Disclaimer: Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry and owned by Paramount Pictures. Stat Wars created by George Lucas and owned by Twentieth Century Fox and Lucasfilm. I own the story and any original characters/species. No copyright infringement is intended.

Star Trek/Star Wars: The Best of Both Worlds

Dramatis Personae

Captain Jean-Luc Picard

Commander William T. Riker

Counselor Deanna Troi

Lt. Commander Worf, son of Mogh

Lt. Commander Data

Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge

Dr. Beverley Crusher

Admiral Kathryn Janeway

Admiral Alyssa Necheyev

President Jaresh-Inyo

Commander Elias Vaughn

Lt. Alexander Munro

Q

Lady Q

Q2

Benjamin Lafayette Sisko AKA The Emissary

The Stranger

M

Ayelborne

Han Solo

Lando Calirissian
General Garm bel Iblis

General Wedge Antilles

Admiral Traest Krey’Fey

Ambassador Leia Organa Solo

Jedi Master Luke Skywalker

Mara Jade Skywalker

Jaina Solo

Jacen Solo

Anakin Solo

R2-D2

C-3PO

Chief of State Borsk Fey’lya

Senator Viqi Shesh of Kuat

Dif Scaur, Director of New Republic Intelligence

Kyle Katarn

Supreme Overlord Shimrra

Warlord Tsavong Lah

Executor Nom Anor

Priest Harrar

Shaper Nem Yim

Supreme Commander Nas Choka

Author’s Notes: In the Star Trek universe, this story takes place before the

events of the feature film Star Trek Nemesis, in order to allow Data to play a pivotal role in this story given his death in the film. It also allows the possibility for an appearance by Shinzon and the Reman Warbird Scimitar depending how heavily I involve the Romulan Star Empire, but rest assured for you Romulan fanatics; they will be here.

In the Star Wars universe this story takes during the eighth book of the New Jedi Order series, Edge of Victory II: Rebirth, in order to allow the appearance of Anakin Solo given his death in Star by Star as well as the fall of Coruscant. Also, the Dramatis Personae is subject to revision and additions (ex. Klingons, Imperials, etc.) as the story is being written. One final note is that the title is a nod to that classic Next Generation two-parter and one of my favorite episodes of all time.

Enjoy!

- Dedicated to the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia.-

-Heroes all. Rest in peace. -

The Best of Both Worlds: Part I

Location: Q Continuum
Somewhere in the Universe

"It's so grand being a Q," the omnipotent being known to the Milky Way Galaxy as Q stated as he did any other day to his wife, the Lady Q, and his son Q2. But then again, a day was but a linear concept, another measurement of time. In the Q continuum, it had no real meaning. With the powers at their disposal, the Q could go anywhere, anytime and do anything. Q had done it many times before, the most recent having been against good old Jean-Luc during the resumption of the continuum trial against humanity and that anti-time anomaly.

…

How long had it been again?

Oh well...

"Oh really? Next thing you'll be telling me to not get maudlin. Weren’t those your exact words to that Spock fellow you were with,” his wife snorted. Q rolled his eyes in annoyance over his little escapade with an asteroid headed towards Earth and his encounter with an unbelievably uptight Vulcan ambassador.

"Really, dear; do you think I married you just for your witty humor?"

Lady Q allowed a slight grin to cross her face. All three of them knew that the primary reason that the two had wed was in order to end the civil war that had raged across the Q Continuum by doing what no Q had ever done before: mate with each other, not just with another species as it had been done with Amanda Rodgers. And while Junior had not exactly been what they had expected, everything still had worked out for the best.

"No. And you're starting to lose it dear; an eon ago you could've-"

"I think that's now enough," snapped Q towards his mate. His wife just chuckled and Q2 finally piped in.

"You know dad, sometimes, I can't understand how you can take this abuse from Mom."

“May I remind you that you are partly responsible for this abuse, son,” the boy’s mother plainly stated.

Q grinned slightly at this statement. The Lady Q had blamed him for their son’s problems in the first place. And although that week with Janeway on board Voyager had undoubtedly helped him, Q2 still had things to learn about the ways of the universe, especially about mating in the continuum. At least I should be thankful that per Continuum directive, he hasn’t provoked the Borg in almost two years and…

There I go again, thinking in linear terms. Ah screw it.

"Well, son its all in-"

He was cut off in mid sentence. For a moment, something hadn't felt right in the totality known as the universe. It felt like a dark feeling at the core of his being, what some outside of the Continuum would call a Q's sixth sense. It was a rare occurrence, usually occurring once in an eon, but was still worth investigating.

"I'll be back in a moment dear."

With the well known snap of his fingers, Q vanished. Q2 look at his mother, wondering
what could have possibly startled the great Q.

***
Location: United Federation of Planets, Alpha Quadrant
The Milky Way Galaxy

“Space. The Final Frontier”

Captain Jean-Luc Picard leaned back in his ready room’s chair, closing his eyes and listening to the magnificent hum of the warp engines at work. As it had happened many times before, he marveled at being in command of Starfleet’s flagship, the U.S.S Enterprise NCC-1701-E. Though there were occasions when he thought back on the marvelous times aboard his prior commands, the Stargazer and the Enterprise-D. Before they were lost, anyway; the Stargazer to the Ferengi at Maxima almost twenty years before and the 1701-Dto the rouge Klingons Lursa and B’Etor of the House of Duras at Veridian III simply seven years prior.

Beyond the ready room’s window, stars streaked by as the mighty Sovereign-class ship made its way to Sector 001. The was heading back to Earth to begin the final preparations to be made for the Earth segment of Troi and Riker’s wedding. And since Deanna was the daughter of Betazoid Ambassador Laxwanna Troi, Command had diplomatically approved the mission.

Picard was very happy for them, of course, but he was going to miss them. The ship would seem... incomplete without them. Yet, Picard understood, even envied them. They had made important choices, choices that would present great challenges ahead of them, new worlds to conquer...

The captain turned his attention from the wedding of his first officer and counselor and instead looked out of his ready room’s window. Watching stars at high warp was something that he had always found comforting and fascinating, particularly during the numerous most challenging and pressuring days of his forty year career in the Federation’s Starfleet.

Including the Dominion War…

Picard sighed as his thoughts drifted to first few months of the conflict between the Dominion and the Federation. It had been a dark time for Starfleet, fighting against a relentless enemy, always on the defensive, defeat always imminent; it was like the Borg except the threat had occurred on a daily basis for two years. He had lost good friends during the course of the war, more names to join those in recent years who had died.

But in the end, Starfleet had been triumphant. It had been the courage of officers such as the late Captain Benjamin Sisko, commander of Deep Space Nine and the Bajoran Emissary, that had pushed back the Dominion threat and had won the war for the Federation Alliance in November of 2375.

Unfortunately, the effort to push back the enigmatic Founders, the administrative Vorta, and the ruthless Jem’Hadar had cost the entire Alpha Quadrant heavily in lives and equipment. But of all the major powers, the Cardassian Union had probably been hit the hardest. Though it had been the Cardassians fleet’s betrayal of its Dominion allies that had won the Battle of Cardassia, the action had led to a Dominion-inflicted devastation on the Cardassian homeworld- and the death of over a billion Cardassian civilians.

The Enterprise-E however had not been part of the joint Starfleet-Klingon-Romulan armada that had led the final assault on the Cardassian Union. It had instead been in dry-dock around Earth, undergoing repairs from damage sustained from fighting in the Briar Patch during the Ba‘ku relocation incident. The repairs lasted only a few weeks and the Sovergien-class flagship should have been back at the front lines.

However, Starfleet had felt that the Sovereign would need more firepower to compete with the Dominion’s newer ship designs, most notably the gigantic warship that the Defiant-class U.S.S. Valiant had foolishly engaged. Most especially, the rearward torpedo coverage was felt to be a little lacking, something that Riker had agreed with given how much damage two of the late Son’a leader Adhar Ruafo’s cruisers had inflicted during his first officer’s retreat through the Briar Patch and how difficult it had been to hit the pursuing vessels.

As a result, Starfleet had decided to proceed with an uprated version of the ship and so, the Enterprise remained at the Earth shipyards to undergo the refit. Three extra aft facing photon torpedo tubes were added, along with two more forward facing tubes; a twin launcher aft of the bridge, a single launcher above the aft hangar deck, a single launcher at the base of the bridge terracing, and a single launcher near the bow. Additionally, four extra phaser arrays were added to the nacelle pylons.

The recall had also served a secondary purpose. It had allowed Picard and his senior staff to testify directly before the Federation Council about the plot of the late Admiral Dougherty and members of the Son’a Solidarity to relocate the people of the Ba'ku world in order to harness the regenerative metasphasic particles in the planet’s rings. Their testimony had led to a series of chain reactions that had resulted in the resignation of several prominent officers and councilors.

Yet these scandals had been overshadowed in the news nets when the Federation fleet at Cardassia had transmitted the first holo-images of the Dominion’s revenge against its ‘allies’ throughout the Quadrant. Picard had seen these images himself and felt the horror and sorrow for the Cardassian people. Yes, he had never liked the Cardassians any more than anyone else; he had fought them in the Cardassian Wars of the 2350’s, he had been tortured by the sadistic Gul Madred, and when he had learned of their alliance with the Dominion, he had been furious as hell.

But not even the Cardassians had deserved what the Founders had ordered. And while some Bajorans viewed the incident as poetic justice, even those who had fought against the Union during Bajor’s occupation were simply horrified at what happened. Even though the war had ended nearly three years before, Cardassia Prime was one of dozens of planets that was still receiving Federation aid to recover from the devastation.

In any event, the end of the Dominion War meant the Alpha Quadrant was in a relatively stable position. Everyone was too busy dealing with their own internal problems to consider armed conflict against their old foes, particularly the Romulans. According to Romulan contacts that Starfleet Intelligence had, there were voices in the Romulan Senate that called for another period of isolation while factions in the military urged an attack on the Federation before it was too late.

But with the losses that the Empire had suffered during the war, it was extremely unlikely that they would be able to mount any kind of offensive against Starfleet or anyone else for some time. And Picard was happy with that.

Riker’s voice on the comm system brought Picard out of his thoughts and he tapped his Starfleet combadge.

"What is it Number One?”

“We’re receiving a distress call about one light year from Earth.”

Picard was up and about in a moment. He marveled again at the size and sparkles of Sovereign-class bridge.

“Mr. Worf?”

“Sensors indicate it is a Kyoto-class freighter, the Roddenberry. Their message and sensors indicate they are on the verge of a warp core breach.”

Right to the point and no side banter. Good old Worf. It was good to have him back on board the Enterprise. When the Klingon had transferred to Deep Space Nine, Picard had felt a twang of regret in losing his tactical officer, his friend, and as he stated to Worf above Earth during the Borg’s attempt to stop First Contact, the bravest man he had ever known.

At the end of the Dominion War, when it was announced that Worf had accepted the position of Federation Ambassador to Qo’noS, the Enterprise’s senior staff had had a good laugh. They had known Worf for a decade and while he was undeniably a great warrior, still, a Klingon as a diplomat? As Worf himself had stated, “I was not suited for the life of a diplomat,” and had at the first available opportunity rejoined the Enterprise.

“Helm, lay in a course to Roddenberry.”

“Aye sir. We’ll be in range in ten seconds and- Captain their core is going critical!”

On the screen he saw the stars return to their normal configuration-

-just in time to witness a massive explosion that hit the Federation flagship with full force.

“Shields are holding. Minimal damage on decks six and twelve,” reported Worf.

“Sensors are not picking up any survivors, Captain.”

Picard sighed, knowing that as a starship captain, he couldn’t save every life in distress, but he still hoped to. At least the Enterprise had been there in the first place. As it happened at times like this, Picard thought back seven years to his experience in the Nexus and the conversation he had had with the legendary Captain James Tiberius Kirk shortly before Kirk had sacrificed his life to help Picard stop the mad El-Aurian Dr. Tolian Soran from destroying the Veridian sun…

“Well, let me tell you something - don't. Don't let them promote you... don't let them transfer you... don't let them do anything that takes you off the Bridge of that ship... Because while you're there, you can make a difference.”

“Fascinating.”

Picard looked the android, his words bringing Picard out of his memories..

“What is it Data?”

“I have scanned the area and our sensors indicate that the area where the Roddenberry was destroyed, I have detected something odd. Sensors are reporting a large traces of developing verterons and unusually high neutrino and proton levels.”

“What are you saying Data?”

“It indicates the possibility of a stable wormhole forming.”

The bridge was silent. Finally Picard spoke.

“How can that be? Is there anything remarkable about this area of space?”

“The warp core detonation occurred in the vicinity of the transwarp conduit that opened on Stardate 54973.4, Captain.”

That date Picard most certainly remembered. The Enterprise had been at Izar negotiating a territorial dispute when the Starfleet emergency communications channel had began blaring with the reports of a transwarp aperture opening a light year from Earth.

The entire bridge had been silent as images coming directly from the hastily assembled fleet showed a Borg sphere emerging from the conduit--

--And had erupted with cheers as it had exploded and the long lost Intrepid-class U.S.S. Voyager had come blazing out of the fireball, its seven year journey over at last. The entire crew had spent the night celebrating the ship’s return to Federation space, including Picard.

Yet, as soon as the festivities had ended, he had eagerly looked forward to reading Janeway’s report and after having perused it, he couldn’t help but wonder if the Borg Collective was still a threat. Thanks to Janeway and her crew, they had lost one of the transwarp hubs as well as its networks and there was also evidence that the Borg Queen had died again, taking a good chunk of the Unicomplex, the Borg’s headquarters, with her. They probably would be, but not as the Borg that Starfleet had fought for the last decade.

But that was in the past and in the future, Picard was uncertain what to do. If the warp core breach had reopened the now collapsed transwarp conduit, which by all accounts was not possible given--

Picard’s thoughts were interrupted when out in the vacuum of space there was an explosion of red and silver light and suddenly, the folds of space parted, revealing an aura of light and energy. The Enterprise shuddered and the image of the wormhole loomed ever closer on the view screen with each passing second.

“Captain, we are being sucked into the wormhole.”

“Full Impulse,” shouted Picard.

The mighty shipped shuddered as plasma flowed through the manifolds and circuits to the engines like blood through a living being. Alas, it was to no avail.

“No effect sir!”

“What if we went to warp?”

La Forge’s voice urgently came over the engineering comm system.

“We are going in,” Data announced.

“All hands brace for impact!” ordered Picard.

There was another flash of light and the portal of energy folded back onto itself. The Enterprise-E , the flagship and pride of the United Federation of Planets’ Starfleet, was gone from the Alpha Quadrant.

***

Location: Naboo system, New Republic
That Galaxy Far, Far Away...

“Han, they’re coming in around for another pass.”

“I see them!”

Han Solo grunted as he felt the reverberation of the Millenium Falcon’s quad laser cannon drill into a Yuuzhan Vong coral skip from behind, circumventing its dovin basal.

He was getting too old for this. Two decades ago, he would have howling with glee alongside Chewbacca in the face of battle. Back then of course it had been Imperial craft, smugglers, and…

…

Chewbacca.

Han sighed. While he had finally gotten a hold on himself and had snapped out of his grief for the death of his friend and partner, it was still hard to look over at the empty, Wookie sized copilot seat.

A little over six months had passed since the invaders from beyond the Outer Rim, the Yuuzhan Vong had taken Duro, six months since the Vong's Warmaster Tsavong Lah had claimed that his forces would stop their conquest at Duro and would give peace to the New Republic in exchange for handing over all of the Jedi, particularly Jacen who had humiliated Lah in combat while trying to save his mother.

His claims had initiated the first Jedi purge since Emperor Palpatine had seized power half a century beforehand. Over a dozen Jedi were dead, the Academy on Yavin 4 had been seized by a combination of Vong and Peace Brigade forces…and the incompetent and bureaucratic Chief of State Borsk Fey'la hadn't even made a sound of protest. Han had never liked Fey’lya during the Rebellion and this dislike had intensified during Grand Admiral Thrawn’s campaign when the Bothan had had Admiral Ackbar, whom Han had admired and respected since he had first joined the Alliance, arrested on charges of treasons.

By all accounts, Borsk Fey’lya should have gone bye-bye from politics after Talon Karrde’s hacker Ghent had proven that the Imperials had fabricated the evidence against the Mon Calamari Admiral and that Fey’lya had known about it. It had been guaranteed as well as his total disregard for Alliance comrades during the failed attempt to capture the long lost Katana Fleet.

But he hadn’t.

His political connections coupled with Leia’s resignation and the peace accords with the Imperial Remnant had allowed to re-ascend into his lauded positions of power and finally achieve the rank of Chief of State of the New Republic. It was a shock and despite suspicions from their family that Fey’lya had had the election rigged, nothing had been proven by New Republic Intelligence, which pretty much felt the same way about the Bothan. But because of their duty to the galactic government, they couldn‘t do anything about it.

And now, the Jedi were in hiding throughout the galaxy. He, Leia, Luke, Mara, the Solo children, and several trainees had decided to set up a Jedi refugee outpost on Leia's mother's homeworld, Naboo, in the weeks since the Vong had taken Yavin 4, the site of the Jedi Academy. Leia had known about Naboo since the conclusion of their mission to Tatooine right before Thrawn’s campaign.

They were certain they would not be betrayed since the peace loving Naboo and the amphibious Gungans still owed their independence from the Trade Federation decades earlier to the Queen Amidala and Anakin Skywalker, Luke and Leia's parents. Besides, the Naboo system was a long way out from Duro and the Vong's territory.

But the Vong coral skips in the system had been a bad sign. It wouldn't have surprised any of them to find out later that Fey'la, as with Yavin, had sold them out. The Bothan's paranoia and delusions had probably convinced him that by handing over the Jedi, peace would be his. But they knew the Vong better than that.

“The next wave is coming. The Falcon’s shields may not be able to take more of this,” he heard Leia yell over the conn.

“Don’t worry; she’ll hold together!”

Han swung the Falcon around, readying his concussion missiles from the tactical panel to his left-

-when out in the vacuum of space there was an explosion of red and silver light and suddenly, the folds of space parted, revealing an aura of light and energy. From the center of this halo of light and energy, a white blur came hurtling out. There was another flash of light and the portal of energy folded back onto itself.

“What was that?”

“If I didn’t know any better, sir, I believe that this would qualify as a wormhole, which is an --”

“Shut up Goldenrod. I am quite aware of what a wormhole is.”

The vessel with a saucer shaped bow, as sleek as a Mon Calamari cruiser was coming towards the old Corellian YT-1500 cargo hauler. And for all the ships he had seen, this one was pure beauty, almost like a work of sculpture. He looked at the registry emblazoned on the saucer.

U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E.

***

Location: Q Continuum
Somewhere in the Universe

Q had been gone for, at least in Earth time, five minutes at the most, something that should not have taken a member of the Continuum with infinite control over space and time that long to investigate.

"Think Dad's trying to trick us?" Q2 asked. Lady Q shook her head.

"Good luck, if he is; that rouge won't-"

Lady Q stopped in mid sentence as with a snap and flash of light, Q materialized in front of her. And even as her husband materialized, she went silent when she saw the grim look on Q‘s face. For something to startle and terrify a Q was indeed a feat; it had unfortunately happened before in the past, most recently with the Continuum’s Civil War.

"What is it?" she asked.

"The Merging," Q stated with a serious tone that only a select few throughout the depths of space and time had ever heard him use. Lady Q's face paled as well. Q2 looked confused.

"What the hell is this Merging?"

Both Q and Lady Q were absolutely silent. Finally Q spoke.

"It is something that is out of our reach, something we cannot control, and something that we cannot stop. The fate of two galaxies are hanging on the brink of merging, connecting them forever."

Q2 piped up "So two galaxies merge, what's the big deal?" Q spoke again.

You’ve got a lot to learn, my boy.

But Q kept his thoughts to himself.

"It is an old prophecy spoken by the Q who have been in existence just a teeny tiny bit longer than I have: When the two jewels of the sky merge, than destruction will befall all. In other words my son, as those sentient, yet still barbaric bipedal hominids of Earth would say, ‘all hell's about to break loose…’"

***