Star Trek: Cardassian Galaxy

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Paramount Studios and the estate of Gene Roddenberry own copyright of all things Star Trek. The original plot is my own as are any characters created specifically for this story.

The Sovereign class Federation starship, USS Enterprise, registry NCC-1701-E, the sixth ship to bear the name, sliced through warp space as if the huge distances it travelled barely existed. The convex elongated oval of the saucer section seeming to cut through warp space like a hot knife through butter. No less sleek was the main Engineering hull, attached to the saucer by a slim neck. Completing the profile of the Federation's flagship were the twin sponsons curving out from the midsection, carrying atop them the long cylindrical warp drives which gave the Enterprise, and indeed all her fellow vessels, their distinctive silhouette. The overall impression was of sleek powerful efficiency. 

Aboard the flagship the impression was retained; even now in deep space - where Earth time had less relevance except to communications - the current relative period was referred to as the graveyard shift. Atop the saucer section was Deck 1, housing the Main Bridge, Captain's Ready Room and the Observation Lounge - more often than not the latter being used as a conference room for senior staff than to gaze at the stars, as the name might suggest. The bridge was accessed by a turbo lift at the right rear onto a raised platform stretching the width of the oval. Ramps curved down either side, to the left where a door led to the Captain's Ready Room, while on the right was the entrance to the Observation Lounge. On the main deck of the bridge three seats backed onto the centre of the raised platform, in front of them two further seats shared a sweeping console most of the width of the bridge, facing the huge multi-purpose viewscreen, the left seat for the Operations Officer or deputy whilst the right seat was the position of the Helm Officer. Behind the three main seats a large console commanded centre stage of the raised platform itself. This was the Tactical station. The three seats themselves had specific purposes too, the left hand chair being to a degree multi-purpose although more often than not occupied by the Ships's Counsellor, the Betazoid Deanna Troi. The right hand seat exclusively for the use of the ship's First Officer, the current incumbent of that post being Commander William T. Riker. The centre seat, the command chair. Its' usual occupant being the august personage of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, commanding officer of the starship. Now however it held an entirely different occupant due to the late hour of normal duty, the gold skinned android, Lieutenant Commander Data. 

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It had been a quiet shift. Even Data was bored. Or to put it another way he had been able to allocate no less than 98% of his positronic net to matters other than the running of a Sovereign class starship. Nutritional supplement 278 for Spot, for instance. Memories of Tasha Yar, which he found in a subroutine he'd long since intentionally left unaccessed. In fact... 

'Sir!' Ensign Tess Allenby's voice cut across his thoughts. 

'Yes, Ensign?' Data lacked the capacity for excitement, but knew dimly that it was a good thing that he had a new task. His net had been in danger of entering a feedback loop from which only Geordi on a good day could have retrieved him. And Geordi lately had been having very few of those, he reflected. 

'Sir, I'm reading a Federation starship at high warp crossing into Federation space.' Data stepped forward to her console to view for himself, her readouts. 'High warp Mr. Allenby? Please specify. And what type of starship?' She tapped the controls and responded, 'Warp 7.9 Sir. Sir, it's Daedalus Class, the U.S.S. Archon.' Data tried not to show the momentary confusion this information produced. The Archon was believed destroyed in 2167 at Planet Beta III by the computer Landru. 

He straightened up and paced back to the command chair. 'Heading?' Awaiting her reply, '223 Mark 6. That's a direct heading for..' The android held up his hand; 'Qualor II. I know.. Data to Captain Picard.. Please meet me in the Observation Lounge as soon as possible. Mr. Allenby lay in a course to pursue. Ensign Rega, open a communication channel. Repeat hail until answered. Then relay to the Observation Lounge. Lieutenant Samuels, you have the bridge.'