Phoo, I don't really know how this story is going to end, but here's another chapter. It's written a bit confusing in the battle part, but a big space battle IS confusing. So I wrote it that way intentionally. Five ships emerged from Warp, entering the system from slightly above the ecliptic plane. "We have arrived in the Cahina System, Captain." Data said. He laid his head to one side, and added: "Sir, there is a battle in progress. I detect imperial ships, and some of similar technology, yet different design." He paused. "And a Romulan Warbird, Sir." - "Onscreen!" Picard commanded. "Mr. Hawk, get us closer." The Helm officer acknowledged. The viewscreen showed six imperial destroyers closing on a large cruiser, whose shape was soft, almost organic, and its support vehicles. Green and red bolts of energy jumped between the ships. Hovering at the edge of the battle was the Warbird, almost as long as one of the Star Destroyers, and as deadly as the Federation Flagship. It didn't seem to participate in the battle, for the moment. "Hail the Romulans." The captain ordered, and the image of the Romulan Admiral appeared on the screen. "Picard." She said simply. "Not even in another galaxy is one spared from Federation buerocrats." - "And you are..." - "Admiral Arai!" She pronounced the word 'admiral' so sharply as if she wanted to stab Picard with it. Her green eyes flared. - "Admiral, we have to return to our galaxy. We are causing this anomaly to exist." - "And how is that?" - "It has grown larger as our five ships entered it. It seems to be an unstable wormhole that is balanced between these two universes. As your first ship entered, it tripped the balance, causing the wormhole to expand, making it visible to Federation long-range scanners. We must return now." - "A nice theory, Picard, but an unproven one. Mind your own business." She seemed to react to something an officer behind her was saying, and cut the transmission. Luke, in his X-Wing, turned away from an exploding TIE fighter. An Imperial ambush he thought, but how did they find us? The green Romulan vessel seemed not to interact with the Imps. Why aren't they fighting? Another TIE found itself under his crosshairs, another one was pierced by his quad-linked laser burst, exploding in a brilliant fireball. "We have confirmation of the Chimaera in-system!" He recieved from the Home One. He shuddered. Thrawn. The Star Destroyers surrounded Home One and blocked her exit vector. One of the Corellian Corvettes of the flagship's strike group had already suffered shield failure and took heavy damage from imperial Turbolasers. Luke glanced again at the strategic display. If those Romulans are any good fighting, now would be the time! Comm chatter came from other Republic pilots. Thrawn's fleet greatly outnumbered theirs and he had the element of surprise on his side, too. Luke felt something strange at the edge of the battlefield. A large concentration of Force energy, right behind the green alien ship. He couldn't concentrate fully, as he also tried to keep alive out there, but what he felt disturbed him. "More contacts! Five more ships!" He checked his monitor. The new ships had arrived a hundred thousand kilometers outside the battlezone, from the same vector as the Imperials had. Those must be the Federation ships the Romulans were talking about. They're allied with the Empire, and they seek to enslave us! "Rebel ships, this is Admiral Pellaeon, second-in-command to Grand Admiral Thrawn. Surrender now and we will spare your lives. Disengage your weapons systems and shields and power down your engines. Any vessel doing so will not be treated as hostile." Pellaeon transmitted at multiple frequencies so that every Republic pilot could hear him. Sorry, Admiral, thought Luke, but the answer is NO. A nimble TIE Interceptor was hit by his lasers, but refused to break apart. Luke tried to follow him, to feel the pilot through the Force, when, suddenly, he became aware of something else. The Romulan Warbird turned towards the Home One. Being behind her, and Imperial ships in front of her, the Mon Calamari cruiser had shifted ist shields forward, leaving her stern unprotected. "Home One!" He shouted, as he felt a feeling of triumph from somewhere on the Warbird, "Shift shields to aft, now! Home One, do you hear..." His ship was hit by an ion blast from a Star Destroyer. Artoo shrieked wildly. Luke was irritated. He should have felt it coming. He should have been able to evade the shot... Home One grew larger in his frontal viewport. Why didn't he feel it coming? Suddenly the Mon Cal command cruiser was hit by a green bolt fired from the head of the Warbird, a large pulse of energy absorbed by the larger vessel's shields, weakening them. A second pulse followed, a third one. Home One opened up on the Romulan cruiser with her stern guns, red needles drumming heavily against the alien ship. The Warbird fired again, from a different weapon system, a spinning ball of energy moving significantly slower than the pulse weapon. It connected with Home One's hull, resulting in a brilliant explosion, throwing debris into all directions. Pellaeon stood on the bridge of the Chimaera, watching the battle proceed exactly as planned. Better even, with the sudden notification from Thrawn that Romulan vessels were to be treated as friendlies. He worried about the five other ships, though, coming in at higher speeds now. They were likely to attack only Romulan vessels, if any, the Admiral had said, and Pellaeon hoped this was true. He wondered what the Grand Admiral had been doing away from the bridge a few minutes ago, but suspected he had somehow caused the Romulans to join the Imperial forces for this battle. The enemy command cruiser ahead was hit by several shots from the Romulan Warbird. Impressive firepower, Pellaeon admitted, delivered with so few shots, but on the other hand, those vessels only had a handful of weapon systems mounted, not dozens, as imperial ships. The Warbird gained speed, flying past the damaged Rebel ship, exchangin a few more shots from weaker stern batteries, moving fas into the direction of the Federation ships. If these ships have the firepoer we scanned on them, Pellaeon thought, those Romulans are highly suicidal. However, this was not going to change his orders concerning the Rebel ships: No one shall escape. Luke felt the ship shudder as a tractor beam from the Star Destroyer closest to him locked onto him. With the fighter paralyzed by an ion hit, he could do nothing to prevent capture. Above him a Y-Wing heavy fighter was hit by several green laser bolts and exploded. This was still a hot zone. Remaining in the fighter or punching out now was suicide. He sought for guidance by the Force, but couldn't concentrate. What is going on? Why am I losing my connection with the Force? The Romulan ship glided past him a few kilometers away, ignoring him. He lost sight of it quickly. Finally, he decided to try to calm down and feel the Force again in its full strength. He cloised his eyes and listened to the silence in the cockpit. "Romulan ship approaching us, Disruptor cannons and Plasma Torpedoes at full charge!" Picard heard the report from his tactical officer. The recent events in this fight had confused him a bit, but those Warbirds were clear enough a threat. "To all ships: Open fire. Concentrate on weapons systems! Do not target to destroy! We may need to haul this ship back through the anomaly!" He said. "Mr. Chamberlain, Phasers." He added. "Fire." Orange lines of energy shot from the Federation ships, lighting up the Warbird's forward shields. It didn't return fire but kept closing with the Enterprise. Damage to its deflector screens was probably extensive by now, but the ship ignored the incoming fire. Suddenly the starfield began to flicker to either side of the Warbird, slowly revealing the shape of two more Romulan attack cruisers. All three opened up with their Disruptors and Plasma Torpedoes, tearing through the shields of the Enterprise before she could turn away. She managed to intercept the second salvo with her port and rear shields and answered with four Photon Torpedoes shot from her aft launchers. The warheads, shining brightly red, hit the lead Warbird, causing shield failure and hull damage. Another three Torpedoes from the Akira-class vessel convinced the green ship to turn away and engage ist cloak. The other two followed. "Captain, the Rebel ship is hailing us!" The communications officer called across the bridge, now filled with smoke from an exploding power counduit. - "Put it on!" Picard said. An alien with salmon-coloured skin and nonhuman features appeared. - "Captain" he said in a low, gravelly voice, "we would appreciate any help with those Imperial ships. If we make it out, we will help you find those treacherous Romulans! Captain, please, just buy us a few minutes!" Picard considered. Turbolaser fire from one of the destroyers hit the Enterprise. Another formed up to join. "Target those two ships." He finally said. "Michelson joins us. The others, clear a path for the rebels. This has gone far enough."