| Stories → Star Trek: Conflict → Episode Fifty-Two |
Earth is besieged by the Relon Empire, forcing the Federation to ally with the Insurrectionists.
Summary[]
Chapter One[]
A typical day on Earth. All is well. There is no crime, sickness, disease or any apparent problems. Children are at play in their holo-suite playgrounds, young adults attend classes about the achievements of Starfleet officers in the Federation's history and Starfleet officers enjoy shore leave.
But suddenly, a dark shape moves in front of the sun, beginning an eclipse. It is no natural satellite, but it does not inspire terror or dread; just a minor distraction from the normal day-to-day lives.
Meanwhile, the orbital stations above Earth as well as the starships in space dock, are scrambling. A huge unidentified fleet has warped into orbit around Earth without hailing or even saying anything. Each ship is easily the size of the continent of Australia, and bearing markings unknown to anything the Federation has ever encountered. They are not Borg, nor Dominion, nor even the rumored Ultari. For the first time, Starfleet is out of control of the situation. Not wanting to seem hostile, they won't fire on the ships in order to send them away. But a foreboding feeling now strikes into the hearts of those who see these mammoths move over small, fragile Earth.
Once the alien fleet is positioned around Earth, it begins.
Bursts of energy tear out of many gun ports on the ships' hulls, raining down on Earth. Pleas for help from across the world suddenly reach the office of the President and Starfleet Command, begging them to do something to save their cities. The order is given: the aliens have fired first, Starfleet is to retaliate. The nearest ships engage the enemy ships. No weapons they have are capable of even penetrating the alien ships' shields, but one single blast from the alien particle weapon destroys a Galaxy-class starship effortlessly.
The Siege of Earth has begun.
Chapter Two[]
On the other side of the Quadrant, the Enterprise-C and the Admonitor are on red alert. Edward Shield, who has just woken up from a disturbing nightmare, runs to the Bridge barely dressed in his uniform. Young, who was woken from a sound slumber on the Admonitor, arrives at the Bridge of her ship still getting herself ready. They receive what has turned both of the ships to red alert status.
A transmission from an Andorian outpost somewhere on the edge of the galaxy. It detected a massive alien fleet en route to Earth five hours ago. The Andorian who sent the message sent a private message also to Shield, telling him that the dream has come true.
Young asks why they should do anything, especially since the Federation has not only boasted of being able to handle any threat, but that they have ostracized and abused them. Shield says nothing, still trying to decipher how the Andorian could have known about his dream.
He returns to his room to think, where K'hallA asks him about what has happened. He tells her, and she asks to know what the dream was about.
- There was a great battle...
Chapter Three[]
One hour after the aliens open-fired on Earth, their bombardment is still on-going and they have destroyed the ships which attacked them initially. The rest of Starfleet has mobilized over Earth, including the finest ships such as the USS Enterprise-E, USS Voyager, USS Defiant, USS Intrepid, USS Templar, USS Liberty, USS Arkansas and all of Starfleet's special Fleet Task Forces.
None of their weapons have any affect on the alien ships, which continue to bombard Earth. Casualties rise on Earth as people are killed during the bombardment, and they increase tenfold with each Starfleet vessel destroyed. One of the alien ships then fires at an orbital station, sending it crashing down in several pieces across Earth, most notably Paris, New York, Germany, China and London. The fleet sends some ships down to beam people out of those cities, but the aliens shoot down the escaping ships, sending even more debris careening down into Earth's atmosphere.
One of the ships, having been heavily damaged by a glancing blow from the aliens, is almost dead in the water. In a bold and fool-hardy move, the captain rams his ship into one of the alien vessels, hoping to "take down one with us": his ship is vaporized as it strikes the alien ship's shields, but the actual vessel is unharmed.
Meanwhile, watching from his quarters on the Enterprise-E, Admiral Picard begins reconsidering his disbelief in apocalyptic-doom scenarios, since he sees one before his very eyes.
Chapter Four[]
Shield has finished relaying his dream to K'hallA. She says that there is a relation to this dream and what had happened to Rookwood earlier in 2406. She summons Rookwood and asks her about her experience. She is hesitant, since she is trying to forget what happened, but, upon being told that the attack on Earth they heard about may be related to her dreams, Rookwood consents to relate her experiences.
From this, they learn about the InterGalactic Relon Empire, which had its sights set towards Earth for thousands of years. The fleet belongs to the Relons and they have one goal: destroying all life in the universe to feed their own kind on the corpses of the dead. Realizing this, Shield makes the decision to make for Sector 001 and save the Federation from annihilation.
When he informs Captain Young. she is hardly pleased. She reminds them that the Federation is the corrupt organization which has been hunting them for almost four years. But Shield informs her that it is not a matter of the survival of the Federation, but of every race in the Galaxy. He asks her if she will accompany them on their mission.
Meanwhile, on the Enterprise-E, all of Starfleet Command, the Council, the President and all high-ranking and influential members of the Federation watch safely the destruction of the cities and people of Earth (the Enterprise-E was told not to enter the battlefield until the very last, and the leaders were evacuated to it at the very commencement of the bombardment). Admiral Picard ponders if this is the end of the Federation, or of humankind altogether?
Chapter Five[]
Starfleet is in tatters. Most of the fleet is destroyed or critically damaged and the alien assault force continues bombarding planet, ship and orbital-station. Even some of their allies' ships, which came in reinforcement later, were all destroyed or heavily damaged.
The debris from the destroyed ships falling to Earth increases the overall and collateral damage below on the planet. What ships are still capable of moving have been summoned to the defense of the USS Enterprise-E which, while it was attempting to go to warp, missed being hit by one of the energy beams from the alien destroyers, heavily damaging the Enterprise-E. While they defend the Enterprise-E, it prepares to make the jump to warp again.
One of the alien ships slowly begins turning its massive bulk towards the remnants of the fleet, ready to end the last resistance. It seems like the end.
Then, when all hope seems gone, two Earth-ships drop out of warp behind the advancing alien starship. Those ships are the USS Enterprise-C and USS Admonitor. The much larger and slower Enterprise-C flies in front of the alien ship and attempts to draw its fire. It succeeds, barely escaping the energy blast and being severely damaged.
But that was just what they needed. From behind, the USS Admonitor open fires on the alien ship with all weapons. The S'srelli Quantum phaser array and torpedoes penetrate both shields and hull. After tearing a hole in the side with their phasers, the Admonitor flies into the super-structure body of the alien ship. It is not pretty, and several Relons cling onto the Admonitor as it shrieks through their ship. Upon blasting out, the Admonitor detects a spike in energy coming from the alien ship: its going to fire at the fleet.
Nox, working faster than even when under T'Mar's katra, fires six quantum torpedoes at once back into the Relon ship just as they fly out of it. His blow was deadly accurate, for the torpedoes took out the energy weapons of the Relon ship. A brilliant green flash comes from the explosion on the outer hull of the Relon ship where the torpedoes struck.
But it doesn't seem that this will be enough. The Admonitor has severely run out of power, due to the massive amount of fire it dispersed, as well as the Relons on the outer hull (now dead from exposure to the vacuum of space) who made several hull breaches. It will take three hours for the ship to recharge in order to be back into battle readiness.
As if by some unknown power, all the Relon ships cease fire and leave orbit. Though this comes as a shock to all, Rookwood, being somehow able to tap into the thoughts of the Relons, informs Edward Shield that the Relons have left because, having one ship even slightly wounded by the Admonitor has blunted their attack force. She tells them all that the Relons have called off their siege of Earth, but they will return...
- But they're...we're not done with...us. They...we will return. And when we do, you shall all die.
(Italicized when Rookwood narrated their thoughts and in plain script when the Relons thoughts spoke out through her)