Normal operating procedures had ceased across the mighty Starfleet ship Ulysses. Standard illuminations had long been replaced by the pulse of the crimson red alert lights lining the bulkheads and ceilings across the deck. Across the airwaves, dull yet ever present, alarm klaxons signaled the state of play for the crew; Ulysses was under attack.

No. Much more than the ship was under attack. The freedom and liberty of the entire crew had come under attack in a swift and brutal assault. Now, black clad officers lined the corridors, shepherding personnel on their way with the occasional persuasion of a smack or a push with the butt of their assault-style weapons. A far cry from the peaceful coexistence of normal days, the presence of these figures caused great alarm among the shuffling crewmates; hushed conversations quickly turning into exclamations and expletives. Those brave enough, perhaps foolish enough, tried to struggle, tried to resist, but earned a more violent response in return. As doors opened, crewmembers were pushed inside, isolated and alone as the doors sealed behind them and forcefields were erected.

In the school room, children huddled with their teachers until they were dragged unceremoniously from the safety of their arms to be returned to their parents. In the gymnasium, scantily clad crewmates grasped at what clothes they could reach before being hustled from their exercise machines and into corridors. Laughter and games had ceased in The Acropolis upon the appearance of the heavily armoured alien soldiers. It wasn’t long before the mess was as empty as the rest of the key facilities across the ship. Sickbay, the shuttlebay, transporter rooms, engineering… the bridge. All had been evacuated of their personnel, and all sat quiet.

Watching from the sidelines on deck seven, Commander Noli Auru felt helpless as her colleagues from the senior staff were manhandled into their quarters, some looking more than a little worse for wear after putting up a struggle in their efforts to maintain control of the ship. In charge of security across the ship, it was her job, her duty, to keep everyone safe and she had failed. Spectacularly. In just a matter of minutes, Ulysses had fallen into enemy hands despite the best interests of everyone aboard.

Lurching forward at the thrust of a rifle butt in her lower back, the Blonde Bombshell scowled at her would-be captors for the briefest of moments before being barged across the threshold of her own quarters. As the door slid shut, the Bajoran spun on her heels and slammed a fist against the metal frame.

“YOU CAN’T DO THIS!” she yelled, but to no avail. No one was listening, of course. Not only could they do this, but they had done this. And more alarmingly, they had done it with relative ease. After a few moments of futile banging, she turned and rested her back against the door, slumping to the ground. Pulling her knees closer to her chest, she hugged them tight for a moment as she gathered herself.

Everything was proceeding exactly as the Captain had suggested.

Deck two was much quieter; one of the smallest decks on the ship in terms of square footage, the deck only had three rooms – the private residences of the two most senior officers on the ship and the XO’s own ready room. But still, alien warriors escorted their prisoners to their private abodes at the behest of their own alien commander.

Ever since the first enemy warships had appeared at sensor range on the edge of the asteroid field, the captain and her colleagues had put her plan in motion. Immediately, the crew had begun to lockdown key systems across the ship using fractal encryption codes that would take the enemy invaders days, if not weeks, to decipher. All had been locked down within minutes and upon the first sign of transportation the ship was practically lifeless. 

Dozens of soldiers appeared across the ship in clusters, armed to the teeth, and with one goal in sight; the total capture of one of Starfleet‘s most powerful vessels ever created. To their chagrin, what they actually found was a ship that was of next to no use to them whatsoever. The only systems still functioning were the impulse engines and life support. What they had wanted was a new weapon in their arsenal, one that would significantly increase the Inspector’s task group, but what they got was a space borne cruise liner filled with strange beings from thousands of light years away.

Naturally, the Andorian and her crew had been threatened with all manner of terrible outcomes if the lockout wasn’t lifted and control handed over, but the Captain and her XO knew just as much as the Inspector did that if any threat was carried out, they would face an uprising of the Starfleet prisoners. So, instead, the entire crew had been locked away in their quarters.

Now, as she silently entered her quarters under no duress, the captain waited until the guards disappeared behind the locked doors. A smile crept on her face.

Everything was proceeding exactly as she had predicted.

In stark contrast to the usual ambiance of the command center, the bridge of the Ulysses resembled something out of a horror movie. Dimly lit thanks to the only functioning controls, the pulsating red alert signals casting an eerie glow across the bridge. In place of the plethora of individuals usually present, three alien soldiers occupied the room. Two tried in vain to unlock the encrypted systems in a bid to gain control, but the third sat stoically in the chair usually reserved for the ship’s commanding officer.

Commander of the three alien warships that surrounded the enormous space frame of the Ulysses, the bald headed man had led the attack on the Starfleet vessel and revelled in its capture. At first, anyway. Once the realism of their situation set in, the man had become frustrated and locked the Alpha Quadrant personnel in their quarters, hoping his own people would be able to grant him access to the ship’s systems. How wrong he had been. So far. Instead of cutting their losses and fleeing, the man, an Inspector in the Devore Imperium, had ordered his vessels to lock on to his prize with their high powered tractor emitters.

Now, rather than operating under her own power, the mighty Starfleet vessel lumbered its way through the asteroid field, shepherded by her captors in much the same way as her crew had found themselves. Where she was headed, only the Inspector knew for certain. But one thing was clear…

Everything was proceeding as her Captain had foreseen.