Beat the Drums of War

Beat the Drums of War is a fanfic by  and. It is a novelization of the Season 10 featured episode "Blood of Ancients", announced to be a six-part series, though its publication on the STO forums suffered interference by Perfect World's mass-migration of its game forums.

The story is told primarily from the perspective of High Admiral D'trel and Captain Kanril Eleya, also featuring perspectives from elsewhere in the war effort and the Iconian Supreme High Lord Inevitably-Fated-for-Greatness.

Prologue
The recurring Iconian named Inevitably-Fated-for-Greatness awakes after his latest death at the hands of D'trel in "Dynamic Entry".

Chapter 1: The Beacon Is Lit
D'trel and Kanril Eleya report to a briefing on Earth Spacedock, where Fleet Admiral William T. Riker announces the Alliance has confirmation that the Iconians are preparing to launch a full-scale invasion, with attacks expected in multiple major star systems. He states that several of their allies in the Delta Quadrant are sending troops and starships, and that the Federation has also reached out to the Dominion, the Tzenkethi Coalition, the Breen Confederacy, the First Federation, and the Holy Order of the Kinshaya.

At that point the alarm goes off. Kanril is assigned to D'trel's command, and the pair head for Starbase 234. Before leaving, Kanril suggests to Rear Admiral Tuvok that they seek the help of the Undine, and mind-melds with him to help things along.

In the Delta Quadrant, Vice Admiral Marama Reynolds meets with Eldex, the Overseer of the Vaadwaur Supremacy, but he regretfully refuses her request to join the battle because he lacks the troops to spare. But as Reynolds turns to leave, he tells her, "May God be with you."

Chapter 2: The Battle Joined

 * Epigraph: "Steam-powered Samurai" by Escape the Clouds

At Qo'noS, the leads the largest fleet assembled by the Klingon Defense Force in living memory against the Herald onslaught, but the KDF flagship is swiftly disabled and swept aside.

At Starbase 234, the Starfleet sector fleet and D'trel's Task Force Vengeance engage the Heralds under Admiral Yarlin Dao, buying time for Captain Jojo Appiah to evacuate the starbase's nonessential personnel to Narendra III. They initially meet with some success at delaying the Heralds, but the enemy's numbers continue to mount, and Yarlin's flagship USS Regent is lost with all hands. Appiah eventually tells D'trel to retreat with the surviving ships to New Romulus, and self-destructs the station to avoid capture.

The fleet arrives at New Romulus two hours later to find that a small Herald force has bypassed the local defense fleet and landed troops in the ancient Romulan ruins on the surface. The two fleets are joined by Commodore Tom Paris and 26 Squadron under Subadmiral Morgaiah t'Thavrau, swiftly defeat the Heralds, and join the ground battle to find that the Iconians have entered the caverns containing an Iconian gateway.

At the Mars Defense Perimeter in the Sol system, Rear Admiral Zandra Taitt has used the USS Bajor's sensor data to hatch a plan that will theoretically allow them to defeat the Iconian incursion with no casualties. Aboard the USS Caelian, declared BER after the Battle of Vaadwaur Prime, she heads for the suspected gateway location but arrives too late to evacuate the ship. She enacts her plan, forcing the Iconian gateway to open into a black hole, destroying the incoming fleet and herself.

Back on New Romulus, D'trel's team fights their way to the gate room and kills the Herald harbinger guarding the gate, then discovers the Iconians have traveled to Lae'nas III to access the Preserver Archive located there. At that moment Fleet Admiral Klau tr'Kererek reports that the Heralds have arrived in orbit in force, but D'trel refuses the call to join the battle and explains the situation. Tr'Kererek agrees to let D'trel follow the Iconians.

At Vulcan, the Iconian invasion is soundly defeated by a vengeful Undine fleet.

Memorable quotes
"THE WEAK WILL PERISH!!! ... AND YOU ARE WEAK. DEATH TO THE CORRUPT, TO KILLERS OF HATCHLINGS, TO THOSE WHO DARE TO THINK THAT THEY CAN RULE US. SLAY THEM ALL!"

- the Undine commander