From where he stood, Commodore Peleus could see only dark, cold, 
empty space speckled with a few bright stars--a common view in 
this desolate sector. A booming voice sounded from immediately 
behind the Commodore. 

“Horatio, you can’t expect me to accept your resignation. Not now. 
Not during a war.” 

Peleus turned to face the source of the voice, addressing it. 

“Admiral… Earl… there is a higher cause for which I must now fight.” 

Taggart shook his head, incredulously. 

“You can’t possibly mean…” 

The Commodore interrupted. 

“Yes…” 

With that, he pulled out a small, golden replica of an ordinarily 
green and fuzzy fruit--the Holy Kiwi. After detaching his Starfleet 
insignia and tossing it onto Taggart’s desk, Peleus fastened the 
kiwi badge in its place. 

“And, my friend, I’m afraid there is something else I must do…” 

The Admiral virtually jumped as a blue transporter beam consumed 
Horatio. 
-----------------------------------------------------------
When he reappeared, Peleus was standing on the bridge of one of 
Starfleet’s newest class of battleship--the Prometheus. This 
particular vessel was also known as the USS Republic--Commodore 
Peleus’ command, and the flagship of the first fleet. It was also, 
officially, no longer under the authority of the now-retired 
Peleus. Of course “officially” no longer mattered since the 
ordinary bridge crew, save the enigmatic and ferociously 
kiwi-loyal Commander Waugh, Lieutenant Stewart, Commander Tempest, 
and Commander Jorel had been replaced by kiwi-sympathizers 
disguised as maintenance crew. As he took his seat in the center 
of the bridge, the helm officer turned to face him. 

“Grand Executor, what course shall I set?” 

Peleus smiled, his secret life as a high official of the Holy 
Order of the Sacred Kiwi finally coming to light. 

“Faithful servant of the kiwi, you will clear our moorings and 
set a course for the Sr’Alaen Sector. Warp 9.” 

“Yes, Executor.” 

The graceful ship backed slowly away from Starbase 24, which, by 
now, was on full alert considering that the most powerful ship in 
the quadrant was currently being stolen. The warning sounded 
across the ship. 

“USS Republic… this is Starbase 24. You will stand down 
immediately and prepare to be boarded.” 

Horatio simply smiled and nodded to the helmsperson. As the 
Republic blasted into warp, the tractor beam attempting to hold 
the ship immobile fed back on itself so viciously that the 
entire thing was rendered a lump of molten metal. Apparently, 
someone had miscalibrated something or another. Intentionally, 
as it turns out. Good work, Mr. Stewart, Peleus thought to 
himself. The loyal kiwi advocate at the operations console 
turned to the Executor and spoke, jubilantly. 

“Sir, the Starbase has failed to lock on to us with their tractor 
beam!”

Peleus wagged an admonishing finger at the young man. 

“Remain vigilant. Starfleet will throw far more at us than a 
tractor beam.” 

As if on cue, several torpedo explosions erupted along the 
Republic’s ablative armored hull. The vessel shook violently 
and alarms sounded automatically. Hurriedly, Commander Waugh 
pushed aside the tactical officer and consulted the panel. 

“Captain, the USS Rangoon is in pursuit… but if we hit maximum 
warp she should be out of weapons range in a few seconds.” 

Peleus narrowed his eyes. 

“No, Waugh. I think it is time we pay Captain Windsor back for 
the years of pain he’s caused us.” 

The Commander grinned, widely. 

“Aye, sir.” 

The Grand Executor of the Holy Order of the Sacred Kiwi tapped a 
button on his command chair. 

“Computer, initiate MVAM. Attack pattern gamma, variant Peleus 
one. Target Miranda Class Vessel to stern.” 

With these simple commands, the ship split into three sections 
and began encircling the hapless Rangoon. The helm officer of 
the out-matched ship did the best he could to avoid being attack 
on all sides, but to no avail. The Republic quickly outmaneuvered 
her target and began destroying the vessel, almost surgically. 
Within moments, all that remained of the USS Rangoon was metallic 
debris and floating, lifeless bodies. 

The Republic returned to warp and continued on without further 
incident. 
-----------------------------------------------------------
Two months later, Sr’Alaen Sector 
General Fran Drescher was smiling idiotically, as she always did, 
but not with the same kind of intensity as she usually did when 
actually happy. Her irritating, nasal voice pierced the air across 
the bridge of the Nebula class starship as she spoke.

“Eeeehhhhhh… Why do these kiwi-lovers always have to keep popping 
up… I thought we killed them all...eeeehhhhhhhhhh… ehh heh heh 
ehhhhh…” 

Her subordinate, Commander Pope cringed as she laughed moronically. 

“General, our sources report that it is only a small-scale kiwi 
production facility. With the fleet behind us, we should be able 
to eliminate it quickly and easily.” 

“Ehhh… fine. Take us out of warp and blow them up… I really don’t 
care.” 

Commander Pope sighed and motioned for the helm officer to drop 
to impulse. The USS Rogers and three of Fourth Fleet’s eight 
squadrons raced for a small Class M planet at high impulse. 
Onboard the USS Oberon, Lieutenant Natalija Todorovich noted an 
unusual radiation source somewhere near the system’s sun but 
dismissed it as a solar fluctuation. The fleet settled into a 
high orbit and began viciously bombarding anything organic at 
which they could launch torpedoes. The radiation from the 
bombardment masked even stronger radiation signatures from the 
planet’s poles… 

The USS Vanguard was the first vessel to notice that a good 
section of the Fourth Fleet had been surrounded by an even more 
significant fraction of the First Fleet--formerly commanded by 
Commodore Horatio M. Peleus and known as the Black Knights. By 
that time, it was far too late. The USS Republic led the attack, 
cutting into the flank of the Seventh Squadron, dividing it in 
two along the longitudinal axis. The First, Second, and Fourth 
Squadrons of the First Fleet fell in behind the Republic and 
flared out, isolating the Seventh Squadron and cutting it to 
pieces. Before the Fourth Fleet even had time to respond, two 
more Squadrons of the First Fleet fell on the port flank, and 
drove straight through to meet up with the rest of the First 
Fleet on the opposite flank. Within minutes, the bridge of the 
USS Rogers was exposed to space and, accordingly, so was General 
Fran Drescher. 

Onboard the USS Republic, Grand Executor Peleus smiled widely. 
By borrowing a page from the Dominion strategy book, he had won 
one of the most complete naval victories ever. At the cost of 
only three of his own vessels, Peleus had destroyed every single 
ship in the Third, Fifth, and Seventh Squadrons of the Fourth 
Fleet--57 ships in all. Not only that, but also some of the most 
irritating personalities in Starfleet were now either atomized or 
violently decompressed. 

More importantly, the Grand Executor had reestablished the power 
of the Holy Order of the Sacred Kiwi in the Quadrant. Now the 
kiwi outputs of the Sr’Alaen Sector and the surrounding systems 
could be raised with impunity. No longer would the Fourth Fleet, 
under the influence of the evil General Aeriel and Brigadier 
General Fox, be able to oppress the supporters of the sacred fruit. 

True, their power was still great, but the Death to Kiwis Brigade 
had to scramble or all would be lost...