Chapter 1

Ensign Alexander Rockwell's face contorted into a frown as he glared at his screen, willing it to change, to do something. He jabbed a few of the controls, but nothing happened.

"Damn computer." He muttered.

"Is something wrong, Ensign?" Captain Scott asked him.

"Nothing much," Alex responded with an exasperated sigh, "Just the monumental failure of the new computer system I developed."

"I thought that the system core was already operational?"

Alex shook his head. "It isn't the system core. The artificial intelligence engine is running perfectly, above specs even. It's just interfacing the core with the rest of the ship's computers that is proving nearly impossible."

"Give yourself some time," the captain replied with a laugh, "after all, you've designed an artificially intelligent brain in less than a week, and the programming to run it. Most people would call that a job well done. What's your problem with the interfacing anyway? I thought the LCARS consoles were supposed to be adaptable to anything."

"It isn't the display capabilities or anything like that," Alex continued as he tried a few override sequences, "but the speed of the data transfer itself. The A.I. is processing information way, way too fast. The bio-neural gel packs aren't able to keep up, and the data cache built into the consoles isn't adequate for the size of the transfers. We won't get full functioning out of the new system unless I redesign the interface and method of data transfer completely. This may be an experimental starship, but I don't like the idea of taking the main computer offline and completely rebuilding the system."

"It shouldn't be a problem for us, as long as you can keep the cloak and main power operational while you do it."

"I'll have to take the holographic projectors offline." Alex told his captain with a grimace.

"Oh, please," Captain Scott said, rolling his eyes, "don't worry about this ship's crew. We can do without the holograms for a while. Besides, this ship is idiot-proof. As an ancestor of mine once said about his own ship, 'a chimpanzee and two trainees could run her.' Of course, he isn't my ancestor any more, not since he was found by Captain Picard, but that is a whole different story..."

Alex looked at Captain Scott strangely for a moment, and then got back to his work on the console. He had just torn off the plasma crystal display, and was now in the process of completely re-wiring the small computer behind it. He had developed a small positron chip just for this occasion, to see if he could sort of install a small brain in each of the consoles. The A.I. would be able to leave its subroutines running in the micro-brains constantly, reducing the amount of data it had to transfer through the bio-neural gel packs. He clicked the chip into place, and was satisfied to see it begin glowing. He grabbed the display panel and quickly re-attached it, praying silently for it to work.

"Computer," he said out loud, "activate the operations terminal."

The bridge of the Tesla was a lot like that of the standard Intrepid-class design, with partially walled-in tactical and operations consoles, wall consoles, side consoles recessed into the walls, and the command chairs in the center facing towards the helm console. Except that the Tesla's operations console was completely redesigned, with sixty inch monitors covering the area that would normally overlook the bridge, and a thin sliding door that turned the position into a mini-office. The only reason that Captain Scott and Ensign Rockwell could see each other was because the monitors could become transparent, as the frame merely emitted a two-dimensional holographic image that became the display- it could be adjusted or switched off at any time.

When the operations terminal activated, it was quite a sight. Several holographic monitors suddenly switched onto full display mode, blocking out the small booth completely, and all the control panels snapped to life. But Alex was interested in only one thing: the message on the console that stated it was now connected intermittently to the A.I. core.

"Much, much better." Alex mumbled. "Now we're getting somewhere."

And his mild taste of happiness was completely drowned out by shock when he glanced at the rest of the displays. His blood ran cold, his eyes widening, as he double-checked the incoming alert several times.

"S-sir..." Alex stuttered as he dimmed the holo-displays. "You better get over here."

Captain Scott quickly walked over, the small door sliding open automatically as he approached.

"What's wrong now?" He asked.

Alex opened the message on his primary display, and unnecessarily read it aloud.

"Starfleet Command has issued a Code One alert in response to an invasion by an unknown force. This force consists of at least ninety vessels, and has already destroyed several special operations task forces. Sir... the Federation is at war. The Tesla has no orders of course, as it is outside of the Federation Council's rule, but Starfleet will probably request our assistance."

"Contact Jade fleet headquarters," the captain ordered, "and ask them what we should do."

Jade Corporation was a civilian organization operating outside of Federation space. Decades ago a wealthy aristocrat had discovered a new type of drive technology, and for some reason that had never been revealed, decided to leave the Federation in favor of forming a corporation that operated like some sort of private government. He had even commissioned a small fleet to protect its borders. The founder, who had never been seen by anyone except his holo-assistants, continued to research new technologies, using his jump drive to make contact with more advanced species than anyone inside Starfleet had ever managed to come in contact with. Just by seeing how a ship a millennium more advanced than yours ran could provide great inspiration for further development. The Tesla was a ship operating under the flag of Jade Fleet. It was a modified Intrepid class starship (Jade Corp. had actually developed the Intrepid class for Starfleet) that was dedicated solely to research. It had a crew of six, all human except the engineer, who was a unique Vulcan-Klingon hybrid.

Having only six living beings on board was not a hindrance, however. The Tesla featured holographic display systems that ran about thirty emulated crewmembers at all times, increasing the ship's capabilities greatly. If Ensign Rockwell had his way, none of the holographic crewmembers would be just emulations anymore. That was why he had designed the system core; by creating a large A.I. capable of supporting multiple personalities, he could build android bodies that would become true individuals. Holograms had many limitations that androids did not; they were not actual matter, for one. They could easily be erased, their entire unique personality destroyed, moved, or changed. Under Rockwell's system, each android would feature a positronic matrix, which would hold its personality, and would uplink to the main core to amplify its intelligence. It would bring the artificial crewmembers much closer to being true life forms.

Ensign Rockwell had quickly fired off a communiqué.

"Message sent, sir. Following standard protocol, they should have our orders back to us within the hour."

Captain Scott nodded. "In the meantime, forget the A.I. research. I want you to get together with Lieutenant Loepker, Commander T'Khiori, and Lieutenant Reed to design a new shield grid for the Tesla. Call Ensign Davis up here as well; I want to have her reinforce her security systems. If we do get involved in the fighting, there is always the chance of being boarded."

Alex nodded and sent off the computer alerts that would awake them.

"Anything else sir?"

"Yeah." Captain Scott said gruffly. "Did those Starfleet bureaucrats manage to get any data on this new enemy?"

"Only a short video clip." Alex hit the button that began the ten-second video that Starfleet had sent. They barely managed to catch a glimpse of a thin craft before an energy beam lanced out, the image cutting off immediately.

"Hmmm..." Captain Scott scratched his chin. "Can we apply any magnification and enhancement?"

"That was already at more than fifty times magnification. The craft was pretty damned far away when it destroyed the probe that was spying on it."

The captain sighed. "Great. No intelligence, no idea what we may be facing."

"Just how I like it," Ensign Davis said with a smirk as she walked off the transporter alcove along with Loepker, T'Khiori and Reed.

Alex couldn't help but take an unconscious step backwards from Ensign Paula Davis every time he came face to face with her. Being about six and a half feet tall, she was nearly a half-foot taller than him. Not to mention that the dark skinned woman appeared to be some kind of primal warrior, judging by her musculature. She looked like she could snap most people into several pieces using her pinky finger alone... that made her a very effective chief of security.

Adam Loepker was on the other end of the spectrum from Ensign Davis. He stood at about two inches shy of six feet, and was composed of a wiry frame that might as well have been made of toothpicks. While not very imposing, he was good at his job. He was the tactical officer of the Tesla. He had personally designed the new enhanced phasers and quantum torpedo tubes that formed the ship's armament, and he knew the schematics of pretty much every known vessel in existence, including weak points, by heart. He usually sat at the tactical station, while Davis was located in one of the recessed side consoles. On a normal Intrepid class vessel, the chief of security and tactical officer would be the same person; but the Tesla was normal by no one's standards.

Lieutenant J.G. Charles Reed was the Chief Researcher and Science Officer of the Tesla. He was a physically non-descript person who normally situated himself at the helm, since the actual navigation of the ship was done by holograms in the engineering section. He and Alex had worked together on many occasions in the last two years, on projects such as the advanced subspace cloak that rendered the Tesla completely undetectable by pretty much any known technology.

T'Khiori was the officer who had always caught Alex's attention the most. She was a very rare (if not completely unique) Vulcan-Klingon hybrid. Having lived on Chal for nearly a year, Alex was not surprised by the beauty created by a combination of subtle forehead ridges, pointed ears, and an incredibly youthful appearance. Seeing hundreds of Romulan-Klingon hybrids had prepared him for that. It was more her extreme Vulcan-like calm that had shocked him at first. He expected anyone with Klingon blood in him or her to have some pretty aggressive tendencies. He most definitely did not expect a master of the Kohlinar discipline. She served as both the executive officer and the chief engineer, and was amazingly talented. Too bad that Jade fleet regulations curtailed any minor chances Alex had of ever going out with her.

"Is there something that you require, Ensign?" Alex was caught off guard as T'Khiori questioned him. He realized that he had been staring at her, for about the fourth time that week.

"Erm, no, sorry. I just drifted off." It was woefully inadequate explanation for his constant unwanted attention, but he couldn't come up with anything better at the moment.

"Anyway," Captain Scott said with a slight smirk, "I need you two, Mr. Reed, and Mr. Loepker to get together and begin working on our shield emitters. I want the efficiency improved by a minimum of ten percent before we get anywhere near combat."

Alex nodded, and was about to head off, when his console emitted a series of beeps. He stopped in his tracks, brining up the message that had just arrived.

"Sir, looks like we've got our orders sooner than we predicted; a core Federation system has fallen under attack, and we are to give any assistance to Starfleet that we can. Sir... my god, they're attacking Vulcan! How the hell can they have penetrated through all of Federation space that quickly?"

"Calm yourself Ensign Rockwell. Computer, set a course for Vulcan and initiate the jump drive." Captain Scott seemed to take the news in stride, dropping into his cold-mannered command mode.

"Warning," the computer alerted, "maximum jump drive range is estimated at ten thousand four hundred and eighty three light years. We are currently positioned more than eleven thousand light years from Vulcan. The coaxial core cannot reasonably meet the power demands of a jump of that distance."