Date: Fri, 28 Mar 1997 21:51:21 -0500 (EST)
Subject: SO: Stealth/Critical Condition
Lt. Ayer
USS Stealth - Sickbay
Stardate 9703.28
"Use the graviton wave generator, let's see if we can draw the radiation
out of him," the EMH told one of the nurses near sickbay. The nurse
hurriedly adjusted the settings on the medical console and activated the
graviton wave.
The liquid form of Ayer was spread out over a medical apparatus. As the
graviton wave was activated, the constantly shifting liquid began to shake
hard. Dr. Ming sounded alarmed as she said, "Shut it off! The radiation
particles have attached to his molecular structure, if we continue, he'll be
unable to hold his form even in this condition!" It didn't take long for the
doctor's order to be followed. As it was switched off, Ayer's form stopped
its shaking and returned back to its normal state.
Taking a deep breath, Ming and the EMH considered their next option.
However, as they thought about their next move, Ayer's body began to swirl.
Then as they stared in amazement, an undefined head began to emerge from the
puddle. It was a very simple figure, no clearly defined features except for
a mouth. As they leaned closer, the mouth began to move, trying to intone
some voice into its speech. But strained as he might, Ayer could not
communicate with the two doctors and was about to try a different method of
communication when a sudden gasp of pain tore through his systems. Quickly,
he reverted himself back to his liquid form and tried to lessen the pain.
As Dr. Ming and the EMH watched, the constantly shifting myriad of
golden liquid slowed to a pause and its color gradually turned to a deep
shade of blue. The EMH looked down at his medical scans and didn't like what
he saw, "His enzymes have started to deteriorate, if we don't do anything
soon, he'll be dead in a matter of minutes."
Without wasting a breath, Dr. Ming punched in several command codes and
a force-field blinked on, located just a little bit above the changeling.
Speaking straight to the computer, Dr. Ming said, "Sickbay to Commander
Sortha."
The response was immediate, "Yes, doctor. How is Ayer?"
Ming took a displeased look at the changeling's condition and said,
"We've tried everything we could but the radiation poisoning is still in his
body. His condition had gotten worse but I've put him in statis, that should
hold back the damage for a while."
"How is the EMH handling the problem?"
Dr. Ming responded, "With all due respect sir, the EMH may have certain
knowledge of changeling physiology but he's not programmed to handle this
type of problem. There's not a lot of data available on a changeling's
health but there is a place I know that may be able to help Ayer."
Sortha already knew what she was about to say but intoned it first,
"Deep Space Nine."
=============================================================
USS Stealth
After the Battle
Stardate 9703.28
The Federation starship's Stealth, Cairo, Ranger, Kyoto and what remained
of the Potempkin hung in space near the captured DoHqay and the smaller Bird
of Prey. It was rare to capture one, let alone two, Klingon ships in a single
engagement. While most of the Klingon crews from both vessels were dead,
there were still a number of prisoners be rounded up and confined in the
brigs of the Starfleet ships.
On the Stealth's viewscreen, Captain Edward Jellico looked down at Sortha
and his crew. "We've got the situation under control here commander, we'll
take the DoHqay and Potempkin in tow and start back to Epsilon Seven behind
you. Since your crew is in command of the Bird of Prey and it seems to be
functional, why don't you take that back with you as well."
Sortha nodded, "I've got to get one of my crew members to Deep Sspace
Nine. It'ss the only way we'll be able to ssave him."
"I see," Jellico nodded. "A suggestion, commander. Since the Stealth is in
need of repairs before it will be able to make such a trip, why don't you
have a team from your ship take your injured crew member aboard the Bird of
Prey and head to DS9 now. Our engineering teams have been working with your
skeleton crew on that ship and she's ready for warp flight already."
"I will take that under advisement," Sortha confirmed.
"Be advised, however. Starfleet Command has issued some kind of alert for
Bajor and surrounding systems. News has been trickling out about increased
Dominion activity," Jellico said. "Be careful if you're planning to go
there."
"I will," Sortha said. "It hass been an honor working with you captain. I
hope we can do thiss again some day ssoon."
Jellico, his face unemotional, nodded. "Good luck, commander. Cairo out."
Sortha eased back in his chair and began to consider the option Jellico
had suggested when Tyrian Summers approached with Ki'lal at his side.
"Sir, we just intercepted a transmission from Epsilon Seven. Security
there is being increased. Two Klingon K'Vorta class ships are inbound with
the USS Viggo in tow and the prisoner, General Kahgal aboard. They should be
arriving there in about three hours," Summers said.
"How long before Stealth can reach EpSeven?" Sortha questioned.
"Sholek says our best speed right now would be warp 5. That puts us almost
12 hours away," Summers said.
"Sir," Ki'lal began. Sortha shot him a cold glare, still not pleased over
his recent insubordination -- an issue he still planned to address once
things were back to normal. "I know you are considering the plan to send Ayer
on to DS9 aboard the captured Bird of Prey. I don't know if you are planning
to send me with that ship, but I request permission to remain on the Stealth.
I'd like to see if I can have a few minutes on EpSeven to talk to Kahgal
before he is transported on to Earth for trial."
"I will conssider it, lieutenant," Sortha said dryly. "Dismisssed."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/ Incoming Transmission
FROM THE GM: Lt. Kalahna at EpSeven, you will receive the same transmission
there as you wait for the Stealth to pick you up.
=============================================================
USS Stealth
In Space
Stardate 9703.28
As Commander Sortha contemplated his next move, Lt. Summers reported an
incoming transmission from Starfleet Command.
"Sir," Tyrian said. "Incoming priority one message from Starfleet Command.
It's Admiral Brandt using a general message to all Federation ships."
Sortha growled. This didn't sound good. "On screen."
The image of open space was replaced by the stoic figure of Admiral
Brandt, chief of operations for Starfleet Command. "This is Admiral Brandt
to all Starfleet personnel. We have received word from Deep Space Nine that a
Dominion fleet cleared the wormhole at Bajor and has begun an invasion of the
Cardassian Union.
"Reports are still coming in, but Captain Sisko at DS9 is reporting that
the Dominion seems to be in league with the renegade Cardassian officer Gul
Dukat. It seems Dukat is looking to use the support the Jem'Hadar to help him
take control of the Cardassian Union.
"Effective immediately, all Starfleet vessels and stations within two
sectors of Bajor and Cardassian space are on red alert. All other Starfleet
ships and facilities are on yellow alert until further notice.We will keep
you advised as more information becomes available," Brandt said. "Starfleet
out."
Sortha looked at the screen in disbelief. So it had begun. The greatest
enemy of the Federation had finally made its first move. Somehow, Sortha
though, Shadow Ops was going to soon be up against a new foe....
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Return to EpSeven
Lt. Ki'lal
Bridge of the Stealth
Stardate 9703.29
"Damn," thought Ki'lal, "Kahgal was probably the only way to find out about my
family." This frustration seemed never ending. All he wanted to do was find
who his parents are, and he couldn't see what was so wrong with that. Ki'lal had
placed his career on the line during this mission and only to recieve nothing in
return. He could be in serious trouble. If only there was some way...
Ki'lal approached Cpt. Sortha reluctantly. "Sir, I need to ask a `favor'".
"What is it Lt.?" asked Sortha.
"Sir, permission to..."
"No," responded Sortha "you are already in enough trouble as it is. You will not be able to interrogate Kahgal about your family. There will be another time and another place, Lieutenant."
Ki'lal was impressed by the way Sortha handled the situation, and Ki'lal
realized he must prepare a statement for reasons that he violated orders.
=============================================================
USS Seldar (Captured Klingon Bird-of-Prey)
Lieutenant Tyrian Summers sat in the hard Klingon command chair on the
bridge of the Seldar. Beside him Lieutenant Junior Grade Jackson manned the
Tactical station. Down below in sickbay, Dr. Ming closely monitored the
condition of Lieutenant Ayer who was in a stasis field. Tyrian reflected on
the position he was now in...(FROM THE GM: The captured Bird of Prey is to
take Ayer on to DS9 for treatment while the Stealth proceeds to EpSeven for repairs).
Commander Sortha
Stealth -- Arrival at Epsilon 7
Stardate 9703.29
Every crewmember on Starbase Epsilon 7 who wasn't on emergency duty
stations were either lined at viewports or sat glued to station monitors.
Outside, Task Force 3 had just arrived. Each of the Starfleet ships showed
scorch marks and exterior damage, testimony to the battle they had just been
in. However the bigger testimony was the scorched hull of the giant Vor'CHA
Battleship that the Federation ships were towing. They resembled a wounded
wolf pack dragging a giant killed bear back to their lair.
Slowly the ships glided into prearranged docking points. "Permission to
dock" Sortha said, and the stationmaster responded with an automatic
"granted." The dead and wounded were to be transferred off the ship, while
repair crews swarmed aboard the Stealth from Epsilon Seven.
"Lieutenant Winefield, pleasse ssee that repairs are done as soon as
possible. Use whatever meanss are necessary, including bartering my personal
stock of Gorn Firewater if that will sspeed thingss up. I want to be off to
DS9 as soon as possible. Ensign Sholek, please coordinate with Lieutenant
Winefield to get all our systems at 100% plus efficiency. Ensign Brynaziir,
please greet our replacement crew and get them settled in. I'll be in a
battle debrief with Captain Jellico and the other captains for several hourss
at leasst. Ki'lal, take a security team and assist the station commander in
guarding General Kahgal. Lieutenant Winefield, you have the con." With
that the Gorn was off to the debriefing.
The hectic schedule of the next 24 hours would keep the crew's minds off
the traumatic experiences they had just gone through, the lost friends or
loved ones, and the stress of battle. Once the ship was on its way to DS9,
they would have time to reflect, especially on their feelings toward
Lieutenant Ayer who had selflessly sacrificed himself for the good of the
ship and crew.
=============================================================
Starbase Epsilon Seven
Stardate 9703.29
Lt. Kalahna Jarnell stepped off a transport from Earth and made her way
through the station. She had heard the U.S.S. Stealth had been damaged in its
most recent mission, so she figured she'd better go report for duty in case
her new crew mates needed a hand.
=============================================================
Starfleet Intelligence
Shadow Operations
Transfer Orders
Subject: Lt. Kalahna Jarnell
Lt. Kalahna Jarnell has been assigned to the U.S.S. Stealth effective
immediately. Lt. Jarnell is to report to Commander Sortha or Acting First
Officer Lt. Winefield by Stardate 9703.30
Admiral Sorvek
Shadow Ops Training
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Staff Changes
Internal Message: USS Stealth
From: Commander Sortha
To: Crew of the Stealth
Stardate 9703.30
Captain..........................Commander Sortha, Star added to Medal of Honor
Exec Officer.....................Lt. Cmdr Ayer Medal of Honor, promotion
Tactical Officer.................Lt. Summers Silver Star
Operations Officer...............Lt. Kahlana Recent transfer
Chief of Security................Lt. Ki'lal Commendation**
Ship's Counsellor/Comm Officer...Lt. Brynaziir Bronze Star
Helm Officer.....................Lt. Nash (NPC) Commendation
Chief Engineer...................Lt. jrg Sholek Promotion
Ships Chief Medical Officer......Lt. Cmdr Ming(NPC) Commendation
Asst Security Officer............Lt. jrg Jackson(NPC) Promotion
Asst. Medical Officer............Lt. jg Clayton Aries Recent Transfer
Notes:
** Sortha will not report the disobeying of orders to Admiral Jaeger, but
does ask Lt. Ki'lal to meet him in his Ready Room...
* Lieutenant Winefield has taken advantage of an offer to be permanent exec
of the USS Ranger
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Intercepted Bird of Prey
Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
Onboard USS Seldar (captured bird of prey)
Stardate 9703.30
Tyrian sat on the hard Klingon captain's chair and stared forward at
the large viewscreen with Sortha's face on it. Tyrian was finishing up his
conversation with the Gorn, "Our repairs are complete, and we are headed to
DS9, we will rendevous with you when possible, Summers out."
The viewscreen turned back to the exterior of the Stealth. "Ensign, set
course for Deep Space Nine, best possible speed." The young ensign at the
helm responded, "Aye sir." as he tapped the controls and the ship shuddered
into warp. Tyrian tapped the control on the handle of captain's seat and
said, "Dr. Ming, status of Lt. Ayer." a second later Ming's voice responded,
no change, but I would not recommend keeping him in this stasis field
indefinitely." Tyrian looked at the stars flying by on the large viewscreen
as he had mixed feelings about Ayer..........he was his friend, or was he?
Whatever the answer, he had to get him there as soon as possible. The ship
was already shaking from the speed it was doing, there was no way to increase
speed without risking the whole crew.
After a while, Tyrian called out to the bridge crew, "We are now
entering dangerous border space, the Cardassian/Dominion union undoubtedly
has ships all over this area. Yellow alert, engage the cloaking device."
The ship made a humming sound as it cloaked.
After cruising in cloak for a while, Lt. JG Jackson yelled out from
tactical, "Sir, long range sensors are picking up three ships, two cardassian
cruisers, and a......Jem'Hadar warship!"
Tyrian stiffended up in the command chair, "Red Alert!" Have they
detected us yet?"
Jackson responded, "Hard to say, their course appears to be an
intersecting one with us, whether or not they were already headed that way or
not is not clear." Tyrian's look did'nt change as he asked, "Distance to
DS9?"
"Ten minutes."
Tyrian responded, "Change course to go around them."
"Sir," Jackson said, "Enemy ships are changing course to an intercept."
"Damn," Tyrian said, "They must be picking up one of our many small
leaks on this bucket of bolts. Decloak, shields up, lets make a run for it,
get me Deep Space Nine."
The face of a Bajoran woman appeared on the screen, "Lt. Summers I
presume, I'm Major Kira Nerys, we are monitoring your situation, the USS
Defiant is in the Gamma Quadrent at the momment and is not available to help,
so try to get within the station's weapons range so that you and
your...........cargo........can safely dock."
Tyrian responded, "Understood, but easier said than done, Lt. Summers out."
Lt Jackson looked up, "They are closing sir, we're not going to make
it......." Tyrian growled, "Shut up and concentrate on your job."
The ship shuddered as the Jem'Hadar warship came into weapons range and
started landing energy shots onto the USS Seldar.
"Evasive manuveurs!" Tyrian shouted. The Seldar dove to the left with
the Jem'Hadar ship close on its tail firing. "Return fire, we must fight, we
are too far still to make it to the station."
The Seldar turned and started firing disrupters at the Jem'Hadar ship,
making its shields grow red as they hit. By now the Cardassian ships joined
in. Sparks shot of the walls of the bridge as the three ships concentrated
on the captured klingon Bird of Prey. Blast after blast rocked the ship.
Tyrian yelled, "Evasive action, keep rotating the ship!" Jackson yelled
out over the enemy blasts, "Its no use sir, there is too many of them, every
side of out shields are exposed.............forward shields at 11% aft
shields at 23% and dropping rapidly." Tyrian yelled, "Damage report?"
One of the ensigns screamed over all the noise, "warp engines offline,
photon launchers offline..........." Just then an explosion of sparks and
debris rocked the bridge and blew the young ensign backwards into the air, he
was dead by the time he hit the floor. Another ensign took over where the
dead one had left off, "Severe damage to all systems all over the ship, hull
breach in engineering, all engines offline, several fires burning in all
parts of the ship. Sick bay reports stasis field will fail in under ten
minutes. And we only have six crew members remaining alive, not counting
Ayer. Tyrian said with a grave look on his face, "Signal the Jem'Hadar ship,
tell them we surrender but that we have a Founder onboard."
=============================================================
(FROM THE GM: Don't get confused by Ayer's post. This is a DREAM sequence. It
has nothing to do with the events just written by Tyrian...or does it?)
Lt. Ayer
USS Seldar - Sickbay
Stardate 9703.30
As the rest of Starfleet personnel frantically rushed around, trying to
fix the damages and getting things organized, time stood still for the liquid
gelatin. It's color had become more shaded now, signs that the changeling's
condition was getting worse. Despite the power that the statis field holds,
it couldn't stand up against the massive weight of time passing around it and
had to allow a trickle of it leak into the changeling's system.
As time moved very slowly for Ayer, his mind was in a constant state of
sub-consciousness. Images flashed through his mind, teasing it with memories
long forgotten. In the hazy surroundings of his mind, Ayer watched as Sortha
strode up to him. "Pick," he said. The changeling then heard a sound from
behind and he quickly turned to face Jake. However, the first officer had
lost his usual humor and now looked at Ayer with a serious face. "Time may
be eternal but friendships are not."
With a sudden urge, Ayer felt he needed to turn to the right. As he
did, his body dissapeared and only his mind remained free. He slowly felt
himself floating upwards as the empty surroundings around him turned to the
bridge of some starship. The officers were still wearing their old uniforms,
the ones that existed before being replaced by the grey-colored ones. Ayer
didn't recognize any of the officers on the bridge except for one, Tyrian.
He was sitting beside the captain's seat, obviously he must be a commander.
Yet how could this be? Ayer thought. Finding that he couldn't do anything
except observe, Ayer gave his full attention to what was happening.
"The runabout is making its evasive actions," Tyrian reported.
The captain nodded, "Mr. Rewan, fire all weapons at the lead Jem'Hadar ship."
The galaxy-class starship launched all of its weapons. With the massive
barrage of energy, it was hard not to miss. The Jem'Hadar's shield never
stood a chance and it flashed into a ball of flame. The other Jem'Hadar ship
knew that it wouldn't last much longer in the fight and it began to dive
towards the galaxy-class starship.
Inside the bridge, the captain was shouting out his orders, trying to
destroy the suicide attempt before it succeeds. Tyrian knew there was no way
they could escape in time but he still tried, "Captain! We must evacuate the
ship!" Even before the captain responded, the Jem'Hadar ship crashed into
the starship. The destruction was immense, blazing trails of plasma fires
spread all over the place, igniting broken hulls into lit torches.
With a blinding flash, Ayer returned back into the bleak surroundings of
his mind. However, he wasn't the only one who was here. There in front of
him stood Tyrian, his uniform tattered and stained with blood. His face was
half-charred and as Ayer watched, Tyrian raised his bloodied hand, pointed
straight at Ayer and said, "You and your kind have done this, what more will
you cause next?" As soon as he finished, Tyrian dissapeared into the mists.
With a shock, Ayer realized the flashback he had seen was the
recollection of the events surrounding the death of Tyrian's father. Yet
instead of his father, Tyrian was taking his place. What did this all mean?
His mind blazed in confusion and yet he had no time to ponder on his
thoughts. The sounds of battle ringed in his ear and Ayer turned towards the
source. He gasped in shock as he witnessed a battle being fought. In the
center was Ki'lal and Sholek, both fighting back to back. They were wounded
in several places and both were perspiring heavily. Surrounding them were
Jem'Hadar soldiers, all of whom are attacking the two. Both Klingon and
Romulan fought hard to keep them at bay but one collapsed and with the death
of one, the other also fell. "No!" Ayer shouted and tried to run towards
them but then everything around him went black.
Total blackness was everywhere. Whether it was seconds or for eternity,
Ayer did not know how long he was there. Then, a figure slowly approached
Ayer. As the figure moved closer, the face of Thoraz was revealed. Looking
at Ayer, he started to speak, "The first half has now been seen. Yet a
decision cannot be made as easily as had seen. The other half must still be
endured for though you turned your back on them, they are still part of you."
Then there was darkness....
=============================================================
USS Seldar (Captured Bird of Prey)
Stardate 9703.31
All over the Seldar there was a sudden flurry of transporter activity.
There, side-by-side, were both Cardassian and Jem'Hadar soldiers. On the
bridge alone there were 10 (6 Cardassians and 4 Jem'Hadar). And a contigency
of eight Jem'Hadar and a Vorta had beamed into sickbay -- apparently after
scanning the crippled Bird of Prey and detecting the Founder being held in stasis
"What is this?" the lead Cardassian on the bridge said as he looked around
at the Starfleet officers who were crewing the captured Klingon ship.
"Starfleet using Klingon ships. How quaint. Who's in command of this barge?"
Tyrian stepped forward as Jem'Hadar and Starfleet officers faced off with
weapons trained on one another. "I am."
"Our Jem'Hadar friends want their Founder back. And they intend to take
him," the Cardassian explained. "Then, you will all surrender to us as
prisoners of the Cardassian/Dominion alliance."
=============================================================
Lieutenant Thoraz Brynaziir
Transporter Room
Stardate 9703.30
As the new crew members beamed aboard the Stealth, Thoraz greeted each one
and gave them their assigned quarters.
=============================================================
Lt. J.G. Clayton Aries
Shadow Ops training center
Stardate 9703.29
Clayton Aries was just packing to leave for his new assignment. He was
assigned to the U.S.S. Stealth, when his padd beeped, signaling a message had
arrived. He picked it up and looked at the very grim message.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"This is Admiral Brandt to all Starfleet personnel. We have received word
from Deep Space Nine that a Dominion fleet cleared the wormhole at Bajor and
has begun an invasion of the Cardassian Union.
"Reports are still coming in, but Captain Sisko at DS9 is reporting that
the Dominion seems to be in league with the renegade Cardassian officer Gul
Dukat. It seems Dukat is looking to use the support the Jem'Hadar to help him
take control of the Cardassian Union.
"Effective immediately, all Starfleet vessels and stations within two
sectors of Bajor and Cardassian space are on red alert. All other Starfleet
ships and facilities are on yellow alert until further notice.We will keep
you advised as more information becomes available," Brandt said. "Starfleet
out."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aries knew that could not be good. If the Cardassian Union was conquered by
the Jem'Hadar, then the Federation could be next. The U.S.S. Stealth was
almost certainly going to be sent to the border to gather intellegence.
Aries wasn't scared, but he was a little frightened of how many casualities
there would be if the Jem'Hadar attacked.
He wouldn't have enough time to unpack and help Dr. Ming, the CMO of
the Stealth, get Sickbay ready. Aries resolved to take as many medical
supplies as he could, he could get the rest of the stuff put in storage and
pick it up later. He packed his medkit, and even some of the ancient
surgical tools that his parents had given him when he had graduated from
Starfleet Medical Academy.
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Shadow Ops/Follow Up Message
Starfleet Command: Message to All Officers and NCOs
From: Admiral Brandt
Stardate 9703.31
A battle at Bajor between the combined forces of the Dominion/Cardassia
alliance and the Federation, Klingons and Romulans has been averted. However,
further hostilities from the new Cardassian government are possible. Now
allied with the Dominion, Gul Dukat's government has vowed to reclaim ALL
Cardassian holdings that have been taken by the Federation and Klingons. This
includes the Cardassian territory claimed by the Klingon Empire nearly two
years ago, the disputed Volon colonies in the Federation/Cardassian
Demilitarized Zone and Deep Space Nine in the Bajor system.
In response to this new threat, the Klingon Empire and the Federation have
agreed to discontinue hostilities and return to the alliance established
under the Khitomer Accords. The dispute over the Arcanus sector will be
resolved diplomatically. Meanwhile, a Klingon garrison will be established at
Deep Space Nine, headed by General Martok, to help protect Klingon interests
from the new Cardassian/Dominion threat.
We welcome our renewed alliance with the Klingons and hope future
relations will continue to flourish. Together, the Federation and Klingon
Empire will stand against this new threat to the Alpha Quadrant.
Admiral Brandt
Starfleet Chief of Operations
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Rejoining the Link
Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
Onboard USS Seldar
Stardate 9704.01
"We have only partial impulse sir, fires are still not contained, and
engineering is open to space." Lt. JG Jackson kept analyzing the situation
from his tactical console as he spoke. Tyrian looked at the viewscreen that
displayed the Jem'Hadar warship and the two Cardassian cruisers that had
stopped shooting at his crippled ship, they had taken formation at the front
of the damaged bird of prey. Jackson spoke, "No response from the ships yet, sir."
Tyrian thought, "Damn, what are they doing? Why dont they finish us
off?" He looked around at the bridge, small fires were burning in the open
shells of the walls that had been blown apart, the lighting was all but gone,
the smell of burning wires and conduits filled the bridge.
Dr. Ming's voice came over the comm, "I adjusted the stasis field Lt.,
but I dont know how long it will last with the ship's power system's
fluctuating like they are." Tyrian said to the bridge crew, "I think they
will board us soon, I am setting the klingon automated defense system so the
Jem'Hadar and Cardassians have a nasty surprise when they transport over so
everyone be prepared to lose your phasers and await my lead for hand to hand,
I have no intention of giving up without a fight."
Tyrian and the three remaining Starfleet officers stood motionless as
the Cardassians and Jem'Hadar appeared on the bridge. "What is this?" the
lead Cardassian said as he looked around the bridge. "Starfleet officers
using Klingon ships. How quaint. Who's in command of this barge?"
Tyrian stepped forward into the Cardassians face and said, "I am." The
Cardassian explained that the Jem'Hadar wanted Ayer. Then he said," you will
surrender to us as prisoners of the Cardassian/Dominion Alliance."
Tyrian smiled as he said, "I'm sure you would like that, but take a look
at that beeping monitor over there." The cardassian gasped in horror as he
saw the readout showing four Klingon birds of prey decloaking. Tyrian said,
"You really should check into a tactical officer that can detect hidden
messages in normal transmissions, ever since I contacted the station I knew
we had reinforcements....did you?"
The Cardassian raised his sidearm, but before he could fire, Tyrian
yelled, "Computer, initiate program Summers One." The wall shot out with
disrupter fire as four cardassians and two Jem'Hadar were blown apart from
different places on the bridge, the others dropped their weapons before they
got hit. The lead Cardassian was hit in the back, sending him past Tyrian
onto the floor.
Tyrian drew his knife and rushed at the two Jem'Hadar soldiers, Tyrian
had trained for this for years. The first Jem'Hadar lunged at Tyrian, but he
stepped aside and used the soldier's own momentum to send him flying to the
floor. Tyrian grabbed the first of the other one as it came down and pulled
it to the side as he put his commando knife into the big mans throat and then
drew it out. The Jem'Hadar fell to the ground, blood spurting out of the
gaping wound. Tyrian turned without hesitating and kicked the remaining one
in the head as he got up, then jumped on top of him and started pummeling him
with fist after fist. All Tyrian could see was the recorded Starfleet visual
record of the destruction of the Odyssey as he kept beating the Jem'Hadar
until the soldier no longer moved.
The Starfleet officers wasted no time following Tyrian's lead attacking
the remaining Cardassians, eventually subdueing them. Tyrian looked at the
viewscreen and could see the four birds of prey fighting the other enemy
ships in a vicous battle. Luckily Major Kira had known that the channel
would be monitored and sent the coded warning to Tyrian so that the Klingons
and his ship could have the element of surprise.
Tyrian disabled the automated defense system and then looked at the
others and said, "We still have intruders on board eight Jem'Hadar and a
Vorta, grab your weapons and follow me, and try to take the Vorta alive.
=============================================================
Lt. Ayer
USS Seldar
Stardate 9704.01
The Vorta wasn't the least pleased at seeing the condition of one of the
Founders. The Jem'Hadar soldiers also saw how badly the condition of the
changeling was and was looking around the room, seeking the person who did
this. Their eyes landed on Dr. Ming and a few began to take a step towards her.
After looking at Ayer, the Vorta returned her attention to the room.
Seeing the Jem'Hadar soldiers were threatening something of value, the Vorta
decided to interrupt their actions, "Stop. We are here to recover our god,
nothing more, nothing less. This Founder is dying and if we do not bring him
back in time, he will die."
The Jem'Hadars had grave looks on their faces as they realized one of
their gods was dying. They turned away from Dr. Ming and watched as the
Vorta disabled the statis field and placed the changeling into a small
cylindrical metal container.
While the transfer was taking place, the Starfleet officers and
Jem'Hadar soldiers in the Klingon sickbay could hear fighting throughout the
rest of the ship. It sounded like Tyrian wasn't going out without a fight.
"We should kill all of them for what they have done to this Founder,"
one of the Jem'Hadar said, aiming his rifle at Cassandra Ming.
"I said no," the Vorta replied, completing the task of transfering
Ayer's liquid form into the container. "When we attacked this ship we
believed it to be a Klingon vessel. But we have made a far greater discovery.
These Starfleet people are of no concern to us. But we must retreat
immediately."
The Jem'Hadar lowered his weapon and the small contigency of Dominion
soldiers signaled their ship for a beam out.
"Tell your commanding officers we have reclaimed this Founder. If we
find he has been purposefully harmed, there will be retaliation," the Vorta
said to Dr. Ming as the transporter grabbed them and they disappeared.
The Jem'Hadar ship then moved away from the boarding site and went to
warp, back to the Cardassian homeworld.
Unaware of the events that circled around him, Ayer continued his
dreams. Yet this time, there was no body, no mind. All that he felt was the
feel of thoughts all around him. There was no material shape to this
feeling, only spiritual and that only describes the outer shell of the feel.
Only once in his life has Ayer ever experienced such a feeling and that was
when he was created. Inside the Great Link, the thoughts of countless
changelings had surrounded him. All thoughts interwined, all actions linked,
and all memories shared.
Now, here in his mind, he received the joy of experiencing the link all
over again. The joy of being linked was greater than can ever imagine. As
he swam over the thoughts of others, a sound was heard. Over and over again,
the sound was repeated. Unable to resist the calling, Ayer began to strain
to hear the sound. It soon became clear that the sound was a sentence.
There was a gentle tone to the words, almost an enchanting quality.
The more Ayer strained to hear the sound, the clearer it became.
Finally, the words were soon made out. "Come, Ayer, come and link with us."
Feelings of tremendous joy and acceptance flooded into him. Forgotten
were the memories of the Dominion, forgotten were the memories of the
Federation, and forgotten were the memories of his friends, all that he had
worked for were cast away in the chance of being back in the Great Link.
Reaching out with his thoughts, he began to merge with others.
Onboard the Jem'Hadar ship, a Founder morphed back from his previous
shape. Turning to look at the Vorta who had boarded the Klingon Bird of
Prey, he said, "It is done. This changeling has been cured of his
condition," he paused for a moment to smile, "and he has allowed himself to
join with us again, he is now one of us."
=============================================================
USS Seldar
Dead in space
Stardate 9704.01
The battle soon ended with two of the Klingon ships destroyed, one
Cardassian Kelden class vessel also destroyed, and the rest of the joint
Cardassian/Dominion patrol headed back into Cardassian space.
Tyrian Summers and his team of officers stormed into sick bay ten seconds
too late. When they arrived they found Dr. Ming there staring at the empty
container where Ayer had been placed. Summers gathered that Ayer was gone,
but he was equally disheartened that there were no Jem'Hadar or Vorta to
fight.
"Where are they?" Summers asked.
"Gone. They took Ayer and then they left," Dr. Ming said, frustrated at
the loss of her patient.
Tyrian slammed a piece of Klingon medical equipment to the deck and then
stood with his head lowered, breathing hard as the adrenaline rush subsided.
"Summers to bridge, report."
"They're gone, sir. The boarding parties only briefly engaged us and then
they beamed back to the Jem'Hadar ship," Jackson reported. "The Klingon
reinforcements took a pretty bad beating, but they destroyed one Cardassian
ship before they all retreated back into Cardassian space."
"Damn. Can we pursue?" Summers asked, already knowing what the answer
would be.
"Negative. We're dead in space. This tub has had it sir, systems are
failing quickly -- including the warp core containment field," Jackson
replied. "In fact, one of the surviving Birds of Prey is offering to beam us
out and take us back to Deep Space Nine with them."
Tyrian wanted to go after the Jem'Hadar ship, but he knew his duty was
to the crew of the Seldar, which could loose life support or suffer a warp
core breach at any moment. He decided it was time to cut his losses and live
to fight another day.
"Accept their request. Have them start beaming us out immediately...."
=============================================================
Lt. Ki'lal
USS Stealth
Stardate 9703.31
Ki'lal was nervous. He knew he was in neck deep, and it WAS his fault.
"Sortha to Ki'lal" said Sortha over the comm sys.
"Ki'lal here," responded Ki'lal.
"Meet me in my ready room, now."
Ki'lal made his way to the turbolift, entered the command and the lift
took him to his destination. The doors swished open, and Ki'lal stood
outside the ready room. He pulled at his uniform, and entered...
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Leaving For DS9
Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
On Deep Space Nine
Stardate 9704.02
Tyrian looked out the big window of the promanade deck of the station
and saw the bird of prey that was his first command explode in the distance
from a warp core breach. His crew had been taken to the station by another
bird of prey about forty-five minutes ago.
They had lost two ensigns, either of which Tyrian really knew because
they had just been transferred to the Stealth before the last battle. But
what was worse was that they had lost Ayer, but at least he would be cared
for by the Founders better than the station could have cared for him, but
would they make him one of them again? Tyrian wasn't sure, but he did know
that he wanted another shot at the Jem'Hadar, and this was the perfect place
for it...........the newest war zone.
After meeting with Captain Sisko for debriefing of the incident,
Tyrian tried to send a subspace message to the USS Stealth to update them on
his situation, but didn't get a response, so he wasn't sure that it made it
through because of interference being created by the Dominion/Cardassian
alliance.
After that he headed for the tailor's shop for repairs to his uniform,
to his surprise the tailor was Cardassian, but after a while of being in
there Tyrian came to understand that he was an outcast, and way too
talkative, Tyrian was glad to finally leave the shop, the Cardassian was
getting on his nerves. He paced the station impatient and restless because
there seemed to be nothing he could do......or was there?
Tyrian rushed over to the rugged looking klingon standing by the huge
window, "General Martok I presume? I am Lt. Tyrian Summers of the USS
Seldar, do you have a minute?"
The General turned slowly and looked at Tyrian with his one remaining
eye, "Ahh, Summers, I heard you fought well against the Jem'Hadar that
invaded your bridge........I always have time for a good warrior, what can I
do for you?:" Tyrian responded, "I feel responsible for losing the
changeling and as of yet I cannot reach my commanding officer, I would like
to help out if there is any position dealing with the Dominion/Cardassians
that an extra warrior could be used."
Martok turned back to the window slowly and thought for a minute then
spoke, "Hmm, you wish to do battle alongside Klingons do you? Well, if there
is such an opportunity I may contact you." Tyrian thanked him and walked off
down the promanade. As long as he could not contact the Stealth, he was
pretty much free to do what he wanted. Tyrian walked back to his quarters
and layed on his bed to try to get some sleep.
=============================================================
Lt. J.G. Clayton Aries
Just boarding the U.S.S. Stealth
9704.02
It had been a fairly boring shuttle trip for Lt. Aries, but he had had enough
time to study up on some exciting new medical procedures. Aries knew he was
late, but it wasn't his fault that the shuttle had a navigational malfunction,
and they were off course, so he would arrive as soon as he could.
As Aries beamed onto the Stealth, he was greeted by Ensign Brynaziir, and
assigned his new quarters. Brynaziir also informed him he would be acting
chief medical officer until the Stealth retrieved Dr. Ming, who was at Deep
Space Nine -- Stealth's next destination...
=============================================================
Lt. Kalahna Jarnell
Boarding the Stealth
Stardate 9703.02
Lieutenant Kalahna Jarnell stepped off the turbolift onto the bridge
of the USS Stealth. She had come a long way from scavenging for food scraps
and sneaking around trying to blow up Cardassians when she was a child on Bajor.
She had heard that the USS Stealth was on its way to Deep Space 9. At
least they would be operating close to Bajor and she might have a chance to
visit with some of her friends on Deep Space 9. She had served as a security
officer under Chief Odo for two years before entering Starfleet Academy.
That all seemed so long ago.
With a slight start, she realized she was still blocking the turbolift
door, and hurried onto the bridge. She greeted her fellow officers and made
her way to the ops station and began to familiarize herself with the
controls. The day was spent quickly. Everyone seemed to be moving at warp
speed as they prepared the ship to leave. Kalahna tried to do her part,
while at the same time learning her new duties. The captain seemed to be a
no-nonsense sort. Kalahna looked forward to learning about the Gorn captain.
By the end of the day she was worn out, and was happy to get back to her
cabin for some time off. She had a long hot shower, and had a Bajoran fruit
cocktail drink before going to bed.
=============================================================
Admiral Erik Jaegar
Boarding the Stealth
Stardate 9703.02
Erik Jaegar was glad to be back aboard the Stealth. He had been on Epsilon
Seven during most of the Stealth's pursuit of General Kahgal, handling
adminsitrative duties and coordinating the other Shadow Ops teams out in the field.
As he walked along the corridor to the turbo-lift, Commander Sortha
appeared from around a corner and stopped to greet in commanding officer.
"Welcome back, admiral," Sortha hissed.
"I hear I almost didn't have a ship to return to?" Admiral Jaegar said as
Sortha fell in step with him and joined him in the turbo-lift. "Good work out
there. You and your crew did well."
Sortha shook his head. "I would have been more pleassed if we would have
captured Kahgal oursselvess. Instead he wass captured by the Klingonss."
"But you stopped the DoHqay and we still got the general, once he was
turned over to us," Jaegar said as they ordered the lift up to the bridge.
"As I understand he'll be aboard the station for several more days and then
he's being transferred to Earth to stand trial."
"It iss to bad the Klingonss didn't kill him," Sortha said. "Thiss iss a
mosst disshonorable ending for a warrior of his calibur."
The lift soon opened on to the bridge and Sortha and Jaegar stepped out
and made there way to the center chairs.
"There's something you should know, commander," Jaegar finally said as
they were seated. "We've gotten word from Deep Space Nine. The captured Bird
of Prey you sent your officers ahead aboard was intercepted by Jem'Hadar and
Cardassian ships. They were boarded and Lt. Ayer was taken."
Sortha stiffened in his chair, "What about the rest of the crew?"
"Ensign Hathaway and Ensign Kosmopolis were killed," Jaegar explained.
"The Klingon detachment at DS9 rescued the other crew members before the
Seldar exploded."
"What about Ayer?" Sortha asked.
"I wish I could say we're going after him, but frankly we don't even know
where they took him. Presumably to Cardassia Prime, but we don't know for
sure. We can only hope they will heal him and posibly allow him to return,"
Jaegar said. "But once we retrieve the rest of your crew, we have a mission
to tend to."
Sortha nodded grimly, "Understood."
=============================================================
Commander Sortha
Bridge of the Stealth
Stardate 9703.02
"Release docking clampss, thrussters 1/2," Sortha ordered. The Stealth
had been repaired and refurnished in record time. Supplies still choked the
corridors where they had been beamed in, and still awaited storage. However
ship systems were operating at 100% efficiency and the exterior of the hull
had been repaired and a fresh coat of duraplast paint covered the areas where
the ablative armor had been scored. The silhouette of another Bird-of-Prey
and a VorCha had been painted on the side of the ship as well.
When the ship had cleared the area around Epsilon 7, Sortha ordered
impulse engaged until they had cleared the system. Once cleared, the ship
went to full warp, headed for DS9.
Sortha surveyed the bridge. Brynaziir sat to his immediate left, Nash
was at helm, while his new officer Lieutenant Kalahna Jarnell manned the ops
station. Ensign Shatiel manned tactical. The executive officer's position
was vacant.
Sortha had met Lieutenant Kalahna only briefly, but she seemed competent
enough. After a while Sortha walked to his ready room, and the doors swished
shut behind him. Sortha tapped his commbadge: "Meet me in my ready room, now.."
Ki'lal was nervous. He knew he was in neck deep, and it WAS his fault.
"Sortha to Ki'lal" said Sortha over the comm sys.
"Ki'lal here," responded Ki'lal.
"Meet me in my ready room, now."
Ki'lal entered Sortha's ready room ready for anything. He stood in
front of Sortha's desk, and, after several moments Sortha looked up and
stared at Ki'lal. The Gorn's eyes smoldered like luminescent hot red coals,
but Ki'lal steeled himself and stared back. Slowly the Gorn stood up out of
his chair, and Ki'lal realized just then how massive his commanding officer
really was.
"Lieutenant Ki'lal, you dissobeyed a direct order. That iss a court
martial offensse in Sstarfleet" Sortha stated matter-of-factly.
"I understand sir, and I have no excuse!" Ki'lal barked back. If he had
to go down, he would go down in style he figured.
"Ohh, but you do Lieutenant, you do" Sortha replied cryptically as he
moved around the desk to stand in front of Ki'lal. The Gorn's hot breath
wafted down onto Ki'lal's skull ridges. "You acted like a Klingon would"
Sortha continued "Whether you know it or not. In Klingon custom, family
responsibilities are a higher priority than a commanding officer's orderss
aren't they. Sso you acted honorably."
Ki'lal was surprised at his commander's grasp of Klingon customs. But
he also felt like there was a trap somewhere, he knew he couldn't be getting
off this easy.
Sortha continued: "However, that doesn't excuse you from the
consequences. Do you know what a Klingon captain would do in this
ssituation? What he would do to you for dissobeying orders? He would kill
you on the bridge in front of the crew as an example to presserve
disscipline!" Ki'lal gulped. He had heard rumours of the Gorn's battle with
the Klingon invaders on the bridge...something about a messy turbolift.
"However, in cases where personal honor was involved, there is an
alternative, ...at the captain's discretion...trial by Mak'bah" Sortha said.
"You acted by Klingon standardss Lieutenant, and you will be judged by
Klingon standardss. I didn't report this to Starfleet, and I didn't put this
on your record, but... you will join me in holodeck 1.....now."
Holodeck
Ki'lal flared his nostrils and breathed in the hot sultry air. He was
standing in a large stone room with glaring red lights intersperced with
shadows. He was garbed in traditional Klingon Mah'Barrah robes, a simple
heavy white tunic. Arrayed around him were ten large burly Klingon warriors
in full battle armor. They were armed with pain sticks. Sortha, also robed
in Klingon attire, looking even more menacing than ever, stood to one side.
Ki'lal knew the Makbah. He had heard of it. He steeled himself to face the
ordeal ahead.
Sortha strode forth and clapped his large claws thrice. In a large
booming voice he simply proclaimed: "WARRIOR, SHOW US YOUR HEART AND BE
EXPUNGED OF YOUR TRANSGRESSION!" in fair Klingonese.
Ki'lal squared off against the Klingons. He knew of what lay ahead, and
he embraced it as a lover embraces their partner. He would show his heart,
he would survive and succeed. The battle commenced. Slowly, methodically
the burly Klingon warriors wore him down until he was gasping for breath.
Three of the Klingon warriors lay around the room either unconscious or
dead. Then they renewed the assault. Ki'lal was beaten visciously, he felt
several ribs break, and he was covered with bruises, scrapes and cuts.
Obviously the holodeck safeties had been disengaged. He broke one
attacker's neck, but paid for it by getting his own arm broke. Finally he
was beaten to his knees unable to rise, and he steeled himself for the next
phase. The Klingon warriors moved in and now employed the pain sticks.
Ki'lal's battle shifted to simply remaining conscious as he kneeled
helpless. Repeatedly then stunned him. After some time, the Klingon leader
called a halt. The ordeal was over. With a long bestial shout Ki'lal
screamed his victory and satisfaction and glanced at Sortha with pride... and
promptly fell unconscious.
Sickbay, USS Stealth
Lieutenant Ki'lal awoke in sickbay. He vaguely remembers something
large picking him off the deck, but nothing more. As he regained
consciousness he heard Sortha say to Lieutenant Aries: "......holodeck accident."
Aries looked at Kilal closely, "Lieutenant, lieutenant can you
understand me? What happened Lieutenant?"
Ki'lal was fully awake now. With a ferocious Klingon snarl he barked at
Aries, "holodeck accident!"
Lieutenant Aries crossed his arms and looked at Ki'lal "some accident...
well I repaired everything. You're as good as new. But I'd be more careful
in the holodeck if I were you."
With a snort, Ki'lal jumped off the table. Sortha and Ki'lal went out
the doors and headed down the hall. Ki'lal started to head for his cabin,
but Sortha stopped him "Lieutenant, there's an empty spot at Tactical up on
the bridge. It needs a tough officer to mann it."
Ki'lal smiled a tooth Klingon smile, "Yes sir!"
"And ass the humanss ssay... you did kick assss on the DohQay."
Sortha put his arm across his chest and snarled in Klingon fashion, and
Ki'lal snarled back. Then Sortha thumped Ki'lal on the chest with one of his
massive hands, bouncing him back several feet. Ki'lal returned the warrior's
greeting and thumped Sortha with a blow that probably would have crushed a
human Sortha admitted to himself. Together the two warriors headed for the
bridge. Soon they would get a chance to battle the Dominion, and both
rejoiced in the thoughts of battle that lay ahead.
=============================================================
USS Stealth
Internal Message
Stardate 9703.02
"Admiral Jaegar to Commander Sortha. Please assemble your command crew in
the conference room in a half hour. I'd like to go over our mission briefing
with them before we arrive at Deep Space Nine. Once we get there, we're
staying just long enough to pick up Summers and his people and then proceed
on -- to the Cardassian/Federation Demilitarized Zone."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO:Stealth/Subterfuge
Lt. Ayer
Cardassia Prime
Stardate 9704.03
"We have arrived at the Cardassian Homeworld," a Jem'Hadar soldier reported.
Another Jem'Hadar soldier on the bridge said, "Gul Dukat is waiting to
speak with us."
The Founder nodded, "Very well." He then turned towards Ayer, "Well
Ayer, are you ready?"
Ayer smiled and said, "I'll always be ready." The transporter beam then
shaded his sight from the bridge of the Jem'Hadar warship and transported the
two Founders down to Cardassia Prime. As soon as they arrived, three
Jem'Hadar soldiers immediately fell in behind them, safe-guarding two of
their gods. It didn't take very long for the small party to reach Dukat's
office. There, in front of the doorway stood a gigantic statue of Dukat, his
face gleaming with pride as he looked down at his people.
A secretary was at the door waiting to escort them to Dukat. When they
arrived, Dukat was standing with his back towards them while he looked out
the window towards the rest of Cardassia. Hearing some footsteps, Dukat
immediately turned and said, "Ah...It's so good to see you again, Jeret. How
was the mission?" Then looking at Ayer, the Cardassian said, "Successful, I presume?"
The Founder, now identified as Jeret, nodded and said, "The plan worked
as we had predicted but there were a few complications. Our ships never
expected an ambush or the defeat the boarding parties suffered. However, the
main part of the plan was successful. We manage to reclaim one of our own."
Dukat smiled, "I will see to it that the officers who were involved in
this plan would be punished for their oversight in the complications." Dukat
then returned his gaze at Ayer, "Hello Ayer. I am Gul Dukat, leader of the
Cardassian people. It seems you were on quite an adventure but thankfully,
you managed to find your way back to your own people."
Ayer nodded and smiled, "The thanks, dear Gul, does not go to me but
rather to Cardassia and the Dominion. I have just learned of the alliance
between our people and yours and I'm proud to be friends with you all.
"For years, the Dominion had tried to be peace-makers with all races in
the galaxy. Yet, they were constantly rejected by others, never trusted nor
tolerated. But now, because of you, Gul Dukat, you have paved the way for
peace between us. You are the one who had understood us and for that, we
thank you."
Dukat's smile was getting bigger and bigger and when Ayer had finished,
Dukat laughed and clapped, "Marvelous! Marvelous! Oh, how could we have
missed him during all these times, Jeret. That speech was one of the best
that I've ever heard. It is a pity that we couldn't rescue him earlier."
"But we finally have and he is now one of us," Jeret replied. The
Founder then turned to look at Ayer, "May you please excuse us, Ayer? Dukat
and I need to talk."
Ayer nodded in understanding, "Of course. I'll see you later," he
turned towards Dukat, "it's been a pleasure talking to you."
Dukat was pleased as he said, "And to you as well. If you need
anything, just ask the guards."
After Ayer left the room, the door slid shut and a faint locking sound
could be heard. Dukat turned towards Jeret and said, "He seems quite genuine."
Jeret stared blankly at the floor as he said, "During the link I had
with him, I could feel his desire to return back to his own people. I gave
him that chance and he leaped at it. He never spared a doubt about coming
back to his own people. However, I still feel that he harboured some
thoughts about the Federation and his ties to it. It's too soon to tell but
when the time comes, we'll find out where his true loyalty lies."
Dukat had lost all trace of humor now and only possessed a blank face.
He knew Ayer was hiding something and his loyalty to the Dominion was too
soon to be determined. He said, "I've already attached surveillance cameras
in his room and I've dispatched a few of my intelligence officers to follow
him at all times. However, if he decides to use his shapeshifting ability,
we can't be certain to track him down. Perhaps you can spare a changeling to
help with the task."
Jeret seemed reluctant to do so, "There are only a few of us here and
our services are greatly needed...but..." Jeret paused for a moment then
continued, "I'll see what I can do. If you'll excuse me, I have business to
tend to." With the farewell said, the transporter beam locked onto Jeret and
beamed him away.
=============================================================
Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
Onboard Deep Space Nine
Stardate 9704.03
Tyrian awoke as the buzzer to his quarters sounded, he answered the
door to find a klingon warrior standing there. "Summers, you are to come
with me, the General wishes to speak to you." Tyrian pulled his uniform
jacket on as he followed the klingon out the door and to a docking port on
the main docking ring where a bird of prey was docked.
The klingon led him to a small room onboard and stood outside as Tyrian
entered. General Martok was seated on a hard looking bunk and looked up at
Tyrian, "Ahh, Summers, I am meeting you here because I am sure it is a secure
location, I want no one to hear what is being planned for you, it appears
that I may have something for you after all. Our intellegence reports that
the last known position of the Jem'Hadar ship carrying your changeling is
headed straight for Cardassia Prime. Gowron wishes me to find someone to
find and infiltrate the main area on Cardassia that the changelings are
positioned at and report this information back, and if possible, kill as many
as possible to show them that we have no intention of standing by and letting
them take over the system. You asked me if I needed some help, and I do. It
is not easy to surgically alter a klingon to look Cardassian, but it is much
easier to do to a human, and we don't have a lot of time.
"Two birds of prey are lying in ambush for a Cardassian cruiser
travelling a short distance from the planet. The Cardassian cruiser is
scheduled to drop off a shuttle carrying Gul Darach, a newly appointed high
ranking security officer with the new government. After the Cardassian
cruiser goes to warp my forces will jam transmissions and capture the shuttle
and replace the Gul with a look alike...........you. I have done an
investigation on you, a Shadow Operations operative would be a perfect
candidate for this mission."
Tyrian thought about it, Sortha would not be happy if he wasn't here
when the Stealth arrived, whenever that would be, but if he stayed and did
nothing he would regret it he was sure. Anyway, if he did go, chances were
he wouldn't survive the incursion into the heart of the Dominion/Cardassian
alliance, and if he was successful, he would retrieve valuable information
and possibly Ayer.
Tyrian smiled at Martok and said, "When do I leave?"
The General said, "Immediately, I will notify your Captain when he
arrives that you are doing an honorable favor for the klingon empire. You
will be surgically altered and briefed on the way."
His physical alterations were almost complete aboard the bird of prey
as it approached the coordinates of the ambush site that should have taken
place by now. Lt. Jackson was not happy when Tyrian had told him that he was
leaving on a top secret mission, but had accepted it after Tyrian told him
that he had no choice but to.
After the surgery was complete, Tyrian looked in a mirror and saw the
face of a vicious looking Cardassian staring back at him............surgical
alterations could do wonders. He was informed that the other birds of prey
had completed their mission and that the Gul was in custody...........dead.
Tyrian went to the transporter room and beamed over to the bird of prey that
had the shuttle onboard.
The klingon commander led him to the lifeless body of Gul Darach, whose
face looked just very similar to the one he now wore. Tyrian boarded the
Cardassian shuttle and aquanted himself quickly with the controls, and
prepared to launch, when all of a sudden he heard alerts sounding all over
the klingon ship.
He tapped the controls of the shuttle and asked the bridge what was
happening. The klingon commander sounded upset as he growled to Tyrian,
"Standby.........we have Jem'Hadar ships closing on our position at maximum warp."
Tyrian got out of the shuttle quickly and ran through the dim, cramped
corridors of the bird of prey to the bridge. The klingons were hurrying
around, he heard the commander shout orders to decloak, the other two klingon
ships had decloaked and raised shields already to prepare for the imminant
attack. The Jem'Hadar had a nasty habit of detecting cloaked ships.
Tyrian glance at a control terminal and saw to his dismay that there was
eight Jem'Hadar warships headed straight for them, he knew the klingons would
not surrender, so he would have to think up a new game plan quickly. Tyrian
yelled something in the commander's ear and ran off. He ran back to his
shuttle and launched. After he had gone a short distance the klingon ship
put him in a tractor beam and he fired a couple of small phaser blasts at it.
The Jem'Hadar ships were just coming into distance, on thier first pass
they destroyed one of the birds of prey quickly, causing it to explode into a
million pieces. Another bird of prey lost its right wing and went spiraling
out of control. Two Jem'Hadar ships followed it and finished it off also.
The other ship didn't last much longer, Tyrian lowered his head as he saw
his ticket home blow apart, sending pieces all over the place, including some
into his shuttle, rocking it all over the place, Tyrian tapped the controls
furiously to compensate for it.
The Jem'Hadar ships set up formation around him and then one tractored
him towards it. Tyrian felt himself dematerialize as they beamed him into
their ship. He had been beamed into what appeared to be the bridge.
There were six Jem'Hadar soldiers and their commanding Vorta there. The
Vorta stepped forward and said, "Gul Darach, I am Sintara, Vorta in charge of
this ship, I see that you have not been harmed, we will return you to
Cardassia..............after we confirm you are who you say you are."
One of the Jem'Hadar looked away from a stange looking facial terminal
that hung down from the ceiling and shouted, "I just anyalized his transport
records, he is human!"
=============================================================
Lt. Kalahna Jarnell
Quarters, USS Stealth
Stardate 9704.03
Lt. Kalahna Jarnell smoothed her uniform and checked herself out in the
mirror. She wanted to look professional when she reported for duty. She was
curious to see what the Admiral and Commander had in store for them. As she
left her room, she made sure she was up to date on the status of her ops
station- beyond that, she didn't know what else to prepare for... so she
mentally prepared for anything...
She arrives at the briefing on time.
=============================================================
Lieutenant Thoraz Brynaziir
Counselor's Office
Stardate 9704.03
Thoraz was in his office, reviewing the personnel records of the new crew
members when the intercom chimed. "Time for this later," he thought. As he
proceeded down the corridor to the turbolift his thoughts turned to Ayer. He
wondered what was happening to him.
"When we near DS9 I think I will try scanning for him' thought Thoraz,
off in world of his own until another crew member asked if he was entering
the lift. Leaving the turbolift, Thoraz headed straight for the conference room.
END TRANSMISSION
Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
Onboard Jem'Hadar Warship
Stardate 9704.04
The Jem'Hadar looked from his display terminal and yelled, "I just
checked the transporter record, he is human!" Tyrian did not hesitate, he
drew his Cardassian pistol and blasted the soldier, sending him backwards in
midair as his chest exploded.
Another soldier broke away from his terminal and ran at Tyrian, but he
was too quick for the soldier as he raised his leg up to his head and caught
him across the face with a strong kick that knocked him off his feet. Tyrian
then aimed and shot the bridge door controls to buy himself some time.Tyrian
ducked behind a floor mounted display terminal and just started shooting
around the bridge.
The Vorta screamed, "Take him alive!!! We need to interrogate him!!!"
The Jem'Hadar were not happy at this order as shots were landing all
around them. A Jem'Hadar jumped up and was cut down by a shot from Tyrian's
pistol that hit him square in the face. The remaining four Jem'Hadar decided
to attack at once, they jumped up and charged Tyrian's position. Tyrian was
able to take out two of them with his pistol before the other two jumped on
him and wrestled the pistol out of his hand.
Tyrian landed a solid elbow to the small nose of the one who had his
pistol, knocking the gun from his grasp but away from Tyrian. Tyrian was
able to get a strangle hold on one of them, and then snapped his neck. The
other Jem'Hadar soldier grabbed Tyrian by the back of his shoulders and threw
him into a control panel with a loud breaking sound as he hit. The soldier
grabbed Tyrian again, but he broke the hold and punched him in the neck and
then kneed him in the stomach, doubling him over.
But the soldier wasn't through, he grabbed Tyrians legs and picked him
up off the ground and ran with him into the bridge wall. Tyrian was bent
over backwards over a control panel with the Jem'Hadar on top of him with a
strangle hold. The soldier was extremely powerful, Tyrian could feel the
life being choked out of him, he grasped at whatever he could, he pulled the
K-white tube out of the soldier causing him to flinch in pain.
This gave Tyrian the opportunity he needed, he broke the hold and hit
him with a elbow and then grabbed his arm and flipped him over to the floor.
Tyrian ran to his pistol and shot the soldier as he came at him again.
Tyrian knew he didn't have much time, he ran to the Vorta and grabbed him
around the neck with his Cardassian looking arm and lifted him off the ground
and growled, "I need to know where the Founders are at on Cardassia
Prime........and you will tell me or you will die."
The Vorta gasped for breath and said between breaths,
"I.......do'nt.......know.......its .....kept secret."
Tyrian tightened his grip, and as he did the Vorta started to
dematerialize as he was beamed out and more Jem'Hadar soldiers beamed onto
the bridge. The bridge door blew inward at the same time with an explosion
of fire and even more Jem'Hadar soldiers ran in, fully armed. Tyrian was
surrounded. The bridge was overloaded by Jem'Hadar which circled him. Tyrian
knew even though he trained against outnumbering odds on the holodeck, there
was no way out of this situation. He slowly lowered his pistol, a large
Jem'Hadar stepped forward and took the pistol from him, then Tyrian felt a
hard blow to the back of him head that brought him down to his hands and
knees, then blacked out when another Jem'Hadar hit him in the head again with
his rifle.
=============================================================
Lt. Ayer
Cardassia Prime
Stardate 9704.04
After spending six hours regenerating in a gelatinous state, the time
was right to go back to being a solid. However, morphing back to a human
would attract too much attention. Instead, he decided to morph into a lesser
detailed humanoid, a face similar to another changeling's, Odo. At least it
will identified him as one of the Founders.
"A Founder," Ayer thought to himself. "Once I shied away from them, but
now I'm proud to be part of the Dominion."
As he walked out of his quarters, he saw two Cardassian guards
patrolling the hallway. Ayer suspected they were spying on him but also knew
that if he were in Dukat's position, he would take the same precautions.
Dukat had allowed Ayer free access to anywhere on the planet so the
changeling decided to meet an old aquaintance. He decided foregoing using
the transporter as it would attract some unwanted attention. Instead, Ayer
stepped out into the compound and morphed himself into an Itarian Vulture.
He would fly towards his destination instead.
It took almost ten hours flying across the continent but with the spread
of his ten meter long wingspan, it was an enjoyable trip. He touched off a
few kilometers away from his destination and morphed himself into one of the
Cardassian he had impersonated before. When he arrived at his destination, a
Cardassian stepped out of his building and came walking towards Ayer with a
huge grin on his face.
"Gul Turan! It's good to see you again!," the Cardassian laughed with
joy. "I was afraid the Orion Syndicate had you killed."
Ayer shook his head, "Not this time, Gul Maran, although there were a
few times when I was almost discovered."
"Hahaha, signs of age coming on to you, I see. I remember when there
was a time when you wouldn't even let a Tellerian bettle crawl by unnoticed,"
Gul Maran joked. "But is it ever good to see you alive and whole. Come
inside and we'll talk."
Ayer joined with Gul Maran and they both walked back to the building.
After spending hours talking and exchanging information, they came upon the
subject of the recent Cardassian/Dominion activities.
"This new alliance is the best thing that Cardassia has ever had ever
since the occupation of Bajor," Gul Maran contemplated. "Already we've won
back our lost colonies from the Klingons. A strong race but highly lacking
in intelligence."
Ayer laughed, "We dealt them a harsh blow there but it's a pity the plan
to take back DS9 didn't work. It would've paved the way for greater power."
"That it would my friend. However, I hear we did manage to reclaim one
of the Founders back from a Klingon Bird of Prey. Who would have imagined, a
Founder serving with Klingons after all these times, must have been tough for
the changeling."
"It probably would but for once, Gul Maran, your source was wrong," Ayer
smiled as he saw the surprised look on the Gul's face. "The changeling was
actually a Starfleet officer serving with a secret intelligence agency known
as Shadow Ops. He encountered a serious mishap in one of his mission and had
to be taken to DS9 for treatment. They couldn't spare a ship so they had to
use an old Klingon ship and you are aware of what happens afterwards."
Gul Maran sighed, "It seems you're not the only one getting old. My
sources aren't reliable anymore, it seems I may have to terminate some of
them. But there's a recent piece of information which just came in not too
long ago. It seems eight Jem'Hadar warships managed to destroy some Klingon
Bird of Preys. The Klingons were apparently attempting to replace one of the
Guls, Gul Darach I believe, with a human but the human was discovered and is
now a prisoner of the Dominion. They suspect he is also working with this
Shadow Ops and is taking him here to Cardassia Prime for interrogation."
Ayer's feelings changed to fear as he wondered who the prisoner was.
However, he managed to keep his face calm as he said, "It seems there are
too many Federation agents in our territory. For all we know, you or I can
be one as well."
Gul Maran burst out laughing as he considered the irony of that,
"Hahaha, imagine that, Federation agents!" After a while, Gul Maran calmed
down, "Ahhhh, Gul Turan, I'm glad the years hadn't worn down your sense of
humor."
They spent several more hours talking and joking before Ayer decided to
go. They said a quick farewell and after dissapearing from Gul Maran's
sight, Ayer morphed himself back to the Itarian Vulture and flew back while
his mind raced with the thoughts on the prisoner.
=============================================================
Cardassian Prime
Central Command
Stardate 9704.04
Lt. Tyrian Summers was awakened by the jolt of ice cold water being
splashed on him. He regained consciousness and looked around groggily. His
head was spliting with a headache, after being slammed twice with the butt of
a Jem'Hadar rifle.
Summers took an account of where he was and realized he had been stripped
of his clothing. He was tied to a chair in the middle of a dark room, but he
could faintly hear voices to one side of the darkened chamber.
Pushing against his restraints, Summers tried to get free but found that
his captors had secured both his ankles and wrists to the sturdy duraplast
chair. Nearby, in the shadows, he could make out the hulking figure of a
humanoid being holding what looked to be a bucket.
"He is awake," a deep voice reported from the shadowy being. A light in
the far corner of the room snapped on and enough illumination fell across the
being beside him that Tyrian could tell it was a Jem'Hadar soldier.
Beneath the light, however, Tyrian could see a Cardassian male seated at
a desk, filing his fingernails. He slowly glanced over at Summers and stood.
Setting down the file, the Cardassian stepped around the desk and stared at
Tyrian Summers.
With his clothing removed and enough light hitting him that he could see
his own body, Tyrian realized he'd been unconscious a lot longer than a rifle
butt would have left him. Long enough, in fact, that the Cardassians or
Dominion had reversed his cosmetic alterations so he was no longer Cardassian
in appearance.
"So glad you could join us," the Cardassian said dryly. "Please state
your name and the government you serve."
Tyrian remained silent, glaring across the room at the pompous Gul. He
had heard many horror stories about Cardassian interrogators, but he never
imagined he'd have to face one first hand.
"Very well, be stubborn," the Cardassian said, retrieving a PADD from his
desk. He pressed a button on the face of the device and Summers suddenly
cried out in agony.
Tyrian felt as if pure electricity was pulsing through every bone and
every muscle in his body. He stiffened in the chair and screamed
uncontrollably. The pain soon stopped and the Gul stood watching him coldly,
with no remorse or compassion on his stone-like face.
"I am Gul Madred. You and I will become well acquainted in the days to
come. You are going to tell me how you, a human, came to be disguised as a
Cardassian -- with the face of a Gul, no less -- aboard a Klingon ship? You
will tell me who you are working for and then I will tell you what else it is
I want from you. Do you understand, human?"
"Go to Hell," Tyrian spat, still recovering from the agony he'd been
subjected to.
The Gul pressed the PADD again and seering pain blasted through every
inch of Tyrian's body. He thrashed around in the chair and a scream was torn
from his throat. When the pain finally ended Tyrian sat with his head
lowered, panting hard to catch his breath. Beside him, the Jem'Hadar soldier
stepped closer and grabbed the back of his hair, yanking his head back so he
was facing Gul Madred again.
"You're wondering what is causing the pain? It is a device implanted under
your skin and attached to your nervous system. It is quite effective, don't
you think?" Madred said.
"So, you think you are strong. Others have thought as you do, but I have
broken the spirits of many who have come to sit in that chair. I even had the
great Starfleet captain Jean Luc Picard practically begging for mercy just a
few years ago. He was perhaps the toughest human I've ever interrogated, but
you certainly do not have what it takes. You will be broken and you will tell
me what I want to know.
"Now, what do you have to say, human?" Madred said, his finger poised over
the button on the PADD again....
=============================================================
USS Stealth
Conference Room
Stardate 9704.04
With the command crew assembled, Admiral Erik Jaegar entered the
conference room and was seated at the end opposite Commander Sortha. The
admiral looked concerned as he took his seat and looked around at the staff.
"Thank you for joining me," Jaegar said. "Let me start out by relating
some disturbing news to all of you I just received from Deep Space Nine. It
seems the Stealth's tactical officer, Tyrian Summers, volunteered for some
kind of mission with the Klingons stationed at DS9. He was aboard a Klingon
Bird of Prey believed destroyed trying to infiltrate Cardassian space. It is
unknown if Summers was aboard that ship when it was destroyed or not, but the
alternative is that he is now a prisoner of the Cardassian/Dominion alliance.
I'm sorry to bear this bad news. We should know more when we can talk to
General Martok at DS9.
"But, that aside, we have a mission to get on with. The Stealth is being
sent to the Federation/Cardassian border to help the U.S.S. Repulse, another
Shadow Ops ship, locate several strategic targets in Cardassian space. Once
these targets are identified, it will be the mission of the Shadow Ops teams
on this ship and the Repulse to take care of the problems.
"For months leading up to this sudden change in Cardassian politics, the
Federation was helping the Dutapa Council out in every way we could, to help
strengthen Cardassia with hope we could forge an alliance with them against
the Dominion. In our efforts to help rebuild the Cardassian Union after its
war with the Klingons, the Federation Council gave several type 8 industrial
replicators to the Cardassians.
"The first shipment of these replicators were captured by the Maquis, but
we secretly sent a second shipment of three more replicators to the
Cardassians about two months ago. With the changing tides in the Cardassian
government, we've now decided to take back this generous gift.
"Stealth, using its enhanced sensors, will scan Cardassian space from the
DMZ to locate as many of these replicators as we can, determine what kind of
defenses are around them and then it will be up to strikes teams from the
Repulse or Stealth to destroy them.
"Our second target will be even more interesting. When the Jem'Hadar fleet
came through the wormhole and headed into Cardassian space, our monitoring
stations detected one Jem'Hadar ship that was a little different than the rest."
Jaegar inputted some information into the computer console before him and
a holographic image of a small ship appeared floating in air above the table.
It was certainly of Dominion origin, but it was not quite a warship.
"This ship is a production vessel the Vorta will use to generate White
for the Jem'Hadar serving in the Cardassian task force. We believe this ship
will be set up somewhere on or orbiting a Cardassian planet. The Vorta will
probably use more Cardassians to protect the White than they will use
Jem'Hadar, since this is the very substance that keep their soldiers in line.
Starfleet wants both the replicators and the White production ship destroyed."
"What's so important about the replicators?" Brynaziir asked.
"We're not so worried about the Dominion capturing our technology,
because as far as we can tell they have replicators already. But the problem
is the Jem'Hadar will be able to use these industrial replicators to build
more ships, weapons and supplies. They won't have to worry about a supply
pipeline from the Dominion on the other side of the wormhole, they can create
whatever they want right here in the Alpha Quadrant with those replicators.
They will also be able to help arm the Cardassians with droves of Jem'Hadar
weapons," Jaegar explained.
"I see your point," Brynaziir said.
"So where do we rendezvous with the Repulse and where do they come in to
all of this?" Ki'lal asked.
"The Repulse is in the Cardassian/Federation DMZ right now trying to make
contact with the Maquis. We believe it is time to mend relations with the
Maquis, since the Dominion is now helping the Cardassians hunt the Maquis
down and exterminate them. We're hoping Captain Sakata and his crew will be
able to obtain some information from the Maquis by the time we rendezvous
with the Repulse in the DMZ.
"Are there any questions?"
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Interrogation
Commander Sortha
Conference Room
Stardate 9704.04
"Perhapsss if the opportunity presentsss itself Admiral, we might do
sssomething that will harm the Dominion much more than sssimply dessstroying
their White Ssship?" Sortha stated with heavily accented hissing. He usually
hissed more when he was thinking and talking at the same time.
"What is that Commander?" Admiral Jaeger asked.
"If we were able to inject the White on the White ssship with a time delay
biological antogen, thousands of Jem' Hadar soldiers could be killed
sssimultaneoussly. If Sstarfleet, the Klingon Empire and the Romulan
Imperial Fleet launched an offensssive and engaged the Dominion in a major
battle at the time the antogen activated, their ssshipsss would be crippled
and easy targets for us." Sortha continued.
The Admiral smiled. "That approach has been proposed in the past by Lt.
Jack Dark aboard the U.S.S. Repulse. He and Dr. Bashir on Deep Space Nine
actually developed a time-release virus that could have seriously
incapacitated the Jem'Hadar. Starfleet frowned upon the idea when it was
proposed several months ago. However, maybe the time is upon us to reconsider
this virus. I will consult Starfleet Command, but you know that introducing
the virus so the Dominion doesn't detect it is going to be difficult."
"Nothing with the Dominion is easy, sir," Sortha responded.
"If there's nothing else from the crew, then you are dismissed. We'll
continue on the DS9 to recover the rest of our crew and then its on to the
DMZ," Jaegar said, concluding the briefing.
=============================================================
Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
On Cardassia Prime
Stardate 9704.05
Tyrian could barely see the pain was so intense. He could hardly feel
his appendages, much less move them. The Cardassian had been interrogating
him for over three hours, but Tyrian still would not talk, not because he
really had important information, but because he was just stubborn by nature.
He knew no matter what he told them, they would still torture him, so
why give them the satisfaction of winning? Gul Madred seemed to be getting
tired of Tyrian's lack of cooperation as he said, "Once again, I will ask,
who are you and why are you here?"
Tyrian could'nt raise his head up anymore, his chin was resting on his
upper chest, he said weakly, "I will die before I tell you the time of day."
The Cardassian smiled as he replied, "That, my friend, can be arranged."
He triggered his PADD again and Tyrian writhed in pain for what seemed to
him an eternity, the Cardassian would let up for a few seconds to let Tyrian
catch his breath then hit him with the torture again, this went on about
eight or nine times. The last thing Tyrian saw before he lost concousness
was the outline of Gul Madred as he and the Jem'Hadar soldier walked forward
towards him.
The Gul turned to the Jem'Hadar and said, stay and guard him, I will be
back tommorrow after he has had a chance to rest, I will send someone to
relieve you in six hours. With that the Gul walked out the door of the
small, dark room.
=============================================================
Lt. Ayer
Cardassia Prime
Stardate 9704.05
As soon as Ayer arrived back at Dukat's building, Jeret quickly rushed
forward. "Ayer, it's good to see you again. Please follow me, I have an
important task for you to perform."
Without question, Ayer followed the Founder back into the building.
There were a lot of questions in his mind but he wisely kept them quiet.
Jeret took him back to his quarters where he then said, "I'll be back in
eight hours where I'll take you to meet someone. Before then, I suggest you
return back to your liquid state for some rest. I have a feeling you're
going to need all of your energy for the task that lays ahead of you."
Ayer was surprised at Jeret's orders but made no move to question them.
Nodding his head, he walked into his quarters and did exactly what the
Founder had told him to do. After eight hours had passed, Jeret came and
told Ayer to follow him. He then led the changeling towards Dukat's office.
As they went in, Dukat was sitting behind his desk, watching their
arrival. As the two changelings approached Dukat, he said, "Ahhh, Ayer, come
in. I think there's something you need to know but with the training that
you received in Starfleet, you probably are aware already that there we have
captured a human prisoner, a colleague of yours, I believe. His name is
Tyrian...I see by the expression from your face that you know of this person.
We've ran an identity check for his name and we found that he was also
working in Shadow Ops, wasn't that where you're from?"
Ayer nodded, "Yes, he and I served together. We weren't on the best of
terms during the training that we had together. He was always too bent on
revenge with the Dominion and had always wanted to destroy the Founders. I
personally found no particular thrill in working with him."
Dukat smiled, "Then I see you won't have a problem interrogating him."
The shock was so profound that Ayer was barely able to keep a straight
face, then slowly recovering his self-control, he allowed himself to smile
for the benefit of Dukat and Jeret, "I would be honored to have this
privilige. However, I don't have a lot of experience in this sort of thing.
Perhaps it would be better to have one of your trained Cardassian to do the
work, they would be able to get more information from him that I ever would..."
Dukat interrupted, "I have already assigned one of my best interrogators
to do the job. However, according to Dominion and Cardassian records, we
know you had lived in Cardassian, Romulan, Klingon, and Federation space and
in all four territories, you had immersed yourself in all of their military
teachings, with interrogation as one of the skills. With all four different
type of methods, it is easier for you to obtain the information, plus the
fact that you had spent more time with him and know more about him than any of us."
Ayer was truly surprised this time and couldn't keep the surprise away
from his face, "You do keep quite an eye for me, don't you."
Jeret, who had been relatively quiet during the conversation, decided to
join in, "We, the Founders, have always taken an interest in all of our children."
To refuse further would have cause for suspicion. There was no way to
evade this anymore so Ayer agreed for the job, "What you say is true. I do
know him, his strengths and weaknesses have been shown during the times we've
spent together. I promise to both the Dominion and the Cardassian that I'll
have the informations that he possess even if it means killing him."
The Cardassian had a sly smile on his face as he said, "Oh, I don't want
you to kill him, just break him." The door then opened and Gul Madred came
in, "I am finished for today. He didn't break but I guarantee that either by
tommorow or the day after, I'll get the information from him."
"Ahhh, Gul Madred, I'm sorry to inform you that your services for this
task are no longer needed," Dukat said with a regretable tone to his voice.
He then waved a hand towards Ayer, "I have found a replacement for you."
It was clear that Gul Madred wasn't happy with the decision as he was
glaring at the changeling. However, he was smart enough to not get on the
bad side of both the Founders and Dukat. He nodded his head stifly and
walked out the room. Ayer decided he better get started and headed towards
the interrogation chamber.
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Torture
Lt. Ayer
Cardassia Prime - Interrogation Chamber
Stardate 9704.06
Tyrian looked up as the door into the small chamber opened. He expected
it to be Gul Madred again but when the figure walked in, Tyrian was truly
surprised as he saw that it was a person who he thought may never see again.
Feelings of hope of escape rose as he struggled against the locks which held
his hands together, "Ayer, hurry! The Cardassian may be here at anytime.
There is a control panel beside the door, if you can deactivate it, we might
be..." He stopped as he saw the changeling carefully observing him. "What's
wrong? It's me, Tyrian, don't you remember me?"
There were many things Ayer had went through in his life and no one
could understand what he was about to do except for himself. However, what
he was about to do would cost him dearly. Slowly, Ayer walked up towards his
old team-mate, "Tyrian, during our training together, we had developed a bond
between us. Perhaps it was because we both had relations with the Dominion
or because we were both outcasts within ourselves but whatever it was, I want
you to know that whatever might happen, things will turn out for the best."
"I don't understand. Did something happen to you when you were
captured?" Tyrian then paused as understanding dawned upon him. "You're one
of them now, aren't you? You have become one of the Founders. I should have
killed you when I had the chance. You remember that time, don't you? We
were just outside the conference room. If Thoraz hadn't showed up when he
did, your life would be over." As Tyrian poured his rage over at the
changeling, Ayer could only stand and watch with a solemn face. "Very well,
be one of them then. They've sent you to kill me, didn't they? It doesn't
really matter anymore, but before I die, just remember that the Federation
will not hold back, one day, they will attack and when they do, you and your
kind will be extinct."
Ayer stood silent for a moment then said, "They didn't sent me to kill
you. They sent me to interrogate you." He then walked over towards the
table standing at the corner and picked up the PADD. He then started asking
the first question, "What is your name?"
Tyrian remained silent as was expected. Holding the PADD tightly under
his hand, Ayer softly said, "I'm sorry, Tyrian" and triggered the torture
device. He watched as Tyrian writhed under blinding pain as jolts of
electricity rushed through his systems. He repeated the process over and
over again, and each time, he asked questions which were designed to weaken
the mental capabilities of the victim's mind. After about twelve hours of
intense torture, Ayer felt he had accomplished the first step. He turned to
look at Tyrian straight in the eyes and asked, "What is your name?"
Tyrian could barely hold his head up as he softly spoke, "T..T..yrian."
That was all Ayer needed and he walked towards the door. As he opened it, a
Jem'Hadar soldier was there. He addressed the soldier, "Take him to one of
the prison cells and bring him some food. I don't want him to die before I'm
through with him." The soldier nodded and went in to the chamber. By the
time Ayer returned to his quarters, his emotional detachment had already
deteriorated and he slowly sank into his regenerative state, thinking of the
horrors he had just placed one of his friends through.
=============================================================
USS Stealth
En Route to Deep Space Nine
Stardate 9704.06
"Commander Sortha. We are entering the Bajor system," Kalahna Jarnell
announced from Ops, a touch of hapiness to her voice as she announced the
ship's arrival in her home solar system.
"Helm, take uss to impulse sspeed," Sortha said. "Notify Deep Sspace Nine
we'll be docking sshortly to pick up the crew of the Sseldar."
The Stealth then dropped out of warp and began its final approach to DS9...
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Death Sentence
Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
On Cardassia Prime
Stardate 9704.07
Tyrian awoke in the dark, he had no idea how long he had been uncouncous,
but it must have been a long time after the torture he had endured. He rose
up slowly, all the muscles in his body were sore. He walked slowly in the
dark, feeling his way around. He was in a small holding cell, it was a seven
foot by seven foot square cell with no windows, there was a small vent in the
ceiling that air was flowing into the from, but it was much too small to be
an escape route. Tyrian found some scraps of food in the corner, and also
his uniform had been placed in there, minus weapons and communicator of
course. He put on his uniform and then sat down in the corner with his back
against the wall. Ayer would pay for his backstabbing ways, Tyrian knew he
should have killed it when he had the chance, he would'nt make that mistake
again, if the opportunity arose, which Tyrian was pretty sure it would'nt.
He could have been a hero, and the universe would be one changeling less,
but no, now look how events had turned out. But what Tyrian could'nt
understand was why the Cardassians wanted information from him, everything he
knew, Ayer also knew, except how he had come into being in the company of
Klingons, but that was almost obvious, he had been going to retrieve Ayer.
Tyrian shook his head, scolding himself for being so stupid. He laid back
down to get some more rest before the torture began again.
=============================================================
Gul Dukat's Office
Cardassia Prime
Stardate 9704.07
Dukat and the Changeling Jeret werewaiting for Ayer when he arrived at the
Gul's office.
"You asked to see me?" Ayer said.
"We did," Jeret said. "We have been reviewing the logs of your
interrogation of Summers and found your work quite impressive."
"Yes, you put poor old Gul Madred to shame," Dukat said smiling. "I guess
it's time for Madred to retire from being an interrogator."
Jeret turned to Ayer, "There is one more thing we need you to take care
of, Ayer. We have come to the conclusion that Summers is nothing more than a
low level operative. He doesn't know enough about Shadow Ops to be of any use
to us. We want you to execute him.
"When you're finished with that, we need to talk again. Dukat and I have
decided to send you back to the Federation. You will resume your place within
Shadow Operations under the guise that we healed you and gave you the choice
-- stay with the Great Link or return. You, naturally, chose your solid
friends. You will return and make yourself useful to us in Shadow Ops,
stealing intelligence data and information about the organization and sending
it back. Then, when the time is right, you will be called upon to strike a
blow against Shadow Operations. Until then, you will resume your duties
aboard the Stealth. Do you understand?"
=============================================================
USS Stealth
Deep Space Nine
Stardate 9704.07
The Stealth was docked at Deep Space Nine to retrieve the members of the
crew who had been aboard the USS Seldar -- the Bird of Prey they'd captured
in the battle with Kahgal's men. The return of the Stealth officers was
dampened, however, after the loss of Tyrian and Ayer to the
Dominion/Cardassian alliance.
Sortha strode into the operations center on Deep Space Nine and crossed
the area to Captain Sisko's office. As he walked through Ops, the officers
on duty there stopped and stared at the hulking Gorn officer.
From across the room, a Klingon in a Starfleet uniform -- who Sortha
recognized as Lt. Commander Worf -- gave Sortha a nod. Sortha could tell Worf
admired him as a warrior, a feeling the Gorn mutually held for the Klingon officer.
Sortha climbed the stairs to Sisko's office and tapped the button on the
wall outside the door. Sisko invited him in and the door slid open. Sisko was
seated at his desk clutching a baseball in his right hand, while an
attractive Trill female and a Klingon with one-eye, wearing the full battle
uniform of a general, sat across from him.
"Commander Sortha. Please, come in," Sisko said. "Allow me to introduce
General Martok of the Klingon Imperial Forces and my science officer, Lt.
Commander Jadzia Dax."
Sortha nodded to Martok and shook hands with Dax, who appeared to be
beaming with admiration. "Commander, I just wanted to say that I know your
father. Or at least my previous host Curzon Dax knew him. They worked on one
of the earlier treaties between the Gorn and the Federation."
"Yess, hass sspoken of you," Sortha said. "I will tell him you wissh him well."
Sortha, knowing he would be unable to fit in the third chair pulled up to
Sisko's desk, remained standing.
"I wanted to let you know that there's been no word about either of your
officers, Summers or Ayer," Sisko began. "I know how difficult it is to loose
good officers."
"I would like to apologize, commander," Martok began. "I was out of place
when I enlisted Lt. Summers for my plan. He had offered to help and I saw it
as an opportunity to do what the Dominion has been doing all along --
replacing high ranking officers with Changeling infiltrators."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Escape
=============================================================
Lt. Ayer
Cardassia Prime
Stardate 9704.07
Ayer woke up to the morning of the second day of interrogation. He had
been busy the night before, contacting most of his acquaintances to get word
to them for preparation. Ever since he had arrived and met with Gul Maran,
they both had started the plan. He was sure they would succeed in the plan,
after all, most of them once served with the Obsidian Order and the rest had
positions in the high ranks of the military.
He headed towards the prison cells, intending on getting Tyrian. As he
arrived, two Jem'Hadar soldiers were standing guard beside the doorway. Ayer
saw what the prison cells were like and dislike the treatment they were
giving to Tyrian. He turned and addressed the two guards, "I told you to
bring him to one of the quarters, not a cage for a Klingon Targ."
The guards were surprised and one of them spoke, "I'm sorry, Founder, I
will not fail you again."
Ayer nodded, "This will be the last time. Open the door." As the door
into the cell swung inward, the light from the outside shone on Tyrian. He
was lying beside a wall, probably thinking of the past, and when the light
shone on his face, Tyrian looked away for the light was hurting his eyes.
Slowly, bit by bit, he got used to the light and began to come closer
towards the doorway. When he saw Ayer, Tyrian lunged at him but before he
was even past the door, the two Jem'Hadars knocked Tyrian back and pointed
their weapons straight at him. They were about to shoot if Ayer hadn't
called them off, "Stop. I do not want a dead prisoner in my hands." Ayer
looked at the two Jem'Hadar, "Leave us." The Jem'Hadars were about to
protest but one look from the Founder and they both nodded and walked away.
Ayer then helped Tyrian out of the cell, the human was too weak to stand
on his own so Ayer offered his shoulder as a support. Together, they began
to walk towards another hallway. The changeling had planned it all so that
the route wouldn't cross with any guards or personell. However, it was still
a long walk. As they travelled through the hallways, Tyrian began to process
his thoughts and managed to speak, "Ayer...I should've kil...you when...I had
the chance."
"You have to trust me, my friend," Ayer turned to look at Tyrian but
saw that he was asleep. He wasn't sure if he heard or not but that didn't
matter now. Slowly, the changeling put Tyrian on the floor and morphed
himself into a Cardassian. Then, taking out a small device, Ayer activated
the switch.
Immediately, the ground shook as if an earthquake had caused it. Then,
within a few seconds, a distant rumbling sound could be heard. Apparently
something big has just happened and the building began to ring with sounds of
an alarm. Cardassian and Jem'Hadar soldiers were rushing everywhere and some
rounded the corner to the hallway where Ayer and Tyrian had been but they
never saw the two as they were picked up by a transporter beam and whisked away.
The first thing Ayer noticed was the metallic walls that surrounded them
now. Looking around, he saw one of his acquaintances, "Kalar, your timing is
sharp, as always." The Cardassian smiled, "I wouldn't expect it to be
anything but that, Gul Turan. It seems the first part of your plan succeeded
just as you would expect. The Cardassian Regional District was disabled and
the power systems in the Regianin Mountains was destroyed. I took a look at
the site, it was quite impressive, half of the mountains in the area vanished
within two seconds of the blast. It was a pity you couldn't see it."
"Yes, well, I had matters to attend to," Ayer said, pointing at the
uncounscious Tyrian. Kalar shook his head, "I don't think I will ever
understand why you are doing this but that is not my concern. I'll let Gul
Basat decide that."
Ayer smiled, "He was always the thinker." He then changed the subject,
"So are we ready?"
Kalar nodded, "This shuttle is latched beside the freighter's impulse
engine. The radiation should shield out your craft. The freighter will
travel towards the Archaellian sector, that's close to Federation space, when
they reach that area, detach your shuttle away from the freighter and
activate the program, Terek 142, it should change the shuttle's shield
property so the freighter wouldn't be able to scan for your ship. After
that, you can take the shuttle to Federation space and do whatever you want."
"Thank you, Kalar," Ayer said.
The Cardassian shrugged, "Don't thank me, it's Palarim's shuttle after
all." Ayer looked surprise, "I didn't know he was so generous with his
ships." Kalar had a wicked grin on his face as he said, "As far as he knows,
this shuttle is still parked in one of his hangar bay." Both of them laughed
for a while then Ayer bid him goodbye, "Tell the rest of our friends that
I'll return someday." Kalar nodded and beamed off the shuttle.
Ayer sighed and returned back to Tyrian. He was still unconscious so
Ayer picked him up and placed him in one of the back crew quarters. He then
returned towards the piloting systems and waited as the freighter they were
attached to began to make its journey from Cardassia Prime towards the
Archaellian sector.
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/At DS9
FROM THE GM: Because of problems with AOL, I am reposting Ayer's last post,
along with something Sortha sent this week. Hopefully AOL is back up and
running propoerly, since I can't seem to get an answer about the status of
internet mail from them. If you could all do me a favor and send me a REPLY
acknowledging that you received this post? That would help me out greatly.
=============================================================
Lt. Ayer
Cardassia Prime
Stardate 9704.08
Ayer didn't know what to do. He had been through a lot for these past
few days and he found that working the Dominion was not all that hostile.
Yet, he couldn't just turn his back on his friends and discard them away.
After waiting for a moment, he decided to initiate his plan early. There
would be a few things missed out but the rest should give him and Tyrian able
time. Ayer carefully nodded and said, "I think it would be a wise precaution
to kill the human but..." Ayer continued his conversation with Gul Dukat and
Jeret and after two hours, he emerged from the office and headed straight
towards the prison cells.
As he headed towards the cells, he thought about his plan. Ever since
he had arrived and met with Gul Maran, they both had started the basics for
the procedure. It was quite simple in its way and he was sure they would
succeed. After all, most of them once served with the Obsidian Order and the
rest had positions in the high ranks of the military.
He headed towards the prison cells, intending on getting Tyrian. As he
arrived, two Jem'Hadar soldiers were standing guard beside the doorway. Ayer
saw what the prison cells were like and dislike the treatment they were
giving to Tyrian. He turned and addressed the two guards, "I told you to
bring him to one of the quarters, not a cage for a Klingon Targ."
The guards were surprised and one of them spoke, "I'm sorry, Founder, I
will not fail you again."
Ayer nodded, "This will be the last time. Open the door." As the door
into the cell swung inward, the light from the outside shone on Tyrian. He
was lying beside a wall, probably thinking of the past, and when the light
shone on his face, Tyrian looked away for the light was hurting his eyes.
Slowly, bit by bit, he got used to the light and began to come closer
towards the doorway. When he saw Ayer, Tyrian lunged at him but before he
was even past the door, the two Jem'Hadars knocked Tyrian back and pointed
their weapons straight at him. They were about to shoot if Ayer hadn't
called them off, "Stop. I do not want a dead prisoner in my hands." Ayer
looked at the two Jem'Hadar, "Leave us." The Jem'Hadars were about to
protest but one look from the Founder and they both nodded and walked away.
Ayer then helped Tyrian out of the cell, the human was too weak to stand
on his own so Ayer offered his shoulder as a support. Together, they began
to walk towards another hallway. The changeling had planned it all so that
the route wouldn't cross with any guards or personell. However, it was still
a long walk. As they travelled through the hallways, Tyrian began to process
his thoughts and managed to speak, "Ayer...I should've kil...you when...I had
the chance."
"You have to trust me, my friend," Ayer turned to look at Tyrian but
saw that he was asleep. He wasn't sure if he heard or not but that didn't
matter now. Slowly, the changeling put Tyrian on the floor and morphed
himself into a Cardassian. Then, taking out a small comm-link device, Ayer
attempted to call on Gul Salar. It didn't take long for the Gul to respond
but he had an annoyed look on his face as he answered, "What is it, Gul
Turan? The procedure is not finished yet, we still have three of the
Jem'Hadars to relocate and Teleana has not been reached."
Ayer shook his head, "Forget about that, Salar. Things have been
changed prematurely, the plan must be initiate now. Is the craft and the
device ready?"
The Cardassian nodded, "They're both ready, Kalar is on the craft
already. He said he's planted it on a freighter, I didn't quite catch what
he said after. However, the device has not been fully loaded, we've only
managed to implant it into half of the power systems."
"That's good enough, it should give us the adequate time. Tell everyone
else to lay off the rest of the plan. It is to be discontinued until I
return. However, I won't be certain to know when I return so inform them to
continue their work and make sure they attempt to establish relations with a
few of the Vortas, the Founders and the Jem'Hadars will not cooperate if they
find out what you want from them," Ayer warned. Gul Salar nodded and
switched off the link.
Almost immediately, the ground shook as if an earthquake had caused it.
Then, within a few seconds, a distant rumbling sound could be heard.
Apparently something big has just happened and the building began to ring
with sounds of an alarm. Cardassian and Jem'Hadar soldiers were rushing
everywhere and some rounded the corner to the hallway where Ayer and Tyrian
had been but they never saw the two as they were picked up by a transporter
beam and whisked away.
The first thing Ayer noticed was the metallic walls that surrounded them
now. Looking around, he saw one of his acquaintances, "Kalar, your timing is
sharp, as always." The Cardassian smiled, "I wouldn't expect it to be
anything but that, Gul Turan. Gul Salar contacted me and informed me there's
going to be a few changes. However, I don't expect you to tell me what's
going on so I'll get it from him. But anyways, the Cardassian Regional
District was disabled and the power systems in the Regianin Mountains was
destroyed. It was a little hard trying to establish a lock on the two of
you. The explosive wasn't finished implanted into all of the power systems
and the shields were barely holding enough to block out the lock. However,
thanks to a little trick I learned from Gul Maran, I managed to get past that
problem. You should have seen the explosion, Turan, it took out half of the
mountains in the area."
"Yes, well, I had matters to attend to," Ayer said, pointing at the
uncounscious Tyrian. Kalar shook his head, "I don't think I will ever
understand why you are doing this but that is not my concern. I'll let Gul
Basat decide that."
Ayer smiled, "He was always the thinker." He then changed the subject,
"So are we ready?"
Kalar nodded, "This shuttle is latched beside the freighter's impulse
engine. The radiation should shield out your craft. The freighter will
travel towards the Archaellian sector, that's close to Federation space, when
they reach that area, detach your shuttle away from the freighter and
activate the program, Terek 142, it should change the shuttle's shield
property so the freighter wouldn't be able to scan for your ship. After
that, you can take the shuttle to Federation space and do whatever you want."
"Thank you, Kalar," Ayer said.
The Cardassian shrugged, "Don't thank me, it's Palarim's shuttle after
all." Ayer looked surprise, "I didn't know he was so generous with his
ships." Kalar had a wicked grin on his face as he said, "As far as he knows,
this shuttle is still parked in one of his hangar bay." Both of them laughed
for a while then Ayer bid him goodbye, "Tell the rest of our friends that
I'll return someday." Kalar nodded and beamed off the shuttle.
Ayer sighed and returned back to Tyrian. He was still unconscious so
Ayer picked him up and placed him in one of the back crew quarters. He then
returned towards the piloting systems and waited as the freighter they were
attached to began to make its journey from Cardassia Prime towards the
Archaellian sector.
=============================================================
Commander Sortha
Deep Space Nine
Stardate 9704.11
Commander Sortha sat on the deck of the promenade surveying the swirling
mass of races that inhabited DS9. His crew had earned some R and R and were
making the most of the limited recreational facilities on the station.
Two of his officers were still missing, trapped on Cardassia, assuming
they were still alive. His new command officer, Lieutenant Kalahna Jarnell
was on Bajor visiting friends. Nash and Ming were off in a holosuite
somewhere, while Sholek was comparing notes with the station's chief,
O'Brien. Ki'lal was presumably asking questions of the Klingon contingent
about his family.
Sortha sat by himself, slowly drinking a Gorn specialty drink composed of
ground salamanders and fruit juices, while he ran over plans in his head to
take out the industrial replicators. He hoped that Lieutenant Kalahna would
have some friends
in the Maquis that he could involve. He was glad that the Federation was
reapproaching the Maquis. Like the Gorn with the Romulan Empire, they
were fighting heavy odds to maintain their way of life.
A Ferengi moved up to Sortha. "So Commander, would you like another....drink?" The Ferengi said it with barely concealed distaste.
"No" Sortha responded.
"Perhaps I can interest you in a holosuite program?"
"No" Sortha responded.
"I have several good stories with cute reptilian females" the Ferengi went on hopefully.
"No" Sortha replied.
"What about a spican flame gem statue of Garnash, the father of Gorn
civilization?"
"You have ssuch a sstatue Ferengi" Sortha asked.
"No, I just wanted to see if you knew any english besides No" the Ferengi replied greasily.
Sortha fixed the Ferengi with a cold stare "Do not toy with me Ferengi, I am not in a good mood."
"Then a holosuite would be an excellent distraction" the Ferengi continued.
"Be gone." Sortha said
"I'm sure it would put you in a better mood. Or perhaps you'd like to
investigate one of the Dabo girls. " The Ferengi leaned in closer, "One of
them, Leeta, looks very much like your Bajoran lieutenant" the Ferengi said
in a whisper.
"Be gone!" Sortha said.
"Think about it, I could replicate a Starfleet uniform, .. a darkened
holosuite.... some fantasy action...." the Ferengi continued.
"Arggghhh you pessssst" Sortha said as he rose out of his chair,
grabbing the Ferengi by his suitcoat and easily lifting him five feet off the
deck." Sortha thought about any number of things he could do with the
Ferengi, all of them involving copious amounts of blood. Instead he
walked over to a large fountain that had been recently added to the
promenade. With a flick of his wrist he tossed the squirming Ferengi into
the water. He sputtered as he tried to get out.
A Klingon in a Starfleet uniform came up beside Sortha, "You-do-not
know, how long, I have wanted to do that" the Klingon stated wistfully.
As Sortha walked away from Quark's bar, his comm-badge chimed and he
tapped the device. "Ssortha here."
"Commander," Captain Sisko's voice replied. "We are tracking a shuttle
outbound from Cardassian space. It appears to be piloted by your Lt. Ayer. It
should arrive here within the hour."
"Acknowledged," Sortha said, relieved to hear the news. The Gorn then
headed back to the Stealth...
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Ayer and Tyrian return
Commander Sortha
Stealth at DS9
Stardate 9704.12
Onboard the Stealth, Sortha was meeting with Admiral Jaeger.
"The indusstrial replicatorss will need to be destroyed ssimultaneously"
Sortha said, "if we sstart taking them out one-by-one the Cardassianss will
increase ssecurity at the remaining replicators. That will mean we will
need to land teamss at each ssite who will remain in sseclusion and then take
out the replicatorss ssimultaneously at a prearranged time. We will then
need to get the teamss off the replicator ssites ass quickly ass possible.
The more sships we have to remove the teamss, the better their chance for
ssurvival. What sships will we have at our disposal for thiss misssion Admiral?"
=============================================================
Admiral Erik Jaegar
Meeting with Sortha
Stardate 9704.12
Jaegar shook his head warily. "I'm sorry to say it will be just the Stealth and the Repulse. The rest of the Shadow Ops fleet is tied up on missions and the only other ship with stealth or cloaking ability is the Defiant, and she's away on business in the Gamma Quadrant.
"However, there are two new shuttlecraft aboard Stealth, replacing our standard issue Type 7 shuttles. These new shuttles are Starfleet prototypes designed to travel at speeds up to warp 9 for short durations. These shuttles
also have stealth capability, which make them difficult to detect on sensors.
"The Repulse is currently in the DMZ trying to make contact with the
Maquis. We hope they may be able to help us in taking out the replicators and
the Jem'Hadar white producing ship."
Sortha frowned. "Sshuttles don't hold up well in a fight. And
stealth-capability issn't the ssame as a cloaking device. I'm alsso not ssure how a bunch of terrorisstss like the Maquiss can help uss?"
"It seems we're on the same side as the Maquis these days," Jaegar said. "We both have a common enemy now. It only makes sense that we try to work with them. They know all the ins-and-outs of tangling with the Cardassians, and tricks to penetrating Cardassian space undetected. They may prove more valuable than you think, commander.
"But unless you have any other suggestions, this is all we have to work with on this mission. There are four targets and four ships -- the two shuttles, Stealth and Repulse. But, as always, I'm open to suggestions...."
=============================================================
Lt. Commander Ayer
Deep Space Nine
Stardate 9704.13
The airlock opened to reveal the face of Odo. The chief of security looked at the newcomers and said, "Welcome back, Ayer." Ayer smiled as he met his friend, "Odo, you can't imagine how happy I am to see you again."
Odo slightly grunted but he was pleased. "Well, I can say the same for you. Going into Cardassian space and causing havoc, Gul Dukat actually tried to file a complaint with Starfleet. Of course, Starfleet did the only logical thing, they transferred Dukat's call to a Vulcan ambassador. Barok, that's the Vulcan's name I think." Ayer smiled as he heard that name. Odo noticed the look and continued, "I guess you recognize him as well. The Vulcan had a talk with Dukat for over ten hours and finally, Dukat gave up, I believe he was confused by the logic of the situation."
They both laughed a while but then Tyrian appeared behind Ayer. He had a weary look on his face. He had been asleep throughout the whole trip from Cardassia Prime, giving Ayer no time to explain to Tyrian why he had to do what he did. As Tyrian walked towards the two changelings, he momentarily stumbled. Ayer immediately rushed to his aid to prevent him from falling.
However, Tyrian pushed him aside and continued walking forward. Odo was about to say something but Ayer shook his head, now was not the time. The chief of security nodded in understanding and turned his head towards Tyrian, "Well, you obviously need some medical attention." Odo looked at Ayer, "I'll take him to sickbay and I'll see you later, if time permits." With that, Odo tapped his commbadge and said, "Transporter room, two to beam directly to sickbay." Within seconds, Odo and Tyrian vanished. Ayer sighed and headed towards the Stealth.
The last Ayer had saw, the Stealth was in badly damaged condition. Now, with its repairs complete, the Stealth was back to its gleaming perfection just as it was when they first boarded it. He headed towards the bridge and met with Commander Sortha and Admiral Jaegar, "Lt. Ayer reporting in, sir."
The admiral smiled, "Welcome back."
Commander Sortha also hissed a greeting, "It is good to ssee you again, Ayer. Where iss Tyrian?"
"He's in the sickbay on DS9. During our return, there were some events that occured," Ayer answered. Sortha had a slightly understanding look but still had some questions. Jaegar was also confused but he said, "You must be exhausted from your trip, I trust we will hear of the events that had occured in your report." Ayer nodded and left the bridge.
He went to his quarters and check for any transmissions, to his surprise, he found that he had been promoted for the services that he had provided during the hunt for Kahgal. Kahgal's name brought up some unanswered questions so Ayer activated the database and began to update himself on the recent events that had happened since he left.
When he was done, he began to work on his reports to the admiral and the commander. As soon as that was finished, Ayer turned his thoughts to a more personal problem. Tyrian needed to know what happened but also knew that he wouldn't want to talk to Ayer at the moment. Thinking of another alternative, Ayer sent a message to Tyrian, hoping he would get the change to read it.
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Departing Deep Space Nine
Lt. Sholek
Deep Space Nine
Stardate 9704.13
After comparing notes with Chief O'Brien, the two headed to Quark's for a
drink. O'Brien led him towards the dart board.
"Play darts, Sholek?" O'Brien asked.
"I am familar with the game," Sholek answered. "It is a test of hand/eye coordination. The objective is to obtain the most points by thowing the darts at the board, a bullseye being worth the most points."
"Yah, exactly," O'Brien replied. "I'll go first."
After playing a few rounds.
Sholek aims for the bullseye, throws the dart, and once again it lands perfectly in the bullseye.
"How do you do that?" O'Brien asked puzzled.
"Do what?" Sholek said like a Vulcan. "I beleive I did exactly what I was
supposed to. I hit the bullseye."
"You need to play Bashir. He's good, but you could sure show him a thing or two."
Just then a Ferengi waiter aproached. Since the bar was crowded it took that long for them to come and wait on the two engineers.
"What'll you have, hu-uman?" asked the greedy little Ferengi.
"Scotch," aswered O'Brien.
"What for the Vulcan."
"I am not Vulcan. I am Romulan."
"You sure don't act it."
"Thank you. Nothing for me."
"Ah, come on," O'Brien pressured. "Have something, on me."
"I do not require intoxication, but I would appreciate Vulcan Caeno juice."
"Very well," answered the Ferengi. "I will be back with you drinks in just a moment."
Behind the bar, the waiter told Quark about Sholek.
"He claims to be Romulan," he said to Quark.
"Of course he's Romulan," answered Quark. "Typical Romulan haircut and Romulan features. You make a very bad Ferengi if you cannot tell the difference between a possible buyer and a pacifist."
Sholek talks to Commander Sortha.
"The Ferengi, Quark, aproached me with an offer to buy certain illegal, yet
possibly useful weapons," Sholek told the Commander. " I thought I'd inform you about this opportunity due to your..." a seconds pause, 'unorthadox methods' I have not mentioned this to anyone else yet."
=============================================================
Commander Sortha
Talking to Sholek
Stardate 9704.15
"Thiss Quark is already under invesstigation by sstation ssecurity for hiss involvement with two notoriouss armss merchantss," Sortha said. "I do not believe it would be in our besst interesst to become involved with ssuch individualss, esspecially when we may ssomeday be called upon to sshut their organization down as an official Sshadow Opss misssion. Thank you, however, for bringing thiss to my attention, Ssholek."
=============================================================
Commander Sortha
Bridge of the Stealth
Deep Space Nine
Stardate 9704.15
"Release docking clamps" Sortha said as he shifted in his rebuilt seat.
"Clamps released" Nash reponded.
"Take us out at 1/4 impulse. Heading 125 mark 00."
Slowly the Stealth majestically maneuvered away from DS9. It's crew watched from view stations as DS9 slowly faded into the distance. Like the ship crews of old who sailed the seas of Earth, they didn't know if they would return.
Officially, the Stealth was headed back towards Earth. After about 1/2 hour Sortha ordered the ship to engage stealth mode and it changed course back to the Cardassian border. The Stealth was enroute to a secret rendezvous with the USS Repulse. Together they would determine the best strategy to eliminate the replicators. Sortha began calling up information on the Repulse's crew.
(See second message for details on the Repulse)
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Recovery
Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
Onboard DS9 (sick bay)
Stardate 9704.16
Dr. Bashir finished examining Tyrian and said, "There is nothing more I can do for you, you sustained extremely stressful amounts of energy directly to your nervous system, damage that will only heal over time. You will be sore for quite a while, but you should be able to return to active duty in a couple of days."
Tyrian scowled as he nodded his head as he got down of the examining table and walked past the changeling security chief who was standing at the door without a word. The prominade was crowded with people Tyrian noticed as he painfully walked up to the huge windows lining the station. He looked up and saw the Stealth attached to one of the upper pylons. Its battle damage had been repaired and it looked as good as always.
Tyrian still looked like a mess, his uniform was stained with dirt and sweat stains from his time spent in the small holding cell. He headed to the tailor shop, bought a new all black suit to wear off duty, dropped off his uniform for repairs, and put in an order for two more uniforms since he could'nt seem to keep them in one piece. He pre-paid the cardassian for the uniforms and gave him a little extra to have them delivered to the ship since he needed all the rest he could get.
Tyrian woke up from a buzzer at his quarters onboard the Stealth, it was an ensign holding a package, his uniforms apparently, he said they had been delivered just before the Stealth left. Tyrian did a double take as he looked out his window on the other side of his quarters, sure enough they were at warp. Tyrian had slept longer than he had thought he had. But he still was tired so he laid back down on his bed and fell back asleep immediately.
=============================================================
U.S.S. Stealth
Sickbay
Stardate 9704.16
Lt. Clayton Aries and Ensign Thoraz Brynaziir had been summoned to meet with Dr. Cassandra Ming in her office, located in sickbay.
Aries had been running diagnostics on the biobeds in sickbay as part of his tasks as assistant chief medical officer, which Brynaziir had been counselling a Stealth officer who was having trouble dealing the death of a friend during the ship's last mission.
The two officers soon joined Dr. Ming in her office.
"I've asked the both of you here because I'm concerned about Lt. Tyrian Summers. He was recently held prisoner by the Cardassians for several days and I think it goes without saying that the Cardassians are not known for treating prisoners very well," the Chinese medical officer said. "He is still physically suffering from the abuse he's suffered and mentally he may also be affected by his ordeal. I need the two of you to work with him.
"Clayton, I'd like you to have Summers in for an exam a couple times in the next few days, make sure he's recovering alright from the damage suffered by his nervous system," Ming instructed Aries. "Thoraz. Can you work with him a little and make sure he's mentally dealing with his ordeal? Keep me updated of your progress..."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/En route to the DMZ
Lt. Commander Ayer
USS Stealth - Bridge
Stardate 9704.16
The bridge of the Stealth was operating normally. The sound of the computers operating at peak efficiency were small comfort for what lay ahead for the crew of the Stealth. But this time, they weren't completing their mission alone, another team would help them.
Ayer sat at his new position, that of the executive officer. It was located to the left-side of the command chair while the right-side position was reserved for the first officer, Commander Sortha. The admiral sat in the command chair and accessed his own panels, even though the Stealth was proceeding towards its next mission, the admiral still has to deal with other Shadow Ops operations. Commander Sortha was carefully reviewing the files of the Repulse and her crew, it seems they were going to be working closely together. The rest of the bridge crew was going about their usual duties, scanning for debris, monitoring the comm, making sure the power relays are working fine, and things like that.
Ayer turned towards his own station and accessed the Stealth's personell files. Two new recruits had just been transferred to the Stealth and as second officer, it was his job to keep track of what they do and to ensure that they have no trouble adjusting to the new environment. Of course, the counsellor, Thoraz, would have the main part of the job of making sure the recruits are fitting well. Kalahna and Aries were two very different people.
One once worked as a Resistance Fighter whose main job is to destroy while the other was to serve as a doctor, whose first duty is to save lives. Yet both had a single similarity, they lost their parents early in life. They had just graduated from Training Camp but had no real experience at the life of a spy. Ayer smiled a little as he recalled the not too long ago memories of the camp. Everyone had such a good time there, especially the feud with Black Squadron. But ever since they had left for their first mission, events had moved too fast for them to catch up on old times. Now Ayer wondered if the same would happen for this mission.
After reading on the two new recruits, Ayer accessed the Repulse's personell file. It was a diverse lot but some shared the same characteristics. The human, Jack Dark, proved to be an interesting one as does the genetically engineered "human", if that was even the right term for it. Both had the ability to shape-shift, though not as extensive as a changeling. There were also others on the files that showed characteristics just as unusual. Ayer wondered if they were part of a special Strike Force team created by Shadow Ops. He had seen some of their mission reports on their travel to Dominion space and had concluded that they were a very efficient team. "Let's just hope that they won't turn on me and think I'm one of the Founders," Ayer muttered to himself.
"Did you say sssomething, commander?" Sortha asked.
Ayer forgot how keen the Gorn's hearing was. Shaking his head, he said, "No, nothing, commander. I was just looking through the Repulse's crew roster and was thinking to myself how good they are."
Jaegar nodded in agreement, "Yes, the Repulse's crew have quite a lot of potential and they have gained more experienced through their losses to the Dominion," then he turned towards Sortha and said, "of course, I expect the same from your team as well."
The large Gorn nodded, "I ssertainly wouldn't expect less." Ayer wasn't sure if the two officers were making some sort of joke, he guessed it was something all high-ranking officers do. It probably was a conspiracy to make the rest of the crews stand on their toes once in a while. Ayer's shift ended later in the hour so he made his way towards the lounge. He hoped his usual table wasn't taken, he had grown quite accustomed to it. As he walked in and looked, he discovered that there was actually a person sitting there, staring out the window at the passing stars. He walked towards the sitting figure and asked, "Looks like you need some company."
Kalahna Jarell looked at the figure and her eyes snapped in recognition. She waved at the chair opposite of her. Accepting the invitation, Ayer slowly sat down and said, "I understand that you've just came onboard the Stealth." The Bajoran woman nodded and waited, not knowing what to say.
Ayer sensed the discomfort so he slipped into a conversation, "I've seen
some interesting things about you in your history report. You had served with the Bajoran Resistance Fighters for most of your early life."
She nodded, "Yeah, there was nothing else I could do. I had no family except for the Resistance. I never knew who my parents were, but maybe later in my life, I would find them, if they are alive."
Ayer nodded in agreement with what she said, "There's a lot of people who lost their connections with their parents. The other recruit, Aries, lost his parents to terrorist attacks. Lt. Ki'lal doesn't have a family either. And my only family was the Founders." He stopped as he recalled the memories of what it had felt like when he was with the Founders. There, he was among his kind, cared by all and alienated by none, yet somehow, somewhere within him, he knew he didn't want to do the things his family had done. Kalahna was confused at the sudden silence so she raised the cup she was holding, and took a drink. Ayer snapped back to reality and said, "I'm sorry, I have some business to attend to." He stood up and bid farewell to the Bajoran then left the lounge.
=============================================================
USS Stealth
Approaching the Federation/Cardassian Demilitarized Zone
Stardate 9704.17
"Sirs, we are approaching the DMZ at the coordinates of our rendezvous with the Repulse," Ensign Nash reported from the helm. Sortha and Jaegar, seated in their center chairs, both looked up from what they were doing.
"Lt. Ssummerss, report," Sortha hissed. Tyrian was back at tactical after recovering somewhat from his capture and interrogation by the Cardassians. He examined his sensor consoles and turned to Sortha.
"No sign of the Repulse, sir," Summers said. "It's possible she's cloaked."
"Or still preoccupied with its search for the Maquis," Jaegar said. "Give
Captain Sakata some time. We can wait here."
Sortha nodded, "Enssign Nassh, all sstop. Lt. Kalahna, begin full ssensor ssweepss of Cardasssian sspace. Maximum range. Let'ss ssee just how good thiss ship'ss senssors really are."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Evaluating Summers
Lt. Thoraz Brynaziir
Sick Bay -- meeting with Dr. Ming
Stardate 9704.17
"Doctor, I will endeavor to do my best, however I am not formally trained in psychology. Tyrian is a friend and I will help him to the best of my ability. I will use my telepathic abilities to determine how he is dealing with his experience. I will also inform the commander first," repiled Thoraz such that it was evident to the other two officers present that he was concerned for his friend.
"Very well," Ming said. "Carry on."
Brynaziir then went to the bridge and founded Commander Sortha there in his command chair.
"Commander, may I speak with you? Dr Ming has asked me to work with Tyrian to see if he is properly dealing with his recent experiences. Though I am not formally trained in psychology, I will endeavor to see how Tyrian is dealing with his experience. However, to do so I will have to use telepathy. Is this acceptable?"
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: Re: SO: Stealth/En route to the DMZ
After several minutes of high powered sensor sweeps Lieutenant Kalahna spoke up from the ops station. "Sir, I have something odd here."
Glancing at Admiral Jaeger, Sortha said "Put it on sscreen Lieutenant."
Shortly thereafter an image of the surrounding space appeared on the viewscreen. "Look at that distortion", Lieutenant Kalahna said. Sure enough, when they looked at the screen, there was a fuzzy grayish spot just about in the center, barely discernable from the surrounding space. It sat motionless. According to the data at the bottom of the screen, it was an enhanced simple visible light spectrum scan.
"Enhance and magnify" Sortha stated. Soon the spot filled most of the screen. "What iss the differential?" Sortha inquired.
"According to the sensor scans, the gray area is .0005 lums lighter than the surrounding space" Kalahna replied.
"Damn, that's tight" Admiral Jaeger whistled between his teeth.
"What are the approximate dimenssions Lieutenant?" Sortha inquired.
Turning around quickly, her earpiece swaying with the sudden movement, Lieutenant Kalahna replied brightly with a big smile "It's the approximate size of one Defiant class starship Commander!"
"Hmmmmmm" Admiral Jaeger said to himself. Sortha grumbled softly as well, "They are ssome distance off from the sset rendezvous point. Obviously Captain Ssakata doesn't trust ssuposedly ssecure Sstarfleet communication channelss." He's in perfect possition to ambush any sship that found out about the rendezvous and wass looking to attack him."
Admiral Jaeger also smiled, "Well! I knew this ship had some mighty fine sensors, but this is excellent! Now Commander, do you think that Captain Sakata knows we're here?"
"I have read Captain Ssakata's personnel folder. I would estimate that there is an excellent chance that he has found a way to detect uss ass well" Sortha responded. The huge Gorn stood up and walked over to the navigation console, "with your permission of course admiral"
"By all means Commander" Admiral Jaeger replied.
Sortha keyed a panel several times in succession and waited. "What did you do Commander? " Admiral Jaeger asked.
"I jusst ssent them a ssignal by turning on our navigational lightss ussing sstarfleet sstandard code. If they are looking sspecifically in our direction, they will mosst likely catch it." Sure enough, after several seconds, a series of blips could be clearly seen in the gray fuzzy spot on the screen.
Slowly the two ships maneuvered closer to each other, after several minutes Brynaziir spoke up. "I can sense them now Commander, Admiral."
"Send orders for a manual docking. I don't want a peep of electronic noise escaping from this rendezvous to be picked up" the Admiral ordered.
After closing to 1 kilometer, the two ships slowly drifted toward each other. After about twenty minutes the ships had completed a manual docking. The smaller, but deadlier, Defiant class ship under the saucer section of the Stealth, a ten meter flexible tube connecting the two ships together. The crews took their time. It was not very often that a manual docking was necessary.
"Commander, assemble your officers in the Conference Room. Inform Captain Sakata and his command crew to meet us there in half an hour."
"Aye aye Admiral" Sortha responded.
Subject: SO: Stealth/Holding at the DMZ
Lt. Commander Ayer
Inside his quarters - Regenerative Form
Stardate 9704.18
It was always good to be back in his shapeless form. No worries to think about, no concentration needed, all he needed to do was to relax, a quality which highly differs from the outside. Alas, all good things must come to an end, and Ayer must return to his duties.
Ayer immediately headed towards the nearest turbolift. The Stealth was at the rendezvous and soon they were finally going to meet the crew of the Repulse face to face -- when the Repulse finally showed up. What interested the changeling the most was how they would react to each other. It was true that both teams serve with Shadow Ops but never has there ever been any interaction between the two, and now, they were doing just that. He just hoped his team and theirs get along together.
The turbolift doors opened to and Ayer stepped in. "Deck one," he called to the computer. The turbolift took off and when it arrived at its destination, the door slid open to reveal the bridge. Tyrian was at his station. He looked up to see who had just arrived and when he saw who it was, he turned his attention back to his station.
When Ayer saw Tyrian, memories of the interrogation flashed through his mind again. It was so intense and so clear that he momentarily stumbled as he got on to the bridge. Ever since the shuttle trip back to DS9, Ayer had tried to put the memories of what had happened away, or at least had tried to forget about it. But now, the memories were surging back, as if a dam had been broken and the tides were rushing in. He took a deep breath and said, "Tyrian."
In a quick instant, Tyrian whipped his head to look at Ayer and dangerously muttered, "Don't even say it." His limbs were twitching slightly, signs of the damage which had been done on him during the interrogation. It would heal eventually, but the guilt of the deed would forever be on Ayer's mind. The changeling lowered his head, giving way to the guilt of the things which he had done. Slowly, he began to speak, "Tyrian, I'm sorry for the wrongs that I've done you but you must know that I had no choice. I had to safeguard the lives of hundreds of other Cardassians."
That apparently caught Tyrian's attention, he turned to look at the changeling, "What?"
Ayer took a deep breath, "No one knows of what I'm about to tell you but you must safeguard this information. If words gets out of this, thousands of innocent Cardassians will die.
"Ever since I lived in Cardassia, I had always taken an interest in their politics, I enjoyed playing their games, more so than with the Romulans. They were communicative, manipulative, and deadly diplomats. I was one of them for a number of years, I was Gul Turan, known to be one of the most efficient Cardassian officer. I made many friends and enjoyed the power that we had. But I was never content with the game and I wanted to move on, so I switched to the Romulans and the Klingons, and then to the Federation. But during all those times, I kept contact with my aides, keeping track of Cardassian politics. We begin to form our alliances and joined with the Cardassian Dissident Movement, we had a small section of power in it, but our voices are powerful.
"When the Dominion joined with Cardassia, our secrets were being threatened. I know the Dominion would want to implement changeling Cardassians into the government, such is the act that I would expect from my own people. When I was brought back to Cardassia Prime, I had the perfect opportunity to act and to prevent the Founders from getting through to our small faction. I made plans with them to ship our central intelligence to another location. There was an accident with one of the ships and the Cardassian military intercepted one of the ship. That ship contained the names of hundred of Cardassians who prevented the death of thousands of Bajorans, and if that information were to reach any other Cardassians not from our faction, those Cardassians would die. We decided to destroy that
ship to save others.
"That act attracted some attention and the Cardassian Intelligence was sent to investigate. There were some of our friends in the Intelligence who tried to delay the investigation so that we could succeed in moving everything out but Gul Dukat took an interest in the case. I was present at his building and did my part in trying to shift Dukat's attention away from the case. That attracted some attention on my part and all our plans were being jeopardized. I couldn't let that happen and when I heard that you had been captured, I took the only option that I knew. I changed your identity file in the Cardassian archive so that you were supposedly a high ranking Shadow Ops operative. That was why they wanted you to be tortured, they thought you had some information which I couldn't give. Apparently my loyalty was also being questioned at that time which probably was why I was sent to interrogate you. The plan worked, Dukat was interested more with your interrogation than with the investigation. If I had refused to interrogate you, I would have been placed under arrest and the Founders would make me reveal everything that I know, the Cardassian faction, the Romulan intelligence, the Klingon operations, even Starfleet would be jeopardized. I'm sorry, Tyrian, I can't afford the life of one person to jeopardize the lives of millions."
He knew he was harsh at what he had last said but that was the simple truth. Tyrian had to understand that.
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Sortha to Brynaziir
Commander Sortha
Bridge
Stardate 9704.19
Sortha turned in his command chair to look at Thoraz. He thought for about 30 seconds gathering his words carefully. "Please pay close attention to Lieutenant Summers and help him as much as possible, however, you must get his permission before using any active, or probing telepathy. He is a member of the crew and is guaranteed rights of privacy under the Universal declaration of sentient beings rights in the Federation charter. Only if you think that he could be putting this ship or a crewmember in jeopardy would you be authorized to probe his mind. I trust your judgement in this matter. Please continue to work with our medical staff on this issue."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Message Received
USS Stealth
Bridge
Stardate 9704.22
Tyrian Summers looked up from his tactical console as the Stealth maintained its position at the border with Cardassian space.
"Commander Sortha, incoming coded transmission from the Repulse, text only," Summers reported.
"What iss it?" Sortha asked.
"Captain Sakata says repairs to his ship complete after an 'incident.' Will be arriving in ten hours with a Maquis raider joining him. No further information," Summers replied. "The source of the transmission is inside the Volon colonies near the DMZ."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Rendezvous with the Repulse
Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
Onboard USS Stealth
Stardate 9704.24
Tyrian entered the turbolift off the bridge after his shift was over. He leaned against the wall as the lift hummed shortly then delivered him to the deck his quarters were on. He entered them and sat down on the bed, he sighed as he thought of all the things that had transpired recently.
Tyrian looked down at his hands, they still twitched every once in a while as a result of the torture he was put through from that changeling Ayer. His symtoms would pass, but he doubted that his hatred for Ayer would. It turned out that Ayer had been a member of most of the major governments in the galaxy, and he probably still betrayed them today, he certainly did the Cardassian empire.
It was obvious to Tyrian he could not be trusted.....but for some reason he had been made first officer of the Stealth! Tyrian groaned as he thought about it. He decided he needed to get a workout, so he headed to the holodeck to play out one of his Jem'Hadar sims.
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USS Stealth
Bridge
Stardate 9704.24
Commander Sortha walked off the turbo-lift and crossed the bridge to his
command chair. Beside him sat Ayer who was looking over some reports. The first officer acknowledged Sortha with a nod and continued to read.
"Sir, the U.S.S. Repulse is approaching with a Maquis raider close behind," Ensign Gannon reported from tactical. "ETA is eight minutes."
Sortha nodded. "Good. It'ss about time."
"We're being hailed by the Repulse on a coded frequency," Gannon reported.
"Activate encrytion/decrytion and put it onscreen," Sortha said, turning toward the viewscreen.
The image of an older Japanese man dressed in a Starfleet uniform appeared on the viewscreen. "This is Captain Keio Sakata of the U.S.S. Repulse to the U.S.S. Stealth."
"Thisss isss Commander Sortha of the Sstealth," the Gorn hissed. "We've been waiting for you captain. I ssee you found the Maquis you were looking for?"
"Greeting Commander Sortha. Yes, the Maquis raider is the Ravenhawk. We saved her from some Cardassian ships, but we got ourselves caught in a bit of a scuffle and took damage, sorry we're running a little behind," Sakata said. "When would you like to meet?"
"Ssoon. Admiral Jaegar is aboard and will conduct the meeting here in our
conference room," Sortha said. "Move within transsporter range and we'll begin preparing for your team's arrival."
"And one more thing, commander. Let the admiral know that the commander of the Maquis ship is none other than Ro Laren herself," Sakata said.
The Gorn scowled at hearing the name, "Very well. Ssortha out."
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Lt. Kalahna Jarnell
Quarters
Stardate 9704.24
Lieutenant Kalahna Jarnell woke with a start. Since hearing that they would be joined by a Maquis raider ship she had been on edge. There was more than a passing chance that she would know someone on that ship. So many Bajorans who had once been hard core resistance fighters had joined the Maquis, almost as if the transition to peaceful life could not be made. Kalahna knew the feeling, it was as if the spirit, once accustomed to war, could not give it up so easily.
Kalahna had faced the same decision once. So many of her friends had joined the Maquis resistance. In part to rise above the fighting, to put it behind her, Kalahna had joined Starfleet. She was attracted to its higher ideals, its hope for the future. Now she would be reliving those days on Bajor, where as a teenager she had blown up Cardassians with no more thought than squashing a Bajoran tick beetle. She was almost sure that Starfleet would use her as a Maquis liason because of her Bajoran heritage.
She swung both legs out of her bed. 0600. Oh-oh so early she thought. She got up and padded over to her dresser and put a robe on. Then she checked her messages on the terminal. Smiling to herself, she found that no urgent messages had arrived while she slept. Next it was into the sonic shower and into a fresh uniform. She liked the new black/gray Starfleet uniforms. She quickly replicated a Bajoran breakfast and wolfed it down with a cup of Klingon rackachino. Then it was onto the bridge...
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Rendezvous
FROM THE GM: Starting with this post, and for the duration of the mission
while the Repulse and Stealth are working together, I will be combining the
posts from both teams.
=============================================================
Commander Sortha
Bridge of the Stealth
Stardate 9704.24
"Admiral, Captain Sakata is ready to beam over with his command crew" Sortha informed Admiral Jaeger.
"Very good, Commander." The old Admiral paused as he sensed the hesitancy in his first officer. "What is is Commander?"
"The captain of the Maquis raiding ship is Ro Laren."
"Damn!" the Admiral swore, "of all the blasted luck! This is going to complicate things."
"Yes ssir." Sortha replied. "She iss sstill under indictment by Sstarfleet Command for dessertion in the face of the enemy."
"Yes, I know" the Admiral mused. "Well, we might have to turn a blind eye... at least for the duration of the mission. These overnight changes in alliances are not good for my blood presssure, I'm getting too old for this!"
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Lt. Commander Ayer
Bridge of the Stealth
Stardate 9704.24
"And one more thing, commander. Let the admiral know that the commander of the Maquis ship is none other than Ro Laren herself," Sakata said.
The Gorn scowled at hearing the name, "Very well. Ssortha out."
As with all Starfleet officers, Ayer also has heard about Ro Laren and the crimes that she had commited. However, he felt no hostile feeling towards her, she was doing what she thought was best and that was enough, wasn't it? Whatever the reasons, the security of the ship was still a main concern. Ayer turned towards the Gorn and asked, "Commander, would it be safe to allow a Maquis officer onboard the Stealth, especially one with previous background knowledge of Starfleet?"
Sortha turned to face Ayer, his face still contained that darkened look as he said, "I don't like thiss anymore than you do but we need the Maquiss' help...even when the help comess from the form of a traitor."
At the word of traitor, Ayer flashed through a brief thought of the memories of the Dominion. He had turned his back on them and yet, he couldn't quite break free from their grasp. Qualities of the Founders, deceit, subtlety, subterfuge, lies, and betrayal for the cause, had engrained themselves into the shaping of his many characters. However, never was a time when he thought of betraying Starfleet. He had taken an oath and he was prepared to stand beside it. The commander didn't notice the brief period of thought on the changeling's face as he continued, "Still, we must take some precautionss as this is the center of Shadow Operations. Have all Level 2 and higher database information be encrypted to Sstarfleet call numbers until the conference iss over and the Maquis leaves the ship."
Ayer nodded and turned towards his station and started restricting the computer's access. Sortha then diverted his attention and spoke, "Ssortha to transporter room 1, prepare to receive the officers from the Repulse." After the acknowledging answer, the officers on the bridge waited as the ships moved closer for transport.
=============================================================
Lt. Kalahna Jarnell
Bridge of the Stealth
Stardate 9704.24
Ro Laren! This was not going to be fun. Ro Laren had caused her a lot of grief at the academy. She took a lot of malicious teasing centering around how Bajorans were too immature to be Starfleet officers, and how they'd betray you at first chance....all because of Ro Laren. Her treachery toward Captain Picard of the Enterprise was legendary. Well, if Ensign Ro was as bad a Starfleet officer as there could be, Lieutenant Kalahna Jarnell would be the most exemplary officer Starfleet could produce. Of that she was sure.
When no one was watching, she quickly snatched her earring off and put it away out of sight. She also reached up and pulled her blonde ponytail even tighter, so that not one hair was out of place. Quickly she accessed Starfleet records for all pertinent information on Ro Laren and her involvement with the Maquis and downloaded it to a PADD.
"Commander Sortha," Kalahna stated crisply, "I have prepared a detailed report on Ro Laren's activities with the Maquis, including a cross indexing of her reported whereabouts as reported by Starfleet intelligence and Maquis activity in those areas."
With that, she pivoted in a very military manner and went back to her station.
=============================================================
USS Repulse
Near the Cardassian Border
Stardate 9704.24
Captain Keio Sakata led the way as his command crew assembled in the cramped transporter bay of the Repulse. The captain felt a little uneasy leaving Ensign Jared in command, but with the senior officers joining him on the Stealth, there was no one else to command the tiny escort class ship.
"OK, while we're over there I want Kane and Dark to keep an eye on the Maquis away team. I still don't fully trust them," Sakata said.
The team nodded and then began to transport to the Stealth. A moment later, Sakata, Kane, Dark, Kern, Tran, Thompson, Keline and O'Coyne stood in the transporter room of the U.S.S. Stealth. They were greeted by Admiral Erik Jaegar, Commander Sortha and Lt. Commander Ayer.
"Greetings," Jaegar said, shaking Sakata's hand. "How have you been, Keio. You're looking well."
"I have been well. And you seem to be doing well yourself," Sakata said to his friend. "Impressive ship."
"Thank you," Jaegar said. "Let me introduce you to the true master of this ship. Commander Sortha, meet Captain Sakata of the Repulse."
The huge Gorn hissed a welcome to Sakata and nodded. Then, as the rest of the Repulse team was introduced, the Stealth's transporter chief announced the arrival of the Maquis officers.
On the transport pad stood five Maquis members: Ro Laren, Michael Wellington, Kevin Palmer, Donovan Ramsey and Gil Hastings. Dressed in plain clothing and lacking the spit and polish of the Stealth and Repulse crews, the Maquis stepped down from the pad and joined the Starfleet officers.
"Admiral Jaegar, Commander Sortha. Allow me to introduce Ro Laren and some of her Maquis counterparts," Sakata said.
"Miss Ro requires no introduction," Jaegar said coldly. "Come with us. We'll join the rest of the Stealth senior staff in the conference room."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Meeting
Lt. Jack Dark
on the Stealth
Stardate 9704.26
Kane and I looked at each other and I moved closer to Ro and the Maqui.
"Ro Laren may I escort you to the conference Room? I say with a flourish, a smile and a bow. Ro knows that she is being put under guard and that I am getting in a subtle dig at my captain and Starfleet for their overt paranoia.
"I'd be honored Sir." Ro says in a passable immitation of a southern bell. She takes my arm and we all walk out.
=============================================================
Commander Sortha
Stealth
Stardate 9704.26
Commander Sortha led the way to the Stealth Conference Room. It was an odd convoy that followed the hulking Gorn through the corridors of the Stealth. Starfleet officers mixed with Maquis raiders, the contrast between the standard black and gray of Starfleet and the random colors of the Maquis personnel.
The group filed into the conference room. It was a tight fit, only the four top Starfleet officers from each ship and the two top Maquis personnel were able to sit. For the Stealth contingent, Admiral Jaeger, Commander Sortha, Lieutenant Commander Ayer and Lieutenant Tyrian Summers sat at the table. Behind them Lieutenant Ki'lal, Kalahna, Nash, and Brynaziir stood at attention. After all were settled, Admiral Jaeger rose.
"I'd like to introduce the crew of the Stealth, Captain Sakata, Captain Ro. This is Commander Sortha, captain of this ship. Originally, a Gorn exchange officer, he elected to remain in Starfleet. Commander Sortha is someone you definitely want on your side in a fight. Lieutenant Commander Ayer is our executive officer. Lieutenant Summers is our tactical officer. Lieutenant Ki'lal is our security officer, Lieutenant Kalahna is our ops officer, Lieutenant Nash (NPC) is our navigator, Lt. Aries is attached to sickbay, and Lieutenant Brynaziir, our counsellor."
The Gorn was huge, over seven feet tall and built like a rock. Ayer and Summers appeared to be normal humans. Ki'lal - a burly Klingon, Kalahna - a very attractive Bajoran female, Nash -a Vulcan, Brynaziir -a Betazoid, Aries - an Asian/American human male.
The Admiral continued, "The Stealth and crew are fresh from a desperate battle in which they captured a VorCHA class Battlecruiser under the command of a renegade Klingon general. Please excuse the occasional scorch marks. Captain Sakata, would you mind introducing your crew?"
=============================================================
Stealth
Conference Room
Stardate 9704.26
Captain Sakata nodded. "This is Lt. Jack Dark, my tactical officer; Lt. Taryn Kane, security chief; Lt. Brian Kern, science officer; Lt. Tivora Keline, Ops officer; Lt. Jonathan Tran, our helmsman; Lt. Thomas O'Coyne, our engineer; and Ensign Earl Anderson, a member of our security team."
Sakata then turned to the rag tag collection of Maquis fighters who were standing near the door.
"These are our Maquis guests," Sakata said, his tone becoming slightly frigid. "This is..."
Admiral Jaegar raised his hand, "I know who each of them are. I had each of them scanned as they beamed aboard and then I checked their records with the ship's computer. This is Lt. Ro Laren, a deserter and traitor to Starfleet who betrayed her shipmates aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise almost four years ago. She has since been involved in various Maquis operations, including the destruction of a Cardassian supply depot on Forlek VIII, the theft of arms from a Starfleet base on Hestus III and the kidnapping of a Cardassian legate on Jurtel VI."
Ro smiled at the admiral, her arms folded across her chest. "I like to stay busy."
"With Ro is Ensign Michael Wellington. He resigned his commission three months out of the academy after he and the ship he was serving aboard, the Malinche, were ordered to bring in Maquis terrorists in the Volon colonies. He has since been working with Ro's Maquis cell.
"Commander Kevin Palmer, formerly with Starbase 450. You were first officer there until you met a woman with the Maquis and fell in love. When she was killed fighting the Cardassians you abandoned your post and went to join the Maquis. You are wanted by the Cardassians for murdering one Gul Trenor. If we still had formal relations with the Cardassians I would be turning you over to them for that murder."
Palmer shrugged, "I'd do it again if I had to. That bastard Trenor was the one who killed Mari. He got what he had coming to him."
Jaegar ignored Palmer and continued, "Donovan Ramsey. Once the administrator of the Federation Colony on Volon Prime and some years ago you were an engineer with Starfleet according to our records. After your colony was turned over to the Cardassians, you quit your job as administrator and took up arms with the Maquis. Quite a career change, I'd say."
"And Gil Hastings. A member of the Volon Prime militia. You were part of the colony's armed forces until it bacame part of Cardassia and then you joined with Ramsey in allying yourself with the Maquis."
Ro Laren smiled, "well, admiral, you seem to have done your homework on us. Now, do you want to end the hostility or do you want our help? Because if you're going to continue intimidating us, we can just return to our ship and be on our way."
"And you think you can help us?" Sakata asked, joining the verbal fray?
Ro held up an isolinear data storage rod and smiled. "I do. In fact, the information you want about the Cardassian industrial replicators -- the one's the FEDERATION gave the Cardassians before they turned against you -- is right here. We have been keeping track of their movement since you delivered them to the Cardassian in anticipation of a strike to disable them. But since the Dominion showed up we've been too busy hiding and fighting to do anything about them."
"Until now," Sortha said, leaning back in his chair.
"We do need your help Ro," Jaegar said, the harshness leaving his tone.
"Let's see what you've got there."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Repulse-Stealth/Targets Identified
Lt. Commander Ayer
Conference Room
Stardate 9704.26
Ayer sat in his chair and observed the rest of the officers. The Repulse crew was comfortable in their surroundings, even though they were in a different ship. A few of them were looking at the Stealth's crew as well, looking to see how well they compare. Ayer doubted it matter much, they were going to be working together so they might as well get used to each other, and to the presense of the Maquis.
They were close to the Volon Colonies. To the uninformed, this meant nothing but to the Stealth, this meant a return to olden times. The Volon Colonies was where the Stealth (when it was a Starfleet Intelligence ship) had originally been captured and boarded by the Maquis.
Fortunately, the former crew of that Stealth had managed to drive away the intruders after a 16 hour battle and took the ship back to a starbase for repairs. This was several years ago but Ayer doubted such a situation would ever happen again.
The thought of the Maquis led Ayer's eye toward Jack Dark. He had seen the bold move taken by the officer when he escorted Ro towards the conference room. Ayer doubted it made a good impression on either Sortha or Jaegar. Still, there was the question of what Ro's relationship was with Dark. There's hardly the chance to find out about the two of them, but if he ever did, he knew it would be an interesting story.
The twitching of Tyrian's arm distracted Ayer from his thoughts. He turned to look at him, hoping to make eye-contact and perhaps establish what was lost. However, Tyrian's hatred of him was deeply ingrained, more so after the talk that they had. The tactical officer purposely ignored him as he listened to the conversations between officers. Ayer gave a small sigh and returned his attention back towards the table.
"We do need your help Ro," Jaegar said, the harshness leaving his tone. "Let's see what you've got there." Ro gave a small smile, knowing they needed her. She took the rod and placed it into a small slot beside her and sat back as a holographic image of the Cardassian map appeared on top of the table.
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Commander Sortha
Stealth conference room
Stardate 9705.27
Sortha rose out of his chair, his immense bulk filling the crowded conference room. Like Moses parting the Red Sea he maneuvered through the mass of personnel to the viewscreen. Inserting Ro Laren's isolinear rod into the computer, a schematic of Cardassian space appeared.
Three circles identified the positions the Maquis thought the replicators were located. Sortha pushed another panel and three more circles, of a different color appeared. Two of the three were identical to the earlier circles.
"Sstarfleet intelligence confirmss two of the locationss the Maquisss provided. The third is under disspute, however is within one of two sstar ssystemss. Three targetss, and three sships" Sortha stated. Pointing at the map, he noted, "We'll need to hit all targetss ssimultaneoussly to make ssure we have the element of ssurprise at all three locationss. The Repulse can cloak, and the Stealth has stealth capability.
"In addition, the Sstealth iss equipped with two Sstarfleet prototype sshuttles that have sstealth capability -Two long range sships, two short range sshuttles. It appears on the face of it, that we need to transfer one of our sshuttles to the Repulse. We can each take out two targets.
"The Maquis ship, being unable to cloak or possessing sstealth capability, will need to sstay in Federation sspace... unless Ms. Ro has some unknown capabilities onboard her sship" Sortha said glancing pointedly at Ro Laren. "I would ssuggest that we assign Maquis personnel to each of the targetss sso they can sshare their expertisse with the Federation crewss. Also, it may be wisse to assign the Sstealth to the target with the disputed location, as the Sstealth has the best scanning capabilities of the two sships, while the Repulse can take out the mosst heavily defended ssince it iss the more powerful of the two sships."
"Any comments on Commander Sortha's initial basic plan?" Admiral Jaeger asked the room.
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Lt. Taryn Kane
Conference Room
Stardate 9704.27
Taryn glanced across the table at Jack Dark and grinned slightly. As Sortha spoke, she thought about Jack's earlier comment to Ro Laren on the Repulse. He apparently knew her from somewhere, by the name of Valeria. And when he mentioned this name to her she seemed a bit shaken. Taryn couldn't help but wonder what it was.
Then there was his little display when he led Ro arm in arm from the Stealth's transporter room to the conference room. They must have know each other from some time ago.
Ro had also ruffled a few other feathers since she arrived, including those of Stealth's Lt. Kalahna Jarnell who was shooting daggers across the room at Ro...which was unusual for a fellow Bajoran.
This mission was certainly going to be interesting.
Once Sortha concluded and asked for questions, Taryn raised her hand.
"What about the fourth target Admiral Jaegar mentioned in our earlier briefing? The White producing Dominion ship."
=============================================================
USS Stealth
Briefing
Stardate 9704.27
Sortha defered that question to Jaegar, who folded his hands on the table in front of him and took a deep breath. "We have so far been unable to identify the location of that ship. It may be deeper into Cardassian space, possibly even on Cardassia Prime itself. We may not find it until we go deeper into their territory."
"So right now we only have three confirmed targets?" Sakata asked. "Or two if you want to take into consideration the third replicator site is still unconfirmed? And a possible fourth site being the White producing ship, which we may or may not find? Starfleet really gave us quite a bit to chew off."
"Indeed," Jaegar said. "The first replicator is on the Cardassian colony Dahqar IV, approximately 15 hours from our current position at warp 8. The colony took a severe beating during the Klingon invasion and has been rebuilding ever since. Current Cardassian population there is about 200,000.
"The second replicator is known to be on Gakerra II, which is 18 hours from our current position at warp 8. Gakerra is a Cardassian settlement which was also on the front line during the war with the Klingons. The Cardassians maintain a significant military garrison there. Civilian population is 250,000 and the military population is estimated at about 12,000.
"The replicator in dispute is believed to be on either Seldon III, an agricultural colony which has been struggling since it was established five years ago. Population 10,500. Or on Hantuuk IV, a mining colony where the Cardassians are known to maintain forced labor camps for dissidents, political prisoners and prisoners of war," Jaegar said, then looking at Ro. "The Maquis has identified Hantuuk as the site of the third replicator. What led you to that conclusion?"
"There a several Maquis prisoners in the Hantuuk labor camps and one of them made contact with a Bajoran resistance fighter still held there named Folan Lysik," Ro said. "Folan has been there for years and has been smuggling information out since before the end of the Occupation. Some of the Bajoran members of the Maquis frequently receive information from him about matters of interest -- including the replicators."
Jaegar thought about Ro's statement for a moment. "How accurate is this Folan's information?"
"One hundred percent in every other instance he's helped us before," Ro said.
Jaegar nodded, obviously wanting to act on Ro's information, but still maintained his doubts. "Commander Sortha has outlined our resources -- one ship with a cloaking device; one with stealth capabilities and two stealth capable shuttlecraft. The Maquis raider will have to be left behind. We also have our targets at hand. If we break into four groups, one should be on standby to go after the White manufacturing ship, should we find it.
"Also, an addendum to Commander Sortha's suggestion about transferring a shuttle to the Repulse -- Repulse has no hangar bay, so unless we want to have the shuttle tractored behind the Repulse, that plan won't work.
"So, I'm open to suggestions."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Repulse-Stealth/Ideas
Lt. Commander Ayer
Conference Room
Stardate 9704.27
"Admiral, I might be able to get us an extra ship," Ayer said.
Jaegar's eyes turned towards him, "Go on."
"You know from my reports that I once served in Cardassia before and in that time, I've made some friends. There's a Cardassian by the name of Palarim. He's one of the richest Cardassian and he has a tremendous amount of property. The shuttle which Tyrian and I escaped with was provided from him. He's been relatively untouched by the new Cardassian government or the Dominion. The reason for this is that he's not concerned with politics, a trait not commonly found in Cardassian, but more interested in making profit. He has been an important asset during the time I was there and I believe we could use his services again."
Ayer paused for a while then continued, "I can arrange with him for a small Cardassian ship and if he is willing to sell it, we can use the ship to travel almost anywhere in Cardassia without being interfered with."
=============================================================
Admiral Erik Jaegar
Conference Room
Stardate 9704.27
"And if there is one leak among this Palarim's people, we're all dead," Jaegar snapped at Ayer. "We can't risk it, whether you trust this individual or not. Are there any other ideas?"
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Ensign Jonathon Tran
USS Stealth: Conference Room
Stardate 9704.27
"Sir, If I may make a suggestion, I'm not even sure if it will work."
"Any idea, is a good idea, just lay them out on the table and we'll choose the best one," replied Admiral Jaegar.
"Okay, is there some way we can attach it to the hull of the ship? Maybe Brian might have a better idea, but that way, we can extend our cloak around it , and it won't slow us down. And maybe if there is some way to attach it to the hull, it might be worth the trouble to try and attach the Ravenhawk."
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Commander Sortha
Conference Room Stardate 9704.27
Sortha looked up at the rest of the Starfleet and Maquis members, and smiled a very toothy grin. "Like the Maquiss, we Gorn often had to improvisse in our battles with the Romulan Empire, so we may think in unconventional terms. I think Enssign Tran'ss ssuggestion will work. The sstealth sshuttles are ssmall, enough to hold a pilot and 10 persson commando crew. One would fit nicely underneath the Repulsse between the warp nacelles."
"But how would you attach it, and access..." Admiral Jaeger asked.
"You could use a starfleet emergency airlock used for evacuations for access and attach it any number of ways, including magnetic docking clamps or mechanical connections" Ro Laren interjected grinning. "I think I might like working with you Commander Sortha."
"And it would not affect the Repulse's cloak field. I already checked" Lieutenant Kalahna chimed in, not to be outdone by Ro.
Sortha did not return the compliment from Ro Laren, but continued on. "Depending on the accuracy of the Maquis information, ssplitting the shuttles may not be necessary. If the third replicator is indeed at Hantuuk IV, our four targets are reduced to three. Since Dahgar and Gakerra are within 3 hours of each other the Sstealth with its sshuttles can take thosse two targets while the Repulsse takes out Hantuuk IV. However," the Gorn paused, "if we do not trust the Maquis information about the replicator being on Hantuuk IV, we are back to four targetss. If we have the four targetss then the Sstealth should take the Hantuuk IV/Seldon III assignment sso that she can make use of her ssensor capabilities, while the Repulse handles the Dahgar IV and Gakkera assignment. I believe that whether we trussst the Maquis information is a decision Admiral Jaeger needs to make. Do we have three targetss or four Admiral" Sortha asked.
=============================================================
Admiral Erik Jaegar
Conference Room
Stardate 9704.27
Jaegar considered the plan and the Maquis information. He hated betting on a rag-tag group of misfits and Starfleet traitors, but the Maquis had been pulling off covert ops and gathering intelligence against the Cardassians more in recent years than the Federation had. As much as it went against his grain, he had a suspiscion Ro Laren was right about Hantuuk.
"We go with the Maquis intelligence," Jaegar finally admitted. "But Ro, this information had better be right or there'll be hell to pay."
"If I'm wrong, admiral, then we're probably all going to die anyway," Ro replied.
"Let's hope we don't have to find out," Captain Sakata added.
"Next, we need to determine how the groups are going to be divided," Jaegar said. "Suggestions?"
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Teaming Up
Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
Conference Room
Stardate 9704.28
Tyrian spoke up after Jeager asked for suggestions of for the attack groups. "Admiral, I would like to volunteer for the standby group to go after the white producing ship."
The other officers in the room started to offer ideas as well. Tyrian looked at his hands, they were almost completely healed now, only a slight shake now and again. Tyrian had been avoiding Ayer since the incident, he really wanted nothing to do with him, he would work with him but that was it.
Tyrian turned his head towards the Maquis complement standing in the conference room, he admired them, they followed their beliefs when others didn't agree with them in the name of revenge. Most Starfleet officers hated them, but Tyrian respected them.
=============================================================
Commander Sortha
Conference Room
Stardate 9704.28
"Very well, three targets it iss" Sortha rumbled, accepting the Admiral's decision without question. That ssuggests that we can keep both sshuttles on the Sstealth and the Sstealth can take out the replicators on Dahgar IV and Gakerra, while the Repulsse takes out the replicator on Hantuuk IV.
"The crewss of the Sstarfleet vessels can remain on their own sships, while the Maquis are ssplit between the two sships. That way we can take advantage of their inside information. Gakerra will be the toughest target to crack as there is a ssizeable military garrison there. Therefore, I'd like to request the bulk of the Maquis crew, primarily good ground fighters be placed with the Sstealth.
"Captain Sakata, do you have any preference which of our five current Maquis guests you'd like to have? I imagine you'll want someone who has contacts on Hantuuk IV?"
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Captain Keio Sakata
Conference Room
Stardate 9704.28
Sakata nodded in response to Jaegar's question and slowly turned toward Ro Laren. "I take it you are the only one on your vessel with contacts on Hantuuk?"
"I guess you're stuck with me, Captain Sakata. I will join the Repulse team and I'll bring Palmer and Hastings with me," Ro said. "Wellington will lead Ramsey, Ulrich and Kaatek aboard the Stealth."
Jaegar's brow furroughed. "Who is Kaatek? Is he back on the Ravenhawk?"
"Yes. He's half-Klingon, half-Romulan. He was among a group of Klingons rescued by Lt. Worf of the Enterprise from a Romulan prison camp a few years ago, his parents were prisoners of war from the Khitomer invasion," Ro began.
"He joined the Maquis...."
"You've said quite enough, lieutenant," Jaegar suddenly snapped, noticing Ki'lal's interest piqued across the table at mention of the word Khitomer. "The details of that mission are classified by Starfleet Command."
"That's former lieutenant," Ro shot back. "And I'm sorry, but I don't recognize what you do and do not consider classified information. Anyway, Kaatek is young, but a very good fighter. He'll serve Commander Sortha well."
"Very well," Jaegar concluded. "Have your Maquis people get themselves to their respective posts and make arrangements to move the Ravenhawk somewhere safe. We depart for our objectives in three hours. Dismissed."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/More Questions
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Lt. Jack Dark
Conference Room
Stardate 9704.28
"Sir, what exactly are our orders if the replicators are there? Is the destruction of these replicators our primary mission or our only mission? Do we destroy the everything, the mining facility, engage any ships in orbit, plan a rescue, call the Maquis at a later date to clear out those remaining? Since there will be members of the Maquis on our ship I think that these are legitimate questions that must be looked into. Everyone at this table knows that we are expendable. We also know that those at Hantuuk IV are as well. The only question that is I am sure on Ro Laren's mind as the senior most representative for the Maquis is Starfleet's definition of expediency."
As I sat back I caught Ro's nod from across the table. She knows she would have not handled it as well as I did.
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USS Stealth
Conference Room
Stardate 9704.29
Admiral Jaegar stared at Dark for a moment, his face betraying nothing. Captain Sakata looked at Dark and then back at Jaegar with a bit of a nervous look on his face.
"Your mission, the main reason we are risking all of your lives, is to knock out those replicators in the most quiet and expediant way, and then get the Hell out of Cardassian space," Jaegar said. "You are to engage enemy vessels only if there is no other resort. You are to destroy the replicators in a very surgical manner. You are NOT to take unnecessary risks, such as deviating from the plan to carry out some kind of rescue mission.
"I know the temptation is there, but keep in mind Starfleet intelligence places more than 300 political prisoners and POWs from various Cardassian wars at this camp. To our knowledge, Bajorans represent only 2 of the prisoners held there and there are no known Starfleet prisoners in the camp. The rest are either criminals or dissidents."
Ro cleared her throat. "Sir, there are at least twelve Maquis held prisoner in that camp, most of them are former Federation citizens and or ex-Starfleet officers. This is an opportunity to bring a lot of people home."
"I sympathize, but our orders are specific. A side excursion into the mining camp would tack unnecessary time onto the mission. Once an away team has successfully landed, planted explosives on the replicators and beamed back to the ship, it will be time to head straight back for the Federation before the entire Cardassian and Jem'Hadar fleet is on our tail," Jaegar said. "The only deviation will be to deal with the White producing ship if we find out where it is and determine if we can get to it without running into a hornet's nest of Cardassian and Jem'Hadar.
"This is an opportunity to prevent the Dominion from using the replicators the Federation gave the Cardassians to build more weapons of destruction. It is the first step in trying to minimize the damage this new alliance might cause the rest of the Alpha Quadrant."
=============================================================
Lt. Brian Kern
USS Stealth : Conference Room
Stardate 9704.28
Kern strode out of the conference room, Jack and Jon at his side, and stepped on the transporter pad. After re-materializing on the transporter pad, kern headed out of the transporter room and into the hallway, then he felt his stomach rumble, so he decided, with 3 hours till departure, that he'd go to the mess hall, and get something to eat...after he ordered some gagh from the replicator, he sat at a table and ate quickly.
Feeling a little bored, he activated the holo-gameboard in the center of the table. Since there was no one else there, he skipped past the 3D chess program, and decided to try a new program. He pressed the next button a couple of times until he came upon a program called calto. After about two and a half hours, he got frustrated, and just turned the program off, and headed to the turbolift, then on to the bridge...
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Preparing for Mission
=============================================================
Lt. Tom O'Coyne
USS Repulse - Engineering
Stardate 9704.30
Tom strolled down the corridor to main Engineering. He couldn't say he was too
pleased to have Ro Laren - of all people - working on the ship; but a job was a
job and he had to accept whatever the galaxy threw at him... Then there was the
obvious fact that Jack knew her from somewhere before, it was all a bit confusing - but no doubt they could find out sooner or later.
=============================================================
Commander Sortha
Stealth
Stardate 9704.30
As the meeting was breaking up, Sortha welcomed the new Maquis crew members. "I believe that you will get more than a "tasste" of combat aboard Sstealth. We seem to pull ssome risky assignmentss. You should find it.... ssstimulating."
Then turning to Lieutenant Kalahna, he instructed: "pleasse make our new allies comfortable aboard Stealth, Lieutenant Ayer please work on integrating the Maquis into our crew structure."
After everyone had left, Sortha visited Brynaziir. "I want a thorough psychological and reliability assessment on our new crewmatess, and coordinate with our medical staff for full physical scans."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Mission Begins
Lt. Commander Ayer
USS Stealth - Bridge
Stardate 9705.01
Ayer sat in his padded chair, the feel of the soft cloth did little to soften his caution of the Maquis' prescense. As Ayer stared blankly at the viewscreen, he thought of the precautions he has to make, 'It's a good thing Ro isn't with our ship,' he thought, 'we may even have to go up to level three security if she was. Then again, the rest of the Maquis crews weren't good news as well. Sometimes you just make alliances where you least expected.' The changeling tapped his commbadge, "Ayer to Wellington, please come to the bridge immediately."
After a short while, Wellington stepped off the turbolift and approached the changeling. "Yes, what is it?" He asked.
"I have been given orders to intergrate your crew members into our ship for the duration of the mission. I would like you to assist me on this so as of now, you will be an observer," Ayer said.
Wellington was at a lost as he asked, "An observer?" He looked confused for a while, "with all due respect, I don't really know how observing could be of any help to you or to Starfleet."
The changeling shook his head, "You won't just be observing but also to give any suggestions that you have regarding the Maquis and your ideas on the upcoming mission."
That cleared his thoughts and the Maquis smile, "Well in that case, I'll do my best to assist you." Wellington then stopped his smile. He knew people doesn't expect this kind of openess from Maquis and so offered an explanation. He spoke in a thoughtful tone, "I know the Maquis' haven't made a good impression with the Federation and frankly, I can understand why. There are a few Maquis, here onboard the Stealth, that's going to have a hard time getting along with the rest of the crew. But I'll try and see what I can do to help out," he smiled again, "after all, we're allies now."
Finished, the Maquis turned and walked back towards the turbolift. As the door opened, Lt. Kalahna walked out of the lift and saw the Maquis. Wellington nodded a little and smiled to her as he dissapeared behind closing doors. Ayer couldn't help but smile a little to himself as he noticed the action. Then, turning to business, he called to Kalahna, "Lieutenant, I see you've gotten the Maquis into their quarters. Are the security measures in place?"
The bajoran nodded, "Yes, Ki'lal had two security guards assigned to each Maquis crew. Also, Tyrian has relayed the internal sensors to track each Maquis movement, the moment they try to gain access to any restricted database, they will be beamed into the brig."
"Impressive," Ayer said. "There's just one more thing. I have a request to ask of you."
"Certainly."
"I would like you to work with some of the Maquis crew members. I know they don't like mingling with Starfleet but bajorans are a different matter. No offense intended, Kalahna, I hold a deep respect for Bajor and its people as do a lot of people, including the Maquis. They would be more open with Bajorans than any other people, simply because they have worked with them. Just see what they're like and try to minimize any conflict between our crew and theirs," Ayer concluded.
Kalahna nodded her head, "I understand." She then walked towards her station and sat down.
Ayer then left the bridge and decided to proceed to Holodeck 2. He had just recently received a new holo-program. Unlike most other programs, this involved little fighting but was more in tune with diplomacy. The main idea throughout the program was to use subtlety and skillful maneuvering to achieve your goals and to attempt to outmanuever other rivals. The most important lesson that he had learned throughout his life was that communication is the most important aspect in all things. Ayer reached the holodeck and found it empty. Turning to the panel beside the large doors, he said, "Computer, load program Ayer 43-alpha." The computer registered the commands and then responded, "Program loaded, enter when ready." He stepped in front of the door, letting the sensors detect the prescense of an individual and opening its doors. When the door was fully opened, the changeling stepped in and said, "Computer, run program."
=============================================================
Internal Message
From: Commander Sortha
To: Stealth crew/Maquis team
Stardate 9705.02
The following are preliminary assignments for the upcoming mission: Any comments or suggestions?
Stealth: Admira Jaeger, Commander Sortha, Lieutenant Nash, Lieutenant JG Sholek, Lieutenant Brynaziir, Donovan Ramsey, Remaining crew: 94
Dahgar IV Team: Stealth Shuttle 1 Total team members:10
MissionCommander/Explosives Expert: Lieutenant Tyrian Summers
Medical Officer: Lieutenant Commander Ming
Security Chief: Lieutenant Ki'lal
Maquis Officer: Michael Wellington
Security: 3 Ensigns, 2 Maquis
Shuttle Pilot
Gakerra Team: Stealth Shuttle 2 Total team members: 10
Mission Commander: Lieutenant Commander Ayer
Explosives Expert: Lieutenant Kalahna
Security Chief: Lieutenant JG Jackson
Medical Officer: Lieutenant Aries
Maquis Officer: Kaatek
Security 2 Ensigns, 2 Maquis
Shuttle Pilot
=============================================================
Internal Message
From: Captain Keio Sakata
To: Repulse crew/Maquis team
Stardate 9705.02
The Repulse will fly directly to the Hantuuk IV inside Cardassian space. Our primary mission will be to find the Federation Type 8 Industrial Replicator housed on the planets mining labor camp and destroy it. The site will undoubtably be shielded, so an away team excursion to the surface will be necessary.
The team will be comprised of the following people:
Mission Leader(s): Lt. Jack Dark, Ro Laren
Security: Lt. Taryn Kane
Demolitions: Kevin Palmer
Weapons/Tactics: Ensign Earl Anderson, Ensign Jonathan Tran, Gil Hastings
Support Officers (science, computers, electronics): Lt. Tivora Keline, Lt. Brian Kern
Medical: Dr. Erika Raid
Lt. O'Coyne will remain aboard the Repulse with Captain Sakata and the Starfleet regulars. The teams composition may change if the secondary objective -- the Jem'Hadar White producing ship -- is identified and must be dealt with by the Repulse.
While en route, Dark and Laren should begin formulating strategy to deal with the replicator, which will be located inside a mining camp on the surface of Hantuuk IV -- a barren desert planet known for its dylithium mines and the hundreds of Cardassian political prisoners and POWS kept there.
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Repulse-Stealth/Mission Details
Commander Sortha
Stealth
Stardate 9705.04
Commander Sortha began his debriefing after his officers had assumed their seats in the Stealth's conference room.
"We are currently under way in sstealth mode toward our objectivess. We will be crosssing the Cardasssian border in one hour. The Ssstealth will take a position halfway between Dahgar IV and Gakerra, which will place us at 1.5 hours away from each at Warp 8, or 20 minutess at Warp 9.92. We will launch the stealth sshuttless, the Phantom and the Wraith, with their crewss toward each objective. The Sstealth will remain in position and will resspond to whichever team runs into trouble or needs an emergency extraction."
Sortha keyed a console and a diagram appeared illustrating the relative positions of the Stealth, Dahgar IV and Gakerra. Kalahna gulped a little as the blip representing the Stealth quickly neared the Cardassian border. Sortha hit another key and an image of Dahgar IV appeared on the screen. It was a class M planet in rich grens and blues, with cloud cover obscuring most of the planet.
"Dahgar IV is a tropical planet with heavy vegetation and numerous animal sspecies. Annual rainfall exceeds 500 centimeters per year, and the planet experiencess numerous heavy weather patterns and frequent violent sstorms. The Cardassians placed one of the type 8 industrial replicators here because of the abundant energy and mineral resources contained in the planet. Sstarfleet intelligence places the replicator site in a large artificially excavated underground cavern at 33o w longitude and 45o N latitude. "
A flashing red blip appeared on the planet. The view zoomed into that area, revealing a large clear-cut area with large piles of industrial waste products. Large industrial trucks could be seen carrying rich ores and minerals down several large shafts to feed the replicators with raw replicating material. Sortha keyed the view off and handed Tyrian a chip. All of Starfleet's classified intelligence on Dahgar IV is contained on that chip, use it to help plan your team's mission. "
Sortha keyed the viewer again and a schematic of Gakerra appeared on the screen. In contrast to Dahgar IV, Gakerra appeared to be a desert world with numerous volcanos and vast seales plains. Numerous populated areas could be discerned on the planet's surface and a number of Cardassian warcraft circled the planet.
"Gakerra is the site of a Cardassian military installation. The replicator is located approximately 2 kilometers outside of their main military base here" Sortha stated moving the viewer in to reveal a large complex on the tip of a large southern continent. "Gakerra is a popular Cardassian basse as there are plenty of ssulfur springss and plenty of opportunity to enjoy lounging on heat rockss, a habit enjoyed by Cardassians. Gravity on Gakerra is 1.34 standard so I hope everybody is in good shape."
Sortha handed a chip to Ayer as he had to Tyrian. "Use this information to help plan your sstrategy."
Then looking at the group in general he instructed, "meet back here in two hourss. It is 0900 currently. We hit the Cardassian border at 1000. We meet to finalize our plans at 1100, the Stealth moves into position and launches shuttles at 1800 hours. You have 1 stanard day to achieve your objectives, the replicators at all three sites should blow up at 1800 hours the following day.
Dahgar IV Team: Stealth Shuttle 1 Total team members:10
MissionCommander/Explosives Expert: Lieutenant Tyrian Summers
Medical Officer: Lieutenant Commander Ming
Security Chief: Lieutenant Ki'lal
Maquis Officer: Michael Wellington
Security: 3 Ensigns, 2 Maquis
Shuttle Pilot
Gakerra Team: Stealth Shuttle 2 Total team members: 10
Mission Commander: Lieutenant Commander Ayer
Explosives Expert: Lieutenant Kalahna
Security Chief: Lieutenant JG Jackson
Medical Officer: Lieutenant Aries
Maquis Officer: Kaatek
Security 2 Ensigns, 2 Maquis
Shuttle Pilot
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Lt. Thoraz Brynaziir
Stealth
Stardate 9705.03
Counsellor's Report
Thoraz went to the Ready Room door after the briefing and pressed the chime.
"Come in, " Commander Sortha responded.
"Commander," Thoraz said, entering the ready room. "I have scanned the Maquis personnel and thought you should know the following. Wellington regrets his decision to join the Maquis. Ramsey bears hatred toward the Federation for abandoning his colony. Ulrich is very much a concern. He bears watching, in my opinion. Kaatek is young, confused and in a personal conflict between his Klingon and Romulan heritages.
"Also, I plan on paying a personal visit to Tyrian regarding his experience on Cardassia," Thoraz remained at attention until acknowledged by Sortha.
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Lt. Kalahna Jarnell
Stealth
Stardate 9705.04
Kalahna pressed the outside of the Maquis quarter's door. "Who is it?" a
voice inquired from within.
"Lieutenant Kalahna" Kalahna replied, "May I come in?"
"Sure, if the two Starfleet security monkeys outside will let you" someone answered back.
Kalahna entered the room. It was lit by low illumination and the Maquis were hovered over a table looking at schematics of the replicator sites. The three Maquis officers, Wellington, Ramsey and Kaatek looked up at Kalahna. She was in her off duty clothes, a form fitting purple jumpsuit, and her earpiece dangled noticeably from her ear. She had dressed this way on purpose to put the Maquis at ease. She figured a Starfleet uniform would not be as well received.
"Come sit down Kalahna" Wellington said as he kicked a chair at the table so it opened, allowing her to sit. Kalahna sat down.
Kalahna began, "Look, I know you guys aren't too fond of Starfleet...I can understand. You must know that a lot of us in Starfleet sympathized with you, but couldn't do anything about it...except desert. But now that the Cardassians have joined the Dominion, we don't have to be torn by conflicting loyalties. At least that is what I am hoping. I think more than just the replicators are riding on this mission.... I think Starfleet/Maquis joint missions are riding on the outcome of this attack as well." smiling warmly, Kalahna continued. "A lot of my friends joined from the resistance joined the Maquis.... I for one would like to see you guys stay on our side."
"Well thank you Kalahna" Wellington said, not quite knowing what to say.
"If you have any problems with the crew or fitting in here, let me know, and I'll do what I can. The Commander is a fair Captain. The only thing that matters to him is getting the mission done. And since our mission is to hurt the frigging Cardassians.....I am sure we will all enjoy that." With that Kalahna, got up and left the room.
"Looks like not all of Starfleet is stuckup paperpushers" Wellington observed smiling.
"Yeah, that girl has got some spunk" Ramsey added.
"I think she will enjoy working with us" Kaatek concluded, smiling a crooked toothed Klingon smile.
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USS Stealth, USS Repulse
At the DMZ
Stardate 9705.04
It was finally time to leave.
Crewed by a couple of Ro Laren's Maquis who were remaining behind, the Ravenhawk had moved off several hours earlier to the nearby Forensta Nebula where it would hide and wait for the two Starfleet ships to return.
Both operating under stealth mode, the two Starfleet ships moved slowly along the Demilitarized Zone and waited for a good opportunity to cross. When Cardassian space was clear for many light years, Admiral Erik Jaegar gave the go ahead to cross the border and begin the mission.
"Well, this is it," Captain Keio Sakata said to Commander Sortha and Admiral Jaegar as he looked back at them from the viewscreen on the Repulse. "Good luck. If all goes well we'll meet back here in several days."
Jaegar nodded, "Hopefully all of us in one piece. Remember your objectives captain and keep an eye on your visitors."
"We will," Sakata confirmed. "See you at the rendezvous point."
"We'll be there," Sortha confirmed with a low growl. "Count on it."
"I will. Repulse out," Sakata said. After the viewscreen image disappeared, Sakata turned to Ensign Tran. "Lay in a course for Hantuuk IV, warp 7."
Soon after Tran had laid in the coordinates, Sakata nodded to the ensign, "Engage. Lt. Dark, cloak the ship."
"Aye," Dark replied as Tran punched the warp controls and the Repulse shot off into space and into the Demilitarized Zone. A second later the Repulse cloaked and was gone.
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Lt. Commander Ayer
Stealth Bridge
Stardate 9705.04
It was over five hours since the Stealth had departed with the Repulse.
Although both ships were going into Cardassian space, their destinations were very different from one another. The plan was to proceed into Cardassian territory about halfway between the two targets and then launch the two shuttles from the hangar bay. While the shuttles traveled to their designated planets, the Stealth would patrol the sector, scanning for any signs of the White-producing ship. They would also be nearby in case either team needed their help.
Ayer wondered what awaits his team when they reach Gakerra. As had said earlier, it was a heavily guarded area, filled with a military force of approximately 12 000. However, he was confident they could get in, but would they be able to get out once their mission objective was accomplished. Wisely, Ayer left that question unanswered. 'To provide an answer to an uncertainty is no answer,' he thought and sat back in his seat at the Lounge and observed the passing stars as they flowed by.
Later on the bridge,
"Lieutenant Nash, what is the statuss report on this ssectors?" Commander Sortha asked.
The helmsman checked his sensor readings and reported, "No signs of Cardassian or Jem'Hadar activities. Long range scans report a Cardassian ship eight light years away but they are heading deeper into Cardassian territory. They will be out of sensor range in two hours."
The Gorn nodded, "ssVery well. Ssortha to Tyrian and Ayer, you may commence with the missionss."
Ayer tapped his commbadge in response, "Understood...Ayer to Away Team 2, meet me at the hangar bay on Deck 10. We will board the runabout Recon-2 in fifteen minutes." The materials that they needed were already placed onboard the runabout; weapons, armors, and a small stack of demolition equipments. According to Starfleet database, it would take more than a few photon grenades to take care of the industrial replicators. Starfleet has always pride itself on the reliability of its technology and the replicators were no different. The engineers who built these devices had placed about seven backup systems, extra computer relays, and enforced everything with duranium alloy. In order to destroy a whole replicator, all explosives must be set off simultaneously so the blast damage would collapse the whole structure. This was all in theory of course, but who knows what the Cardassian had done with them.
As the vast door opened to reveal the hangar, Ayer could see most of his team had arrived on time. He walked in and said, "Commander Sortha has authorized us to begin our mission." Ayer slowly looked over the team then said, "Where are Kaatek and Ulrich?" Before anyone could answer, the door slid opened and Ulrich flew in. Kaatek followed him soon after. He appeared to be furious at Ulrich and roughly growled at the other Maquis, "Echgk' rawak Taragak!" and spat at him. Ulrich, his pride lost, slowly stood up and quietly moved to the back of the team but there was no doubt in him that Kaatek was going to pay for that.
The half-klingon, however, ignored the other Maquis and turned towards Ayer, "I'm sorry sir, but this...this despicable filth!," he growled, "refused to come on the mission. I had to drag him through the hallways and deposit him here, I'm sorry if I caused any trouble to the mission."
Ayer shook his head, "There will be time for apologizes later, but for now, let's proceed with the mission." Ayer turned around and lead the way into the runabout. The ship was to be navigated by Ensign Manar, a Tellarian who, according to Starfleet personell report, was a skillful pilot. Ayer assigned Kalahna to look after the operation system while he took tactical. Aries was to complete a quick physical analysis of each member on the team and Lt. Jackson was to keep an eye on Ulrich. After the clearing procedures were complete and the hatch was opened, Recon-2 took its leave and headed towards Gakerra.
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Lt. Tom O'Coyne
Bridge - USS Repulse
Stardate 9705.04
Tom sat at the Engineering console on the Bridge, it was just a little over a
day since the Captain had given the crew their parts in the mission - and he was
being kept on the Repulse for some reason.
He turned around from his console, "Captain, while the others are on the planet, I can't see any reason not to try to rescue the Maquis and Starfleet personel on the planet; permission to make that attempt? There are still some well trained crew members onboard and I know most of them want to try to get those people out."
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Captain Keio Sakata
Repulse
Stardate 9705.04
Sakata turned his gaze on O'Coyne. He was surprised that Tom had pushed this subject with him. He thought the admiral had been clear about their orders.
"Lieutenant. Didn't you hear the admiral's orders?" Sakata asked. He could tell the other members of the bridge crew were watching him and they too wanted to attempt a rescue.
"Yes sir, but if a rescue could be carried out without jeopardizing the mission, wouldn't it be appropriate for us to do so?" O'Coyne maintained. Great, Sakata thought, the crew was going to think of him as a cold, heartless bureaucrat if he didn't attempt to rescue the Bajoran and Federation citizens held in the Hantuuk prison camp. They obviously understood little about special operations and wanted to adhere more to the general rules all Starfleet officers were taught in the academy.
But those rules didn't often apply to black ops and covert missions like this one.
Still, Sakata admitted, it seemed mighty callous for them not to attempt the rescue.
"First, let me correct you lieutenant. There are no Starfleet officers held at that camp -- to our knowledge. We would be risking our lives for 12 members of the Maquis held there. Granted, most of them are Federation citizens or Starfleet deserters, but they have turned their back on the Federation and what it stands for," Sakata said.
"But sir," Taryn said, chiming in from her security station. "Aren't the Starfleet deserters still considered officers? They are considered AWOL, but not officially excused from duty. Doesn't that count."
Damn! He thought. Now Taryn Kane was against him. The hardass in him wanted to say no and order them all back to their posts, but she was right. It couldn't hurt to try.
"Very well. Lt. O'Coyne, you are in charge of formulating a plan to rescue the 12 Maquis and 2 Bajoran prisoners held in the camp. But you MUST come up with a plan that will not jeopradize the rest of the mission," Sakata said. "I'm pulling Gil Hastings back from Team One. He'll work with you to organize a rescue plan. Get on it, lieutenant. I want to hear what you come up with by the time we reach Hantuuk."
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Lt. Taryn Kane
Repulse
Stardate 9705.04
Taryn Kane strode into the conference room where she and the strike team were going to assemble to discuss strategy. When she entered Jack Dark was there, the first of the team to arrive. He was busy scanning over technical information Starfleet Intelligence and the Maquis had provided on the Hantuuk prison colony.
"Another mission, another prison," Taryn said as she walked into the conference room and set her PADDs on the table. "Why do we always seem to pull the missions which involve a prison camp?"
Dark nodded, obviously uninterested in the conversation, and continued to read over the reports. She was surprised by the speed at which Jack could read and seemingly comprehend the data. He was indeed unique.
"You'd feel better about this mission if we were rescuing the Bajoran prisoners?" Taryn asked. "I've noticed that you've been kind of quiet since Sakata nixed your proposal to go after prisoners while we're on Hantuuk. And while we're at it, what's the deal between you and Ro? You two act like old friends."
Just them, several more team members walked in and Dark was able to avoid the question many of the crew had been wondering since Ro and Dark had first seen each other on the bridge several days earlier.
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Lt. Jack Dark
On the Repulse/Strategy
Stardate 9705.04
"O.K. people this is a strategy session, I want every idea we can get. Here
are some factors to think about. Since this is a Dylithium mining site it will be heavily shielded and very dangerous. This is a desert world with minimal plant and animal life to hide in. Since the Cardassians are running it the conditions under which the slaves are living will be appalling but survivable. Skilled labor is not to be wasted, just brutalized. The Replicators will need planet class power plants. Taking them out would solve our Replicators problem. Is there a way that we can cripple the Replicators without destroying the complex? Can we use the Dylithium mine itself as a weapon? Lets hear some options."
I look to Ro Laren, Taryn Kane, Kevin Palmer, Earl Thompson, Jonathan Tran,
Gil Hastings, Tivora Keline and Brian Kern for ideas...
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Outbound Shuttle
Lt. Commander Ayer
Shuttle - Wraith
Stardate 9705.05
The tactical station showed little signs of interest as Ayer monitored the readings on the panel. The Stealth was still in sensor range and Gakerra was coming in closer but they still had lots of time before they were even within scanning range of the Gakerran system.
The ship, piloted by Ensign Manar, took a small turn to the port to avoid a small asteroid field. After getting back on course, he punched in a keyed command and called up the sensor scans for this area. After looking at the data for a while, Manar said, "Hmmm, there's going to be a lot of asteroids from here on till we reach Gakerra. I'll try and do my best to avoid them but it's going to be a bumpy ride." As if on cue, the shuttle rocked a little as it ran into another field.
Aries, who had just came up from the corridor, quickly grabbed on to the wall as the ship jerked. Recovering his balance he said, "Whoa, what was that, Manar?"
Manar smiled a little, almost as if hinting that he had done it on purpose, "Sorry, I completely lost my coordination for a while." Aries looked concerned and turned to address Ayer, "Sir, are you sure you trust Manar to get us to Gakerra in one piece? I know I just got the mandatory pilot training at the Academy but I'm sure I can do better than that." Ayer responded, "I'm sure you can get us to Gakerra but I'd rather we don't get a bumpier ride than this one."
Kalahna stood up and walked towards the replicator, "Bajoran Furion Tea." After the molecules has assembled itself, Kalahna picked up the cup and walked back towards her station. She sipped a small amount of it, tasted it on her tongue, then said, "I think whoever programmed the replicators got this tea confused with Bolian Spice Tonic. It certainly is the opposite of what I expect it to be."
Ensign Porlan, one of the security officer, looked at her and asked, "May I have that, lieutenant? I've never gotten used to being comfortable on shuttle rides, everytime I look out at the windows, my head just spins out of control. Some Bolian Tonic could help calm me, even though we're being bombarded by asteroids."
"Here," Kalahna extended the cup towards Porlan who then accepted it graciously, "Thanks, lieutenant." The security officer quickly took a gulp of the drink down and then choked. After several coughs, Porlan seemed much brighter and not as nervous. "Better?" Kalahna asked.
"Much," he said.
Ayer has finally completed going through all reports of Gakerra and turned towards the crew. He nodded to Kaatek who then came up and joined the rest of the officers. After Kaatek took his seat, Ayer continued, "Allright, we've some time left before we reach Gakerra, I want some ideas on how we can get to the replicator site. Also, I want to know about any possible thing that can happen to the replicator, what the Cardassians could do to upgrade it and how heavily protected it could be?
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Strategy Session
Lt. Tom O'Coyne
Bridge - Repulse
Stardate 9705.06
Tom left the turbolift and walked towards the captain. He handed him the PADD that he was holding, "Sir, this is my mission plan for the rescue, my team; Gil,
myself and Ensign Gomez from engineering will have to be deposited near the Frean starship graveyard; from there we will comandeer an old freighter to take us to Hantuuk IV.
"Once we're their, Gil will contact Folan Lysik, a Bajoran who has been a major asset to the Maquis intelligence community in recent times. Ro Laren has assured his co-operation in exchange for amnesty from his crimes against the Cardassians. Folan will, we hope, be able to provide us with guard timetables and allow us to plan our rescue further. I have Gomez working on the Cardassian shield design right now and I am sure this plan will work."
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Captain Keio Sakata
Bridge
Stardate 9705.06
"Tom, I don't think you commendeering a freighter and taking it into Cardassian space for this rescue mission is going to work out," Sakata said. "Whatever your plan is, it must be based off the Repulse. And it must not draw any undo attention to us or the strike team. A rescue mission plan would involve you leading a seperate away team into the camp. And it would have to be done so we can beam you back at a moment's notice.
"That is why I'm not sure it will work," Sakata admitted. "I'm sorry. Come back with another plan, or we'll have to forego any plans to rescue the prisoners."
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Lt. Taryn Kane
Conference Room
Stardate 9705.06
Taryn listened to Jack's description of what the site on Hantuuk IV would be like and then some of the variables he through out to the team. When he opened up to suggestions, she glanced around at the others.
Kern was running computations through his tricorder, the Maquis crew were talking amongst themselves devising what would probably be an ingenious, but unorthodox plan, while Tran and Thompson sorted through some of the PADDs Dark had spread out on the conference table.
Seeing no other immediate plans coming forward, Taryn cleared her throat to speak.
"You mention taking out the power source. That's fine, but the replicator must be destroyed so it cannot be used with another power source. Also, if we destroy the power source or use the dylithium in some way, the effects could be harmful to the prisoners at the camp," Taryn said. "However, since the replicators are probably going to be well guarded by either Cardassian or Jem'Hadar troops -- since they know how badly the Maquis has wanted to destroy them, the power source could still be used to our advantage.
"Cardassians typically use a type five fusion reactor for planet based military installations and mining facilities. We could land an away team at the reactor site and then, using the reactor, generate a radiation pulse which would literally fry the circuits and other internal components of the industrial replicators. Without Federation replacement parts, the unit would be useless.
"Of course, I'm not much of an engineer, so this is only a theory. Perhaps Lt. Kern or one of the rest of you can expand on this idea?"
Taryn then looked around for reactions or comments...
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Lt. Kalahna Jarnell
Shuttle Wraith
Stardate 9705.06
After listening to Ayer, Kalahna tried to bite her tongue, but her feisty Bajoran resistance fighter background got the better of her.
"Don't you think it would have been better to think about this before we left the Stealth? Then maybe we could have planned ahead and brought specialized equipment according to our planning. I mean it seems a bit late for staff input or planning ...sir?"
Kalahna hurried on before being slammed for insubordination "it appears that the Cardassians move large cargo carrying vehicles into the underground chamber. It might be easiest to stow away on one of those and get into the cavern where the replicator site is at. Hopefully we can plant our explosives undetected and then get out the same way." Kalahna waited for everyone's reaction.
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Lt. Tyrian Summers
USS Stealth Hangar Bay
Stardate 9705.05
Tyrian stood outside the shuttle going over final mission preparations with Ki'lal as the rest of the team readied the shuttle for departure. Tyrian was anxious to get off the Stealth for a while, he had been dodging Brynaziir for a while, he had been trying to get Tyrian to sit down and talk with him. Tyrian did not want that guy picking through his head and did not want anybody asking him about the Cardassian prison.
Tyrian recieved word that his shuttle could depart when ready. The team loaded into the shuttle after all had been done. Everyone wore their black combat suits and their full body light body armor underneath. Tyrian could'nt wait to get back into battle to reaffirm his skills after his imprisonment and torture by the Cardassians and Ayer.
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/More planning
Lieutenant Brian Kern
Conference Room
Stardate 9705.06
Kern sat and listened to Taryn's suggestion...then spoke up... "I think Taryn's suggestion is a good one...except that a general radiation, while it would fry the circuits, would be easily detected by sensors..."
Sakata considered Kern's answer and then spoke... " Well, what would you suggest??" Kern thought for a moment and then spoke... "
"We need something that can be set on a delay timer...I'm sure the second that the circuits to the replicator overload, we'll have several Jem'Hadar patrols coming to check out the problem...I think what we should use is a Type 1 phaser...if we set it exactly, it should be able to short the system, without registering too large an energy discharge...then you could just set it, get the away team ready, and beam out as it fires...then just adjust it, so that it has a slight reflectiveness on the outside...so you could set a phaser overload... and have it vaporize itself, and if they attempt to scan it with a tricorder, the only readings they'll get is that of their own weapons..."
Sakata leaned back in his chair, in deep thought...
"Are there any other suggestions or additions to the suggestions we've
already discussed?" Sakata asked.
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Lt. Sholek
Talking with Sortha
Stardate 9705.06
"Commander," Sholek began, "I believe the most effective way to disable the
replicators with minimal casualties would be to fire a torpedo armed with antimatter and set to release this payload when it has broken through any barriers between us and the replicator, such as a cavern ceiling or building roof, and completely destroy the replicator."
"What if there iss a sshield guarding it," asked the Gorn Commander.
"The torpedo should be able to pierce through any shield the Cardassians may
have created. The amount of antimatter would be so miniscule as to do little damage to any of the surrounding areas."
"What if there is a Jem'Hadar sshield?"
"Then it may be neccessary to disable the shield."
"And if the replicator is located near civilians?"
Sholek's right eyebrow rose like a Vulcan's."A very unlikely occurance, but one I have a solution for. We could simply fire a large EM burst. If the replicator is underground or protected by a non-Jem'Hadar shield we would, again use a torpedo. I have memorized the details of the replicator and easily produce an EM burst capable of completely disabling the replicators."
Sortha considers Sholek's suggestions for a moment...
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Into Action
Lt. Commander Ayer
Onboard the Wraith
Stardate 9705.07
If this was a Klingon ship, Ayer would have killed Kalahna for questioning his motives. But then again, if this was a Klingon ship, he wouldn't have asked for any help in the first place. 'That place is behind you now,' Ayer thought to himself, 'it was not Wertakha's fault for providing the information in the first place. How could she know?' Then, realizing he was straying from the matters at hand, he recollected his thought and addressed Kalahna, "You're right, lieutenant. It would have been better if we were to have discuss this matter before we left the Stealth. However, what has passed can no longer be retrieved. We must look after the events that has been brought to light now." Deep in his mind, Ayer was furious at himself that he had forgotten this simple procedure. After years of working alone, it was hard for him to accept a collective effort to solve problems.
"But," he continued, "you need not worry about the equipments that we will need." He turned to one of the wall compartments and said, "Computer, unlock keyed compartment Section Gamma-3, authorization Lt. Commander Ayer 547-92."
The computer acknowledged the command and released the magnetic seal around the wall. With a slow hissing sound, the wall slowly slid under the floor where a metal table then slid out from the deep storage area. Some Maquis looked at the equipments on the table and gasped. For there, on top of the table, were the specialized equipments of almost every item that was given to Shadow Operations. The inventory list is as follows:
1 Hunter Probe
1 Holographic-Imaging Tricorder
1 Stun Grenade
1 Type V Phaser Rifle
2 Visual Probes
3 Type 2 Nano-Probes
4 Type IV Phaser Rifles
10 Type II Personal Phasers
10 Tricorders
10 Personal Force-Fields
10 Full Flexable Body Armor
"Before we left the Stealth, I had these equipments brought onboard and stored. Since Gakerra is a military installation, we will need all the help we can get," Ayer said. "Lieutenant Kalahna, as our explosive expert, you are to be given this device." Ayer picked up a small mettallic disc from the table and handed it to her. "This is a type ten Phased Energy Inducer. From your training, you've probably heard of the things that it is capable of. It is your task to find out the best way of planting this device on the replicator."
Kalahna took the device and looked at the disc in amazement. Phased Energy explosives don't usually come in these models but when it does, one had better be wary of it. Ayer said, "Now, regarding your plan on sneaking into the cavern. It is good suggestion and I'll take that into account. However, you should know that the Cardassians guard constantly guard around all cargos and patrol-shifts are done every two hours to keep the guards on constant alert. Also, after the guards have been replaced, the Cardassians run a full sensor sweep of all cargos before it is taken down to the underground." Kalahna nodded in acknowledgement.
Ayer continued his report, "The cavern housing the replicator site is also linked with many others. This present a possible way to get into the cavern through the sulfur springs as well. Also, keep in mind that the gravity of Gakerra is extremely low which means that movement on the planet's srface is slower than usual. Is there any other suggestions?"
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Lt. Tom O'Coyne
Bridge - USS Repulse
Stardate 9705.07
Tom listened to Captain Sakata reject his idea and then spoke up.
"Sir, I'm not sure you understand, the Frean graveyard is on the Cardassian side of the border, it belongs to the Cardassians, we would be using one of their own ships against them, not ours. According to records, Cardassian civilian ships don't carry the usual military markings so wouldn't be searched."
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Captain Keio Sakata
Repulse bridge
Stardate 9705.08
Sakata gritted his teeth. He was growing weary of his officers questioning his orders.
"Lieutenant. Think of the implications to this plan. First we have to divert nearly six hours out of our way to Frean and secretly insert an Away Team to secure this vessel," Sakata explained calmly. "Unless you're able to steal a Cardassian ship completely undetected, the entire Cardassian Union is going to be on the lookout for this missing ship and when it turns up at Hantuuk, you'll be stopped and boarded. Furthermore, we don't know what kind of security precautions the Cardassians have around Hantuuk, especially with the Jem'Hadar now thrown into the mix. The Jem'Hadar may be randomly boarding civilian ships that seem out of place, and if that happens the primary mission could be placed at risk, and that is unacceptable.
"So unless your plan includes details about how you are going to secretly steal a ship from Frean and get it to Hantuuk undetected, this plan doesn't seem plausible, Mr. O'Coyne," Sakata said. "If you'd like to discuss this further, I will be in my Ready Room."
Sakata then stood and exited the bridge, with Lt. Dark falling in step behind him. "Sir, I'd like to speak with you for a moment."
"Very well. In my ready room," Sakata said, leading the way.
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Lt. Jack Dark
In Sakata's office
Stardate 9705.08
"Sir, I wish to tender a formal protest against your endorsement of a rescue operation whether it will be executed or not. The Admiral made it quite clear that our only priority is the Replicators. The crew would have informally made rescue plans in case thie option became available. Such actions are natural and a way for the mixed crew to relieve stress and bond. However, because you have given your official approval the stress and tension have dramaticaly increased. Now a viable plan is expected and a rescue attempt is almost guaranteed no matter what the circumstances."
The captain is a little taken aback by this. "Lieutenant. I would have thought you of all people would have been pleased by this. Is this not why you
challenged the admiral?"
"No sir, I questioned the admiral because if Ro Laren had it would have devolved into a screaming match. I fully support the admiral's view that the prisoners are not our concern and are, if need be, expendable, just like me, sir."
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Captain Keio Sakata
Ready Room
Stardate 9705.08
Sakata was now truly fed up with his crews constant challenges to his orders. Apparently Starfleet had given him the most troublesome officers when they assigned this crew to the Repulse, but his patience had finally run out.
"Lieutenant. Your objections are noted," Sakata said dryly. "However, if I am presented with an adequate plan that does not jeopardize the replicator strike, I will allow for the rescue of the Bajoran and Maquis prisoners on Hantuuk. If I am not presented with a viable plan, we will not attempt a rescue. This decision is mine to make, and mine alone. And I will accept the consequences of my actions.
"If Starfleet can send us to rescue two officers held by the Dominion in the Gamma Quadrant, then we can sure in hell attempt the rescue of a dozen Federation citizens," Sakata continued. "Aren't you being cold about this, lieutenant?"
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Lt. Jack Dark
With the Captain
Stardate 9705.08
"You wish to know why I am so cold?" Jack stares at the captain a moment before indulging the Captain. As Sakata looks at the lieutenant, he begins to regret wanting to know what made Jack such a hard person but knows it is to late to back out now, much to late...
Instantly Jack is looming over the captain's desk invading his personal space. All that Sakata can see are Jack's eyes, doll's eyes, shark's eyes, dead eyes. Ice begins to creep down the captain's spine.
"Tell me Captain do the dead come to you in the Night? Have you knowingly sent those under your protection to certain death. Not a high risk mission, certain death? Do the young people who died under your command come to you and ask why? Do they rebuke you? Do you sleep well at night with the weight of those souls weighing you down? Have you ever wondered if they cursed your name?
"Would you like to know how I sleep at night? Would you like to know about
my ghosts? My ghosts scream. They are the wailing of the damned. Innocents betrayed. I damned them to Hell. There are parts of my life that are not in any database you have access to. Things that I have done that a veteran like you had better pray you never come close to. How many women have you sold into bondage, degredation, slavery, torture, worse. I have, and I'd do it again."
Beads of cold sweat break out on the captain's brow.
"Yes captain, in order to save 20 women I sold 4 young innocent women who I
swore to protect to monsters. People who make the Cardassians look civilized. Don't worry captain this wasn't in Federation space. I did all this before I was 18, hell I was barely 17 at the time. It took 3 years to silence their screams and close their accusing eyes. But I did, I learned to make the hard choices and I learned how to accept responsability for them. I sleep well at night captain."
So saying I back up salute and leave.
=============================================================
Captain Keio Sakata
Ready Room
Stardate 9705.08
"You stand fast Lieutenant Dark!" Sakata shouted as Dark saluted and turned to depart his office. "I do not remember dismissing you!"
Dark stopped and turned back to face Sakata, his eyes still cold and dark as they glared back at the captain. Slowly Dark drew to attention and stood silently before Sakata.
Rounding his desk, Sakata approached Dark and invaded his "personal space" by getting in his face and staring into his eyes with a very harsh and angry look on his face.
"Don't you come into my office, challenge my orders and then attempt to intimidate me with some sick story about your past!" Sakata snarled, no longer intimidated by Dark's earlier antics. "You want to know if I've ever knowingly sent anyone to their deaths? And if I did, you want to know if I how I dealt with it?
"Well for your information, lieutenant, I HAVE knowingly sent people to their deaths, on several occasions during the war with Cardassia. I remember each and every one of them and yes, they weigh heavy on me still today. The worst time was when I and two officers serving under me were captured and imprisoned in a Cardassian forced labor camp -- much like the one we're heading to this very minute.
"Besides enduring two years of torture and mistreatment by the Cardassians, I had to send one of the two men to his death. We had been working on a plan of escape and we had stolen some tools to use in disabling some security sensors. The Cardassians found out someone had stolen the tools and they lined up all the prisoners in the camp and began asking who took them.
"We were imprisoned with mostly Bajorans since the Occupation was still in full swing. When no one would take credit for the theft of the tools, the Cardassians lined up 10 Bajoran women. The Gul in charge said that if the thieves who took the tools did not identify themselves, the women would be publically raped and executed.
"The three of us came forward and confessed. The Gul came to me and said he required only one of us to punish and he told me, as their commanding officer, to make that choice. I chose myself, but the Gul told me I would not do. It had to be one of my men. If I did not pick one, the ten women would still suffer rape and death, he told me. So I picked one of my men, his name was Andrew Tasker, he was a young ensign only a year out of the academy when we were caught. He'd been injured early on during our stay in the prison camp and was lame in one leg, so I selected him because I knew when the time came for our escape, he'd never be able to keep up.
"They executed right there, on the spot. But it wasn't a quick and painless death for the boy. Five Cardassian guards beat him to death in front of us and then tortured me and the other officer for nearly a week as punishment for our actions," Sakata then shot a glare back at Dark again. "So don't stand there and tell me the sorry stories of your tormented youth, Mr. Dark, because I've been through Hell personally and I know what it is like. I also have come to terms with that decision and others I have made, and I also sleep well at night, lieutenant.
"When we return to Federation space, I am recommending that you see a psychologist or counselor, Lt. Dark. Our talk here today has me deeply concerned about your stability and your history," Sakata said. "Now, you are dismissed, Mr. Dark. Get your team ready, we arrive in the Hantuuk system in three hours."
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Ro Laren
Repulse
Stardate 9705.08
Ro Laren caught up with Lt. Tom O'Coyne in the corridor outside engineering. She had been looking for him since he left the bridge following Sakata's continued resistance to his plan.
"Lt. O'Coyne," she said.
"Tom," O'Coyne replied. "You can call me Tom."
"Tom. I just want you to know I think I understand the direction the captain wants you to take with this rescue plan. And I think I can help," Ro said. "When we reach Hantuuk I can contact Folan Lysik and have him assemble the Bajoran and Maquis prisoners at a specific location in the camp. From there, all we have to do is find a way to get them out and beam them to the Repulse. And since the camp is most certainly protected by a shield, you'll either need to get them out from under the shield or shut the shield down all together.
"I think the captain is against the captured Cardassian ship idea because it is very likely the Jem'Hadar will board such a ship if they feel it is out of place or if it is reported stolen," Ro continued. "We have a cloaked ship right here, and the prisoners are in the same vicinity as the replicator, so both mssions should be carried out from right here. What you have to do now is figure out how to get them out without raising too many alarms."
"Thanks for the advice," O'Coyne replied.
"Its OK," Ro said. "Although I'm beginning to scare myself. I'm starting to
sound like a Starfleet officer again."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/More planning
Commander Sortha
Bridge of the Stealth
Stardate 9705.09
Sortha motioned Lieutenant Sholek into his ready room, as he told Lieutenant Nash "You have the conn."
Once inside Sortha turned to Sholek. "Your ideass would be logical Lieutenant, if you had all the information. What you don't know is that the replicators are protected by not one but three separate shield generators that are the equivalent to the shields of three Galaxy class cruisers. Sure, if we could, I'd nuke the place from orbit as you ssuggest. However, and this holds especially true for Gakkerra, we would certainly be destroyed by Cardassian and Jem'Hadar warships before we could penetrate their shields. That iss why we are forced to conduct thiss high risk mission to inssert operatives into the compound from the ground.
"The possibility exists that one of the away teams may lower the sstation sshields as part of their plan, if that happens I would like you to make contingency planss for desstroying the replicatorss as you ssuggest. A high powered EMP burst would be utilized if we thought the aaway team was alive, an antimatter torpedo, or a full barrage of of quantum torpedoes, if we believe them dead. Thank you for your suggesstions Lieutenant. Carry on."
With that Sortha dismissed Sholek, who appeared to already be mentally formulating plans to accomplish the task.
Sortha had delegated the away team authority to Ayers and Tyrian. They needed the command experience and responsibility if they were to develop into good future captains. Still Sortha, as usual, wished he could be more actively involved in the mission. Ayers had left some time ago, while Tyrian was still preparing his team. Depending on where the White producing ship was located, either the Stealth or the Repulse would be sent to take it out. Then Sortha would be deeply involved. He had made an agreement with Captain Sakata that if the Stealth was diverted, the Repulse would attempt to pick up his crew and vice versa. Sortha knew he could trust Sakata to take whatever efforts would be
necessary to extracate his crew if the Stealth was called away, and Sortha knew that Sakata thought the same of him. Sortha returned to the bridge.
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Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
Onboard Stealth Shuttle
Stardate 9705.09
The shuttle rocked as it left the shuttle bay, headed for Dahgar IV. Tyrian sat in one of the forward chairs, next to the shuttle pilot, Ensign Burns. He went over the intellegence report on the planet that Sortha had given him. He sat silent as he finalized his infiltration mission. He could hear the rest of the crew talking amongst themselves. He asked Ki'lal to come up and go over the plans with him.
After a long uncomfortable shuttle ride, the computer notified Tyrian that Dahgar IV was within sensor range, Tyrian put the image on his computer console, it was a blue green planet with heavy cloud cover, life signs were coming from all areas of the planet, Tyrian tried to scan underground but there seemed to be interference blocking transmissions and probably transporters to or from underground. Hopefully a Cardassian or Jem'Hadar ship would not detect the shuttle before they reached the planet, the shuttle would be a sitting duck if detected by thier enemies. Tyrian and his crew sat nervously as they slowly approached the planet, tensions were high.
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Lt. Jack Dark
Repulse strategy room (prior to Dark/Sakata meeting)
Stardate 9705.08
"Not a bad idea Lt. Kane but any radiation pulse large enough to damage the
replicators would also be lethal to anyone even remotely near them. Lt. Kern your plan also has merit but one type one phaser would only knock out only the primary isolinear chips in one replicator assembly. Starfleet replicators are multiply redundant and built to last. The number of sites that would need to be taken out in this manner is conservatively in the dozens. People I know you don't want to think about it but I think you are going to have to factor in prisoner casualties
if we are going to come up with a viable plan.
"Maybe we can take advantage of a geologic quirk. There are several mineral rich shallow seas on the planet they mine for raw materials. I think Ro should
give us a little more in depth briefing before we speculate any further."
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Ro Laren
Strategy session
Stardate 9705.08
"The Maquis have considered various options for taking out the replicator," Ro said. "Unless you can find something in the geologic compositon of the planet that we haven't found, the only exploitable feature is the dylithium. But exactly how to exploit it we never figured out. You can detonate pockets of dylithium underground, using a high powered phaser blast from orbit, or beaming into an underground cavern where its present and detonating a fusion bomb. But the amount of damage such an explosion would create is extreme."
Ro then looked at Jack long and hard. "You wouldn't want to set off an explosion that big, would you?"
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Targets in sight
FROM THE GM: Ayer's team needs to carefully read this post because Ayer's
most recent post has profoundly affected the mission...so heads up people!
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Lt. Sholek
Sortha's ready room
Stardate 9705.10
Before Sholek left he said, "I apologize for not going over the info we had on the area. I did not know we had any. I had spent to much time coming up with a way to knock out the replicator. Again I apologize."
With that Sortha dismissed Sholek, who appeared to already be mentally formulating plans to accomplish the task.
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Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
On approach to Dahgar IV
Stardate 9705.10
The shuttle entered the atmosphere of Dahgar IV without encountering any enemy ships. The sensors went blank almost immediatly, which caught Tyrian by suprise, he did'nt expect that the jamming field would extend this high above the planet. Sensors were out, as well as communications and all visuals.
Ensign Burns looked stressed as he piloted the shuttle towards the ground. There was zero visibility out the front windows due to heavy cloud cover. After a short time, the shuttle exited the clouds and they could finally see the planet's surface, it was covered by forest as far as the eye could see, it was nighttime on the planet and rain fell heavy against the shuttle as it quickly decended above the treeline.
Ensign Burns piloted the shuttle to the coordinates that Tyrian gave him. The shuttle rocked violently against the wind and the rain hitting it as it decended into the thick forest and finally settled down upon the ground with a thud. The team quickly grabbed their assortment of gear and exited the shuttle into the night. Tyrian had briefed the team en route, they were to sneak into the area above the underground replicator through the industrial waste fields and sneak underground on one of the industrial trucks and then destroy the replicator.
That was plan A, Tyrian would figure out plan B as soon as it was needed. If the team was separated they would meet back at the shuttle at a prearranged time, any stragglers would be left behind.
The team made their way through the warm dark jungle as it poured down upon them, lighting flashed violently all around them. Tyrian held his phaser rifle tightly as he kept a look around him for enemy soldiers. The team was virtually invisible, dressed from head to toe in their black uniforms and body armor, black masks covering their heads. The team had a long hike ahead of them, hopefully without incident.
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Lt. Commander Ayer
Onboard the Wraith
Stardate 9705.11
The shuttle quickly sped closer towards Gakerra, defying all sensors with its stealth capabilities. There was less than an hour left before the shuttle entered orbit around Gakerra and the crew were getting ready for the upcoming mission. As the shuttle flew closer to their destination, the team began to get ready and wore their body armor and strapped on their gravity boots. "I haven't had to wear one of these for years," Jackson complained as he struggled to fit the boots properly.
Manar laughed, "It's a good thing you didn't become a pilot. I had to wear these for years while I was in the academy doing my piloting course on the Belt. The instructor said wearing them would provide a more comfortable feel of what it was like to fly in different zones of gravity. But since I never had to actually go out and walk on the asteroids, I didn't see how it applied. Then again, we did disagree on a lot of things during the Academy..."
Ayer was at the front of the shuttle as he gathered up his equipments. He wasn't participating in the conversation that they were having but that was because he felt he needed time to think of what he was doing. 'This is your first time at leading a team of Starfleet officers,' Ayer reminded himself. 'Be careful to not get Federation ethics confused with Klingon honor. Wertakha paid the price for losing the oath and the house doomed itself for your deeds.' The team was almost finished equipping themselves with the standard equipments(Type II phasers, force-fields, and tricorders). Ayer decided to abandon the boots as he could adjust his own gravity tolerance to allow normal movement.
As he set the boots aside, no one noticed Ulrich moving closer towards the equipment table. Ulrich, his eyes glazed as he scanned the table, began to extend a hand toward the equipment. Kalahna saw what the Maquis was doing and started to say, "Ulrich, relax...you'll get your things soon enough." She began to move towards him when all of a sudden, the Maquis seized up the Type V Phaser Rifle and pointed it at everyone.
"Don't move unless you feel like dying," As he said this, he switched on the power packs and adjusted the setting to maximum. A Type V phaser was extremely powerful and if it was fired at maximum setting, there was little doubt that it could cause a hull breach, putting everyone at risk.
Ulrich was apparently aware of this fact as he continued, "I've had enough of both the Maquis and Starfleet telling me what to do. I'm not a pawn in this game to be moved around anytime anyone of you wants something. This time, it is my turn to take control. It is my turn to tell all of you what to do. And right now, I say that we don't destroy the replicator. I'm not much in the mood of dying so I'm taking us out of this system."
Ulrich then gave a small, maddening laugh. That was perhaps the blessing that gave the team a chance. Lt. Jackson whipped forward and caught a hold of the hand that was holding the phaser. A struggle then ensued, one in which the other members of the team were glad to help out with. Kaatek, the massive half-Klingon grabbed the other hand and began twisting it. Ulrich let out a shout and almost instinctively, fired a shot from the phaser. A small phaser pulse came forward from the nozzle and flew towards the front of the shuttle. It seemed as though the pulse would not hit any critical system and it just barely grazed the top of the computer panel as it hit the viewscreen. Unfortunately, the phaser had been set to emit a dispersion pulse so when the pulse hit the viewscreen, it exploded, not unlike the explosion produced from a photon grenade. Some circuits on the
navigation panels were fried and the computer, having unable to complete its data processes, began to lost control of the ship's engines.
Ayer and Kalahna immediately rushed forward to check on the shuttle while Kaatek and Jackson held Ulrich down. "We've lost the impulse engines and thrusters are down to 43% efficiency!" Kalahna reported. "The sensor nets have been vaporized and our stealth mode is also gone!"
Two Galor-class warship was in orbit around Gakerra when their sensors suddenly registered an intruder in their midst. "Gul Navek! There's a Federation shuttle heading towards the planet!" One of the Cardassian reported.
The Gul was visibly outraged as he said, "What?! On screen!" The ship's viewer changed from a blank screen into an image of a shuttle. It was barely flying steady and a rupture could be seen on the port. "Power up the weapons and inform Cardassia Prime of this intrusion. The Federation will learn that they can't invade our territory whenever they feel like it. Qartan, can we fire on the shuttle?"
Qartan looked at the readings for a while before shaking his head, "Negative. It has entered into the shield set up by the military base around the entire planet. We would need to have the base lower its shields before we can destroy it. However, by then, it would be too late, the shuttle would've crashed already."
The Cardassian Gul nodded, "Very well then. Hail the base, tell them of this situation and ask them to find the shuttle. Also tell them to reinforce the security measures around the base and the replicator, there may be more Starfleet officers to come through."
The shuttle was minutes of crashing into the ground. "Lieutenant," Ayer said to Kalahna, "get the crew to the transporter pad. We'll beam them to an area close to the base two at a time." Kalahna nodded and began to direct the evacuation effort. Before each of them left, the Bajoran took some equipment from the table and passed it to them. She made sure to not give anything to Ulrich as he was being restrained by the forceful hold held by Kaatek. After everyone except the two officers had beamed off, Kalahna turned towards Ayer, "Sir, we must get off this shuttle immediately!"
Ayer shook his head, "No! I need to manually control the thrusters so that the shuttle wouldn't crash when people transport off the shuttle. Go to the transporter and beam yourself to the select coordinates."
"You know I won't do that sir!" Kalahna challenged in defiance.
"That is an order, lieutenant!"
"No! I'm sure there's a way to stabilize the thrusters and a..." She slumped into unconsciousness as Ayer applied force to a pressure spot behind her neck. Then, he picked her up and deposited her at the pad, "Not again. Wertakha's fate died as a result of tragedy. I'll not let it happen again." He activated the transporter and moments later, the Bajoran dissapeared into a sea of atoms. Too stricken by his past experiences, Ayer could only stand there beside the transporter panel, as he thought about a past image.
The crew looked overhead as the shuttle wildly careened into the mountains. With a huge roar made distinct to all, they all saw the shuttle wafted into a ball of flame. As their attention was caught up in the destruction of the Wraith, none of them noticed that five Cardassian patrol guards had just been beamed to their location after the military installation had scanned the planet for any lifesigns.
As the darkness closed in around Ayer's mind, the last image that he saw was a woman, a Klingon woman, laughing chillingly at him. Then as if humor did not satisfy her thirst for vengeance, she pulled out a Dk'thang knife and plunged it into his heart and released total darkness all around.
=============================================================
Wraith Team
On the surface of Gakerra
Stardate 9705.11
Kalahna Jarnell awoke as she was being helped across the sand in a bright desert by two of the officers who had been on the Wraith with her. The first thing she saw was smoke billowing from a nearby mountain region and she immediately knew it had to be where the Wraith had crashed.
Before anyone could say anything, there was a shout from behind.
"Don't move!" one of five Cardassian soldiers surrounding the team shouted as he snap aimed his phaser rifle at Lt. Kalahna and the rest of the team -- minus Ayer. "Throw down your weapons."
Before anyone else could react, Kaatek gave the team's response with a burst from his phaser rifle, which hit and vaporized the Cardassian who had spoken.
Then, all hell broke loose on the barren, desert surface of Gakerra...
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Lt. Taryn Kane
Repulse briefing room
Stardate 9705.11
"Let's face it, people," Taryn said, rounding the table to where Jack and Ro stood. "We may have to get our hands dirty on this one. We may have to beam in there and do this the old fashion way -- with phasers and explosives."
Taryn then looked to Jack, who had first suggested exploiting the planet's mineral composition to take out the replicator, "Or are you seeing something in the geologic composition we're overlooking?"
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Planning ends
Commander Sortha
Bridge of the Stealth
Stardate 9705.11
Sortha slammed a heavy fist down on the bridge railing, causing several officers to jump in surprise. The Stealth's delicate sensors had picked up the weapons discharge aboard the Wraith, and its subsequent plunge to the planet's surface. He realized what this meant, if the crew were captured, then all attacks on the replicators would be in danger. How could something so wrong have happened so early in the mission he wondered?
"I want constant monitoring of what happens in that sysstem" Sortha ordered, "and constant checks on the efficiency of our stealth mode. Inform the Admiral of the ssituation. That shuttle is not long range, they'll know there's a ship somewhere." Sortha sat heavily in the command seat as he began formulating contingency plans. It did not look good...
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Lt. Jack Dark
Repulse planning
Stardate 9705.12
"That particular scenario will be forwarded to the captain with all of the others, However I will recommend it be viewed as a viable plan of last resort.
Now I have a tentative plan for how to disable the replicators. I will need Kern, Kane, Keline and Tran to do some fairly extensive computer research. What I need you to do is find me a compound that can alter the molecular structure of certain key types of matter the replicator is made from. There are only about 8 that are really key to the operation of the replicator. Of the thousands of compounds that you will find most can not exist in an oxygen atmosphere. This is good, That means that they will quickly break down into other more stable molecules. This will make them hard to trace. The bad news is that the residue will probably be toxic. You must find a compound, two at most that will destabilize as many of those 8 key compounds as you can. It must work fast and the compounds it breaks down into must be as non toxic as possible. I don't think you are going to find any that are harmless. We can discuss treatments we can leave behind with the Doctor.
Ro you and the rest of the team can plan on how to get in touch with Folan Lysik and have him and the Resistance get us to the Replicators. Federation Replicators such as these are built to last without much maintenance, if the operators take care of them. I am anticipating the Cardassians will be abusing them as they seam to do with most technology. That means more frequent maintenance which gives us a better chance to get us in and out again.
I'll see you back here in two hours when we will finalize our plan. Dismissed."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Bloody Mess
Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
On Dahgar IV
Stardate 9705.12
Tyrian was at the front of the team so he saw him first, a Cardassian soldier. Tyrian held up his arm signaling the rest of his team to stop, they realized what it was and slowly spread out and took aim.
It was still dark, there were a lot of palm trees around, but it was'nt thick anymore. Tyrian knew he would spot them soon, he wanted to capture him and he didn't know if the Cardassians had ways of transmission through the blocking field they were producing. The Cardassian was about fifty yards away now, aproaching them slowly, apparently he was just doing a standard patrol. He had a handheld searchlight that he was moving back and forth, then all of a sudden he stopped, he had spotted one of the Maquis who was partially hidden behind a tree!!
Ki'lal fired his rifle and blew the Cardassian's head clean off. But then another one appeared off to the right from behind a tree and fired a shot at the group which exploded against a tree causing it to fall over. The Cardassian fired another shot up into the air before the blast from Tyrian's phaser rifle dropped him.
"Damn!" Tyrian thought. He said to the others: "That shot he fired was probably a warning to others, it appears that they have no other way of communication with each other on the surface. There is no telling how many soldiers have been alerted or how much time we have to do this, so we have to go as fast as possible now, the replicator should'nt be far now, lets move!"
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Lt. Kalahna Jarnell
Surface of Gakerra
Stardate 9705.12
The first blast from the Cardassians hit one of the Starfleet ensigns square in the back, killing him instantly. Kalahna tried to access the situation as she dove behind a small sand dune. Blasts tore up the sand around her and a Maquis who had been beside her was decapitated by a blast to the head. Blood and brains splattered Kalahna in the face. The shuttle pilot, Ensign Mears, got off one shot before she was struck multiple times and lay in a bloody twisted mangled heap. It appeared that they had been beamed down between two patrols of Cardassians. Kalahna saw a sand hovercraft to either side and about five Cardassians around each. They were caught in a crossfire with no cover.
It would be a stand-up shootout to the death. Jackson, Kaatek and Aries were concentrating their fire on the group to the left so she and the other members took on the group on the right. Jackson expertly and methodically took out three Cardassians before he was mowed down by several simultaneous blasts. His once proud strong body lay in several parts on the sand jerking spasmodically as he gushed dark red blood all over the sand. Kaatek unleashed a wild barrage of shots but was hit also, a viscious shot shearing off half of his skull. He managed one last bestial shout before he dropped to the ground face-first.
Aries was nicked by a shot on his arm, and blood shot from it, as he
spun to the sand in pain. Kalahna snapped off several shots, hitting a Cardassian who had moved out from behind the hovercraft. The other four returned fire and the other Starfleet ensign went down in another bloody heap, his internal organs and entrails blown out behind him over a span of several yards. At least we won't have to worry about prisoners, Kalahna thought ironically. These Cardassian patrols weren't smart enough to use stun to take prisoners. Aries shot down a Cardassian one-handed as he writhed on the ground, leaving one Cardassian left on that side. Kalahna unleashed a torrent of phaser fire in his direction and managed to at least knock him unconscious by a shot that ricocheted off the hovercraft.
That took care of the Cardassians on that side. Then she felt a solid thump in her back, and she spun to the sand. She had been hit by a glancing blow from the other group of Cardassians. She gasped for air, her wind knocked out of her. The back of her armor was sizzling hot, and she gasped in pain. More shots dug up the sand around her, Aries and the remaining Maquis. They had some cover behind a dune now but that would not last for long.
Kalahna pulled out a demolition charge and quickly armed it. Looking at Aries, he knew what to do. As Aries rolled to one side of the dune and shot his phaser rifle on continuous discharge, Kalahna rolled to the other and threw the charge with all her remaining strength. Then she fell back behind the dune. There was a tremendous explosion and sand rained down on the three survivors. When they looked, all that was left of the Cardassians was a smoking crater. Kalahna frantically tried to get the smoking body armor off. The shot had nearly penetrated, leaving the back of the armor a molten slag of hot metal. She could not help but scream as Aries frantically helped her out of the armor, despite the pain in his arm. Finally it came off and fell to the sand. The hot air of the desert felt like a cool breeze to her smoking back which was only covered by half of a ragged t-shirt at this point, with many holes burned in it. She had second degree burns over about half a square foot on her back. It hurt like hell.
Kalahna surveyed the scene. She was surrounded by dead Starfleet and Cardassians. The Cardassians she ignored, the Starfleet personnel, who she had gotten to know on the Stealth, lay staining the sand red, or purple. Then she looked at the Maquis. It was ironic that the Maquis who had caused all this in the first place by shooting the phaser in the shuttle had survived. He sat on the sand cursing. "Oh great, this is just great, now we're screwed, we should have just nuked the place from orbit" he kept repeating.
Kalahna surveyed the scene once more and then quickly strode over to the Maquis. Before Aries could stop her, she had pulled her survival knife. The Maquis saw it, which is what Kalahna wanted, just in time to see it plunge deep into his throat. Kalahna visciously twisted it as blood fountained from his ruptured arteries. Nooooooo!" Aries yelled. But it was too late. The Maquis, with eyes wide, slumped to the sand the knife still lodged in his throat. Slowly his eyes closed.
"What did you do!?" Aries yelled at her.
"What should have been done!" she spat back. "Come on we don't have much time" she said as she started to check the Starfleet people for survivors. Aries, still somewhat in shock at her brutality, checked as well. There were no survivors. They went over to the Cardassian hovercraft that remained. There was one unconscious Cardassian, four dead ones. Quickly tossing another dead Cardassian into the hovercraft, as well as weapons, Aries and Kalahna jumped into the craft. They were surrounded by desert.
Off to one direction they saw the mountain range where the shuttle crash still burned. To the other direction, they could see the lights of the base. It was twilight and getting dark quickly. Aries looked at Kalahna. She was still the ranking officer. "Where to?"
Kalahna thought for a second. It was for sure that the Cardassians knew about them and would be sending patrols. They would be able to track the hovercraft easily. The mountains might offer some place to hide, but they would eventually be hunted down. Kalahna asked herself what would Commander Sortha do. She remembered in his history that when his ship was disabled at Wolf 359 that he had boarded the Borg cube with an away team and started blasting away at systems. "We go towards the base" she said finally. Both she and Aries looked at each other. "We can't get captured, that is for sure" she informed Aries. "My friends in the resistance.... well you just don't want to be captured. If we...." Kalahna got lost in that time when as a teenager she had been briefly held for
interrogation by the Cardassians.
"I understand" Aries said simply.
They headed off in the direction of the base. Kalahna drove as Aries attempted to heal his arm. He managed to stop the blood flow and seal the wound. It wasn't pretty, but it would do. He managed to apply regenerative gel to Kalahna's red tender back as well. "I have an idea" Kalahna said. She quickly told it to Aries who nodded in agreement. Soon they were near the base, Kalahna slowed the hovercraft down, and together they wrestled the still unconscious Cardassian into the driver's seat, and placed the dead one in the back seat. "Give the unconscious one something that will stop his heart like a heart attck from trauma" Kalahna said.
"I can't do that" Aries protested, "it would be murder. I'm a doctor, not an assassin."
"Fine." Kalahna said. "Then give me your medkit." She wasn't going to make any points with the prophets this mission she thought as she filled a hypospray with a compound that was undetectable in an autopsy yet would cause the heart to stop. They had killed numerous Cardassian officers this way during the occupation, and Kalahna knew her way around a medkit.
She injected the Cardassian.
"Wait" Aries said, resigned to what was going on. He removed the communicators from both Cardassians. "Otherwise they could have called for a beam-out." Then, Kalahna and Aries got ready to jump out. They made sure they took all their equipment. Right before they jumped, Kalahna hit the speed to max on the hovercraft. She and Aries tumbled to the sand, as the craft sped towards the Cardassian base. "They'll think he was wounded and tried to get back for help
but didn't make it" Aries said.
"Yeah, and they won't know how many starfleet people beamed down to start with. Seven dead bodies should be enough for them." Kalahna added. And that last Maquis will look like a suicide. Kalahna thought to herself. She hadn't planned that, but it was lucky.
The wind was picking up. Hot air blew around her bare shoulders and through her holey t-shirt. It wasn't cold though, even at night. No wonder the Cardassians liked this planet. Her tricorder informed her that it was at least several degrees above either her or Aries body temperature. No worry about being picked up by thermal scans at least. She and Aries walked to a small rock outcropping and sat down. It provided some shelter against the sand that was now starting to whip harder. They both wedged into a small crevice at the base of the rocks. "We'll wait here until it gets completely dark, and then see about getting in. We're so close to the base that hopefully they won't look for us here"
"The logical choice would be to head for the mountains. They'll probably look in that direction" Aries said hopefully. Kalahna winced again from the pain in her back. She welcomed it. It meant that she was alive, and in this situation, she needed all the reminders she could get. She was tired, in pain, sweaty, smelled, and was hungry. She searched her sand colored hip and leg bodyarmor for rations, and found a rationbar. As she laid in the crevice, she thought why did that Maquis go berserk, and did Ayer put us down between all those Cardassians on purpose? She didn't know the answers to those questions, but she did know that she was going to blow up that replicator. If anyone had experience with blowing up heavily defended Cardassian installations, it was a pissed off
Bajoran ex-resistance fighter turned Starfleet commando, Kalahna thought to herself to give herself courage. She din't want to die, but it didn't look as if she had many options at this point. At least she could take that replicator with her. "We move in three hours" Kalahna said, as her body (and the pain suppressants in the regenerative gel) started to force her into a deep healing sleep. "Keep guard" she murmered as she fell asleep, her head thumping against Aries' bodyarmor.
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Targets Acquired
Commander Sortha
Stealth
Stardate 9705.13
Commander Sortha had been on the bridge for the past eight hours and showed no signs of moving anytime soon. From monitored communications, Sortha knew that Ayer's team had encountered serious difficulty. The shuttle had gone down in flames. He did not know if there were any survivors. The Cardassians and the Jem Hadar were scanning the entire planetary system for Federation ships, and were slowly expanding their search radius.
At least Tyrian's group had landed safely and were proceeding toward their objective, but it would be that much harder for them if they had received any warnings about enemy action from Gakerra. Sortha fumed. He wondered how the Repulse was doing. They would not be aware of the situation on Gakerra. They were too far away, and Sortha could not break communications silence to warn them without giving away his position.
Sortha called Sholek up to the bridge and met with him in his ready room. "Lieutenant, you are going to be very bussy the next 6 hours. I need you to coordinate sseveral tassks with the sscience and engineering ssections. Firsst, I want you to sset up a ssubroutine that will utilize all sscanning capabilities of the Sstealth to ssearch for the away teamss transponder or transporter trace signatures. Rig the computers, including the backup systems to run in multiple parallel processing. With so many enemy sships around Gakkera, we might have to do a high speed beam out, dropping out of warp for only a few seconds. You'll have that much time to find the away team and beam them out. Second, it occurs to me that Gakkera is seismically unstable. The volcanoes, hot sulfur springs and mountain ranges suggest it. Conduct a tectonic plate analysis and see if there are any areas near the base where a barrage of photon torpedoes or an antimatter
torpedo may cause a seismic reaction that will destroy the replicator. That way we don't have to go through their shields."
Sortha dismissed Sholek. If the away team was alive, if they were outside the shield or if they managed to drop the shield... Sortha sighed, somedays, it just didn't pay to be a Starship Captain.
A moment later, Sortha realized Sholek was still standing in front of his desk, at attention.
"What is it, lieutenant?" Sortha growled.
=============================================================
Lt. Sholek
Sortha's ready room
Stardate 9705.12
"Commander," Sholek began. "I request permission to be a part of the landing
party to disable the shields. My technical knowledge would be a valuable asset in disabling all shields simultaniously without alerting the Cardasians to our presence. The main defector dish has been reconfigured to amit an EM burst capable of destroying the replicator, though I suggest you beam the landing party and release a volley of torpedoes containing only antimatter. The antimatter alone will anihilate the molecules in the replicator. A normal torpedo combines its supply of antimatter with a supply of matter to create a burst of energy which is best focused on a ships shields. Anyway, since my presence is not required on the ship, once I complete the tasks you've requested, I would be of most use on the planet."
Sholek then awaited the Gorn's answer...
=============================================================
Lt. Taryn Kane
Repulse
Stardate 9705.13
Taryn Kane left the strategy session and returned to the bridge with the others. She joined Kern, Keline and Tran in a little strategy session of their own to discuss Jack's orders. Then, they went to work researching the computer database for the chemical compound Dark was looking for.
Lt. Dark wanted a compound that would alter the molecular structure of certain key types of matter the replicator is made from. He wanted the compound to break down fast and for the residue to be as non-toxic as possible.
Tough assignment. In just the first thirty minutes of intense research the team eliminated several hundred compounds because of their toxicity. Taryn found herself frustrated, since science had never been her fortay -- especially 24th century science.
After almost one hour, the team was racking up a small list of compounds that could be used, when Kane stumbled across one compound that she immediately took interest in.
"Any of you ever here of kyridium?" Taryn asked, looking up from her computer screen at the security station.
Tran shook his head, Tivora looked at Taryn with one raised eyebrow and Kern slowly began to nod. "Yes. It's some kind of solvent used to clean warp plasma injectors, isn't it?"
"Yes. Created by the Klingons about 50 years ago. Klingons have notoriously dirty warp plasma that leaves harsh residue on the plasma injectors. To dissolve the really tough residue deposits they use this kyridium," Taryn said. "Problem is the stuff is really nasty and has no other practical use because about all it won't eat through on a starship is duranium, and the dispersion-strengthen woznium carbmolydenide used in a warp plasma injector."
"What about the breakdown time?" Tivora asked.
"Breaks down quickly, within seconds after being applied to a plasma injector. It destroys the plasma residue and then consumes itself. But it is relatively toxic and just a small amount of it can produce fumes that would bring even the strongest Klingon to his knees," Taryn explained. "This stuff sounds close to what we're looking for, but it's highly toxic." Kern walked over and looked at the information about the chemical she had pulled up on her computer screen.
"A little of this splattered across, say the conn or ops would ruin the console in seconds. It eats through all the stuff a standard control panel on the ship is made of -- polyduranide sheeting, the tripolymer coating and even the isolinear ships inside," Kern said, scanning over the data. "How do the Klingons store this stuff?"
"Plasti-steel containers with a built-in magnetic seal keep it airtight," she smiled. "And just to be on the safe side their kept under a containment field."
"Looks like this stuff could ruin most any system in a replicator unit," Kern said. "Particularly the molecular imaging scanners and the quantum geometry transformational matrix field generator. Without those two key components, any replicator is nothing more than junk."
"Question is, can we produce something like this in the limited science
facilities this ship has available to it?" Taryn questioned.
Kern and Keline both studied the data a moment, looked at each other and shrugged. "It's possible," Tivora said. "But what about the toxicity?"
"Can it be made less intense. Perhaps diluted with something else?" Kane
suggested.
"Tivora and I'll start running some tests," Kern said, downloading the chemical formula for the chemical substance into a PADD he could take with him to Repulse's small but efficient science lab on one of the lower decks.
"Bet this is the first time this ship's science lab has been used...ever," Taryn said. She just hoped this substance would work.
(FROM THE GM: Tech terms in Taryn's post are courtesy of the ST: TNG Technical Manual.)
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/After the Crash
Lt. Commander Ayer
Gakerra - Site of Shuttle Crash
Stardate 9705.13
The fire inside the House of Dumar was burning brighter as it lit up the darkened sky. The resulting explosion had ruptured the computer systems resulting in many jammed doors. Klingons that couldn't escape died from suffocation or were burned alive, their bodies charred into half-marred corpses.
Inside the Hall of Dumar, Wertakha sat at the head of the long, metallic table. Her face was bloodied with the blood of her enemies. The klingons that had dared disturbed the feast now laid dead at her feet. The dagger which she had used to kill them was stuck in the body of her mate. His dead face showed the shock that he had experienced before he died. Wertakha, numbed with her experiences, blankly looked at the floor, littered with her guests and the intruders, and thought of what had happened.
As the fires closed inward to the hall, a klingon walked through one of the corridor. The fire seemed to have no effect on the figure as he confidently walked towards the female warrior. As he reached down to carry Wertakha, she slowly glanced up and silently asked, "How?"
Rapar, his face solemn, slowly shook his head, "I don't know...but by the blood of Kahless, Kourias will not see the glory of the Empire again!" He ended this with a grit of his teeth. Then, he picked up the klingon woman and said, "Come, let us depart this place." Wertakha could only nod as Rapar carried her out of the burning ruins.
The Wraith was damaged beyond repair. The hard slope of the mountain had destroyed the shuttle well. The front half of the Wraith had been completely destroyed, results of the explosion from the warp engines. Unfortunately, the last half of the shuttle had been shattered into thousands of debris and was now scattered across the mountains. If Ayer had wanted to, it would take him years to piece back any equipments that could be useful to their current mission. But they desperately lacked the time, there was less than a day left before the time runs out. If the two other replicators were destroyed without this one, the Cardassians would definitely know of the mission and strive to do everything in their power to protect the last replicator. However, since they are already aware of a Starfleet prescence on this planet, they would have increased security to all areas of the military base.
Ayer hoped the rest of his team survived the beam-out and was now underway to complete their task. The team wasn't up to Starfleet standards but they could get the job done. What worried him the most was the Maquis, Ulrich. He had done enough damage to the mission already. Ayer hoped that Kalahna would be able to deal with any problem that arises from the Maquis. He trusted her enough to get the job done, even if she had to handle half of the team who were considered traitors by the Federation. Aries was also capable of handling any threats to the mission. Although he lacked the experience of what warfare was like, the human would be able to adapt quickly to any situation.
Ayer then turned and looked in the direction of the Cardassian base. It was over 5 km away and time was short. Risking detection, he morphed into a common Cardassian bird and started to fly towards the military installation.
=============================================================
USS Stealth Team #1
Dahgar IV
Stardate 9705.14
Tyrian Summers and his team pressed on toward their objective. They were moving quickly after their encounter with a Cardassian patrol while on the way. It wouldn't be long before the Cardassians came looking for their missing patrol.
It was raining and darkness had fallen on this portion of Dahgar IV, making the team's trip even more miserable. But there was finally a good sign as they cleared the forest and found themselves on the edge of a barren, swampy looking area.
Signs written in Cardassian marked the area, which the Maquis officer, Mike Wellington, quickly read and translated. "It says: Toxic Waste Dump, Hazardous."
"This must be the industrial waste field," Summers remarked, looking around.
Ensign Burns, using his tricorder, scanned the area and nodded. "This is it. I'm detecting an abundance of chemicals and other wastes all over out there. Surprised the place isn't glowing in the dark."
Dr. Cassandra Ming pushed some of her wet, black hair back out of her face and studied her tricorder as well. "I don't think we should spend much time out there. The level of toxic waste is pretty overwhelming."
Tyrian used a pair of electronic binoculars to survey the area in thermographic and low light settings and he could see an industrial facility beyond the waste fields, which presumably sat above the replicator they'd been sent to destroy. There, the team would find the trucks and their ticket into the replicator complex below ground.
"Let's move, we can't spend much time out here so let's get across that waste field on the double," Summers said, leading the way. The team began their trek across the field of slimey waste and oozing barrels of unidentified liquids.
This level of pollution was typical of how the Cardassians treated all planets other than their precious homeworld. They were infamous for their reckless disregard for the ecology of other worlds, and this was a prime example.
Crossing the waste field, the fumes at time were overpowering, but the team pressed on, being careful to watch where they stepped. They were more than halfway across the waste field when one of the Maquis officers -- a male Trill by the name of Torvan Samod -- stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the others with a look of total shock and fear on his face. The others stopped also and turned back to look at him.
"What is it?" Wellington asked, his voice a hushed whisper as he feared attracting the attention of any nearby patrols.
"I-I'm not sure. I just stepped on something....I think it might be a Cardassian land mine," Samod said. "My foot is still on it...I'm not sure I should take it oof."
Tyrian immediately broke out his tricorder and took several scans of the area, then frowned. The mines were well concealed from a standard tricorder sweep -- possibly because of a tiny scrambling circuit the Cardassians installed in the explosive devices to hide them from sensors. But on a more aggressive scan, Tyrian confirmed the Maquis fighters assessment, "It is a mine. They're all around us."
Dr. Ming looked to Tyrian and then to the others, "What do we do now?"
=============================================================
USS Repulse
Bound for Hantuuk
Stardate 9705.14
Captain Sakata tapped his comm-badge, "Sakata to Away Team. We are approximately 60 minutes from the Hantuuk system. Stand by."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Ready for Action
Lt. Jack Dark
Strategy session on the Repulse
Stardate 9705.14
Kane briefed the rest of us on how the data search went with Kern helping clarify some of the technical points. "Very nice people. Short and to the point." I could tell they were pleased at the praise.
"Now, Here's the plan. Since it is a desert planet there may be a dust storm. Dust storms create a lot of static electricity. If there is too much we may not be able to beam in and we may have to wait or we might have to hike in if it is a stationary storm. This is both a best and worst case scenario for us. A storm would cover our beam in but it also may make us have to travel a long way to get to the replicator.
"If there is no storm to contend with then things are simplified. We beam in and Ro takes us to the Resistance. From there we will split up into two or three teams depending on whether we are going to attempt a rescue or not. I hadn't actually planned on carrying the Kyridium in but because of this team's ingenuity we now have that as a viable backup. I had planned on hacking in to the replicator database and having the Replicators make the Kyridium and materialize it right where it would do the most damage. That will still be plan A. Plan B will involve placing the canisters we have at strategic locations and then detonating them.
"Plan C will be the placement of the anti-matter charge in the dylithium mine. Lt. Kane will be in charge of that plan. She will also be in charge of the escape attempt as well. Ro, Folan Lysik and myself and the others in the Resistance will take out the replicators while you deal with the prisoners. I will recommend to the captain that we take extra rations and medical supplies to leave with the prisoners.
"People lets make no mistake about this operation. If we were just going up against the Cardassians I would be very confident that this mission would go off without a hitch, but because the Jem'Hadar are also part of the equation we are all going to have to be able to do some major revisions on short notice if things go wrong.
"Now, having said that I still think we have a good chance of pulling this off. You are all dismissed pending the captain's approval of the plan."
=============================================================
Captain Keio Sakata
Bridge of the Repulse
Stardate 9705.15
Sakata read over the PADD Jack Dark presented to him which entailed the plan and he nodded with approval. "Excellent strategy Mr. Dark. You and your team are to be commended. I have one addition. Since you've incorporated the possible rescue scenario into this plan, I'd like Lt. O'Coyne and the Maquis member, Gil Hastings, attached to your team. O'Coyne can work with Taryn on the rescue operation."
Ro Laren, who was standing back while Dark presented the plan, then stepped forward, "I haven't contacted Folan Lysik yet because I'm afraid a transmission right now could tip the Cardassians off to our location. Once we're closer, I'll attempt to raise him by piggy-backing an encoded signal on a Cardassian carrier transmission."
"Very well," Sakata nodded. "We arrive in 30 minutes. Get ready."
=============================================================
Lt. Kalahna Jarnell
Surface of Gakerra IV
Stardate 9705.15
Kalahna ran down the hallway with her comrades. Fires burned here and there from the battle damage. As they turned a corner they ran into a another Cardassian patrol. Her two comrades were shot down, along with two Cardassians. Kalahna tried to fire, but the charge on her old Klingon disruptor pistol read zero. Four Cardassians rushed her. She smashed one in the nose, but the others wrestled her to the ground.
They hit her repeatedly pummeling her small body with their large fists. Her nose was bleeding freely and her ribs were broke. They quickly hauled her away and threw her in a room with two low ranking Cardassian foot soldiers. The Cardassian officers told them to guard her, and left.
Kalahna eyed the Cardassians warily. She could barely move, she hurt so much. The Cardassians looked at her with contempt. One of them walked over and kicked her as she lay on the floor. She could only moan in response.
The other Cardassian went over to the door and closed it. Then he returned to Kalahna. He said something to the other in Cardassian, and they put their weapons down. The larger of the two Cardassians went to her arms and grabbed them. Kalahna struggled weakly, but the pain was intense. The second Cardassian straddled her and produced a wicked looking knife. Slowly he put it under her shirt and pulled upwards ripping her shirt open and exposing her naked body. Kalahna screamed and screamed, but it didn't help. The Cardassian moved down and unbuckled her belt and roughly grabbed the top of her pants. Then he started yanking them off savagely. Kalahna tried kicking but was too weak, so she screamed again. She was only seventeen and was about to be raped by two disgusting looking Cardassians.
Suddenly the door opened and the two Cardassians paused. As they did so three Bajoran resistance fighters shot them with old fashioned projectile weapons. Their blood sprayed all over her. Kalahna screamed again....
"Wake up, wake up. It's 0200!" Aries said.
Kalahna looked around frantically, she wasn't on Bajor, she wasn't...
Slowly her mind focussed. She had been dreaming of the Occupation days. "OK" she said, "OK."
Slowly she stretched out. Her back still hurt, but it felt better than before. The medical gel was regenerating the burned tissue. "What's the situation?"
Aries replied in a whisper. "The Cardassians were busy for awhile but they seem to have calmed down now. The base is 1 kilometer away. Temperature is still above our body temperature. Our scattering fields seem to still be functioning against their scans. It seems that the only thing we have to worry about is them seeing us. "
"Any ideas?" Kalahna asked.
"Not yet." Aries replied.
"Let's watch awhile" Kalahna said.
By 0300 they had seen that there were several roads that ore trucks seemed to take into the compound. Kalahna had another idea. "Look Aries, this is pretty dangerous but I don't know what else to do."
"Lets hear it" Aries said.
"We dig a small trench in the road and lay there and cover ourselves with sand. When one of the ore trucks goes over we attach ourselves to the bottom."
Aries just looked at her. He wanted to say she was crazy but he figured they were probably going to die anyways. "OK" he said.
By 0330 they were in place. They both hoped the truck stayed where it was supposed to. If not, well thsy already were in their graves at least. As the truck passed overhead, the sound of the engine is deafening. Kalahna and Aries erupted out of the sand and attach themselves to the bottom of the truck, among several power conduits. The truck grinds away towards the base. "What about the security sensors, won't they pick us up?" Aries asked.
"I dont know," Kalahna replied.
"I have an idea" Aries said. "If we stay real close together, and they detect us they will read us as one life sign. One of us can roll out and create a diversion while the other one sneaks into the base."
"That means one of us will be captured" Kalahna said, her eyes betraying that she was frightened. "It will have to be me" Aries replied. "You are the bomb expert."
"I can't do that..." Kalahna started to say.
"Don't worry about me. They'll interrogate me and keep me as a bargaining chip. I don't think they'll kill me. After you blow the replicator, you or Commander Sortha can get me out."
"That's too risky! Let's hope we don't have to do it" Kalahna whispered.
As the truck neared the base, Aries wrapped his body tightly around Kalahna. It was stifling hot under the truck and sand and dust were blowing everywhere. Soon the truck passed a gate and went into a dark underground chamber. Kalahna could see piles of equipment and supplies from under the truck. And Cardassian legs and feet. The truck sat there for some time. Then a siren went off. Kalahna's heart jumped, and she looked at Aries eye to eye. "Don't" she mouthed.
"See you in the next life" Aries whispered in her ear and winked. With that he let go and fell to the ground. As soon as he did he let off a burst of phaser fire from his phaser rifle. Then he rolled out and began running across the large room shooting at everything he could see. He must have hit something really big, because there was a large explosion and a lot of flames and dark smoke. Probably fuel barrels or something. Kalahna released her grip, and fell catlike to the ground. After a second she spotted an opening and sprinted catlike to cover. Sirens, and explosions filled the air. She spotted an open doorway closeby. When it was clear, she rushed for it and managed to slip through undetected. She paused for one last look back. The chamber was in chaos. "Go with the Prophets" she breathed, and ducked into the dark corridor beyond.
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/One more post
FROM THE GM: Sorry. Here's a post I forgot to add to the first one sent to night.
=============================================================
Lieutenant Brian Kern
USS Repulse: Science Lab
Stardate 9705.14
Rummaging through the several storage cabinets in the science bay, Kern managed to find a sample of kyridium. In his protective suit, Kern placed a 5 nanogram sample in a test container. After the container was secure, Kern removed the suit. Placing the test container in the structural analyzer. Turning to Tivora he said " Well, we already know that it can be slighly diluted with hydrogen, to the point where it'll no longer be toxic, but it will still be detectable by a tricorder or sensors."
After testing for a while and being fairly unsuccessful, they found that when they combined it with hydrogen and trilithium, the substance was fairly well diluted, and undetectable to sensors.
Tivora stood and said "I'll tell the captain about our findings." Kern stood and walked to the mess hall to get something to eat, and found that the Maquis aboard were eating as well... Kern knew that he should probably just go and sit at a table by himself, but he was in the mood for company... besides, he found these people to be very honorable, fighting till the end for a lost cause...he sat down and started talking to them.
(MAQUIS DETAILS ADDED BY THE GM)
Kevin Palmer and Gil Hastings looked up from their meals as Kern joined them and they looked at one another. "You're the first Starfleet officer on this ship, other than Dark and Thompson to even acknowledge our existance."
"You're part of the crew for this mission," Kern said, digging into his meal. "I just thought I'd join you, and tell you I'm glad we're working together on this mission."
"It's nice to be on the same side, even if it's only for a short while," Hasting admitted.
"Not all Starfleet personnel have ill feelings toward the Maquis," Kern said. "Some of us support what you're doing, but have decided our place is in Starfleet."
"Too bad. If that many Starfleet officers feel this way, maybe if they came forward and joined us the Federation would finally take notice," Palmer said. "Your captain doesn't hide his feelings about us, does he?"
Kern shook his head, "No. He doesn't. This mission is hard for him. He obviously doesn't like the Maquis, and its killing him even worse that Ro Laren, one of the most notorious traitorsfrom Starfleet is aboard his ship and he can't do anything about it."
Palmer laughed, "You can tell that's eating him up inside."
"So what do you guys think about the mission plans?" Kern asked.
"They sound reasonable. Dark and Kane have done a good job so far. But it needs a Maquis touch," Palmer said. He then glanced at Hasting and gave him a knowing look. "Say, Brian. What do you think the captain's going to do about the prisoners on Hantuuk?"
"He's authorized us to proceed with a rescue if it won't jeopardize the
mission," Kern said.
"Which means if it looks too risky, he won't let us attempt it, right?"
Hasting asked.
"I guess so," Kern said. "Our primary objective is the replicator."
"I know that. But we wouldn't be here trying to destroy the god damned thing if the Federation hadn't given the replicators to the Cardies in the first place," Palmer said with spite. "Don't you think the lives of 11 Maquis -- all former residents of the Federation and several who are ex-Starfleet -- are more important than destroying a piece of Federation equipment that shouldn't have been given to the Cardassians."
Kern though for a moment, "You have a point, but..."
"We're not leaving them behind," Hastings said bluntly. Palmer cautioned him with a hand on his arm and shook his head, indicating for him to not say any more. "I hope your captain has sense enough to make that a priority."
"Enough, Gil," Kevin said through clenched teeth.
Kern was astonished. It sounded almost as if the Maquis were prepared to carry out the rescue mission on their own if they had to. This was most unexpected, he thought, and while he should be running to the captain with this information he couldn't help but agree with their logic. These were their fellow Maquis, and they just couldn't leave them there to rot when a rescue could be attempted.
(RESUME KERN POST)
Kern sat, still having a conversation with the Maquis when Tivora Keline walked in...
"Well, I think the captain..." and Kern stopped as he saw her enter.
"Brian, what are you doing???" she asked him, in an extremely short and unpatient voice.
"Nothing," he said, a little nervously. "Don't worry, nothing's wrong..."
Unsure of what Kern and the Maquis had been discussing that was so private they all shut their mouth the moment she walked over Tivora continued, "Okay, well, I told the captain about our findings. I just thought you should know." She then turned and walked out of the mess hall.
Kern turned to the Maquis, and spoke "Don't worry, I'm sure the captain will proceed with the rescue. Trust me." Kern then got up and walked out of the mess hall, toward Tran and Thompson's Quarters, to talk about important things...
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Suspicions
Lt. Tivora Keline
Aboard the U.S.S. Repulse
Stardate 9705.16
Tivora stood outside the mess hall and thought about the scene she had
just witnessed. Kern seemed to be awfully buddy-buddy with those maquis in
there. Tivora couldn't help but be concerned. The last thing this mission
needed was more kinks or complications.
She knew that the prudent thing would be to tell the captain what she had
seen and leave it at that. That was what the logical Vulcan side of her was
saying, but as usual her Andorian side had a different idea. That side was
telling her to investigate the situation herself. Tivora didn't want to get
Kern in trouble needlessly. Tivora decided to listen to the irrational side
of herself. She would watch Kern and see if there was any need for concern.
If there was anything funny going on, she would relay the information to
the Captain. If not then she would just forget about. As she was making
this decision, the mess hall door whooshed open. Tivora saw that it was Kern
so she moved out of the main corridor to a side corridor. He didn't appear
to see her. She watched him walk past her. After he went a ways down the
corridor, Tivora stepped out and began to follow him. She figured now was as
good a time as any to begin her investigation. As she walked, Tivora hoped
that she was wrong in her suspicions.
=============================================================
Lt. J.G. Clayton Aries
In a Cardassian interrogation chamber
9705.16
Lt. Aries had certainly created a distraction for Kalahna, the guards were
still trying to fix all the damage that he had caused. He wished he knew how
Kalahna was doing, but there was nothing he could do. He had to stay there and make the Cardassians think that he was the only person there. Hopefully, Kalahna would make it.
Aries activated his Sub-vocal comm unit, and sent a quick message to
Kalahna, he was going to use his eou tablet. hopefully, it would give her
enough time to plant the explosives, and get him out of there. Looking back, he saw what a good idea it was to have the tablet disguised as one of the molars in his mouth.
=============================================================
Cardassian holding cell
Stardate 9705.16
The door to Clayton Aries cell slid open and a female Cardassian entered,
joined by two Jem'Hadar soldiers. The woman appeared to be a Cardassian Gul.
"You did quite a bit of damage, human," the woman said. "I am Gul Eylan
of the Cardassian Sixth Order. I am in charge of security for this facility.
Perhaps you would care to enlighten me with your name and other information,
such as why you are here and who else is with you."
Aries stared straight ahead and said nothing. The attractive Cardassian
female smiled and nodded to thr Jem'Hadar guards. The two Dominion soldiers
moved forward, seized Aries by his arms and forced him from his cell into a
nearby room. Aries found himself in a Cardassian interrogation room, where he
was stripped to the waist and strapped into a cool, steel chair in the center
of the room.
"If you continue to withhold the information I have requested of you, I
will have no choice but to make you suffer," Eylan said as the Jem'Hadar
soldiers stood to either side of the captive Shadow Ops agent.
Aries glared at her, but continued to hold his tongue. Eylan shrugged
and motioned for the guards to begin. That was when one of the two Jem'Hadar
drew back a massive fist and smashed Aries's across the face. Then, the
beating began...
=============================================================
USS Repulse
Approaching the Hantuuk system
Stardate 9705.16
The Repulse slid out of warp speed and cruised into the Hantuuk system
under cloak. The ship's course took it past several huge gas giant worlds and
finally to the beige and brown desert world of Hantuuk IV.
"Sir, there are two Jem'Hadar ships patrolling the outskirts of the
system, there are two more Jem'Hadar ships orbiting the planet, along with a
Cardassian Galor-class vessel," Jack Dark reported from tactical. "There's
also a Cardassian ore processing station in orbit."
"Mr. Tran, take us into orbit. Keep us well away from those ships,"
Sakata said. "As soon as we're in orbit, I want Tivora to run scans of the
surface."
Tran manuevered the Repulse into orbit around Hantuuk IV and then Tivora
Keline began her scans of the surface. She quickly found the mining colony,
the only sign of civilization on the planet, and did a quick sensor sweep of
the area.
"Mining colony located. There are 723 Cardassians life signs, 25
Jem'Hadar, 1 Vorta, 2 Bajorans, 9 humans, 1 Tellerite, 6 Klingons, 2 Ferengi
and 8 Breen. The colony is located around the base of a mountain range and
the mining tunnels seem to extend throughout the mountains. I'm detecting
active mining."
"What about the replicator?" Sakata asked.
"There is a section of the colony where I'm detecting what appears to be
some kind of shield in place. Such a shield would prevent beaming and sensor
scans," Tivora confirmed.
"Continuing scanning. Mr. Dark, you may wish to take this opportunity to
learn some more about the colony before your team transports," Sakata said.
Dark nodded and began to call up the information on his tactical screens.
"Sir," Ro Laren said, walking on to the bridge. "I've made contact with
Folan Lysik. I've been able to confirm that there are still 10 Maquis alive
down there. Nine humans and a Tellerite. One Maquis officer was executed two
days ago. Folan and one of his fellow resistance fighters are also there.
They are awaiting our instructions. I should have a window to contact them
again in about 15 minutes without the Cardassians detecting us."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO:Stealth-Repulse/Damn Cardassians!
Lt. Kalahna Jarnell
Cardassian replicator facility, Gakerra
Stardate 9705.17
Kalahna quickly ran to an air duct and using a tool pried it open. Quickly she sealed it behind her. Slowly her breathing returned to normal. She felt like crying. Her team were all dead and Aries had sacrificed himself so she would have a chance at suceeding in the mission. She took inventory of what she had. She had the powerful explosive that Ayer had prepared for her.
The 10 inch disk contained enough explosive to destroy a city block. She also had her tricorder, scattering field generator, type 1 phaser and universal toolkit. It was dark in the vent and Kalahna liked that it made her feel safe. She pulled out her tricorder and began scanning the base layout and her current position, comparing it to starfleet intelligence reports.
She vowed that she would not let Aries down. She would blow up the replicator and then rescue Aries, or die trying. One way or another.
It had been over an hour. Kalahna's hair was wet from sweat and stuck to her face and neck. Her clothing was drenched as well. The air vents were blowing Cardassian room temperature air which was very hot. She had been unable to get very close to the heavily guarded replicator site, but she had been able to get to a Cardassian information net junction as well as a transporter room.
She started working on an embedded automatic transporter program on her
tricorder that she would download into a transporter that beam her to several
sites within the compound. If she tried to beam into the replicator site it
would be a blind beam-in. She would have to take the chance of materializing
in a wall if she couldn't find another way in. She didn't go too far into the Cardassian net. She only scanned for secondary information that would not be classified. She was not a computer expert and didn't trust herself setting off any Cardassian booby-traps. From that information she would infer where the replicator, and prison cells weere located. Slowly she scanned the net for clues, trying not to think about poor Aries.
=============================================================
Cardassian Interrogation Cell
Stardate 9705.17
Gul Eylan let out a deep sigh of disappointment as Clayton Aries bloodied,
sweat covered body slumped to the floor. He had been beaten and tortured for
more than two hours without success. She knew he had to be Federation or Maquis -- but which one was he? If only she could get a confession.
"Shall we have him given stimulants to keep him conscious?" one the Jem'Hadar asked, eager to again begin beating the Stealth medical officer.
"No. We don't want to kill him. Take him back to his cell," Eylan said.
"We'll start fresh in the morning."
With that, the two soldiers drug Aries' limp body from the cell and down
the corridor outside.
=============================================================
Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
On Dahgar IV
Stardate 9705.17
"Don't move...........even an inch." Tyrian said to Torvan Salmod as he
dug into the mushy toxic waste at Torvan's feet. "Yes...............just what I thought.....a Cardassian model land mine. Its an older model, but still deadly..........and sensitive, there is no way to disarm it once it has
been armed."
Dr. Ming looked over to him, "What are we going to do?"
Tyrian pulled out his black commando knife and started probing the mine as he said, "I'm going to get you off this Cardassian piece of junk, I just have to find the hidden access panel in the side...........there it is, I can buy you some time, but I can't stop the explosion."
Tyrian grabbed his tricorder with his filthy gloved hand and started taking readings, and after a few more momments said, "Okay, when I say go, you run like hell because you have between two to four seconds to get away from this thing before it blows. The rest of you move back and give him plenty of room, scan for other mines before you move."
After all the team got back away from Torvan, Tyrian released the knife from the mine and yelled for Torvan to run, both men took off sprinting towards the rest of the group. After about three seconds, the mine exploded shaking the ground and the blast knocking Torvan and Tyrian off their feet as they ran away from it.
Tyrian got up slowly as Dr. Ming ran over to him, before she could say anything, Tyrian got up, wiping sludge off, and growled, "I'm fine, check on Torvan." Torvan was also fine, getting up off the ground and wiping toxic
sludge off his body. Tyrian stated: "We had better move, everyone configure
tricorders to scan for mines in our path."
After the team had gotten out of the minefield, they approached the end of the toxic waste dump, nearing the target area. The field had become flat with occasional piles of waste and barrels littering the sloppy land. Light had begun to fall, the minefield had put them behind scedule.
Ensign Burns looked over to Tyrian, "Sir, I'm picking up something near the barrels at our two o'clock..........oh no.....LOOK OUT!!!" Before the words were out of his mouth, the tops of about six huge barrels erupted off and Cardassian soldiers popped out the tops and started firing rapid fire phaser bursts at the team as they ducked for cover behind barrels and small piles of solid waste.
Burns had become the first victim, getting shot by a burst of shots almost as soon as he warned the group. The shots had torn apart the ensign, ripping his body into pieces, the body armor he was wearing had not provided enough protection against the powerful blasts.
Tyrian looked gravely as he saw Burn's arm, severed by the blast, still holding his tricorder hit the mucky ground off to his side. Tyrian set his
phaser rifle on repeating fire and returned fire towards some of the barrels the Cardasssians were taking cover behind.
Tyrian and the rest of the team had taken cover and furiously blasted at
the Cardassians, but Tyrian looked up and saw two incoming shuttles.........Cardassian shuttles. "Damn," Tyrian said. "they've detected us.......but how?"
=============================================================
Lieutenant Brian Kern
USS Repulse
Stardate 9705.16
Kern walked towards the turbolift, and stopped when the door didn't open
instantly. After stopping, he heard a small thud behind him, like a footstep. Realizing that he was being followed, he stepped into the turbolift (which had just arrived)...so as to confuse his pursuer, he barked out a command "Bridge".
As soon as the turbolift began to move he called out some more commands
"halt, take me to crew quarters..." not seeing anyone, he pressed the button
to enter Thompson's quarters, and was greeted by a "enter" and stepped inside...
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/One down
Lt. Tivora Keline
Repulse
Stardate 9705.17
Tivora was still following behind Kern when he approached the turbolift.
The doors didn't open. Tivora stopped dead in her tracks for a second, but
obviously not soon enough. She could see by the way his muscles were tensing
that he had heard her. She quickly moved out of the corridor.
She stood against the wall fully expecting for Kern to come around and
confront her. Tivora heard the turbolift doors whoosh open and heard Kern
say "Bridge". Tivora stepped back into the corridor and walked towards the
turbolift. She'd had her excitement for the day and was ready to return to
her quarters and relax.
A cup of Vulcan tea and some classical music was just what she needed to
get her mind back on track. She stepped into the turbolift and requested crew quarters. As she walked down the corridor she heard talking. As she got closer she reconized one of the voices as Kern's.
Tivora realized that he'd pulled one over on her. As she continued walking to her quarters she resigned that she would just have to be a little sneakier.
=============================================================
Lt. Jack Dark
Scanning and reporting/Repulse
Stardate 9705.18
Most of the scans had to be passive because of the other ships in orbit but I took the ones I could. First of all a storm front was coming. A sand storm would hit the mining colony in about ten hours. We were in luck, it looked to be a big one that would dampen sensors and make beaming difficult. Not impossible just difficult.
Life signs on the surface were very faint even for a desert planet. While it is true that most life hides in the daytime that didn't account for the desolation. Few plants and animals that are no higher an order than insects were what awaited anyone that would be foolish enough to try to escape that way. The power station is about 5 kilometers south of the colony. The camp is on the west side of a north-south axis mountain range.
The camp was, to put it bluntly, stupid. All of the barracks were on the surface. Now we know that the Cardassians like hot climates but to house the prisoners there as well seams like a really bad idea, on the surface. (pun intended) However, if you think about it there is a certain logic to it. The prisoners were close to their taskmasters and put into a very uncomfortable existence by being on the surface.
Escape across the desert seams possible but in reality is not. The workers had to be escorted about a kilometer and a half across an open rock face before they get to the mine entrance. From there the workers can proceed straight through and down to the mines or take a right hand turn about four kilometers down another tunnel to the Replicators. I'm sure the Maqui have a plan to get us to them unnoticed.
The Cardassians, just because they are, have the prisoners try to rest in
the day time. They work at night time. There is about 5 hours of daylight
left and then the shift will start and we will probably be snuck in then. The storm should last a few days and will hamper their sensors. That's the good news. The bad news is that we'd need a much bigger explosion to take out the replicators, on the order of 45 to 50 megatons to make sure there is enough collateral damage to make sure. That is not what I'd call a surgical strike.
The other piece of bad news is that the whole area is geologicaly very
stable. That means we can't start an earthquake or anything. There is little ground traffic outside of the mountain to transport the raw materials to the replicator. !!!???!! WHAT THE HELL???
"Sir, something is very wrong here." I say with a bit of apprehension
in my voice.
I now have the undivided attention of the captain and just about everyone
else on the bridge as well. "What is it Mr. Dark?"
"Sir, something has been bothering me since we started to orbit the planet
and I just figured out what it was. The power station is south of the main
camp and the shielded area is north of it. Now that could be just bad
Cardassian engineering or maybe the replicators are so far away because they
are taking advantage of a geological quirk such as a cave but I don't think
so. The question becomes this. Why is there an ore processing station in
orbit when it is easier and much safer to process the raw Dylithium on the
surface at the site. I've checked the sensor logs and the ore station is
beaming material from the mouth of the cave system to the station at close to
a continuous rate. That would never happen if they were processing Dylithium
ore. The only thing that makes any sort of sense is that to the south of the
camp by the generators is the Dylithium processing plant. The replicators we
were looking for are in orbit in the ore processing plant, and to the
north of the camp is whatever is under that mountain behind that shield."
As one everyone said "The White ship."
=============================================================
Captain Keio Sakata
Repulse
Stardate 9705.18
Sakata mulled over Dark's findings and everything fell into place. "I do
believe you're right, lieutenant. This means we have two objectives, with the
rescue of the prisoners our third priority. Lt. Dark, reallocate your resources for two strike units. The group that will be on the surface will have two objectives...the White ship and the rescue of the prisoners.
"Let me know what you come up with," Sakata said.
Before anyone else could continue, Taryn Kane stepped back from her security station, where she'd been monitoring communications, and looked pale. She first caught Ro Laren's attention who came to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"What is it Taryn?" Ro asked.
Taryn turned to the Ro and the rest of the bridge crew, who were now
slowly noticing Kane's erratic behavior.
"I was just monitoring Cardassian subspace communications. I
intercepted some very bad news," Taryn began. Her eyes then locked on Ro
Laren. "The Cardassians are celebrating throughout the Empire. Word from the
Volon Colonies is that the Jem'Hadar have successfully attacked eight key
Maquis sites and have killed untold numbers of Maquis fighters."
"What!" Ro said, nearly stumbling backwards as she was hit with the news.
"The Jem'Hadar are reporting from the front that the Maquis has been all but destroyed. Seven of the eight cells they've attacked are all gone. There aren't believed to be many more Maquis left at all, and those that are have either gone into hiding or have scattered," Taryn reported. "Worse. As many as 25 women serving in the Maquis have been taken prisoner and will be turned over to Dukat's government as trophies of the Jem'Hadar's conquest over the Maquis."
All on the bridge were silent...Maquis and Starfleet alike. Things were
bad, very bad indeed.
=============================================================
Lt. Kalahna Jarnell
Gakerra surface
Stardate 9705.18
Kalahna scanned the Cardassian transporter logs. They were mundane activity logs, so weren't classified. She scanned for heavy transporter activity. Looking back, she saw that at approximately the time that the Wraith lost its stealth capability, there was a large beamout of Jem Hadar soldiers and Cardassians to a classified location. The reactor was the most valuable thing on the stinking planet. She bet that, that was where they had beamed to.
Being able to transport there was a problem. Probably you needed security code to go there. Kalahna spent about twelve hours crawling through vents and observing some transporter sites. There was one that had heavy Jem'Hadar activity. According to the logs, it was this site that many of the Jem'Hadar beamed away during the Wraith crash.
Kalahna looked at her scattering field generator. It was showing 1/20 charge capacity, which meant that she had about one and a half hours of charge left. She crawled away to a security relay junction and planted a medium sized bomb. Then she crawled back to the grill to the transporter room. Praying no one would notice, she opened the grill and slipped out. Quickly she planted a small bomb in the transporter so that it would explode and kill the operator but not damage the transporter. Then she quickly crawled back into the grill.
Kalahna thought about home. Her friends. She wondered what her family would have been like had they not been massacred by the Cardassians. As she sat in the vent, she felt dead. She was exhausted. Her tank-top was ripped, stained and drenched with sweat. Her hair was greasy and sweaty and hung limply around her face and shoulders. Her body ached from lack of sleep and exertion. Her knees were bruised and her elbows were bloody from being scraped as she crawled through the vents. It would be over soon she thought. Soon she could see her family. She set the powerful and deadly explosive, the Federations' most powerful (a disk that contained matter and antimatter in a temporal stasis field. When the timer counted down, the magnetic seal holding the antimatter in stasis deactivated, allowing the antimatter to come in contact with matter. The combination caused a powerful reaction similar to a small warp core breach.
The bombs were difficult and costly to manufacture and were highly classifed.) It was very dangerous. Had Kalahna smashed the housing in combat the whole raiding team would have gone up in smoke. Well that didn't matter now, they were all dead anyway.
Kalahna set the timer, once she activated it, it would blow up in four seconds. In the distance her first bomb went off, rocking the complex. Immediately alarms went off. Within several seconds a squad of 20 Jem Hadar soldiers ran into the room. One went to the transporter. The others weant to the pad. The JemHadar started the beam-out and as soon as the soldiers on the pad started to dematerialize, Kalahna hit the explosive on the transporter control. It blew up killing the Jem Hadar there. Quickly she kicked out the grill and dropped to the floor, sprinting, she ran to the transporter pad. She could see the JemHadar look at her as they sparkled. Kalahna whipped the bomb into the transporter beam. A split second later the Jem Hadar and the bomb was gone.
Then almost immediately another squad of 20 Jem Hadar ran into the room. For second they looked at each other then a deafening explosion rocked the complex. The lights flickered and part of the ceiling dropped. Chunks of metal, lights, and rock rained down around Kalahna and the Jem Hadar. Something jumped on Kalahna. It was a Jem Hadar. More weight came crashing down on them all. Then it was totally dark. More explosions could be heard throughout the base. Then it was quiet. Kalahna was buried under a pile of rubble. Soon She could hear Jem Hadar and Cardassian voices. It was over. She reached for her phaser. She would set it on overload.
When the Jem Hadar found her she would trigger it and take as many of them with her as possible. She found comfort in the thought that her bones would be shrapnel that would kill Jem'Hadar and Cardassian scum. She reached for her phaser. It was gone! Frantically, she searched. Now there was lights coming from somewhere. She couldn't find it and she couldnt move. She was pinned.
Suddenly a pair of hands pulled the Jem Hadar and some of the debris off her. It was a Jem Hadar and Cardassians! Kalahna stared at them. They stared back and held her at phaserpoint. Then she smashed her own head as hard as she could against a metal support that was near her.....
On board the Stealth...
The Stealth was also reeling from the news about the demise of the Maquis back in the Volon Colonies when Nash suddenly turned from his sensor screen to Sortha.
"Commander Sortha! Lieutenant Nash said "Sensors confirm that there has
been a large explosion on Gakerra in the vicinity of the replicator. The
replicator has been destroyed along with about half of the base! The base's
shields have dropped. But about ten Jem Hadar warships have appeared on sensors around Gakerra as well as six Galor Class cruisers!"
The Stealth's powerful sensors detected one human as well as one Bajoran
lifesign on the planet. Nash told Sortha the information. the bridge crew
looked at him expectantly.
=============================================================
Lt. Commander Ayer
Gakerra IV Military Base
Stardate 9705.17
The base was lighted by dim interior lights, making the whole surrounding bleak, a perfect match for the Cardassians. Ever since he had arrived at the base, Ayer had remained in his liquid form, travelling through the base's power conduits and searching for any of his teammates. He had heard some explosions when he flew in, a hopeful sign that they still might be alive. After searching with no success, Ayer decided to forego the search and finish the mission.
It took him a short while before he reached the power plants. It was the source of all power that is delivered to the whole base. Taking it out would mean taking out all primary systems, including internal sensors. As with many of the base's facilities, the power plants were stored underground as well. Destroying it was out of the question, the force of the explosion could collapse the structure...After pondering the situation for a while, a new realization came to the changeling.
If Kalahna attached the explosive on the replicator and activated it, it
would destroy the massive machine but the structure would still hold. That was only a theory of course, such a thing had never been done before, and even if they had simulated it on a holodeck, they never took into account that it was located so close to a dormant volcano.
From the reports taken by Starfleet Intelligence, the volcano hasn't erupted for an estimated 300 years but if the explosive was activated, the force of it could trigger the volcano to erupt again. If that happens, then they can never get out of here alive. He had to get to the replicator site, if Kalahna's still alive and manages to reach the site, then he might get the chance to warn her about the potential threat.
He decided to abandon the plan of taking out the power plant and headed
towards the replicator immediately. As he slid through the conduits, he heard a wrenching scream, a human scream. Tracing the sound back to its source, Ayer discovered that it came from a nearby room. Morphing out an ear, he placed it against the wall and listened.
"Now, what do you have to say?" Gul Eylan said.
Aries continued to remain silent.
"Very well," She motioned for the two Jem'Hadars to continue their beating..
After a while of their torturing, Aries lost consciousness and slumped to the floor.
"Shall we have him given stimulants to keep him conscious?" one the
Jem'Hadar asked, eager to again begin beating the Stealth medical officer.
"No. We don't want to kill him. Take him back to his cell," Eylan said.
"We'll start fresh in the morning."
With that, the two soldiers drug Aries' limp body from the cell and down
the corridor outside.
As the two soldiers stepped out, they encountered a Cardassian. They
stopped in their tracks. The sudden stop caused Gul Eylan, who had just stepped out from the room, to run into them. The Cardassian wasn't impressed as she got up from the floor, "What is the meaning of thi.." She stopped as she saw who the other Cardassian was. "Gul Dukat, what an unexpected pleasure to see you here....What are you doing here?"
Dukat smiled with his usual expression, "I've heard of a Federation intrusion in this area of space and since I was around the area, I decided to
come and see how the investigation is proceeding." He took a look at the prisoner, "Did you get anything from him?"
Eylan shook her head, "No, he wouldn't cooperate with us. We've
interrogated him for over two hours but he would not yield."
Dukat lost his smile, "Perhaps you need to work on your interrogation skill then." He turned to the two Jem'Hadar, "Take him back to the interrogation chamber. Gul Eylan, I want you to proceed with the interrogation from where you last left off."
The Jem'Hadars carried Aries back into the chamber and strapped him to the blood covered chair. Dukat and Eylan stepped inside with the door shutting behind them. As soon as the door was sealed, Dukat launched an attack against Eylan. He backhanded the Cardassian woman, knocking her against the wall. As she launch a counter-attack, her foot passed through Dukat's body. Dukat immediately grabbed the foot and twisted it. As Eylan cried out in pain, Dukat's hand morphed into a steel blade and thrusts it through her heart. She slumped to the floor, her blood pouring out from the punctured heart.
Dukat turned around to confront the two Jem'Hadars. They had seen Eylan's foot pass through his body and knew he was a changeling and had done nothing to interfere with the changeling's fight, as was the rightful procedure. Dukat then morphed into the distinct feature of the Founders. His undetailed face barely move as he spoke, "This prisoner is of no concern to you and your services to the Dominion is no longer required."
Taking the hint, the two Jem'Hadars followed their orders. As loyal as
they were to the Founders, they also could not resist the call of genetics.
Taking out their knifes, they both plunged it into their hearts, ending their life immediately.
The Founder then morphed into a human face, a Starfleet face. As he looked at the equipments used for the interrogation, he spotted the stimulants. Taking one of those, he gave an injection to Aries. As Aries began to regain his consciousness, Ayer released the straps that tied him to the chair. Aries, still dizzy from the stimulants, said, "Ayer, we thought you were dead."
Ayer shook his head, "No, I escaped from the shuttle just before it crashed. But we'll discuss that for another time, right now, let's get out of here." Carefully lifting him up, Ayer escorted Aries out of the interrogation chamber. He only hoped they could get to the replicator site soon enough before Kalahna does.
Suddenly, Ayer and Aries were thrown against the wall as a huge explosion thundered through the complex. The lights flickered on and off several times and pieces of ceiling panel collapsed into the corridor around the two Shadow Ops agents. When the blast was over, they both managed to stand.
They were too late to stop Kalahna. Ayer only could hope the blast destroyed the replicator and wouldn't set off the volcano.
Continuing along the debris cluttered hallway, Ayer and Aries continue on toward the exterior of the compound as alarms sounded throughout the structure. Over an intercom, they heard a Cardassian voice announce the capture of the saboteur...
As the Cardassians and Jem'Hadar pulled Kalahna from the rubble and forced her along from the complex, they all stopped suddenly as the ground began to shake beneath them.
"Another explosion?" one of the Jem'Hadar asked.
"Feels like....an earthquake," one of the Cardassians said.
The rumbling ground grew in intensity and a new series of alarms were raised. Tha voice broke through on all intercoms throughout the complex:
"Emergency! All personnel. Sensors are reporting heavy seismic activity... centered at the volcano!"
Chaos then erupted throughout the compound as the quake grew worse and worse....
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Battle on Dahgal
=============================================================
Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
On Dahgal IV
Stardate 9705.19
Tyrian moved positions to the big pile of solid waste that Ki'lal was behind as the barrel he was behind was blown off to the side by the Cardassian soldiers. The two Cardassian shuttles had landed dispensing about twelve soldiers each.
Both the Cardassians and the Federation/Maquis teams were pinned down. The Cardassians kept trying to spread their forces to each side, but they were cut down as soon as they left thier cover of barrels and their shuttles.
During the battle Tyrian's team had lost Ensign Burns and Ensign Rogatta, a security officer. Tyrian knew that this standoff would last a while because of the cover both sides had, that was, until more Cardassians made it in. Tyrian fired a few more rapid fire bursts from his rifle, then set it down and started fumbling around in his backpack.
He pulled out some of his explosives and quickly began working. Ki'lal gave out numerous battle cries as he fired his rifle. The sounds of rifles firing and small explosions were deafening all around, smoke started to fill the landscape as flammible toxins from the dump caught fire.
The Maquis team leader, Michael Wellington, screamed in agony as a Cardassian blast exploded into the waste pile he was hiding behind, shooting
ignighted toxic waste all over his body. Wellington fell to the ground, rolling around trying to put out the flames that engulfed him. Dr. Ming and Jenson Rohahd, a Maquis, quickly jumped on Wellington and snuffed out the flames. Wellington had taken off his protective head mask earlier, so his face was badly burned.
Dr. Ming grabbed her pack and went to work on his face with the dermal
generator. Rohahd let out a cry of anger and lept up and charged over the small hill of waste firing at the Cardassians. He took out a couple of them before just about all of them targeted the angry Maquis. His body flinched in every direction as the shots continually hit him and he eventually fell to the ground.
Tyrian finally finished what he was doing. He clicked the detonator timer and then got up onto his knees and flung the device towards the Cardassians. He yelled for his team to get down. A couple of seconds later, the ground shook from the massive explosion caused by the bomb that had found its mark. Debris rained down on the team as Tyrian led the charge into smoke and fire firing all the way. The bomb had hit the cluster of barrels between the two shuttles, killing instantly most of the Cardassians and completely destroying one of the shuttles.
The other shuttle had been blown about fifty feet away and flipped onto its side. Only about five Cardassians had survived the blast, two were back on their feet and the other three were slowly getting back up after the blast. The Starfleet team quickly dispatched three of the survivors and the remaining two Cardassians put their arms in the air and surrendered.
Tyrian and the rest of the team, except Ming and Wellington, converged slowly on the two, but they did'nt want to fight any more. Tyrian told Ki'lal to restrain the two prisoners, which he did roughly, throwing them around. He told the others to see if check out the shuttle and see which systems worked and if they could get it back upright.
Tyrian looked around as he slung his phaser rifle over his shoulder, the area was a war zone, smoke was eminating from the big crater where the bomb had exploded. Cardassian bodies and parts littered the ground, Tyrian walked over to where Dr. Ming was working on Wellington.
He was sitting upright, Dr. Ming had bandaged his face, she told Tyrian that the burns were serious but not life threatening, and would probably leave nasty scarring on his face even despite the dermal regenerator. Tyrian told him, "We must all succeed in this mission, or your scarring will be the least of our worries."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Post 1
Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
On Dahgal IV
Stardate 9705.21
Tyrian finished disinegrating the remains of the three dead members of his team, Burns, Rogatta, and Rohahd. Meanwhile, Torvan Samod had managed to set the Cardassian shuttlecraft upright and bring its main power back online, it had suffered only minimal damage during the blast.
Tyrian had already devised a plan and it involved the two Cardassian prisoners. Ki'lal grabbed them both by their restraints that held their hands together behind their backs and pushed them into the side of the shuttle with great force, knocking them both down.
Tyrian stood over them and said, "I only need one of you for my plan, the
other will die. Now which one of you will it be?" The two Cardassians sat silent on the ground. Tyrian looked down at the one on the right and said, "How about you?" He suddenly planted a boot to the Cardassian's stomach, causing him to cough violently.
He looked up after he recovered and growled, "I'll die before I help you, whoever you are." Tyrian said to him, "So be it." Tyrian grabbed the Cardassian by his hair and lifted him to his feet as the Cardassian let out a cry of pain. Tyrian slammed the soldier's back into the shuttle and then drew his commando knife from the sheath behind his back and slashed a line diagonally across the Cardassian's chest. Blood spewed out down the front of him as he fell to his knees in front of Tyrian, who then sank the knife into the back of his neck, killing him as he tried sputtering out a few last words.
He turned to the other Cardassian soldier, who was in shock from what he just witnessed. He saw the look in Tyrians eyes and quickly agreed to help him.
The Cardassian shuttles sped to the site of the explosion, there were three assault teams, one aboard each shuttle. They had'nt had a transmission from the previous two teams that had gone in earlier, but an explosion had occurred and they had been dispatched to check it out. Just then a static-filled transmission came over the shuttle's monitor, it was one of the higher ranked leaders of the last team, he stated, "Attention all patrols, this is Samar Blanchet, we were checking on an anomale on our border sensors and found an infiltration team apparently attempting to access the replicator. We encountered heavy resistance and suffered heavy casualties, but we were able to cause them to retreat, but they have taken several prisoners and ran into the woods. We request help in our search to recover our soldiers. I have sent our coordianates, Blanchet out." The shuttles changed course directly for the forest area.
After the shuttles had flown by, Torvan Samod piloted the shuttle out of its hidden spot at the edge of the woods and set course for the replicator coordinates. Tyrian turned to the Cardassian soldier who was sitting in one of the shuttles front seats and said, "Thanks for all your help, but we have no more use for you." Tyrian drew his handheld phaser and shot him in the face, killing him instantly. The shuttle approached the area where the replicator was supposedly housed. Tyrian looked at the obscured short range sensors, there were several large buildings, probably housing raw materials. Industrial trucks were moving all around the area, from the buildings to one or the other of two large tunnels on either side of the buildings, leading down to thier objective.
The shuttle slowly landed on one of the landing pads next to a couple more Cardassian shuttles. Most of the Cardassians that were at the replicator complex rushed over to the landing area to see what had happened, they quickly gathered around the charred shuttle and waited for the door to open. After a couple of minutes the shuttle exploded in at fireball that engulfed almost all of the Cardassian soldiers and workers. The blast caused a huge ball of fire and smoke to rise into the sky, debris from shuttles and one of the nearby buildings fell to the ground for several minutes.
Tyrian led the team from their hiding spot in one of the smaller buildings that they had beamed into. The Cardassians had configured their transporters to work through the interferance field that they had been producing. The team charged towards one of the industrial trucks that had stopped after the explosion. Lt. Ki'lal jumped onto one side of the cab of the truck as Tyrian jumped onto the other.
The startled driver tried to drive off as he saw Tyrian opening the door. The passenger grabbed for his blaster, but Ki'lal had already opened the door and grabbed him, then easily threw him out of his seat onto the ground and then climbed into the truck. The driver wrestled with Tyrian as he came into the cab, they both tumbled to the ground as the truck came to a stop. One of the ensigns shot the Cardassian worker who had been the passenger as he started to get up. Tyrian flung the driver to the ground, then kicked him in the head.
The driver grabbed at Tyrian's legs and tried to take him down to the ground, but Tyrian grabbed his head and snapped his neck. Dr. Ming flinched as she heard the cracking sound of the Cardassian's neck. The truck started backing up towards the team and Ki'lal looked out the window and said, "What are you waiting for, lets get this done before the rest of the Cardassians on the planet decide to show up."
=============================================================
Lt. Jack Dark
Repulse/New plans
Stardate 9705.20
"I will have to be on the team that takes out the White ship because I can
shield my thoughts. Tran and Keline should also come with me for that reason. We will take the Kyridium that we synthesized to the White ship to destroy the White making facility. Kern will be in charge of the team that destroys the replicators.
"I will give him a modified tricorder with an AI in it to help him get by the Jem'Hadar security protocols I'm sure they have installed. Kern will have to have someone from the Maqui to help him with the Cardassian security protocols but I have every confidence in him as team leader. I'm going to assign Ro as team leader for the rescue attempt.
"Now we do have a major problem to overcome. We have to do all three operations with split second timing or I doubt we are going to get out of this system. The Jem'Hadar have very good sensors so even if we use the sandstorm as cover they will notice and react. If we don't complete all three operations within 30 seconds, a minute on the outside you are going to go head to head with four Jem'Hadar warships. I believe that our best plan would be to execute all three plans a half an hour before the prisoners are to be marched off to the mines. There is a lot of milling around of prisoners we can take advantage of. My team should leave within a half an hour to get to the ship and plant the charges.
"The only way we are going to get back is if we use the transporters on the White ship. We will transport into the holosuite to keep out of your way. Kern you may be able to do the same thing from the ore processor if they are Jem'Hadar transporters, otherwise wait for the Repulse to pick you up.
"Kern and company should probably get to the ore processor about an hour before he needs to activate the Kyridium sequence and Ro and her group should beam down a half hour later. This gives them 1 half hour to get her people in place. I know the Maqui can move fast when they have to.
"Ro contact Folan. If he has any info on the ship get it otherwise my team will not contact his. After that make all the arrangements for the evacuation. My team is going in cloaked (Jem'Hadar cloaking suits, part of the Repulse's equipment) and I think Kern's should also. I believe that is everything, sir."
=============================================================
Captain Keio Sakata
Repulse bridge
Stardate 9705.21
Sakata took in Dark's recommended plan of action. Though he'd had some doubts about Jack in recent days, he was pleased with the man's ability to formulate and execute a plan. Though he tended to micro-manage a bit, Sakata was still pleased with his thoroughness.
"Very well," Sakata said. "Does everyone understand?"
The teams, gathered around on the bridge, nodded. Sakata was a little worried about the Maquis force after they'd received word of the massive Jem'Hadar victory in snuffing out the rest of the Maquis cells. If these reports were true, then Ro's group represented one of the last surviving Maquis cells -- and that reality was obvious on the faces of all the Maquis team members.
"Ro, are you clear on the plan?" Sakata asked. The slim Bajoran quietly nodded in agreement, her thoughts seemingly elsewhere as she absorbed what Jack had said.
"Yes, captain," she finally said. "I'll make contact with Folan and plan the evacuation of the team and prisoners from the surface."
"Alright. You all have jobs to do," Sakata said. "Proceed."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Post 2
Commander Sortha
USS Stealth
Stardate 9705.21
On board the bridge of the Federation starship Stealth, Commander Sortha faced an obvious dilemma, a dilemma imposed upon him by Starfleet's lack of resources dedicated to the current mission. However, it was a dilemma that needed to be addressed nontheless, and quickly.
He had two teams on two planets, and the enemy knew of the presence of both teams. On one hand he had a team that had accomplished its mission despite great odds and now needed to be rescued. However the planet was surrounded by greatly superior hostile enemy forces. On the other hand he had a team who had yet to accomplish its mission in a less defended area. An early pickup could extricate them but it would forfeit their chance of accomplishing their mission. Should he even risk his ship considering the alert status of the enemy forces?
Sortha quickly ran through these thoughts as he stood alone on a very crowded bridge. The logical decision would be to safeguard the lives of the 150 crew on board the Stealth and evacuate the increasingly crowded area of Cardassian space. But Sortha was no Vulcan. Starfleet protocol suggested he should evacuate the area to conserve Starfleet strength and resources. Although Sortha was a Starfleet officer, he was also a Gorn. And his instinctual reaction, based on his race, which reproduced rarely and highly valued every member of its species, was to be stubbornly loyal to his comrades, despite the risks.
"Helm! Plot coursse 170 mark 10 for Gakerra. Bring us around Gakerra to enter the system from the Cardassian side. Warp 9.92. Execute!" The Stealth's four powerful warp engines surged to life as the starship's dual warp cores responded instantly to her master's orders.
"Sortha to Sholek, do you have that pattern scan search program ready?"
Sortha's tone strongly suggested that the answer had better be yes. Sholek's
steady response of "yes" was welcome to the Gorn's ears.
"Good" he answered, "be prepared to execute and beam the away team out on my order. Put your best transporter crews on the transporters." Sortha finished typing a few more commands into his personal PADD. He quickly handed it to the ops officer, "execute that program on my order. Weapons control..". Sortha began, but was cut off by the eager ensign manning tactical "phasers fully charged, and photon torpedoes locked and loaded."
"Very good ensign" Sortha responded.
The minutes ticked by slowly. Sortha watched as the Stealth sped around the Gakerra system so that she would enter from the Cardassian side of space. There were several tense moments as the Stealth passed within sensor range of several Cardassian cruisers. Fortunately the stealth mode held. Most Cardassian and Dominion ships would be on the other side of the system, on the side facing the Federation border, at least that was what Sortha hoped.
Soon the Gakerra system loomed before the Stealth. "Cut warp, go to impulse" Sortha ordered. "Helm, put the Gakerran sun directly between us and Gakerra."
"Sir, sensors report 6 Galor class cruisers as well as 10 Jem Hadar ships patrolling the system." The bridge crew looked at Sortha again. All had looks of fear and doubt on their face, Even the Maquis. All that held them together was the faith they held in their Commander. Admiral Jaeger chose that moment to enter the bridge.
"How are things going Commander" the old Admiral asked pleasantly, with no trace of excitement in his voice. "
"We are about to rescue our away team ssir" Sortha responded matter of factly, also with no excitement to his deep voice.
"Very good Commander, keep me informed" the Admiral stated, and went into the Captain's ready room. With that display of confidence by the wily old admiral, the crew settled down and prepared for what was to come.
"Helm, bring us over the sun at a declination of five degrees" Sortha ordered. Nash responded instantly, despite knowing that course would bring them through the sun's lower photosphere, perilously close to any solar flares and radiation. Nash was ready for the next order that he logically deduced would be necessary.
"Prepare to drop Stealth mode. Sickbay, prepare emergency radiation protocol alpha. Engineering transfer reactor 2 to full maximum shield output"
Sholek responded from engineering as Sortha had expected. In his cool logical voice Sholek pointed out. "Sir if you indeed take us that close to the sun, reactor 2 will go critical in less than 10 seconds trying to keep the shields up against that heat and radiation level."
"Exactly" Sortha responded, grinning to himself. "Prepare for emergency
warp core jettison of reactor 2 on my order."
Now the crew was really nervous despite the earlier assurances that admiral Jaeger had provided. As if on cue, the old Admiral came out of the ready room. Even he had a quizzical eye aimed at Commander Sortha. But in the best traditions of Starfleet, he simply sat down beside the commander and appeared to relax.
On the tactical, everyone could see the vast armada of enemy ships buzzing like a swarm of angry insects around Gakerra. Suddenly an alarm sounded and several Jem Hadar ships behind the Stealth started moving rapidly in the ship's direction.
"Well it wasn't too long before they penetrated our stealth mode at this
range," Admiral Jaegar announced.
"Drop stealth mode. Raise shields to maximum. Helm execute course" Sortha ordered. The Stealth immediately surged to full impulse, heading toward the sun. The Jem Hadar ships followed close behind, surging to get within weapons range. The Stealth barrelled toward the sun, almost skimming the surface. The Jem'Hadar ships broke off and veered away as the Stealth continued unimpeded toward Gakerra.
Immediately the temperature on the bridge started climbing. Alarms went off as the strain on the shields became critical. The swarm of ships orbiting Gakerra broke of en masse and assumed an intercept course for the Stealth.
"Warp core 2 is 10 seconds to breach" Sholek said.
"Enemy fleet closing fast" helm reported.
"Accelerate to maximum impulse, straight toward that fleet" Sortha ordered with a viscious tone to his voice..
"Warp core, five seconds to breach" Sholek intoned.
"Steadyyy" Sortha responded.
"Warp core, four seconds to breach" Sholek continued.
"Now!" Sortha said, "Emergency Eject warp core! Full stop and reverse! Transfer shields back to reactor 1!"
Every fiber on board the Stealth screamed as the ship went into full reverse. Inertial dampeners failed and the crew was thrown out of their seats. But the Stealth stopped on a dime. The warp core however, once free of the Stealth, continued on at its last spped, full impulse, there being no resistance in space to slow it down. It went directly into the midst of the onrushing enemy fleet.
...and breached.
Even at the distance the Stealth was at, it was jarred violently at the force of the titanic explosion of unleashed warp energies. The Cardassian and Jem Hadar ships were knocked end over end by the force of the blast. Several collided and exploded. Others, sustaining too much damage, exploded by themselves.
"Helm, full speed for Gakerra!" Sortha yelled. Nash, with his Vulcan strength, had managed to remain in his seat and sent the Stealth surging past the enemy fleet as the enemy ships attempted to sort themselves out. Within seconds, the Stealth was flying past Gakerra. "Sholek execute search program now!" Sortha ordered. Down below in the bowels of the sophisticated ship, rows and rows of multiply linked processors and scanners operated at breakneck speed, scanning all life forms on Gakerra. Within 3.84576 seconds they had detected three familiar life signs. Sholek immediately dropped shields and the transporter rooms initiated beam-out procedures.
But the Jem'Hadar were not stupid. They had left two patrol ships cloaked and in orbit around Gakerra. As soon as the Stealth dropped shields they opened fire. Several things happened at once. The crew members were beamed aboard the Stealth, along with the two Jem'Hadar soldiers who had been in physical contact with Kalahna, carrying her away for interrogation. Kalahna and the Jem Hadar arrived in transporter room 1. Ayer and Aries arrived in transporter room 2.
The Stealth received the full force of the Jem Hadar shots. Fortunately
the Stealth was equipped with heavy ablative armor, however it wasn't enough for the power of both the Jem Hadar ships. After the first had weakened the armor, the second targeted that area. There was just enough armor left to divert the path of the blow slightly off center. The blast went straight through the saucer section of the Stealth, narrowly missing the bridge (the original target) and exited on the other side of the saucer section.
On the bridge, the officers struggled to maintain control. The sound of
rushing escaping air filled the bridge as miniature emergency oxygen supply tanks and masks deployed from behind sealed doors. Sortha stood up, fighting
the powerful rush of air that pulled at him, and planting his feet heavily, jumped over the tactical station. Quickly he raised the shields, as the tactical officer had been sucked halfway across the bridge and was struggling to hold on to a chair. Immediately the shields stopped the outrushing flow of air and crewmembers fell heavily to the deck.
Nash immediately rushed to the helm and slammed in a random course at full impulse, despite the large gash in his forehead and the green blood that flowed freely from it. Sortha ordered the computer "Execute commmessage Sortha 1." Immediately a series of orders to nonexistant starships was sent out as a diversionary tactic.
The Stealth pulled away from Gakerra with the two angry Jem Hadar warships on their tail. The rear shield flared agian and again. Sortha managed to make it to the bridge chair.
"Sir the rear shields will fail soon." the tacticla officer informed him.
"Tell them we have a founder on board. Beam Ayer to the bridge!"
Seconds later, Ayer who had been beamed aboard by transporter two,
materialized on the bridge, and assumed his changeling persona.
"Ship to ship" Sortha ordered.
Only because of the earlier message, the Jem Hadar accepted the communication. When they saw Ayer, they looked suspicious. However after Ayer informed them that he was indeed a founder. They stopped firing.
"That will slow them down only a second" Sortha said. "Change course 120
mark 111!"
Sure enough, the two Jem Hadar shot tractor beams out at the location that the Stealth had been in. "They'll try to capture us now. At least the tractor beams are shorter range that weapons. Target those ships" Sortha ordered, not being under any similar compunction not to fire. Like a younger child that could hit its older siblings with impunity because a parent was In the room, the Stealth dished out a walloping of phaser fire on the two Jem'Hadar ships. Eventually they had to break away.
Unfortunately, the Cardassian ships were not under similar restraint. Three Galor class cruisers still operational after the warp core explosion gave chase to the Stealth. Sortha was tired of this. "Helm, plot course for the sun again."
Soon the Stealth was on another intercept course for the sun. The bridge crew had a sudden very bad sense of deja vu. The three Galor class cruisers, one of them fairly well damaged already, gave chase. They maneuvered to box the Stealth into the system. As the Stealth neared the sun, Sortha ordered an immelman, a looping manuever that reversed direction, and as soon as the Stealth had changed course- this time back towards the three Cardassian ships he immediately ordered the Stealth to warp and the stealth mode engaged.
As the Stealth went into warp close to the Gakerran sun, the warp field
created a strong magnetic distortion that pulled a chunk of solar matter off the surface of the sun and sucked it into the path of the warp field. There were reasons ships normally didn't go to warp in planetary systems and this was one of them. The Stealth was easily able to outrun the onrushing blast of solar debris. One Cardassian ship was able to anticipate the move and veered off, the other two ran headlong into it and received a hellstorm of solar matter and fire that consumed them in a brief anticlimatic flash. The Stealth continued on at warp 9.5 out of the Gakerran system.
On board the bridge, Sortha had time to take stock of the situation. Sickbay was executing radiation protocol as orderlies ran from crewmember to crewmember hypospraying any available appendage. Admiral Jaeger had been knocked unconscious and was being removed to sickbay. Repair teams were nearby repairing the hull breach that had come so close to sucking the entire bridge crew out into space.
"Damage and casualty report!" Sortha ordered.
"It appears that one technician is unaccounted for sir, probably vaporized by that shot that went clean through the saucer section. Many crew quarters, the holodeck, the recreation room are all destroyed. It was lucky that the crew was at battle stations, otherwise we would have had heavy casualties in the crew sections. The most serious damage is that the blast destroyed the primary computer core. We are operating on auxiliary control and back up systems" the ops officer informed Sortha.
"Board reads clear of enemy ships sir. Long range scans indicate Cardassian fleet movements are moving to set up a perimeter at the border. It looks like they don't want us to escape sir."
"I bet not", Sortha said "resume course to Tyrian's group" Sortha ordered.
Just then another alert sounded. "What now?" Sortha thought. He was
answered shortly. Intruder alert, intruder alert, the computer voice repeated.
Down in transporter room 1, the Jem Hadar, being deprived of energy weapons by the transporter safety protocols, used the next best weapon they had. They threw Kalahna across the room into the transporter chief and two security guards. They all went down in a tangled heap. The Jem Hadar immediately bolted for the door in order to sabotage vital ship systems. They made it through the door, however a quick acting security guard initiated a lockdown from a wall computer panel and trapped the Jem Hadar within that section of the ship. They tried both hallways but found themselves trapped.
Immediately they returned to the transporter room. Drawing their blades, they rushed in. They were phasered into submission by the two security officers, while the transporter chief attended to Kalahna. She was in bad shape, but would live. He called sickbay who arrived within several minutes and using an antigrav stretcher maneuvered her to sickbay. Meanwhile the Jem Hadar were stripped, scanned, and put under sedation in the max security portion of the brig.
Sortha was relieved to hear that the Jem Hadar had been restrained. All he needed was a cat and mouse hunt in the bowels of the Stealth for two rampaging Jem'Hadar. The Stealth cruised back towards Tyrian and his embattled team. Underneath the Stealth's engineering section, the section where reactor two had been located yawned like a pulled tooth. The two ventral warp engines now sat lifeless, only the top two glowed with the characteristic blue of operational Federation warp engines.
The dorsal side of the saucer section looked positively grotesque as metal projected in a bizarre flower petal-like pattern from the twentyfoot wide hole that was right next to the bridge. Underneath, the ventral side of the saucer was blackened around the ten foot wide hole blasted by the Jem Hadar's weapons.
Sortha and the bridge crew began preparations to transfer to the auxiliary bridge. As the door was sealed and welded shut behind him by repair technicians, Sortha marvelled at what a close call it had been. And it would probably not get any better....
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/On to Dahgal
Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
On Dahgal IV
Stardate 9705.22
The industrial truck roared down the spiraling, long shaft towards the hidden replicator, it purposely had been put miles underground below rock to avoid beam out or destruction from orbiting starships. That in addition to the interference field, made the replicator almost invincible, thats where Tyrian's team came in.
They finally made it to the bottom of the shaft. The replicator was
positioned in the center of a large hollowed out cavern, piles of raw materials that other trucks had brought down sat waiting off to the sides of the cavern. The cavern appeared deserted, it looked as if most personnel had evacuated after hearing about the earlier blast above.
Ki'lal stopped the truck close to the replicator and the team rushed out with phaser rifles drawn. Tyrian had used a good amount of explosives already up above to keep the team alive, and did'nt have enough left to directly destroy the reinforced replicator. He yelled out orders for the team to quickly use the remaining explosives on the supports to the cavern, with any luck it would be enough to cause a massive cave in that would crush the replicator.
Most of the team members had finished and were headed back to the truck when Cardassian snipers, who had been laying in wait began firing from various places around the cavern. Tyrian had been standing back at the truck and dove underneath it as shots began flying. He returned fire all around the cavern, the shots seemed to be coming from all directions. Dr. Ming was running back towards the truck when she took a blast in the rear of her shoulder that sent her spinning to the ground. After a momment she started moving, her body armor had decreased the severity of the blast and she started running again as blasts hit the ground around her.
Ensign Arafal was about halfway back to the truck when he became an easy target for the snipers, shots smacked the ground around him as he looked around for cover but found none. He stopped and started firing at one of the snipers who was firing from a window high up in the wall, he found his mark and hit the sniper, who fell backwards out of sight, but not before shots from two different directions hit Arafal, his body armor could'nt save him from the continuous high setting blastings, and he fell to the ground in a smoking heap.
The rest of the team had piled back into the big truck, all except Ki'lal who had been assigned the support farthest away. Torvan Samod started up the truck and drove towards the oncoming Ki'lal as Summers and Ensign Raven, a female security officer, fired out the windows of the cab.
Dr. Ming was being attended to by the injured Wellington. Ki'lal grabbed
onto the driver side door as the truck barely slowed down, he hung on for his
life as the truck sped up and rocketed towards the nearest tunnel, leaving a trail of dust behind it. Cardassian blaster shots hit the rear and top of he truck, but it was full with a load of minerals that absorbed most of the shots.
Samod hit a button on the dashboard as they were almost to the mouth of
the tunnel and the truck shook as the back hydrolics lifted the back up and the heavy load of minerals slid out of the back onto the ground, creating a makeshift roadblock that would slow any pursuing vehicles.
After the long trip up the tunnel, the truck roared out of the dimly lit
passage only to be greeted by the two shuttles they had seen earlier, apparently the only two left in the area. The shuttles were on the ground and about twenty or so Cardassian soldiers were positioned around them. Tyrian told Samod to hit the accelerator and for everone to hold on and get down.
The Cardassian soldiers opened fire as the truck charged towards them. Tyrian could hear the blasts ripping through the engine compartment and glass fell on top of his head as the winshield was destroyed. The big truck smashed into one of the shuttles sending it skidding off to the side as the truck drove by But the engine had been damaged and had caught fire. Flames poured out of the truck as the remaining team members ran out. Cardassians ran at them as the team took cover behind the shuttle and truck.
The Cardassians took up positions behind the other shuttle and other various objects around the area. Tyrian knew they were outnumbered about four to one, and they had two injured people. The Cardassians yelled for them to surrender. Tyrian held his phaser rifle tightly as he took aim at a Cardassian's head. It appeared they were in the middle of another standoff.
=============================================================
Commander Sortha
Heading to Dahgal
Stardate 9705.22
Commander Sortha sat in the cramped chair in the cramped auxiliary bridge. The auxiliary bridge contained those controls necessary to operate the ship in combat type missions. Stations such as science were pared down to those systems that would have relevance in battle.
It was much more reminiscent of the Klingon bridge design. The thinking behind Starfleet engineering teams in designing the auxiliary bridge was that if the main bridge was destroyed during a scientific mission, the ship would most likely simply return to base as soon as possible for repair. However during a battle or war situation, this might not be possible. Hence the auxiliary bridge, sometimes referred to as "the battle bridge" on Galaxy class ships, was designed primarily with those systems needed to keep the ship battleworthy.
Right now Sortha was wishing that he would have had the captain's chair in the Auxiliary bridge modified as he had done with the chair on the main bridge. His large knottily muscled reptilian body simply didn't fit Starfleet standard design parameters. His seven foot plus tall frame was uncomfortably close to some of the projections protruding from the nine foot ceiling as well.
At least he had more of his crew with him even though he had less of a ship. Lieutenant Commander Ayer was manning the tactical station, Lieutenant
Kalahna manned ops, and Nash manned the helm. Lieutenant Aries, after having received medical attention himself, was treating numerous injuries sustained in the recent battle.
Another crewmember tortured by the Cardassians Sortha thought. It would be either a psychotic or bloodthirsty ship soon. Brynaziir would have his hands full. There would certainly be no mourning whenever the ship was responsible for Cardassian or Jem Hadar deaths.
Sortha looked at Kalahna. She was busy monitoring the ops station. The
side of her face was covered with a dark purple and black bruise from her recent suicide attempt after having been captured by the Cardassians. Sortha felt good having such an officer serving with him. Death was preferable to capture, and ultimately, revealing information about your compatriots. She was small, but she had the spirit of a warrior. No wonder the resistance had proved to be so much a thorn in the Cardassian's side during the occupation. Sortha planned on nominating her for a commendation as soon as they reached Federation space. He had read her report and was quite impressed.
Sortha also planned on putting Lieutenant Aries up for a commendation. His selfless sacrifice in creating a diversion so that Kalahna could accomplish her objective was very honorable. His crew was shaping up Sortha thought with satisfaction.
Soon he would have a crew that the rest of Starfleet would be jealous of. And that was well. Already the news of their recent victory over the renegade Klingon General and the VorCha class Battleship had reached the Gorn homeworld. Sortha imagined how his family would react upon hearing that news. Assuming he survived this mission, they would really be impressed. That made Sortha glad. For what other reason was there to life, but to bring honor on one's family unit?
What bothered Sortha was that the Cardassians had seemed to be ready for the Federation attack. Either they had very good strategic planners, or there was a leak somewhere. Sortha glanced at Ayer. Although Ayer had only acted in the interests of the Federation on the surface so far, the complicated crewman with the many past lives worried Sortha. He was an unknown quantity, and Sortha did not like that.
Sortha went to a comm chanel on one of the bridge stations and keyed in
the following message, ....."opposition possibly has a mole in the dugout. Act accordingly."
Sortha knew that Captain Sakata was a baseball afficionado, and would
understand this message. He hissed in humor as he imagined how the Cardassians would translate that message, once they had eventually broken the Federation code. "Subterranean burrowing mammal is residing in an excavated chamber" He downloaded the message into a class one probe and launched the probe, so that within .5 hours it would start moving in a random direction and then broadcast the message in a wide pattern for all to hear. Sortha hoped that it was in time to warn Captain Sakata that the Cardassians were aware of their efforts. At the same time, it wouldn't reveal the location of the Stealth.
Sortha keyed Aries on teh comm: "Status report on the Admiral."
Aries responded, he sounded drained and tired "the Admiral suffered a broken clavicle, a ruptured disk in his fifth cervical vertabrae, and sustained a concussion. He is still unconscious, but stable."
"Other crew?" Sortha queried.
"We've handled 23 broken bones, two ruptured spleens, two cases of radiation sickness, seventeen major cuts and lacerations, and about 100 bruises."
The EMH, which Aries had apparently activated, added "I would suggest that you request the inertial dampeners be upgraded to those of a Galaxy Class Cruiser the next time we're in space dock the way you drive Captain"
"Ssssssss, leave the driving to me holopessst." Sortha replied, "just fix the resultss of my driving... and Ariess, get some resst......there may be more."
"Aye sir, Aries out."
Sortha was going to have to talk to Starfleet about that EMH program.
Sortha walked over to the damage control readout. Several areas still
flashed red, indicating unrepaired systems. Other areas flashed yellow, indicating repairs in progress. The Jem Hadar weapon had burrowed a swath of
destruction clear through the saucer section of the Stealth. The Captain's ready room had been vaporized. Had the doors to that room not held, most all of the bridge crew would have been sucked into space. Repairs were proceeding as rapidly as possible. Most likely the Stealth would be in for a major retrofit when they returned to a starbase. Replacing the computer core would be a job for Utopia Planetia yards Sortha thought. That would mean some extended R&R on Earth.
Sortha wedged himself into the command chair and started thinking about how to pull Tyrian's team off without getting them all blown up in the process.
The Cardassians would surely be ready and waiting for them. He began formulating a plan involving Ayer and the two captured Jem Hadar soldiers.
Sortha turned to Ayer, "Will the Jem Hadar soldiers follow your orders even if it seems contradictory to what other founders may have told them? How much control do you have over them? Can we trust them to follow your orders in a subterfuge? Will they fire on fellow Jem Hadar or founders?"
Sortha then asked Sholek, "Can you make it appear as if all life signs on the ship are dead with the exception of Ayer and the Jem Hadar?" Catching Brynaziir's eye, Sortha asked "How good are you at theatrical make-up?" Looking at Kalahna and her bruised face, Sortha added "Well some of us won't
need too much make-up." Sortha waited for their responses.
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USS Repulse
Orbiting Hantuuk IV
Stardate 9705.22
"Sir," Taryn Kane reported from tactical, where she was stationed while
Jack Dark finished final preparations for the away mission.
Sakata turned in his command chair toward the tall, raven-haired woman.
"Yes."
"We've detected a coded Starfleet frequency on a narrow beam transmission," Taryn reported. "It appears to be coming from a class one probe many light years from here, but the transmission is directed toward us."
"Interesting. I hope the signal isn't detectable by the Cardassians or the Jem'Hadar," Sakata said.
"Doubtful. The probe is disguising the transmission as gravimetric radiation. The carrier signal is well masked," Taryn said. "The message is for yours eyes only and its from the USS Stealth, Commander Sortha."
Sakata frowned. "Download it to my ready room. I'll read it there. Trigger the probe's auto-destruct, just to make sure there is no evidence left behind."
"Aye sir," Taryn said, inputting the proper codes to disinteigrate the probe.
Getting up from his chair, Sakata started toward the turbolift. Stepping out of his way was the Maquis soldier Gil Hastings who was on the bridge to coordinate some information with Ro Laren.
"Do you think that transmission is bad news, captain?" the young Hastings asked Sakata.
"Hard to say, son," Sakata said. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."
Sakata then boarded the lift and headed down to his ready room on the next deck below the bridge.
Once in his ready room he sealed the door and activated his desk terminal. When the decryption program accessed the transmission, the text-only message appeared on the screen.
It said only: "There is a mole in the dugout" and was from Commander Sortha.
"We've got trouble," Sakata muttered, understanding the basic meaning behind the message. He then tapped his comm-badge. "Senior officers, meet me on the bridge."
Sakata rose and started toward the door. When the door slid open, Gil
Hastings was standing there with a peculiar smile on his face.
"What is it, Mr. Hastings?" Sakata asked as he stopped. Hastings took two steps inside the room and pressed the doors automatic closing mechanism on the wall.
"Interesting message, captain?" Hastings asked. Then, without warning, one of Hastings arms morphed into a long, liquid looking appendage, which he used to grab Sakata around the neck. Gil Hastings was a Changeling.
The captain reached for his phaser which was attached to his belt, but Hastings threw him roughly against the bulkhead on the other side of the room. The Changeling then approached the wounded captain and choked him for a long time, slamming his head into the deck several times until he was unconscious.
The Hastings/Changeling then walked over to Sakata's desk and accessed the message sent by Commander Sortha. He smirked as he read the message and then he activated a program he had downloaded into the computer earlier which he used to rewrite the message to new version which was much different than the one Sakata had read. The Changeling then altered the ship's security logs with great efficiency to make sure there was no record of Gil Hastings ever coming into the captain's ready room. In fact, he implanted a false transporter log showing that Hastings beamed off the ship and to the surface of Hantuuk right after the Repulse intercepted the message from Sortha.
Finished with his quick and masterful computer hacking work, the Changeling, for a moment, considered killing Sakata, but decided he might need the captain at some point soon so he used the captain's replicator to replicate some heavy adhesive tape which he used to bind the captain's wrists and ankles, as well as his mouth. He then took Sakata's phaser and comm-badge and disposed of them properly.
Before leaving the room, the Changeling took one last look at Sakata and morphed into a carbon-copy of the Repulse's captain. With an evil smile, the Sakata/Changeling exited the ready room and sealed it before heading to the bridge.
When the Changeling arrived on the bridge he found the senior officers and Ro Laren waiting for him. He put on a flawless impersonation of a serious-Sakata face and approached the team.
"I just finished reading a message from Commander Sortha. Both of his teams have failed and the Stealth has been destroyed with all hands. The probe we recovered this message from was Sortha's last ditch effort to warn us," the Sakata-Changeling told the crew. "The Cardassians and Dominion know we're coming. Just as they knew about the Stealth's teams. In fact, he identified the traitor who sold us all out to the Cardassians and Jem'Hadar." He then turned his gaze on Ro Laren.
"Lt. Kane, take Miss Ro into custody. Her allegiances, according to Sortha, have changed. She's been working for the Cardassians for months now. That's why the rest of the Maquis is dead now and she's still alive...she sold them all out."
Ro Laren looked shocked. "What! That's totally untrue! Captain, please, this information, it must be wrong! It was planted by the Cardassians!"
"We'll have to sort that out later. For now, you're under arrest. Round up Palmer and Hastings as well, just in case they're involved too," Sakata said. "Then, we're aborting the mission and getting the hell out of here before we end up like the Stealth."
Taryn Kane gently placed her hand on Ro's shoulder. "You're going to have to come with me, Ro. I don't like this either, but..."
"Treat her as a prisoner, lieutenant, don't treat her like one of your good friends!" Sakata snapped. "We have no idea who or what she is. She may not even be Ro Laren. Take her to the brig. Get security officers to help you escort her in case."
"We're so close to being ready for this mission, captain," Kern said. "Why can't we finish it?"
"They know we're coming, lieutenant. Now move!" Sakata said, moving to his command chair as Taryn and another security officer escorted a bewildered Ro Laren from the bridge. "Tran, take the helm and get us out of here. Dark, man tactical. O'Coyne, get down to engineering and get ready in case we run into any trouble."
The Changeling then eased into the captain's chair and waited for the crew to carry out his orders...
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Loyalities
Lt. Commander Ayer
USS Stealth
Stardate 9705.23
Ayer looked at the commander. What sort of plan was he thinking of? During his previous lives, the changeling had never taken an active interests in the Gorns. At first glance, they seemed to be nothing more than savages. Their physique was impressive, though. Their physical condition was more powerful than a Klingon's, but there were hardly any reports stating on how the Gorn thinks.
Ayer remembered the times of the Orion Syndicate. How they had boasted they could kill a Gorn single-handedly. That was until one of the operative actually met a Gorn. A fight did ensue but it was a short one. The Gorn had the agent's head severed and brought it home for his family.
Now with Ayer serving under a real Gorn, he had developed a better
understanding of them. They were no longer the savages he had thought them to be. Where there used to be the thought of the Gorns having a dull brain, the changeling now realized they were keen warriors, with an acute perception of strategy and military minds.
"Commander," Ayer said, "the Jem'Hadar were specifically engineered to
follow and obey the orders of every Founder, even if the orders seemed to contradict the events that is happening. Their first allegiance is to the Founders. Jem'Hadar are led by the 'First' of each group but they do not owe
anything to them. If needed, they will kill their own but under no circumstances will they kill another Founder. Their biological components
prevents them from doing so, even Odo, an outcast to the Dominion, can never
be harmed by the Jem'Hadar."
Sortha looked at Ayer and in the best way a Gorn could, he smiled. "I know, that's what I'm counting on."
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Lt. Thoraz Brynaziir
Stealth -- Theatrical Make-up
Stardate 9705.23
"Sir? Well, I did well in disguises. I am assuming you want the crew to look battered, beaten and dead, rather than like Cardassians or Jem'Hadar? I
will get on it right away."
Thoraz takes a few steps, stops and turns around again.
"Sir, i wonder if that EMH program can genetically alter someone enough to pass a Jem'Hadar both to outward inspection and to scanners?"
"Posssibly," Sortha hissed. "But I think we have all the Jem'Hadar aboard this ship we need. Get sstarted on the theatrical makeup. I want this bridge and her crew turned into a bloody mess."
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Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
On Dahgal IV
Stardate 9705.23
Tyrian fired the first shot that blew off the Cardassian leader's head and started the viscous firefight. Both sides dug into positions and a heavy crossfire began. Tyrian tapped in the code to detonate the explosives, a couple of seconds later all people were taken off their feet at first from the ground shaking, it was similar to a massive earthquake.
Tyrian yelled for his team to rush one of the shuttles and concentrate all firepower on the Cardassians around it. The ground continued to shake as the supports holding the huge cavern ceiling below were collapsing. The Cardassians were still off guard and the ones around the shuttle fell quickly as the Starfleet team rushed towards it firing.
By the time the rest of the Cardassian soldiers had regained their bearings, the Starfleet team was already getting into the shuttle that had already been damaged by the industrial truck crashing into it. Torvan Samod took the helm and activated the shields and closed the door as Cardassian blasts bounced off the shielding. The shuttle rose into the air as the ground continued to give way beneath it.
The supports miles below ground finally fell, and the cavern collapsed on top of the replicator, burying it and crushing vital componants of it beneath tons and tons of rock. The cave in caused the surface to drop above, destroying most of the structures that were built on the surface and creating a monsterous crater, but not before the other shuttle had managed to take off in pursuit.
Samod piloted the shuttle quickly towards the atmosphere with the other Cardassian shuttle in close pursuit firing at them. Tyrian accessed the tactical screen and returned fire, but they were outgunned, when the industrial truck hit the shuttle it had taken out one of the phaser arrays. Tyrian looked at another monitor and glanced at the ground where they had been only momments earlier. There was a crater over about a kilometer around with smashed buildings lying in the center, around the crater was the toxic waste dump they had traveled through, though it seemed larger on the ground.
Hopefully the replicator had been destroyed, the tons of rock that had landed on it surely should have been enough to destroy it, but if not, it would take a great deal of time for the Cardassians to dig it out. Ether way, it was now out of commission for a great deal of time.
As the shuttle exited the upper atmosphere, Tyrian looked at the long range scanners in horror, a Galor class cruiser was headed strait for them, the other Cardassian shuttle still pursued, firing the whole way. The shuttle was not equipped with warp capabilities, so there was nowhere to go it seemed. The ceiling of the shuttle sparked as it took more phaser shots.
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Commander Sortha
Aboard the Stealth
Stardate 9705.23
As the shuttle exited the upper atmosphere, Tyrian looked at the long range scanners in horror, a Galor class cruiser was headed strait for them, the other Cardassian shuttle still pursued, firing the whole way. The shuttle was not equipped with warp capabilities, so there was nowhere to go it seemed. The ceiling of the shuttle sparked as it took more phaser shots.
The Stealth dropped out of warp directly in front of the two Jem Hadar
warships and the Galor class cruiser that circled Dahgar IV. The Cardassian ship held a Cardassian shuttle in a tractor beam, while another shuttle hovered nearby. The Stealth immediately requested communication with all three ships. Their curiosity piqued, and knowing they outgunned the small Federation ship by at least four to one, they accepted the communication.
Ayer stood on the makeshift repaired bridge of the Stealth in full changeling persona, flanked by two Jem Hadar warriors with Federation phaser rifles (uncharged.) Around them appeared copious amounts of blood, and several starfleet crewmembers laid in awkward positions on the floor. Down in Auxiliary control Sortha monitored the communication. Sholek had been able to rig several areas of the ship with scattering fields that appeared on sensors as areas with radiation leaks, presumably from battle.
Both Sortha and Ayer expected the Cardassian Gul on the Galor class cruiser to appear surprised at seeing a changeling in control of the Stealth, however the Gul, Gul Gelad, simply smiled greasily and said "Well it appears you have at least been partially successful. We heard that the Gakerra replicator was destroyed. I thought you said that we'd trap the Federation without losing anything. And we've just lost this replicator as well!" The Cardassian said, starting to get angry. "And you were supposed to get on the Repulse and take over that ship too. That's the more powerful of the two ships!"
Ayer was taken somewhat aback at this outburst, but recovered quickly.
Fortunately the Cardassian's long windedness had given him a few seconds to
think.
"It could not be helped!" Ayer said sternly to the Cardassian. On the screen, the two Jem Hadar captains appeared eager to avenge this insult to one of the founders. Ayer, thinking quickly added "it was only through Cardassian incompetence that the replicators were destroyed. You knew they were targets. How could you be so incompetent as to let them succeed anyway?"
The Cardassian Gul turned a shade of red, a hard thing for a gray skinned being to do. "Cardassian incompetence, Cardassian incompetence, it was YOUR plan!" the Gul shot back at Ayer.
Ayer allowed an angry expression to cross his face. "How dare you speak to me that way, you insignificant little being!" Ayer directed his attention to the Jem Hadar captains. "Destroy this pestilence for insulting your god!"
Gul Gelad now turned a shade of white as he realized what had just happened. The Galor cruiser started turning away from the Jem Hadar warships attempting to escape. However the fanatical Jem Hadar were too quick for the Cardassians. Both Jem Hadar warships opened fire on the Cardassian cruiser. The Cardassian cruiser released the captured shuttle, and it quickly darted out of the battle zone.
The other Cardassian shuttle immediately headed for the safety of the planet. Sortha and the rest of the Stealth crew watched as their enemies dueled one another to the death. The Cardassain Gul was not one to give up easily after being forced to fight however. The battle lasted a full ten minutes. By the end the Galor class cruiser was left a burning hulk with no life signs and one of the Jem Hadar warships had been destroyed.
The Jem Hadar "First" appeared on screen. "It has been done as you ordered" he said as he bowed his head humbly in respect. His genetic programming allowing him to divine that Ayer was a founder and not a fake even over a video commline.
"Good. Ayer said. "Now beam down to the planet. I require your ship." The Jem Hadar did as ordered.
Down in Auxiliary control, Nash informed Sortha that three Cardassian cruisers were approximately ten minutes away on an intercept course for Dahgar IV. "They won't be so accomodating" Sortha said. Sortha quickly had Ayer, Kilal and a crew of ten beamed onto the Jem Hadar ship. The rest of the away team was beamed back to the Stealth. The two Jem Hadar on the Stealth were sedated and put in the brig once more.
That had been too easy, Sortha thought. But he also knew why. Not only were the Jem Hadar revealing their genetic weakness to obeying the founders (any founder), but the Cardassians had been expecting a founder. From what they had said, it was obvious that they had an agent on the Repulse. That thought made Sortha's skin turn cold.
"Lieutenant Nash. Best speed for Hantuuk IV. Engage stealth mode. Execute..." once more the Stealth, this time accompanied by a Jem Hadar scout ship, headed toward another confrontation with the enemy. =============================================================
Lt. Jack Dark
At Tactical -- Repulse
Stardate 9705.23
I just can't believe Ro Laren is a traitor to the Cardassians. She knows
what kind of brutal thugs they are. Still the Captain is treating the message as genuine and I have no reason to doubt that it is. What is with that word 'allegiance' anyway? Sounds like we should be saluting something.
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Lt. Taryn Kane
Repulse -- Brig
Stardate 9705.23
Taryn Kane finished securing Ro Laren in the brig and then turned to Ensigns Earl Thompson and Kyle Champion, both Repulse security officers. "Where are Kevin Palmaer and Gil Hastings?"
Thompson shrugged. "I've got Ensign Blackmore headed down to the mess hall to pick up Palmer."
"I'll round up Hastings. Unless he and Palmer are together," Champion
volunteered.
"Computer. Locate passengers Kevin Palmer and Gil Hastings," Taryn said.
"Kevin Palmer is in his quarters. Gil Hastings is no longer aboard the
Repulse," the computer replied.
Taryn's mouth dropped open, "When did Hastings leave the ship?"
"Gil Hastings transported off the ship using emergency transporter 3 at 1235 hours," the computer replied.
"How did he manage that without being detected?" Champion asked.
"I don't know. I'm going to check the transporter logs," Taryn said, moving to a computer console in security. "Thompson, you and Champion join Blackmore and get Palmer down here on the double."
Both Thompson and Champion turned and ran out of the brig/security compartment leaving Taryn alone with the confined Ro Laren. As Ro moved from her bunk to the force field door and looked out at Taryn,m the security chief tapped her comm-badge.
"Kane to Captain Sakata," Taryn said.
"Sakata here," the captain replied.
"Sir. Gil Hastings somehow overrode the security protocols and alarms and beamed off the ship shortly after we intercepted the message from the Stealth," she said. "It looks like her beamed directly into the Cardassian prison camp on Hantuuk IV."
"Damn," Sakata cursed. "What about Palmer?"
"I've got three officers going to pick him up right now," Kane replied.
"We're breaking orbit in 5 minutes and getting out of here," Sakata said. "Run a full security sweep of the ship. Check for any signs of sabotage."
"Yes sir," Taryn said. "Kane out."
Ro pressed closer to the force field. "Taryn. Come on. You know I had nothing to do with this. I hate the Cardassians, why would I start helping them?"
"I don't know what's going on Ro," Taryn said. "But I know one of your men just beamed off the ship. Something seems quite unusual about that."
"I heard you mention Hastings. He left the ship?" Ro asked. "That's not like him. He's nothing more than a scared kid."
"I don't know. But I have to get to the bottom of this," Taryn told the Bajoran woman. "Until then you're going to have to sit tight."
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Repulse bridge
Stardate 9705.23
The Repulse was powering up its systems in preparation for its departure from Hantuuk. The crew was disappointed, for the most part, at the turn of events that was costing them their shot at destroying the replicator. Sakata seemed rather on edge, more than usual in a crisis situation, adding to the crew's discontent.
"Knew we should have never trusted the Maquis," Sakata muttered. "Damn traitors."
Dark cleared his throat at tactical, "Sir, I don't understand why Ro Laren, a Maquis and a Bajoran no less, would side with the Cardassians. She's killed more Cardassians in her life than you or I put together."
"Maybe she's not really Ro Laren," Sakata concluded. "Perhaps she's a
Cardassian spy. They have been known to surgically and genetically alter their agents to look like other species so they could be sent in undercover. We know for a fact they've done this with the Maquis from our own intelligence reports. Perhaps that's why she betrayed us. I'll bet Hastings and Palmer are in on this as well.
"At least we've got Ro and Palmer. They'll stand trial for their crimes,"
Sakata said spitefully. "As far as I'm concerned the amnesty deal is over."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Mission Aborted
USS Repulse
Stardate 9705.25
Kevin Palmer was led kicking and screaming down the corridor by security
officers Earl Thompson and Kyle Champion. The Maquis warrior was not pleased
that Captain Sakata had ordered him and Ro Laren detained, or that the captain was aborting the mission which would have ment the rescue of nearly 11 Maquis held on Hantuuk IV.
"You're all making a big mistake!" Palmer shouted as he was dragged into the brig and thrown into a cell next to Ro's. Once he was secure, Thompson posted Champion there as a guard and then reported to Taryn Kane that Palmer had been rounded up.
With the last Maquis onboard secured, Captain Sakata nodded in satisfaction from his chair on the bridge and then turned to Ensign Tran at the helm. "Prepare to break orbit. Take us out of here at impulse speed. Heading two four mark zero five degrees...back to Federation space."
Tran then made the proper calculations and the ship pulled away from Hantuuk and returned to space...
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Lt. Tom O'Coyne
Engineering
Stardate 9705.25
Rumors were spreading around the ship like wildfire; Ro Laren was a Cardassian spy, Ro Laren was a changeling. Ro Laren was everything anybody could think of. He hadn't expected much from the maquis leader, but this was really really bad.
However, the real mystery was Captain Sakata, it wasn't like him to just leave an escaped Maquis to contact the enemy. Tom reread the transporter logs once again; they were genuine looking alright.
He got up and left engineering a few hours later because his shift was over and that was when it happened.
He was walking back to his quarters when he saw the captain wandering the corridors, looking at every door, "Good morning, sir," Tom said.
"Good morning, Lt.... O'Coyne'. That was weird enough - the captain having to think to remember his name but then he heard the captain behind him, "Ah, here it is."
He turned around and saw him walking through a door. Tom turned around and looked at the name on the door which Sakata had just entered, it was the captain's quarters... 'Why would the captain forget his chief engineer's name and then go looking for his own quarters. The captain had either had some sort of bang to the head, or...
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USS Repulse
Bridge
Stardate 9705.25
It was nearly an hour after the Repulse had departed Hantuuk and after
narrowly avoiding detection by three Jem'Hadar cruisers, the ship was bound for the Federation at warp six -- the safest warp they could achieve without risking detection through the cloaking device.
Suddenly, there was an alarm from tactical. Jack Dark studied the sensor screen and then looked up with a puzzled look on his face. "I'm detecting an anomalous reading. Some kind of brief energy signature dead ahead. It appeared to be some kind of ship, on a heading toward Hantuuk, but then I lost it again."
"Lt. Keline, your impressions of the readings?" Sakata asked.
Tivora analyzed the readings first detected by Jack and then turned from ops toward Sakata. "This sounds impossible sir, but I think it's a Federation ship using Shadow Ops stealth technology."
"Quickly. Intense scan of the region," Sakata said. "Tune the sensors to see through stealth technology."
Since the Repulse also had such technology, in addition to its cloaking device, Tivora was quickly able to adjust the sensors and came back with a response. "Sir, its the USS Stealth. She's bound for Hantuuk at warp 7."
"Damn," Sakata muttered.
"But this means they weren't destroyed, sir," Brian Kern said.
"Or," Sakata said grimly, "they've been seized by the Jem'Hadar or Cardassians. Commander Sortha was very explicit in his message. He said defeat was imminent."
"I'm reading a great amount of damage to the ship," Tivora said from Ops. "One of her two warp cores are gone and she has serious hull damage on the saucer section."
Sakata was silent for a moment and then turned to Tran. "Lay in a pursuit course. I want to shadow the Stealth for the time being. Keep a safe distance, but match her speed. Let's see what they're up to. The first sign that she's under Cardassian or Dominion control and we move to take her out..."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Tension Builds
Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
Onboard USS Stealth
Stardate 9705.25
Tyrian and the remainder of his team beamed into the transporter room
onboard the Stealth. They had lost four members of the team down on the planet, Ensigns Burns, Rogatta, and Arafal, in addition to Jenson Rahahd, a Maquis operative.
Lt. Commander Ming and Michael Wellington had both been wounded. Lt. Ki'lal had beamed directly off the Cardassian shuttle to the captured Jem'Hadar ship to assist Ayer. Tyrian talked to the ensign in the transporter room and caught up on what had happened.
He took special interest in the fact Commander Sortha had ordered Ayer to fool the small minded Jem'Hadar into blindly following his orders and turning on the Cardasssians, then took their ship. Tyrian shook his head as he thought how stupid a creature the Jem'Hadar were, they would kill themselves without hesitation if their "God" said to.
Tyrian entered the auxillary bridge, it was dimly lit, Sortha was cramped into the command chair that was too small for him. Tyrian took over tactical and quickly went over the damage reports, he flinched when he brought up the picture of the breach in the saucer section. The ship had come closer to destruction than he had previously thought. Tyrian tapped his console, it appeared that the weapons systems still were online, and they would probably need them to get out of Cardassian space.
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Commander Sortha
Auxiliary Bridge of the USS Stealth
Stardate 9705.25
Commander Sortha stood in the small cramped auxiliary bridge of the USS
Stealth. Around him his officers, Lieutenant Summers, Nash, Kalahna, Brynaziir and a host of ensigns listened carefully to their commander.
"We are approximately three hours from Hantuuk IV. As you all know, from the Cardasssian'ss reaction to sseeing Ayer in changeling perssona on the bridge of the Sstealth, a changeling iss on board the Repulsse."
The crew grew even quieter as they contemplated this piece of information.
"The possibility exists that the Repulse is either destroyed or under control of the changeling. If so, we must be very careful, the Repulse outguns us 10 to 1. They are a warship, pure and simple. Now Starfleet may say that our primary target is the remaining replicator on Hantuuk IV, however I believe our firsst duty is to the crew of the Repulse."
Around him heads nodded in agreement. "If we encounter the Repulse, while under enemy control, we must be prepared. Any suggestions?"
Sholek spoke first. "Sir, since we know the signature sensor pattern of the Repulse while under cloak, we should be able to detect them. I can optimize our sensors to accomplish that."
"Very good Lieutenant. Execute." Sortha ordered.
Brynaziir was the next to speak. "I believe that I should be able to sense the emotional state of the crew. That should give us an idea of what is going on over on the Repulse, assuming its still operational."
"Excellent idea Lieutenant" Sortha responded his pride of his crew growing.
Kalahna added, "I have studied the Maquis and Ro LAren in particular.
If something interferes with their mission, especially after the news of the Maquis' disaster, they'll be ready to mutiny whether it's under changeling OR Federation control. Ro Laren in particular will be hopping mad."
"Sssss" Sortha replied noncommittedly, "the Maquis may or may not be in a position to do anything. However, Brynaziir you can key in on Ro Laren's emotional state. You scanned her before. You should be able to read her fairly well. Scan Captain Sakata as well. I want to know what he's feeling."
Tyrian spoke up next, "Sir I know you don't want to fight the Repulse, but if it comes down to it, we'll need an edge, or we'll be blown to the Delta quadrant."
"Yes indeed Lieutenant" Sortha began, we will need.... Suddenly Sortha stopped and motioning to Tyrian and Nash, quickly went over to the captain's chair and keyed in a command. "Command Override, Change prefix code, authority Sortha, captain, alpha-alpha-alpha-one.
The computer responded with an emotionless "waiting for first and second
officer verification."
Tyrian stepped up, Tyrian, Lieutenant, acting first officer, bete-beta-gamma-two-two-two-three.
"Second officer verification required" the computer informed them all
tonelessly.
Nash stepped up next, "Nash, Lieutenant, acting second officer, gamma-delta-gamma-four-three-four-three.
"Command overrride accepted. You may change the prefix code now." Quickly Sortha keyed in a new series of numbers on the arm of his captain's chair. "Prefix code has been changed" the computer informed everyone.
Sortha continued, "Our first priority is to ascertain the condition of the Repulse. If we meet the Repulse, be prepared to send the following visual and audio message to all receiving stations on the Repulse, including personal comm channels: Attention Repulse, you have a changeling on board. Institute Starfleet protocol Founder-1, methodical checking of all crewmembers' blood according to protocol, and/or return to Federation space, and initiate quarantine procedures. We will attempt to neutralize the third target. Make sure they see all of us in the message"
"If that doesn't work" Sortha continued, "put all possible power to the shields, and be prepared to access Repulse's prefix code to tell them to power down weapons and engines and lower shields. Lieutenant Summers, be ready with Lieutenant Kalahna and ten crew to board the Repulse. Hopefully it won't come to that."
Several hundred thousand kilometers behind the Stealth, Ayer, Ki'lal and ten crew manned the captured Jem Hadar scout ship. Ayer and Ki'lal had been fully briefed on the situation. Since the situation was so fluid, Sortha had left Ayer to his own discretion. Ki'lal had been instructed to be ready for anything.
ONE HOUR OUT FROM HANTUUK IV
(FROM THE GM: Post from yesterday -- added for continuity)
USS Repulse
Bridge
Stardate 9705.25
It was nearly an hour after the Repulse had departed Hantuuk and after
narrowly avoiding detection by three Jem'Hadar cruisers, the ship was bound for the Federation at warp six -- the safest warp they could achieve without risking detection through the cloaking device.
Suddenly, there was an alarm from tactical. Jack Dark studied the sensor screen and then looked up with a puzzled look on his face. "I'm detecting an anomalous reading. Some kind of brief energy signature dead ahead. It appeared to be some kind of ship, on a heading toward Hantuuk, but then I lost it again."
"Lt. Keline, your impressions of the readings?" Sakata asked.
Tivora analyzed the readings first detected by Jack and then turned from ops toward Sakata. "This sounds impossible sir, but I think it's a Federation ship using Shadow Ops stealth technology."
"Quickly. Intense scan of the region," Sakata said. "Tune the sensors to see through stealth technology."
Since the Repulse also had such technology, in addition to its cloaking
device, Tivora was quickly able to adjust the sensors and came back with a response. "Sir, its the USS Stealth. She's bound for Hantuuk at warp 7."
"Damn," Sakata muttered.
"But this means they weren't destroyed, sir," Brian Kern said.
"Or," Sakata said grimly, "they've been seized by the Jem'Hadar or Cardassians. Commander Sortha was very explicit in his message. He said defeat was imminent."
"I'm reading a great amount of damage to the ship," Tivora said from Ops. "One of her two warp cores are gone and she has serious hull damage on the saucer section."
Sakata was silent for a moment and then turned to Tran. "Lay in a pursuit course. I want to shadow the Stealth for the time being. Keep a safe distance, but match her speed. Let's see what they're up to. The first sign that she's under Cardassian or Dominion control and we move to take her out..."
Auxiliary Bridge of USS Stealth
Kalahna nearly jumped out of her seat as she yelled "Commander, I am
detecting a signature corresponding to that of the USS Repulse!"
"On screen, tactical" Sortha immediately ordered.
On the screen the Stealth appeared heading toward Hantiik IV. A flashing dot appeared representing the USS Repulse. As the crew watch in horrified silence, it moved around and assumed a position astern of the USS Stealth and matched its course. Sortha turned his powerful reptilian head to stare inscrutably at Brynaziir "Go to it counsellor" Sortha ordered.
Brynaziir closed his eyes in concentration....
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/SECOND TRY
=============================================================
Lieutenant Brian Kern
Stardate 9705.25
USS Repulse : Bridge
Kern sat at his station, stunned by the orders given to the bridge crew...he kept repeating the words in his mind... "Take them out, take them out..." He knew there was something wrong, he just couldn't tell what...
This was not the Captain Sakata that Brian knew, at least not mentally...
Looking around to see the reactions of the rest of the crew, he saw that they were also stunned...
While the captain was still staring at the Stealth on the viewscreen, he signed towards Jack who was now looking at him, that something must be wrong. Jack then returned a signal that said run a scan.
Kern punched a few buttons and attempted to run a level 3 scan, but it came back as needing verification, and that his security clearance was not high
enough...so as to not catch attention, Kern canceled the request. He then signed to Jack that it wasn't working. Knowing he had to investigate further, Kern knew that he had to get off of the bridge.
Kern began to hold his breath. After about 4 minutes, Kern became completely white and passed out to the ground.
Knowing what Kern was up to, Jack offered to take him to sickbay. In the
turbolift on the way to sickbay, Kern came to. Jack then asked him
"So what happened with the sensor sweep???".
"I don't know, it said I didn't have the right clearance." Kern replied.
When they reached the deck that sickbay was on, they stepped out into the
corridor. Jack turned to one of the locator panels on the wall, and spoke out loud. "Computer, run a sensor scan of the bridge." and then Jack told the computer his access code. The computer then responded
"Unable to comply, your security level is not high enough."
Kern, still puzzled how the ships security chief didn't have a high enough access code, turned to the panel " Computer, who authorized this blockout???"
The computer then responded again "Captain Sakata." wrong.
Kern spoke first " We have to have a meeting with the rest of the team, to
discuss this." Dark nodded, and said "You head to sickbay, I'll get in touch with the rest of the team on the bridge." The two headed in opposite directions, still very confused.
=============================================================
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/So it begins
Lt. Jack Dark
On the bridge- before meeting the Stealth
Stardate 9705.27
From my tactical station I quietly sent a quick memo to everyone on the bridge except the captain. I even sent it down to Lt. Kane in the brig. I outlined the security lockout he initiated and after a quick memo conference we unanimously voted to have Lt. Kane do a blood scan of Ro and Palmer.
If Ro isn't a changeling then I will fully vouch for her authenticity as a Bajoran and not as a surgically altered Cardassian spy. I couldn't do the same for Palmer because I don't really know him at all.
Although the Captain is acting a little erratically he hasn't done anything to force a mutiny, yet...
=============================================================
Lt. Thoraz Brynaziir
Stardate 9705.27
Telepathically scanning of the Repulse
"Commander, I sense that the entire crew on the Repulse is on edge. There are feelings of paranoia and mistrust as well as confusion. Maybe they already suspect, sir," Thoraz again closed his eyes as he started to search for specific individuals.
"Sir, I have located Ro Laren. She is being detained and feeling outrage, anger and confusion. She feels she is being unfairly treated and wonders why Starfleet turned against their Maquis allies."
Thoraz then began to concentrate more, searching the entire ship for Sakata.
Strange that he wasn't on the bridge. "Commander", Thoraz reported after a few tense minutes," I have found the Captain. He seems to be restrained somewhere, he is injured and in distress."
"Should I establish full telepathic communication with him?"
=============================================================
Lt. Tom O'Coyne
Bridge - USS Repulse
Stardate 9705.26
Tom was at his console on the bridge, contemplating Jack's memo to the senior officers, when the shipwide alert came in from the USS Stealth on all channels, all frequencies; even via personal comm-badges:
"Attention Repulse, you have a changeling on board. Institute Starfleet protocol Founder-1, methodical checking of all crewmembers blood according to protocol, and/or return to Federation space, and initiate quarantine procedure."
The bridge crew froze; Jack and Brian looked at each other then at the captain.
"Red alert, engaging protocol Founder-1," Jack reported from tactical.
" Belay that order, lieutenant," the captain nearly shouted. Everybody looked at him, "Computer, engage program Sakata Emergency 1." A blue light surrounded him signalling he was in transport. As he dissappeared, his whole body morphed into liquid. That was the last thing that happened before the entire bridge went into darkness.
"He's taken out one of the main power coils on deck 2," Tom shouted from
his post. He ducked under the main console and removed an access panel. Inside were several chips; he removed three of them and put them on another section - power was restored to the bridge, "We have main battery power until I can find the coil he took out."
Taryn tapped her comm-badge, "All security teams - we have a founder onboard. Initiate shipwide sweep."
As he stood up from under the console, Tom looked around; the people around
him were the only ones he knew for certain were who they looked like. Then it hit him, "If that was the Changeling, then where's the captain?"
=============================================================
USS Stealth
Stardate 9705.27
As Thoraz Brynaziir continued telepathically scanning the crew of the Repulse from the auxiliary bridge of the Stealth, an alarm at tactical suddenly sounded.
"Mr. Ssummerss. Report," Commander Sortha said.
"Shipwide power failure on the Repulse. She's decloaked and dropped out of warp," Tyrian reported. As the crew tensed and Sortha signalled for the Stealth to also drop from warp, Summer concluded a second scan. "They've activated emergency battery backup. Looks like they've lost one of their power coils. What are your orders, Commander?"
=============================================================
USS Repulse
Brig
Stardate 9705.27
The Sakata/Changeling materialized just outside the door to the brig. Holding a phaser in his hand, the Founder stepped through the sliding doors and was met by Ensign Kyle Champion, who spun around and drew his phaser.
"Captain, what's going on?" Champion said, hestitating.
"Nothing for you to worry about, son," Sakata/Changeling said. He then aimed his own phaser at the young officer and blasted him with the highest stun setting, knocking the ensign unconscious.
"Captain?" Ro Laren asked as she stood up in her cell and stepped closer to the force field. "What's going on."
Sakata ignored Ro and walked over to the cell next to her where Kevin Palmer was detained.
"I wondered which one of them you were impersonating," Palmer said as the Changeling entered some codes into the keypad to the cell, releasing the force field. "When I heard 'Gil' was no longer on the ship, I figured you had taken another form."
"The Stealth figured out what was going on and signalled the Repulse to start searching for a Changeling infiltrator. Unfortunately I didn't have time to sabotage many of the ship's systems. Just the power coil and the shield generators," the Sakata/Chageling said as Palmer stepped out of his cell, grinning ear to ear.
"What in the name of the Prophets is going on here, Kevin?" Ro Laren asked.
"My real name is Markot, Gul Dured Markot," Palmer said. "And for three miserable years I have lived as a human, surgically altered from my Cardassian appearance to infiltrate the Maquis and send back information."
"But what about you killing Gul Trenor, the Cardassian who killed your wife?" Ro asked.
"The real Kevin Palmer killed Trenor, and then we captured him and interrogated him for weeks," the Cardassian-turned-Human sneered. "Once we knew enough about him and his Maquis cell -- your Maquis cell -- the real Palmer was executed and I am the one who returned in his place with my brave story of assassinating Trenor and avenging my poor, murdered wife Mari. Ha ha ha!"
"And you were the one who convinced me to let Hastings into the group a few weeks ago," Ro stammered. "You knew all along he was..."
"A founder," Sakata/Changeling smiled. "Now, we should be going. By now they've restored power to the bridge and they'll be looking for me. But our escape ticket should be here any second."
Sakata quickly changed the setting on the phaser and incinerated the body of Champion, then assumed his form and pointed the phaser at Palmer. "Come on. I'm the loyal Starfleet security officer escorting the Maquis prisoner. That should get us past some of the officers on this ship."
Palmer nodded, picked up a pair of wrist binders and put them on loosely over his wrists, after taking Champion's dropped phaser and tucking it into his belt. The two then left the brig...
=============================================================
USS Stealth
USS Repulse
Stardate 9705.27
Both the Repulse and Stealth, at the same time, detected the approach of
three Jem'Hadar attack ships which appeared from a nearby asteroid field. The
three ships were on a direct course with the two Shadow Ops ships, their shields raised and weapons systems charged.
On the lead Jem'Hadar vessel, a female Vorta addressed all three ships in a conference call, of sorts. "Remember, the Founder and the Cardassian agent known as Markot are aboard the Repulse. Locate them and transport them back here. Then destroy both ships.
"What of the Founder who serves aboard the larger of the two ships?" the
Jem'Hadar First asked.
The Vorta considered him for a long time, then spoke: "Kill him. He is
considered a renegade by the Great Link. He has already used his status as a Founder to save his vessel and the solids he has chosen to side with. In many ways, he is worse than the renegade called Odo. If you slay him, the rest of the Founders will have mercy upon you for your actions."
The First frowned. "No. We shall kill him. But then, whichever of us destroys him or the ship he is aboard will do the only just thing we can do. We shall take our own lives."
"So be it," the Vorta smiled. "Prepare to engage. Boarding parties from Ship Three will take the Repulse while Ship Three itself keeps the Repulse contained. Without her shields she won't be much of a threat. Ships One and Two will concentrate fire on the Stealth. Now, attack!"
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Battle begins
Lt. Jack Dark
Racing from the bridge - Before Stealth broadcast
Stardate 9705.28
"Everyone to the holodeck. Now!" I yell as I frantically change the command protocols so that the holodeck will be able to run the ship as if it were the bridge.
"Keline, create some false lifesign readings on the bridge. Bridge to Kane initiate boarding party protocols in five minutes. Tran, find the captain and take him to sickbay. Kern go with O'Coyne and get us some power or we are all shortly going to be practicing our vacuum breathing technique."
"What are you doing Dark? Have you completely lost it? asked Lt. Keline as she started to do what I asked.
"The holodeck has an independent power source as well as a mostly independent memory core. Besides this bridge is going to be filled with a Jem'Hadar boarding party soon no matter what we do and I would just as soon not be here to meet and greet them. It should give us about a minute and a half at most but that's more than before. Lt. Kane get Ro out of the brig and have her help repel the incoming boarding party. Someone tell the Stealth that we need them to stay between us and the Jem'Hadar as long as they can."
=============================================================
Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
Transporter Room USS Stealth
Stardate 9705.29
Kalahna told Tyrian in the transporter room, "You go with the first group, I'll stay behind and supervise transports and go over as soon as the last of the crew is beamed over safely." Tyrian nodded as he stepped on the transporter pad with other crewmembers and dematerialized.
Tyrian and crew materialized in the transporter room on deck three of the Repulse. He posted one of the ensigns in the transporter room with his PADD so he could direct newly beamed over members to different areas of the Repulse to begin hunting for the changeling. Tyrian himself headed towards the bridge with three security escorts, he had advised that all Stealth crew were to be in teams so as not to give the changeling an opportunity to kill them and replace them if he was discovered.
The bridge doors slid open and Tyrian and team exited the turbolift, Tyrian spoke up, "Lt. Dark, I presume. I'm Lt. Summers, as soon as I test you we will discuss our plans." Lt. Dark held out his arm as Tyrian tapped it with the hypospray and drew a blood sample, then took off the vial and shook it for a second, "He okay, begin doing the rest of the bridge crew." Tyrian instructed the three security officers.
As they did that, he spoke to Dark, "My teams number one priority at the moment should be finding that changeling, if we can capture him we can hold him hostage in case the Stealth is not able to stop the Jem'Hadar attack. But we need your crew to concentrate on bringing back all main power while we do a security sweep." Dark replied, "Good luck finding that changeling."
Tyrian walked past his teams throughout the ship supervising their sweeps, the Repulse was now crawling with Starfleet members. On deck three outside the medical bay they had set up a blockade conducting tests on all personnel traveling by.
As Tyrian walked by with another security officer something caught his eye, at the end of the line waiting to be tested were a nervous looking prisoner held at gunpoint by a Repulse ensign. Tyrian walked over and addressed the ensign, "Why are you conducting a prisoner transport of all times, now, ensign?" The ensign began to answer, when a communication came over his comm badge: "Lt. Summers, this is Ensign Harcon in the brig, I think we know who the changeling is...."
Just then, the ensign morphed into a gelantonous state and fed himself through the closed doors of nearby crew quarters. Tyrian instantly drew his phaser and shot at the changeling as he went through doors, but the changeling was already through as the blast left a black scorch mark on the door. Tyrian ran to the door to open it but it was locked from the inside, he blasted the door with a higher phaser setting and managed to push it open.
He looked inside but saw nothing but normal crew quarters. During the confusion, the prisoner had released himself from his wrist binders and drew a phaser from his belt. He moved behind Tyrian's security teammate and grabbed him around the neck and put the phaser to his head, ordering him to put his phaser down, the ensign complied and threw down his phaser.
Tyrian turned to see this going on and pointed his phaser at the traitorous Maquis, but did'nt have a clear shot. The Maquis shouted at the crowd of Starfleet people gathering around him, "Don't do anything stupid, or this ensign will not pull through, now, we are going to go to the transporter room and nobody will attempt to stop us or he gets it." With that, he started slowly making his way through the crowd as they cleared out, his back was to the wall and he held the ensign in front of him.
The Maquis was nearly to the transporter room with his prisoner, Tyrian had yelled for all men in that side of the corridor to move back so he had room to act. Tyrian led a small army of men as they followed the Maquis and hostage down the hallway.
Tyrian tapped his commbadge and said, "Now!" Just then, the ensign dematerialized as he was beamed in next to Tyrian. The stunned maquis grabbed for the transporter room door, but it had been locked. Tyrian yelled, "Drop the weapon now!"
The Maquis turned towards the group that was slowly converging on him, and lifted up his phaser at them, but a beam from Tyrian's own phaser shot his weapon from his grasp, it landing on the floor a few feet away, a melted black mess. Tyrian rushed him and tackled him and brought him to the ground. The Maquis struggled, but a few blows from Tyrians fist to the back of his neck slowed him down and he was quickly restrained by nearby personnel, Tyrian told them to take him to the brig and lock him up. Tyrian was about to contact the bridge, but they beat him to it as a voice came over his commbadge, "Lt. Summers, we have a new problem."
=============================================================
Lt. Commander Ayer
Jem'Hadar Scout Ship
Stardate 9705.26
As Ayer watched on the viewscreen the image of the Stealth with the oncoming warships, he knew the Stealth wouldn't stand a chance. It was already weakened from its previous encounter and visible trails of ions could be seen leaking out from the ruptured hull.
He had thought the Gorn was a strategic genius but what could he gain with such odds against him...nothing, he realized, except for death with honor. Honor...it seemed so long ago that he had heard such a word.
*****
The Klingon matriarch sat in the hospital. Her burns was severe but the
Klingon doctor could heal them. "How is she?" Rapar asked. His klingon brows curled in concern. The doctor looked at the young Klingon warrior, her mind deeply ingrained with the look of weariness on his face,
"Wertakha's burns were severe, however, I could heal them, but as for the poison..." she trailed off.
Rapar nodded, solemnly he knelt down beside the injured Klingon. He slowly grasped her hand, "Wertakha," she turned her head to look at him, "Wertakha, the deed is done. Kourias has been defeated. The House of Dumar thrives again with the support from the House of Grilka. Together, we will forge a new bond between our families and destroy all of our blood enemies."
The Klingon wearily smiled, "Rapar...you have done well with us. I knew we wouldn't regret the day when we took you into our house. And now, you must be strong for our sake, for the sake of the house. You must lead the House of Dumar to a new beginning."
Accepting her fate, the Klingon then released her hold on life and travelled towards the Sea of Blood.
Chanting the ritual song, Rapar's voice travelled across the hallways, allowing everyone to hear that a Klingon warrior has passed away in honor and
glory. After he was finished, Rapar returned back towards the House. The fires had been successfully contained and repairs were already underway. Stepping in, Rapar headed towards the main hall. Already, the place was repaired to its rightful state and the computers had been replaced. Switching on one of the panels, Rapar immediately transferred all of the Dumar's property towards her ally, the House of Grilka. At least the Lady Grilka would be able to handle it better than a young warrior, and she will bring honor to it. After all property was transferred, Rapar slowly got out from the house and began walking away. As he reached the edge of the mountains, his shape slowly liquified and morphed into an eagle and flew away.
*****
No, he can't allow this to happen. Turning around, he ordered, "Ensign Barna, tell the Repulse that we're going back. They are to continue onwards, away from the battle. We will keep the Jem'Hadars busy enough to allow time for escape. If they encounter any hostile force, tell them to send out this transmission..." Ayer tapped in a coded sequence of mathematical equations
beside him.
"That should take care of any problems with the Dominion or the Cardassians." He choose not to mention what the transmission was for, it certainly wouldn't help anyone at this moment to know what it would do.
"Message sent," Barna replied.
"Very well, release the shield extensions and bring us about, bearing 180 mark 45. Engage!" The scout ship flashed its engines and proceeded on full impulse towards the battle. "Power up the weapons and prepare to lock on my command." As they flew closer towards the Stealth, they could see the ship's log buoy rushing past them.
"Let's just hope Starfleet doesn't need to read that log." As they came closer, they could see the Jem'Hadars advancing faster towards them. "Mr. Trak, lock onto the lead ship." In the background, Ayer could hear the sound as the lock was achieved. When they were within range, he gave the order, "Fire."
=============================================================
USS Stealth
USS Repulse
Stardate 9705.29
The three Jem'Hadar attack ship soared in, disruptors blazing. The first two ships attacked the Stealth, their weapons pounding against the Federation ship's shields, while the third -- the command vessel -- roared past Stealth and headed directly for the Repulse.
"Gilonda," the Jem'Hadar First said to the female Vorta, leaning over to
view a scanning console on the bridge. "One of our own ships is on an intercept course with us."
The Vorta looked concerned. "Get its transponder code."
Rek'lyon, the Jem'Hadar First, studied the incoming readings and then turned to the Vorta. "It is vessel 20561. It was lost in the battle at Dahgal...presumed destroyed."
"Apparantly it was not," the Vorta muttered. "It does not stand with us, so destroy it, and quickly. We must rescue the Founder aboard the Repulse."
Rek'lyon nodded and then instructed his tactical officer to fire on the
captured Jem'Hadar ship...
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Battle Readiness
Commander Sortha (Tyrian Summers post is incorporated into this one)
Bridge of the USS Stealth
Stardate 9705.28
"So be it," the Vorta smiled. "Prepare to engage. Boarding parties from Ship Three will take the Repulse while Ship Three itself keeps the Repulse contained. Without her shields she won't be much of a threat. Ships One and Two will concentrate fire on the Stealth. Now, attack!"
Sortha stared at the tactical readouts. "ETA to firing range?"
Tyrian responded from Tactical "Two minutes sir."
Sortha rapidly thought of the Jem Hadar's objectives. Their primary goal would be to capture the Repulse. They'd love to get their hands on a Defiant class ship. But to beam over they'd have to destroy the Stealth, because otherwise the Stealth would be able to fire when they dropped their shields to board. They'd have to get the Repulse out of harm's way. They had two minutes to take action. Sortha made use of them.
"Open a channel to Repulsse." Sortha ordered.
"Channel open" Brynaziir replied.
"Repulsse, this is Commander Sortha, USS Sstealth. Per Sstarfleet regulation 12-A1, I am taking command as the ssenior officer present. You are to keep the Repulsse away from those sships. You are not to let her be captured at any cost. If necessary you will self destruct to prevent capture. That is a direct order. We have captured a Jem Hadar sscoutsship, that will extend its sshields around you and take you in tow away from the battle zone." Ssortha relayed these orders to Ayer at the ssame time. "Sstealth will attempt to delay the Jem Hadar until you are safe or have made repairs. I am transporting the majority of my crew to the Repulse to assist in the hunt for the changeling, and to repel boarders sshould the Jem Hadar get past uss. Usse three man tag teamss to hunt the changeling per protocol. Lieutenant Dark, you will command the Repulsse during Captain Ssakata's incapacitation. Sortha out."
Sortha closed the commline quickly. He looked at Tyrian. "Tyrian.."
Sortha used his first name this time.
"My boarding team is standing by in the transporter room, we can go
immediatly on your orders, Commander." Tyrian said to Sortha from his tactical station. Sortha nodded towards him.
"In addition to the ten I previoussly ordered, you and Kalahna take beta and gamma sshifts with you. You are in command of Sstealth personnel. Do not let the Repulsse be taken." The Gorn stared at him piercingly. Tyrian could only shout "Yes Sir!" He saluted sharply and left the bridge.
Around the Stealth, all transporters were busy transferring crew to the
Repulse. Sortha looked at Brynaziir and Nash. "You too." He ordered. Down in sickbay, Ming and Aries beamed over with the unconscious Admiral Jaeger.
Onscreen, Ayer's Jem'Hadar scoutship had pulled up close to the Repulse.
Sortha nodded in satisfaction as it locked tractor beams. He checked a readout. It appeared that all beta and gamma shift personel had transported off the Stealth. He opened a commline. "OK Ayer, raise sshields and get them out of here." The shields flared briefly as they extended around the Repulsse. In another second they had gone to warp. Sortha checked the Jem Hadar's ETA.....29 seconds.
The Stealth was now manned by a crew of 35. All bulkheads had been sealed. Sholek was still in engineering. Ayer and Ki'lal were on the captured Jem Hadar Scoutship with 10 Stealth personnel. The rest of the senior officers had beamed off the ship onto the Repulse along with the remaining 60 starfleet and 15 Maquis crew. Or so Sortha thought. Behind him the turbolift doors opened and Lieutenant Kalahna walked in. "I gave you a direct order to beam to the Repulsse" Sortha said.
"So court martial me", Kalahna said replacing the ensign at tactical."
Sortha looked at her for a brief moment and keyed a line to engineering."Sortha to Ssholek, I want everything you can give me now." To
Kalahna he said "Lock and load quantum torpedoess, overload configuration. Full power to the phassers. Sshut down all nonessential ssysstemss including environmental controls and transsfer all remaining power to the sshields. Ready tractor beams 1, 2, and 3. When the Jem Hadar close, I want you to lock tractors on all three and target their engines only. Don't let any of them get past us undamaged."
Behind him Kalahna whispered, barely audible, "jettissoning log buoy."
On the screen ahead of them the three Jem Hadar warships screamed in.
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Changeling Captured
Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
Onboard USS Repulse
Stardate 9705.30
Tyrian tapped his commbadge again and replied to the bridge, "What's the
problem?" The voice came over again, "The Jem'Hadar ship that was supposed to be extending its shields around us has just changed course to help the Stealth." Tyrian growled as he ran towards the holodeck/bridge, "Damn him, again he stabs me in the back!!"
Tyrian entered the bridge and asked for a status report, Lt. Dark led him over to a display panel, "The two Jem'Hadar ships are just now attacking the Stealth and the captured Jem'Hadar ship, the third is pursueing us and is not far out of weapons range. Main power has yet to be restored, I'm told it will be any moment, for our sake lets hope that estimate is correct." Tyrian said, "I need to punch up schematics for crew quarters, I need to see where the ventalation ducts lead to from quarters #12." He punched up the schematics and Tyrian studied them then quickly started to leave and tapped his comm badge, "Security team six, meet me at crew quarters #12."
Tyrian ran up to the hallway which was'nt as crowded anymore and stopped
outside the scorched doors. He slowly entered and looked around, he drew his
phaser and shot the top bunk.....nothing. He started shooting randomly at different parts of the quarters, when he hit the ceiling it quickly morphed into a blob and dropped directly on top of him. Tyrian struggled for breath as the changling covered him, he was swinging his arms, but it seemed to be in slow motion, he fired his phaser, which was still on stun, it apparently afffected the changeling and he jumped off of Tyrian and morphed into a big squid-like creature with many tentacles. Tyrian aimed his phaser at it, but one of the tentacles slapped it out of his hand and another slapped him into the wall. By this time security team 6 arrived, it was composed of five members. The changeling attacked them with its tentacles and left Tyrian on the floor in the crew quarters. The security team was not very successful against the giant creature as it threw them about. They were barely able to get a shot off before the creature had them tangled up. When one was able to hit it with a stun shot, one of the tentacles would take it and be stunned for a few momments and then move around again. Tyrian tapped his commbadge, "Bridge, this is a security emergency, extend a forcefield blocking off the hallway I am in, including all doorways, vents, or any other small route of escape, use whatever power available, this could be our only chance." The bridge confirmed his request and the forcefield went up, trapping Tyrian,the five security personnel, and a few other crewmembers that had been helping out. The changeling got sick of the fight he was winning and morphed into a big eagle-type bird and flew off down the hall, apparently unaware that the field had been engaged. When it was too late the eagle smashed into the wall and fell to the ground. It started morphing as Tyrian ran up to it........it took form, into a huge bear! Tyrian said "Damn" as he started to fire his phaser again, but the bear slapped him in the face with a huge paw, knocking him down hard against the floor, cutting his face with his razor sharp claws, three long red streaks went down the left side of his face. The bear charged the rest of the security detail as they fired upon them, but the phasers' stun settings only slowed him down as the bear pounced onto the security officers and started biting and clawing at them. Tyrian got to his feet, he had to do something, or he and his team would be killed, but he needed the changeling alive. He couldnt have a containment field put around it, because it was too close to his crewmates. The bear had one ensign's head in his mouth and was shaking him around and finally broke his neck. Two of the ensigns were running towards Tyrian, all bloody from being torn apart. Tyrian told them to set their phasers on setting five and fire on his command. The huge bear finished with the other six men, who were either dead or disabled too bad to fight anymore. The bear turned its head and seemed to smile, it knew they did'nt want to kill him, and that gave him a tremendous
advantage. He started charging them, Tyrian yelled "Fire!!" the three men fired at the charging bear, who roared in agony at the burning phaser fire, but kept charging. He began to desolidify as he attacked the three men, the security officer to Tyrian's left had his head smashed into the wall, knocking him unconcious. Tyrian ran past him, continuing to fire his phaser on the bear who was having trouble keeping his form. The other security officer tried to get past him to continue fireing but was grabbed by the bear in a strong hug and crushed, his spine snapping. The bear dropped him and ran after Tyrian, it appeared his skin and fur was melting. The bear was about was about seven feet away and closing, Tyrian desperatly turned his phaser up a setting and continued firing.........the changeling finally could hold his form no longer and desolidified into a formless blob at Tyrian's feet. Tyrian looked down at the blob and said into his commbadge, "Release forcefield and replicate a containment container for a desolidified changeling, also we have several medical emergencies down here." Tyrian looked down on the blob and spit on the changeling and turned away as the crewmembers who had gathered outside the forcefield ran in to see the fallen changeling. Tyrian called back to the bridge, "What is our defensive status, Lt. Dark?"
=============================================================
Lt. Jack Dark
On the Holodeck- 3 minutes to battle
Stardate 9705.30
"O.K. people I have been formally given command and my first order is for a strategic withdrawal at full impulse. Bridge to Lt. Kern I need you to go down to anti-matter storage, you will receive your orders when you get there."
I could tell he didn't like the fact that I was giving him orders as if I
were an admiral but he did as he was directed. The rest of the team were also wondering if I had let my field promotion go to my head. Right now I couldn't be bothered with their feelings, survival came first.
2 minutes to battle - Lt. Tyrian M. Summers enters the Holobridge to initiate
Founder sweep.
Lt. Kern gets to the anti matter storage unit and reads his orders. "Kern
to Dark ARE YOU CRAZY?" Everyone on the bridge hears this and wonders what I am getting them in to this time.
"Kern that is why I made it a direct order. You can have me brought up on
charges later."
After a short pause I hear a sarcastic "Yes Sir" as he logs off.
1:30 to battle Jem'Hadar escort leaves us to help the Stealth.
45 seconds to Battle Founder is captured and subdued.
30 seconds to Battle Tyrian called back to the bridge, "What is our defensive status, Lt. Dark?"
"We are at full impulse heading away from the battle. We still have no
shields and main power is off line for an estimated two minutes. We only have 2 QT's and power for one phaser barrage, after that our energy will be depleted until main power comes back on. I think Jem'Hadar boarding parties are inevitable."
What I didn't say was what Kern was up to. Mostly because it was incredibly dangerous, foolhardy and desperate.
There was no way we were going to make it out without a fight.
Our weapons were not strong enough to seriously hurt the enemy.
We were not going to make it...without a whole sh*tload of luck...I make
my own luck.
Our only chance to hurt them is if the Torps and the Phaser barrage hit at
exactly the same time and place. Even then the only damage will be to the Jem'Hadar shields. That will have to be enough. As soon as we fire Kern will initiate the plan.
Kern is going to do two things. The first is to drain 10 Phaser rifles and energize the Tractor beam at its lowest setting. Then he is going to take
one ounce of purified anti-matter and place at in the Graviton beam. He is going to use just the anti neutrons because they are electrically neutral. When the Jem'Hadar shields are weakened by the Repulses barrage he will send in a highly focused presser beam like a spear through their shields. This spear will have an anti-matter warhead surrounded by the gravitons which should make it through those shields. If we target the bridge we should stop them dead in their tracks. We had better because we will have used up all of our power and will be helpless until we get main power back.
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Ramifications
Lt. Commander Ayer
Jem'Hadar Scout Ship
Stardate 9705.30
Ayer heard the orders but knew he couldn't abide by them. There was just too much at risk. He looked at Ki'lal, who was staring intently at him. Ayer realized that if he go against the order, the Klingon would hold him as a prisoner. Unable to comply with the choices he had been given, Ayer decided to follow his own. Switching open the communication relay, the face of a furious Gorn appeared on the viewscreen. "This is Lieutenant Commander Ayer. I'm am sorry commander but I cannot follow these orders. Your ship is in danger and I will assist." He switched off the comm abrutly, knowing the orders the Gorn will give out next. Ayer didn't bother to wait and neither did Ki'lal. The Klingon began to move towards him but was too late. Instantly, the Jem'Hadar transporter was activated as it beamed Ayer off the ship and into one of the enemy vessels.
As Ayer rematerialized, he found himself in a small compartment room.
Morphing through the ventilation grates, he made his way around the ship.
=============================================================
Captured Jem'Hadar Ship
Stardate 9706.02
Ki'lal immediately took control of the captured Jem'Hadar ship and swung her around toward Repulse, returning to her original assignment. "Ki'lal to COmmander Sortha. Ayer has transported off the ship...presumably to one of the Jem'Hadar attack ships."
Several disruptor blasts shook the Jem'Hadar ship as Ki'lal took it back
to extend shields around the Repulse.
=============================================================
Lt. Tom O'Coyne
Engineering (Just prior to the capture of the Changeling)
Stardate 9705.30
It was an engineers worst nightmare; the entire ship was a wreck and was
going to need major systems replacements when they got back to Federation space. As he worked on the life support systems, six other officers whom he had never seen came through the doors, "USS Stealth, we've been assigned here", they then proceeded to check everybody in engineering for blood (or lack of).
Then split up into two groups of three; the first group taking up
positions around the upper workstations while the others stood by the door to
check everybody coming in. As soon as he had veen verified as a solid, he took up an isolinear rod which had been blown off the main reactor. First he scanned it to see if it was broken; if it was then it could crash the system if it was placed in the reactor. The scans came back neutral; he wasn't reading any circuitry at all, "Jarod, check this rod for damage, I think my scanner is broken".
The junior engineer approached and took out his own scanner, "I'm not reading any electrical components...", suddenly he realized what it was, "Computer, engage forcefield...", too late. The founder morphed from his hand and straight at Jarod, who was knocked to the floor. It turned into a bird and started to fly around engineering looking for an escape route. All six of the security guards from the Stealth took aim; five of them resisted firing until they had a good enough aim, but the other clicked the trigger. The blast shot through the air, but as soon as he had fired the guard knew that he had made a huge mistake; instead of hitting the founder, it hit Jarod straight in the chest.
Tom looked on in shock, "Computer, Medical Emergency... beam Ensign Jarod to sickbay". He looked around as the blue light engulfed Jarod; the founder was either gone or had taken a new shape.
=============================================================
Commander Sortha
USS Stealth
Stardate 9706.02
"Here they come!" Kalahna yelled. And all hell broke loose.
One of the Jem Hadar ships attempted to fly past the Stealth while the other two opened fire on the Stealth as the Stealth in turn opened fire on them. Kalahna sent four fiery overloaded quantum torpedoes against the two ships attacking the Stealth directly, two at each, and followed with a blizzard of phaser fire that danced over the two Jem Hadar ships. Both the Jem Hadar and the Stealth were rocked violently under the force of the heavy blows.
With Ki'lal firmly in command of the Jem'Hadar ship, he turned the ship around. The captured Jem Hadar ship streaked back toward Repulse, stopping only long enough to engage tractors, and then disappearing into warp with the Repulse in tow.
Sortha sat like an unmoving rock in the command chair. Kalahna had harnessed herself to the tactical station and rode out the buffeting. Sortha looked at the readouts that were tied into the captain's display. Shields were down to 72% already. These Jem Hadar were playing for keeps. The Jem Hadar ships started to get past the Stealth, heading for the Repulse.
"Oh no you don't!" Sortha hissed, as he engaged tractor beams. The beams arced out of the Stealth and attached to each of the Jem Hadar ships. Since they were all flying in different counteractive directions, the result was dramatic. The Jem Hadar ships kept moving past the Stealth for several seconds as if they were attached by rubber bands, then slowed quickly, and snapped back, tumbling end over end.
Sortha held on with his powerful clawed hands, compressing the metal of the command chair in an attempt to hold on. On the view screen, the stars were spiraling in a sickening corkscrew rotation. Apparently the Stealth was performing motions similar to the Jem Hadar. The first thing Sortha heard was the computer issuing a warning: "Warning, structural integrity field is in danger of collapse...warning...structural integrity field is in danger of..."
"Ssssssssssss" turn that damn thing off Sortha said. He managed to notice that the structural integrity fields were operating at 150% of normal. Apparently Sholek had taken the EMH's earlier chiding recommendation about increasing the ship's structural integrity fields to heart. It probably saved
them. Eventually the Stealth stopped tumbling. On screen, one of the Jem Hadar ships appeared to have sustained enough damage to render it immobile. It sat at a 60 degree angle pointing "downwards" with a slow spin.
Sortha looked at his readouts, and gave his next order, praying that the
Stealth could still move. With a grinding sound reminiscent of an old carbon
fueled engine from the 20th century sputtering to life, the Stealth's impulse
engines responded and the ship lurched forward. On screen the two Jem Hadar
ships were coming back for more.
"Sir, tractor beam circuits are fused." Kalahna informed Sortha. That was to be expected. Kalahna's long blonde hair was undone and flew around her face. She had collected yet another bruise from the buffeting, and her arm had received fresh lacerations.
"Course 110 mark 12 bring uss under them Ensign" Sortha informed the helm officer. The Stealth darted quickly underneath the two onrushing Jem Hadar ships and pirouetted, raking their rear shields with concentrated phaser fire and quantum torpedoes. The Jem Hadar came around again, and plastered the Stealth's forward shields in turn. Sortha held his fire. The ship rocked violently. There was a large spark at ops, and an explosion. The ensign there was hurled across the bridge, landing in a tangled heap near the science station.
"Rear phasers, torpedoes fire!" Sortha yelled as the Jem Hadar streaked past. Kalahna slammed the torpedo launch control multiple times sending another salvo of 4 quantum torpedoes out the aft launcher. Three impacted into the rear shield of one of the Jem Hadar. There was a flare and its rear shield collapsed.
"Sir Kalahna" yelled, there's a weakness on that starboard ship. "If we can get another shot..."
Follow them helm!" Sortha bellowed as the Stealth turned on an intercept course. The Stealth followed the Jem Hadar doggedly, closing the distance, as Kalahna unleashed four more torpedoes and a fresh barrage of concentrated phaser fire at it. They tracked it and two torpedoes managed to hit. The Jem Hadar ship rocked violently, shuddered and slowed, finally stopping with a secondary explosion. "We took out their engines!" Kalahna yelled in triumph. Her triumph was short-lived however. The other Jem Hadar ship that was fully operational blasted the Stealth in retribution. The Stealth rocked violently, several cables and pieces of equipment broke loose from the ceiling and steam and gas sprayed into the bridge. Numerous warning sirens were going off.
"Damage report!" Sortha yelled.
Somebody managed to yell back. "Shields at 12%, phasers have been knocked offline!"
Sortha surveyed the tactical situation. He had managed to delay the Jem
Hadar for quite some time, and had disabled the engines of two of their ships, preventing them from following Repulse. Although it was not a true victory without finishing them off, his strategic objectives had been achieved.
"Sholek! What's the sstatus on the engines?"
"I'm holding them together, but they could go at any moment."
Sortha looked at the damage control monitors... Numerous areas of the Stealth glowed red and yellow, fires burned in numerous areas throughout the ship. Numerous monitors were strobing. For a ship not designed for combat, she had given a fine performance.
It was time to leave.
A signal came in over the commline from the Jem Hadar ship. It was the Vorta. Apparently the Vorta's ship was more powerful than the other scout ships. Sortha scowled. It was just like the Vorta to make sure they were well protected while their controlled warriors did not receive the same degree of protection. They were dishonorable. The JemHadar, being biological constructs, just were- they were neither brave nor cowardly, they just existed. Sortha's scowl deepened. "Only give them audio of us" Sortha ordered. The Vortas carefully tailored face appeared on the screen. "You are finished Jaeger!" the Vorta gloated. "Surrender, and we may let you live as slaves."
"Send him something back" Sortha ordered the communications officer, "ask for terms, delay them as long as you can." Turning to another channel, Sortha queried Sholek "Can we go to warp?"
Sholek paused before answering "insufficient data to determine if the warp core is stable enough" Sholek informed him. "The primary intermix coupling is misaligned and the particle antimatter transducer harmonization matrix is offline. I will attempt to calculate and compensate the intermix balance manually if you go to warp."
Meanwhile the Vorta had grown tired of the exchange. "Then die!" he finished yelling at the screen.
Sortha played one last card. "We have a wounded founder on board" he stated and terminated the link. Knowing the Jem Hadar, even if they continued the attack, they might suicide over the act of destroying the Stealth and a founder, which would give Repulse more time before other Jem Hadar or Cardassian ships tracked her down. Hopefully they would catch the changeling and repair the shields by then.
"Plot course to follow the Repulse" Sortha ordered. "Maximum warp!"
There was a tense moment as the ship transitioned to warp, the colors were wrong, and for a second Sortha thought he saw a wormhole start to form, but the warp field held and returned to normal. On the tactical station Sortha could see the Jem Hadar ship following closely. "Good job, Sholek" Sortha thought to himself.
Now that he had some time, Sortha turned to other matters. Casually picking up several pieces of heavy equipment that had fallen from the ceiling
Sortha deposited them in a storage locker and sealed off the gas leaks. "Kalahna, tell me sship's sstatuss as I repair damage" Sortha ordered as he
deposited the dead ensign into another corner of auxiliary control, and got busy repairing bridge systems.
"Shields are at 20% and charging. We are leaking too much radiation to go to Stealth mode. Our maximum speed is warp 9.5, equal to the Jem Hadar's maximum speed. Phaser control conduits are severed so phasers will be offline until they are repaired. Quantum torpedo bays are empty. We have 80 standard torpedoes left. Saucer Section decks 5 through 8 have been evacuated, environmental controls are non-operational there and there are hull breaches. Fire control teams have extinguished all fires. Environmental controls are online, but only at 50% efficiency. EMH is treating crew injuries...three fatalities, four injuries requiring immediate medical treatment. Tractors are offline. Main transporters two and 3 offline, cargo 1 offline, Emergency 6 through 9 are offline. Forward and aft torpedo launchers are operational."
"Shuttle status" Sortha demanded.
"Checking....the two Stealth shuttles are MIA, remaining two type VII
shuttles are operational."
"Rig one with a remote control and load as many photons on it as you can. Order Jenkins and Barr to do it, use antigrav stretchers."
"Repair estimate on the phasers?" Sortha asked, tossing a piece of conduit into the scrap pile.
"It will have to wait until repair dock, unless Repulse has spares. Our
spares were all showing as damaged."
"What is the heading and speed of the Repulse?" Sortha asked.
"They are heading toward Federation space at warp 9" Kalahna answered immediately. "We are on a pursuit course and should overtake them in 30 minutes" she added without being asked.
"What's the board look like?" Sortha asked, moving a final chunk of conduit out of auxiliary control into the pile accumulating in a nearby storage locker.
"We are surrounded by Cardassian and Jem Hadar vessels. They are closing on us. ETA is variable. The earliest besides the one directly behind us will arrive within 15 minutes of our rendezvous with Repulse."
"We need to get the Stealth mode functioning and the Repulse needs to get her cloak up, otherwisse we are dead." Sortha stated matter-of-factly.
Kalahna nodded in reply. She examined her own thoughts now that she had time. Why had she stayed? She knew that Commander Sortha had transferred most of the crew to Repulse because they had a better chance of living there than on the Stealth, not because they were needed to hunt the changeling. He had not expected to live past the encounter with the three Jem Hadar scout ships. Kalahna had thought she was going to die on the planet, then she thought she was going to die rescuing Tyrian's team, then as they went up against the three Jem Hadar scout ships. How many vessels had Stealth managed to destroy or disable? She had lost count. But the Stealth had paid the price with it's own blood. She was so tired. The ship must be so tired. Well maybe, expecting to die gave you an edge. Maybe being prepared to die let you see options that you couldn't see otherwise. The Klingons had a saying, "Today is a good day to die." Kalahna had not understood the reason for saying that sentence before, but now she thought she understood. Being prepared to die, embracing death liberated you. She was awakened from her self analysis by Sortha's voice. He was busy putting on his personal armor he had brought with him from the bridge. It gleamed dully in the red light of auxiliary control. He passed out security armor that he had retrieved from the storage locker to her and the two remaining ensigns on the bridge.
As they were putting the armor on, Sortha and Kalahna keyed the ship's self-destruct sequence to start on Sortha's or Kalahna's sole authorization. The two desparate beings, Sortha in his powerful hugeness and Kalahna in her diminutiveness stared deep into each other's eyes as they read the authorizations and found a common bond. Both knew they were making a potential death pact, If they didn't succeed, then they would not be captured, and neither would the Stealth.
Their look was interrupted by a voice over the comm channel. "Two
Torpedoes loaded into the Newton" a crew member informed Sortha referring to
one of the Stealth's shuttles.
"Good." he replied. Then another stratagem entered the Byzantine head of the big Gorn. "EMH, respond."
"EMH here, please state the nature of your emergency."
Sortha didn't waste time. "I want you to download Lieutenant Ayer's records into a portable life support unit. I want it to replicate his life signs exactly."
"Whatever for?" the EMH responded.
"Do it!" Sortha said simply. Sortha keyed another line and Ensign Muniz's dark Hispanic features filled the screen "There's a package for you in sickbay. I want you to deliver it to the Newton."
In space, the blackened and scarred hull of the USS Stealth streaked toward the USS Repulse.
(FROM THE GM: Ayer is aboard the surviving Jem'Hadar ship, the one commanded
by the Vorta)
=============================================================
USS Repulse
In Tow
Stardate 9706.02
As the Repulse hurdled along through space, towed by the captured Jem'Hadar ship, her systems slowly began to come back online. The major casualty, however, was the ship's shields. The Changeling had managed to sabotage the shield generators well enough to make them non-repairable. They would have to be replaced in spacedock.
On the ship's aft sensors, they detected the approach of a battered USS Stealth, followed by a remaining Jem'Hadar attack ship. Forward sensors detected two approaching Cardassian Keldon-class ships, escorted by a pair of Jem'Hadar ships.
While the Repulse had managed to avoid combat thus far, her only chance now was to get her cloaking device and warp engines back up and running. Otherwise, she was a sitting duck without her shields.
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Second Wave
Commander Sortha
USS Stealth
Stardate 9706.02
Kalahna sat in the Captain's chair. She had not thought she would be sitting there so soon, and even in the desperate situation they were in, it made her feel happy. She was starting to give Sortha the latest damage control report over his commline, while he helped damage control parties effect repairs.
Currently he was holding a 250kg power conduit in place while two engineering technicians hurriedly welded the section back into place. Hot sparks landed on his back but he ignored tham.
He listened as he worked. "Shields are now fully recharged at 100%. Radiation leaks have been clamped down, but minimal leakage continues. We can go to stealth mode, but it is operating at only 92% efficiency due to residual radiation leakage. Our maximum speed is still warp 9.5, equal to the Jem Hadar's maximum speed. Phaser control conduits have been rerouted. The links aren't elaborate but we should be able to fire at 75% of normal speed."
Sortha smiled at reading that line, outside auxiliary control he had
seen one of the jury rigged phaser rerouting cables snaking down the side of
the corridor, like some misplaced anaconda. "We have 80 standard torpedoes
left. Tractors are still offline. Main transporters two and 3 offline, cargo
1 offline, Emergency 6 through 9 are offline. Main Computer is still offline, operating on backup LCARS systems. Sensors are fully operational, long Range Array is at10.5 ly high resolution, tactical Array is at 12.5 ly h-r, navigational Array is at 15 ly h-r. Saucer module dorsal and ventral phaser, and engineering aft phaser arrays are operational within rerouted efficiencies, Engineering section ventral is nonoperational. Torpedo launchers are operational but we're down to 80 standard torpedoes."
Kalahna continued with her narrative:
"Deck One, bridge is sealed due to hull breach in Admiral's office, the Admiral's Office is open to space, observation conference room is sealed.
Deck Two: Admiral's quarters: OK, Captain's quarters: OK, First officer's quarters: Destroyed VIP Guest quarters: Destroyed. Admiral's dining hall: OK, Captain's office: OK Deck Three: Senior officer quarters: 10 % Destroyed, Transporter Room 1: OK Deck Four: Standard crew quarters: 10% Destroyed, Deck Five: Forward messhall/lounge: Sealed due to breach, Holodeck #1: Destroyed, Recreation facilities: Sealed due to breach, Deck Six: Security center/brig: Sealed due to breach Saucer main docking port: Destroyed, Debriefing room: Sealed due to breach Deck Seven: Sickbay/Medical - Research/Forensics Labs: hull breaches sealed with emergency forcefields, Deck Eight: Engineering, Hull breach sealed. Environmental controls reestablished. Deck Nine:Cargo Bay 1: OK, Transporter Room 2: Offline, Deck Ten: Cargo Bay 2: Destroyed, Deck Eleven: Stellar Cartography: OK, Deck Twelve: Hangar bay: OK"
"We'll be rendezvousing with the Repulse in two minutes" Kalahna said over the commline.
"On my way" Sortha said as the technicians finished their welding. Sortha ran through the halls of the Stealth, jumping over pieces and parts that littered the hallways. Upon reaching the bridge, he reclaimed his seat from Kalahna.
The Gorn commander surveyed the tactical screen. "Tactical report!" he
demanded.
Kalahna replied instantly, "We are one minute out from rendezvous with
Repulse and our captured Jem Hadar Scoutship. There are two Cardassian Keldon-class ships, and two Jem'Hadar ships approaching on an intercept course, ETA 5 minutes. The Jem Hadar ship that has been following us continues to do so."
Sortha called Ki'lal who stood proudly on the bridge of his new command
"Lieutenant" Sortha began, "It appears that we may be in for quite a battle."
The Klingon bared his teeth in anticipation. "Since the Stealth's weaponry outclasses that of your ship, we'll call it the USS Jaeger for simplicity, tractor and stay close to Repulse and continue to extend your shields around her. Dump all available power into shields including weapons and propulsion. Let Repulse use her weapons. They can channel all their power to weapons
since their shields are down. If Repulse gets her shields back, use your own
discretion. Klah plah! Sortha out!"
Sortha wondered, had Ayer beamed to the ship that was following them? During the heat of battle no one had been able to keep track of which ship he had beamed to. Despite his insubordination, Sortha still appreciated the changeling's bravery, but he wondered if the rogue officer wasn't better suited for solo deep cover missions. Sortha's first duty had been to the Repulse. She had to be protected. Ayer's actions, though understandable, had interfered with that and jeopardized the Repulse. Sortha could not allow for that.
Since that scoutship was directly behind them, as soon as they
rendezvoused with Repulse, the joined Starfleet forces would have to turn,
attack and destroy that ship, and then turn back to the four other ships who
would be arriving soon. Since they were boxed in by the two opposing forces,
tactically, it made sense to turn and engage and destroy the weaker enemy force before the two forces joined together with even more firepower. Historically Grnash had used that strategy on the Gorn homeworld and Robert E. Lee had used that strategy on Earth to defeat numerically superior forces that were temporarily seperated. If Ayer was on that ship, he hoped he would act soon, or make himself known --before he attacked. Sortha relayed his plan to the Repulse. Since Ayer was possibly in enemy control, Sortha once again changed the Stealth's prefix code and ordered the Repulse to do so as well.
Sortha also ordered the shuttle Newton readied for launch. He would play that card if possible. Preferably on the group of two Jem Hadar ships. The shuttle was remotely controlled and contained two photon torpedo warheads, as well as a medical station simulating Ayer's lifesigns. He planned to launch the shuttle at the Jem Hadar, and force them to destroy it. Hopefully they would believe that Ayer, a founder, was onboard, and they would be forced to take their own lives because they would presume they had killed him. That was possible, only if the Jem Hadar did not know about Ayer's beam over. If they knew of Ayer, ... well at least it would divert some Jem Hadar firepower, and he could always try to remotely kamikaze the shuttle into an enemy ship.
On the viewscreen the image of the newly named USS Jaeger hovering over
the USS Repulse came into view. The two ships were joined in what looked like some bizarre interstellar mating ritual. Sortha noted with a pleased snarl that Lieutenant Ki'lal had positioned the Jaeger so that the Repulse's main forward firing pulsed phaser and quantum torpedo bays were unobstructed by the Jeager. "Sortha to Lieutenants Dark and Summers, status report!"
=============================================================
Lt. Thoraz Brynaziir
On the Repulse (before the capture of the Changeling)
Stardate 9706.02
Thoraz grabbed two security officers and headed in search of the Changeling, scanning for its distinct mental pattern. "Jones, Juarez. Come with me. I have an idea of where to look."
Thoraz set off at a brisk pace scanning the surrounding deck areas as he went. "We'll find any Changelings on the ship. Be ready to subdue them."
As the group encountered other search parties and personnel, Thoraz would
scan each of them to make sure they were not imposters. While passing Sick Bay, Thoraz's team entered briefly enough for Thoraz to collect a little surprise, in case the phasers weren't enough, and then they once again proceeded in an orderly sweep of the ship.
As they approached the turbolift to go down to the next deck, another team exited and challenged them to prove who they were. Thoraz could sense the tension in them. They were close to panic and highly stressed. "Ensign, you and your team are doing fine. We will submit to blood tests for you. Don't worry, we'll capture the 'Shifter soon enough. Then we'll have a useful bargaining tool."
After the encounter was over and the other team was satisfied there were not Changelings in Thoraz's group, each team went their own way.
Thoraz began to formulate a plan, a dangerous one for the person involved, though. Thoraz wondered if Ayer could merge with the 'Shifter and learn of any Dominion plans he knew of. How dangerous would this be to Ayer and Ayer be turned against the Federation?
Only the Changelings knew. Thoraz also wondered if it was possible for a 'Shifter to merge with a solid, or try a variation of the Vulcan Mind Meld. 'I'll have to propose this to the Commander and volunteer if he agrees.' The two security officers noticed Thoraz zoning in and out as he walked and scanned. They remained vigilant despite their concerns and their team leader, a credit to their Starfleet training.
Moments later, word came that the Changeling had been captured...
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Lt. Taryn Kane
Repulse brig
Stardate 9706.02
Taryn Kane entered the brig, after she was blood screened at the door to see if she was a Changeling, and crossed the room to the cell where Ro Laren was being held. Ro stood and looked at Taryn with hope in her dark eyes.
"Tell me you're getting me out of here?" Ro asked.
"Your sprung," Taryn said. "Jack's in command. The captain is missing and a Changeling is running loose on the ship."
"I know, he's one of my men," Ro grumbled as the force field was released. Taryn stepped back and allowed a medic to step up. The medic took a blood sample from Ro and checked it. She wasn't a Changeling.
Her identity confirmed, Taryn handed the Bajoran woman and hand phaser. "You might need this. There's a good chance we'll be boarded by the Jem'Hadar. Also, there's a lot of people on this ship right now. Most of Stealth's crew has transported aboard. Stealth is trying to fight off the Jem'Hadar since our shields are down."
"Great," Ro muttered.
The doors to the brig whooshed open and two unfamilar officers entered dragging the Maquis, Kevin Palmer, along with them.
"What's this?" Kane asked.
"We're with Stealth security. Lt. Summers told us to bring this guy down here. He's in league with the Changeling," one of the officer said.
"Actually, he's an undercover Cardassian agent," Ro said. "He told me just before the Changeling released him."
"I knew I should have killed you, Bajoran trash," the fake-Palmer growled.
Ro glared at him and then stepped up to Palmer, as if she intended to say something to him. She then hauled off with all of her might and fired a powerful punch into the imposter's face, snapping his head back. Blood seeped from the Cardassian-agent's mouth and nose as he steadied himself and glared at Ro.
"OK, enough," Taryn said, stepping in and pulling Ro back.
"When this is over Ro, and you're all prisoners of Cardassia and the Dominion, I'll be paying you a very special visit in your prison cell. I guarantee it," the imposter snapped.
"Lock him up. I want guards posted down here. At least two at all times," Kane said. "Come on Ro, let's find out what's going on."
Ro and Taryn departed the brig as the Palmer imposter was locked up. Stealth and Repulse crew members lined the hallways as the ship was overfilled beyond capacity. If a boarding party beamed aboard the ship, they'd be meeting one hell of a resistance force.
"I've been thinking. The real captain must be somewhere on this ship,"
Ro said.
"Possibly," Taryn said. "We've all been so busy nobody's bothered to check. Computer. Locate Captain Sakata."
The computer chimed. "Captain Sakata is not aboard the Repulse."
"That's what it would say if his comm-badge was gone, destroyed," Taryn
added. "Computer. Locate Captain Sakata's life signs and or DNA."
Again the computer signaled. "DNA scan confirms Captain Sakata is in
his ready room. His life signs are diminished."
Ro and Taryn suddenly broke into a run, manuvering through the crowded
corridors. "Computer, is he still alive," Taryn asked.
"Captain Sakata is alive. Life signs are fading," the computer replied.
A moment later Ro and Taryn arrived at Sakata's ready room. Taryn used
her security override and opened the doors. Both she and Ro drew their phasers and entered cautiously. The room appeared empty.
They made a quick sweep on the office and soon founded Sakata tied up and pushed under his own desk. As Taryn knelt and checked his pulse with one hand, she tapped her comm-badge with the other.
"Sick bay. Prepare to transport the captain there immediately. He's in his ready room," Taryn said. "He's badly injured."
"Acknowledged," Dr. Erika Raid replied. "I've locked on to his vital signs.Preparing to transport."
Taryn stepped back and Sakata's body was transported out and directly to the medical bay. As she and Ro left the Ready Room, Lt. Summers reported in over the comm-line. "We have the Changeling. He's alive."
"Lt. Kane to Lt. Summers. I'm on my way to the brig. Bring him there," Taryn said. "Brig. This is Kane. Configure a cell with forcefields on all the walls and ceiling. There can be no open access to ventilation conduits. We've got to contain this changeling."
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Approaching Cardassian and Jem'Hadar ships
Stardate 9706.02
On the Stealth and Repulse, a transmission was received from the lead Keldon class ship. Both Shadow Ops vessels displayed the transmission onscreen.
"This is Gul Dejar of the Cardassian Third Order. Both Federation vessels
and the captured Jem'Hadar ship are ordered to heave to and prepare to be boarded. If you do not comply, we will destroy you," the smug Cardassian said.
Suddenly, the image of Dejar was replaced by a transmission from the pursuing Jem'Hadar ship. It was an attractive, but sinister-looking female Vorta. Standing behind her were two Jem'Hadar.
"I am Gilonda. I speak on behalf of the Dominion. Cardassian ships, Gul Dejar, you will stand down until told to do otherwise. That is an order," the Vorta said. "To the commanding officers of the USS Stealth and USS Repulse. We are willing to strike a...deal with you. Your intrusion into Cardassian space and the destruction of the replicator sites on Gakerra and Dahgal was a wanton act of terrorism and should be met with a retaliatory strike against the Federation, not to mention your capture and or destruction. But the Dominion is willing to accept a truce and allow both of your ships to leave Cardassian space. All we want is the Founder who was impersonating the Maquis solider known as Hastings, and the return of the Jem'Hadar ship you captured. If you agree to our terms, we will allow you safe passage home and will overlook your intrusion. You have two minutes. That's when the four approaching ships enter firing range. So, what shall it be?"
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Setting Terms
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Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
Onboard USS Repulse
Stardate 9706.03
Tyrian helped his security officers put the gooey body of the changeling
into the small locking container that they had replicated for the purpose, a
cylindrical container about a foot and a half tall and ten inches wide with a
locking top. After the changeling had been put in, Tyrian pushed the button
that closed the top and typed in the locking code that only he knew.
He handed it to a security officer and instructed him to follow him to the brig. They stepped past the medical personnel that had come to help the fallen Starfleet officers that had been injured or killed in the battle with the changeling.
In the brig, a cell had been configured with forcefields on all sides already for the changeling, although it was'nt necessary with the changeling contained in the container, but Tyrian put the container in the brig cell anyway and posted two guards inside the cell with the container. Tyrian told them, "This may end up being our only ace in the hole, guard it well, for it may just save all our lives." Tyrian left another ten security officers posted inside the brig and left for the bridge.
On the bridge, he asked Dark what the current status was, it was about the same with the exception the captured Jem'Hadar warship had come back under the command of Ki'lal. But the Repulse's shields were still down. Tyrian, with Dark's approval went over the ships communication system and addressed all crew, "This is Lt. Summers of the USS Stealth, Jem'Hadar boarding may be imminant, all crew should be armed with handheld phasers or hand to hand weapons due to the close quarter combat situation and the abundance of people onboard at this time. All personnell should position themselves along one wall, backs to it, with nobody accross from them, to avoid crossfire. Officers not in corridors, line yourselves the same way, backs to the wall. Please make preparations now. Summers out." Tyrian had two handheld phaser on his waist and his commando knife in a sheath on the rear of his belt. He was ready to end the lives of some meaningless Jem'Hadar.
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Bridge of USS Jaeger (captured Jem'Hadar ship)
Stardate 9706.03
Ki'lal looked around the bridge of the Jem Hadar ship. His warrior's spirit rejoiced in the knowledge that he would soon be going into battle, that he would have a chance to prove himself to his comrades, that he, Ki'lal, was a warrior to be reckoned with. The five ensigns on the bridge busied themselves with learning the Jem Hadar ship control systems, while the five below in engineering worked on the Jem Hadar power systems. They were not only learning how to use the ship's systems, but were also automatically recording every detail on their tricorders- just in case the ship didn't survive.
Ki'lal had been anticipating his Commander's orders as soon as that changeling had disengaged its shields from around the Repulse. On a Klingon ship Ki'lal knew, he would be fully justified in taking Ayer's life then and there, however he had learned some restraint in Starfleet. He waited for his Commander's orders first. When Sortha's order to take command of the ship from Ayer had come in Ki'lal had welcomed it. He didn't like the changeling, didn't trust the changeling, and never had or would. There was just something greasy about that character. He had been disappointed when Ayer had beamed off the ship. He had been looking forward to frying that changeling into a puddle of goo.
No matter, Ki'lal thought. The coward fled, probably back to rejoin his
"friends" in the "great swamp hole" as he thought of the Great Link. The
changelings made him nauseous. Them and their engineered unfeeling zombie
troopers. He growled just thinking about them. There was something unnerving about the Jem Hadar to a Klingon.
"Status!" Kilal barked roughly.
"Sir!" one of the ensigns barked back, just as loud, secretly enjoying
playing 'Klingon', "shields- at 150% of normal, Weapons- charged but offline
-all power rerouted to shields. Tractor linkages to Repulse -secure. We are
fully functional! SIR!"
"Very good" Ki'lal growled, not quite noticing how much his bridge crew was enjoying playing Klingon.
=============================================================
Commander Sortha
Auxiliary Bridge - USS Stealth
Stardate 9706.03
Sortha received the transmission on the bridge of the USS Stealth. He immediately ordered split screen so that he could see both the Cardassian Gul and the Vorta. He stared intently back at the screen and then stood to his full height moving close to the viewer. He spoke slowly and distictly, "We have no desire for further loss of life. Because your founder chose not to kill Captain Sakata, we shall let the founder live and return him to you. Otherwise I would have had him killed immediately. We know where your priorities lie." He added staring intently at the Cardassian Gul. "Of course the return of the founder is the most important. The death of hundreds of Cardassian solids is of no concern to anyone." Sortha saw his words stab to the heart of the Cardassian Gul. "However," Sortha added, "We will release the founder after we have reached Federation space, not before."
"That is not acceptable!" the Vorta replied immediately.
"Do not forget the lesson of your encounter with Captain Sisko, where a founder died needlessly" Sortha snapped back quickly.
The Vorta considered this for several seconds. "And the ship?"
"You may also have the ship. It is small and besides... Captain Sisko
already procured one for us." The Gorn grinned a toothy grin, while the Vorta appeared to be having a very bad flashback. "But you get nothing until we are in Federation Space."
"Agreed" the Vorta said simply.
"Have your ships maintain a distance of at least .5 lightyears from us at all times. We will make the exchange at the border."
"Agreed" the Vorta said. Sortha enjoyed the look of rage crossing the
Cardassian Gul's face as the screen faded back to a starfield.
"Helm, plot course for DS9. Repulse, follow us in" Sortha informed Lieutenant Dark. "And keep that founder alive and secure" he added. As the
Cardassian and Jem Hadar ships moved off, Sortha thought about how funny life was. At the time, he wasn't sure that he had made the right decision in possibly sacrificing the Stealth to delay the Jem Hadar, but if the Repulse crew hadn't had time to capture the changeling before the Jem Hadar were able to board....well both sides would have suffered heavy casualties, but in the end the Starfleet crews would have been killed off. And if the Repulse/Stealth crew had not captured the changeling, then ultimately the Stealth and Repulse would have been hunted down in Cardassian space. It would have been simply a matter of time.
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/The End is Near
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Lt. Jack Dark
On the Repulse
Stardate 9706.03
We all prepared for the worst but fate smiled on us. The Jem'Hadar ship that had been escorting us returned, locked on a Tractor beam and warped us away from the upcoming battle.
"Lt. Kern You can dismantle the 'Jem'Hadar discouragement device' but have someone ready to use it again if it is needed. Lt. Summers to the bridge. Attention all hands, this is acting captain Dark, we are rapidly being warped away from the Jem'Hadar battle. I am standing down our alert status to General Quarters from Imminent Boarding. We are not out of the woods yet people."
The Repulse crew and I went back to the regular bridge but kept the Holosuit as the backup bridge and had it manned by auxiliary crew. Lord knew we had enough extra people for once.
Shortly after we reached the bridge Lt. Summers, Kane and Ro Laren showed up and we had a conference.
"Does anyone have any news about the Captain?" I ask
"Yes, Ro and I found him alive and I beamed him directly to Sickbay." said Kane.
"Right, when Kern gets here I want him to help you to set up devices so that we can make multiple readings for the founder. This way not only can the Jem'Hadar not just locate him and beam him off the Jem'Hadar ship they can only use minimum force on the Repulse because they can not afford to accidentally kill their God. This gives us a definite tactical advantage because we don't have to pull our punches. I also want the Founder and the fakes booby trapped with as many traps as are feasible. That way they will have to spend time boarding and finding their God and then dismantling the traps. I know this is all contingent on the fact that we may be boarded but I like to be prepared."
"Ki'lal To Repulse Two Jem'Hadar warships and Two Keldon class Cardassian ships will be on us in 15 minutes. I'm going to dock with you and provide shields for you so you can put all your energy into your weapons."
"Thank you USS Jeager we will be ready. Bridge to Lt. O'Coyne status please."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Mission's End
Lt. Commander Ayer
Jem'Hadar Ship
Stardate 9706.05
The interior of the room was dark, perfect for a meeting. As Ayer slid out to the floor and morphed into a Founder, a Jem'Hadar stepped out from the shadows. Ayer looked at the Jem'Hadar and asked, "How are they?"
The Jem'Hadar responded with a proud voice, "They are flourishing. One has informed me to tell you to be proud. There is much to occur but the seeds are intertwined. Soon, they will arrive from the wormhole."
The keyed sequence of words was enough to inform Ayer of what will occur. The Jem'Hadar continued, "Here." he handed a small chip to the Founder, "It must be encoded into the system."
"Very well," Ayer nodded. He paused to think for a moment then said, "Perform this task for me. Make contact with the House of Dumar. You will find it to be owned by the Lady Grilka. Inform her of Rapar, she shall know of what it means. Keep in mind, make the call through with Ambassador Forlaga. The Romulan will be known to her." The Jem'Hadar nodded and left the room.
Finished with his primary task, Ayer turned towards a computer panel and
accessed the comm systems. As he viewed the communications, he was relieved to find the Stealth and the Repulse safe. It was blessing for them to find the other changeling. Proceeding right away, Ayer made his way into the ship's systems. Using the computer, he began a system lock of the weapons. It'll only delay them for a moment but that was all the time that he needed. The main point of every Jem'Hadar and their ships is to fight, which was why only specialized ships have life-pods. This one was no different from the others, with the exception of its reinforced hull to offer higher protection.
Then, when he was finished, he engaged the ship's engine, causing the Jem'Hadar ship to move in closer. Unable to override the engines, the Vorta and the Gul watched as they careened closer towards the two Federation ship. Desperately, the Vorta yelled across the bridge, telling the Jem'Hadars to restore ship's control immediately. When they finally managed to gain control of the engines, they were already close to within firing range. The Stealth had it's weapons and shields powered up, awaiting the attack by the Jem'Hadar. Not wanting to start a fight and risking the life of the Founder onboard the Federation ship, the Vorta hailed the Stealth while unknown to him that another Founder had just beamed off of the ship.
=============================================================
Lt. Tom O'Coyne
Repulse Engineering
Stardate 9706.06
Tom tapped his comm-badge; "Jack, we've managed to get all of the ships systems on-line except the shields; they'll need repair at spacedock".
=============================================================
Stealth and Repulse
At the Cardassian/Federation Border
Stardate 9706.06
Surrounded by no less than five Cardassian warships and four Jem'Hadar attack craft, several of which had joined the ships escorting the Shadow Ops vessels to the border, the Stealth and Repulse reached the Demilitarized Zone.
As the Stealth and Repulse cleared the border, they were quickly halted by the small task force which had followed them and hailed by the lead ship. The Vorta, Gilonda, appeared on the viewscreens of both ships.
"We have upheld our portion of the agreement. We have allowed you safe passage back to Federation space. Now we want the Founder returned, as well as the captured Jem'Hadar ship you pirated," the female Vorta said sternly. "We expect you to comply within 10 minutes."
=============================================================
USS Stealth
Stardate 9706.06
Commander Sortha hailed the Repulse on a coded frequency. "Prepare to make the transfer. On my mark, beam the Founder over to the lead Jem'Hadar sship. At the ssame time, I want both the Sstealth and Repulse to transsport our people off the captured Jem'Hadar vesssel. Then set course for Deep Sspace Nine."
With an afterthought, Sortha added. "Have all weapons locked on the lead
Jem'Hadar sship. If they take any action against uss, fire everything you have."
The crews of both ships were wary of the Cardassians and Jem'Hadar. The only thing keeping them from attacking was the Founder the Repulse held in its brig. Once he was turned over, there was nothing stopping them from attacking.
Either way, there was no easy way out. They had to make the transfer, and hope the Cardassians and Dominion kept their word...
On the lead Jem'Hadar ship
Gilonda looked at her weapons officer. "As soon as the Founder is safely aboard, fire. Signal all the other Cardassian and Jem'Hadar ships to do the same. I want both the Stealth and Repulse finished off. We must send a message to the Federation that they cannot intrude upon our space and get away with it."
The Jem'Hadar weapons officer nodded and locked weapons. He then sent a
signal to the other ships in the task force to follow suit.
When everything was finally in place, the transfer was carried out. Still
locked inside its container, the Changeling that had nearly killed Captain Sakata was beamed to the lead Jem'Hadar ship. At the same time, the skeleton crew from the Stealth which manned the captured Jem'Hadar ship was beamed back to both the Stealth and Repulse.
As Sortha and Dark ordered their ships to depart, heading toward Deep Space Nine, Gilonda was about to give the order to attack when alarms went off on all the ships. A massive tacheyon surge was detected all around them, setting off alarms on both the Federation and Cardassian/Dominion ships.
Around the ships appeared no less than 15 Klingon Birds of Prey, their shields raised and their weapons locked on to the Cardassian and Dominion ships.
"What is this?" Gilonda asked. The Jem'Hadar First, Rek'lyon, stepped forward with a scowl on his face.
"Klingons," the Jem'Hadar muttered. "They are hailing the Federation ships, but it is on an open frequency."
"Put it on screen," Gilonda said, delaying her firing order.
The image of a rugged, one-eyed Klingon appeared on the screen. "This is
General Martok of the Klingon Imperial Forces. We are here to render aid and offer both the Stealth and Repulse an escort to Deep Space Nine."
"Thank you General," Sortha replied from the Stealth. "Your timing is impecible."
"Is there a problem here, commander?" Martok asked.
"Negative, commander. Our escorts were just leaving," Sortha said.
Rek'lyon turned to Gilonda. "Your orders."
The Vorta wanted badly to punish the Federation for its brazen attack into Cardassian space, as did Gul Gelad who led the Cardassian ships which were part of the small stask force. But the 15 Birds of Prey would prove formidible. If all the ships in the task force were Jem'Hadar ships, then perhaps a victory would be easily obtained. But the Klingons had proven time and time again they could easily best Keldon-class ships -- which comprised four of the six Cardassian ships in the fleet.
"Stand down. Turn the task force around and set course for Cardassia," Gilonda said.
"But we can defeat them," Rek'lyon said, challenging the Vorta.
"There will be no battle today," a voice came from behind them. Both Rek'lyon and Gilonda turned to see a Changeling entering the bridge. It was the Founder who had just been returned by the Repulse.
"I am glad to see you are well," Gilonda said.
"Thank you," the Founder said, brushing off the female Vorta. "You made an agreement with the commanders of those ships and you will abide by it. They could have killed me, but they did not. Today, they shall live. But we will remember the USS Stealth and Repulse...and the Starfleet organization which calls itself Shadow Operations.
"Perhaps it is time to regard them in the same manner we did the Romulan Tal Shiar and the Cardassian Obsidian Order three years ago," The Changeling continued. "Perhaps it is time to begin planning their undoing."
"As you wish," Rek'lyon conceded. "Helm. Lay in a course for Cardassia.
Instruct the rest of the task force to follow."
=============================================================
Commander Sortha
Federation Cardassian Border
Stardate 9706.06
The exchange had been made, and the Jem Hadar ships were heading back toward Cardassian space. The crews had been exchanged, and the Stealth crew manned their usual stations. The two ships, the Repulse internally battered but outwardly whole, and the Stealth, looking for all the world like a bad experimental cross between noveau starship design and swiss cheese, were on impulse course for DS9, escorted by the Birds of Prey.
Both Admiral Jaeger and Captain Sakata had regained consciousness and were bantering back and forth in their sickbay berths. At .7 million kilometers from DS9, the Stealth's weary impulse engines finally gave out, giving one last sputter before dying. She coasted into DS9. Sortha knew his crew was going to have one helluva a long shoreleave.
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth-Repulse/Arrival at DS9
FROM THE GM: Both ships will be at DS9 for a couple days. Then both ships will be returning to Earth for further repairs. This will also be the last joint posting for Stealth and Repulse.
=============================================================
Lt. Ki'lal
Stardate 9706.08
On board the Jem'Hadar Ship
Ready Room
Ki'lal looked down at the one-eyed Martok on his personal viewscreen.
"Martok, it has been a long time," said Ki'lal
"That it has, Ki'lal," replied Martok, "How may I help you?"
"I think you know what I want," said Ki'lal, "you got away last time, now you must answer my questions about my family."
"And why should I, what is in it for me?" asked Martok.
"You sound like a Ferengi merchant, Martok. Tell me what you know about my
family. I know that you served with someone who possibly was a relative of mine. WHO WAS HE?"
Martok squinted his one eye in thought, then said "I believe I know who you are speaking of Ki'lal. But he is surely no relative. You are speaking of Pat'hok, a lieutenant under my father's command at Khitomer. They both died honorably. Honor, something you do not have."
"Ahhh," growled Ki'lal, "I have had enough of your foolishness. What family
am I part of, I know you know. I see it in your eyes. tlhIngan quv DatIchDI' Seng yIghuH. (When you insult a Klingon's honor, prepare for trouble)"
"Ha ha ha" laughed Martok. "That is for me to know, and you not to find out. Truthfully, I cannot reveal this Ki'lal. I would die for revealing it."
"So you would sacrifice my honor for your life, what kind of Klingon are you?" said Ki'lal.
"What kind are you, Ki'lal? You don't even have a family. I will not tell you anything, but remember, reH 'eb tu'lu. (there is always a chance). Martok out."
The screen flashed blank. Ki'lal thought "I will find my family and restore my honor. I will die if I have to."
=============================================================
USS Stealth
Just After the Exchange
Stardate 9706.07
As the Changeling prisoner was transported to the Jem'Hadar ship, Ayer managed to access an emergency transporter on the ship he had stowed away aboard and transported himself back to the Stealth while her shields were down.
He immediately reported to the bridge where he was met by a silent Commander Sortha.
"Lt. Commander Ayer reporting for duty," Ayer said as Stealth and Repulse laid in a course for Deep Space Nine and left the DMZ.
"I don't even wissh to sspeak with you right now," Sortha said, ignoring Ayer as he read over a status report handed to his by Lt. Nash. "Get off my bridge. You are confined to your quarterss until further notice."
"Aye sir," Ayer said, not wishing to challenge Sortha. He then turned and left, noticing glares from both Summers and Ki'lal as he boarded the lift.
=============================================================
Lt. Commander Ayer
USS Stealth
Stardate 9706.07
0900 Hours
The Stealth coasted into DS9, where it docked alongside the Repulse. Inside the habitat ring, people all watched as they witness what the ravages of war can bring. The Stealth was battered down, with the hull filled with holes and charred markings. It hardly seemed to be a Federation ship but rather one which was found in a junkyard. As bad as the outside was, the inside was worse. Fires were still burning in certain parts of the ship and plasma leaks were trailing all over the ship, some even leaking out into space to provide a trail which outlines the path the Stealth had taken.
The Repulse seemed to have fared the mission a little better, though not by much. Internal systems were heavily damaged, courtesy of the changeling infiltrator. However, the external condition of the ship was perfectly fine. Thankfully for the protection provided by the USS Jaegar. If it hadn't been there, perhaps...
Just before the ships arrived at DS9, Commander Sortha had lifted Ayer's
confinement to his quarters, but he was told not to report for duty. He had
obviously made the Gorn commander extremely unhappy with him following his refusal to accept earlier orders. There wouls certainly be ramifications.
As he stood on the lounge, watching the docking of the Stealth, Ayer felt a hand being placed on his shoulder. He turned and saw the Gorn officer. Gorn facial expressions differred with most other humanoid features, perhaps because of the way they looked in the first place. However, the expression on the Gorn's face did not miss its mark. Taking a small breath, Sortha said, "Have a sseat with me, lieutenant commander," and motioned to a nearby table. He slowly sat on one of the chair, though it was obvious from the start that it was too small for him.
Ayer admired the large Gorn. Through all the times he had been serving
under him, he had never known the Gorn to complain about anything. If he had
more time, perhaps he could've gotten to know him better. But time was always short. Pulling back a chair, Ayer sat down.
There was a short pause as each officer considered their next action. Ayer looked solemly at the table in front of him and waited. As the Gorn started to speak, Ayer maintained a blank expression as he looked at the Gorn.
"Ayer, your actions onboard the Jaegar was understandable but
unexcusable. Leaving the Repulse to defend herself when she is clearly unable to do so violates everything the Federation stands for. If the Jem'Hadar had man..." he stopped, the changeling knew what he was doing and would've no doubt realized the consequences of his actions. "I know your past experiences may have come into conflict with my orders to guard the Repulse but if you are to serve under Starfleet, you must follow its rules and regulations. I know the Obsidian Order never taught that." Ayer couldn't contain his surprise as he heard the Obsidian Order. How long ago had it been, years? decades?
Undaunted, the Gorn continued, "Yess, I am aware of your service with the Cardassian Intelligence. Perhaps you still do, perhaps you've served under the Tal'Sshiar as well, maybe even all the intelligence of the major governments, perhaps none. But whatever the ansswer, you're in Sstarfleet now and your oath and loyalty is maintained with the Federation. So all actionss that you undertake goes directly under Federation rules. And Federation ruless statess that you be court-martialed for your actions."
Ayer shoulder's slumped as he continued to listen. "You will remain
relieved from duty. We will be at Deep Sspace Nine just long enough to get our warp drive functioning. We will then return to Earth for a complete overhaul...and while there your court-martial will take place at Sstarfleet
Headquarters in Ssan Francissco."
The Gorn stopped to allow the changeling to absorb all the information. He still had one piece of information to tell the changeling. Hissing out the words, he said, "Sstarfleet has taken you off on your assignment onboard the USS Stealth. They feel that having a changeling onboard the center of Ssshadow Operations is a ssecurity risk. I'm sorry lieutenant."
=============================================================
Lt. Jack Dark
Docking at DS9
Stardate 9706.07
Well my first sit in the captain's chair and none got killed, no space
battle, no boarding party, no skin of the teeth last minute reprieve from certain destruction, just a prisoner transfer and short flight to DS9. Thank God.
While I'm sorry to have missed taking out the 'White' ship on second thought I think I'm glad the mission was scrubbed. From what little I learned from the Stealth crew we would have been walking into the maw of a rock crusher set on 'extra-puree'. I just hope the captain doesn't think I went to far with the anti-Jem'Hadar boarding party measures I had gotten started before the crises passed.
Now I'd better figure out how to help Ro Laren. It doesn't matter if she
has amnesty, that won't get her a job and she is going to need one because she can't go back to Starfleet even if she wanted to, no one would trust her. The Maquis are gone and I can't see her turning into a merc or 'consultant ' for a corporation because there would be no cause to fight for. She's no romantic like Eddington but, and it IS a cliché, she is Bajoran. I'll make a few calls when we get to DS9.
=============================================================
Lt. Tom O'Coyne
Sickbay - Repulse
Stardate 9706.08
Tom entered sickbay and saw the captain sitting up on one of the biobeds,
"Lieutenant, good to see you".
He nodded, "Sir... while you were.. incapacitated, the founder managed to
sabotage quite a few of the ships systems."
"I know. It's worrying to see just how easily they can infiltrate even an
organization like Shadow Ops."
"Yes, sir, but the good news is that Chief O'Brien on DS9 says he has one
shield regenerator he can spare from the station's stores. Once we have it
installed the Repulse will have limited shield capacity. We'll still need to put into a major port."
"Good work. Your log says Ensign Jarod was injured, how is he?" "He was a bit shaken and had a mild concussion, but other than that he's OK."
The captain nodded, "Alright, well, get to those repairs Mr. O'Coyne. The shield generator and the cloaking device are top priority."
With that, Tom turned and exited the room.
=============================================================
USS Repulse/Docked at DS9
Sickbay
Stardate 9706.08
Captain Sakata had just undergone brain surgery following the attack on him by the Changeling in his ready room. The prognosis by Dr. Erika Raid was good. He would be ready to return to duty within two or three days. If he had been left tied up in his ready room much longer, he would have died or been permanently brain damaged.
Having regained consciousness, Sakata summoned Jack Dark to sick bay. Dr. Raid allowed Dark to enter, but only for a couple of minutes, insisting her patient needed his rest.
"You asked for me, captain?" Dark asked as he arrived at Sakata's bedside.
Sakata looked up at Jack, "Lieutenant. I'm glad you could come. I managed to read over a report about the ship before Dr. Raid took the padd away from me. I just wanted to tell you that you did an excellent job in my absence. Even though we weren't boarded by the Jem'Hadar, you were well prepared."
"Thank you sir," Dark replied.
"I'll be here for two or three days. Until then I'm leaving you in command. She that repairs are carried out and then set course for Earth," Sakata said. "Lt. O'Coyne can get us one new shield generator here. But Repulse uses two so I've contacted Starfleet Command and they want us to return to Earth. Repulse will need several days of layover there for our shield generators to be replaced, and for other minor systems upgrades. On the way home, steer us as clear of the DMZ as you can. I don't want to run across the Jem'Hadar without full shields."
"Aye sir," Dark said again.
"Good job, lieutenant," Sakata said. "Carry on."
=============================================================
USS Stealth/Docked at DS9
Stardate 9706.08
Chief Miles O'Brien and Lt. Sholek together reached a similar grim conclusion about the status of the Stealth, and it wasn't good at all.
"This ship is a piece of garbage," O'Brien said as the last of his engineering teams joined Sholek's people to get working on the warp drive.
"I would concur," Sholek said.
"Starfleet isn't going to like this one bit. We're talking complete overhaul. She'll be in spacedock for months," the chief said, reading over a padd with a detailed report. "Once we get the warp drive back up, you should be able to get her back to Earth, Lt. Sholek. But I wouldn't push her much past warp 6. And she's definately not going to survive any combat at this point. I don't want to be the one who has to tell that Gorn commander of yours."
Sholek nodded in agreement. "Then I guess I will take on that task."
=============================================================
Commander Sortha
Stealth/At DS9
Stardate 9706.08
Commander Sortha rested in the shattered remains of the Captain's ready room aboard the USS Stealth, which was presently docked at Deep Space Nine. Absently pushing a piece of debris off his desk, he leaned back and rested in his battered chair. It seemed that he hadn't slept in days, and in actuality he hadn't. Although the Gorn had phenomonal endurance, even they could be pushed to exhaustion due to fatigue and stress. Sortha had had his share of stress. His head hurt from the constant plotting and planning he did to keep not only his crew, but the crew of the Repulse alive as well. Leaning back, he put his feet on the desk, and closed his eyes.
A few moments later, he heard a noise. A faint noise, almost a sneaking noise. Sortha woke up and looked at the door, just in time to see a large powerfully built Klingon in a Lieutenant Commander's uniform walk in. He moved with a natural grace and agility, the movements of a trained martial artist. He was examining the damage that scarred so much of the Stealth.
Almost to himself, he spoke "this...., is the ship of a warrior. It must have been glorious."
"Commander Worf" Sortha said with a grin, "you would have enjoyed yourself thoroughly."
"Yes, I can see" Worf replied. "I have read the ship's battle logs. We must discuss your stories over a very large jug of blood wine."
Sortha straightened, some of his weariness draining away "I hope that jug is very deep, Commander. I have become very thirsty over the past several days."
=============================================================
Deep Space Nine
Stardate 9706.08
The Maquis ship Ravenhawk dropped out of warp and entered the Bajor system. She was communicating a transmission the equivilant of a flag of truce. Captain Benjamin Sisko, aware of the Maquis' heavy losses following his recent mission alongside the now dead Michael Eddington, extended a welcome to the ship and allowed it to dock with the station.
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Docked at DS9
Lt. Ki'lal
Stardate 9706.08
Quark's Bar
Deep Space 9
Ki'lal approached the massive Klingon tentatively. He had heard about Worf at the academy and was unsure about how to feel approaching a legend, especially to talk about something so personal.
Ki'lal finally got enough guts and approached Worf. "Sir."
"Yes, lieutenant. Ah, you are the Klingon I have heard about. Please, join me. Barkeep, two prune juices."
"Prune juice?" asked Ki'lal, astonished.
"Yes, the drink of warriors. I have heard much about, Ki'lal. It is Ki'lal, correct."
"Yes," replied Ki'lal, "but as you may already know, I have no family."
"That could prove to be a problem as a Klingon. Why do you have no family?"
questioned Worf.
"Supposedly my parents abandoned me when I was very young. I was found floating in an empty torpedo, alone in the middle of nowhere," Ki'lal said to Worf.
"Indeed, your parents must have no honor. Do you know anything of them?"
"No, and that is why I came to you. I know that you are deeply involved in
Klingon politics. Do you think that you could help me get the High Council's attention to open some records that could reveal something about my identity?"
Worf sat for a minute in a deep intellectual pause. After a moment, he
responded. "Lieutenant, I know what it is like to be without honor. The House of Mogh stood for several years without honor. Not even knowing your family must be very difficult for you. I have decided, pending Captain Sisko's authorization, and your commanding officer's as well, to go on a "shoreleave" of sorts to Quo'nos, the Homeworld, and we will see what we can do to `open some records'."
Ki'lal could not believe his ears; the best known Klingon in Starfleet was going to go with him to the Homeworld to help find information on Ki'lal's family. It was a dream come true, he might, within the next few weeks, know of his family.
Later, with Sortha
Ki'lal explained the situation to Sortha and then officialy requested a shore leave of two weeks.
Sortha nodded. "Very well, lieutenant. Two weeks, then you can meet up with us back at Earth where the Stealth will be refitted. Dissmissed, and good luck."
END TRNASMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Diversions at DS9
Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
Docked at Deep Space Nine
Stardate 9706.10
Tyrian woke up and asked the computer to light the lights in his quarters, nothing happened. Since the Stealth had recieved massive damage to most of the decks, actually the quarters a few down from Tyrian's were open to space, some systems weren't working too well.
Tyrian groaned as he woke up and stumbled groggily over to the wall and manually played with the controls and the lights lit up. After his return to the Stealth he had come back to his quarters to find them in shambles, things strewn all over the place from the rough battle, but at least they were in one peace. He put on his uniform and walked into the hallway, the walls had smoke damage all around, wall panels were blackened when they exploded with overloaded wiring. The ship was a disaster and hardly spaceworthy.
Tyrian walked to where the Steath was docked with DS9 and left the ship, walking onto one of the upper docking pylons of the station. He made his way down to Quarks, a popular bar operated by a ferengi. He say that Ki'lal was seated talking to another Starfleet Klingon officer..........he thought he remembered his name was Worf. Tyrian did'nt want to interrupt so he just nodded and took a seat at the bar.
He ordered a large orange juice, the bartender scoffed and made some snide comment under his breath and then put the glass down on the counter. Tyrian sat back and started thinking about everything that had happened since they left Spacedock.
Tyrian could'nt wait to get back to earth and see his mother and brothers, but really wanted to see his ex-girlfriend Alexis, who was now about seven months pregnant with thier child, something she had told him just before the Steath headed out for space. Tyrian finished his drink and headed out the door, and nodded to a couple of his crewmembers seated at a nearby table.
=============================================================
USS Stealth
Engineering
Stardate 9706.10
Commander Sortha lumbered through engineering and found the place a disaster area. Panels were pulled open everywhere and fiber-optic cables hung from every hatchway as engineering crews from DS9 and Stealth worked to get the warp and impulse engines back on line.
The Gorn felt badly that Stealth had taken such severe damage in the battle against the Cardassians and Dominion. If getting the warp core and impulse engines back online was going to be this hard, he hated to think how long the ship would be sitting in spacedock for it's other repairs.
Sortha walked up to a place where several officers were gathered around and he saw Admiral Jaegar among them. The admiral was doing much better after being wounded in the battle and was finally up and around.
"Commander. This is quite a mess you've managed to create here," Jaegar said.
"Ssorry ssir," Sortha said. "I guesss we bit off more than we could chew."
"Sholek and O'Brien are telling me the ship needs a complete overhaul," Jaegar said, walking alongside the towering Gorn. "Starfleet Command says it could be 4-6 months before they can refit and repair Stealth to get her spaceworthy again."
Sortha bowed his head. He feared as much, but he hadn't admitted it to himself yet that Stealth was in that bad of shape. "That is not good newss. What are we going to do during that time?"
"I'm working on that right now. I may have to return to my office at Starfleet Intelligence Headquarters on Earth while you and your team become a rapid-deployment force, temporarily of course. You'd be given an upgraded runabout or some other form of transport during that time," Jaegar said. "But nothing is concrete yet. I'll be able to give you a more definitive answer when we reach Earth."
"Any word on when we can get underway?" Sortha asked.
"Possibly as early as tomorrow. The U.S.S. Flagstaff will be leaving here for Earth tomorrow evening and we may accompany them back, just in case we experience difficulties and need to be...towed," Jaegar said.
Sortha growled under his breath. He loathed the thought of his ship having to be towed home. He wanted Stealth to come into Earth orbit under her own power. That would be most humiliating.
"What is the prognosiss on the warp drive?" Sortha asked.
"Sholek can have it working at 75-percent capacity. But there's no guarantee it will hold out for the duration of the flight home. And we can't travel faster than warp 6 or we risk compromising structual integrity," Jaegar said. "At least impulse drive will be fully functional and most weapon systems."
"I hope thiss sship holdss together long enough to get uss there," Sortha rumbled.
"When we reach Earth, there will be quarters prepared for the crew at Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco. We can stay there until we get word onhow long it is before we have a ship and what we'll be doing while she's being repaired," Jaegar said, then becoming rigid. "There's also the matter of Starfleet versus Lt. Commander Ayer. Preparations for his court martial are underway in San Francisco."
Sortha nodded his head sorrowfully, "I have told him what to expect. He is prepared to accept responsibility for his actions."
"I hope so. He's a good officer. I just wish he could learn to stop being such a damn loose cannon," Jaegar said. "Well, I'm off to meet with General Martok. We're going to discuss sector intelligence. Should be most entertaining..."
=============================================================
Deep Space Nine
Stardate 9706.10
"Lt. Commander Worf to Lt. Ki'lal," the big Klingon said, tapping his comm-badge.
"Ki'lal here," the other Klingon replied.
"I have received approval from Captain Sisko for a leave of absence. We have been given access to the runabout Rio Grande for our transportation. Since your commander wants you back at Earth soon, we should leave tonight. It will take us four days to reach Quo'Nos."
Ki'lal responded. "Aye sir. I'll start packing my belongings."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Wrapping up on DS9
Lt. Sholek
Deep Space Nine
Stardate 9706.10
Sholek joined O'Brien at Quark's. He had some Vulcan Spice Tea and O'Brien
had some kind of liquor. They were playing darts.
"Sholek," O'Brien began, "have you ever considered playing darts in a
tournament? You hit bullseye every time."
"I believe the human saying is 'its all in the wrist'," Sholek replied. " I am not competitive. It would be illogical to test my skills against others when I know I have perfect aim. I only play for leisure."
"Sure," O'Brien said. "Tell me something Sholek. For the past hour or so I
noticed Ensign Jefferson staring at you. Do you even notice her."
"For one hour, six minutes, thirty-two seconds to be exact, and yes I have
noticed her."
"Why don't you go talk with her. I think she has a crush on you."
"It is nothing but an illogical emotion. It will pass. Besides I am too old for her."
"Yes, but your in better physical condition then I am, which is surprising
based on your age. What's your secret for staying so fit."
"Logic."
"Logic?" O'Brien said surprised. "You can't live your whole life based on
logic. I understand that you lost your family back on Romulus but you need to get over them and find someone to spend the rest of your life with."
"I lost them on Remus, I am over them, and the last time I tried spending my life with someone she was cruelly tortured and executed."
"Don't let your past ruin your future. You go over there and talk with her, I have to get back to duty."
O'Brien left and Sholek stood there for a second thinking about what O'Brien had said. He looked over at Ensign Jefferson. She smiled and waved him over. He decided it couldn't hurt to talk a while with her. Maybe they could become friends.
=============================================================
Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
USS Stealth docked at Deep Space Nine
Stardate 9706.11
Tyrian stared at the United Federation of Planets logo on the screen of the computer terminal as he waited for his transmission to come through. After a few moments later the image was replaced by one of his mother. She almost jumped up and down in excitement when Tyrian told her that he was headed to earth. He talked to her for a while and caught up on things briefly, then sent another transmission elsewhere in San Francisco, to the house of his ex-girlfriend Alexis. She appeared on the screen, tears forming when he told her of the Stealth's destination. She told Tyrian that she was due in less than two months. They talked about things for what seemed to be a short time, but actually turned out to be about three hours, Tyrian had to go on duty and told her that he would see her shortly.
Repairs were going on all over the Stealth as Tyrian walked towards the bridge. On the bridge, panels were open everywhere, sparks flying occasionally to the floor. He reported to duty and took over at tactical, the panel was almost completely apart, an engineer was on the floor underneath it working on it, apparently some sub systems had suffered electrical damage. Tyrian got to work helping the engineer perform repairs, Tyrian hated working on equipment unless he was planting a bomb in it.
After a couple of hours of working on the tactical console, Tyrian was
getting bored and glanced at the main viewscreen which had the blackness of
space covering it. He saw a small Starfleet runabout come into view at the
bottom of the screen and speed off into the distance. How he would have liked to be on it, or any other moving ship for that matter.
=============================================================
Lt. Thoraz Brynaziir
Stardate 9706.11
Deep Space Nine
After the Stealth docked at DS9, Thoraz went in search of quarters as his were no longer in liveable condition (having been blown out in Cardassian space). "I wonder what the Cardassians will do with PADDs of cultural notes?' Thoraz mused.
Once he was assigned quartes on the station he sent a message home. He asked for copies of his notes to be sent to Starfleet Headquarters on Earth as his had been 'lost". His father asked how this happened, but Thoraz just answered
that it was a rare accidental occurance and left it at that.
Quark's Bar was packed when Thoraz got there so he found a small place in a corner and collapsed into a chair. After a couple of real drinks, he pulled out a new PADD and began making notes for his Commander. "The crew are in a period of mourning over the loss of fellow crew members. The tensions are much relieved, but the crew is worried about the future of their ship and their place in Shadow Ops. Tyrian is no longer alone in his attitude toward Ayer, and I must confess that even I am not sure of what to make of him anymore.
"The rumors of the coming court martial are causing divisions among the crew. Some want him to be severly punished, others think what he did wasn't that bad, others don't trust him because he is a Changeling."
The report doesn't look good. I will have to see Commander Sortha about this.
The next day Thoraz was wandering about the Promenade when he saw Tyrian enter Quark's. "Well, might as face another challenge right away' thought Thoraz as he followed Tyrian. Just after Tyrian sat down Thoraz came to his table.
" Lieutenant Summers, we have to talk. Tyrian, I tried this as a friend, but now consider it an official request. We need to talk about the incident on Cardassia when you were interrogated by Ayer. The mission is over and we will have several days before reaching Earth. I hope to have this matter resolved by then. If you have a problem with how I am now handling this, then take it up with Commander Sortha. Shall we talk now or later today?"
=============================================================
USS Stealth
Stardate 9706.11
0945 hours
As the engineering crews wrapped up with repairs to the warp drive, Sholek
signalled Sortha. The Gorn commander was on the bridge overseeing some repairs that would make the bridge functional and safe to use once again.
"Ssortha here, Mr. Ssholek," Sortha said, tapping his comm-badge.
"Commander. The warp drive is repaired as well as is possible without pulling into a major port. As I said yesterday, we should be able to manage warp 6 without a problem. Impulse drive is fully restored," Sholek responded.
"Very good. Carry on," Sortha said. He then tapped a button activating the shipwide intercom. "Crew. Thiss iss Commander Ssortha. We will be departing the sstation thiss evening at 1700 hourss bound for Earth. Everyone sshould report to their duty stationss by 1600 hourss. Ssortha out."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Leaving Deep Space Nine
USS Stealth
Deep Space Nine
Stardate 9706.12
The USS Stealth, her crew all back onboard -- with the exception of Ki'lal -- disconnected from the docking pylon where she rested and began to move off from the station.
Stealth joined the USS Flagstaff, a Nebula-class starship, and together the two ships began the trip back to Earth at warp six.
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Ki'lal and Ayer
Lt. Ki'lal
Stardate 9706.12
Rio Grande Runabout
Nearing Quo'nos
It had been a long trip. Ki'lal and Worf were discussing what they were going to do once they reached Quo'nos when a sensor beeped. "We are approaching Quo'nos, sir," said Ki'lal.
"Very good. Send a message to the High Council, the son of Mogh is here and
wishes to speak to the High Council," ordered Worf. "Ki'lal, before we beam down, I want to remind you that this is going to be a difficult task, and we might find nothing."
"I understand sir. This is too important to have fear. I am Klingon, although I do not have a family, and the courage runs deep in my blood," said Ki'lal, confidently.
"Excellent," said Worf as he made his way to the transporter pad.
"Computer, geosynchronus orbit. Keep a lock on our transporter signals. Two to beam down to coordinates Worf Alpha Theta 1." The computer chirped and Ki'lal and Worf dematerialized from the pad and rematerialized just outside the main part of town.
It was night and Worf suggested they find lodging in an inn. Ki'lal agreed and they searched for a hospitable place. They encountered an inn that Worf was familiar with. Ki'lal and Worf got a room and joined a group of rowdy, drunken Klingons.
Worf ordered two dishes of gagh. When the barkeep brought the dishes to the
two, Ki'lal gasped and let out a "eew" under his breath.
Ki'lal said, "it's, um, alive?"
Worf replied, "yIntaHbogh qagh jablu'DI' reH nIvqu' qagh." (Gagh is always best when served live.) So, Ki'lal reluctantly ate the gagh, which was suprisingly tasty. He did not understand why, but Ki'lal suddenly let out a growl and began feasting and drinking like the rest of the Klingons in the inn.
Worf said, "Ki'lal, you truly understand what it is to be a real Klingon, now."
Ki'lal shouted, "bIjatlh' 'e' yImev. yItlhutlh." (Stop talking! Drink!)
=============================================================
Lt. Commander Ayer
Deep Space Nine - Promenade (Before the Stealth's departure)
Stardate 9706.12
The carpeted floor on the promenade silent the sound of the two changelings as their feet walked across the area. Outside the windows, out in the interior of space, the wormhole opened as a Tellerian freighter entered into it. It was an odd sight, two changelings, one dressed in Bajoran military uniform, the other in Starfleet, walking side by side as they surveved their surroundings. Those that had lived on the station was used to the sight of Odo and showed no surprise as he walked beside what appeared to be a human.
"So have they given you the time?" Odo asked.
Ayer nodded, "0900 hours in the Hall of Ministers."
"Hmph," Odo grumphed. "They always schedule it in the morning. I suppose it gives them suitable time to find a sentence. Speaking of which, what do you suppose it will be?"
"I haven't given much thought about that. It's very clear now what has been going on. I couldn't see that during the mission. I had frequent flashes from my memories in the House of Dumar," Ayer said. "I just couldn't allow the factor that brought the House down to bring the Stealth down. But I suppose I shall be charged. My assignment aboard the Stealth is over, now I just have to wait and see where time takes me."
"Very well then."
"Odo, just tell me one thing. Do you think the station will be able to deal with any further Dominion threats?"
Odo seemed shock by the question but answered, "It's been doing it quite well over the years. I don't see why it shouldn't now."
"I know Starfleet has placed their finest on the station but I doubt it will stand against the Dominion when they send more troops into the Alpha Quadrant. And with the ideas Kai Winn is proposing, I doubt it bodes well for Starfleet or Bajor. I certainly hope your Captain Sisko will deal with Kai Winn when the time is come."
Odo grunted, "It's only a matter of time."
"Very well." Just then, Ayer's commbadge beeped, "Crew. Thiss iss Commander Ssortha. We will be departing the sstation thiss evening at 1700 hourss bound for Earth. Everyone sshould report to their duty stationss by 1600 hourss. Ssortha out." Ayer looked at Odo, "I guess I have to go."
Odo bid farewell and left. Ayer sighed, he wished he could warn him but he'll find out soon enough. Turning around, he headed towards the Stealth.
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/DS9 Stragglers
=============================================================
Lt. Ki'lal
Stardate 9706.13
Quo'nos
The next morning, Ki'lal woke up with a terrible headache-too much drink. Worf made the lieutenant wake very early too and this did not help matters.
"Lieutenant, it is time to wake. We must make our visit to the main part of
the city today. The High Council is meeting with us today. Are you prepared to make the request?" questioned Worf.
"Aye, sir," groggily replied Ki'lal. "We'll we eat before we depart?"
"Yes. There is a small meal waiting for us downstairs. Let us go now, before it is too late," replied Worf.
Suddenly realizing the importance of the day, Ki'lal sprung up, dressed and made himself presentable, went downstairs and ate. After Worf and Ki'lal finished eating, they left for the city.
They finally arrived to the hall of the High Council. The building loomed over the two dressed in Starfleet garb. Worf looked at Ki'lal with a reassuring look and said, "vay DaneHbogh yIchargh!" (Conquer what you desire!) then Ki'lal, with enthusiasm, entered the High Council chamber with Worf in tow.
"Worf, son of Mogh," said Chancellor Gowron, head of the High Council,
barely acknowledging the Klingon he still considered a traitor. "I have been told that you desire something, some `information`?"
"Yes," replies Worf, sternly. "I would like to introduce Ki'lal, a Starfleet lieutenant, who wishes to make a request."
"Why do you accompany him, Worf?" asked Gowron in a low growl.
"As you know, Gowron, I have had `family trouble` and I feel that I must support Ki'lal, who has no family and no chance of reaching you, the High Council."
"What is your request, boy?" asked one of the councilmen.
"I request access to records that could lead to the discovery of my family, my father, and my mother. All records that I need have been sealed and I request permission to access them," said Ki'lal with confidence.
"Very well, we will consider your request and let you know tomorrow, " said
Gowron.
============================================================
Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
Deep Space Nine
Stardate 9706.14
Tyrian was sitting at a corner table in Quark's enjoying a synthohol when he noticed Brynazir walk in the door and come towards him.
"Damn" Tyrian thought, he had avoided the counselor for a while, but he finally caught up with him. Brynizir walked over to the table and told him that they must talk, and without saying it outright, threatened to go to Sortha if he didn't talk to him and resolve the situation about the torture on Cardassia at the hands of Ayer.
Tyrian said, "I have prior obligations to take care of for the next few hours, but we shall meet up on the Stealth after it heads back to earth, let me know when is convientent for you counselor."
=============================================================
Lt. Thoraz Brynaziir
Stardate 9706.14
Meeting with Summers
"Tyrian, we are friends. You do not need to call me Counsellor. Come to my quarters on the Stealth and we'll talk."
=============================================================
Lt. Sholek
Deep Space Nine headed towards the Stealth
Stardate 9706.10
The time was 1530 hours. Sholek walked Ensign Jefferson to the Stealth.
"Sholek, thank you for talking with me at Quark's," she said. "I'd really like to get to know you better, to become closer."
"I'd like to get to know you better to," he said, "but we could never be more than friends Ensign."
"Please, call me Kim," she requested. "Why can't we get closer? Is it because of your age? Or because of your logic?"
"Logic requires me to rid myself of all emotion. I could never give you the love you desire."
"Sure you can, you just have to let go of your Vulcan training. Be an
irrational, emotional Romulan. That is what you are. Isn't illogical to deny who you are. Isn't illogical to mask yourself with an image that is not you."
"A paradox? I want to hide my pain with logic, but logic says I can't lie to myself like that and I'm back where I started."
"Don't worry Sholek. I'll find a way to release the you that you hid be
Vulcan logic."
Sholek escourted her to her quarters.
"Thank you for being my escourt," she said. "I know you feel for me but hide your feelings under your logic." Then she got on her tippy-toes and kissed
him, turned around, and walked into her quarters turning back to him to smile.
=============================================================
Lt. Thoraz Brynaziir
Stardate 9706.12
Reporting for Duty
Thoraz was walking through the corridors of the Stealth, looking at all the
repairs taking place. The whole ship resembled something from Ancient Earth
culture ... a patchwork quilt.
The turbolift was slow in arriving, to be expected though. Thoraz entered the Bridge at exactly 15:26. "Reporting for duty, Commander" Thoraz stated solemnly. "Sir, may I speak with you in your ready room?" inquired Thoraz.
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Response to Thoraz
Commander Sortha
Stealth bridge
Stardate 9706.15
"Ssssss, Yes of course Lieutenant. Lieutenant Summers you have the conn." Sortha walked into his ready room with Brynaziir in tow. The doors slid shut behind them, sealing them in the still battered ready room. The only furniture in the room was a desk and a chair, and those were surplus from DS9. Turning an inquisitive coal black eye to Brynaziir, Sortha asked "now, what can I do for you Lieutenant?" The Gorn looked expectantly at the Betazoid.
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Earth Bound
USS Stealth
Speeding Toward Earth
Stardate 9706.16
Admiral Erik Jaegar came off the lift on to the main bridge. He was glad to see things mostly put back together, but there were still scorch-marks blackening the walls in some places around the bridge. At the center of the bridge was Commander Sortha who was busy checking some reports handed to him by an ensign.
Jaegar sat down beside Sortha and looked at the big Gorn. "Commander. I just got done speaking with Starfleet Command. When we arrive at Earth we'll be docking at McKinley Station. There, they will give the ship a once over to determine how much work is needed and what facility it will be repaired at."
"The engineering sstaff here ssayss the outlook iss bad," Sortha said. "We've had trouble maintaining sstructual integrity ssince we left Deep Sspace Nine. It may be monthss before the sships iss back to normal."
Jaegar nodded grimly. "I have advised Starfleet that this may be the case. They are preparing options for us when we return. Something to keep the crew together and functioning while they're without a ship."
"Any word as to what they will have uss doing?" Sortha asked.
"Not yet. But don't worry about it, I'm sure they'll figure something out," Jaegar said. "We arrive tomorrow, correct?"
"Yes. At about 1300 hourss," the Gorn replied.
"Hopefully we'll find out more then," Jaegar conceded. "Ayer's court martial is set to begin the next day."
Sortha stirred uncomfortably in his chair. "This vissit to Earth won't be
very pleassant, I guess you might ssay."
=============================================================
Lt. Kalahna Jarnell
Aboard the Stealth
Stardate 9706.16
Kalahna wandered the halls of the Stealth, on course for Earth. She had not been to Earth since the Academy and she looked forward to seeing friends she had made in San Francisco. Absentmindedly she found herself outside Tyrian's door. She knew that Tyrian had suffered a great deal of trauma during the last mission, and during his torture by Ayer, something she did not quite understand. Since she needed to unwind herself, she felt like she needed to talk to someone. It had been one tense mission. Still the Stealth had done good. She was looking forward to some more medals and stuff. She pressed the door chime. Several seconds later a quizzical voice asked "who's there?"
"It's me Kalahna."
"Huh? Um, just a second. Several moments later Tyrian opened the door.
He looked rumpled as if he had been sleeping.
"I hope I didn't wake you" Kalahna said.
"No, no, I was just going over some reports" Tyrian said, wiping a sleepy from his eye.
"Want to talk over a cup of hot chocolate?" Kalahna asked.
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Homeward Bound
Lt. Thoraz Brynaziir
Sortha's Ready Room
Stardate 9706.17
"Sir, the crew are in a period of mourning over the loss of crewmates. Tensions are much relieved now that the battle is over, but the crew is worried about what will happen to the ship, where they will be assigned and their place in Shadow Operations.
"Tyrian is no longer alone in his opinion of Ayer, and i must confess even I am not sure of what to make of him anymore. Rumors of the coming court martial are causing divisions among the crew. Some want him to be severely punished, while others think that what he did was not so bad."
Thoraz finished his report and remained standing at attention.
"Isss there sssomething elssse Lieutenant?" inquired Sortha.
"Permission to speak freely, Sir."
"By all meanss," Sortha said.
"I feel it is imperitve to tell you a few things, sir. First, I have arranged to meet with Tyrian when we both have some time. He is my friend and I want to help him. Second, I am comfortable with my role as counsellor. I have not been trained in counselling techniques, though my telepathic abilities enable me to determine how others are feeling. I am perfectly willing to continue to aid both you and the Admiral with checking out both the crew and others we encounter, But I want to do more. I have formal training in communication and security. Third, as you know, my quarters were destroyed in the battle and I wish to reconstruct my cultural notes. I have sent word home to Betazed for backup copies stored there, but I need to restore records lost since leaving the Academy.
"Fourth, I was wondering what you know about our extended sta on Earth. I have no family or friends there. If we will be on leave until the ship is repaired i will have nothing to do except reconstruct notes. Also, IS the ship going to be repaired or replaced. I must confess that I am starting to wonder if the crew will be kept together, or split up and sent to other assignments." Thoraz sighed as he finished.
He had just released a lot emotions that were starting to weigh heavily on him. Thoraz stood awaiting his commander's reply.
Not being able to 'read' the commander added to his concerns.
=============================================================
Lt. Commander Ayer
USS Stealth - Ayer's Quarter
Stardate 9706.17
The bag sealed shut with a tight click. The hard duranium-coalian alloy of the bag could protect from a lot of things. Ayer had bought it from a Ferengi trader a long time ago and it has always served its purpose well. From the time he had first implanted the comm chip into the Romulan agent to the time when he had escaped the Orion Syndicate, the hard metal case had always done it's job well. The fifteen gold-pressed latinum he had spent for the bag was the best deal he had ever made and on countless occasion, helped him finish his tasks.
But for now, all that Ayer had placed inside the rectangular case was several padds and his regenerative container. He also stored the tricorder he had carried with him ever since he was enrolled into Starfleet. He had heavily modified it to fit his needs but the outside appearance still looked to be a normal tricorder. Ayer sighed and wondered when he will have to use it. All that he knews was that it won't be for a long time.
'Just as well,' he thought, 'if they don't succeed in their mission then I will have to assist.'
"Computer, how long before we reach Earth?"
The computer chirped, "Arrival at McKinley Station is 55 minutes 43 seconds at our current speed."
Ayer nodded, it won't be long now. Very soon, he will have to meet with the Starfleet Admirals and face his judgement. Thoughts of what will happen after flashed through his head. Where could he go after Starfleet? All that he had wanted to do was accomplished. Starfleet was the last task he had set himself for but by leaving early, he made the biggest mistake he had ever done. And now everything which he had strived for will never be complete.
Depressed, the changeling walked towards the windows and stared out.
Streaks of stars passed the window's gaze as the Stealth cruised along the
unseen region of subspace. "Do not accept the consequences that comes to you, make your own." That was what he had been taught in the Obsidian Order. Klingon Intelligence had their own saying, "Honor comes only through the choices you make and the consequences you accept for them." Each had their own rules of conduct and performances always varied. The Tal'Shiar, for example, performed their services extremely well. They maintained a tight control of their Empire through subtle means. If anyone threatens their power, they will quietly move in and just as quietly remove that threat.
Ayer wondered how much of the past had truly affected him now. When he was first initiated into Starfleet, he was a relatively new person. But as time progressed, the past managed to caught with him and affected his behaviour since. It may have done some good but the damage caused was too great.
The memories of what had occured on Cardassia Prime was still with him.
Tyrian's interrogation was the hardest thing he had ever done, not only because they were acquainted but Ayer had to use as much time as he could in order to allow his people to escape the attention of Gul Dukat. Having to know Tyrian only made it worse. There were still times when images of the torture appeared to Ayer when he was in his regenerative form. Electrical sparks that danced around Tyrian's face; sonic beams which twisted his internal organs; the flash of his whole body as all of his nerve cells were being triggered. Ayer never intended to hurt him physically which was the reason why Tyrian wasn't in a medical facility spending years in a bio-chamber. But the mental breakdown of Tyrian did extensive damage to all parts of his thinking processes. For hours, Ayer had exposed Tyrian to holographic simulations, each preying on the tactical officer's weakness. The images of his father were especially painful, the changeling had noted.
But Tyrian was stronger than most others. His will to survive and resist was strong enough that it never shut down. A fact which Ayer was grateful for. He doubt Starfleet would be happy with a brain-dead officer even if Ayer had rescued him from Cardassia.
Turning away from the window, Ayer walked towards a couch and sat down. There was less than an hour left before they arrive. And less than a day before his court-martial is to start. Taking a padd from the table in front of him, Ayer started reading.
=============================================================
Lt. Ki'lal
Stardate 9706.16
Qo'noS
The next day, Ki'lal and Worf returned to the High Council for their decision. Chancellor Gowron and the rest entered the room. As Gowron took his seat, he squinted at the two. "We have reached a decision, Ki'lal," Gowron growled. "You will be able to access records regarding your family, but only on a limited basis, for a limited time. You may use the access code that we will give you to access the computer's database. You have two days, and the access code will no longer be valid. Do not try anything beyond the access granted, or the punishment will be very severe."
Ki'lal grinned as the Chancellor spoke and when he was finished Ki'lal said, "thank you, sir. I believe this will help me a great deal in my search."
"I hope it does, " Gowron said, smiling an evil grin.
"Come, lieutenant, let us begin accessing information. I am familiar with the system," said Worf.
**********************LATER**************************
"Damn," said Ki'lal, "this access code isn't worth a replicated plate of gagh." Ki'lal tapped a few more buttons. Every time he would get close to pertinent information, the computer screen would flash "ACCESS DENIED".
"Don't give up so easily," said Worf. Worf tapped a few buttons, trying to access information on Ki'lal. The records showed no record of Ki'lal, or anyone like him. Then Worf tapped his comm badge, "Worf to Rio Grande computer, beam down one med kit to these coordinates." The computer chirped and affirmative and a med kit appeared near the two.
"What's that for?" questioned Ki'lal.
"Roll up your sleeve," ordered Worf.
"Why?"
"Just do it!"
"Aye, sir," said Ki'lal as he rolled up his sleeve.
"I am going to take a sample of your DNA, enter it into the computer and cross-reference it with Klingon medical records. It may prove to be useful," said Worf. Worf took the sample and entered it to the computer.
"Cross reference with medical records." The Klingon computer chirped an affirmative and the computer said, "Cross referencing will take approximately 2 hours to complete, proceed?" "Yes," said Worf. "You should get some sleep. We have been at this for 8 hours."
"Good idea, I'll nap for an hour, then you. OK?" asked Ki'lal.
"Excellent idea, lieutenant," replied Worf.
****************TWO HOURS LATER**************************
"Cross referencing complete."chirped the computer.
Ki'lal leaned over and looked at the results. 3 possible matches were shown, all male. Ki'lal quickly downloaded this information to his tricorder. "Commander, you might want to see this," Ki'lal said to Worf.
"Did the computer find any matches?" asked Worf, rising.
"Yes, 3, sir all male."
"Hmmm... let me look at those.," said Worf. The computer screen looked like
this;(TRANSLATED FROM KLINGON)
___________________________________________________________________________
DNA CROSS REFERENCING COMPLETE.
************NO EXACT MATCHES FOUND.****************
NAMES OF POSSIBLE MATCHES AND POSSIBILITY PERCENTAGE;
NAME FAMILY %
Ka'lath Pul'tan 21%
Ha'rugE Man'joh 21%
Kern Mogh 55%
______________________________________________________________________
As soon as Ki'lal finished downloading the information, the screen went blank. Worf looked at Ki'lal and said, "Kern is my brother."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Approaching Earth
Commander Sortha
Captain's ready room, USS Stealth
Stardate 9706.18
Brynaziir: "Sir, the crew are in a period of mourning over the loss of crewmates. Tensions are much relieved now that the battle is over, but the crew is worried about what will happen to the ship, where they will be assigned and their place in Shadow Operations."
Sortha: "According to the Admiral, the Stealth will be repaired. Thiss will take ssome time however. During that time we will be kept together as a unit. No further information is available. We may be reassigned to the Stealth, or to another sship."
B: "Tyrian is no longer alone in his opinion of Ayer, and i must confess even I am not sure of what to make of him anymore. Rumors of the coming court martial are causing divisions among the crew. Some want him to be severely punished, while others think that what he did was not so bad."
Thoraz finished his report and remained standing at attention.
S: The fate of Ayer is not in the handss of thiss crew, nor mine. Hiss fate iss in the handss of the Admiralty. The crew sshould concern themselves with keeping thiss ship running until we reach Earth. "Isss there sssomething elssse Lieutenant?" inquired Sortha.
B: "Permission to speak freely, Sir."
S: "By all meanss," Sortha said.
B: "I feel it is imperitve to tell you a few things, sir. First, I have arranged to meet with Tyrian when we both have some time. He is my friend and I want to help him. Second, I am comfortable with my role as counsellor. I have not been trained in counselling techniques, though my telepathic abilities enable me to determine how others are feeling. I am perfectly willing to continue to aid both you and the Admiral with checking out both the crew and others we encounter, But I want to do more. I have formal training in communication and security."
S: "Lieutenant Jackson, who wass assistant security chief wass killed during thiss lasst mission. If you wissh, I will appoint you to his position. You will be assisting Lieutenant Ki'lal with security, as well as being ship's counsellor. And, I will certainly try to ssend you on more away missions, if action iss what you sseek."
B: "Third, as you know, my quarters were destroyed in the battle and I wish to reconstruct my cultural notes. I have sent word home to Betazed for backup copies stored there, but I need to restore records lost since leaving the Academy. "Fourth, I was wondering what you know about our extended stay on Earth. I have no family or friends there. If we will be on leave until the ship is repaired i will have nothing to do except reconstruct notes. "
S: "Earth offers many distractions, perhaps you and Tyrian could spend some time together. That way you could help his mental healing process at the same time. And if you wish, you may work out with me in the Starfleet martial arts hall, I am sure many of the instructors will not be pleased at my return. Hrrrrrr, hrrrrrrr, hrrrrrr" Sortha said in the Gorn equivalent of a laugh. "When we Gorn went through the academy, they had a difficult time working with us. They broke a lot of weapons on us hrrrrrrr hrrrrrrrrrrr. Although, I wouldn't recommend Gorn combat techniques to you, perhaps you may want to take some aikido lessons. That would be more suitable to your body build." Usually Sortha wasn't so talkative with people, but he felt somewhat at ease with the betazoid officer, and was in a good mood as they neared Earth.
B: Also, IS the ship going to be repaired or replaced. I must confess that
I am starting to wonder if the crew will be kept together, or split up and sent to other assignments." Thoraz sighed as he finished. He had just released a lot emotions that were starting to weigh heavily on him. Not being able to 'read' the commander added to his concerns.
S: "It is my belief that the crew will be kept together. Considering the
Stealth's success in the last mission, I doubt Starfleet will want to break up an effective team. We may end up on temporary duty, or we may perhaps be assigned to a new ship. Perhaps one that is more sturdy", Sortha added with a slight grin. Continuing on Sortha added: "I must say that overall I am becomming impressed with the crew's teamwork and performance. Lieutenant Kalahna performed admirably both on her away mission and on the Stealth. Lieutenant Aries proved his worth and courage on the away mission as well. Both Tyrian and Ki'lal did well on their away missions, and Tyrian did a great job at capturing the changeling on the Repulse. That crew owes us a debt of gratitude, and I know that Captain Sakata will do his best to see we are commended for our actions. As for you, your performance has been steady and exemplary. Although a ship's counsellor's role is sometimes visible only to the Captain's eyes, it is an important role, one that you have done well at. I do understand your desire for action, and a chance to prove your courage, and will hopefully provide you with an opportunity to do so. Just don't get yourself killed doing it."
Thoraz left, leaving Sortha in the room with his thoughts. By the time they reached Earth, news of this most recent mission would have reached his father on Cestus III. Sortha rumbled pleasurably deep in his throat at the thought of his father reading the reports of the Stealth's exploits.....and hearing that his son had come back from another mission alive.
=============================================================
USS Stealth
Entering Terran system
Stardate 9706.18
Commander Sortha joined Admiral Erik Jaegar on the bridge of the battered
Stealth as she dropped from warp and entered the Terran solar system. Sortha
ordered Nash to direct the ship toward Earth and they began their final approach.
Sortha reviewed some incoming data and grwoled under his breath,
"Sstarfleet hass disspatched two tugss to 'render assisstance' sshould our enginess give out again. They will be our esscort into McKinley Sstation."
"I'm glad the engines are holding up. I know how badly you'd hate to have to be towed into spacedock," Jaegar said smiling.
"That would be quite embarrassing," Sortha hissed.
Jaegar sighed and looked ahead at the view screen as the blue and white ball that was Earth grew closer. "It's good to be home, commander. As much as I like it in the field, I like being on Earth once in awhile too."
"Just as I enjoy my vissitss to Cesstus III," Sortha said fondly. "But I alsso have come to appreciate Earth. I jusst hope we are not here too long."
Within minutes Stealth was easing into Earth orbit and the looming structure of McKinley Station was ahead, its lone repair berth was empty, allowing room for the damaged Stealth to dock. Sortha ordered Nash to guide the ship in once docking permission had been given by the station's traffic controller.
Shortly thereafter, Stealth' heavily damaged bulk floated into the berth and docked with the station. Once they were firmly in place, Nash shut down the engines and pushed himself back from the helm controls.
"Commander Ssortha to the crew," Sortha said, tapping the intercom button on his chair. "We have docked with McKinley Sstation. All crew memberss not notified that they must remain aboard are dismissed. Five dayss of shore leave have been authorized. In five dayss the command crew iss to meet on McKinley Station with myself and Admiral Jaegar to disscuss the fate of the sship, ssince I've been assured by Sstarfleet that we'll have an ansswer about the sship's future by then. Sso sstay close by, preferably within the Earth ssolar system. If you need them, accommodationss have been prepared for uss at Sstarfleet Headquarterss in Ssan Francissco. Otherwisse, if you have other accommodationss, you are free to go wherever you'd like. Enjoy yoursselves. Ssortha out."
Jaegar then stood and straightened his uniform before glancing at Sortha.
"Ayer and I will be transporting to Starfleet Headquarters in about one hour. He will be confined to quarters there until the hearing convenes tomorrow morning. You'll need to be there to give your side of story."
"I will be there," Sortha said.
"See you then. Also, I'd like your recommendations for any awards or commendations you feel members of the Stealth crew deserve after the last mission," Jaegar said. "You can get those to me anytime in the coming days."
Jaegar then turned and departed the bridge...
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Orbiting Earth
Lt. Tyrian M. Summers
USS Stealth
Stardate 9706.18
Tyrian stood at tactical as he watched the forward screen: McKinley Station approached slowly, and then the Stealth glided in and docked with it. Almost all of the crew was on leave for five days, including Tyrian. He went to his quarters and gathered up all of his things then walked to the transporter room.
He materialized in his old house, his mother and Alexis were waiting for him. They exchanged hugs and started talking about things, nothing about his missions though, they were all classified of course. He learned from his mother that his brother's ship, the USS Crazy Horse was spending a lot of time near the Cardassian border, which bothered Tyrian, he did'nt want to lose another family member to the Dominion, which was a little hippocritical, since he was in a lot more danger of being lost on one of his missions than his brother was on that Excelsior class ship. Tyrian also found out that his twin brothers were at the top of their class in Starfleet academy and had almost one year left until they completed their training. He spent the evening at his mother's house, just talking with her and Alexis. Alexis was really showing her pregnancy, which brought about another topic that they would have to discuss eventually.
That night he and Alexis walked around San Francisco in the darkness of
nightfall. Tyrian looked up to the stars and thoughts of how he had been up there just days ago appeared in his head. They walked and talked for about two hours, then they approached the ancient Golden Gate Bridge, the original had been constructed about four hundred years ago, but had to be rebuilt one or two times for different reasons. They walked onto the bridge, the same bridge they had met on around six years ago. They stood there looking down at the water for a while then Tyrian dropped to his knee and
proposed....something he had planned on for months. Alexis happily accepted, they both agreed that they should be married before he left again.
They were to be married in two days in a small ceremony at his mothers house. Tyrian sent out computerized invitations to all his friends and to the crew on the Stealth, with the exception of Ayer of course.
=============================================================
Lt. Sholek
Stealth Mess Hall
Stardate 9706.17
Sholek sat there staring out at the stars as they rushed by. He drank some of his Vulcan tea.
"You look lonely," came a voice from behind him. "May I join you?" It was
Ensign Jefferson.
"Please," Sholek answered pointing to the chair across from him. "How are you today Ensign Jefferson?"
"I'm fine, thank you," she replied, "but stop calling me Ensign Jefferson. Call me Kim."
"I apologize," he said, "Kim."
"Which star are you looking at?" she said after turning towards the stars.
"Romulus," he said.
"Your home?" she questioned.
"Yes, I lived on the planet Remus, though."
"Come, let's go to the holodeck. I have a program I would like to show you before we get to Earth."
"The Holodecks are offline. They were damaged in the battle."
"Oh. Then I'll have to show you it when we get to Earth, OK?"
=============================================================
USS Stealth
McKinley Station
Stardate 9706.19
Admiral Erik Jaegar, wearing his dress uniform, stepped into transporter room one, escorted by two Stealth security officers. Below, in San Francisco on Earth, a hearing was about to convene to hear the charges against Lt. Commander Ayer. It was a day of testimony Jaegar was not looking forward to.
He stood by the transporter controls and waited for Ayer to arrive. He knew the Changeling officer was packing his belongings and would be along shortly, for no matter what the outcome of the hearing, Ayer was no longer going to be a member of the Stealth's crew. Neither Sortha, nor the crew were comfortable with him after the incident near Hantuuk.
"What's taking him so long?" one of the security officers remarked.
"Give him a few minutes. I'm sure this isn't easy for him, ensign," Jaegar told to officer. " He'll be along shortly."
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Back Home
Lt. Thoraz Brynaziir
Thoraz's Quarters
Stardate 9706.19
The doorchime sounded. "Come in."
Tyrian entered the temporary quarters Thoraz was using on the trip to Earth. The quarters were bleak and austere; almost clinically sterile in their undecorated sparseness.
"Hi Tyrian. I'm glad you came. Do you want to talk here, or should we go to the gym or play some Dom'Jot?"
Tyrian replied, "The gym sounds like a good place, I've neglected my workout for the past few days, I've been a little busy planning a wedding and all."
Stealth Gym
"We've been so busy since starting our tour on the Stealth that we haven't spent much time together. You know, I'm feeling a little left out of things being stationed in Sick Bay rather than in Security or Communications," Brynaziir said.
Tyrian replied as he pressed the loaded weight bar up, "I can imagine, if I wasn't in the thick of things, I would just be bored out of my mind."
" It's not that I am bored, I just want to be doing more, I guess. Sometimes I feel like I don't know what I'm doing. Things are changing so fast. I'm supposed to be Ship's Counsellor; what am I supposed to do? I guess just look after the crews' well-being. And then there was the battle, but I'm rambling. I want to help you, if i can. At least I'm a friendly ear. Please, tell me about what happened on Cardassia."
Tyrian's look changed as he slammed the weight bar back up on the rack. He sighed and then said, "I do'nt think that my recalling those events would do any good, I would rather bury them.........deep. You've read my report after the incident. I don't like to share my emotions with anybody, but I will share this.....Ayer is evil, he is out there for himself and nobody else. Anything he does he does for his own motives.
"He tortured me using information obtained by me in training camp, there is no excuse for that."
"Tyrian, thank you for telling me a little, at least. It is better to talk to someone, to release your feelings and emotions rather than bury them. That only results in causing further problems; if not immediately, then later on. You are a friend and a good officer. I don't want anything to cause you harm, physically or mentally. I wish there was more that i could do. I will consider this officially over. Maybe we could do some stuff together on Earth. Besides the crew I have no family or friends there. Take care of yourself Tyrian and consider what i said. Find someone you can trust. Talk to them, it will help, you will see."
The two continued their workout in contemplative silence.
Earth, before leaving the Stealth
"Commander?" inquired Thoraz.
"Yesss, Counsellor?" Sortha said.
"About that workout, I will be at Starfleet Headquarters in my assigned
quarters, call me at the appropriate time."
"Yesss, of courssse lieutenant." replied the Gorn Commander.
Thoraz took his leave of the bridge, stopped by sick bay to gather some PADD's, grabbed what gear he had left and beamed down to Earth.
=============================================================
Lt. Ki'lal
Stardate 9706.19
Qo'noS, Rio Grande, DS9, Earth
Worf looked into the eyes of Ki'lal, "If this is true, you are my nephew."
Ki'lal, already aware of this, looked back at Worf, "We should contact Kern. But I just recieved a communicae from Captain Sortha, I need to return to Earth ASAP. You know how important this is too me, but I must return. Duty, honor, and loyalty to my ship call."
"Yes, I understand completely," replied Worf. "At least you now have a track to follow in your search. However, I must tell you that Kern...is dead."
Worf wasn't sure how to tell Ki'lal the truth. More than a year ago, Kern came to DS9 and wanted Worf to help him commit ritual suicide because of the dishonor brought upon him after Gowron had stripped the Mogh family of their belongings and Kern's seat on the High. This was in repsonse to Worf's refusal to join Gowron in the attack on Cardassia.
Rather than help Kern die, Worf had opted to have Kern surgically altered to look like a different Klingon, then had Dr. Bashir erase his memories. Worf then had a friend of his father come to the station and claim Kern as his own son who was suffering from memory loss -- thereby giving Kern a new life and allowing him to live as a new person.
Worf wanted to tell Ki'lal the truth, but he didn't want anyone else to know about Kern's new identity, for fear Gowron or another enemy would expose Kern.
"I...I didn't know," Ki'lal replied, obviously disappointed. "Then I guess that makes you my closest living relative."
Worf nodded. "Except we do not know who your mother is. Kern never spoke of a child. There is much I obviously did not know about him. We should leave."
"Aye, sir," said Ki'lal. He tapped his communicator, "computer, two to beam
up," and they dematerialized.
It was a long, silent trip back to DS9. Neither said a word, not really sure what to say, after all they could be blood. Ki'lal did have some reservations though, he wasn't sure how trustworthy the computer records were. They could have been tampered with or any other things could be wrong. But for the whole trip he looked out the Rio Grande's window, watching the stars streak by.
When they arrived at DS9, Worf suggested that Ki'lal take a Federation transport headed back towards Earth. Ki'lal concurred and took the transport to Earth.
He beamed down to San Francisco and searched for Sortha. Finally he found him and said, "Captain, I have found some information that may be of interest to you. Do you have time to talk?"
END TRANSMISSION
Subject: SO: Stealth/Verdicts
Starfleet Headquarters
San Francisco, Earth
Stardate 9706.22
Lt. Commander Ayer stood in a corridor outside the courtroom where his court martial was being held. He stared out the window at the Golden Gate Bridge and out across the water. He wanted badly to take the form, of a bird and fly off across the Bay and out to sea -- as far away from this place as he could.
The proceedings had lasted about two hours and, because the matter was mostly cut and dry, Admiral Sekal of Starfleet's Judge Advocate General's office had adjorned to his chambers to consider the fate of Lt. Commander Ayer.
While Ayer had been appointed a JAG attorney for the proceedings, there was little defense he could offer. He had disobeyed a direct order from Commander Sortha -- this he could not deny. He had offered his own explanation as to why he chose this course of action, but Ayer knew this would make little difference to the judge, a logical Vulcan named Sekal.
As he stood a looked out the windows, a large figure approached and came to stand behind him. He sensed it was Commander Sortha.
"They are ready to reconvene, Mr. Ayer," Sortha said.
"Thank you, sir," Ayer said, turning to face the lumbering Gorn commander. "I guess this is it."
"I want you to know, commander, that bringing thesse chargess againsst you wass not an eassy task for me. You earned my deepesst resspect when you nearly died ssaving the Sstealth on the misssion to bring in General Kahgal. That was why I chose you ass first officer," Sortha said. "Bringing you up on inssubordination chargess wass the lasst thing I wanted to do."
"I know, sir. You did what you had to do. Just as I did what I thought was right," Ayer said. "I apologize."
Sortha nodded. "Come. Let's not keep the judge waiting."
Ayer and Sortha filed into the room where the hearing was held. A handful of Starfleet officers were there, including Admiral Jaegar and Admiral Sorvek from training camp. Sadly, Ayer thought to himself, none of his fellow Stealth officers had bothered to come. It was obvious word of Tyrian's torment in Ayer's hands had reached them.
Admiral Sekal entered from an adjoining room and took his place at the front of the room. He reviewed the information he had scrolled on a padd he held as the room was seated. He then turned toward the audience and spoke.
"Lt. Commander Ayer. I have reviewed the testimony heard here today and the other various pieces of documentation I have received from individuals involved in this case," Sekal said. "I have also weighed this information with the recommendations of your commanding officers and your service record. In considering all this information, I have reached a decision."
The admiral cleared his, "This court finds the defendant, Lt. Commander Ayer, guilty of disobeying a direct order and endangering the lives of fellow officers, in this case the crews of the USS Stealth and Repulse."
Ayer looked on somberly and reacted without emotion. It was the verdict he'd expected all along.
"Normally, such a charge could mean the end to the career of a Starfleet officer. However, I have decided you will not be discharged from Starfleet. There will be, however, consequences for your actions. First, a permanent mark will appear on your record indicating these charges.
"Secondly, I do not believe your promotion to the rank of lieutenant commander was a logical decision. This promotion was obviously in response to your valiant efforts which saved the Stealth during a recent mission...efforts which nearly cost you your own life. But, you apparently do not fully understand that following the direct orders of a superior officer is your duty, therefore you should not be in a position of command at this time. Therefore I am demoting you in rank to lieutenant effective immediately.
"Finally, you will be removed from duty aboard the USS Stealth and reassigned. You have compromised the trust of your commanding officer and your crewmates. This is most unfortunate and is something I hope you can overcome during your next assignment. Commander Sortha has suggested you would be best suited for solo duty within Shadow Operations. Your next assignment, however, is not my concern. That issue will be addressed by Admiral Jaegar.
"If there is no further business to come before this court, then I declare these proceedings adjourned."
Sekal stood, nodded to the other admirals, then departed. Ayer stood and faced Sortha, Sorvek and Jaegar.
"I guess it could have been worse," Ayer said.
"I'll say," Jaegar said. "You could have been booted right out of Starfleet, or found yourself in the brig. You were lucky."
Ayer approached Sortha, "Well sir. I apologize for my actions. I appreciate the fact that you didn't turn your back on me during all of this."
"You made a misstake, lieutenant," Sortha said. "Normally misstakess aren't a good enough reasson to kick ssomeone off my sship. But thiss whole incident has cosst you the trust of the crew, and I can't have them divided by your presence onboard."
"I understand sir," Ayer said, extending a hand to Sortha. "It was an honor to serve with you."
Sortha nodded and shook Ayer's hand. "Thank you, Mr. Ayer. It wass also a priviledge to sserve with you. I will not forget your near sacrifice for the sship. Perhapss in time the resst of the crew will remember the fact that you ssaved all of us. But right now, too much hass happened foe thingss to return to normal."
"Take care, commander. I hope we meet again someday," Ayer said. Sortha nodded, then turned and left the room.
"Well, Lt. Ayer. Are you ready for your next assignment?" Jaegar asked.
"I am, sir," Ayer said. "Thank you for keeping me in Shadow Ops."
"Hell, we can't let you go right now, son. We're going to need you now more than ever with the increase in Dominion activity. And you, my friend, are going right to what ou may want to call the frontlines.
"We have a crew of Shadow Ops officers serving aboard a prototype starship called the USS Renegade. This ship has been attached to a Klingon Battlestation located in a sector of Klingon space which is very close in proximity to Cardassian space. When a Dominion/Cardassian invasion of the rest of the Alpha Quadrant begins, we believe this will be the main route they will take to attack the Klingons.
"The Renegade and her crew are serving as something of an exchange crew with the Klingons, since there is a Klingon garrison at Deep Space Nine. The Renegade will be there to help out if there's a war, relay intelligence data back to us and undertake commando operations into Cardassian space. And we want you there to be part of it," Jaegar said.
"Sounds like its right up my alley," Ayer said, thinking that this post would put him among Klingons again, not to mention being so close to Cardassian space. This was indeed an interesting assignment. "When do I leave."
"The Renegade has already left for Klingon Battlestation 21 and should be arriving any time. There's a Klingon transport leaving Earth tonight with several diplomats onboard. I've already gotten them to agree to take you as far as Quo'noS, where you can catch a transport on the KIB 21," Jaegar said. "It leaves at 1900 hours from the spaceport here in San Francisco."
"I'll be on it sir," Ayer said.
=============================================================
USS Stealth
Sitting in Drydock at McKinley Station
Stardate 9706.22
Commander Sortha materialized on the transporter pad of the Stealth's main
transporter room and was greeted by Lt. Commander Karl Welker, McKinley Station's chief engineer. The big Gorn stepped off the pad and faced the commander with a hand shake and a gutteral sound of acknowledgement.
"Sorry to drag you all the way back up here, commander, but I have some news for you about the Stealth," Welker said, a nervous tone to his voice. "I'm afraid it isn't good."
Sortha had somewhat suspected this announcement would come. Stealth had taken a terrible beating. She was barely spaceworthy and he knew her structual integreity had been badly compromised. "Continue, Mr. Welker."
"To put it bluntly, commander, this ship is ready for the scrap heap. This has to be the most severly damaged ship I've ever seen in this spacedock facility in the eight years I've been here," Welker said.
Sortha sighed in frustration, "Sso get to the point, commander. What iss it going to take to get my sship back up and running?"
"Let me lay it out for you, Commander Sortha. The saucer section is finished. There are serious cracks and fissures throughout the hull and structure of the saucer, probably a result of the clean-through torpedo blast. All the damage she took against that Klingon general a couple months ago probably didn't help matters at all. We're looking at replacement of the saucer section. Normally, if we had a replacement handy it wouldn't take long but Starfleet only made three Canada-class ships and then scrapped the project in favor of the Intrepid-class. We'll have to rebuild her from the skeletal frame up. That's at least one year.
"The engineering section is in bad shape. One new warp core is necessary for the one you dumped, and we may have to replace the second because of stress it endured from the battle and the trip home. Probably looking at total replacement of the ODN conduits throughout the engineering section from overloaded circuits, etcetera. The big one is replacement of two nacelles. They suffered damage from the loos of the ship's hull integrity. The stress of warp travel since then has damaged them pretty badly. Some hull repairs will also be necessary. Probably another four to six months for the engineering section."
Sortha growled under his breath. This was not good at all. "When can you
get started?"
Welker frowned and handed Sortha a padd. "Admiral Kallis at Utopia Planetia says she can't get the Stealth in for those kind of repairs for another three months. Too many ships being repaired after the Borg attack and now we've got ships limping home every week with major damage from Dominion attacks near the Cardassian border. We're simply overrun with work."
Sortha reviewed the itinerary of the shipyards and he saw fo with his own eyes the amount of work going on to keep Starfleet at peak performance. Welker, it seemed, wasn't exagerating.
"Sso what iss my crew ssupossed to do in the meantime?" Sortha asked.
"I don't know sir, but this ship is going to be in for repairs for a damn long time," Welker replied. "Better tell your crew to vacate their belongings."
END TRANSMISSION