Commission: "Strength From Diversity"

Author’s Note: The following story is a continuation of the last commission I wrote, "The Stonewall Resistance". This is also a commission that came out of the recent Pride Auction, though this time it comes from the head honcho himself, Nick. I am deeply honored that he wanted to see this story continued.

Once again, I should note that this should not be taken as canon with regard to any characters or events described here. There are a number of characters in this story that are not of my own creation, but instead are only my interpretation of them. Simply this consider a fun story and, as such, I hope you enjoy reading it. Thank you.

He looked up from where he sat in a field of tall grass. The cerulean sky above was streaked with clouds that seemed frozen in place. His gaze shifted to his side, where he saw nothing but an endless prairie, save for the single tree near which he sat. He noticed that everything was perfectly still and silent... save for a low droning.

“Do you hear something?” he found himself asking aloud.

“They’re coming,” came a voice from his other side.

He looked and saw a man sitting there, staring directly at him. A man he knew all too well.

The droning was growing louder. It sounded like it was coming from above.

“They’re coming.”

He directed his gaze upward and thought he saw something. Suddenly, his hand was grabbed tightly by something cold and metallic. He suddenly looked back at the man, whose skin was now a mottled grey and covered with cybernetic implants.

“Nick, they’re coming!”

He howled at the sight, sitting up violently and opening his eyes. Nick suddenly found himself sitting in bed in a dark room. His eyes darted about as he tried to get his bearings. They settled on familiar pieces and mementos, finally reassuring his mind that this was, in fact, reality. His breathing started to slow and become more calm and regular.

My quarters. I’m in my quarters, he thought to himself.

“Computer, what time is it?”

“04-57 hours,” came the pleasantly neutral response. The familiar voice was oddly comforting.

More than a full hour before the alarm this time. I could still get some more sleep.

Nick looked out of the large windows of his quarters at the field of stars beyond them. As much as he would have liked to go back to sleep, he knew it wouldn’t be possible. That dream had left him far too agitated. After a moment, Nick shook his head with a sigh and slid out of his bed. Twenty minutes later found him showered, dressed, and out the door of his quarters with padd in hand.

He moved through the halls of his ship, the USS Stonewall, noting the surprised expressions of a number of crewmen. Apparently they weren’t expecting to see him up during the graveyard shift. Nick only nodded in response as he made his way to one of the external docking hatches. Passing through the docking arm, the exit opened in front of him as he stepped into the wide reception area of Starbase 82.

He stopped just inside and looked around. A number of Starfleet officers moved about in a flurry of activity, many of them carrying instrument kits. He surveyed the area for a moment, then proceeded deeper into the starbase toward the central command area. As he passed one corridor, he heard a familiar Vulcan voice coming from nearby. Nick turned to see Captain T’Laris speaking to a group of engineers.

“We are still experiencing a number of power disruptions on decks 40 through 47. There are likely still a number of implants in the power systems. Perform another survey. We need them all removed this time if we are going to proceed with restoring power to dependent subsystems.”

The engineers gave an affirmative before hurrying off. T’Laris watched them leave and raised an eyebrow when she noticed Nick as they passed by him.

“Admiral. You are over an hour early for your shift. Is there something wrong?”

Nick paused, then shook his head. “No. I just had trouble sleeping again. Walk with me?”

“Of course,” responded T’Laris. The two resumed walking toward the central control area. T’Laris was silent until they reached an area that was more sparse on passersby.

“Admiral, I have noticed your sleeping patterns have become more and more erratic. Is something troubling you?”

“Nothing specific, no. I think it’s just the damn Borg technology that’s still infesting this place. I’ve read that it’s not uncommon for those liberated from the Collective to experience mild visual and auditory problems when in proximity to Borg technology.”

“Yes, so I have read. However, your sleeping problems seem to be quite acute compared to what has normally been reported.”

“Well, it’s a lot of Borg technology,” Nick said as they reached the central command area. Directly in front of them, in the center of the room, was a large rotating wire-frame holographic map of the starbase. Large sections of it, especially those in the lower areas, were represented with a sickly green color.

“I see your point,” responded T’Laris as the two looked up at the hologram. Their study was interrupted when a voice rang out across the room.

“Fleet Admiral on deck!”

Every officer in the room immediately turned toward Nick and saluted. Nick just nodded and gave a quick “at ease” before moving over to a nearby large monitor, which was currently showing ship positions within the Gamma Orionis sector block.

“Has Admiral T’Rehes reported in?”

“Yes, sir,” responded T’Laris. “She reports that Borg activity remains minimal. Her ship, as well as the others we have on patrol across the sector, have come across no traces of Borg ships within the last 30 hours.”

Nick frowned. “What are they up to...” he muttered to himself. “It’s only a matter of time before they make their move. We need to be ready when they do.”

T’Laris didn’t respond, having long ago become accustomed to the human tendency to talk to oneself when in thought. Whatever Nick was thinking was interrupted when T’Laris’ comm went off.

“McCloy to T’Laris. When you see the admiral, could you please let him know I need to talk to him? I have an update for him.”

“Why not ask him yourself?” replied T’Laris in her usual stoic fashion.

“He’s up!?”

Nick smirked. “Yes, Mr. McCloy, I’m up. I’ll see you in your office shortly.” He then looked at T’Laris. “You have command.”

“Yes, sir.”

Nick walked to the turbolift and stepped inside. The turbolift’s doors shut and began moving, giving Nick a rare moment of time alone. Since its creation nearly eight months ago, the Stonewall Fleet had been Starfleet’s main force against the Borg threat, with member ships rotating in and out of patrols of Vega and nearby systems. A month ago, the fleet had responded en masse to a distress call from Starbase 82 in the Sibiran system, where the Borg had suddenly appeared. By the time the fleet had arrived, the starbase had already been heavily assimilated. They had been able to liberate the station, but it had been slow-going getting it free of Borg technology. In the mean time, it was acting as the de facto base of operations for the Stonewall Fleet, as well as Starfleet’s larger defense against the Borg in Gamma Orionis.

It was a fight that Nick was all to happy to be fighting. He just wished he knew why Borg activity had suddenly dropped off in the weeks since the liberation of Starbase 82.

”They’re coming.” It was just a dream, but still...

The turbolift doors opened, allowing Nick to step out and walk to an office some distance away. He was about to tap the door chime when the door suddenly opened, revealing a tall Enhasan with grey skin and dark grey hair wearing Starfleet red with white trim. The man’s eyes widened, apparently not expecting to see the fleet admiral. However, he quickly recovered and moved to the side to make room and stand at attention.

Nick entered and looked at the man, glancing at his pips. “At ease, Commander.”

“Aye, sir.” The man glanced at Ethan McCloy, who was standing on the other side of his desk with an amused grin.

“You’re dismissed, Commander.”

The man nodded and quickly took his leave. He seem to deliberately avoid looking at Nick, who, for his part, looked at Ethan inquisitively after the doors shut.

“He was in a hurry.”

“That was Commander Oren-De, captain of the Pandora. He can be a bit stiff, but it’s his way. You wanted ‘strength from diversity’, sir, and you got it. We have all kinds in this fleet.”

Nick looked back toward the door through which Oren-De had taken his leave. “Indeed. Good to hear.”

He looked back at Ethan.

“You said you had information for me. I hope this is about what I asked you about last week?”

Ethan nodded with a grin. “Yes, sir, it is. I think we might have a promising lead, in one of the Great Houses of the Klingon Empire. Ever heard of the House of Nagh reD?”

loS cha’maH strode down one of the main hallways of the Great House of Nagh reD, his boots landing heavily on the floor’s hard surface. As reinforced leather hit cold stone, metal jingled on medal as his various commendations struck each other and the sash upon which they were hung. Other members of the House took note as he quickly moved toward the main hall, knowing full well what was about to transpire. One could always tell when a fight was on the horizon, be it physical, political, or both. On Qo'nos, the line between them tended to be quite blurry.

“Pandering to your superiors again, Nedec!?” growled loS as he marched into the main hall.

Others in the room turned to look at the Klingon to which loS was speaking, who in turn shot a look at his accuser. Nedec bared his teeth ever so slightly as loS approached. The elder Klingon to which Nedec had been speaking, on the other hand, calmly greeted loS with a nod.

“loS, my son. I trust our House’s warriors are benefiting once again from your instruction?”

loS looked at his father, k’Elee, with a wry grin. “Indeed. I have paired them off for combat and told them that anyone who escapes without a mark to show for it will have the honor of engaging me in combat.”

k’Elee belted out a loud laugh. “A reward for skill as well as a punishment for cowardice! Excellent idea.”

“Thank you, father,” responded loS with a nod. “I plan to have this House’s warriors be truly ready to stand against the enemies of the Empire. It’s true enemies. Not the false sparring strawmen set up by the fools in the High Council that terrify still even greater fools.”

Nedec’s eyes widened at the obvious insult. “You are a fine one to talk of cowardice, cousin! You bark at ghosts in the night, like a scared targ! Sometimes I think that those borgh took your honor when they took half your face.”

“Enough!” barked k’Elee. “Another day, another child’s quarrel. If you must fight, fight like true Klingon warriors and not bickering rodents.”

“Gladly,” growled loS. Nedec stared at loS and, with a dismissive wave, stalked off.

“You are not worth cleaning my bat’leth over,” he said as he stalked away, angered at having his time with the House’s elder interrupted once again.

loS took a step toward Nedec’s retreating figure, but his father’s firm hand on his chest stopped him.

“Let him go, Rok’tar. He has fled the field. It is as well. I was growing tired of him and his incessant need to be our House’s personal mouthpiece for the Chancellor. Come. I have something I wish to discuss with you.”

loS glared in the direction Nedec had exited before turning to follow k’Elee. The pair walked from the room down one of the House’s more solitary hallways. After they were some distance from the main hall, and its many ears, k’Elee spoke.

“The Federation confuses many in the Empire. Even when the Federation and the Empire fought alongside each other, many viewed them as cowards, despite the many honorable people that fill the ranks of Starfleet. I have helped to make this House see the honor and value in the Federation, but these views have had little traction elsewhere. You know this.”

loS nodded. “Yes. Even before the breaking of the Khitomer Accords, I found myself at odds with most when it came to Starfleet. Many of them are simply foolish children, seeings only rivals to be crushed for what they falsely believe to be honor. Even now, when we have a true threat... a true enemy that would bring honor in fighting, many are blind to it.”

k’Elee looked at his son, his eyes looking at the large slab of metal that obscured the right side of his face and the conspicuous lack of hair on his head.

“Honor takes many forms to many people. For some, it is in combat. For others, it is in victory. And for us...”

“... it is in securing the security and glory of the Empire,” finished loS. “Many would agree with you.”

“But few understand. And even less understand the way you do, Rok’tar, for they have not suffered the lesson you have.”

loS gave a low growl as his father’s comment drew his attention once more to the metal on his face.

“Our Empire wastes its time fighting reptiles and diplomats. There are far greater threats to our Empire. However, the cowards and fools in the Council refuse to see it. Even now, with their return on the edges of Federation space, the High Council either fails to see... or wishes not to.”

At this, k’Elee ceased his walk. loS stopped as well and looked back at his father.

“Rok’tar, the borgh are indeed a worthy foe and a threat to not be taken lightly. However, do not let them blind you to all others. The borgh already took one of your eyes. Do not let them take the other.”

From anyone else, this would have enraged loS. However, when it came from his father, loS found the advice already burrowing itself in his mind. k’Elee grinned at the pensive look on his son’s face and began walking again.

“Return to your students, Rok’tar. I have matters I must attend to.”

“Yes, father!” barked loS before marching back toward the field where he had left his students. However, even as he looked out at the martial chaos and grinned at the fierceness his charges were still showing after exhaustive combat, he found himself still pondering what his father had meant.

Meanwhile, Nedec had found his way back to his chambers and was now pacing back and forth as he spoke to a woman who had been waiting for him there.

“That targ of the Federation refuses to listen. It will mean the downfall of this House. That fool and his son do not see the way the winds are shifting. This ridiculous position of theirs is growing more unpopular with each passing day. Soon our House will be the laughing stock of Qo’nos!”

The woman, for her part, smiled and crossed her arms. Her lips parted to show her teeth as the leather of her clothes groaned.

“I have told you what you must do, Nedec.”

“Easier said than done. I am no coward, but I also am no fool. Taking this House would be an errand in meaningless death. I need men and weapons to accomplish this task, neither of which I think you have access to.”

“Men, no. Weapons... that is another story. I can provide you with a weapon far sharper than any bat’leth could ever hope to be. k’Elee has already made himself an easy target. With what I can give you... you need only cut once... and he will fall down at your feet.”

Nedec gave the woman a skeptical look. “Even if that were true, the right to rule this House would go to that corrupted cousin of mine before it would ever come to me. And were I to strike him down in combat for that right, the rest of this House would make that victory very short-lived for me. He is far too popular within these walls and with those students of his.”

The woman chuckled as she drew a datapad from her vest. “Oh, somehow I think that after you use this... loS will no longer be a problem. That man will hang himself by his father’s limp, lifeless limbs.”

Nedec grabbed the datapad and quickly looked over it. As he read, his smile grew larger and larger, until finally his laughter could be heard echoing past the door and into the halls of the Great House of Nagh reD.

“Dropping out of warp in 3... 2... 1...”

The stars snapped back into sparkling dots on the viewscreen as the Pendragon came out of warp, with Starbase 82 in the dead center of the image.

“Hail Starbase 82 and request docking,” ordered Rear Admiral T’Rehes from her command chair. She stared directly at the image of the Starbase, her posture characteristically stiff.

“Aye, ma’am,” responded the officer at Ops. After a moment, the young woman continued. “Starbase 82 has given us clearance to dock. I’ve also been asked to inform you ma’am that, upon our arrival, Fleet Admiral Ford is requesting your presence at a meeting.”

T’Rehes’ head tilted slightly in a quick motion before giving a short nod.

“Acknowledged. Helm, proceed to Starbase 82 on one-quarter impulse and execute standard docking procedures once in range.”

The Pendragon sailed toward Starbase 82, the exterior of which was deceptively clear of any sign of the infestation of Borg technology that still plagued it. As the ship moved into the internal docking ring on thrusters, T’Rehes took note of the number of ships that the Pendragon passed.

There has been a significant increase in activity since I was last here thought T’Rehes.

A half-hour later found T’Rehes stepping out of a turbolift and heading toward a nearby conference room. The doors opened to reveal a number of familiar faces seated around the conference table. Her eyes immediately went to her old friend and fellow Vulcan, Captain T’Laris, who gave her a nod. Seated next to her was Captain Zepari, who gave her a smile. T’Rehes nodded to the El-Aurian and took a seat across from him, next to Ethan McCloy. She turned to Nick, who gave her a knowing grin.

“It’s good to see you again, T’Rehes. It sounds like all is quiet on the western front?”

T’Rehes raised an eyebrow. “While it has been ‘all quiet’ Nicholas, this region of space is not located in the galactic western area of the galaxy.”

Nick’s smile grew. “Another old figure of speech, T’Rehes.”

“Ah,” said T’Rehes simply. “Then yes, all is quiet. There has been no detectable Borg activity for the last week. However, that has been quite clear in the reports my officers have been filing with you. What is the reason for this meeting?”

Nicholas nodded and turned his attention to the assembled captains.

“Mainly, this meeting is to provide key updates... and bring up a rather important matter. First, as you all know, Rear Admiral T’Rehes and I will be switching our respective responsiblities. She has returned to help oversee continued repair on Starbase 82 and coordinate operations with Starfleet Headquarters while her crew takes some much-needed shore leave, while I will be taking over her in-field responsibilities coordinating the patrols of Gamma Orionis. Hopefully, T’Rehes, you’ll have better luck sleeping here than I have.”

“While ‘luck’ would have little to do with it, I do suspect that because the nature of our remaining implants differ, I may not experience the same effects as you have. Regardless, as a Vulcan, I have mental training that few humans possess.”

Zepari gave T’Rehes a look and was about to comment when T’Laris suddenly spoke up.

“The second update is that we have completed installation of the dynamic shield modulation system. This system has been designed to prevent the Borg from beaming drones through our shields and onto ships and starbases via several layers of randomly modulating shields. The system is still experimental, however all tests show that the system is working successfully. There is still room for optimization and, of course, the true test will be against a Borg incursion.”

Ethan looked at T’Laris with a quirked eyebrow. “Why wasn’t this tested out on a starship first? We have a number on patrol that are more likely to encounter the Borg.”

“True, Captain,” responded T’Laris. “However, this first iteration of the technology requires large pieces of infrastructure which can only be accommodated on the largest of Starfleet’s ships. It also demands a substantial amount of power. Therefore, the Starfleet Corps of Engineers felt it best that the system be first implemented on a starbase.”

“Makes sense to me,” said Zepari, simply. When no one else raised further questions about the shield system, he looked at Nick. “So, sir, what is this ‘important matter’ you wanted to speak with us about?”

Nicholas nodded and slowly stood. “Despite the lull in the activity of the Borg, and the latest efforts by Starfleet to expand our defenses against them, we all know it is only a matter of time before they strike again. You also all know that Starfleet’s resources are being spread thin, with new crises and incidents seem to spark up every day across the galaxy. If we are to survive the inevitable full-scale assault from the Borg, we need help.”

The other captains at the conference table, save for Ethan, were beginning to look at Nick intensely. Zepari in particular was giving Nick a rather suspicious look. Regardless, Nick continued.

“Without a doubt, the single strongest power in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants outside of the Federation is the Klingon Empire. I believe that, if we are going to be successful fighting off the Borg, we will need their help. This is why I have asked Captain McCloy to look into any possible way we might have of entering into negotiations with them.”

Zepari’s jaw dropped and both T’Rehes’ and T’Laris’ eyebrows went higher than Nick ever remembered. When Nick didn’t say anything more, they all turned to Ethan, who simply stood and walked over to a large monitor on the wall. Nick took a seat and let the intelligence officer have the floor.

“Of course, any sort of formal alliance between the Federation and the Klingons would have to be made through official diplomatic channels. Additionally, the current Chancellor has been adverse to such negotiations, so this option is not realistic. However, the feudal structure of Klingon society may provide us with an alternative.”

Ethan tapped a command into a console, causing a number of images to appear on the monitor. Several were of individual Klingons, and another was what appeared to be a symbol.

“While many of the Great Houses of the Empire are distrustful of the Federation, this is not uniformly so. One in particular, the House of Nagh reD, is actually openly calling for an end to hostilities with the Federation.”

Ethan tapped an image of an elder Klingon, which expanded to fill the screen. “The house’s elder, k’Elee, was once a Starfleet officer. He has since retired to lead the House, but he maintains close ties with many in the Federation. Despite his leanings, k’Elee’s record still commands respect in the Empire as well. Suffice it to say, I believe that the House of Nagh reD represents a possible in-road to getting some sort of... mutual cooperation, with the Klingons against the Borg.”

When Ethan finished, the conference room was silent. It took a few moments before Zepari finally found the words.

“You do remember we’re at war with the Klingons, right? Hell, I just heard over the news service that there was a rather large battle fought near K-7 yesterday. Don’t you think there are much better options than asking for help from the guys holding bat’leths to our throats!?”

T’Laris looked at Ethan. “In his own... unique... way, Captain Zepari does have a point. There are a number of other powers in the galaxy with whom we are not at war and still ask for assistance.”

Ethan nodded. “There are... but none of them would be able to provide much help. The Romulans are scattered and still fighting amongt themselves. The Ferengi see no profit in fighting the Borg, and are content with the Federation acting as a free shield. The Cardassians no longer have a standing army under the Treaty of Bajor.”

“There are other powers in the galaxy, Captain,” responded T’Rehes. “I remember reading that the Enhasans and the Deferi have each pledged substantial military aid to assist with any possible Borg attacks.”

“True, but they lack large-scale resources. While their aid is appreciated and will certainly help support our efforts, they can’t provide the kind of ships and manpower that the Klingons can.”

Nick decided to use that moment to speak. “At the moment, this is very much in the planning stage. Nothing is sure yet. This is why I would like to ask you, T’Laris and Zepari, to work with Ethan and work on contacting k’Elee. Right now, it’s just talking. Nothing more.”

Zepari gave Nick a bemused look. “One never just talks with Klingons, Nick. But I get your point.”

“Regardless, none of us have much direct experience with Klingon culture and diplomacy,” interjected T’Laris. “It would be helpful to have someone working with us who knows best how to approach Klingons and... talk... with them.”

“Agreed. That is why I would like the three of you to also work with one of Stonefleet’s captains; a Joined Trill by the name of Dugzon Jaz. He, or I should say, his symbiote, has a great deal of experience dealing with the Klingons. One of its past hosts served as a diplomatic attache with the Klingon Empire and the symbiote retains those memories. It’s not a full-fledged ambassador but, since this is very much just in the discussion phase, I’d rather not involve Starfleet’s Diplomatic Corps just yet.”

Zepari glanced at T’Laris, then at Ethan. Finally, he sighed and sat back in his chair.

“Aye, sir. I still say this is nuts, but we’ll do our best.”

Nick smiled. “Excellent. I will be looking forward to hearing your report,” he said as he stood. As he did, the other captains stood as well. He looked at each of them and nodded. “Good luck, everyone.”

Authors Note: My apologies for the exceedingly long break since the last post. Same excuse as always: life got in the way. However, I am hopeful that this won't happen again.

Within the meeting chamber of the Klingon High Council, the leaders of the Great Houses spoke loudly with one another. Many were curious as to why a meeting had been unexpectedly called by the Chancellor, and more than a few believed it to be with regard to the latest developments in the war with the Federation. While the Empire had done well in the first battles, the Federation had successfully dug in and rebuffed the Empire from making any more advances. A change in strategy would most certainly be necessary.

When the Chancellor finally entered the meeting chamber, a great roar went up from his allies on the Council. J’mpok, for his part, moved quickly to his seat at the head of the chamber. However, few didn’t notice the large grin that was plastered on his face. Whatever was about to transpire, J’mpok seemed quite pleased about it. The Chancellor let the roars of support continue for a time before motioning to the subordinate on his right, who nodded and yelled above the House leaders.

“This meeting of the High Council has been called to deal with a grave matter; there is a traitor among us! A traitor to not just the Empire, but the whole of the quadrant!”

For a brief moment, chaos erupted in the High Council. Angry roars and furious swears filled the chamber’s walls. The phrase had been chosen carefully to incite just this sort of reaction. After all, it described only one threat in the current galactic climate.

“k’Elee, leader of the House of Nagh reD, step forward!”

As loud as the previous uproar had been, the silence that followed k’Elee’s summons was deafening. Every House leader turned toward k’Elee, who bore an expression of complete surprise. Still, he kept his composure and stepped forward. loS, who had been at his father’s side, forced himself to remain in position. Still, the anger he felt at this accusation was boiling inside of him, and it took every once of control to contain it.

Chancellor J’mpok looked at k’Elee for a moment, then spoke.

“k’Elee, of Nagh reD, you are accused of aiding our greatest enemy... the qa’meH quv! On the honor of your House, what is your response?”

“I deny the charge! I demand to see the fool who accuses me with such lies!”

J’mpok’s grin grew wider as he nodded. “Very well. Nedec, of the House of Nagh reD, please step forward.”

Nedec stepped out from the crowd and stood to the front-right of the Chancellor’s seat. k’Elee looked at his nephew in complete disbelief, while loS began to move forward with the goal of impaling his impudent cousin with his bat’leth. Only the firm hand of a friend stopped him.

“No, loS. You must let this proceed. Your father must defend his honor.”

Meanwhile, Nedec pulled a datapad from his uniform jacket and tossed it at k’Elee’s feet. k’Elee picked up the datapad, even more puzzled by what this meant. Nedec barked a laugh at the old man.

“You thought you would be able to serve the Empire to its enemies without anyone noticing. Unfortunately, you grew careless.”

He then raised his head to speak to the assembled leaders.

“That... is a record of transmissions between k’Elee and an operative of the qa’meH quv. How do we know this? All of the transmissions are in the language of those honorless dogs!”

“Lies! All of this! LIES! This is beneath even you, Nedec!” retorted k’Elee.

At this, J’mpok intervened. “We have reviewed the evidence that Nedec has presented. It is not a forgery. All transmissions are verified to have come from your personal terminal, k’Elee. There is no denying it.”

k’Elee was too shocked to speak. Nedec took the opportunity while he had it.

“For the honor of the House of Nagh reD, I challenge you, Uncle! By spilling your honorless blood on the floor of this chamber, I will keep it from further staining the reputation of our House!”

“I accept your challenge! I will end your miserable lies here and now!”

The leaders stepped back to allow the combatants room as they each pulled out their bat’leths. loS could only watch as his father, very much an elder, now squared off in mortal combat with an opponent in his physical prime.

The two opponents circled slowly, sizing each other up, looking for an opening. Nedec made the first move, pushing the blade of the weapon toward k’Elee. The elder Klingon deflected it expertly and countered with a swing to Nedec’s side. Nedec retreated back to let the weapon swing past, and came back with a slice toward the k’Elee’s face. Again, k’Elee deflected the attack, but was forced back by the force of the attack. Nedec continued to press k’Elee.

From his vantage point, loS could see what Nedec was doing. Worse, he could see, from his father’s face, that it was working. The accusations leveled on k’Elee had been a complete surprise and had unnerved him. While k’Elee was normally a patient fighter who let his opponent make the first mistake, k’Elee’s mind was now distracted.

“Father! Forget the accusations! Fight and kill that traitor!” yelled loS, but it did no good. The roar of the other Klingons in the room was just too much for k’Elee to hear him.

Pushed for too long, k’Elee made a desperate push back. The attack went wide, exposing his side. Nedec took the opportunity he had been waiting for and impaled the elder through the side with his weapon, before slicing out. Bright pink blood splattered on the nearby leaders as k’Elee jerked from the vicious mortal strike. He fell to his knees, then collapsed to the stone floor.

Nedec raised his bat’leth high over his head and gave a victorious roar. The roar was met by his allies in the group, then taken up by the rest of the chamber, save for loS’ closest comrades. loS looked at the sight of his father face down on the Council chamber, unmoving. Finally, he let out a blood-curdling roar.

“I will kill that lying targ and put his head on a pike in front of the House!”

However, despite his anger, he was held back by three other Klingons. One leaned in close to him, whispering in his ear.

“No, loS! Nedec has filled this place with his allies. If you attempt to strike now, they will kill you before you reach him. We must get you away from this place. We can attack once we have regrouped with those loyal to you and your father.”

loS felt as if time had come to a stop. His breath was deafening in his own ears as he looked from his father, to the door behind him, and back to his father. Finally, loS turned and left the Council chamber. A number of Klingons followed him, forming a tight group around him to protect him from any would-be assailants loyal to Nedec.

A woman in the shadows of the chamber watched loS leave, then turned to Nedec. Satisfied, she deactivated a small camera on her shoulder.

Lightyears away, on the bridge of a Federation starship, the dramatic scene which had been playing out on the bridge viewscreen came to an abrupt end. It now switched back to an image of a strange-looking transmission device, which the ship had discovered in deep space. The Starfleet bridge crew, whose attention had been glued to the screen, reacted with surprise to the sudden ending. A soft green glow from the bridge’s lights pulsed around them in silence, until one of them finally found words.

“What... the hell was that?” muttered the helmsman. “And what’s a qa’meH quv?”

“It’s the Klingon word for the Undine,” responded Oren-De from his seat in the Pandora’s command chair. The Enhansan looked at the device that was now being shown on the viewscreen.

“This transmission device just relayed that video?”

“Yes, sir,” came a response from the dark-haired woman manning the Science station.

“Were you able to determine where it is relaying that transmission to?”

The woman nodded with a grin. “Aye. I have the coordinates now. They lie deep within the B'Tran Cluster.”

“But, Captain,” interrupted the helmsman, “didn’t the sensors say that this thing is a Borg device? Since when do the Borg spy on Klingon High Council chamber proceedings?”

Oren-De stood up from his chair with a deep frown on his face. “That... is the question of the hour, and it falls to us to investigate."

Without hesitation, Oren-De began giving orders to his crew. "Helm, plot a course for the coordinates that device is transmitting to, Warp 8. Ops, send a Priority One message to Captain Ethan McCloy at Starbase 82 telling him that I need to speak with him immediately. When he responds, patch it through to my ready room. And Tactical, shut off the Partition. We are done interfacing with that device.”

The officers responded with an “Aye, sir!” in unison. The lights on the bridge shifted back from green to a deep blue as Oren-De left the bridge and entered his office. Once the doors shut behind him, he stopped and looked out at the stars beyond.

The House of Nagh reD. This can’t be a coincidence...

The wind brushed past his face. Nick slowly sat up from where he had been laying. The tall prairie grass moved like gentle waves. Movement caught his eye, causing him to look up and see swaying branches of the tree he had been laying under.

“It’s so peaceful...”

“... but you know it isn’t.”

Nick looked down and saw the man he had been lying next to. Grasping the man’s hand, he relished in its touch and feel. The man smiled, but it was bittersweet.

“They’re coming.”

“I know. But I--”

Nick stopped and looked around. There was nothing but endless prairie, save for the tree next to them. Nick tried to focus on the sound, but it was evasive; like it was only half there.

“Do you hear something?”

“They’re coming.”

The sound was growing louder. Nick looked around as he tried to focus on it, but it kept moving. Always present, but never there. His movements became more frantic as he tried to identify it. He had to identify it. He had to know what it was. He had to understand the... the...

“Voices...?”

Suddenly, a cold hand wrapped in metal grasped his. Nick gasped and reflexively turned toward the man. His now-mottled skin and black metal prosthetics burned into him.

“Nick, they’re coming!”

Nick’s eyes shot open as he jerked himself awake in his bed. His breathing was heavy and fast, and he could feel himself covered in a cold sweat. He raised his hand to his face, but when it touched the metal of his own remaining prosthetic, he let out a yelp and reflexively pulled his hand back. When he realized what had startled him, he closed his eyes and took a very deep, controlled breath.

Get it together. You’re acting like a scared child over nothing more than a dream.

“Nothing more than a dream,” he repeated aloud, as if that would somehow make it more true.

As Nick forced himself to calm down, the comm system suddenly began beeping, giving him yet another start. Taking another breath to finally regain his composure, he spoke to the system.

“Yes, Ford here.”

“Captain, we are being hailed by Starbase 82. Admiral T’Rehes wishes to speak with you. It’s on a secure channel.”

“Acknowedged,” Nick replied as he moved from his bed. “Put it through to my terminal.”

“Aye, sir.”

Nick turned the monitor to face him as he sat down at the desk. As he did so, the terminal recognized him and activated, causing T’Rehes’ face to appear.

“Good morning, T’Rehes.”

“I apologize for waking you, Nicholas, but an urgent matter has come to our attention via Starfleet Intelligence.”

Nick’s stomach sank in that way only the promise of bad news can cause. “What’s happened?”

“k’Elee of the House of Nagh reD has been killed.”

Nick let out a disappointed sigh. “I trust it was with honor, at least. Perhaps we can contact his next of kin instead.”

“Nicholas, there is more. A great deal more. k’Elee was killed by his nephew in ritual combat in the High Council’s meeting chamber.”

“... what?”

Nick leaned in closer to the monitor. He knew enough of Klingon culture to know that this meant things were significantly more complicated.

“k’Elee was charged with treachery to the Empire. Specifically, he was accused of being an operative for the Undine. His nephew, Nedec, was the one who brought the evidence to the attention of Chancellor J’mpok. When k’Elee denied the charges, Nedec challenged him to mortal combat for the House of Nagh reD. Nedec won.”

“Do we know anything about Nedec?”

“Very little. However, since taking control of the House of Nagh reD, he has voiced strong anti-Federation sentiment and promised to place the House’s full power behind J’mpok’s war effort.”

Nick ran his hand through his buzzed hair as the news sank in. This couldn’t have happened at a worse possible time.

Actually, this literally is the worst possible time...

“T’Rehes... doesn’t this seem like a bit too unlikely for a coincidence?”

“By definition, a coincidence is a happenstance occurrence, no matter how unlikely. However, if you are asking if this was timed to frustrate our own efforts to open a dialogue with the House of Nagh reD, I can only say that more data is required. Mr. McCloy has agreed to keep me apprised of any information that comes through Starfleet Intelligence.”

Nick paused for a moment in thought. “T’Rehes... what about k’Elee’s son? Where does he fit into all this?”

“loS was last seen fleeing Qo’nos following the death of his father with a small group of ships, believed to belong to those closest to his family. His current whereabouts are unknown, though apparently Nedec is pursuing him in order to kill him.”

“From what little Starfleet Intelligence has on him, he was believed to share his father’s beliefs. He was also liberated from the Collective. It may be worth our effort to find him before his cousin does.”

T’Rehes raised an eyebrow. “Nicholas, as much as this may complicate our plan to open dialogue with the House of Nagh reD, we cannot interfere. This is an internal Klingon affair and by Starfleet regulation must be dealt with via official diplomatic channels. Furthermore, given that Nedec’s attitude supports Chancellor J’mpok’s war effort, it is highly unlikely J’mpok will move against him.”

“I know, T’Rehes. I wasn't suggesting we help restore loS. However, if he has fled Qo’nos, it is entirely possible he may seek political asylum from the Federation. At the very least, if we find him before Nedec does, he may be able to help us identify other Houses that we could speak with.”

T’Rehes studied Nick before responding. “Nicholas, this is beginning to become a delicate situation. I would advise caution.”

“I know, T’Rehes, I know. We need to do something though. It’s not just because of the Borg, either.”

Nick let out a sigh as he sat back in his chair. “You’ve seen the same news reports I have. Massive protests in Paris and San Francisco, a decline in Starfleet recruitment... hell, even reports of increased religious zealotry. They’re all signs of one thing: the people are scared. The galaxy is a more frightening place than it’s ever been since the founding of the Federation. If helping this loS will get us just a bit closer to ending the war with the Klingons and getting some help against the Borg, I think it’s a risk worth taking, if only so that people sleep a bit easier at night.”

T’Rehes’s eyebrow cocked a bit higher, but she nodded. “Despite the emotional sentimentality, your argument does possess logic that I am inclined to agree with.

Nick managed a grin. “Glad to hear it. What is the status of our task force?”

“Captains T’Laris, Zepari, and Jaz and have all reported in from Starbase K-7 and are awaiting orders.”

“I think we should have them join the force patrolling the Klingon border. Have them keep an eye out for any information that might indicate where loS might be. If they find something concrete, they have my permission to enter Klingon space to investigate.”

“I will relay the order.”

“Thank you... and please, tell them to be careful. My gut tells me that there is something... off... about all of this. The very Klingon we want to talk to being accused of working with the Undine? It’s very suspicious.”

“... Nicholas, any suggestion this is related to our effort to contact k’Elee carries with it the implication--”

“-- that the fleet has been compromised. I’m aware of that possibility, but there is so little evidence of anything right now that I’m not even going to consider it. As I said, it’s just a gut feeling, nothing more. Right now, all we can do is wait for Intelligence to gather more information while our task force attempts to contact loS.”

“A logical course of action. On a separate matter, Nicholas, how are you sleeping, now that you’ve left Starbase 82?”

Nick shook his head. “Even worse, actually. I’m starting to think that this is all just being caused by stress. I’m having the same dreams and they just keep getting more frantic.”

“Perhaps you should speak with your ship doctor about this, Nicholas. The fleet would be at a disadvantage if its top admiral was sleep deprived in a crisis.”

He opened his mouth to protest, but he knew T’Rehes was right. “... fine, I’ll speak to her today.”

“I am glad you agree. T’Rehes out.”

On Starbase 82, T’Rehes watched the image of Nick blink out before placing a new call. Ethan McCloy’s face quickly replaced Nick’s.

“Captain,” she said simply.

“I received a report from my contact on the Stonewall. Another transmission was recorded. The frequency seems to be random. The time is random too, but still within the predicted window.”

“Was your contact able to determine the transmission’s intended direction?”

“Within a range, and it includes the coordinates of that relay the Pandora discovered.”

T’Rehes nodded. “Keep me appraised of any further developments. As we predicted, Admiral Ford wants the task force to contact loS. I will be relaying the order to them presently.”

“So we are proceeding then. We’re approaching a ‘point of no return’ here.”

“I agree, but this may be our best chance to determine who has compromised Admiral Ford and their true intentions. I will be sharing our plan with T’Laris, Zep, and Jaz as well. They should be made aware of the increased risk to which we are exposing their crews.”

Ethan nodded. “I’ll keep you apprised of any more developments. McCloy out.”

Ethan’s face vanished from her terminal, allowing T’Rehes some time to think before contacting the task force. She anticipated some interesting... discussion... with Zepari.

“Captain, we have completed our sensor sweep of this system. No abnormal activity, Klingon or otherwise, has been detected.”

Jugzon Daz nodded and relaxed into his command chair. Ever since a series of Federation victories that had halted a Klingon advance dead in its tracks, there had been a lull of activity from the Empire. However, that lull was likely to end sooner rather than later, with Chancellor J’mpok apparently drumming up refreshed support in the High Council... and expelling his enemies.

“Anything interesting on the Klingon side of the border? We’re practically at their doorstep right now.”

“One moment, sir,” replied the science officer as he checked his console.

“... no, sir. At least nothing that we can detect.”

“Captain, the Aurora and the Garret have reported in,” chimed in Daz’s operations officer. “They have confirmed our findings and are awaiting your command to move onto the next system of our patrol.”

“Acknowledged. Helm, set a course fo--”

“Captain, sorry, but we are receiving a hail from Commander Wildman at Deepspace K-7. Shall I put her though?”

Dugzon perked up. “Yes, onscreen.”

Commander Naomi Wildman’s face appeared on the Khyfa’s viewscreen. She smiled at the sight of Dugzon.

“Captain, how is your patrol proceeding?”

“Well enough, Commander. It’s been peaceful.”

“That’s welcome news. However, I’m afraid I must interrupt your stroll through space. Our listening posts along the border in the Pi Canis sector have picked up transmissions which indicate the presence of a group of Klingon ships in the Omicron Leonis system. They’re using subspace communication frequencies that are not the Imperial standard.”

Jaz’s eyebrows raised in understanding.

“These ships don’t want to be heard by other ships in the Empire?”

Wildman nodded. “That is our working hypothesis. If this is the case, there is a strong possibility that this may be the Klingon that you’ve been looking for. Under Admiral Ford’s orders, you are therefore authorized to cross into Klingon space and investigate. However, I don’t need to remind you that you are not to act outside Starfleet regulations.”

“Of course, Commander. And thank you for this information.”

“Good luck, and pass my regards onto Admiral Ford for me. It’s been far too long since he last stopped by our neck of the woods. Wildman out.”

A grin crossed Jugzon’s face. This was by far the best lead they’d had yet.

“Ops, open a channel to the Garret and Aurora. I believe T’Laris and Zepari will be very interested to hear this.”

Seven hours later, the three ships were nearing the Omicron Leonis system. On the Khyfa’s bridge, a channel was open to the other two ships.

“Our long-range sensors have confirmed the presence of Klingon ships in this system. While we will not be able to give an exact number until we have arrived, our estimates put the number at far higher than earlier intelligence indicated,” sounded the voice of T’Laris.

“We should be careful about this, Dugzon. We don’t know know what we’re walking into yet. If this is some organized fleet instead of our missing Klingon and his friends, they will make short work of us,” argued Zepari.

“Agreed. Hold position outside the system. T’Laris, can you use your ship’s specialized sensor grid to get an accurate picture at that range?”

“Affirmative. It will take approximately two minutes to obtain accurate data.”

The three ships dropped out of warp near the farthest planet of the system. After what seemed far longer than just two minutes, T’Laris’ voice came over the comm.”

“There are 20 Klingon vessels in the system. However, we are detecting signs of an engagement. The ships are attacking each other.”

“What!?” exclaimed Zepari.

Dugzon frowned. “I think this means we found loS of Nagh reD. Unfortunately, it appears that his rivals got to him first.”

“Given the current situation, that is the most logical estimate,” replied T’Laris. “However, we will need to proceed further into the system to make a more exact determination. We will run the risk of the Klingon forces seeing us.”

“We’ll risk it. Helm, take us in, but keep us a safe distance from their disruptors.”

“Aye, sir!”

The three ships sailed closer to the ongoing conflict. Dugzon stood from his chair and moved toward the tactical station, looking over the sensor data as it came in. However, once again, it was the Garret and her sensors that provided the answer.

“We have positive identification of loS’ ship; the QaQ Hegh. From the patterns of weapons fire, we have also determined that loS is outnumbered. He appears to be in command of eight ships, while his adversaries number at twelve. A number of ships on both sides show significant damage.”

“Three fresh Starfleet ships could easily turn the tide in his favor,” chimed in Zepari.

Dugzon walked back to his command chair. “Agreed, but we hold our position here. We do nothing for the time being.”

“Excuse me? If we do nothing, our whole reason for being here is going to be blown to bits!”

“I know, but intervening on our own will mark us with the ‘Federation interference’ stereotype, and deeply insult loS to boot. It will actually make him more likely to reject any officer of assistance. Trust me on this, Zepari. Hold position here. When he hails us, I will respond.”

“And if he doesn’t hail us?”

“... retreat, maximum warp.”

The wait was grueling. Dugzon’s eyes were glued to the battle. With each passing second, the situation looked more and more dire. He just hoped that loS wasn’t too proud. His sensors had to have picked up the three Federation ships by this point.

“Captain! We are being hailed by the QaQ Hegh!”

Dugzon grinned, but quickly suppressed it. “On-screen!”

The image of a Klingon bridge appeared on the viewscreen. Dugzon wasn’t encouraged by the state it appeared to be in. Electrical sparks were flying from the ceiling in the background and Dugzon could swear he saw what appeared to be a dead Klingon lying on the floor. However, his attentions were drawn to the Klingon sitting in the middle of it all. He wore a proud expression on his face, evident even under the Borg metal that covered a good third of it, and looked directly at Dugzon.

“Federation ships, this is Captain loS of the QaQ Hegh. Why have you crossed into our space?”

“Greetings, Captain loS. I am Captain Dugzon Jaz of the Khyfa. We have come to request your assistance.”

More than one of Dugzon’s bridge officers looked at him in complete disbelief. However, Dugzon didn’t notice, as his full attention was locked on the Klingon captain.

“The Empire and the Federation are at war, Captain. Would you have me assist you against my own brothers?”

“No, of course not. I am not here to ask for your assistance against the Empire. I am here, as a representative of a fleet within the Federation, to speak with loS, son of k’Elee, of the House of Nagh reD... about our fight with the Borg.”

loS’ stare intensified. For better or for worse, the mention of the Borg had struck a nerve. Dugzon held steady as he awaited a response.

“You are fighting the Borg?”

“The Stonewall Fleet has been tasked to deal with the Borg threat, yes. We’re currently holding the first line of defense against Borg incursions. We have heard of the wisdom and experience of the House of Nagh reD regarding the Borg, so we have come to ask you to join us against them.”

A smile slowly crept onto loS’ face. “I am very interested to hear your proposal, Captain Jaz. We would be honored to fight alongside you.”

With that, the viewscreen blinked out as loS ended the communication. Jaz immediately began barking out orders.

“Go to red alert! Power up weapons and shields, and target all Klingon ships that the Garret identified as fighting against Captain loS.”

“He didn’t actually ask us to help him,” interrupted Zepari’s voice.

“No, but he just gave us permission to, which is as good as we’re going to get. Prepare to engage the opposing Klingon ships.”

“Acknowledged,” responded T’Laris and Zepari from their respective vessels.

The three ships flew into the middle of the fray, adding lances of amber phaser energy to the green disruptor blasts already lighting up the sky of Omicron Leonis IV. As Zepari had predicted, the fresh addition of three top-of-the-line Federation starships quickly turned the tide of the battle. Coordinated attacks on already-weakened opposition vessels made short work of them and put the numbers into loS’ favor. It wasn’t long until before victory for loS seemed inevitable. It was at that point that the enemy ships suddenly cloaked in quick succession... and did not reappear.

“Tactical, report!” ordered Dugzon.

“Several of the more damaged ships are incapable of completely cloaking leaking plasma. From what I can track, they appear to be leaving the system.

“Sir, we are being hailed by Captain loS.”

“Onscreen.”

loS appeared on the viewscreen and was noticeably more jovial.

“An excellent battle! We sent those cowards running back to their mothers. Nedec will think twice before sending his toy ships after me. Please, come aboard my ship! We can discuss the borgh and the battles to come.”

“Excellent, Captain loS. We would also like to extend an offer to help with any ship repairs you may need. I can explain once we’re on your ship, but we will need to get move quickly.”

loS studied Dugzon, then nodded. “I accept. I will await you aboard the QaQ Hegh.”

When the communication ended, Dugzon turned to his first officer. “Assist the Klingons with any repairs they need... and keep an eye out. We need to be ready to leave at the first sign of trouble.”

Meanwhile, far away in the depths of the B’Tran Cluster, the Pandora drifted silently in deep space. Aboard, the bridge crew were all staring at an image on the viewscreen. Captain Oren-De was standing and looking at his tactical officer.

“Is this accurate?”

The man nodded. “Yes, sir. There’s no reason to think this is a malfunction.”

Oren-De turned to his science officer. “Anything more on those transmissions?”

“Still working on it, sir. There’s a lot of data in them that seems irrelevant. Whatever they want from these, it’s buried under a lot of junk. Assuming what they want is even in here. From what we know, they’ve been receiving these transmission for a while.”

Oren-De nodded. “Understood, but please hurry. It’s only a matter of time before they detect us, even at this range.”

He turned back to the viewscreen, which showed a tactical map of a nearby star system. The map was littered with green symbols, each one corresponding to a Borg ship.

Eight hours later found the three Starfleet captains aboard the QaQ Hegh, speaking in a private room with loS. The four were seated at a table, with the Starfleet officers on one side and the Klingon on the other.

“So your Admiral Ford was originally planning to speak with my father, k’Elee?”

Jugzon nodded. “Yes, Captain. However, before we could contact you, we received word that your father was killed in combat, and that you had left Qo’nos.”

“That honorless p’tach!” roared loS as he slammed his fist on the table. “He brought false evidence against my father in front of the entire High Council... and J’mpok was only too happy to let him do it. My father was charged with aiding the qa’meH quv; a charge I know to be false!”

T’Laris, who sat to Jugzon’s right, responded calmly to loS’ rage. “This... p’tach... is your cousin, correct? What was his motive for this act?”

“Nedec has always disagreed with the way my father and I led the House, but since the start of the war with your Federation, he became even worse. He would have had our House cowtowing to J’mpok’s whims to gain his favor. My father, who once served with Starfleet, saw no honor in the current war... especially when other threats loom large over the Empire.”

loS interrupted himself with a laugh. “It seems his impatience and impertinence will be his own undoing. From what I have heard from my friends back on Qo’nos, Nedec is facing growing hostility from the rest of the House. Most of those ships weren’t even those of Nagh reD, but were from other houses that are under the foot of J’mpok. More than likely, that was a desperate attempt on his part to bring the situation under control.”

“So what do you plan to do next?” asked Zepari.

“Once my ships have repaired themselves, we will return to Qo’nos. This defeat has weakened Nedec’s position and the time is right for me to restore the honor of my House.”

Jugzon nodded. “We wish you the best of luck then. As you know, Starfleet has no intention in meddling in your internal affairs. However, once you succeed, Admiral Ford would be very happy to hear from you.”

“As he shall. I am pleased to see that Starfleet has finally come to recognize the true threat that is the borgh. While the qu’meH quv are also dangerous, I suspect they have been using our own fear against us as a weapon. They would have us quarrel with each other and with every other race in the galaxy until we are ripe for the picking! They’ve even succeeded in the affairs of my House...”

T’Laris cocked an eyebrow. “You believe the Undine were actually involved? You said the evidence was false.”

“The implication against my father was false, but the evidence itself was authentic. I can only surmise that one of the qu’meH quv gained access to my father’s terminal and sent the transmissions in his stead, in order to frame him. Perhaps it is Nedec who has been consorting with them instead...”

T’Laris was about to open her mouth, but Jugzon quickly cut her off.

“In the mean time, we are happy to continue providing your ships with assistance. I’ve been told that repairs are going well.”

“Yes! And I must return to the affairs of my own ship as well. My guards will show you to the transporter. Qapla’!”

“Qapla’!” responded Jugzon as the three captains took their leave. They remained silent until they had beamed aboard the Khyfa. Jugzon motioned for the transporter operator to leave them.

“His admiration for his father and preoccupation with the honor of his House are blinding him to the possibility his father might have been working with the Undine or, at the very least, that he is also falling under the very machinations of the Undine to which he is opposed,” commented T’Laris on the transporter pad, once the officer had left.

“I agree, his evidence wasn’t exactly concrete. However, insulting his father wouldn’t have done us any good. Besides... there is the matter of that intercepted transmission. Someone was recording k’Elee’s trial and resulting death and beaming it across space on Borg relays. Someone wants to keep the Klingons out of our fight with the Borg, and the Borg aren’t prone to espionage. The Undine, however, are very likely to pull this kind of trick.”

“As are the Romulans, the Cardassian True Way, or even half the other Klingon Great Houses,” quipped Zepari. “Let’s face it; there are a lot of people in the galaxy who benefit from the Federation remaining locked in a multi-front conflict and keeping the Borg on our doorstep.”

“However... if the Borg were to assimilate the Federation, it would be disastrous for every other neighboring species. Only the Undine, who reside in fluidic space, would be in a more advantageous position,” added T'Laris.

“Good point,” remarked Zepari. “By the way, speaking of that transmission, are we planning on sharing that with Captain loS?”

“It would help loS’ case, but we can’t,” said Jugzon with a shake of his head. “That transmission is confidential intelligence, and there’s no way even Admiral Ford can get permission to share it until formal negotiations have begun with the House of Nagh reD. Remember... our very presence here is pretty questionable with regard to Starfleet regulation.”

After a moment, Jugzon continued. “If there's nothing else, I can beam you back to your ships. Hopefully our efforts to repair the Klingon ships will be over soon and we can return to Federation sp--”

“Aurora to Captain Zepari. Please come in,” came an urgent voice from Zep’s communicator. Zepari tapped the badge.

“Come in, Aurora.”

“Sir, sensors have picked up a surge in chroniton emissions on the edges of the system. We’ve confirmed with the Garret that these emissions are indicative of the formation of a quantum singularity.”

Zepari’s eyes widened while T’Laris remained calm, but both knew what that meant.

“Acknowledged. Beam all away teams back aboard the Aurora including myself and go to red alert.”

T’Laris looked at Jugzon. “Quantum singularities are precursors to openings to fluidic space. While not completely accurate, we have found they may herald the arrival of the Undine.”

Jugzon nodded. “Beam back aboard your ships and prepare for a fight. I’ll relay the information to Captain loS. It seems that Admiral T'Rehe's 'baiting' my actually have yielded something. Let's hope it's not a fish we can't handle.”

In the depths of the B’tran Cluster aboard the Pandora, Oren-De was dealing with a new development.

“Sir, we’ve detected a second transmission being relayed to the Borg fleet. This is different than the one we’ve been intercepting intermittently from the Stonewall,” reported his operations officer.

“Can we decrypt it?”

“It will take some time,” responded his science officer. “We’re already directing most of our resources to the analysis of the Stonewall transmissions.”

“Captain! The Borg fleet is beginning to move!” reported his tactical officer.

“On-screen!”

The tactical map of the fleet appeared on the screen. The Borg ships were appearing to move toward a single location, away from the Pandora.

“I guess that settles that,” remarked the Pandora’s helmsman. “Looks like it was an order to move out.”

“Yes... but to where?” wondered Oren-De aloud.

Back in Klingon space, Zepari’s attentions were focused on the growing quantum singularity while his tactical officer reported in.

“All departments report the away teams have returned. Going to red alert... the Khyfa and Garret are doing the same.”

“And the Klingon ships?”

“They are maneuvering to face the singularity, sir.”

“Fantastic. They want to stay and fight before they even know how many ships will pop out of that damn thing,” muttered Zepari.

“Sir, I am detecting a cascade change in the singularity’s emissions. It’s opening... I am now detecting emissions characteristic of fluidic space! Several large masses are emerging!”

“On-screen, and direct sensors at the singularity. I want an accurate tactical read-out on what we’re dealing with!”

Zepari and his bridge crew watched as several large forms began to emerge from the opening in space.

“Captain... the masses have been resolved. Five Tethys-class dreadnoughts are emerging from fluidic space.”

A pit formed in Zepari’s stomach. “Tactical, combat analysis.”

“It’s hard to say, sir. Were the Klingon ships operating at full strength, we’d have a numbers advantage. However, in their current state, we are looking at the destruction of all Klingon ships and the likely defeat of all three Starfleet ships.”

“Garret and Khyfa, you’re getting the same readings we are. We estimate this is not a fight we will win. Thoughts?”

“We have reached the same conclusion,” came T’Laris’ voice. “However, retreat may not be an option. While all the Klingon ships have warp restored, most will still be overtaken by the Undine ships before we could reach the nearest Starfleet reinforcements.”

“And loS will not leave them behind,” remarked Jugzon. “He will stay and fight... which means we need to stay and fight. Our primary objective is making sure loS survives so he can regain control of his House.”

“Acknowledged,” replied Zepari, though it was clear he didn’t like it. “Helm, get ready for evasive maneuvers. Focus all weapons on the Khyfa’s target. Perhaps we can at least take one out at the start.”

“Captain loS is hailing all vessels, sir. Apparently today is a good day to die,” remarked his ops officer.

“Lovely. Sometimes I wonder if there is ever a bad day to die in that culture.”

“Captain! Long-range sensors are picking up incoming ships!”

Zepari’s head snapped to his tactical officer. “More Undine!?”

“No, sir! They’re incoming from deeper in Klingon space. I’m detecting a significant fleet size. At least fifteen vessels.”

“Khyfa, Garret, you reading those incoming ships?”

“Yes,” responded Jugzon. “Not sure what to make of it. Maybe it’s the Empire responding to the Undine... or maybe loS is correct, and this is Nedec returning with the aid of his Undine conspirators.”

“We’ll be slaughtered if those ships are fighting on the side of the Undine.”

“Survival is estimated at 7%,” agreed T’Laris. “An engagement would be catastrophic for us.”

“We will hail the QaQ Hegh. We need to figure this out before the Undine get within firing range.”

Aboard the QaQ Hegh, loS’s eye burned with the fire of battle. Finally... a fight worthy of us...

“Captain, the Federation ships are hailing us! Their sensors have detected a fleet of Klingon ships on a direct course for our position.”

loS’ grin only grew. This would be a glorious battle indeed, either way. “Hail them! If Nedec has truly returned, I want to finally know where he stands with these qa’meH quv! Make sure to include the Starfleet ships as well. It is time we all stood face-to-face on the field!”

The QaQ Hegh’s viewscreen divided up into four quadrants, with the Starfleet captains occupying three of them. The fourth remained black while they awaited a response to the hail. Finally, an image popped into being. However, it was not Nedec.

“Makta!” roared loS in greeting. “You are a long way from Qo’nos!”

“Yes, comrade. The House of Nagh reD has finally come to join you. Nedec’s incompetence and simpering at the Chancellor’s feet quickly soured many within our House. We would have been here sooner, but we had to deal with that p’tach first. We intercepted him fleeing your fight like a scared targ back to his master on Qo’nos. It was an easy battle... and we found something very interesting on his ship. However, that is for another time. We would like to join you in battle... though I am surprised to find Starfleet here as well.”

“They are here today as brothers, Makta. Our enemy are the qa’meH quv. Will you join us?”

“Gladly! We will show them the true might of a united Klingon House!”

On his ship, Zepari somehow contained a very relieved sigh. Even T’Laris seemed a bit more at ease with their chances now. On loS’s command, the Klingon and Federation ships moved to engage the five Undine dreadnoughts.

Nick opened his eyes and was greeted by the sight of an endless cerulean sky. A few clouds slowly drifted in the sea of blue above. Lying on his back, Nick shifted into a more comfortable position, took a deep breath, and smiled.

“It’s so peaceful...”

“Yeah...” came a voice next to him.

Nick tilted his head and saw a tuft of hair out of the corner of his eye. Nick’s smile quickly shifted into a wry grin as he quickly rolled over so that he was now on his hands and knees, positioned over the body of the man he had been laying next to. The man cocked an amused eyebrow.

“Hey you...”

“Hey...” Nick replied softly as he moved down to kiss the man. The kiss was long and lingering; after all, the two now had all the time in the world.

“Oh, I could get use to this,” the man said when their lips finally parted.

Nick chuckled. “You better. We can do this tomorrow... and the day after that... and the day after that...”

The man studied Nick for a moment, prompting him to give him a skeptical look. “What?”

“You sure you’re not going to miss it? I mean... let’s face it. This isn’t exactly the most exciting planet in the quadrant.”

Nick shook his head. “Cody, I’m going to always miss Starfleet. However, I would have missed you even more. And as much as I hate to think otherwise, I’m pretty sure the Federation can get along without me.”

Cody laughed and wrapped his arms around Nick’s neck.

“Come here, you,” he growled as he pulled Nick back down for another long kiss. The two disappeared under the tall prairie grass, which swayed silently in the breeze. It wasn’t for some time that Nick suddenly tensed and sat upright.
“Do you hear something?”

Cody sat up next to him and gave him a skeptical look. “No... what do you hear?”

Nick frowned as he looked at the large tree they were laying under.

“I don’t know... sounds like low droning sound... almost like engines...”

Cody sighed. “You can take the boy out of Starfleet, but heaven help you if you try to take the Starfleet out of the boy...”

Nick gave him a look before standing up. “It’s getting louder. You sure you don’t hear it?”

“No... I think it’s ju-- … actually, wait.”

Cody stood up next to Nick. “Now that you mention it...”

Nick frowned. Why did he feel so uneasy? He walked a few steps from the tree and looked out over the prairie that stretched out before him.

“I don’t see anything...”

Suddenly, he heard Cody gasp. Nick turned around to see Cody looking straight up at the sky. “Nick... up there...”

Nick looked at the sky above them, past the tree. In the sky, and quickly growing larger, was a black sphere. Nick’s eyes widened.

“What is that...” Cody wondered aloud. “I’ve never seen a ship that looks like that before.”

“I have. Come on, we have to get back to the colony,” said Nick urgently, grabbing Cody’s hand.

Cody looked at Nick with concern. “Nick, what is it?”

At that moment, columns of green light appeared next to the pair, leaving Borg drones in their place. Nick instinctively reached for his belt... and a phaser that wasn’t there.

“Are these...”

“Yes. RUN!”

Nick turned to run and pulled Cody with him. The other man almost stumbled, but he thankfully kept his footing as the two sprinted in a direction away from the drones. Fortunately, they hadn’t been surrounded.

“Why aren’t they firing at us?”

“Don’t know, don’t care. We need to get back to the colony. You’ll be safe there, and I can help with defense. We need to hold out until Starfleet can send help.”

After what seemed like hours, the two reached the outskirts of the colony. Nick’s lungs burned, but he forced himself to not pay attention. After all, Cody had managed to run with him, and he hadn’t been following Starfleet’s physical training regimen. However, when they got closer, Nick came to and abrupt stop. Cody followed suit, panting heavily.

“What... what is it? Why did we stop?”

“We’re too late...”

Cody looked up to see flashes of green light coming from the colony. In the distance, he could make out black-armored figures moving between the buildings.

“What are we going to do?”

“I don’t know,” said Nick as he looked at the colony under seige. “We need to find a hiding place we can stay in until Starfleet arrives. There’s nothing we can do for the colony now. Maybe if we--”

Nick heard an odd sound behind him and suddenly felt Cody’s hand tighten on his, almost painfully so. Nick spun around to see a Borg drone behind Cody. The drone had placed his hand on Cody’s neck; tubes were extending from the drone’s forearm right into Cody’s neck.

“NO!” howled Nick as he grabbed the drone’s arm and tried to pull it away. The drone was amazingly strong though, and the arm refused to move.

“CODY! FIGHT IT, CODY!”

Cody’s eyes locked onto Nick’s. “Nick...” he managed to gasp before he spasmed, his posture snapping into a perfectly straight position and leaning against the drone. His eyes rolled up and his eyelids began to flutter.

“CODY! CODY COME BACK! PLEASE!” Nick screamed as he continued to try to pry the drone off of Cody. Then, without warning, a cold metallic arm wrapped itself around Nick’s torso and pulled him back. Nick struggled until he felt a piercing sensation in his neck. His insides erupted in fire, as if a million needles began poking him throughout his entire body.

“NO! No, I don’t want... I don’t want...”

Nick’s vision went dark... but he was not alone in the darkness. Voices rose up in a deafening chorus and Nick was powerless against it.

We are the Borg. Your biological distinctiveness will be added to our own. From this time forward, you will service us...

“Admiral Ford! Admiral Ford, wake up!”

The Chief Medical Officer of the Stonewall was crouched over Nick, who was lying in his bed in his quarters, practically yelling at him. She looked over at her assistant.

“5 cc’s of synaptizine, now!”

The assistant quickly applied the hypospray to Nick’s neck and injected. When no change occured, the CMO stood up and looked at the security team. “Get him to sickbay, now. Do not use the transporter. We don’t know how it will affect that damn implant now that it’s active again.”

As the security team moved to pick Nick up, the CMO tapped her combadge. “Bridge, I’m in the captain’s quarters. He’s gone unresponsive. I’m transferring him to sickbay. Hail Starbase 82 immediately; it is urgent we speak with Admiral T’Rehes.”

Meanwhile, Oren-De’s tactical officer was showing the captain a schematic on the Pandora’s viewscreen.

“Sensors just resolved this: a transwarp gate. It just activated, which was why we only just now detected it.”

“Can we determine where it goes?”

“Possibly,” replied his Chief of Engineering. “Transwarp conduits eject triquantum waves; if we can map their frequency and trajectory, we can extrapolate to get a rough idea of where the other end of the conduit is. It would be accurate to a few light years.”

“Do it. We’ll at least get an idea of what they’re up to. Science, progress on those transmissions?”

“Almost there, sir.”

The seconds passed like hours as the Borg ships continued entering the transwarp conduit. Finally, Oren-De’s Chief of Engineering looked up from his console.

“Sir, extrapolation of the triquantum waves puts the conduit’s exit point in the Gamma Orionis sector block. Closest strategic location is... Starbase 82.”

The crew was silent as everyone put the pieces together.

“A surprise attack,” concluded Oren-De aloud. “That last transmission must have been some sort of signal to begin the assault... and it’s coinciding with the increased activity of transmissions from the Stonewall. In turn, that means they’re likely after very specific information about the starbase’s defense systems.”

“Sir! I’ve finally isolated the base code! We have what we need," announced Oren-De's science officer.

Oren-De nodded and began barking out orders to the crew. “Helm, plot a direct course for the transwarp gate, full impulse. Engineering, I want all power diverted to the engines and shields. Tactical, prepare a volley of torpedoes, one fore and one aft. Our first priority will be removing the Borg’s entry point... our second is getting to Starbase 82. Science, increase the allocation of computing power to the Partition. We need to fool the Borg for as long as possible. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!” came a chorus of voices.

The Pandora finally moved from its resting place and sailed toward the transwarp gate, deep within the fleet of Borg ships bound for Starbase 82.

The central command area of Starbase 82 was a flurry of urgent activity, with voices ringing out across the room as Stonewall Fleet’s personnel rushed to get a handle on a flood of information.

“Perimeter sensor buoys are pinging incoming vessels. Energy signatures matching that of Borg vessels detected!”

“Transwarp conduit emissions are still active in the region!”

“Battle Group Omega is hailing us! They are requesting confirmation of a Borg incursion!”

In the middle of it all, T’Rehes stood in front of a holographic display that was now showing a map of nearby space. Starbase 82 was mapped in blue to her left and a growing number of green symbols were starting to move in from the right. She turned smartly toward the on-duty comm officer.

“Send a distress signal to all ships on all frequencies and request immediate assistance against the Borg. Call all patrol ships back to the station with orders to defend. Following that, send all details we have on priority one comminques to the Stonewall, Battle Group Omega, and Starfleet Command.”

“Aye, ma’am!”

T’Rehes’ head snapped to the next officer to her left.

“Tactical, ETA to the arrival of the first Borg ship.”

“20 minutes, ma’am.”

“Station ops, activate a defensive scramble alert. All docked ships are to form a defensive line 20 kilometers out from the station intercepting the Borg fleet’s trajectory in 15 minutes. Tactical, coordinate the perimeter until the Pendragon arrives at the designated area.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Just a few minutes ago, the station had been quite calm. That all changed when a subspace disturbance had been detected by one of the long-range sensor buoys that had been placed throughout the sector. Now the moment for which Stonewall Fleet had been preparing was at hand. Each passing minute saw more and more ships leave the station and personnel taking positions and arming themselves.

“Post security teams on all decks in accordance with anti-Borg protocols, including auto-modulation phaser rifles.”

“Admiral, Engineering is reporting they have finished shutting down all systems which are still infested with Borg technology. These systems are all non-essential.”

“Battle Group Omega reports that they will arrive at the Borg transwarp conduit in 25 minutes by quantum slipstream. They will engage the Borg and attempt to destabilize the conduit.”

“Admiral, neighboring starbases are answering our hails with details of reinforcements. However, Starfleet Command will not be rerouting ships already patrolling the Klingon border.”

T’Rehes continued to coordinate effort to prepare their defenses, racing with Starbase 82’s staff and the rest of Stonewall Fleet against what little time they had. Finally, T’Rehes received the report that she had been expecting.

“Ma’am... Borg have been detected 100 kilometers from the station.”

The report from the Tactical officer caused a short, but noticeable, pause as many of the officers reflexively steeled themselves. This was it. T’Rehes, however, didn’t miss a beat.

“Have all ships cleared our immediate defensive area?”

“Yes, Admiral.”

“Good. Activate the dynamic shield modulation system. Transfer power from all non-essential systems to shields and facing weapons.”

“Yes, ma’am! Activating... dynamic shield modulation system is now online.”

The comm officer spoke up, her voice stilted. “Admiral... we are being hailed by the Borg.”

T’Rehes looked at the woman with a raised eyebrow. The Borg implants on her face reflected the light of the holographic tactical map.

“Is it the standard hail?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Ignore it. Order the fleet to fire at will when the first Borg vessel is in range.”

T’Rehes turned and faced the tactical map. There was a line of Borg vessels now stretched across the map to its edge, where the conduit resided. The number of Starfleet vessels standing between them and Starbase 82 were impressive... but would not be a match if the Borg continued to deploy more vessels. All chances of success depended first on closing down that conduit.

“Battle Group Omega’s ETA to the conduit?”

“Three minutes, ma’am.”

“Admiral! The fleet is reporting opening fire and engaging the Borg.”

“Tactical, open fire on the closest Borg vessels when you have openings. Prioritize by likelihood of destruction. The Borg will attempt to overwhelm us so we must attempt to minimize that advantage.”

“Yes, ma’am. Anti-proton banks are opening fire!”

T’Rehes kept an eye on the map in front of her as the command crew supplemented with reports from the field. In the opening minutes, Stonewall Fleet had the advantage, as the Borg had sacrificed a regroup at the conduit exit for a surprise attack. However, Stonewall Fleet’s preparations had allowed them to be battle-ready even in that small timeframe of twenty minutes. As encouraging as that was though, T’Rehes knew that it would only be a matter of time before that advantage shifted back to the Borg. The fleet, while capable, had no hope of destroying Borg ships faster than they arrived.

“The Corona is reporting their weapons systems have gone offline. They are pulling back until they can bring them back up.”

“The Hermes has reported Borg invasion parties, but have not yet reported any significant disruptions in ship operations.”

“Admiral, Battle Group Omega has engaged the Borg at the conduit exit.”

T’Rehes’ eyes darted to the point on the map. Indeed, a cluster of Federation ships were now closing in on the conduit’s location.

“Their primary orders are to seal the conduit.”

“They’ve acknowledged those orders. They are preparing tachyon beam pulses at inverse frequencies from those that the conduit is emitting in order to destabilize the conduit.”

T’Rehes’ attention was split between the engagements at Starbase 82 and at the conduit. When the conduit didn’t collapse within the next minute, she knew something was wrong.

“Comm, report. What is Battle Group Omega’s status?”

“I’m sorry ma’am, but they’re reporting difficulties in sealing the conduit. All destabilization efforts have failed.”

“Science, report!” ordered T’Rehes as she moved over to the closest science station. The lieutenant manning the station was frantically looking over the data.

“This is what Battle Group Omega is sending us. The conduit is being affected by their attempts, but it keeps recovering. Something on the other side is keeping it open... probably a transwarp gate.”

“Agreed. Would sending ships through the conduit to destroy the gate be an option?”

The lieutenant shook his head. “At the rate the Borg are coming out of it, the likelihood of a collision inside the conduit would be quite high. If the ship were to run into a Borg cube, the cube would suffer damage, but our ship would be completely destroyed. It’d be suicide.”

An officer standing next to the lieutenant suddenly perked up.

“Yes... but perhaps an explosion inside the conduit would have a greater effect.”

“What!?” the lieutenant exclaimed, horrified at the idea of throwing a ship in on a kamikaze mission. T’Rehes, however, remained much more calm.

“Elaborate.”

“Right now, the ships in Battle Group Omega have been firing tachyon pulses into the conduit. It’s having an effect, but not enough to overwhelm the gate on the other end. One way to increase the effect on the conduit is to fire the pulses inside the conduit in a spherical pattern instead of a beam; it would ensure that the conduit is hit with the full energy of the pulses. It’s the difference between your hand when a phaser overloads nearby... and blowing your hand clear off when the phaser overloads in your fist.”

The lieutenant frowned. “That could work... but getting a ship in there to fire the pulse would be impossible. It would collide with a Borg ship before it could do anything... unless... we don’t use a ship at all!”

T’Rehes raised an eyebrow as the lieutenant continued. “We could have some ships modify their torpedoes. The explosive payloads could be swapped out for high-energy tachyon emitters. They could fire the pulses inside the conduit while travelling through it. Enough volleys might destabilize the conduit.”

“Proceed. Order Battle Group Omega to begin the modifications to torpedoes. Divert all available staff to the effort.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

It was at this moment that the Comm officer approached T’Rehes. “Admiral, I am receiving a hail from the Stonewall. They have reached the front lines, but their Chief of Medical wishes to speak with you.”

T’Rehes paused. In that moment, her worst suspicions had been confirmed.

“Put it on your terminal. I will answer her there.”

T’Rehes followed the comm officer back to her station. The CMO for the Stonewall appeared on the screen shortly thereafter, with her Sickbay in the background.

“Admiral T’Rehes. Time is precious, so I’ll cut to the chase. Admiral Ford is currently incapacitated. He is unconcious and cannot be woken up. Additionally, the Borg implant attached to his neural cortex is now in a constant state of high activity. This is a marked change from the random bursts of activity we were observing earlier.”

T’Rehes nodded. “I take it then that you have been Captain McCloy’s contact on the Stonewall regarding the mysterious transmissions we have been observing?”

“Yes, Admiral. I have been keeping him updated with a record of the transmission occurrences since they began appearing while Admiral Ford was stationed at Starbase 82. As per your wishes, I have not informed Admiral Ford of them... against my own judgement.”

The CMO’s voice took a decidedly antagonistic tone. “I hope this gambit has paid off.”

“That still remains to be seen,” Admiral T’Rehes responded simply. “For now, can you stop the transmissions?”

“No. I cannot remove the implant for the same reason it couldn’t be removed when Admiral Ford was liberated from the Collective; there is too great a risk that the operation might kill him. Even attempting to access the implant and interfere with it right now could be dangerous. Neural scans show the implant is accessing memory centers of the Admiral’s brain.”

T’Rehes paused before she spoke again. “So the device is likely gathering intelligence.”

“... what?”

“This fits with the Borg’s pattern of behavior. During the first Borg incursion into Federation space, they abducted the captain of the Enterprise, Starfleet’s flagship, and assimilated him. This allowed them to gain knowledge of Starfleet tactics, as well as information regarding the defensive systems protecting the Sol system. It stands to reason that the Borg are now using a different tactic to achieve the same objective. The most logical conclusion is that the implant is using Admiral Ford as a database of Starfleet’s anti-Borg tactics and defensive measures, including the command codes for Starbase 82. If they gain access to those codes, it would allow them to take down our dynamic shield modulation system and beam invasion parties aboard the station, as well as turn the station against our own fleet."

T’Rehes paused again. She knew what she was about to order would be met with resistance.

“Doctor, I am ordering you to stop the implant from accessing Admiral Ford’s memories at all costs.”

The Stonewall’s CMO’s eyes widened. “That operation could kill him or cause significant and irreparable brain damage! And for all you know, the Borg already have the information they need.”

“If they are still accessing his memories through the implant, that would imply they still have not obtained what they need. However, since this attack coincided with the implant’s current state of activity, that would further imply the Borg think they are close. Every second we debate the ethics of this situation is a second the Borg get closer to wiping out this starbase. Once they do that, Stonewall Fleet, Battle Group Omega, and the Federation’s first and best line of defense against the Borg will be destroyed. It would not be hyperbole to say that billions of lives will be lost if the Borg win this engagement.”

The CMO opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Her eyes burned with anger at T’Rehes as she finally found words.

“Acknowledged, Admiral. I will prepare for the operation immediately. However, know that I will be filing an official complaint with Starfleet Command regarding you and Captain McCloy. You have needlessly wasted the Admiral’s life.”

T’Rehes maintained her stoic expression. “Again, Doctor, that remai--”

“Admiral!” shouted the comm officer who was standing right next to her. It was enough of a surprise that T’Rehes looked taken aback.

“I am receiving a priority one message from the Pandora! They... they appear to have just exited the conduit!”

T’Rehes’ head snapped back toward the Doctor on her screen. “Doctor, prepare for the operation, but do not begin. We are about to see if my... gambit... has paid off.”

The Stonewall’s CMO reacted with surprise, but was unable to speak before T’Rehes looked back at the comm officer. “Open a channel to the Pandora and relay the transmission to the Stonewall.”

“Aye, ma’am!”

The screen switched to a view of the Pandora’s bridge, which looked like it had seen better days. A girder from the bridge’s ceiling was resting on a rear railing, and a small fire had erupted from one of the front consoles. The hail was even suffering interference, likely the result of a damaged comm system. Oren-De looked completely disheveled, but he kept composure even as a console behind him exploded.

“Captain Oren-De, what is your status?” asked T’Rehes.

“We were able to obtain what we believe to be the necessary system codes. Two of my officers, including my Chief of Medical, have prepared a treatment. However, it must be administered in person. We have taken significant damage and require assistance.”

“Acknowledged. Proceed to Starbase 82 immediately. I will task ships from Battle Group Omega with escorting you.”

“One more item, Admiral. The Borg are using a transwarp gate to maintain the conduit. We attempted to destroy it on our way through, but we only managed to damage it.”

“Excellent work, Captain. That should aid our efforts. T’Rehes out.”

T’Rehes snapped to an officer to her right. “Tactical, order the Felczer and the Whitestar to escort the Pandora to Starbase 82. Additionally, order the Stonewall to immediately fall back to the same coordinates and prepare for officers from the Pandora to beam directly to their Sickbay.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Minutes later, T’Rehes was watching the tactical map and keeping an eye on the Pandora and Stonewall as they neared Starbase 82.

“Admiral, Battle Group Omega reports they have finished modifying the tachyon torpedoes.”

“Order spread volleys, timed after the next Borg ship exits the conduit.”

At the conduit, half of Battle Group Omega disengaged their combat with the Borg and turned to face the conduit's entrance. As a Borg sphere emerged, the ships volleyed a massive volley of torpedoes into the entrance. Seconds passed as they waited for the result. In Starbase 82’s command area, a silence fell over the area.

“... I’m registering a change in the subspace disturbances near the conduit. It’s... it’s collapsing! The conduit is collapsing! The instability is too much for the damaged gate to handle!”

A loud cheer went up around T’Rehes, who simply turned back to the tactical map. Her eyes went back to the Stonewall, which was now waiting just next to Starbase 82.

On the Pandora, Sickbay was flooded with injured and wounded, but her CMO was forced to leave their care to his assistant and the EMH. He was busy working on a console which was connected to a tricorder held by the ship’s science officer.

“That should do it. Ready?”

“Ready.”

The two looked over at another officer who was manning a second console. “We’re nearing the transport site. Good luck you two.”

As the Pandora, flanked by the Whitestar and the Felczer, came within range of the Stonewall, the two officers were beamed to the latter’s Sickbay. Upon materializing, they were rushed to Nick’s bedside by the CMO. She gave the tricorder a skeptical glance.

“A tricorder? That’s the treatment!?”

The Pandora’s CMO looked at her to explain while the other officer placed a small device connected to the tricorder to the back of Nick’s neck.

“It contains the basecodes for the implant. We were able to isolate them by decrypting the Borg transmissions.”

“You were able to decrypt them!? How!?”

“Our ship was recently outfitted with an experimental device called the Partition. Basically, a section of our computer houses an artificial Borg intelligence.”

“WHAT!?”

“Red, don’t bother explaining,” interrupted the science officer. “I’m ready, so just monitor his damn vitals while I activate this!”

“Alright, already! Activate!”

The woman activated the program on the tricorder. The three officers looked expectantly at Nicholas...

“Heart rate and blood pressure are increasing... as is neural activity in the cerebral cortex.”

“The implant has stopped transmitting, but I’m still detecting significant activity. I thought this program of yours was supposed to shut it down,” asked the Stonewall’s CMO.

“No, we didn’t have enough time. I was worried that a complete shutdown of the implant might cause a serious disruption to his neural activity, which in turn might cause brain damage. This program only partially inhibits the implant,” replied the Pandora’s science officer as she kept her eyes on her tricorder.

“So it’s still going to be active? In what way?”

“Right now, we’ve only stopped it from transmitting and accessing the Admiral’s memories. Remember Doctor, our first priority was to stop the Borg from using Admiral Ford to compromise Federation defenses. We can work on the rest once this battle is over... hopefully.”

The Stonewall’s CMO clearly didn’t like that response, but turned her attention back toward the display above Nick’s bed.

“This is odd. His physical vitals are elevated for his current state, but they’d be normal if he were awake. However, his brain activity is still anomalous. Some areas are showing conscious activity, but others are subdued.”

“I think he’s trying to wake up,” suggested her counterpart from the Pandora. “I’m performing a toxicology analysis now. There’s nothing around the area of the implant. Damn... I thought the thing might be injecting him with a sedative.”

The Stonewall’s CMO perked up and looked over at the analysis. “No... but it might be making Nick’s body do the work for it. Look, there’s increased levels of serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain, and these levels are elevated beyond that normal for a sleeping human.”

“You’re right! And if they’re not coming from the implant directly, it could still be inducing Nick’s own body to produce them via electrical stimulation. That requires very specific signals and... there!” thought the other doctor aloud, pointing his finger at a new readout of the display.

“There it is. The implant is stimulating serotonin and norepinephrine production. Can that program of yours stop the implant from doing it?”

“I’ll need a few hours to develop that program and run simulations to make sure it’s safe,” responded the science officer.

“Well, while you’re doing that, I’ll have to implement a temporary fix,” responded the Stonewall’s CMO as she reached for a hypospray.

“What is that?”

“A stimulant that will overwhelm the effects of the serotonin and norepinephrine. With any luck, this will wake our Admiral. Nothing special, just a little miracle drug called caffeine,” said the doctor as she actuated the hypospray on Nick’s neck.

“Brain activity is increasing. I’d say he’s waking up.”

The officers looked at Nick who, sure enough, was beginning to stir. Suddenly, his eyes shot open and he bolted into a sitting position. His eyes darted around as he took in where he was.

“Easy Admiral,” said the Stonewall’s CMO as she placed her hand on Nick’s chest. “You’re in Sickbay. Your Borg implant became active and sedated you.”

Nick studied her then seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “I... I was dreaming that I had been assimilated into the Collective. Just like... just like the first time.”

“It was accessing your memory centers, so that’s not surprising. And in some ways, you were being re-assimilated. That thing has been transmitting a lot of data to the Borg in the last few hours. We were only just now able to stop it and wake you back up.”

Nick nodded, but then looked off to the side. “I can still hear them. I can hear the voices of the Collective. Why do they sound so close?”

“We only stopped the implant from transmitting. We need more time to stop it from receiving information,” replied the science officer.

“As for why the signals are so strong... it’s because we are currently engaged in a massive battle with the Borg,” added Nick’s doctor.

Nick’s eyes widened and he immediately moved off the bed, much to the disdain of his CMO.

“Admiral, I woke you up, but not so that you could go back to the bridge. You need to remain here so I can monitor your condition. The stimulant I gave you will wear out in a few hours anyway.”

“Then send an assistant with a hypospray. I’m returning to my bridge and nothing short of a court martial is removing me from it,” snapped Nick.

“Besides... I think it’s time the Borg got a taste of their own medicine.”

“Sir?”

Nick grinned wryly as he tapped his head with his finger. “Remember... I can still hear them. And they’re talking a bit too loudly about some things they really might want to keep quiet about.”

The Pandora’s officers grinned as Nick’s CMO let out an exasperated sigh. “Fine, go. Just make sure to wrap this up soon. Hours of caffeine injections aren’t exactly healthy, Admiral.”

“Yes, Doctor,” Nick said with a grin as he turned and left Sickbay. The CMO turned to the science officer from the Pandora and pointed at a nearby medkit. “Well, since you’re here, you can help take the place of the nurse I’ll be sending to the bridge.”

The woman groaned, but obliged.

Back on Starbase 82, T’Rehes was doing all she could to keep the fleet intact. While shutting down the conduit had given them a chance, it was still a small one. Too many Borg ships had managed to make it through. Even if they won, at this rate it would be a costly victory that would take Starfleet months, if not years, to recover from.

“Admiral! I’ve received a report from the Stonewall. They report that Admiral Ford has returned to active duty and has taken command.”

The reporting officer could swear she saw a flash of a relieved smile from T’Rehes. However, if there had been one, it was extremely short-lived.

“Transfer coordination of the ships defending Starbase 82 to Admiral Ford. I will continue to coordinate Battle Group Omega at their position on the far side of the engagement.”

The next phase of the Battle for Starbase 82 had begun. With Nick’s return to the command of the Stonewall and coordination of the fleet, along with the information he was receiving from the Borg Collective, Stonewall Fleet and Battle Group Omega made headway against the Collective. However, the Borg still had the advantage of superior firepower in their monstrous cubes. Slowly, but surely, the Borg had managed to push through closer to the starbase.

“Borg vessel within estimated transporter range. Sensors are detecting transmissions which match that of Borg transporter signals. However, internal sensors are not detecting any Borg materializing within the starbase. It appears the dynamic shield modulation system is working, Admiral.”

Suddenly, the starbase’s lights flickered as the room shook.

“Shields are down to 90%, Admiral.”

“The brute force approach. This matches past tactics of the Borg. Order Battle Group Omega to move to assist with defense of the Starbase. Tactical, change target prioritization to ships firing on us.”

“Admiral, the Stonewall and ships under her also moving toward a more defensive posture of the Starbase.”

The assault continued. The change in tactics was able to slow the Borg’s assault on the Starbase, but not stop it. The Borg, through sheer attrition, were able to whittle away at the Starbase’s defense systems.

“Shields down to 30%, Admiral! At this point, Engineering can’t guarantee adequate coverage. Intermittent failures could occur and allow the Borg to invade.”

“Transfer power from half of our weapon systems to shields,” responded T’Rehes. At this point, stalling for time was the only tactic left to them. Starfleet still had reinforcements on the way.

“Admiral, we are being hailed by the Khyfa. She is reporting in from the transwarp gate for our sector!”

“On-screen!”

A large viewscreen on a side of the room came to life, showing the face of Dugzon Jaz.

“Admiral, the Khyfa, Garret, and Aurora are en route to provide assistance. We have also brought other reinforcements.”

T’Rehes’ eyebrow lifted. “I was under the impression Starfleet’s reinforcements were still farther out.”

“They are.”

Across the room, an officer practically yelled for T’Rehes. “Admiral! The transwarp gate’s sensors are reporting a large number of ships entering the sector behind the Khyfa. They’re Klingon ships, ma’am!”

T’Rehes looked at Dugzon. “Klingon ships?”

“The House of Nagh reD, Admiral,” responded Dugzon with a smile.

On the Stonewall, Nick’s comm officer was also reporting the arrival of the Klingon ships.

“We are also being hailed by the lead Klingon ship, the QaQ Hegh.”

“On-screen!” commanded Nick, barely able to stop himself from grinning ear-to-ear.

“Admiral!” roared loS in greeting as he appeared on the Stonewall’s viewscreen. “It is an honor to finally speak with you. I am Captain loS cha’maH of the House of Nagh reD. I have been told you wished to speak with me, but I believe we have a battle to win first.”

“Yes, that we do, Captain. It would be an honor to fight alongside your House. I will have Starbase 82 transmit current tactical data to your ship. Thank you.”

loS only nodded before the hail cut off. Nick nodded to his comm officer, who relayed the coordination order to Starbase 82.

Thankfully, the Stonewall Fleet and Starbase 82 were able to hold the Borg off long enough for the reinforcements from the House of Nagh reD and its allies to arrive. The addition of a fleet of Klingon ships swung the odds of the engagement away from the Borg. However, it was by no means an easy fight. The wreckage of Borg, Starfleet, and Klingon ships alike was strewn for thousands of kilometers. When all was said and done though, Stonewall Fleet and the House of Nagh reD emerged victorious and Starbase 82 remained standing as the first line of defense against the Borg.

Nick sat in a chair in his quarters aboard the Stonewall, looking through one of the large viewing windows. Normally, he would have been greeted with the peaceful and humbling view of the interstellar void. However, that view was now obscured by the hulks of metal that drifted in the distance. The light from Sibiran reflected and glinted off the remnants of the battle with the Borg, now two days in the past. Early reports indicated that, even with a full clean-up and salvage effort, it would be months before it was all removed.

At the very least, the Corps of Engineers will have a lot of new Borg toys to play with, thought Nick to himself.

The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on him. In their effort to resist forceful assimilation by the Borg, Starfleet and the Federation were, by choice, assimilating elements of the Borg into their own technology. Of course, it was the element of choice that made the two situations so very different.

A chime interrupted his thoughts.

“Enter,” Nick simply said as he looked toward the door. It opened and T’Rehes stepped through.

“T’Rehes! Please, have a seat. Can I get you anything?” Nick asked with a smile.

“No,” she said simply with a shake of her head. “However, may I get you something? After all, you have been ordered to rest.”

Nick laughed. “I hardly thing my doctor meant I couldn’t walk to my replicator. Thank you though.”

T’Rehes nodded and approached Nick, but did not sit in the chair across from him.

“Nicholas, I need to speak with you regarding what has happened. Specifically, my choice to not inform you of your implant’s activity.”

Nick raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“I do not regret what I did, Nicholas,” she said quickly. “It was the best course of action for determining the motives of the saboteurs and minimizing the chance they would realize we knew of their efforts, since early on we suspected the implant was using you to compromise our operations.”

T’Rehes paused. “However, the best course of action for this fleet... may not have been the best course of action for our friendship. I made the choice and I understand if you felt betrayed by it. My choice meant your temporary connection back to the Collective, which I know must have been... painful... for you.”

Nick smirked. “It wasn’t pleasant. I actually ended up reliving the memories of my assimilation... as well as that of my husband.”

“Your husband?” asked T’Rehes.

“Yes,” Nick said as he pointed to a small photograph screen on his desk.

T’Rehes walked toward the desk and picked up the screen. It showed a much younger Nick, free of implants, smiling with another man.

“You both appear quite happy.”

“We were. That was taken right after I resigned from Starfleet to live with him out on a Federation colony... two days before it was attacked by the Borg.”

T’Rehes placed the device back on his desk. “Then I do have one regret; that you had to go through that again.”

Nick shook his head. “You made the best decision for the fleet and, in the end, probably the best decision for me as well. Thanks to those basecodes, the implant’s transmissions and memory mining capabilities were deactivated without any harm to me. Much to her chagrin, my CMO admitted that without those codes, brain damage would have been much more likely.”

“Besides,” Nick continued as he looked back out at the debris field, “they were the ones who did this... and I intend to take advantage of it.”

“What do you mean?”

Nick looked back at her. “This morning, I had the implant’s sedative capabilities deactivated... but I ordered my CMO to not implement the program that would sever my one-way connection with the Collective.”

“Nicholas... is that wise?”

“That connection was a valuable tool during our battle with the Borg. I could hear damage reports from nearby ships and targeting information. More than a few Borg ships met their end because I could help direct our ships to act more effectively with that information.”

“Undoubtedly so, Nicholas, but have you considered the risks of this? You are connected with the Collective. While the implant has stopped transmitting and tapping into your memory, we do not know what impact this connection could have on your psychological well-being.”

“I know the risks, T’Rehes, but don’t worry. For one, I’m back to sleeping well. And with the Borg gone from this sector once again, I don’t hear any voices. It’s silent. So... at the very least, I guess I can be an early-warning system of sorts.”

“And a higher priority target,” T’Rehes argued. After a moment, she continued. “I will not formally protest this decision, but I do ask you be aware of the dangers. If you start to notice any abnormality, it is only rational to have that connection terminated.”

Nick nodded. “Of course. I know the risks of my choice, T’Rehes, and I will do everything I can to minimize them. For now... I believe this to be best for the fleet.”

T’Rehes saw Nick’s point and said nothing more. After an awkward silence, Nick decided to change the topic of conversation.

“loS contacted me this morning. Apparently, he has returned to Qo’nos and retaken control of the House of Nagh reD with little resistance. He would like to establish a Klingon presence in this sector to help in the fight against the Collective. I’m sure the Federation Diplomatic Corps will be surprised to receive that message.”

“Yes. It is likely they will be just as surprised as the rest of the admiralty was when they learned of how many Klingon ships used our transwarp network to reach Starbase 82. I do not believe I have seen Admiral Quinn’s eyes go so wide before.”

Nick chuckled. “No, I suppose not. However... on the subject of loS... I noticed something interesting in the reports from the Pandora and the Khyfa.”

T’Rehes nodded, already knowing what he was about to bring up. “Yes. You are referring to the timing of the Undine ambush on our task force and loS’ ships?”

“It occurred at almost the same time as the transmission the Pandora intercepted which appeared to initiate the Borg invasion.”

“Coupled with the first intercepted transmission, showing loS’ father’s death at the hands of Nedec, it would appear the Undine are utilizing Borg technology and even coordinating their movements with those of the Borg, to at least some degree.”

Nick shook his head. “It doesn’t make sense. From all we know of the Undine, which admittedly is still very little, an alliance between them and the Borg seems remote at best. Our first contact with the Undine was when they were at war with the Borg!”

“I do not believe an alliance is consistent with the evidence, Nicholas. If the Borg and Undine are allied, why have they never fought together? At both Vega Colony and this starbase, the Undine refrained from fighting with the Borg despite the fact that such an act would have meant our destruction. Instead, the Undine have appeared separately, both times in an ambush that targeted ships affiliated with Stonewall Fleet.”

Nick’s brow furrowed. “That’s right. They ambushed our ships, as well as the Garret and the Aurora, prior to the Vega Colony battle. And when Captain T’Laris and myself were ambushed, it was when we were ordered there by Admiral Terev. Speaking of which, has Ethan done any digging on her recently?”

T’Rehes nodded. “Yes. He was actually the one who first suspected a link between the Borg and Undine, and that Admiral Terev might be that link. However, there has been nothing suspicious from her since she was... reassigned... to Starbase 47, despite the fact that Starfleet Intelligence has been keeping a record of her activities. In fact, the only significant development was that her attache, Commander Gallagher, was killed in a shuttle accident three months ago.”

“Hmmm. All the same, I’m going to ask Ethan to keep an eye on her. He may not have been able to convince the brass at Intelligence she is working with the Undine, but he convinced me. In the mean time, perhaps we should move our efforts toward illuminating the nature of this link between the Undine and the Borg. Even if Terev is involved, I doubt she’s the sole element.”

T’Rehes tilted her head. “I agree Terev should be monitored, but that was not my point. My point was that there are other hypotheses more likely than an alliance. It could simply be the Undine have found a way to eavesdrop on the Borg, and are simply appearing at times to further complicate our efforts to defend against them.”

“True,” Nick said, but his tone suggested that his mind was still on his own suggestion. “Either way, we need more data. I’d like to convene a meeting of our senior captains to discuss possible strategies. This is something we’re going to need everyone’s help figuring out.”

“Agreed. If there is nothing else, I am due back at the Pendragon for a meeting with my staff.”

Nick shook his head. “That’s all. Thank you for stopping by, T’Rehes.”

T’Rehes only nodded before she left the room. Nick turned back to the window and looked out at the stars and the debris drifting through it all. It had been a costly battle... but he knew there were still more to come. Somewhere, in that interstellar void, was an enemy that would stop at nothing to destroy the Federation and its ideals. Borg... Undine... or perhaps something altogether unexpected...

Epilogue

“Those mindless drones failed. Again. Even with the access we gave them to Starfleet’s defenses, they could not even take back that Starbase.”

“They would not have failed if you had succeeded. Due to your miscalculation, the Federation and the Klingons acted as allies for the first time in years.”

“My only failure was thinking that fool Nedec could control his own House for a few weeks. As it was, I barely escaped Nedec’s ship when loS’ allies boarded it. Unfortunately, they were able to identify me. I imagine Nedec was killed immediately. However, I can promise you, I will not make that mistake again.”

“No, you won’t. I will be sending you elsewhere. We have enough agents inserted in the Klingon government and I will not risk another exposure. That fool J’mpok is so confident in his ‘loyalty tests’ that he is blind to us. As long as J’mpok remains in power, the Federation will receive no assistance from the Klingons beyond that of Nagh reD. We can be certain of that.”

“So where am I to be sent?”

“Starfleet’s Starbase 47. We need you to resume your liaison activities with our insert. This ‘Stonewall Fleet’ is proving to be more trouble than was initially anticipated and must be dealt with. We know she is under heavy surveillance, so communication must be carried out in forms that are difficult for Starfleet to record.”

“Thank you. I will not fail you again.”

“It would be best if you didn’t. Weakness is not tolerated; it is exterminated. Are we clear?”

“... Perfectly.”

“Good. You will be given the details after you leave, which you should do so shortly. I am expecting to be contacted by our... ‘messiah’, which has already has me in a fowl mood.”

“She is still disconnected?”

“Yes. We succeeded in delaying her from rejoining the Collective. I imagine she is going to be furious about that, but I will give her the coordinates of the Borg ships that were left on the other side of the gate as a gift. They won’t be able to help her reconnect, but it will be enough to appease her. At the very least, the additional forces will make her an even bigger thorn in the Federation’s side.”

“I see.”

“Yes, you see. Now go.”

Author's Note

This wraps up "Strength From Diversity", the second Stonewall Fleet story. I sincerely hope that you all enjoyed reading this. As always, I'd appreciate any constructive comments you have, so feel free to leave them below or send me a PM.

I'd like to thank Doogie and Six-Of-Nine for letting me add their characters and giving me all the info I needed. I'd also like to thank Brandon for giving me a much-needed confidence boost during the writing of this story.

I would like to thank Nick for not only purchasing this story, but tasking me with showing a bit of his character's backstory. I was incredibly flattered when he asked me to do this and I can only hope this met with his expectations. Thank you Nick for asking me to do this as, this story, more than most, has made me grow as a writer. It forced me to do a few things I wouldn't normally do and I believe it has been a wonderful experience.

Finally, I would like to thank all of you for taking the time to read this! I really appreciate it. The kind comments I've received from the members of this fleet have been so encouraging.

Please be on the lookout for my attempt to finally get Star Trek: Pandora's second season going after that first false start. Also, per Brandon's suggestion, I may try my hand at a Foundry mission or two that may or may not tie into some of what I've written. That is, if you haven't all gotten sick of this stuff yet. :P