"Anatomy of a War" - Alt-Trekverse Fic

[Edward Yee]

The Wolf Dragoons are back! The Wolf Dragoons are back! Clan Elemental was done, but the Wolves are back!

Honestly, great take on the cavalry-to-the-rescue "plot device," I never thought it would be them, and I never thought until now that this emoticon here could be used to denote a POSITIVE, so please don't take offense, but it's intended as a positive comment:

Edit: Thanks to Steve's correction, it's not "Clan Wolf."

[Steve]

Wolf Dragoons, not Clan Wolf.

[Steve]

Here you go; what you've all been waiting for. A look.... at the munchiest 'Mechs to ever stomp on soil.


Progress is a wonderful thing, thought Phelan Kell.
His new WLF-3 Wolfhound - affectionately called Grinner - that dropped from the Cyrilla Ward was a far cry from the Grinner trashed by the late Star Captain Vladimir on The Rock nearly four years ago. For one thing, cooling vests were no longer necessary for pilots thanks to the enhanced heat shielding now installed in 'Mech cockpits. The holotank for targeting was gone, replaced by the targeting HUD that showed on the new neurohelmet model upon his head, it's face plate using the same technology as other infantry helmets from the Alliance (and just as light, a welcome change from the heavy, bulky neurohelmets of the past). The controls were still the same, of course, which Phelan was entirely thankful for.
Externally, the new Grinner was protected by hardened alloys that, in the old days, would have given it protection rivaling an Atlas. The large laser once in the right arm was gone - in it's place was a Rochembeau Model 6 Nuclear-Disruptor, an anti-tank phaser cannon. The medium lasers on the torso of the Wolfhound were technically the same, save that Defiance's latest models used the new extrauniversal technologies to drastically enhance the range and to make the lasers half as heavy as they once were. The savings in tonnage had gone to install the new anti-personnel pulse phasers that the designers had mounted on the left wrist.
Disembarking beside him was Ranna in a Shadow Cat, a Clan OmniMech claimed by the Dragoons from the ruins of the Smoke Jaguar and Nova Cat industrial complexes. Although work was still proceeding on adapting extrauniversal weapons to be capable of functioning in modular pods, the current line of Shadow Cat 'Mechs had hard-wired systems. Ranna's Shadow Cat was similar to the intended Prime configuration; a Rheinmetal-Borsig 120mm coilgun - licensed for maufacture to Blackwell Heavy Industries - had replaced the Clan Gauss Rifle, and the Clan-built medium lasers were replaced by the same Defiance model that were found on upgraded Wolfhounds.
Phelan directed his attention immediately to the nearby buildings. The newer sensor packages on their 'Mechs allowed them to discern between Cardassian and Human life, a great thing to prevent fratricide. He noticed a couple with Cardassians on the roof and at windows and for the first time came under fire as the stunned Cardassians began to dial up the power on their rifles. Phelan lifted his right arm toward what looked to be a house and triggered his lasers. Three solid red beams sliced through the house, cutting apart and scorching Cardassian infantry as it did the foundation and support structure of the building. The entire thing collapsed after a few moments.
A flurry of autocannon rounds appeared, tearing apart a Cardassian APC down the street toward the town center. Natasha's Widowmaker stomped out behind them, the biggest and nastiest machine in the Black Widow Battalion. The Dire Wolf/Daishi Assault OmniMech had been built entirely from newer technology. It's protection was over three times greater than the pre-upgrade Daishi. An anti-personnel pulse phaser battery had replaced the head-mounted small laser; pulse phaser cannons had replaced the large pulse lasers in the arms, joined by updated PPCs; the torso lasers were normal upgrades, and a 120mm semi-automatic Blackwell coilgun - a specific re-design of the Rheinmetal-Borsig 120mm cannon - had replaced the Ultra AC/20 on the right side of the torso. Phelan was certain that even in the hands of a green pilot, the new Widowmaker would have been able to wipe out whole 'Mech companies in the pre-contact years. With Natasha in the cockpit, I'm sure that thing would take out an entire battalion if you took it back in time twenty years ago.
Ranna's coilgun fired next, ripping the top half of an APC off - Phelan was certain she'd be upset that she missed a direct hit, even if she'd still taken the thing out. His attentions were kept on the Cardassian infantry. He kept the left arm of the Wolfhound up, spraying the particular orange-red fire of the pulse phasers everywhere he found them. Seeing one near his feet nearing an alley with Humans, Phelan contemptfully kicked the Cardassian, killing him instantly even as his body was thrown yards away.


"Christine, any ideas?"
Christine shook her head at Carter's question. "Nope. Don't know who they are. And that's not an Alliance insignia. They have a torch and stars."
"Well, whoever they are, we owe them," Ersun said from his place. He watched a Cardassian on the street get kicked by one of the walkers. "I really would like that one."
"I'd prefer the other one," Kristina added, indicating the chicken-walker with the single gun on the right arm. "But why look the gift horse in the mouth? Hopefully we can actually win now."


Edward had suffered enough disappointment to hide his joy when the cavalry literally dropped from the sky. He had no idea just what the massive armored walkers were, but he appreciated how well they handled the Cardassians. Lacking anti-armor weapons, the Cardassians could do no more than make ineffectual hits on the machines as they were systematically slaughtered.
Finally, the biggest one of them all stopped in the town commons, every surviving Cardassian in flight. A red-haired woman descended from the cockpit on a rope ladder, wearing a two-piece jumpsuit that had both the wolf's head insignia and a spider emblem with an hourglass mark. She looked younger than she carried herself, looking very much in control as she stepped up to Edward. "You're the leader here?"
"Yes. Edward Winfield, Commander of the Village 23 Militia. Formerly Lieutenant Winfield of the Federation Security Forces, if you prefer."
"I'm Colonel Natasha Kerensky of the Wolf Dragoons. My Black Widow Battalion is here to help you hold out until our forces can get to Dervak."
"Thank you, Colonel. We owe you our lives."
"Ah, don't thank me yet, Commander. We still have to survive until relieved."
"Of course." Edward gestured to the town hall. "Our HQ is in there. We can plan our defenses from there."
"Lead the way, Commander."



Dervak Defense Command
05:03 GST


The reports from the field provoked Gul Korval into a rage. Even as the initial attack fell back, he ordered the entire 87th Order to attack the village, as determined as he was to annihilate it as he had been ordered.
A shuttle had finally come bearing news from the front. The enemy had launched a full-scale offensive in this region, contrary to all intelligence expectatioins. The 1st Fleet had been forced to withdraw from Shervarak and now a quarter million enemy troops were racing toward Dervak. Within days, Korval would have more to deal with than Madred Village 23. This was why he was determined to wipe them out now and not risk their successful liberation.
It would be a race against the clock. And Korval meant to win.

[Steve]

Korlak Labor Camp, Tukar 6, Cardassian Union
05:10 GST

Gul Ruvek was seated in his office looking solemnly at his computer screen and the orders printed upon it. They were straight from Gul Madred; liquidate all 576 prisoners at Korlak and dispose of the remains with industrial acid.
The door to his office opened. Ruvek looked to Glin Korep, his second-in-command. "What is it, Glin?"
"Tukar Defense Command reports the enemy will be in position to land within the hour."
"Very well. Round up the prisoners. Have them restrained and taken to the mine."
"Anything else?"
Ruvek shook his head. "No. I'll be in here making sure all critical files are destroyed. Make sure the men fight well. If I have time, I'll join you."
"Yes Gul." Korep seemed to notice something was amiss, but he merely saluted ands tepped out.
Ruvek did just as he said he would then, eliminating the critical files so the enemy could not find them. Afterward he turned on his video system and recording a message to be sent to Cardassia upon completion.
"I am Gul Javain Ruvek, Commandant of the Korlak Labor Camp. I have served the Cardassian State and People since I was a young boy, when I swore to uphold the Laws of Cardassia and to protect our State and People. I have given the State three children who have sacrificed their lives to protect Cardassia. I have obediently followed every order given to me in my career and I have enforced every rule and law here at Korlak."
"But I cannot follow this order from Gul Madred to liquidate my prisoners. Not a single one has committed an offense that our laws consider to be worthy of execution. To follow this order would be to commit mass murder on helpless prisoners, contrary to the law I am sworn to uphold and a disgrace to the Cardassian Defense Forces and to Cardassia itself. Therefore, I have refused to convey the orders to my subordinates. I am solely responsible for the orders being disobeyed."
Ruvek sipped on some kanar. "Should an enemy being watching, I will not lie and claim I have been a kind overseer. I have run this camp according to Cardassian law, and in doing so, I have personally ordered the executions of thirty-two prisoners. On numerous occasions that I have not counted, I ordered prisoners guilty of bad conduct to be subjected to what Humans consider cruel punishments, as proscribed by Cardassian law, and over my time here five of those prisoners have died as an unexpected result. I make no apology for these things; my duty was to operate Korlak according to Cardassian law and I have done so without hesitation."
"It is that same devotion to Cardassian Law that now leads me to disobey the order to kill my prisoners. I will not throw away my oath to the Cardassian People because of the whims of our leaders, who have seen fit to ignore Cardassian law when it suits them. Again, I take this decision on my own. My subordinates will not be informed of the liquidation order."
Ruvek's hand went to the table and gripped something that, in the recording, would not be visible. "I have lost my wife and children in service to Cardassia. Cardassia, and my oath to her, is all I have left. And I will not let that oath be broken. Though my orders were in violation of Cardassian law, my disobedience is a violation as well. I have committed the crime of disobeying a direct order in time of war. This is my confession of record. I will now carry out the sentence required by Cardassian law." He lifted his right hand, revealing the object in his grip as his sideamr. Without pause Ruvek pressed the emitter end to his temple. "For Cardassia."
He pulled the trigger.

[Glocksman]

This story is as addictive as crack!
Damn good job, Steve.

[Steve]

Iruvitar Plains, Korrole, Cardassian Union
07:15 GST


The Korroleia were an ethnically-divided subject race of Cardassia. The Cardassians maintained order on the world by supporting a handful of the ethnic groups in particular regions and continents, who used Cardassian weapons and strength to conquer and bully their long-standing ethnic rivals while providing material and labor to the Cardassian war machine.
The Iruvitar Plain surrounded Rutara, one of the capital cities of the Iruvitaria, a pro-Cardassian ethnic group. As one of the key cities on the planet it had been targeted immediately by the 10th Lyran Guards as a means to gaining a stronghold on the planet.
The Iruvitaria were armed mostly with 21st Century-equivalent weapons, save for a few elite units with Cardassian guns and equipment. They had manned the complex defenses ringing their city - before alien contact, most Korroleia had a tactical/strategic concept of the superiority of defense similar to post-World War I orthodoxy - and were seemingly content to wait out the invasion.

Standing a distance across the plain, just outside of the mortar range of the Iruvitaria, a company of the 10th Lyran's BattleMechs awaited the order to advance, flanked by mechanized infantry and armor from the 10th Lyran's attached brigades. In the lead of the 'Mech company - Alpha Company of 2nd Battalion - stood a Centurion-type 'Mech that many could easily recognize. It's name was Yen-lo-wang and it's pilot was Kai Allard-Liao, the eldest son of the great Solaris champion and Davion spy Justin Allard.
Yen-lo-wang had changed with the new age. The Pontiac-model autocannon was gone, replaced by a 120mm automatic tank rifle of British (AR-12) origin. The lasers were upgraded Defiance models, with the weight savings used to add an anti-personnel pulse phaser to the left hand wrist. Armor and electronic systems were naturally updated, and Kai had to admit he preferred the comfort of a jumpsuit in the heat-shielded cockpit from the old cooling vests. The fusion plant had been changed as well, giving Yen-lo-wang a running speed of around 108km/h for the same tonnage of the old plant.
Kai watched the HUD on his neurohelmet faceplate carefully, waiting for the precise moment of the planned charge. When it came, he gave the order - "Company, advance!" - and all twelve machines stomped forward, the slowest breaking out into runs to keep up with the faster machines. The mechanized and armored units followed behind them, as the 'Mechs were to punch the hole for the armor to widen and the mechanized units to exploit.
Shells began to land around them, exploding and showering vehicle and 'Mech alike with debris. But before the Iruvitaria could do much more, they had other concerns.
The Iruvitaria had augmented their defenses with Cardassian energy shields. Those shields were now targeted by Commonwealth artillery and airpower. Aerospace fighters fired their payloads of anti-shield missiles and bombs while specialized artillery pounded their own shells on the Iruvitaria positions. The anti-shield weapons were not as powerful as normal weapons, replacing some of their explosives package with a portable shield generator and battery that, for a moment, could generate a powerful shield to "burn through" the enemy shields. These weapons did precisely that; some didn't managed to completely burn through and instead exploded "within" the shields, others made it through and caused damage. The missiles were the most effective, targeting directly the enemy shield generator.
The first barrage failed to take out the shields, and so Kai and his unit kept their run up without being able to return fire effectively. The Iruvitaria maintained their barrage. A particularly close hit knocked one of Kai's Leftenants over, nearly crushing a hover tank beside him. Kai looked nervously at the distance; soon the Iruvitaria infantry would add their fire.
That was when the second Commonwealth barrage started. Another squadron of aerospace fighters launched anti-shield weapons to go with the artillery bombardment as before. Explosions flowered over the glimmering yellow of the energy dome covering the enemy positions as a whole.
Then it disappeared. An explosion, larger than the others, appeared further away, and Kai could hear over his radio the confirmation that the enemy shielding was down.
Focusing his sights on an enemy pillbox, Kai pressed the thumb trigger for his cannon. Flame erupted from the muzzle of the automatic rifle on Yen-lo-wang's right arm, the rounds racing the three kilometer distance and ripping into the pillbox. Kai's comrades and the other forces following his company joined in the bombardment.
The Iruvitaria were wholly unprepared for the enemy they were faced with. Though their troops had some Cardassian weapons, the rest of their weaponry and their defensive fortifications were the results of their native technology, which was only early 21st Century.... and no match for the advanced munitions they were faced with. Pillboxes disintegrated with their troops inside, mortar positions were annihilated, and soldiers died in their trenches from plunging artillery fire or even a well-aimed laser or particle beam that could literally cut through the soil and hit the trenches at an angle.
Impressivelly, the Iruvitaria kept up their fire all along the perimeter as the 10th Lyran Guards and Davion Assault Guards launched a direct assault. Kai was with only one of many pushes toward the central forts that held the approaches to Rutara. He kept Yen-lo-wang steady through the explosions of artillery shells. A sudden impact against the 'Mech's left side was easily dealt with, though it signaled he was in range of anti-vehicle guns. Kai spotted one emplacement and fired his lasers; one beam hit and sliced through the gun.
Another hit impacted on the left shoulder of Yen-lo-wang. Another Centurion to his right - piloted by Leftenant Wilkens - took a direct chest hit that caused some armor to flake off. But he kept going.
By the time they actually got to the Iruvitaria trenches, many of the enemy's troops had already been killed or were trying to fall back. Kai now got his first look at one of them - the Korroleia were bipeds who had blue-tinted skin with very thin, sharp ears on the sides of their heads, and an extra digit on their hands and feet (though he couldn't quite see that for the moment).
Raising the left arm of Yen-lo-wang, Kai used the anti-personnen pulse phaser to begin shooting any enemy that wasn't in full retreat. As he stormed through he accidentally stomped on one who'd fallen. There was no chance to hear any screams, and Kai purposely refused to look at the remains after he'd gone on.
At this phase of the battle, BattleMechs were proving to have an interesting advantage; sheer physical intimidation. The Iruvitaria had never encountered anything like BatteMechs; nor did they have the necessary weapons technology to really hurt them like the Alliance had possessed. Kai could see even now the effect that even twelve 'Mechs were having, as enemy troops continually tried to fall back.
They couldn't run fast enough, of course. "Wilkens, Streiber, keep going. We'll let the infantry take what's left."
Two hours later, Rutara was surrounded completely. Fifteen minutes after that, the Iruvitaria Republic officially surrendered to the Federated Commonwealth. They became the first extrauniversal government to do so. By the time Kai and his troops were preparing to load back into their DropShips to keep up the advance - the job of garrisoning Korrole would go to the 5th Syrtis Fusiliers and elements of the 2nd Federated Commonwealth RCT.
And so Operation: Percival continued it's march toward Dervak and Pelikar.

[Steve]

Dalkyra, Bajor
13:19 GST


In the ruins of what was once a residential area in the above-ground regions of Dalkyra, a remaining Group of Cardassian infantry were huddled about a fire (they numbered about eighteen now, with a normal strength of 32 - about equivalent to an Alliance platoon). They were from the 12th Mechanized Order, which was now reduced from 15,000 elite Cardassian soldiers to a scant two thousand scattered around parts of Dalkyra, cut off from one another by the enemy. The Alliance troops were everywhere now, holding all the major roads despite nearly two weeks of bitter fighting by the Cardassians, and morale had long crumbled as they starved in the shattered city. Once and a while an enemy shrapnel shell would land close enough to spray them with debris from the roof above, but these Bajoran buildings were sturdy if anything, and the blasts were not intended to crush the buildings but to kill snipers in their windows or on their roofs - crushed buildings made excellent defensive positions.
The eighteen men huddled together were led by 3rd Rank Glin Tirritza, a staff officer who had been given the Group after their officer was killed a few days before and who, until now, had never seen combat. His father was a Gul of moderate importance - an upper level management job in one of the government ministries - and with good connections, so Tirritza was one of those officers who was set for life. Next was 2nd Rank Senior Trooper Juvek, an aging veteran whom the survivors admired. These two men were at odds, as was to be expected.
Nearby there were enemy troops - when weren't there these days? - and Tirritza was getting the men together to attack, ignoring the explosions and other distant sounds of combat. After two weeks they were like any Cardassians left fighting on Bajor; hungry, depressed, and fatalistic. Things were constantly being said that, before the invasion, would have earned one a meeting with their local Loyalty Investigator or, even worse, someone from the Obsidian Order itself. And why shouldn't they be, some thought, as these soldiers were being sacrificed by a leadership more determined to stay in power than to do what was needed for Cardassia's survival?
As Tirritza gathered the men, one did not move. He was a younger soldier, a conscript folded into their Group from another unit, and though he had never had problems before with orders to fight, he remained seated upon the hard floor with his legs curled up, elbows on the top of his thighs and face buried in his hands. "Trooper, I ordered you to get up and prepare to fight!" Tirritza shouted.
"Sir... sir... I can't... I can't anymore...." the Cardassian sobbed - yes, sobbed! - pathetically. "I can't take this... anymore."
Tirritza had little patience for this display. He drew his sidearm and pointed it at the young Trooper. "Get up and get your weapon or I'll execute you for cowardice, right here and right now!"
"Sir." Senior Trooper Juvek stepped forward. "He's in combat shock. Let me talk him out of it."
Tirritza looked skeptically at Juvek. "'Combat shock'?" The look on his face showed ignorance... and disbelief. The other soldiers grumbled at yet another sign of Tirritza's lack of experience. "There's no such thing. It's a myth, a lie to excuse cowardice."
"It's no myth," Juvek said, hiding his contempt far better than his men. "They may not teach it at the Planning Officers' Academy, but here in the field we deal with it all the time. Even a disciplined Cardassian mind can only take so much before it begins to break under stress. If you give me a minute, I can talk him out of it and he'll be fine."
Still looking very skeptical, Tirritza nodded and lowered his gun, though he didn't return it to it's holster. Juvek walked up to the sobbing young man and knelt down before him. "It's okay, Trooper. Look at me."
The young man did so, shame and fear equal in his face. "I... I can't help this... Senior, I can't... I'm sorry... I'm sorry I'm... a coward..."
"It's fine, Trooper. You've fought well so far and have shown great bravery in these bad times. And this doesn't make you a coward. Many soldiers go into combat shock when they're in the field for a long time. Now, breathe in a little more and get control of yourself. We need you, Trooper. Your friends here need your help if we're all to survive this."
The sobs did seem to relent. The young man's voice was weak and broken as he said, "Senior, we've been left here to die. Why must we fight when there's no hope of victory?"
"Because it's our duty."
"That doesn't make sense..... I can't stand this anymore, Senior. The explosions, the guns... those weapons of the enemy that tear us apart.... I can't take it... I want it to stop...."
"Keep breathing in slowly, Trooper. Regain control of yourself. You're a soldier of Cardassia. You are here to defend your people, and you're not alone. If we work together we have a greater chance of surviving."
The young man was slowly coming out of it. He whimpered, "Did you see Rotek the other day? When he was caught in the open? Those guns... their projectiles... it was like they were tearing him apart.... guts and blood everywhere.... I.... I don't want to do this anymore..."
"None of us do, Trooper, but we...."
"I've had enough of this." Tirritza lost his patience with the irritating display of a mewling coward being mollycoddled by this old fool. He raised his gun and walked up. "Senior, move out of the way. If Trooper Gikat is not on his feet by the time you do so, I will shoot him."
Juvek stood up and, instead of getting out of the way, turned around and faced Tirritza. "Sir, please lower the gun. I only need a few more minutes."
"You're treating him like a child! He's a Cardassian soldier, he has to fight when ordered to. Everyone does, or it breaks down the very discipline Cardassia requires for survival! Now move out of the way so I can execute this coward before you undermine everything!"
"You fool," Juvek spat. "This isn't how you lead men in the field. We don't give a damn about the fancy slogans and wise sayings the State gives out to keep people in line! All we care about is doing our duty and getting out of it alive. We all suffer combat shock and it is something that a soldier can recover from, sometimes in minutes, if they're given the chance."
"Soldier, I order you to move...."
Juvek instead took another step, keeping himself beween Tirritza and young Gikat. "You're not in the staff anymore and your family connections are meaningless here! Now lower the gun and let me finish talking to him!"
"Senior, move now or I'll..."
Juvek took another step forward and Tirritza, in a panic at the larger man coming so close, pulled the trigger on accident. The emitter glowed and a single beam struck out and hit Juvek in the chest. The old veteran, survivor of so many battles, collapsed and died at the hands of one of his own countrymen. The other soldiers saw Juvek's death with wide eyes. They looked to Tirritza, who was almost in a daze for a moment as his mind processed what he'd just done.
It ended after a couple moments. Tirritza raised his weapon. "This is all your fault, you little coward," he barked at Gikat, who was staring at Juvek. "And now you're going to die for...."
Tirritza never spoke again. His finger had just started to tense on the trigger when a dozen different beams converged on him, vaporizing him in an instant and so rapidly that he literally never saw it coming. His weapon clattered to the ground, and the remaining Cardassian soldiers stood from their places. The leading one, a 2nd Rank Trooper, tossed his gun down. "This is worthless," he muttered. "Our rations are almost out, we each only have a couple charges left for our rifles, and we've all got one wound or another. I say we surrender. We're more likely to survive as enemy prisoners than staying here to get bombed out or shot."
Slowly, they were nods. The Cardassians, to a man, tossed down their weapons and left the building, arms raised. It didn't take them long to find an Alliance patrol - made up of Bajorans at that - which took them into captivity. For them, the war was over.

[Steve]

Dalkyra, Bajor
14:33 GST


The Central Temple of Dalkyra was filled with people. Almost all were Bajorans, residents of the city that were hiding in the basement and slowly, but surely, using an ancient underground catacomb to escape the city. Guarding them to ensure they got out was the 1185th Infantry Battalion, which included both Lorva Korvys and Opel Tevil. Korvys had been breveted a Corporal due to fatalities during the previous days of fighting and, with Tevil and a squad of men, was holding a section of the fallen Temple wall as Cardassians milled around the perimeter, looking for a way to break in. Korvys and his men couldn't help but feel they were out for pure bloody-minded vengeance - they wanted to kill everyone in the Temple - though the truth seemed to be that they thought there were rations and equipment in the Temple they could use to survive for a bit longer.
They were under fire now from a number of positions, every man laying against large shattered blocks of mortar and brick thick enough to absorb the minimal-killing power of the Cardassian weapons. The Cardassians weren't firing much, indicating they were low on energy packs for their rifles.
Korvys looked to Tevil. Both young men now had scratchy hair growth on their faces from lack of shaving. They had been in the front lines for eleven days now and were sorely tired, their nerves long pushed to their limit by the character of urban combat. "Today's a Human holiday, y'know," Tevil said. "On the AST calendar. It's something called Christmas."
"Oh, and what's it for?" one of the Privates asked - Korvys was very certain the young man lied on his enlistment application and was not yet eighteen - from his place a few yards away.
"It's a religious celebration. For the birth of one of their Gods, I think. They celebrate it by eating a big meal and exchanging gifts covered in wrapping paper so you don't know what it is."
Korvys smirked. "It's the birth of Jesus, specifically, and it's celebrated by Christians. You know, like Sergeant Weathers." He didn't let himself think of Weathers, who was laying in the Corps hospital somewhere... assuming he was still alive after those hits he took.
"Whatever. Thank the Prophets we don't have that many different things to remember. I still remember when I offered that girl some of my pork chops and she accused me of insulting her."
"Muslims and Jews can't eat pork," Korvys said. "Though we're going to have a hell of a time deciding if any of our foodstock animals count."
"Pork?" This was again from the young man. "What's that?"
"From a pig. It's this dirty, mud-loving little creature Humans grow for food, it has a big nose and goes 'oink' or something...." Tevil suddenly stopped. "Do you hear that?"
Everyone shushed for a moment, and there was indeed a sound; the crunching of debris from footsteps. It was coming from outside the perimeter as well. One of the others picked a long-shaped piece of debris up and stuck it above his protection and, as everyone expected, a beam of energy went right by it. "Dammit, they're getting too close." Korvys keyed his helmet to broadcast to his platoon commander, an older Bajoran man who replaced the Human Lieutenant Perkins after she was killed on the fifth day. "Movement on Northeast Perimeter. Potential enemy attack."
"I copy."
Korvys looked to Tevil and saw him taking a grenade into his hand. "What are you doing?"
"Giving them a gift. I've had it with the spoonheads." Tevil pulled the pin out and went to throw the weapon. Before it came out of his hand, a Cardassian rifle beam grazed his wrist. Tevil shouted in pain and all momentum stopped; the grenade dropped out of his hand and to the ground.
On their side.
Without thinking about it, without even considering what was going to happen, Korvys leapt on top of it. He never thought for a moment about never seeing his wife and little daughter again, or never meeting the new child his wife was carrying. He never thought about dying. He simply acted.
The others had barely the time to look before the frag grenade went off in Korvys' belly. It tore his hands up, for one, and enough of the projectiles got through to rip through his body armor and into his flesh, where they finally stopped.... but not before they'd torn up much of his torso, including his lungs and stomach. Korvys gasped and rolled over, blood and gore oozing from what was left of his chest.
Tevil stared in wide-eyed shock at the sight. Ignoring the pain in his wrist he clambered over to Korvys as he laid there and died. "No! No dammit! Korvys! Korvys, think of your little ones! You can't die here! No!"
"Movement!" One of the soldiers had been peering over his own protection. "They're coming!"
Tevil felt hot tears going down his eyes. He didn't care anymore. Korvys was his friend, the sympathetic ear.and the douse of cold water he often needed and all at once. "It's my fault," Tevil wept. "Prophets damn me, it's my fault!"
"Private Opel, eyes front! They're coming!"
Tevil's wrist was in pain, but he responded to the order. With tears flowing from his eyes, he brought his MP-10 up to the barrier protecting him and Korvys' body and watched the Cardassians scurrying toward the street from the rubble of the building opposite the temple. He opened fire in conjunction with the squad.
For minutes he just kept fire up whenever there was movement. He watched a Cardassian's head explode in the rear from one of his rounds, then another one fell clutching his gut from a hit there. Energy beams responded, but they had a slight advantage in height and superior rate of fire. Soon the attack dissipated. The perimeter was secure once more.
Then the order came. "Everyone pull back into the Temple. It's time for us to get out of here." The soldiers began to pick up anything they'd left on the ground and enter the Temple building, giving each other cover as they did so should the Cardassians storm again and get over the former perimeter.
Tevil didn't come right away. Facing his Lieutenant, he tugged at Korvys' body. "We can't just leave him here! We have to hold!"
"Division HQ wants us out! The air jocks are getting ready to flatten this grid square!"
"I'm not leaving him! He has a family! They have a right... a right to bury him!" Tevil hefted Korvys' body onto his shoulders as he'd seen done on other occasions.
"Put him down and come on!"
"Sir, let me bring him!"
Biting his lip, the Lieutenant - his family name was Pavu - replied, "Carry him as long as you can, but when you can't anymore, drop him or, Prophets forgive me, I'll have to vape him."
Accepting Pavu's terms, Tevil carried Korvys' body into the Temple. And into the passage for the catacombs, and then through those dark, dank underground tunnels. His body protested every step, his muscles ached, and his wrist was starting to refuse to move.
But he couldn't drop Korvys. He owed him that much. He owed Korvys' wife and children the right to bury him.
The distance seemed to take an eternity to traverse. Pavu would look back to make sure he was still coming, seeming very keen on it, but Tevil ignored all the demands of his body to lighten his load and kept going.
At one point, as they fled, Tevil nearly lost his footing as the floor shook. He realized what had happened. Behind them, explosives had been planted to block the tunnel. The Cardassians could have the Temple, since it was about to be smashed into rubble anyway.
Light appeared ahead. Tevil's body was ready to give in, but he kept going... kept going.... the light was just ahead! He was almost out! He'd done it!
His boots stepped into hard mud. He trudged forward and.... there it was! Green fields and the gentle sound of running water! They'd emerged from the tunnel and were outside the city, safe and sound, by the running waterfalls on the north face of the hills Dalkyra was built on and in. Pavu smiled appreciatively. "Good job, son."
Tevil nodded..... and promptly collapsed.
Korvys' body left his grip and rolled down in front of him as Tevil hit his knees. He then sluimped to the right, his body utterly exhausted. He was filled with pain. Within moments, the exhaustion, the sleep deprivation, and the end of his body's last bursts of energy had taken their toll; Tevil lost consciousness.
Had he stayed awake, he would have heard the roar of engines above as gunships began to circle above Dalkyra, pounding the remaining Cardassians relentlessly. The city had been evacuated of Bajorans and Alliance troops alike; all that was left alive were gaggles of surviving Cardassians who were starving and tired. Those who didn't signal their surrender in time were promptly blown to pieces or crushed under debris.
By the end of this Christmas Day, "Bloody" Dalkyra had finally, mercifully fallen; the one great bloody infantry battle of the war was over.
The war itself, however, was not.

[Steve]

Capital City, Cardassia, Cardassian Union
15:15 GST


For the first time Gul Dukat had been invited to attend a strategy session with Legate Kelataza. It was a small one, with just himself, Keve, and Gul Hergata to advise the Legate.
On the holoscreen, the progress of the latest enemy offensive could be found. In half a day they had landed on fifteen planets - seven had already fallen and the rest would likely follow within a few days, as all had been lightly garrisoned. Dukat was certain the enemy was moving up reserves even now, and at the rate they were going Dervak would probably come under assault within 72 hours. He was admittedly interested ine examining reports of the unique walking armored machines used by the Federated Commonwealth. Tanks had been bad enough, now these machines were routing Cardassian and Korroleia militia just from physical intimidation.
Dukat smiled grimly. There was yet a chance here. Though 1st Fleet was utterly broken - Dukat suspected they could simply not be trusted in any engagement with the enemy now, having lost as often as they have - the Tsen'kethi Frontier Fleet was now up at Kortaxis. If it was moved at the right time and the proper form, say in multiple-squadron detachments after Dervak was taken, it might catch the enemy fleet unprepared at Pelikar, which was to Dukat the clear final objective of the enemy advance. Later he would have to ask Keve for permission to cut the orders to Gul Gavron.
"Is it safe to risk the Home Fleet?" Kelataza did not look happy at the recommendation, and for the usual reasons. "The war is not going well, and there are those who may take advantage of the fleet's absence."
"Legate, this may be our last chance to stop the Alliance advance," Dukat replied. "If we hit them while they're still preparing for their next wave, we can disrupt their plans and buy time to finish mobilizing our reserves and building our inner defenses. If we don't use the Home Fleet now, we may very well lose it when the Alliance fleet moves directly on Cardassia Prime itself."
"Gul Dukat has a point, Legate," Yatar said. He went to say more but was silenced by a glare from his benefactor.
"Do we know when the Alliance blow will come? The Obsidian Order hasn't had much success in alerting us to their fleet movements."
Keve spoke up now. "Aid from the Federation has proven helpful here. The sensors they provided us to track the enemy's cloaked bombers can be used as well to scan enemy space with some reliability. The Alliance's jamming systems are online still but are not yet set to jam gravitic sensors. That, at least, has escaped their attention."
"Excellent news." Kelataza was still frowning, clearly in deep thought. Dukat almost wanted to speak again, but knew he had told his tongue right now. Finally, after about a minute of silence, he nodded and picked up the PADD with the listed orders. As he pressed his right thumb to the scanner, he said, "Here, I'm releasing the Home Fleet to you, Gul Dukat. And if you fail me.... don't bother coming back, because you won't even get a trial."
"Of course, Legate. I'll go get runners to alert the squadron commanders."
"Why bother doing that? That'll take longer than just calling them."
Dukat looked to Yatar. "Has it occurred to anyone that the Alliance may have cracked our naval codes? They knew 3rd Fleet was at Kurvak far too early, and the entire debacle at the Darane was simply too convenient. Not only did they have some of their carriers waiting in ambush for us, they also launched - at that very time - carrier strikes on our remaining naval bases, which was all too possibily a distraction. If Gul Kevem had followed the plan, he would have kept a reserve that we likely would have committed upon confirmation of those strikes... sending our entire fleet unknowingly into an enemy ambush." Dukat noticed the disbelieving look on Yatar's smug face, but the accepting look on Kelataza's was what he wanted to see. The old man is finally waking up and realizing that what the State says is rarely as true as we'd like to think.
"I'll have Communications investigate the issue," Kelataza promised. "Do what you think is necessary."
Dukat nodded and gave a final salute before leaving. All was going according to plan.

[Zed Snardbody]

A competent spoon head, this should be interesting.

[darthdavid]

Great stuff as always.

[Steve]

Bomber Atomic Dolphin, Cardassian Space
26 December 2153 AST
08:19 GST

The Atomic Dolphin and the rest of 66th Bomber Squadron were on nearing their dispersal point for an attack on enemy facilities in five local systems when Eastman noticed the three Ikvak-class destroyers shadowing the squadron. He looked to Sheppard and said, "Sir, what do you think about this? I've got three Cardie destroyers on passives, it looks like they're tailing us."
Sheppard looked over and brought up his own sensor display. After about a minute of watching, he turned his head back to Barton. "Get the tightbeam command link up."
Barton hit the appropriate keys and responded, "Command link up, the other squadron pilots are receiving."
Sheppard began to move Atomic Dolphin down and to the left a bit, eventually changing his course by 45 degrees on both axises. After several tense moments, Sheppard's frown grew. "The Cardies are following our course change." He changed course again, making it look like he was zig-zagging, and again they followed the course change. Only on the third attempt did they not immediately change course. "Bastards are tracking us somehow."
"Then why aren't they shooting us?" Rickover asked.
"Whatever gear they're using probably doesn't let 'em track us that well. They know we're in an area but can't get our position down accurately enough to fire. At least, not until we release our boosters." Scowling, Sheppard looked to Barton. "Use the tight-beam, get every bomber to listen closely as we make our next set of maneuvers."
After this was conffirmed, Sheppard examined the location of the destroyers and, after a moment, made a quick maneuver to cut across the length of their formation. The destroyers came out of warp and waited while he cut across again; their commanders probably thought they'd spooked him and were afraid to move now.
Finally Barton's head shot up. "Sir, got something from the Texan Lady and Marisol. They picked up something when passing by the Cardies."
"Well, what did they find?"
Barton looked it over and, after a moment, shook her head. "Just... a stream of data. Nothing specific."
"Good enough for me. Get the positions that Marisol and Texan Lady had when they picked up thos beams and relay the data to Rickover. Rickover, find the origin point, and find me a target just beyond it and slightly away."
"Sir?"
"Just fuckin' do it."
"Yes sir."
Tense minutes passed. Eastman looked nervously at the fuel level. "Sir, we can't just coast along like this. We need to head to the target or back to base."
"Not yet. If they're tracking us, a lot of bombers are going to be lost today. I want to get a good shot at shutting them down."
Eastman remained quiet. Finally Rickover finished his work. "The beam seems to be coming from System CUANB-5. And about half a light year beyond it from our current position is the Cardassian system Dukivik. Hasn't been bombed yet and it's got a C level comm station, an orbiting military post, and several cities with light and medium industrial capacity. Not a choice target, but...."
"Good enough. Give me the course data."
A minute later, Atomic Dolphin and the 66th were on their new course. Mere minutes later, the Cardassian destroyers were again shadowing them.


System UCANB-5 (Korvek 339), Cardassian Union
08:33 GST

On the surface of the rocky third planet of the lifeless solar system, a Cardassian sensor station was still under construction even after it's vitals had come online. Workers in environmental suits went about setting up better living spaces, defenses, barracks, and other support facilities while the staff did their jobs. Within the core of the growing facility, Gul Rogal sat calmly and sipped on her cup of ropavtek (literally "fish juice") while her staff reviewed the data from the gravitic sensor net that was still growing along the front with the Alliance. Nearby, monitoring one of her senior staff, was the Starfleet "advisor" assigned to help get the systems running, a stoic and somewhat irritating Vulcan named Sutek.
This station, along with others, was responsible for using the gravitic sensors to detect the general location of incoming Alliance bombers and to send in border patrols to shadow and attack them when they arrived on target and started to release their bomb loads, which gave away their locations.
"Commander Sutek, why don't you sit down and take a break?"
The Vulcan man looked back to her with a quizzical look. "It is not logical to waste time when I do not require rest, and I have other stations to visit before returning to the Federation. Therefore, I must decline."
"Suit yourself." Rogal tried not to smirk. Vulcans would make excellent Cardassians save that their devotion to logic undermined loyalty to the State. She went back to watching the displays, and what looked like several enemy bomber formations heading calmly into Cardassia, seemingly oblivious to the Ikvaks that were trailing them.
"Gul, one of the enemy contacts has changed general course. They're heading this way."
Rogal frowned. She didn't like coincidences. "Verify their course."
"Doing so now..." The officer ran the course heading through the computers, getting the proper astronomical data, and finally he replied, "They're heading to Dukivik."
"Dammit." Rogai frowned. The enemy must have learned about the recent transfer of naval supplies there and had ordered bombers to change target. "Put Dukivik on alert. Send two of the ships tailing the bombers directly to Dukivik to be ready."
"Yes Gul."


Bomber Atomic Dolphin, Cardassian Space
10:19 GST

Nearly two tense hours had passed now, and the bomber crew's nerves were slowly starting to get frayed. Sheppard was the least rattled, rolling an unsmoked cigar in his hands while the time to course change was counted down.
When the time came, he sent the proper signal and all twenty bombers dropped out of warp. As the Ikvak shot past, the bombers sharply turned and resumed warp fligght - now heading toward UCANB-5. "Enemy ship overshot us, sir! I don't think they'll have time to catch us before we can fire off the boosters!"
"Barton, tell everyone to get ready. Cockpit to Bombardier, prepare new targeting data. Flying Officer Eastman will be providing your target."
Affirmations answered. Even though this mission had taken a drastic turn for the worst, even though it looked like they had lost the stealth that kept them alive, every man and woman throughout the squadron remained as calm as Sheppard could have asked for.
"Time to target is thirty seconds."
"Get ready...."


System UCANB-5 (Korvek 339), Cardassian Union
10:20 GST


"Gul! Enemy contact heading our way!"
Rogal looked up from a report with widening eyes. The main display in the command center changed to show the anomalous contact on their gravitic sensors - which they presumed to be enemy bombers - now within a minute of their position. "Impossible! Notify all ships, tell them to get here immediately!"
"It will not do you any good," Sutek replied calmly. "There are no ships in position."
"Order all personnel to take cover! Raise our defense shields!" Rogal watched in disbelief as the contacts grew closer... and closer.... She found herself hoping there was only a single enemy, perhaps lacking the firepower to break through their shield.
The contact stopped. There was activity on other scanning systems now, revealin at last the enemy position, but the Yuvak was still twenty seconds away... Rogal swallowed at the number of contacts that suddenly appeared. There must have been at a dozen enemy bombers, perhaps more; their uncloaked boosters were ominous on the screen as they raced toward the sensor post.
"How ironic," Sutek finally said. "My brother died fighting Cardassia, and now I will die protecting Cardassia."
That pompous Vulcan! How can he be so candid, so uncaring, that we're all about to be reduced to ash! Rogal wanted to shoot him, but her eyes were fixed to the screens as missile after missile fired from the booster assemblies of the enemy bombers. The bombers were effectively invisible again; gravitic sensors showed they were in the area but it was too late for the Yuvak to attack them.
The first missile exploded against the shield, then the second, then a third that sent a sickening rumble through the facility and told Rogal, in those final moments, that the shield had failed.
The next missile detonated - intended for an enemy shielded space facility, it was thirty times more powerful than the infamous Hiroshima blast, as were the next missiles. By the time they had all exploded, there was very little to mark the remains of Rogal, Sutek, and the three hundred Cardassians who had been living and building the destroyed outpost.


Bomber Atomic Dolphin, Cardassian Space
10:23 GST


"It's been confirmed, sir. The enemy outpost was destroyed." Eastman sighed. "And that Cardie destroyer is fumbling about like a blind man in the dark. He can't see us anymore."
"Excellent job everyone," Sheppard said before taking another drag from his lit cigar. "Now, find me the closest airbase."
"Yes sir." Rickover looked. "Closest sir is Kagawa Field on Ituk 3."
While Sheppard piloted Atomic Dolphin on course, Eastman frowned. "We're going to be running on fumes by the time we get there."


Kagawa Field, Ituk 3, Cardassian Union (Occupied)
11:50 GST


The engines on Atomic Dolphin finally went silent as the massive B-202F rolled to a slow stop at the very edge of Kagawa's largest runway. The only towing vehicle the new airfield had was ready and waiting for them, latching on within a minute and towing the Dolphin to a berth in the one hanger the small field had so far. Eastman and the others looked around at the workers and standard rates still building parts of the half-finished airfield, which had been intended to host a fighter squadron, not bombers. But large strips were added to all fields for just this occasion, and as it turned out, the 66th Squadron was down to it's last five minutes of anti-matter fuel when it came out of warp in Ituk - Kagawa was literally the only field they could've used.
When they were safe in the hanger, Sheppard and crew finally came out. When they did, the field personnel started applauding even while the towing vehicle ran back out to get the next bomber coming in. Atomic Dolphin's crew was a little surprised to see the reaction. "Hey, it was nothin'," Sheppard said with clear false modesty.
The field personnel looked at each other. "You didn't hear anything over the radio?"
"Nope, not at all." Sheppard frowned. "Just what the hell is going on?"


Williamson AFB, New Liberty, ADN Colonial Zone
14:30 GST


Air Marshal Polk's expression was grim as she put down the PDA that her aide Squadron Commander Fyodor Ruslov had handed her. The bearded Russian officer had a solemn look on his face as he waited for Polk to respond. "How in the Hell did this happen?"
"We are still investigating, Sir. The 66th Squadron's report may shed some light on the subject."
Polk swallowed hard, trying to keep her stomach still. "We sent out twenty squadrons. Four hundred of our best bombers. And we get only fify-three back? I want to know what the hell happened out there, I don't want to hear that it's still just an investigation!" Polk tossed the PDA to her desk. "God dammit, this is almost as bad as the Big One. And you can be damned sure they're not going to like this in Washington. The Navy's been nipping at our heels ever since that damned Dale Commission."
"I'll make sure the investigators know how eager you are to get answers." Ruslov stopped for a moment. "Strange that the Cardassians suddenly just knew how to find and hit our bombers, isn't it? They're not the kind of people to hold back if they can use something."
"I don't want any speculation in the press, Commander. Just go get the investigation going and have them keep me informed."
"Yes sir." Ruslov left.
Polk took a few minutes to get a drink, a bottle of green-tinged Saurian brandy that the natives liked so much. With liquor in hand, she went back to reading the survivors' reports. She paid most attention to the one from Squadron Commander Sheppard of 66th Squadron.
Deep in her stomach, Polk couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. The Aerospace Force had taken a bad hit. Who knew what other surprises the Cardassians may have in store now that their situation was becoming more desperate?

[Steve]

Benigno, Nova Savona, United Federation of Planets
27 December 2153 AST
08:10 GST


The household of Maria and Oliver Bennett was a modest one, located in the suburbs of the small city of Benigno near the San Pietro Coast. Oliver was a cynical man, a former Idealogue Party member who had been purged during Deborah Miller's Presidency for advocating increased defense spending. He now made a meager living out here on the frontier, having married Maria Costanza, an older woman who had been beaten and raped by Cardassian raiders during the infamous Cardassian raid of 2347 - known as the "Rape of Nova Savona" and denounced as a lie by PAPAL supporters and the Cardassian government alike - and who lost her husband and children in the attack. Her brother and sister had gone missing as well, just two of thousands of Nova Savonans who disappeared during the attack. Maria had long convinced herself they were dead, but like her entire family she held out the slightest hope she would see them again.
It was a day like any other. Maria worked as a secretary for the city government, and Oliver was a part-time political sciences professor at Benigno Community College. Both were home for the day and sitting at the table, eating quietly. Getting tired of the silence, Oliver turned on a subspace receiver that he had paid years' worth of savings to get and tuned it to Alliance media channels, which were thankfully receptable on Nova Savona. He had long enjoyed this, since the Alliance news services generally tended to have more reach than local news and more honesty than the Federation State Press.
He flipped through them and finally decided on watching Fox Interstellar News, which appealed to him for it's strong anti-Federation programming. Maria turned and watched as the footage was, suprisingly, that of a ragged-looking Human. "..officials have allowed some press to review the newly-liberated Cardassian camps. A number of them are dominated by non-Cardassians, particularly Federation nationals." The screen changed and showed a trench with large containers flanking it. "On Christmas Day, special forces liberated this facility, called 'Village 18' according to sources, within minutes of the Cardassian garrison carrying out orders to slaughter their prisoners. The trench was meant to be a mass grave, and the containers are filled with acid so powerful it would likely obliterated any trace of remains that could be used to construct DNA. Now the military is trying to work to identify the people in the village. No word yet on how much cooperation they're getting with the Federation authorities."
Oliver turned the channel off in disgust. He had been in the Party and he knew what would happen; they would procrastinate, cover up, and generally throw any kind of obstacle they could into any kind of investigation into the identities of those poor souls. There was absolutely no way the Party was going to take responsibility for Federation citizens being held by the Cardassians.
Almost getting up, Oliver noticed the look on his wife's face. "Dear, please, don't get your hopes up. I want them to be in there too, but it's been so long..."
There were tears in his wife's eyes. Maria nodded. "Yes, yoiu're right Oliver. But I am going to pray anyway. I want them to come home."


La Plata, Earth, United Federation of Planets
16:15 GST


Once part of the State of Maryland, La Plata was today a moderate-sized town of about 150,000 people, due in part from the settlement of survivors from the nuclear attack on Washington D.C. in the Third World War and now due to several local public housing communities created by the government. It was in one of those communities that the Vickers family lived. It was the morning time and they were together in the home of Regina Vickers. Her teenage daughter Rachel was at the table with her and Regina's brother Matthew, with a late breakfast (or early lunch) on the table. Regina's husband Charles worked a part-time job at a local convenience store that was co-owned by the city government (many businesses were these days).
Rachel turned on the wall viewscreen and switched to the Federation News Service. It was just starting, with the pretty young brunette on the screen introducing her just as the screen flipped on. "The Federation Council voted today to officially condemn the use of napalm weapons by the Alliance military on Cardassian holdouts on Bajor. These weapons, recognized as barbaric and cruel by all races of the Federation, have been described as a jelly material that bursts to flame upon contact with oxygen found in many atmospheres. It is almost impossible to remove and often burns victims alive. The Council has threatened...."
Regina turned the screen off. "Did you hear that? They're barbarians! It's like Colonel Green all over again!"
"Oh, come on Regina, they're not that bad. They're more like the people who fought Green."
"They're still... that is so cruel! I mean, this is all over Bajor and a couple of thousand people killed, and it's all their fault! They kept on pushing the Cardassians, and pushing, and pushing, until finally, what else were the Cardassians supposed to do? They're the victims here, not the Bajorans." Regina took a sip nbefore unleashing her sharp tongue once more. "Those soldiers doing these things are all criminals and should be locked up. Every last one of them. They're worse than Klingons."
"Regina, dear, Klingons are our allies, remember?"
"Only because some of the people at the top don't care. Why, the Klingons are nothing more than bloodthirsty maniacs. Why can't we ally with the Cardassians? They're such better people." Regina shook her head. "And it's just so irritating to see other Humans acting like bloodlusting racists going out to kill aliens. It's... why? I mean, why can't they be like us? Just settle down and enjoy life."
Now, finally, Rachel piped in. "Mother, have you ever thought that maybe the Alliance's soldiers don't have any other choice? My social history teacher has been showing us documentaries on their societies. They don't have a replicator in every home, they're not even guaranteed food and a place to sleep. Most of them have to work just to do that, so they get exploited by all these rich people who control their governments. Maybe those soldiers felt they had to join the military to feed their families."
"If they're having so much problems that they have to become killers, then why don't they vote better leaders in? They have the vote like we do, don't they? And I know that the Federation is sponsoring idealists in their societies who want to emulate us. Instead of going off to burn Cardassian children with those horrible jelly weapons, maybe they should vote in these people and get their own BLN." Regina wagged her finger at her daughter. "No dear, they are not the victims. They're either racist killers or they're idiots who should know better."
"Regina, some of those kids probably sign up for the reason people here join Starfleet," Matthew replied. "Like Old Man Parker's kids."
"Oh, don't go on about them. Old Man Parker's kids are dead now, remember? And that's what they get for helping the militarists in Starfleet provoke wars with our neighbors." Regina shook her head. "I'm not going to let you fill Rachel's head with such nonsense. We don't need Starfleet. We need to be at peace with their neighbors and understand their problems. If we did that, there would be no more wars. But no, we have idiots like Maxwell out here who have bloodlust in their eyes and want to kill aliens! And I hope they keep that fiend locked up until he croaks. No room for racists in our branch of Humanity!"
Matthew sighed. "Regina, dear, you really have a lot of strong opinions, but can you ever be open-minded about anything?"
"What do you mean by that?! I'm open-minded! If I weren't, I'd be just like those people in the Alliance. You know, if you ask me, we shouldn't let any of them move here to the Federation until they prove they're capable of living at peace with everyone instead of wanting to kill people who aren't like them. Otherwise we'll be inviting a pack of murderers and racists into our midst."
"They can't move here anyway, Mom. A lot of them get genetic enhancements as children that make them live longer."
"Ah ha, see? They're so arrogant they fiddle with themselves, they're too good to live like the rest of us, oh no, they have to live longer too!" Regina rather angrily shook her head. "I just can't get over those people. They're so repulsive."
Matthew sighed and went back to eating.

[darthdavid]

If it werent for the fact that that woman is a federation citizen I'd have said that her dialogue was to extreme to be believable...

[Zed Snardbody]

If it werent for the fact that that woman is a federation citizen I'd have said that her dialogue was to extreme to be believable...

When your trapped in a closed society.....

[Edward Yee]

"How ironic," Sutek finally said. "My brother died fighting Cardassia, and now I will die protecting Cardassia."

A Vulcan with irony! Le magnifique!

"Strange that the Cardassians suddenly just knew how to find and hit our bombers, isn't it? They're not the kind of people to hold back if they can use something."

I'd think that he was generalizing a bit too much, Steve... is this what you intended?

I'm open-minded! If I weren't, I'd be just like those people in the Alliance.

Ah, irony... I enjoy that.

Zed's right, sadly. Should I assume that she's a full-on Millerite, or a PAPAList, or what? (Dunno what the PAPAL take on the Klingons was.) I'm assuming that Rachel is an Idealogue.

Steve: Who's Colonel Green?

[Steve]

I'd think that he was generalizing a bit too much, Steve... is this what you intended?

People are given to generalizing.

I'm open-minded! If I weren't, I'd be just like those people in the Alliance.

Ah, irony... I enjoy that.

Zed's right, sadly. Should I assume that she's a full-on Millerite, or a PAPAList, or what? (Dunno what the PAPAL take on the Klingons was.) I'm assuming that Rachel is an Idealogue.

Well, Millerites/PAPAL supporters are the same, but they're also Idealogues too (Idealogue's a pretty broad thing at this time). Regina's your average middle-aged True Believer who thinks her views are the end-all be-all of Human intelligence and knowledge. Her daughter's your usual college student activist type, and is buying the more sympathetic Party line instead of the PAPAL line.

Steve: Who's Colonel Green?

Memory-Alpha article on Green.

[Trogdor]

Wow, every time I think you can't made the UFP more contemptable, you prove me wrong.

Why are the Bennetts living in the Federation? Don't have the money to go to the Alliance?

[Steve]

Madred Village 23, Dervak, Cardassian Union
27 December 2153 AST
08:10 GST


The Village was under siege now, with about three thousand Cardassian troops in the immediate perimeter and a few more behind it as reserves. For the previous 24 hours, since they'd arrived in force, they'd mostly probed here, prodded here, and waited to see what kind of reaction that the Village Militia and Black Widows would give.
Now, finally, they had launched their assault, an advance on all sides. The Village Militia were awaiting them in trenches, backed by the Black Widows; Natasha Kerensky had assigned two of three companies to defense "sectors" as individual lances, holding back a company as emergency reserve to prevent any break in the line.
When the assault began, it reminded Phelan of descriptions of the First World War back in his Nagelring classes. The Cardassians, aware of the defenses around the Village, started off with an artillery barrage that lasted an hour. Occasionally reports would come in of Villagers killed or wounded, but the trenches were well prepared and the 'Mechs well-armored; not a single Black Widow actually went down and only some took damage of appreciable scale.
Now the Cardassian advance began, mechanized vehicles with infantry riding on them or within them. Their own design for the village worked against them; they had purposely made it's surroundings open and flat to help deal with potential escapes, but now it denied them any kind of cover. They had to come in under full view of the Black Widows and Village Militia. Phelan calmly centered his targeting crosshairs on a Cardassian APC and tensed the trigger for his right arm phaser cannon. A solid beam of reddish-orange energy struck out and speared the Cardassian APC head on. Though there was little visible outside damage save for the impact point, the machine suddenly stopped; the phaser had wiped out everyone inside.
The Cardassians were soon returning fire. They were finally fielding some anti-armor weapons and seemed less intimidated of the BattleMechs, which had finally lost that crucial initial advantage in surprise and intimidation. Several beams came toward him, and four made contact, causing varying damage to Grinner's armor. Phelan crouched and said "Everyone down" to get his lance to repeat the action and make the enemy work harder to hit them. Everyone crouched down.
Everyone except Ranna.
Undaunted, Ranna sprinted forward with her Shadow Cat's MASC system fully engaged. Her shots were a bit off - natural for that speed - but she presented an almost impossible target for the Cardassians. "Dammit Ranna, get back here!" When there was no answer Phelan swore to himself and stood to go after her. "Everyone stay here and give our allies cover fire. Focus on their vehicles, let the Villagers deal with advancing infantry." Phelan broke Grinner out into a run. A hit grazed the left hip of his 'Mech, another the belly of it, and his armor was clearly starting to degrade.
Ranna had closed the distance and was seemingly going mad. She twisted and turned, firing in a pattern that appeared wild and unordered save that it was actually striking targets. It was clear that years of frustration and anger were finally being released.
And it was being released in an effective manner. Though not every shot hit her target, it did make the Cardassians pause their advance in that sector as they tried to focus their firepower on Ranna's Shadow Cat. A shot would miss here, graze there, and a couple looked like direct hits, but Ranna kept on attacking and destroying APCs, even stepping on a few soldiers that had dismounted their vehicles in haste.
Phelan got close enough that his shots were becoming highly accurate as well. Another hit to his torso started eating into Grinner's skeleton but it did not stop him, and the offender exploded a few minutes later from return fire. "Ranna, pull back dammit! Pull back now!" His scanners confirmed what he suspected was happening; the Cardassians were sending in their reserves to push through their section of the front. "You've given them their licks, get the Hell back to the line. That's an order!"
At first there was no reaction from Ranna save a continued attack, but finally the Shadow Cat turned away from the husks of her victims. The 'Mech's armor was missing patches and damaged elsewhere, but otherwise okay. Phelan began to back Grinner up and give Ranna cover as she made her way back to the line. At a third of the distance, she turned her 'Mech and back-pedaled toward the lines, giving Phelan cover fire. Phelan turned and ran back toward the lines. He was about to turn again when a solid beam from an APC hit the back of Grinner's knee. The armor took most of the damage, but it still failed, and Phelan very nearly lost control and fell when the knee locked up. Limping along, he continued on his way. "Fall back, Ranna!"
"I will give you cover until you are safe in the lines. Keep going."
"That's an order Ranna. Fall back!"
She refused, moving and dodging here and there as the Cardassian attack was starting to concentrate on their section. Fire from Phelan's lance and the some of the few anti-tank weapons provided to the Militia by the Dragoons surrounded them; the enemy's main attack had begun.
Phelan turned once more and shouted into the com, "Dammit, Ranna, I said fall back!"
"I am not a coward! I will not run from them!"
Before he could speak again, there was a roar from above. Grinner's computer identified them as Alliance F/A-37s at the same time that explosions erupted all across the enemy's lines. "Reinforcements!" was the shout over the comm.
The air support was soon joined by landing craft. Phelan was still used to the egg or sphere-shaped DropShips typically used for landing ground troops, so it was a change to watch the catamaran-shaped Marine "LCAP"s descend behind and on top of the Cardassians. The 40mm guns on the LCAPs were firing on all arcs, forcing Cardassian soldiers to the ground while the LCAPs hit soil. Twin doors opened on each segment of the landing craft; some disgorged tanks, some IFVs, and many were carrying infantry.
The Cardassian attack broke apart quickly now. Phelan, witnessing the confusion of the Cardassian forces, waited for the order to attack.
It was not long in coming.


12:50 GST


The nightmare was over.
The very fact seemed to overwhelm the senses of the long-term prisoners of Madred Village 23. After years of terror hidden under a bare veneer of civility, they were free. There would be no more surprise raids, no more sudden seizures to be used as subjects in interrogation training, no more suffering. And so they celebrated in their town square, hugging and kissing and cheering their liberators, who with great pride erected the flagpoles from which they flew their standards; side by side, the colored torch-and-starts of the Allied Nations was joined by the fist-and-sunburst of the Federated Commonwealth, a third flag bearing the wolf's head insignia of the Wolf Dragoons and, below that, a newly-replicated flag bearing the symbol of the Black Widow Battalion. In a nod to the people of Village 23, who had so bravely held out and aided in their liberation, Natasha Kerensky and Colonel Alex Rickman - her counterpart in the Alliance Marine Corps' 15th Planetary Assault Regiment - personally arranged for the flying of the Federation flag with their nations' own. The flying of the Federation flag, with it's striking field of blue, made some of the villagers begin to cry. It reminded them that they would be finally be going home.
Most would, at least. Though she had a smile on her face, Sharon Carter was not as happy as she should have been. She would be taken as mad if she were to admit it, but she had strangely felt at home here. She had spent more time living in Village 23 than anywhere else, given her early life and the constant need to flee from Federation government agents that wanted to send her and the other colony children of her generation to "facilities" for the "genetically altered".
Kristina came up to her and threw her arms around Carter's neck. After giving her a jubilant kiss on the lips, she squealed "We're going home!" with glee. It took a moment for Kristina to see the look on Carter's face. "Sharon, what's wrong?"
"You're going home, Kristina. I have no home."
It took a moment for Kristina to realize what she had just done. "Oh Sharon, I didn't mean.... you can come back to New Murmansk with me, can't you?"
Carter shook her head. "I can't, Kristina. I'm a fugitive in the Federation, remember? If I go back, I'll end up in a settlement."
"We can hide you! We're on the frontier, they'll never find you...."
"My parents used to say the same thing. And then four months later, we'd be sneaking out the back door while Starfleet Security pounded on the front door." Carter pulled Kristina closer. "I can't go back with you. But, I do love you very much. Too much to keep you from going home."
"Sharon, I...."
"Shhh...." Carter planted a quick kiss on Kristina's lips. "Let's go celebrate the present. We can talk about the future later."


Phelan and Ranna had been summoned back to the Cyrilla Ward, where Natasha was, predictably, getting ready to load back up to join up with the continuing advance on Pelikar. "How long until your 'Mech is repaired, Phelan?"
"The techs promised me it'd be done in 24 hours," Phelan replied. "So I figure 36, since everyone's busy partying with the Villagers."
Natasha smirked. "Oh, don't worry about that. They'll have their party and then I'll have them all pumped with detoxicants to get to work. Now, go get some rest Phelan."
"Yes Colonel." Phelan walked out, leaving Natasha alone with Ranna.
For a moment nothing was said. Natasha walked around Ranna. "Took a lot of guts to rush the Cardies like that. You did a real good job disrupting their advance. It took skill, courage, and luck to pull that off and come back as untouched as you did."
"Thank you, Colonel."
"Oh, don't thank me yet." Natasha stood in front of her granddaughter and frowned, looking her eye to eye. "You disobeyed a direct order from your lance commander to hold position, and then you disobeyed when ordered to fall back! You put Phelan and your entire lance in potential jeopardy because you had your panties in a bunch and wanted to prove something! And I will be damned if I will tolerate that! In the Dragoons, we follow orders! This is not the Clan warrior caste and you are not Goddamned free to follow orders as you please so long as you think you've got the skills to win a fucking Circle of Equals with your superior! If you ever disobey another Goddamned direct order, I will kick your ass to the fucking curb! You will be out of my battalion and I will see to it that you are kicked out of the Dragoons! AM. I. CLEAR?!"
Ranna nodded, her spine straight and her body at rigid attention. "Yes, Colonel!"
"Now get the Hell out of my sight before I get pissed off! Dismissed!"
Watching Ranna leave, Natasha drew in a breath, and then had a private little smirk. Ranna, in her own way, reminded Natasha of herself, and that both scared and thrilled the older Kerensky.
And now, with nothing much to do, Natasha decided to go join the festivities. A good battle and a victory always deserved at least one night of booze and general hell-raising, after all.

[Zed Snardbody]

More addictive than crack indeed!

[darthdavid]

[Steve]

For viewing pleasure:

[Steve]

The Fox's Den, New Avalon, Federated Commonwealth
Universe Designate MWB-32
28 December 2153 AST
01:45 GST


Communications had changed greatly over the previous years. Where once the leader of a House would have to wait for reports from the field to know how operations were going, now it was possible for news to come immediately. To reflect this truth, the various war rooms and planning rooms of the Davion military command on New Avalon had been overhauled with modern communications and display equipment.
It was in one such room, filled as it was with monitors and holographic displays, that Hanse and his nephew Morgan were getting the latest update from the Alpha Quadrant, directly from Admiral Johnston and Marshal Bisla. The former was with his fleet, now gathering at Dervak, and Marshal Bisla was still on Corwich as joint commander of the FCEF and the Alliance's "Task Force Percival", the designation for their forces protecting the Commonwealth's flank.
"Dervak's main garrison surrendered an hour ago, Highness," Johnston reported, his holographic image flickering momentarily from signal interference. "I am happy to report that we are on schedule so far."
"When can you continue on to Pelikar?"
"Completing repairs on ships damaged at Shervarak and bringing in supplies will take two days, Highness. We are also expecting the arrival of two Alliance carriers that, with Invincible, should give us a good strength in fighters to augment the fleet. However, we are somewhat stretched out and I'm concerned that Cardassian forces watching the Tzenkethi border could be directed against us. We'd be outnumbered five to one by a normal Cardassian border fleet. I would thus like to hold back until after the Alliance's main offensive begins, to see if the Cardassians have anything in the area they're willing to commit."
Hanse nodded. "Marshal?"
"Sir, with all due respect to Admiral Johnston, I believe that we are presented with our best opportunity take Pelikar now. The enemy fleet defeated at Shervarak has already retreated out of the region and all intelligence estimates place the Cardassian fleet on the Tzenkethi border light years beyond Pelikar. If we strike in the next three days, I believe we can seize and hold Pelikar easily; if we wait longer, we give the Cardassians time to regroup and make the battle that much harder."
There, the lines were drawn; the navy wanted caution, the army action. Now Hanse would have to decide which had the greater merit. "And suppose the Cardassians decide to challenge you with the frontier fleet they keep to counter the Tzenkethi?"
Bisla's answer was immediate. "We withdraw and fortify Dervak. If necessary, we ask the Alliance for assistance from the 5th Fleet to hold our position."
Hanse nodded at that. "Still, I do not want to put everything on the Alliance being able to provide aid with their 5th Fleet. They are developing their own offensive, and that will be the one that brings the war closer to an end." He looked to Johnston. "Admiral, when you are ready, I would prefer you to move to Pelikar, but do so cautiously and with an eye out for the enemy. Marshal, do not commence any landings of troops until we verify the Cardassians are not going to bring their fleet over from the Tzenkethi border."
"Of course, Highness." Bisla gave a slight nod of affirmation. "May I ask for the progress of compiling reinforcements?"
Hanse allowed Morgan to answer that. "Partial mobilization is continuing, though you are certainly aware that we don't want to risk all of the units with the New Army upgrades, so I'm afraid you won't be getting any more BattleMech regiments or RCTs."
"Given Cardassian equipment and their performance so far, Sir, I'm not really worried about getting more BattleMechs. Give me an armored battalion for every infantry brigade, and a hell of a lot of those, and I'll be happy."
Hanse grinned at that, since it's what he had been hoping for. Morgan nodded. "We're busy forming and raising new non-'Mech formations of two brigades apiece with an attached armored regiment, designated as Grenadier Divisions. It's a new form, yes, but we hope to give it a goodm operational test in the Alpha Quadrant. The 1st Division is already en route and should be there soon. You'll have ten within three weeks."
"They'll be very welcome here."
"You and your troops, and those of our allies, have the continued faith and support of the Commonwealth, Marshal Bisla, Admiral Johnston. Good luck."
The reply of "Thank you, Highness" came from both Bisla and Johnston, after which their images disappeared.
After a few moments, Hanse looked to Morgan. "Given how much damage the Alliance has caused the Cardassians, do you really think the war will be on long enough for the Grenadier Divisions to see action?"
After a moment, he was answered by a careful reply. "Things look good so far, Highness," said Morgan, "but as I'm sure you know, the war isn't over until the other side agrees that it is."

[Steve]

CDS Droamall, Marull System, Cardassian Union
Universe Designate ST-3
17:10 GST


Home Fleet, 520 warships strong, was now gathering; they were joined by 300 Cardassian ships that were either repaired survivors of prior battles or ships restored from mothballs and crewed as well as they could be.
Amongst them was the Droamall. One of the latest Galor-class ships to join the Cardassian fleet, it was the flagship that Dukat had chosen for the coming battle. Walking through the bridge of the Droamall, Dukat was approached by a 1st Rank Glin. "Sir," the matured Cardassian male replied, "the couriers have confirmed that Gul Ituvek and Gul Parittza are in position."
"Excellent." Dukat walked up to the operations console, ignoring the officer attending to it and pressing keys to bring up the tactical map. At Marull, Kovulak, Palki, Mekelos, and Poruta, the Cardassian fleet was gathering once more. These positions were nearly sixty light years from the nearest Alliance-held system, making detection less likely, and going undetected was a key part of Dukat's plan. "And do we have the linkup with the squadrons observing the enemy's border?"
"Yes, Gul. We're getting hourly updates as to enemy positions, though at some cost. We've already lost two warships from attacks by the enemy."
"It is to be expected."
"Gul, if I may ask, when is the fleet going to combine to go after the enemy?"
Dukat looked to the Glin and shook his head. "We're not going to."
The young officer looked bewildered. "Sir, we're not?"
"No. Attacking the enemy in concentration would be playing to their strength, as the war's battles have proven." Dukat pointed to the map and the different gatherings of Cardassian ships. "I intend to ignore the enemy fleet. Our objective is the enemy's support, the ships they use to move troops and supplies. Preferably, our attack will come down on the moment of their offensive. By attacking at multiple points, I hope to confuse the enemy of my intentions, while our ships wipe out their transports and the troops that are aboard them. Each force, each Strike Group, will go on until it meets substantial resistance, and then it will withdraw."
"Withdraw, sir?"
"Yes." Dukat nodded. "The purpose of this attack is not to drive the enemy out of the territory they hold. It is to disrupt their timing. Hit them hard enough, and they will have to delay offensive action, and every day we gain is a day that another ship can be successfully returned to the fleet, another day for new crews to become accustomed to their duties. We must delay the enemy as long as we can, and be willing to cede territory to him in careful operations to prolong the war and give Cardassian industry more time to rebuild the ships we've lost. That is our only hope now."
"I see, Gul." The Glin nodded enthusiastically. "It is brilliant."
"Perhaps, but it will only be remembered that way if we succeed." Dukat looked to the officer. "Have a courier sent to Gul Gavron. Tell him that the Legate has authorized him to begin his maneuver."
"Yes, Gul."

[fgalkin]

Wow, a competent Cardie. Who could imagine that such things exist in the universe?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin