Star Trek: Nexus

Deep within the Voth Fortress Ship's labyrinthine interior, the Main Hangar housed not only its fleet but also the five warships of the Khitomer Alliance. The USS Nexus, flagship of the Alliance, stood at the helm, flanked by an imposing array of allies: the emerald-hulled T'Ret, a Romulan Warbird whose presence exuded latent menace; the sleek, battle-hardened USS Henderson, a Geneva-class cruiser; the ferocious IKS L'Kang, a Klingon Vor'cha cruiser radiating raw aggression; and the Lar'Kan, a Dominion battleship, its silhouette a dark promise of devastation.

Shravuk's voice cut sharply over the fleetwide comms. "T'Ret to fleet: Engage the dreadnaught immediately. It's docked but powering up. We cannot allow it to fully activate!"

The Voth Citadel-class Dreadnaught was a behemoth, dwarfing the combined task force. Its twelve-kilometer-long arrowhead frame glowed with silver, green, and aqua accents, housing hundreds of thousands aboard—a warship described as a "city at war."

—

"Tactical, target their engines and shields. Fire all weapons," commanded Captain Anzyl Praxas from his chair aboard the Nexus. The calm authority in his voice masked the tension gripping the bridge. "We can't let that thing fully operationalize."

Lieutenant Commander Veirik worked swiftly. The Nexus's eight phaser beams and a volley of torpedoes streaked toward the dreadnaught.

Explosions flared harmlessly against the dreadnaught's vibrant yellow shields.

"Captain!" Kayuli called from the science station, his feline ears twitching with frustration. "Their shields are holding steady at 96%. "It seems our frequency Hack has been discovered—they've remodulated their shield frequencies!"

—

The dreadnaught responded in kind. A devastating volley of yellow antiproton beams and torpedoes lanced out, targeting the fleet. The Nexus rocked violently as shields absorbed the brunt of the assault. Consoles sparked, and the hum of strained power relays filled the bridge.

Anzyl grimaced, steadying himself as the deck plates beneath him groaned. "Well, so much for catching them entirely unaware. Tactical, focus fire. Find a weakness—target their power core or engines if possible."

Turning to Neil O'Reilly, his first officer, he allowed a faint smile. "It seems it's time to bring our ace into play. Let's add one more ship to this fight."

Neil's eyes lit with determination. "Aye, sir!" Rising, he moved to the bridge transporter pad. "First Officer to Alliant crew: all hands, report to battle stations. Prepare for an immediate launch!" In a flash of transporter light, Neil disappeared, reappearing on the bridge of the USS Alliant, the heavily armed Defiant class escort ship docked within the Nexus's bay.

—

The fleet's combined firepower focused on a single point on the dreadnaught's starboard shields. Phaser beams from the Nexus and Henderson, plasma bolts from the T'Ret, disruptor fire from the L'Kang, and the Lar'Kan's polaron cannons struck in relentless unison. The Alliant joined the fray, its quad phaser cannons unleashing a torrent of searing orange bursts.

"Dreadnaught's starboard shields down to 15%!" Kayuli reported, his tone triumphant.

"Excellent work!" Anzyl encouraged. "Keep the pressure up. Let's drop that side completely—"

A blinding flash of yellow cut him off as a massive Reflective Immunity Matrix activated, a neon yellow web enveloping the dreadnaught's starboard side in a shimmering dome.

"Cease fire!" Veirik barked. "That matrix will reflect our shots back at us!"

"Fleetwide! disengage from the starboard side and redirect fire to the port!" Anzyl leaned forward, his grin returning. "Perfect. They've overplayed their hand. Helm, maneuver us to their port side. Tactical, stand by to unleash hell the moment we're clear of their matrix. "

—

The six allied ships banked sharply, sweeping around the dreadnaught's protective dome. The instant they cleared the reflective barrier, they unleashed a devastating barrage. Phaser beams, plasma bolts, torpedoes, and disruptor fire converged on the dreadnaught's unprotected hull, hammering its defenses mercilessly.

The Reflective Immunity Matrix, a marvel of Voth technology, was a tactical gamble. It could repel any energy assault in a devastating feedback loop, but required so much power it left the opposing side of the ship defenseless. While effective against inexperienced foes, the Voth's gambit failed against the veterans of the Khitomer Alliance.

The dreadnaught's port side erupted in fiery explosions as shield emitters failed and hull plating buckled under the relentless assault. Sparks and debris filled the void, and its structural integrity began to collapse.

"Direct hit on their power core!" Veirik reported, a rare smile cracking his stoic exterior.

With a cataclysmic detonation, the dreadnaught split in two, its arrowhead shape rending apart as fireballs consumed the interior. Shockwaves rippled outward, scattering smaller Voth vessels in its vicinity.

—

Cheers erupted across the fleet. On the Nexus's bridge, Anzyl allowed himself a brief nod of satisfaction before Shravuk's steady voice broke through the comms. "That was only the gatekeeper. Our work is far from done. Fleet, proceed to Checkpoint Three immediately."

The task force wasted no time celebrating. Engines roared as the six allied ships maneuvered past the burning wreckage of the dreadnaught, pressing deeper into the heart of the Voth Fortress Ship—a place of mystery and peril where no non-Voth had ever dared to venture.