Cardies and Jemmies who made that mistake. I expect better of Starfleet. Now move up."

Four Starfleet officers in white environmental suits advanced up the corridor, which was revealed to be a T junction. The remains of a tripod mounted heavy disruptor and a small force field generator were visible as well as the body of armoured Klingon marine.

Two Klingons poked disruptor rifles around the corner of either side. Disruptor and phaser bolts flashed at close range. Two Starfleet officers went down immediately, disruptor bolts burning through their suits and destroying tissue and organs. A phaser bolt hit a Klingon on the shoulder, disintegrating the outer layers of his armour but failing to penetrate. Starfleet officers behind the vanguard dropped into crouches or prone and added their fire. The rest of the advance team was down in seconds.

Another Klingon was hit and didn't drop. They opened up on the closest Starfleet officers. "Up the power!" a young lieutenant yelled. "Their suits are armoured. He jacked increased the power setting of his rifle three increments and resumed firing. One of the officers carrying a launcher was hit and dropped before he could fire.

A glowing mauve projectile hit the wall near two Klingons and exploded. Security officers ran up, ready to finish wounded or stunned Klingons. There were no new bodies when they arrived. One went two far forward and was cut down by Klingons waiting at the next corner.

Sanderson saw him fall. "Damn," he swore softly. This was going to be real bad. "Bring all the support weapons forward," he said. "And make sure your rifle is set on high. Yeah, that'll burn the power pack out quickly. That's why they invented reloading. These bastards are going to make us pay for every meter."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

"It looks like Klingons won the race," said Captain Mather. "They seem to want to play hide and seek behind the gas giant." The planet's mass would do a good job of hiding the Klingon battlecruiser, not that the radiation belt was going to make things easier. "Let's go get them."

"Classic englobement tactics are the order of the day captains," said Kathryn Janeway. "We hit them from all sides so they don't get the chance to run.

"We lack the ships for a classic englobement pattern," said Smyth. "And in any case, Bellerophon is a weak link. She's still operational, but her shields have taken a beating. We should pursue as a group, Bellerophon trailing and let Cerebus get right up to their thrusters."

"On the contrary," said Janeway, "we do have the ships. Bellerophon will approach on a similar vector to Tycho so we can cover them. Sweden comes up from the pole, we follow their trail, and Cerebus goes over the top and takes them from the front. Captain Mather, split your ship. We'll hit them from every side and cling like a bull terrier," said Janeway. "They won't know what hit them."

"Admiral-" began Smyth.

"You're a good captain Thomas," said Janeway, "but there's still a few tricks I can teach you. Engage."

[LadyTevar]

Nice idea in practice, Janeway. Somehow I think this is gonna be a massacre.

[Edward Yee]

Doesn't help that just she hasn't defended the assumption (from her orders) that even if they closed the distance and moved into position, that it'd both constitute englobement (regardless of the Bellepheron's already having taken fire) and that they wouldn't have to lose it to rescue the ground personnel...

[Imperial Overlord]

"The Cerebus is dividing into three different ships," said Azrithel as she managed the tight beam feed from the stealthed drones that Lancer had placed earlier. The ship had split into its saucer hull and two engineering sections with two warp nacelles each. "Federation ships are aligning to come around the planet from all sides."

Kardon stroked his beard as he considered the tactical display. The division of the Cerebus was an unexpected piece of good news. He had hoped the Federazhon vessels would split up and try to surround Lancer in a web of death, had even planted the surveillance drones so he could turn that strategy against them. Being able to attack one of Cerebus's sections would be a far better choice than Sweden or Bellerophon. "Navigation, plot intercept course for the stardrive section going over the north pole. Zan Kaan, stand by torpedoes, tight clusters, all forward launchers."

"Acting," said Kalmath.

On the tactical feed, the Starfleet vessels began to circle the planet. The passed the line marked on the display, indicating when Lancer should move. Krevon brought Lancer's impulse engines to full power and the battlecruiser flew towards the gas giant's pull.

Unlike the Starfleet vessels, Lancer didn't need structural integrety fields to stay in one piece, but the battlecruiser possessed them anyway. In fact, Lancer had more powerful structural integrity fields than even the Cerebus. As a result the battlecruiser could take far more maneuvering and acceleration stress than any of the Starfleet vessels, allowing the battlecruiser to outmaneuver smaller vessels with brute force raw power.

The Starfleet vessels cleared the bulk of the planet to see Lancer charging one of the Cerebus's engineering sections. The commander of the section had just enough time to realize he was almost on a direct collision course with a rapidly moving Klingon battlecruiser before Kaan opened fire with both launchers. Tight clusters of torpedoes shot out of the launchers in the command pod and the dorsal weapons pod. The crimson projectiles all scored direct hits on the doomed vessel. It exploded in a blinding flash.

Quantum torpedoes flew the Cerebus's surviving sections, but only two scored hits and Lancer's shields took the impact. No other ship managed to lock on and fire in the short window of time before Lancer once again had the use of the planet as a shield. "Pursuit, full speed," barked Kathryn Janeway. "If they think they are going to get away with this they have another thing coming."

The Tycho went up and over the pole in pursuit, the rest of the Federation ships trailing the heavy cruiser like rhemoraz trailing a shark. The Akira's weapon pod fired a volley of torpedoes bracketing the Klingon battlecruiser as it zigzagged through evasive maneuvers. Most of the torpedoes missed, but two scored hits. The Tycho followed up with phasers, one beam missing and then a second beam scoring hits.

"The Klingons evasive maneuvers is limiting their acceleration," Anek Cezlu reported. "Their shields have taken significant damage."

"Keep up the attack," said Janeway. "They're going to try and lose us behind that moon." Lancer fired her aft disruptors at the Tycho, missing with the first two shots but then scoring several hits. The Federation heavy cruiser took the impacts on her forward shields and kept on coming.

"Keep a sharp eye out," said Smyth. "They're up to something." Torpedoes shot from the battlecruiser's aft launchers in a broad spread, none of them aimed at Tycho. Sweden took one in the nose and began evasive maneuvers and the surviving pieces of Cerebus managed to avoid getting hit by dodging wildly. Bellerophon wasn't targeted as well, but the light cruiser was taking up the rear of the formation, her shields slowly recovering from the beating Lancer had handed out earlier.

------------------------------------------------------------

Arkehd watched as power level indicators rose on both his klingonaase virtual display and the the Iconian control panel as well. "Power engaged and the continent is still intact. I must have succeeded."

He moved to the next part of the control panel. Now that the gate system had power, he had to open a gate that Lancer could go through in space back to their home universe and another gate from this room to Lancer while using alien technology and dealing with a time limit. Easy.

His suit communicator buzzed. It had to be from the com relay system the marines had set up. "Arkehd here?"

Memneth's voice came through. "Progress?"

"Power on line. I'm beginning to manipulate the portal controls as we speak. How much time do I have?"

"Not a lot," the Force Leader replied. "The Fedies were smart enough to bring high explosives for clearing corners. They're dying all over the place, but they are sending my men to the Black Fleet."

"I'll try to hurry. Stall them for as long as you can. Arkehd out."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The Tycho came around the moonlette with her impulse engines at full power. Lancer had slowed down to continue to use the moon as cover while her shields recovered. Tycho didn't give the Klingons the opportunity.

Lancer began evasive maneuvers as photon torpedoes exploded around her. Three struck the Klingon ship's shields and the Tycho followed up with a direct phaser strike on the collapsing aft shields. The Federation closed for the kill as disruptor fire struck her shields.

"Steady as she goes," Smyth ordered. "Increase power to forward shields."

"Get in close enough that we can feel their thrusters," Janeway ordered. "Let's finish this."

A similar sentiment prevailed on Lancer's bridge. "Emergency power transfer to aft shields and engines. Weapons, torpedoes and special ordinance."

"Acting," said Kaan. As Kolenth sent a tight cluster of torpedoes to smash Tycho's front shields, four drones were launched out of Lancer's shuttle bays. They were four meters long, and about half that wide and they possessed a modest maneuvering system and sensor capabilities. They could be remotely manipulated by from Lancer's bridge, but the instructions loaded into their computer brains sufficed. Simply firing their maneuvering thrusters and Tycho's own velocity did most of the work.

Tycho barely had time to register the drones on their sensors and recognize them before they were at point blank range. An alarm beeped on Anek Cezlu's board. The Andorian just had enough time to read that the drones were equipped with tri-cobalt devices when the first one detonated.

The blinding flair collapsed what was left of Tycho's forward shields. The second drone detonated a moment later as unforgiving physics meant that Tycho continued forward. Hull armour melted away and hard gamma and x-rays ripped through the ship. Then the third one detonated near engineering as the ship passed it less than a kilometer to port. Then the fourth exploded less than fifty meters from the ship's belly.

Kathryn Janeway was smashed back against her chair as consoles exploded and plasma conduits ruptured. Crewmen were thrown around like rag dolls as the artificial gravity fluctuated. She had enough time to scream as plasma rushed in from ruptured conduits and turned the air to fire. Compared to the death that the lethal dose of hard radiation would have given her, the agony of being swiftly burned alive was a mercy.

[Ford Prefect]

Oh, oh ouch.

[Crazedwraith]

hehehehhehe, Janeway seemed to be doing quite well. Until the klingons just shoot her with the big guns.

So the Feds still have two portions of a Prometheus, a Norway and a previous battered Intrepid?

[Imperial Overlord]

Lieutenant Melar held his disruptor steady and aimed down the corridor. Without their tricorders, the Fedies would have to stick their heads around the corner to see what was going on, which meant that he would have another chance to kill one of them. Or they could learn the mirror trick, but that was a little low tech for this Starfleet.

A head peaked around the corner. He squeezed the firing stud of his disruptor and a beam of emerald energy blasted through the Earther's face plate and burned through his skull. The body fell. Melar ducked down, so he wasn't quite in the same place as his last shot.

Something bounced off the wall and clattered along the floor towards him. It took him a moment to recognize it. It was a federazhon hand phaser and he realized it was probably set on overload. The Human Fusion dived back and rolled away. Several seconds later, the phaser exploded. The concussion battered him and his suit, but he lived.

He tried to get to his feet. The Feddies were learning. They would follow up an secure that corner, which meant phaser rifles pointing where he was lying now. A powerful hand reached down and pulled him to his feet.

It was Tachero, one of the Golethi in his platoon. Nothing short of a Kinshaya or a Gorn could physically overpower a Golethi. Pulling a marine in full armour up and around the corner was easy for them. Two more marines of his platoon covered the retreat.

Starfleet came. Phaser blasts smashed off the walls. A disruptor blast struck an Andorian in the chest and he fell. One of the marines covering the retreat was struck twice in the chest. He fell. Smoke rose from the charred holes in his armour.

Metnar bounced a frag grenade down the corridor, to keep Starfleet's heads down. Melar got back to his feet and sent a signal back to Force Leader Memneth. Coms were only line of sight, but every suit acted as relay, as did several modules the marines had adhered to the ceiling when they had taken the facility. "Lost corridor G2," he reported. "Holding at H1. One fatality."

"Understood," said Force Leader Memneth. No one had to say they were running out of men. They had to hold. Down here, not even the naked stars would remember.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Sweden slid around the moon, leading the remaining Starfleet vessels after Lancer. The Klingon battlecruiser was already moving at full impulse, circling the moon with with its own lethal purpose. It had not escaped Kardon that the Bellerophon had been kept to the rear and that meant while the other ships were chasing Lancer around the moon Lancer could arrange an encounter of its own with the straggler if the battlecruiser was swift enough.

Lancer was more than quick enough. Bellerophon was trailing and not attempting to play the game of hide and seek so it could open up with torpedoes the moment Lancer was flushed from behind the moon. That Lancer chose to loop back and attack was a surprise.

Bellerophon struck Lancer's formidable forward shields with a direct phaser hit. Lancer's fully charged main batteries opened up with a continuous volley of disruptor bolts. The Intrepid's battered shields had only partially recovered. They failed under the battlecruiser's merciless fire and the bolts tore open the light cruiser's secondary hull.

The warp core breached in a brilliant explosion. Lancer rode the blast wave and began to turn back towards the moon and the rest of the Federation ships. They had not been idle.

The Sweden had continued to follow the battlecruiser and fired upon Lancer with the phaser cannon mounted in the front of its narrow nose. The surviving parts of Cerebus came over the top of the moon, firing quantum torpedoes at Lancer's port side. At Lancer's helm station, Krevon began evasive maneuvers.

There are limits to what even a skilled helmsmen and a swift ship can accomplish. Sweden burned through Lancer's collapsing aft shields to damage shield generators located on the battlecruiser's starboard wing. Two quantum torpedoes struck Lancer's port shields and phaser beams followed up adding to the punishment that Lancer's already battered shields had absorbed. Lancer's aft and port trinaries fired back, but against the undamaged ships the only result was moderate damage to their shields.

"Hard to port!" Kardon ordered. "Port side mains, target Sweden. Torpedoes, on my mark!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pain shot through Melar's body and his strength seemed to be draining away. He was able to keep his rifle steady though and that was enough. He walked disruptor fire across the wall and into the Earther in front of him. Two bolts to the chest were more than enough. He toppled.

Melar looked down. He had been hit in the gut. It looked ugly. Automatic drug injectors or shock was keeping the pain from him. Either way, he was in a bad way. "Fall back," he ordered and then realized there really wasn't much left to fall back to. Another Earther came poked around the corner and fired at him. The Human Fusion was hit in the left shoulder and chest. He slumped into darkness.

Memneth walked into the control room. "How much longer?" he asked.

"Shouldn't you be busy fighting?" Arkehd asked. "I've almost go it."

"The fighting is almost here. We're out of time."

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Disruptor bolts from the the ventral trinaries and the main batteries mounted on the port wing and port side of the command pod hammered Sweden. The little Norway class vessel was tough, but not indestructible. Overload burn throughs resulted in two hull breaches, although the ship fought on. Sweden's phaser cannon pierced the damaged port shields, opened two decks to space, and destroyed a shield generator. Lancer's already battered and failing shields neared total collapse.

"Full speed," Kardon ordered. He marked the saucer section on the tactical display. "That one. All torpedoes."

There was a small moment of dead silence. Then came a single word. "Acting," said Kaan as he completed the firing solution. Lancer's bow and dorsal launchers spat death as phasers tore into her forward shields. Most of the torpedoes scored a direct hit on Cerebus's saucer section. Shields collapsed as crimson torpedoes scored direct hits and additional strikes blew through the ablative armour destroyed. almost a third of the saucer section. Atmosphere blasted out into space before emergency bulkheads closed, but that just meant that there were trapped survivors to rescue. The saucer section was mere floatsom now.

Sweden moved swiftly to stay in Lancer's aft-port arc where her shields were marginal as the battlecruiser passed the saucer wreckage and turned hard to keep the surviving stardrive section facing Lancer's starboard shields and guns. Disruptor bolts from trinaries and the starboard mains tore into the stardrive section's shields. Sweden fired. The beam from her phaser cannon scored a direct hit on Lancer's dorsal weapon pod. The battlecruiser had an armoured hull, but it wasn't the equal of Starfleet ablative armour. Flames and chunks of jagged metal shot into space as the phaser beam blazed through the pod and turned it to scrap.

The stardrive section wasn't idle either. It brought its quantum torpedo launchers to bear and fired. Three blue-white torpedoes smashed into the battlecruiser's starboard wing, collapsing shields and sending molten chunks of armour spinning off into space.

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Memneth leaned slightly out of the doorway and fired his disruptor pistol. The Earthers ducked their head back. "Now or never," he snarled at Arkehd.

"Just about done," said Arkehd. He touched a last panel on the console. There.

Phaser blasts struck the wall next to Memneth. "Good. Now open a doorway to Lancer," he said as he fired back.

"Sending a doorway to a moving ship was the part I hadn't figured out yet," Arkehd said.

Memneth grunted and shot an Andorian. Then a phaser bolt struck him in the face as he fell. Arkehd saw the Force Leader fall and drew his disruptor. He could here the sounds of Starfleet boots. He spoke the words of the navy oath softly. "Mere life is not victory, mere death is not defeat."

One rolled across the floor as two others by the door fired blindly to give cover. Arkehd was in not in their firing arcs. He shot the rolling Human in face. The two by the door burst in, Human slow. Arkehd shot the first one twice in the chest. He shot the second one just below the neck and he dropped his rifle and began to fall.

A third human fired from the doorway and put three phaser pulses into the scientist's chest. The disruptor fell from nerveless fingers and Arkehd fell. Thirty seconds later, the reset Starfleet explosives went off as well, taking his killer and another seventeen Starfleet personnel to the Black Fleet with him.
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Status and damage indicator boards on Lancer's bridge were lit up. Shield diagrams showed marginal readings all around the ship as overloaded generators struggled to provide a thin layer of protection. Lancer had dodged back behind the moon, but the Starfleet vessels would be on her again in seconds.

A distortion shimmered in front of the battlecruiser, appearing out of nowhere. Sensor readings spiked.

"Portal ahead!" shouted Arizhen.

"Overlaid signal mixed in," said Azrithel. "It's from Arkehd. Reads 'We will wait for you in the Black Fleet.'"

Kardon bit back a snarl of grief. "Helm. Full ahead into the portal. While we still can." The naked stars had not seen Memneth, Arkehd, and all of the other valiant marines die, but if Lancer lived so would their glory.

"Acting," said Krevon. Lancer slipped into the distortion in space just as the stardrive section was lining her up for another volley of quantum torpedoes.

"Sensors?" Kardon asked.

"Long range scans active," said Arizhen. "Scanning."

"Com traffic, Klingon military and civilian frequencies."

"Captain," said Arizhen, "we appear to be one light year from Klinzhai!"

Home. They were home. If this was the right universe.

"Language?" he asked Azrithel.

"It's klingonaase," she said.

"Arkehd, Memneth, kai kassai Klingon!" he cried out. Their victory had saved Lancer and might save the komerex.

"Kai kassai Klingon!" the rest of the bridge roared back. "Kai kassai Kardon!"

[GeneralTacticus]

I have to say, for a while there I wasn't sure who was going to win.

Truly, this is the work of a master.

[Imperial Overlord]

I have to say, for a while there I wasn't sure who was going to win.

Truly, this is the work of a master.

Thank you. For those that are interested, I will be writing more alternate universe stories (I have three kicking around in my head), which will be proceeded by some essays about the timeline, its starships, and the long term effects of the Organian Peace Treaty.

For the record, Lancer is a D-12 battlecruiser. A K'tinga is an advanced version of a D-7.

[Cao Cao]

Even though Janeway gets her comeuppance, I feel sorry for Smyth. Having Admiral Butthead suicide his ship like she did.
And I like how easily the Prometheus-class gets owned. Splitting a heavy warship into 3 weak battlebarges. What kind of moronic idea is that?

Too bad about the Klingon marines too. I was rooting for them.
But good work. That last battle was the kind I like, where nobody gets away unscathed.

[Spiral Jacobs]

I have to say, for a while there I wasn't sure who was going to win.

Truly, this is the work of a master.

Thank you. For those that are interested, I will be writing more alternate universe stories (I have three kicking around in my head), which will be proceeded by some essays about the timeline, its starships, and the long term effects of the Organian Peace Treaty.

For the record, Lancer is a D-12 battlecruiser. A K'tinga is an advanced version of a D-7.

How does a D-12 compare to the Vor'cha, I get the impression that Klingon tech is even weaker than Fed tech in the Space Viking universe.

[Imperial Overlord]

How does a D-12 compare to the Vor'cha, I get the impression that Klingon tech is even weaker than Fed tech in the Space Viking universe.

A Vor'cha is a pretty potent ship, but a D-12 is more maneuverable, has better shields, and has heavier arnament. The Vor'cha does have a better cloak though.

[LordShaithis]

Awesome work

[Ford Prefect]

I'll say. That was a damn fine end to a damn fine story.

[Sidewinder]

Overall, a good story. But will there be an epilogue showing how the Lancer, her crew, and her prisoners will be received by the Klingon High Command in their universe? Or how Admiral Ross will deal with the fallout from the destruction of so many Starfleet vessels?