Preemptive Strike
The command bridge of the Unified Spacing Coalition Naval Vessel "Saskatoon" was a site of bustling activity. Technicians, logistics officers, and a handful of engineers added to the usually sparse bridge crew. This of course, was due to the rather complex process of warp 'landings,' especially so regarding the rather dangerous asteroid belt that was the monolithic Dreadnought's destination. One misstep, or miscalculation, could result in her appearance within, or on collision course with any of the myriad of astral bodies within the system.
It was a relatively barren star system though, in regards to strategic importance, but was cluttered with useless obstructions. And yet, it had aroused the attention of a sector-spanning empire. Or at least one of her ships of the line. This attention was due to the presence of several telltale gravity wells, signaling the approach of several relatively large fleets on the system. With Unified Spacing Coalition Forces Base Shilo nearby, it was not something the Reserve Naval Forces could overlook, especially with the Strathcona and Southgate battle groups on operations elsewhere in Galaxy Forty-Four.
It did not take long before the Dreadnought emerged from a veritable tear in subspace with a jarring shudder, which immediately dissipated once the Saskatoon was through it. The 'system' in which it had appeared was little more than an asteroid belt, with a handful of inhospitable planetoids and a few particularly large asteroids close to the outskirts of the system itself. It was the asteroid field in System 31 that was the area of interest, however. Within this expansive field was clustered a small force of unidentified vessels, emitting strange, and potentially threatening IFF codes on general frequencies. It was also the site of the many easily detectable gravity wells, the beginnings of subspace tears. This meant it could be a planned staging point for a fairly large, potential enemy fleet.
It did not take long for the imposing vessel to approach the small fleet, looming out from behind the asteroid with an aggressive maneuver- appearing as if by magic to the enemies' beleaguered scanning crews. Six heavy cruisers and a complement of fighters immediately appeared on the Saskatoon's scanners, sending the already weary bridge crew, and in lieu the entire vessel into a veritable frenzy of activity. This was no advance fleet- it was a small battle group.
The photon batteries of the Saskatoon armed immediately as the crew noted the strange configuration of the Heavy Cruisers, which didn't appear to be "Galactic Standard" Heavy Cruisers at all, but rather some sort of misshapen geometric shape with the approximate size, crew compliment, and weapons capacity of a Heavy Cruiser.
The dead silence of space was rended by a communication from the Saskatoon, to what the communications officer, a Miss Avery G. Whitaker, assumed to be the lead vessel of the strike group.
"This is the USCNV Saskatoon. You are within a sector nearby a key Unified Spacing Coalition Forces Base. Advise that you leave immediately, and call off any additional fleet inbound on this location. Respond."
The only response was a metallic, cruel voice- laced with hundreds of others with the same unnerving qualities.
"We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. Resistance is futile."
As the captain heard this flat statement, he found himself unfazed. He had seen intelligence reports regarding the majority of the empires that comprised this "Borg" collective. They proved formidable only against fledgling empires. This fleet would prove no match for his vessel. He waves a hand, giving the following order with a swift and cold demeanor.
"Charge photon batteries and launch all fighter wings. Wipe them out."
The ships immediately swarmed towards the dreadnought- as if they had heard him speak, only to be intercepted by a veritable mass of fighter drones, their laser weapons cutting bright, ruby flashes of light through the dead stillness of space, eliminating the enemy fighters at a ratio of almost two for one. It was mere moments before the last of the enemy snub craft were spinning, dilapidated wrecks spewing atmosphere into space, a few smouldering, with its armour chewed up into molten strands of metal.
The fighter craft received their new orders on the fly, in conjunction with the first few photon blasts that laced bright blue light across the space between the Saskatoon and the six rapidly approaching vessels. As the fighters opened fire along with the Dreadnought, the enemy shields hold up against the veritable onslaught to a fair extent- the Heavy Cruisers' plasma cannons downing almost a third of the entire fighter wing. Regardless of this tactical misstep on the side of the USC, the Dreadnought's photon batteries crumpled each of the Heavy Cruisers' hulls as if they were rusted tin cans, their shielding ineffective against such sheer firepower, only serving to delay the inevitable and allow them to down a handful of fighters. The few heavy plasma rounds that did make it through the Saskatoons' more than capable shielding was deflected by its thick slabs of armour, the plasma smouldering vehemently and glowing a bright purplish-yellow as the damaged alloys cooled swiftly in the icy reaches of System 14.
The last of the Heavy Cruisers exploded in a violent aura of white and yellow, the atmosphere of the vessel dispersing into the asteroid field. As quickly as it has occurred, all that was left of the violent battle was the Saskatoon, and a slowly expanding wake of scattered debris. The fighter wing was soon recalled- and the Dreadnought left as quickly as it had come, leaving a sensor buoy to ping softly in the darkness and silence that replaced the massive vessel.
The gravity wells that had appeared on this large asteroid had still not disappeared, despite this warning. In response to this turn of events, A another well became apparent- that dwarfed even the myriad of incoming fleets, and even the Saskatoon's warp signature itself. More importantly, it was approaching this small, insignificant asteroid with unerring ferocity. And with the reception the first fleet or Borg vessels had received, it could be assumed that the rest of their ships would meet the same fate.
Only instead of obliteration at the hands of the Saskatoon, they would be crushed under the massive photon arrays of the USCN Leviathan Iroquois.