The six ships of the task force sped through the massive octagonal breach, plunging into the sprawling depths of the Voth Fortress Ship. The USS Nexus took point, its sleek hull gliding through vast corridors lined with towering, alien structures. Every officer on its bridge was keenly aware that their mission teetered on a knife's edge. Success meant crippling the Fortress Ship's overwhelming power. Failure wasn't an option.
Captain Anzyl Praxas sat forward in his chair, his gaze sharp as it flicked between the viewscreen and his crew. "Eroga, any word on Nolan? Anything we can work with?"
Eroga shook her head, her brow furrowed in frustration. "Negative, Captain. There are millions of Voth life signs aboard. And the clothing he was wearing when abducted was of Voth origin. Our sensors are flooded with false positives."
Anzyl cursed under his breath and struck the armrest of his chair. "Needle in a haystack," he muttered, his tone laced with exasperation. He forced himself to focus, gesturing toward the screen. The Nexus was approaching its next objective. "Keep scanning. Helm, continue to checkpoint three."
The viewscreen revealed their destination as the Nexus entered an awe-inspiring chamber. Towering before them were 27 colossal pylons arranged in three clusters of nine. Each cylindrical structure reached dozens of kilometers into the air, its surface pulsating faintly with energy.
Shravuk's calm yet commanding voice crackled over the fleetwide comm. "You are now in the sub-power core relay chamber. Each cluster contains eight pylons and one central sub-power core. I am transmitting the frequency codes to your communications teams. Use your deflector dishes to amplify the signal and broadcast the codes. Once the pylons open, destroy the sub-power core. When all three sub-power cores are offline, we'll have an opening to take down the Fortress Ship's main power core."
Heluna turned from her station to face Anzyl. "Frequency codes received, Captain."
Anzyl nodded sharply. "Transmit on all unused subspace bands. Amplify with the deflector dish. Lusaalli, take us to the southern cluster. We'll start there and work our way north. Neil," he added, hailing the USS Alliant, "stay close and prepare to open fire when the pylons open."
"Understood," Neil replied, his voice calm yet resolute.
—
The Nexus and Alliant descended toward the southern cluster of pylons. Compared to the gargantuan structures surrounding them, the starships appeared minuscule. The Nexus's deflector dish began emitting a series of precise subspace pulses. The chamber rumbled as the eight pylons groaned and shifted, their massive forms separating like petals to reveal the sub-power core.
Suspended within the cluster was a massive dilithium crystal, as large as the Nexus itself. It glowed with a vibrant magenta hue, arcs of raw warp energy dancing violently across its surface.
"Open fire!" Anzyl shouted.
The Nexus and Alliant unleashed a torrent of energy weapons—phaser beams, torpedoes, and cannon fire converging on the exposed core. The crystal buckled under the relentless assault, erupting into a violent explosion of magenta energy. The blast sent waves of plasma coursing through the chamber, and the massive pylons, now lifeless, retracted into the ship's depths.
"That's one down," Anzyl said, allowing himself a brief moment of triumph. "Two to—"
The ship rocked violently, cutting him off.
"Incoming Voth frigates!" Veirik called from the tactical console. "They're retaliating hard."
Anzyl gripped his chair as the ship shuddered again. "Return fire! Nexus to Alliant. We're switching to cover duty. Engage any Voth ships that attempt to stop the others!"
—
The L'Kang and Lar'Kan reached the second cluster of pylons as the Nexus and Alliant held off a swarm of attacking frigates. The Klingon and Dominion warships coordinated their efforts, broadcasting the frequency codes from their deflector dishes. The pylons opened with a deafening groan, revealing another immense dilithium crystal, its surface alive with magenta lightning.
The L'Kang and Lar'Kan unleashed their full arsenal, phasers and torpedoes impacting the crystal with devastating precision. The second sub-power core exploded, sending another cascade of energy rippling through the chamber. Darkness enveloped the area as the pylons retracted, lifeless.
"T'Ret to the fleet," Shravuk's voice came through the comm. "We need immediate assistance! These fighters are overwhelming us—death by a thousand cuts!"
Anzyl turned to Veirik, his expression determined. "Do you remember that wide-beam sweep you used on the Fek'ihri dreadnought?"
Veirik grinned. "Setting up now. All eight beam arrays configured for a 360-degree sweep, calibrated for maximum tetryon output. Diverting auxiliary power to weapons." He looked to Lusaalli. "Helm, take us straight into the swarm."
The Nexus surged forward, its deflector dish glowing with an intense blue light. A massive disk of energy radiated outward, sweeping through the swarm of Voth fighters. Their shields overloaded instantly, and dozens of ships were reduced to fiery debris or left adrift.
The T'Ret and Henderson wasted no time, broadcasting the codes to open the final cluster of pylons. As the last sub-power core was exposed, all six ships concentrated their fire. The explosion that followed was immense, filling the chamber with blinding light and a surge of energy.
The Fortress Ship shuddered as its internal systems faltered. Lights dimmed, and the once-imposing structure became a cavernous shadow of its former self. The only illumination came from the task force's ships and the ominous glow of the Fortress Ship's Central Power Core—its last line of defense.
Shravuk's voice broke the silence. "The Central Power Core's defenses are down! All vessels, proceed to the final checkpoint. The Voth won't give us this victory without a fight!"
The task force regrouped, their ships' lights piercing the Fortress Ship's darkness. Ahead lay their final objective: a chamber housing the Central Power Core, radiating with energy and surrounded by looming defenses. The endgame was at hand, but the battle was far from over.