A New Age

This story is a remaking of my story Dark Future. I would like to thank BGTom, Grayangle, Liljimmyurine, and Marine Brother Shran for their invaluable assistance. I hope everyone finds this story a good read.

Prologue:

Space, silent and majestic. A place where one can feel at peace. That peace is shattered by the massive bulk of a Borg Cube, moving through space. The most recent attempt by the collective to assimilate the Federation. This time the Borg had sent a Tactical Cube. In mere hours it would be in orbit or Earth and the end of humanity would begin.

"All ships continue firing. Target any visible weapon arrays," Federation Captain Marcus Halloway ordered. He was a tall man with short black hair and a focused expression. But currently his face was partially obscured by the blood running from his head. The bridge was heavily damaged. Most of the consoles were destroyed, and the body of Admiral Kinsey lay on the deck. The Sovereign class starship Valiant had taken heavy damage and was barely hanging on. He looked out the view port, gazing at the massive bulk of a Borg Tactical Cube. It had been detected by a deep space probe, on a direct course for Earth, only this ship was far tougher than a standard cube. Over 300 ships had met the cube when it emerged from transwarp. Now they had been whittled down to seventy-five, still dancing around the enemy. The Tactical Cube however, was nearly as heavily damaged. Its hull was pockmarked and blackened, with fires raging within parts of its. Yet still it came on, completely focused on its mission.

"Aye sir," his tactical officer replied. The torpedo launchers and remaining phaser banks spat a series of orange beams and cobalt spheres that impacted on the Tactical cube. Some were blocked by regenerating Borg shields but the rest found their marks, resulting in a series of detonations across one of the sides of the cube. "Reading fluctuations in the cube's power grid."

The cube detected the newest damage. The collective decided it was time. The collective's newest weapon would be used.

"Captain, I'm reading a massive power build up in the cube," Halloway's sensor officer reported. "I think it's powering up some kind of super weapon. I've never see anything like this."

"Tell all ships to target that weapon. We have to stop it before it can fire," Marcus ordered. Even as he gave the order a bright green glow was emanating from the cube as a portal opened. "What the hell is that?"

"Sensors indicate it's some sort of subspace weapon. Power readings are off the scale."

"All ships fire!" Marcus ordered. Every surviving ship focused their weapons on the opening in the cube. The cube diverted all its shield power to protecting the weapon as if powered up. When it fired it was sure to destroy most of the remaining enemy ships. Resistance was futile.

Perhaps not. As the fire intensified the Borg shields began to overload. They could reduce the effectiveness of weapons but could not eliminate them entirely. Slowly the shields failed. A dozen Quantum Torpedoes impacted the weapon just as it fired. A massive green light flashed, then the light was sucked back as space seemed to tear itself apart. A vortex like that of a transwarp conduit opened, but this one was larger and had streaks of blue in it. The Tactical Cube was pulled in and vanished. Then the bridge of the Valiant rocked violently.

"Sir we're caught in a gravimetric distortion. We're being pulled into the vortex."

"Break us free!" Captain Halloway ordered.

"I can't," his helmsman replied. The vortex grew larger in the view screen, then the ship was pulled in along with several others who weren't far enough away. As soon as the last ship was through the vortex vanished. The remaining ships could find no trace of the others. They reported to Starfleet Command, telling them their losses and requesting a science vessel be sent to attempt to find a way the missing ships.

Meanwhile, far, far away, a blue and green vortex opened and spat out six ships before closing, A Borg tactical cube, a Sovereign class starship, two Nebulas, an Akira and an Excelsior. Unknown to them however, their arrival had attracted some attention. Imperium attention.

How was that for an opening? In the next chapter you will find out what kind of attention they are going to get. Will the Borg start a new collective? Or will the Space Marines prove that resistance in NOT futile. Stay tuned for First Shots. See ya then and don't forget to review!

ENTILZA