Rein read through the sensor reports. More Kushan ships had arrived, or were arriving, to orbit the planet. And apparently some brass too, some bigshot ambassador according to subspace radio.
The odds weren't good they could get through so many ships. And of course, millions of lives. Good thing he hadn't drunk that Romulan ale last night. But what was he thinking earlier? Plowing a colony ship past a warship, insane. Some of the newer colony ships, usually commanded by a Starfleet, or Starfucks as the merchant marine or Survey called them, boasted armed shuttles and even weapons. But his, an older Cochrane, didn't have anything.
Too bad. A few shuttles could have made short work of any frigate, especially with half his crew former commercial shuttle officers.
He punched the console over his bunk. "Bridge, this is the Captain. Prepare to change cour--"
"We've received orders."
"From who?" He hadn't contacted Survey yet. Survey considered Captains who couldn't handle small problems unreliable.
"Starfu--Starfleet Command sir. They're ordering us to settle the planet."
"Well fuck." If Starfleet was giving the order, they were legally liable for their defense. Some heavy brass had to be involved. "Uh, make it so," Rein said, in his best imitation of a uptight Starfleet officer.
The console laughed. "Acknowledged."
The only shit about Starfleet getting involved was who got the credit. Hopefully, he'd still get the fame. Rein lay back and wondered what he'd tell his wife.
SE V Balance Mod RP Thread
Moderator: Thanas
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Kingside_Bishop
- Youngling
- Posts: 96
- Joined: 2007-05-03 02:19pm
- Location: Belen, New Mexico
All across the galaxy, worlds spanning the spectrum of sentient species are detecting the communique of the Exiled leader, D'Norr, of the Rhak'Thrallan. In tremendous flashes of rainbow hues, the High Arbiter's scarred bulk flashes continuously for days on end, as the light that conveys his messages travels across worlds, to be received by those watching in far off corners of the galaxy...
Invariably, the message is an offer of peace, for the Exiled believe fundamentally in the salvation of all beings, and that peace is the most expedient means towards this end. However, these messages serve also as a warning, for the core purpose of these outcasts is the protection of the Innocent caste among their population -- those souls who have committed no heinous crime, and have therefore not been consigned to the starvation of the void.
To this end, the High Arbiter will bring all the savagery of their depraved pasts to bear.
Which is why D'Norr looks as if he were on fire this evening, displaying the brilliant crimson and violet hues that indicate a subdued threat of violence. Unpleasant work, the composition of aggressive messages -- they go against the well-contemplated grain that the High Arbiter has worked for centuries to attain.
But, there is one event that fills him with pleasure to look forward to... the founding of the Cretirk colony, and the orbital Festival of Lights that will precede it. Because of the planet's extreme similarity to the Rhak'Thrallan homeworld, only the most deserving Forgiven will be permitted to descend -- but the festival will be all the more worthwhile, because of it. The High Arbiter himself has promised to compose a poem for the occasion, the hours long recital of which is looked forward to by all involved.
And so, the High Arbiter dispatches, in hues of brown and green, an invitation to their closest ally -- the Hiigarans.
Invariably, the message is an offer of peace, for the Exiled believe fundamentally in the salvation of all beings, and that peace is the most expedient means towards this end. However, these messages serve also as a warning, for the core purpose of these outcasts is the protection of the Innocent caste among their population -- those souls who have committed no heinous crime, and have therefore not been consigned to the starvation of the void.
To this end, the High Arbiter will bring all the savagery of their depraved pasts to bear.
Which is why D'Norr looks as if he were on fire this evening, displaying the brilliant crimson and violet hues that indicate a subdued threat of violence. Unpleasant work, the composition of aggressive messages -- they go against the well-contemplated grain that the High Arbiter has worked for centuries to attain.
But, there is one event that fills him with pleasure to look forward to... the founding of the Cretirk colony, and the orbital Festival of Lights that will precede it. Because of the planet's extreme similarity to the Rhak'Thrallan homeworld, only the most deserving Forgiven will be permitted to descend -- but the festival will be all the more worthwhile, because of it. The High Arbiter himself has promised to compose a poem for the occasion, the hours long recital of which is looked forward to by all involved.
And so, the High Arbiter dispatches, in hues of brown and green, an invitation to their closest ally -- the Hiigarans.
~ Kingside_Bishop
[/communication]
[/communication]
USS Monitor
Civilian Colony Vessel
Mike was in every respect a good crewman. He was an excellent mechanic, kept to himself, and never took more than his fair share of rations. He kept himself well groomed, and his supervisors for the past five years had given him an A grade on his personnel reports to Survey. Everybody thought he was just an ordinary worker, living an ordinary life.
Up until this point, everybody had been right.
Mike felt a buzz in his belt. He took his datapad out and glanced at it. Operation First-Defense. One look told him today, now, was the time. At that instant, Mike, the shy mechanic of Survey died and became Michael Cartwright, of Starfleet. Across the hangar, Michael saw Sp'nek, also checking his belt.
Michael went to the turbolift with Sp'nek. They didn't say anything. They didn't have to. They had trained hundreds of times for this, five years ago in Starfleet Academy. Deep cover work was essential, crucial to the Federation's security, he'd been told. And now the Federation's existence was at stake.
When they got to the armory, Lieutenant Michael Cartwright of Starfleet Security smashed the door mechanism and fiddled with the manual override.
"Stand back," Sp'nek said. The Vulcan put both hands in the small gap and pushed. The armory doors resisted, then slid into the wall.
"Lieutenant, Cartwright Michael," Michael said to the dozens of deep cover agents arriving.
"You are in command sir," Sp'nek said.
The agents grabbed phaser rifles, phaser pistols and tricorders. Each one of them knew exactly what to do, and where to go. Michael's team marched to the turbolift to the bridge. Bewildered Survey civilians stepped out of their way. They entered the bridge unmolested.
"And who the hell are you?" Captain Paury said.
"By authority of Starfleet Command and Section 31 of the Federation Charter, we're commandeering your vessel," Michael said.
Paury reached for Michael, but before the Captain could strike, he was disabled by Sp'nek's grip on his shoulder.
"Always thought the deathgrip was a legend," Michael said.
"It is and it is not. He is not dead." Sp'nek's communicator beeped. "Report."
"Engineering secure."
"Cargo hold secure."
"Shuttle bay secure."
"Standby for impulse," Michael said, as he sat in the Captain's chair.
Federation Council
"...and we detected a large buildup of Romulan and Ur-Quan activity in the Quesstris system. Then, at oh-five-hundred today, sensors detected the Ur-Quan erecting this," Trevalyen said.
"...a biogenic weapons facility."
"Preposterous!" Shan said. The Andorian delegation rose and heckled the Starfleet bench. Even the Starfleet bench itself was caught by surprise, staring at Trevalyen and whispering to each other.
"Illogical," Speck said. "Such facilities have many legitimate uses--"
"Starfleet Security identified an immediate threat to citizens of the Federation. It acted. Starfleet agents commandeered the Monitor and landed security forces--"
At that the entire chamber erupted. The Survey delegation screamed at Starfleet. The Andorians pointed and slammed their desks. The Vulcans stood, stoic as ever. The Vice-President smashed his gavel dozens of times, to no avail.
Time to get out. Trevalyen left the council chamber. Outside, the media rushed to engulf the Vice-Admiral.
"Did you get Presidential authority for the invasion?"
"What were the casualties?"
"Have the Ur-Quan contacted the Federation?"
"Did they find biogenic weapons?"
"Did security forces use stun or kill?"
"Is the Federation at war?"
"We are no doubt in a diplomatic crisis," Trevalyen said. "It is far too early to give details. All I can say is our agents used appropriate force in securing the Ur-Quan colony, and it is now under our control. Starfleet will protect the citizens of the Federation."
Trevalyen went to an aircar, hounded by reporters every step. So this was it. Either he would become a hero of the Federation, or the President would sack him. One thing was certain. Starfleet Security now had hundreds of Ur-Quan to interrogate and obtain real intelligence. The Betazeds were sure ZEX had not lied. And perhaps, with millions of Ur-Quan citizens at their mercy, the conquistadors would be loathe to assault the Federation directly.
The Federation would not be enslaved, not as long as he drew breath.
Civilian Colony Vessel
Mike was in every respect a good crewman. He was an excellent mechanic, kept to himself, and never took more than his fair share of rations. He kept himself well groomed, and his supervisors for the past five years had given him an A grade on his personnel reports to Survey. Everybody thought he was just an ordinary worker, living an ordinary life.
Up until this point, everybody had been right.
Mike felt a buzz in his belt. He took his datapad out and glanced at it. Operation First-Defense. One look told him today, now, was the time. At that instant, Mike, the shy mechanic of Survey died and became Michael Cartwright, of Starfleet. Across the hangar, Michael saw Sp'nek, also checking his belt.
Michael went to the turbolift with Sp'nek. They didn't say anything. They didn't have to. They had trained hundreds of times for this, five years ago in Starfleet Academy. Deep cover work was essential, crucial to the Federation's security, he'd been told. And now the Federation's existence was at stake.
When they got to the armory, Lieutenant Michael Cartwright of Starfleet Security smashed the door mechanism and fiddled with the manual override.
"Stand back," Sp'nek said. The Vulcan put both hands in the small gap and pushed. The armory doors resisted, then slid into the wall.
"Lieutenant, Cartwright Michael," Michael said to the dozens of deep cover agents arriving.
"You are in command sir," Sp'nek said.
The agents grabbed phaser rifles, phaser pistols and tricorders. Each one of them knew exactly what to do, and where to go. Michael's team marched to the turbolift to the bridge. Bewildered Survey civilians stepped out of their way. They entered the bridge unmolested.
"And who the hell are you?" Captain Paury said.
"By authority of Starfleet Command and Section 31 of the Federation Charter, we're commandeering your vessel," Michael said.
Paury reached for Michael, but before the Captain could strike, he was disabled by Sp'nek's grip on his shoulder.
"Always thought the deathgrip was a legend," Michael said.
"It is and it is not. He is not dead." Sp'nek's communicator beeped. "Report."
"Engineering secure."
"Cargo hold secure."
"Shuttle bay secure."
"Standby for impulse," Michael said, as he sat in the Captain's chair.
Federation Council
"...and we detected a large buildup of Romulan and Ur-Quan activity in the Quesstris system. Then, at oh-five-hundred today, sensors detected the Ur-Quan erecting this," Trevalyen said.
"...a biogenic weapons facility."
"Preposterous!" Shan said. The Andorian delegation rose and heckled the Starfleet bench. Even the Starfleet bench itself was caught by surprise, staring at Trevalyen and whispering to each other.
"Illogical," Speck said. "Such facilities have many legitimate uses--"
"Starfleet Security identified an immediate threat to citizens of the Federation. It acted. Starfleet agents commandeered the Monitor and landed security forces--"
At that the entire chamber erupted. The Survey delegation screamed at Starfleet. The Andorians pointed and slammed their desks. The Vulcans stood, stoic as ever. The Vice-President smashed his gavel dozens of times, to no avail.
Time to get out. Trevalyen left the council chamber. Outside, the media rushed to engulf the Vice-Admiral.
"Did you get Presidential authority for the invasion?"
"What were the casualties?"
"Have the Ur-Quan contacted the Federation?"
"Did they find biogenic weapons?"
"Did security forces use stun or kill?"
"Is the Federation at war?"
"We are no doubt in a diplomatic crisis," Trevalyen said. "It is far too early to give details. All I can say is our agents used appropriate force in securing the Ur-Quan colony, and it is now under our control. Starfleet will protect the citizens of the Federation."
Trevalyen went to an aircar, hounded by reporters every step. So this was it. Either he would become a hero of the Federation, or the President would sack him. One thing was certain. Starfleet Security now had hundreds of Ur-Quan to interrogate and obtain real intelligence. The Betazeds were sure ZEX had not lied. And perhaps, with millions of Ur-Quan citizens at their mercy, the conquistadors would be loathe to assault the Federation directly.
The Federation would not be enslaved, not as long as he drew breath.
-
Uraniun235
- Emperor's Hand
- Posts: 13772
- Joined: 2002-09-12 12:47am
- Location: OREGON
- Contact:
Office of the Federation President
A soft chime sounded. President John Lecks touched a button.
"Mr. President, Vice Admiral Trevalyen is here as requested."
"Send him in."
The doors swung open with a soft click, and Trevalyen walked in, almost marching with confidence.
"Ah. Vice Admiral, please sit down."
Trevalyen offered a nod as he sat down. "Mr. President."
"You've caused quite an uproar. Survey wants your head on a platter; many of their ship captains are quite sleepless these days. Some in the Council think your actions were tantamount to a coup."
"Mr. President, if you're asking for my res-"
"I, however, am reserving judgement for now."
"Sir?"
"Personally, I like what you did. I didn't like issuing the withdrawal order, but it was unfortunately necessary due to heavy pressure from the Vulcans. They're very aggressive about enacting passive foreign policies, strangely.
And yet, we cannot afford to allow Starfleet Security to run amok, or to set policy. You indicated in the council chambers today that the Ur-Quan were running a biogenic weapons facility. If that proves false, I'll have no choice but to break you.
If that should prove true, however... well, you would certainly be a hero, and rewarded as such."
"What about our forces on the Ur-Quan colony?"
"Oh, our forces would of course have to remain for quite some time either way. I understand your operation created quite a bit of chaos there among the civilians; our boys will be needed to put things back in order, make sure the planet is secure. You understand."
For the first time in the meeting, Trevalyen smiled. "Yes sir, I believe I do."
"Good. Now, go get that evidence so we can prove to the Council you did the right thing."
As Trevalyen walked toward the door, the President said "Appearances, Trevalyen. They're everything in Paris. Remember that."
Federation News Network
...Vice Admiral Trevalyen, in charge of the Security department at Starfleet, reaffirmed his claims of an Ur-Quan biogenics facility, indicating that reports from Federation officers at the scene would soon confirm his assertions. In other news..."
A soft chime sounded. President John Lecks touched a button.
"Mr. President, Vice Admiral Trevalyen is here as requested."
"Send him in."
The doors swung open with a soft click, and Trevalyen walked in, almost marching with confidence.
"Ah. Vice Admiral, please sit down."
Trevalyen offered a nod as he sat down. "Mr. President."
"You've caused quite an uproar. Survey wants your head on a platter; many of their ship captains are quite sleepless these days. Some in the Council think your actions were tantamount to a coup."
"Mr. President, if you're asking for my res-"
"I, however, am reserving judgement for now."
"Sir?"
"Personally, I like what you did. I didn't like issuing the withdrawal order, but it was unfortunately necessary due to heavy pressure from the Vulcans. They're very aggressive about enacting passive foreign policies, strangely.
And yet, we cannot afford to allow Starfleet Security to run amok, or to set policy. You indicated in the council chambers today that the Ur-Quan were running a biogenic weapons facility. If that proves false, I'll have no choice but to break you.
If that should prove true, however... well, you would certainly be a hero, and rewarded as such."
"What about our forces on the Ur-Quan colony?"
"Oh, our forces would of course have to remain for quite some time either way. I understand your operation created quite a bit of chaos there among the civilians; our boys will be needed to put things back in order, make sure the planet is secure. You understand."
For the first time in the meeting, Trevalyen smiled. "Yes sir, I believe I do."
"Good. Now, go get that evidence so we can prove to the Council you did the right thing."
As Trevalyen walked toward the door, the President said "Appearances, Trevalyen. They're everything in Paris. Remember that."
Federation News Network
...Vice Admiral Trevalyen, in charge of the Security department at Starfleet, reaffirmed his claims of an Ur-Quan biogenics facility, indicating that reports from Federation officers at the scene would soon confirm his assertions. In other news..."
"There is no "taboo" on using nuclear weapons." -Julhelm
What is Project Zohar?
"On a serious note (well not really) I did sometimes jump in and rate nBSG episodes a '5' before the episode even aired or I saw it." - RogueIce explaining that episode ratings on SDN tv show threads are bunk
"On a serious note (well not really) I did sometimes jump in and rate nBSG episodes a '5' before the episode even aired or I saw it." - RogueIce explaining that episode ratings on SDN tv show threads are bunk
-
Arthur_Tuxedo
- Sith Acolyte
- Posts: 5637
- Joined: 2002-07-23 03:28am
- Location: San Francisco, California
Arthurius watched the reports of Federation invasions with a marked frown. This was not the same Federation that was always tripping over its own political feet. What he had distantly feared from the French, an aggressive version of the Federation, was turning into a reality right before his eyes. If the Romulans were back to square one in technology in this new universe, perhaps the Federation would be, as well. But a smart planner plans for the worst, not the best. "Time to make nice," Arthurius muttered with a sigh.
Dear Mr. President,
We may have had our differences in the past, but this is a new era. Our nations may never be allies, but we can at least be cordial trading partners. To that end, I hereby offer this treaty of Non-Aggression and agree to your bombardment protocols.
"I'm so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and was in bed before the room was dark." - Muhammad Ali
"Dating is not supposed to be easy. It's supposed to be a heart-pounding, stomach-wrenching, gut-churning exercise in pitting your fear of rejection and public humiliation against your desire to find a mate. Enjoy." - Darth Wong
"Dating is not supposed to be easy. It's supposed to be a heart-pounding, stomach-wrenching, gut-churning exercise in pitting your fear of rejection and public humiliation against your desire to find a mate. Enjoy." - Darth Wong
Sa-Varsa
Central City
If there was anything the Ur-Quan hated almost as much as tyrannical telepaths, it was deception. Brutal the Ur-Quan were, but both Kzer-Za and Kohr-Ah were remarkably honest, always telling their foes exactly what they planned to do to them.
So when the Federation, which had seemed to have previously given in to their demand to vacate Quesstris, had used a colony ship as a troop transport to conquer one of their worlds there, the Thirteen were understandably angry.
And Lord Genocide's insistence that they accompany him to his office was only irritating them further.
"Now what is so important?" Master One demanded once they were inside.
"We are," DOS 1.0 answered, emerging from behind the Kohr-Ah's huge desk with the rest of the Advisory Board.
The following carnage was swift and brutal. The Advisory Board, Lord Genocide, and the NSM bloc struck with deadly precision.
"It is done," Master One, who'd been Master Three moments ago, said. "Now we must move quickly to consolidate power. This Federation must be dealt with. I will send the Federation a demand that they turn over Quesstris I and II to us. And I will also demand that they return Admiral ZEX to us."
He favored DAK with his multi-eyed glare, and the VUX turned a paler shade of green.
"Tell the Federation that ZEX has a mental problem and must be returned to us for treatment," DOS 1.0 said.
"Ur-Quan do not lie," Master One said.
"ZEX is attracted to another species and must be kept isolated," DOS 1.0 said. "It is not a lie."
Master One made a noncommital grumbling noise and stalked off.
Central City
If there was anything the Ur-Quan hated almost as much as tyrannical telepaths, it was deception. Brutal the Ur-Quan were, but both Kzer-Za and Kohr-Ah were remarkably honest, always telling their foes exactly what they planned to do to them.
So when the Federation, which had seemed to have previously given in to their demand to vacate Quesstris, had used a colony ship as a troop transport to conquer one of their worlds there, the Thirteen were understandably angry.
And Lord Genocide's insistence that they accompany him to his office was only irritating them further.
"Now what is so important?" Master One demanded once they were inside.
"We are," DOS 1.0 answered, emerging from behind the Kohr-Ah's huge desk with the rest of the Advisory Board.
The following carnage was swift and brutal. The Advisory Board, Lord Genocide, and the NSM bloc struck with deadly precision.
"It is done," Master One, who'd been Master Three moments ago, said. "Now we must move quickly to consolidate power. This Federation must be dealt with. I will send the Federation a demand that they turn over Quesstris I and II to us. And I will also demand that they return Admiral ZEX to us."
He favored DAK with his multi-eyed glare, and the VUX turned a paler shade of green.
"Tell the Federation that ZEX has a mental problem and must be returned to us for treatment," DOS 1.0 said.
"Ur-Quan do not lie," Master One said.
"ZEX is attracted to another species and must be kept isolated," DOS 1.0 said. "It is not a lie."
Master One made a noncommital grumbling noise and stalked off.
"I want to mow down a bunch of motherfuckers with absurdly large weapons and relative impunity - preferably in and around a skyscraper. Then I want to fight a grim battle against the unlikely duo of the Terminator and Robocop. The last level should involve (but not be limited to) multiple robo-Hitlers and a gorillasaurus rex."--Uraniun235 on his ideal FPS game
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force."--Darth Vader
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force."--Darth Vader
Quesstris II
"Which one of these are Ur-Quan?" Trevalyen said.
ZEX shifted his gargantuan eye. The aliens shambled and slithered around the dozen Federation security troopers in a completely unconcerned manner. It was as if they didn't care their planet had been taken over, at all.
"None of them," ZEX said.
"Then these are all battle thralls?"
"Yes, my pet."
"I told you not to call me that." Trevalyen gritted his teeth. "If they are battle thralls, why aren't they happy to see us? Or is this their way of showing gratitude?"
ZEX didn't answer. Trevalyen glanced at Jin, a Betazed. Jin shook her head.
"Take us to an Ur-Quan."
Minutes later, they entered an underground tunnel leading to a well-lit cathedral. In the center of the cathedral, tended by dozens of aliens Trevalyen couldn't identify of all shapes and sizes, was a caterpillar with tentacles, over ten meters long. Beside it, a grotesque thing the size of a small dog, like a brain with legs.
"That is a Kzer-Za Ur-Quan, Vice-Admiral," ZEX said.
The caterpillar didn't seem to pay them any attention.
"I am Vice-Admiral Trevalyen of the United--"
"ZEX," the brain said. "Why are you here?"
"What I do on my own time is my own affair," ZEX said. "This human, he wishes to speak with you."
"And why should I speak with a human?"
"Ur-Quan, you will talk to me," Trevalyen said to the caterpillar. "Federation forces are inspecting your facility for evidence of biogenic weapons. By interstellar law--"
"Who is this. Have you told him nothing?" the brain said.
"Speak, or we'll do it from a containment cell."
"He is speaking," ZEX said. "The talking pet -- it is a communications device. Treat it as you would a universal translator."
So it was true after all. The Ur-Quan did enslave others. Trevalyen wondered what the poor thing had done to deserve becoming the Ur-Quan's mouthpiece. "My officers need access codes to--"
"My battle thralls will render all the assistance you require for your inspection," the brain said.
That was too easy. "You don't fool me. Help my officers, or we'll interrogate you from orbit in a starship."
"Does this human truly know nothing of us?" the brain said.
"Only what I have told him," ZEX said. ZEX blinked, unnerving Trevalyen. He didn't know it had an eyelid.
"Begin cooperating or there will be consequences," Trevalyen said. The security troopers, on cue, lifted their phasers.
The Ur-Quan moaned, shifting in its throne. Its attendants stepped back. The moan became a rumble, then a roar.
"Human, you exist on this planet at my mercy. You have a hundred men, armed with inferior weapons. At a single utterance I can command thousands of my battle thralls to destroy you."
At that the security troopers closed ranks around Trevalyen and nervously aimed their phasers in all directions. Suddenly the dozens of strange aliens in the cathedral did not seem so helpless. Some of them carried what appeared to be directed energy weapons.
"You would die first," Trevalyen said. "And we have ships in orbit--"
"I do not care. Do you know what a Mycon deep child is, human? Has ZEX told you of them?"
It began dawning on him that ZEX had kept him in the dark. "So you use children as slaves too? You are truly monsters."
"Leave us human. If you wish we may speak later. I have... biological needs." The caterpillar shifted, and dozens more of its attendants moved to hoist it away.
On their way to the shuttle, Trevalyen didn't know what to think. Ensign Yates reported in, and told him the aliens were cooperating in every way possible, even going out of their way to show them around. And of course, the Ur-Quan was right. He had only a few thousand soldiers, scattered across the planet, and there were millions of aliens. Interrogating more than a few at once was hopeless.
"What the hell is a deep child?"
"It's a terraforming device," ZEX said. "How shall I put it... it transforms a world into a living nightmare suitable for the Mycon. Now. Would you agree I have complied with all of your government's requests?"
"Yes," Trevalyen said.
"Then I humbly request that I be transferred to my holoship. I believe our agreement was legally binding."
It was. Trevalyen regretted offering it asylum and going through all the legal finesse of declaring him a Federation protected witness. He had to honor any agreements, and that meant giving him the blasted holoship. But luckily it wasn't ready, yet. "Starfleet is still working on the holoship."
"You are not attempting to trick me, are you dear Admiral."
He should shoot it right now, the annoying shit. But... maybe there was something more it could do. "Get on the shuttle ZEX."
"Which one of these are Ur-Quan?" Trevalyen said.
ZEX shifted his gargantuan eye. The aliens shambled and slithered around the dozen Federation security troopers in a completely unconcerned manner. It was as if they didn't care their planet had been taken over, at all.
"None of them," ZEX said.
"Then these are all battle thralls?"
"Yes, my pet."
"I told you not to call me that." Trevalyen gritted his teeth. "If they are battle thralls, why aren't they happy to see us? Or is this their way of showing gratitude?"
ZEX didn't answer. Trevalyen glanced at Jin, a Betazed. Jin shook her head.
"Take us to an Ur-Quan."
Minutes later, they entered an underground tunnel leading to a well-lit cathedral. In the center of the cathedral, tended by dozens of aliens Trevalyen couldn't identify of all shapes and sizes, was a caterpillar with tentacles, over ten meters long. Beside it, a grotesque thing the size of a small dog, like a brain with legs.
"That is a Kzer-Za Ur-Quan, Vice-Admiral," ZEX said.
The caterpillar didn't seem to pay them any attention.
"I am Vice-Admiral Trevalyen of the United--"
"ZEX," the brain said. "Why are you here?"
"What I do on my own time is my own affair," ZEX said. "This human, he wishes to speak with you."
"And why should I speak with a human?"
"Ur-Quan, you will talk to me," Trevalyen said to the caterpillar. "Federation forces are inspecting your facility for evidence of biogenic weapons. By interstellar law--"
"Who is this. Have you told him nothing?" the brain said.
"Speak, or we'll do it from a containment cell."
"He is speaking," ZEX said. "The talking pet -- it is a communications device. Treat it as you would a universal translator."
So it was true after all. The Ur-Quan did enslave others. Trevalyen wondered what the poor thing had done to deserve becoming the Ur-Quan's mouthpiece. "My officers need access codes to--"
"My battle thralls will render all the assistance you require for your inspection," the brain said.
That was too easy. "You don't fool me. Help my officers, or we'll interrogate you from orbit in a starship."
"Does this human truly know nothing of us?" the brain said.
"Only what I have told him," ZEX said. ZEX blinked, unnerving Trevalyen. He didn't know it had an eyelid.
"Begin cooperating or there will be consequences," Trevalyen said. The security troopers, on cue, lifted their phasers.
The Ur-Quan moaned, shifting in its throne. Its attendants stepped back. The moan became a rumble, then a roar.
"Human, you exist on this planet at my mercy. You have a hundred men, armed with inferior weapons. At a single utterance I can command thousands of my battle thralls to destroy you."
At that the security troopers closed ranks around Trevalyen and nervously aimed their phasers in all directions. Suddenly the dozens of strange aliens in the cathedral did not seem so helpless. Some of them carried what appeared to be directed energy weapons.
"You would die first," Trevalyen said. "And we have ships in orbit--"
"I do not care. Do you know what a Mycon deep child is, human? Has ZEX told you of them?"
It began dawning on him that ZEX had kept him in the dark. "So you use children as slaves too? You are truly monsters."
"Leave us human. If you wish we may speak later. I have... biological needs." The caterpillar shifted, and dozens more of its attendants moved to hoist it away.
On their way to the shuttle, Trevalyen didn't know what to think. Ensign Yates reported in, and told him the aliens were cooperating in every way possible, even going out of their way to show them around. And of course, the Ur-Quan was right. He had only a few thousand soldiers, scattered across the planet, and there were millions of aliens. Interrogating more than a few at once was hopeless.
"What the hell is a deep child?"
"It's a terraforming device," ZEX said. "How shall I put it... it transforms a world into a living nightmare suitable for the Mycon. Now. Would you agree I have complied with all of your government's requests?"
"Yes," Trevalyen said.
"Then I humbly request that I be transferred to my holoship. I believe our agreement was legally binding."
It was. Trevalyen regretted offering it asylum and going through all the legal finesse of declaring him a Federation protected witness. He had to honor any agreements, and that meant giving him the blasted holoship. But luckily it wasn't ready, yet. "Starfleet is still working on the holoship."
"You are not attempting to trick me, are you dear Admiral."
He should shoot it right now, the annoying shit. But... maybe there was something more it could do. "Get on the shuttle ZEX."
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Luke Starkiller
- Jedi Knight
- Posts: 788
- Joined: 2002-08-08 08:55pm
- Location: Ottawa, Canada
Imperial Palace, Jargonian Homeworld
The image of the ship rotated in the display as the lieutenant highlighted aspects of the new design for his emperor.
"As you can see, my lord, project Mammoth is beginning to bear fruit. What you see here is the initial design, currently dubbed the Adversary, made capable by our most recent breakthrough. The actual design is still in the testbed phase as several improvements are already anticipated before we would be able to put any in service."
"Excellent, I am disturbed by some of the reports coming from the Ur-Quan Hierarchy; we may need those ships sooner than originally expected."
"The Federation is still claiming that the Ur-Quan were producing Proscribed weapons, my lord"
"I am less concerned with Ur-Quan weapons than I am with the Federation's blatant attempt to stay within the letter of their treaty while doing exactly as they please. They would need to offer generous terms indeed if they expect the slightest consideration should they ever be interested in a treaty with us!"
Lieutenant Impkins leaned back, stunned by his emperor's vehemence.
"Moreover," Emperor Morran III continued, "our treaty with the Ur-Quan has already proven its worth; did you realise that on several worlds Ur-Quan immigrants outnumber the Farsi inhabitants several times over? If our treaty didn't require co-habitation of Farsi we could pull our people out, remove the domes and vastly increase the productivity of those planets."
"Surely the Ur-Quan can see the advantage to both sides in removing that restriction my lord."
"No, Impkins, that restriction shall stand; it wouldn't do to allow new immigrants too free a rein. Master One and I both see that. I want all of our scouts to concentrate on finding the Federation. Expedite completion of the Adversary design and begin putting them in space. I will not allow a repeat of Quesstris with one of our worlds."
The image of the ship rotated in the display as the lieutenant highlighted aspects of the new design for his emperor.
"As you can see, my lord, project Mammoth is beginning to bear fruit. What you see here is the initial design, currently dubbed the Adversary, made capable by our most recent breakthrough. The actual design is still in the testbed phase as several improvements are already anticipated before we would be able to put any in service."
"Excellent, I am disturbed by some of the reports coming from the Ur-Quan Hierarchy; we may need those ships sooner than originally expected."
"The Federation is still claiming that the Ur-Quan were producing Proscribed weapons, my lord"
"I am less concerned with Ur-Quan weapons than I am with the Federation's blatant attempt to stay within the letter of their treaty while doing exactly as they please. They would need to offer generous terms indeed if they expect the slightest consideration should they ever be interested in a treaty with us!"
Lieutenant Impkins leaned back, stunned by his emperor's vehemence.
"Moreover," Emperor Morran III continued, "our treaty with the Ur-Quan has already proven its worth; did you realise that on several worlds Ur-Quan immigrants outnumber the Farsi inhabitants several times over? If our treaty didn't require co-habitation of Farsi we could pull our people out, remove the domes and vastly increase the productivity of those planets."
"Surely the Ur-Quan can see the advantage to both sides in removing that restriction my lord."
"No, Impkins, that restriction shall stand; it wouldn't do to allow new immigrants too free a rein. Master One and I both see that. I want all of our scouts to concentrate on finding the Federation. Expedite completion of the Adversary design and begin putting them in space. I will not allow a repeat of Quesstris with one of our worlds."
What kind of dark wizard in league with nameless forces of primordial evil ARE you that you can't even make a successful sanity check versus BOREDOM? - Red Mage
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darthkommandant
- Padawan Learner
- Posts: 393
- Joined: 2006-06-20 09:04pm
- Location: NYC
Bridge of the Accelerator III class Frigate Emperors First
Admiral Piett looked out at the fleet leaving the with pride. Within a few months he had managed to restore communications with the home galaxy as well as build a sizable fleet and multiple space stations. With the addition of the new point defense ships and missile ships the Imperial Navy was growing quickly. He hoped the new carriers would be completed quickly. The unexpected Federation attack on the Ur Quan remnant had driven tensions to a new high in his sector and they needed to be able to protect the colonies which lacked the protection of the home systems. Steps would be needed to correct that quickly. However If the scientists were right by the end of the year a few new systems would be available to protect the Empire.
Admiral Piett looked out at the fleet leaving the with pride. Within a few months he had managed to restore communications with the home galaxy as well as build a sizable fleet and multiple space stations. With the addition of the new point defense ships and missile ships the Imperial Navy was growing quickly. He hoped the new carriers would be completed quickly. The unexpected Federation attack on the Ur Quan remnant had driven tensions to a new high in his sector and they needed to be able to protect the colonies which lacked the protection of the home systems. Steps would be needed to correct that quickly. However If the scientists were right by the end of the year a few new systems would be available to protect the Empire.
Tiger II fanboy
Fezzran System
"...Ur-Quan vessel still gaining on us!"
Captain Ramius clenched her fist. These Ur-Quan were persistent. They had been behind for days since the emergency burn, and they had to know they'd lost, but the things were still chasing. "How much longer to planetfall?"
"Fifteen seconds to upper thermosphere--"
"Blue alert! Standby for emergency breaking maneuvers." Ramius slammed her armrest. "Ur-Quan vessel, we are now in the thermosphere. We won fair and square."
"Ur-Quan vessel still approaching--"
Dammit. So they were going to lie. "Prepare to deploy planetary defenses--"
"Sir, they're breaking off... assuming orbit around the planet..."
So they kept their bargain after all. Ramius exhaled.
"Sir, what if--"
"What if they had beat us to it?"
"Yes sir."
"Then they would have won Ensign, and we would have lost the planet."
"I haven't read of this uh... diplomatic protocol, in any of the manuals--"
"There's a lot missing from the manuals. Prepare for civilian destasis." There was a new world to build now.
If the Ur-Quan would leave them alone.
"...Ur-Quan vessel still gaining on us!"
Captain Ramius clenched her fist. These Ur-Quan were persistent. They had been behind for days since the emergency burn, and they had to know they'd lost, but the things were still chasing. "How much longer to planetfall?"
"Fifteen seconds to upper thermosphere--"
"Blue alert! Standby for emergency breaking maneuvers." Ramius slammed her armrest. "Ur-Quan vessel, we are now in the thermosphere. We won fair and square."
"Ur-Quan vessel still approaching--"
Dammit. So they were going to lie. "Prepare to deploy planetary defenses--"
"Sir, they're breaking off... assuming orbit around the planet..."
So they kept their bargain after all. Ramius exhaled.
"Sir, what if--"
"What if they had beat us to it?"
"Yes sir."
"Then they would have won Ensign, and we would have lost the planet."
"I haven't read of this uh... diplomatic protocol, in any of the manuals--"
"There's a lot missing from the manuals. Prepare for civilian destasis." There was a new world to build now.
If the Ur-Quan would leave them alone.
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Uraniun235
- Emperor's Hand
- Posts: 13772
- Joined: 2002-09-12 12:47am
- Location: OREGON
- Contact:
Office of the Federation President
"Gentlemen. We've recently received official protest from the Hiigarans. They claim we've violated their territory."
The Andorian ambassador furrowed his brow. The Vulcan pursed his lips, and spoke.
"Mr. President, have we?"
"That's what we're here to discuss."
Lecks touched a control on his desk, and a holovid screen embedded into one of the office walls immediately began to display a torrent of information, mostly sensor logs and reports.
"Starfleet reports that the systems in question which have supposedly been violated are totally vacant. No colonies, no ships, no satellites... not even a single marker buoy at the warp point to mark Hiigaran space."
Lecks touched another control and the screen bisected itself; on one side, the torrent of data continued, while on the other side a single paragraph of text was displayed.
"The Hiigarans have rested their claim on the grounds that a frigate of theirs supposedly happened to swing through those two systems, at some point in time. They didn't even mention when that was."
The Andorian's eyebrows shot up. "You must be joking."
"I'm afraid I'm not. So. According to the Hiigarans, we violated their territory. I don't think we have at all."
The Vulcan spoke firmly. "I must concur with you, Mr. President."
"As must I." came the immediate affirmation of the Andorian.
"Good. This will come up in the official council session later this afternoon, but I wanted to make sure we were all on the same page beforehand so that our good Vice President wasn't blindsided by any unexpected objections." It took all of Lecks' self-control not to glance at the Vulcan.
"Ah, then our dear President will not be joining us in the Council today?" The Andorian smiled, slightly too sweetly; the President had not attended a full Council session for over a month. Lecks returned the smile.
"Not today, no. Besides, I think the Vice President enjoys it more than I do. Good day, gentlemen."
"Gentlemen. We've recently received official protest from the Hiigarans. They claim we've violated their territory."
The Andorian ambassador furrowed his brow. The Vulcan pursed his lips, and spoke.
"Mr. President, have we?"
"That's what we're here to discuss."
Lecks touched a control on his desk, and a holovid screen embedded into one of the office walls immediately began to display a torrent of information, mostly sensor logs and reports.
"Starfleet reports that the systems in question which have supposedly been violated are totally vacant. No colonies, no ships, no satellites... not even a single marker buoy at the warp point to mark Hiigaran space."
Lecks touched another control and the screen bisected itself; on one side, the torrent of data continued, while on the other side a single paragraph of text was displayed.
"The Hiigarans have rested their claim on the grounds that a frigate of theirs supposedly happened to swing through those two systems, at some point in time. They didn't even mention when that was."
The Andorian's eyebrows shot up. "You must be joking."
"I'm afraid I'm not. So. According to the Hiigarans, we violated their territory. I don't think we have at all."
The Vulcan spoke firmly. "I must concur with you, Mr. President."
"As must I." came the immediate affirmation of the Andorian.
"Good. This will come up in the official council session later this afternoon, but I wanted to make sure we were all on the same page beforehand so that our good Vice President wasn't blindsided by any unexpected objections." It took all of Lecks' self-control not to glance at the Vulcan.
"Ah, then our dear President will not be joining us in the Council today?" The Andorian smiled, slightly too sweetly; the President had not attended a full Council session for over a month. Lecks returned the smile.
"Not today, no. Besides, I think the Vice President enjoys it more than I do. Good day, gentlemen."
"There is no "taboo" on using nuclear weapons." -Julhelm
What is Project Zohar?
"On a serious note (well not really) I did sometimes jump in and rate nBSG episodes a '5' before the episode even aired or I saw it." - RogueIce explaining that episode ratings on SDN tv show threads are bunk
"On a serious note (well not really) I did sometimes jump in and rate nBSG episodes a '5' before the episode even aired or I saw it." - RogueIce explaining that episode ratings on SDN tv show threads are bunk
Lapzooli System
Captain Bozeman yawned. Another star system to survey. Probably a completely barren one at that. "Prepare to drop out of warp."
"Aye sir."
Bozeman flipped his wrist, which his crew knew meant "make it so" when he was too tired to talk. The streaks of stars suddenly ceased.
A ship. Right in front of them.
"It's coming straight for us sir!"
"Evasive maneuvers!"
The viewscreen went fuzzy. "Damage report, now!" Bozeman said.
"Civilian stasis pods secure... heavy damage to warp nacelles. Enemy vessel derelict off the starboard bow."
Bozeman had read about Klingons in the Academy, and others, who were stupid enough to use ramming as a tactic in swarms. But he'd never read of a single scout ship throwing itself at a colony ship hundreds of times its mass. It had to be an accident. "Open hailing fre--"
"Sir, the ship's coming about with thrusters... it's moving towards us--"
"Get us the hell out of here. And open a channel to Starfleet Command."
Whoever these aliens were, they were suicidal, stupid, and hostile. Nobody camped slipstream tunnels like that unless they had a point to make. Whatever it was, it seemed the Federation had made a new enemy.
Captain Bozeman yawned. Another star system to survey. Probably a completely barren one at that. "Prepare to drop out of warp."
"Aye sir."
Bozeman flipped his wrist, which his crew knew meant "make it so" when he was too tired to talk. The streaks of stars suddenly ceased.
A ship. Right in front of them.
"It's coming straight for us sir!"
"Evasive maneuvers!"
The viewscreen went fuzzy. "Damage report, now!" Bozeman said.
"Civilian stasis pods secure... heavy damage to warp nacelles. Enemy vessel derelict off the starboard bow."
Bozeman had read about Klingons in the Academy, and others, who were stupid enough to use ramming as a tactic in swarms. But he'd never read of a single scout ship throwing itself at a colony ship hundreds of times its mass. It had to be an accident. "Open hailing fre--"
"Sir, the ship's coming about with thrusters... it's moving towards us--"
"Get us the hell out of here. And open a channel to Starfleet Command."
Whoever these aliens were, they were suicidal, stupid, and hostile. Nobody camped slipstream tunnels like that unless they had a point to make. Whatever it was, it seemed the Federation had made a new enemy.
Jokala Sytem
"They're like insects," the Sobani mercenary stated with finality. "They're certainly doing a good job of infesting any piece of rock with a hole big enough for them to put a dome over. There's not even anything of interest in that place. They just want it because it's there."
News of the Federation's complete disregard for a previous treaty arrangement, well understood by the Hiigarans at face value to mean that no more sectors were to be colonized as far 'up' into Hiigaran space as Jokala, was being taken poorly by the patrol corvette teams. They had been dispatched to enforce Hiigaran border security in the distant sectors 'down' and spinwards now that the Jokala sector's own crisis had been resolved.
"One to another," crackled the reply, another Sobani, annoyed at how quickly they redeployed from a crisis to another crisis. Several more merc teams had arrived along with Karan, and they were surprisingly annoyed at being put to work so quickly. "We've heard from the other species in the area that the Federation's actually assaulted a world, troopers in a colonizer! Can you believe that?" The first Sobani paused, not sure if the question was his belief in permanent settlement in this area, or of disguising war forces as civilians. Both seemed equally distasteful.
"Well, they've been given a fair deal here," the first said, changing course for the Grendel slipnode, "And last I checked, a mining team that was enroute seemed 'legal' enough to justify them wanting to put their feet down on something. If that's how they want to play it, we've got something for them to consider."
And the merc was right. In the distance behind the corvette group were three planets, one of which was a sprawling complex full of orbital mining teams, and the other two were fledgling starports, one of which had just built a civilian shuttle, but both of which were capable of creating Hiigaran warships. Closer, in wagon train behind the corvette squadrons, three of them in system all counted, were three heavy mining team transports. Each of these were roughly analagous to a colonizer, but were carrying small civilian harvester teams instead of colonists. They were still often families, many of them Manaani citizens across all age groups, but they were here to work, not settle down. The Hiigarans were anything if not industrious. All told, six ships were apart of the group, four of which were deploying at the moment--the lead Corvette and his small flotilla of three mining teams, and they had long since recieved their confirmation for the Grendel system as a 'green' zone. That was before the Federation breached the perimeter. The small sensor probes the Hiigarans left must not have raised much interest, but they were designed to be unobtrusive afterall.
"I hope it doesn't come to fighting," the other corvette, more distant, around a planet as yet waiting to close up on the rear, "This isn't a group fitted for combat, and I wouldn't put it past them to target civilians first. Let's just hope they aren't nearly as crazy in person as command makes them out to be."
"They're like insects," the Sobani mercenary stated with finality. "They're certainly doing a good job of infesting any piece of rock with a hole big enough for them to put a dome over. There's not even anything of interest in that place. They just want it because it's there."
News of the Federation's complete disregard for a previous treaty arrangement, well understood by the Hiigarans at face value to mean that no more sectors were to be colonized as far 'up' into Hiigaran space as Jokala, was being taken poorly by the patrol corvette teams. They had been dispatched to enforce Hiigaran border security in the distant sectors 'down' and spinwards now that the Jokala sector's own crisis had been resolved.
"One to another," crackled the reply, another Sobani, annoyed at how quickly they redeployed from a crisis to another crisis. Several more merc teams had arrived along with Karan, and they were surprisingly annoyed at being put to work so quickly. "We've heard from the other species in the area that the Federation's actually assaulted a world, troopers in a colonizer! Can you believe that?" The first Sobani paused, not sure if the question was his belief in permanent settlement in this area, or of disguising war forces as civilians. Both seemed equally distasteful.
"Well, they've been given a fair deal here," the first said, changing course for the Grendel slipnode, "And last I checked, a mining team that was enroute seemed 'legal' enough to justify them wanting to put their feet down on something. If that's how they want to play it, we've got something for them to consider."
And the merc was right. In the distance behind the corvette group were three planets, one of which was a sprawling complex full of orbital mining teams, and the other two were fledgling starports, one of which had just built a civilian shuttle, but both of which were capable of creating Hiigaran warships. Closer, in wagon train behind the corvette squadrons, three of them in system all counted, were three heavy mining team transports. Each of these were roughly analagous to a colonizer, but were carrying small civilian harvester teams instead of colonists. They were still often families, many of them Manaani citizens across all age groups, but they were here to work, not settle down. The Hiigarans were anything if not industrious. All told, six ships were apart of the group, four of which were deploying at the moment--the lead Corvette and his small flotilla of three mining teams, and they had long since recieved their confirmation for the Grendel system as a 'green' zone. That was before the Federation breached the perimeter. The small sensor probes the Hiigarans left must not have raised much interest, but they were designed to be unobtrusive afterall.
"I hope it doesn't come to fighting," the other corvette, more distant, around a planet as yet waiting to close up on the rear, "This isn't a group fitted for combat, and I wouldn't put it past them to target civilians first. Let's just hope they aren't nearly as crazy in person as command makes them out to be."
Federation State
"So the Hiigarans insist they have a claim still."
"Make sure we're totally legit on this."
"Our lawyers say we're in the clear. The treaty doesn't mention the system by name at all, and the Hiigarans failed to notify us of their claim to the system. For example, the Romulans have circulated star charts of systems they claim to be theirs. The Hiigarans did no such thing, and never mentioned Grendel in negotiations during the initial Jokala-Cretrik treaty, according to our lead negotiator. We didn't send colonizers through Jokala and discovered Grendel through a whole separate route, so we kept our end of the bargain."
"What does this mean?"
"It means, somebody in their military fucked up badly and redeployed stuff when they shouldn't have, and their diplomatics fucked up and didn't do their job. State hadn't even heard of Grendel until Starfleet told us. Starfleet assures us their sensors aren't picking up anything in those two sectors at all. Well, there's one other possibility. Maybe their culture is a little different and they don't recognize squatter's rights."
"Cultural differences. The euphemism for stupidity. Half the reason why the Federation broke apart."
"Indeed. Fleet says their next move will be to send ships to claim Grendel."
"They ever hear of the sayng too little too late? What kind of ships?"
"Colonizers I think."
"Oh dear. I wonder how the President is going to handle that. He going to fire on them?"
"Fleet says they're good enough to disable a ship's engines without blowing it to smithereens, but who knows. I'll say this for one: these Hiigarans have balls."
"So the Hiigarans insist they have a claim still."
"Make sure we're totally legit on this."
"Our lawyers say we're in the clear. The treaty doesn't mention the system by name at all, and the Hiigarans failed to notify us of their claim to the system. For example, the Romulans have circulated star charts of systems they claim to be theirs. The Hiigarans did no such thing, and never mentioned Grendel in negotiations during the initial Jokala-Cretrik treaty, according to our lead negotiator. We didn't send colonizers through Jokala and discovered Grendel through a whole separate route, so we kept our end of the bargain."
"What does this mean?"
"It means, somebody in their military fucked up badly and redeployed stuff when they shouldn't have, and their diplomatics fucked up and didn't do their job. State hadn't even heard of Grendel until Starfleet told us. Starfleet assures us their sensors aren't picking up anything in those two sectors at all. Well, there's one other possibility. Maybe their culture is a little different and they don't recognize squatter's rights."
"Cultural differences. The euphemism for stupidity. Half the reason why the Federation broke apart."
"Indeed. Fleet says their next move will be to send ships to claim Grendel."
"They ever hear of the sayng too little too late? What kind of ships?"
"Colonizers I think."
"Oh dear. I wonder how the President is going to handle that. He going to fire on them?"
"Fleet says they're good enough to disable a ship's engines without blowing it to smithereens, but who knows. I'll say this for one: these Hiigarans have balls."
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Kingside_Bishop
- Youngling
- Posts: 96
- Joined: 2007-05-03 02:19pm
- Location: Belen, New Mexico
<...High Arbiter, word from the Hiigarans... The Federation has broken the treaty of Jokala, and sent forces to the north of our established border in the galactic west...>
As the small, crystalline satellite orbits D'Norr, the High Arbiter's hues turn from a contemplative violent to a deep, brooding red: <...These Federation have proven themselves to be nothing but unworthy of our trust... the Hiigarans' response, young one...?>
The junior Exiled's own refractions turn to mirror that of his leader's: <...The Hiigarans have no intention of surrendering the disputed system to the Federation, High Arbitter. Though their military presence in that particular sector is underdeveloped, the artisan yards of the Hiigarans are not far, and so, neither is whatever military force Karan S'Jett feels is necessary and prudent...>
D'Norr fluctuates between shades of garnet and mauve as he takes this in: <...The Hiigarans are our brothers, in spirit if not in being, and we will defend them as such. We shall guard them with all the righteous fury that we reserve for our Innocent wards -- and should the Federation continue in these aggressions, we will grind their soft innards between the crystalline teeth of the Exiled maw...> With a sudden finality that does not belay ultimate and bloody violence, D'Norr flares into a bright, sanguine red, as he dispatches a warning to the Federation worlds:
<...You are threatening our Brood. Desist...>
As the small, crystalline satellite orbits D'Norr, the High Arbiter's hues turn from a contemplative violent to a deep, brooding red: <...These Federation have proven themselves to be nothing but unworthy of our trust... the Hiigarans' response, young one...?>
The junior Exiled's own refractions turn to mirror that of his leader's: <...The Hiigarans have no intention of surrendering the disputed system to the Federation, High Arbitter. Though their military presence in that particular sector is underdeveloped, the artisan yards of the Hiigarans are not far, and so, neither is whatever military force Karan S'Jett feels is necessary and prudent...>
D'Norr fluctuates between shades of garnet and mauve as he takes this in: <...The Hiigarans are our brothers, in spirit if not in being, and we will defend them as such. We shall guard them with all the righteous fury that we reserve for our Innocent wards -- and should the Federation continue in these aggressions, we will grind their soft innards between the crystalline teeth of the Exiled maw...> With a sudden finality that does not belay ultimate and bloody violence, D'Norr flares into a bright, sanguine red, as he dispatches a warning to the Federation worlds:
<...You are threatening our Brood. Desist...>
~ Kingside_Bishop
[/communication]
[/communication]
Federation State
"You are threatening our brood... desist..."
"What the fuck does that mean?"
"It looks like a joke sir. But it's got the legit national code from the Exiles."
"Exiles? Well what do they want?"
"That's all the message says."
"Got to be a joke. Hm... in case it isn't, send it up to command. But ask them to clarify."
"You are threatening our brood... desist..."
"What the fuck does that mean?"
"It looks like a joke sir. But it's got the legit national code from the Exiles."
"Exiles? Well what do they want?"
"That's all the message says."
"Got to be a joke. Hm... in case it isn't, send it up to command. But ask them to clarify."
Vulcan
Vice Admiral Trevalyen watched silently as the tiny diplomatic ship descended down onto the landing pad. His face was expressionless as usual. His knuckles, however, where white. Nearby, reporters from FNN, the BBC, Vulcan News, the Andorian Chronicle, and every network or paper that was worth two shits jostled around, eagerly awaiting the Ur-Quan's representative.
The landing ramp lowered and out walked a man in a grey-green jump suit. He was handsome and powerfully built, with black hair that was streaked with gray on the sides. His eyes, though, were his dark eyes were the eyes of a warrior, Trevalyen could tell at once.
There were murmurs of disappointment through the assembled reporters and the audience. They were expecting some kind of bizarre alien, not someone who, for all they could see, was perfectly human.
Then the people seemed to remember the news that had come out of Quesstris, the news Starfleet had allowed out. Whispers of "Khan," soon ran through the crowd. Trevalyen allowed himself a small, brief smile.
Trevalyen walked forward and shook the Androsynth's hand. The "khan's" grip was painfully tight, but Trevalyen didn't allow any of his pain to show. Showing weakness was the ultimate stupidity.
"Welcome to Vulcan, Ambassador," Trevalyen said.
"Thank you, Vice Admiral," DOS 1.0 replied, placing just the slightest trace of emphasis on the word Vice.
The two men seemed cordial, if a bit stiff. But Trevalyen and DOS could both tell that they didn't trust each other in the slightest.
Trevalyen gestured to a pair of podiums that were set up nearby. Behind said podiums were a row of flags, the Federation's and the Ur-Quan's alternating.
Trevalyen despised the need for such shows, but matters of the military and war were forever tied to politics, and as he'd been reminded not too long ago, in politics, appearances were everything.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are here to today to announce that our governments have resolved the Quesstris Crisis," Trevalyen said as grandly as he could.
"What the Federation's Starfleet took to be a biogenics weapons lab was actually a sector of our colony that has a large Umgah population," DOS 1.0 said. "The Umgah, you see, are masters of genetic engineering and use their knowledge of it very frequently, mostly on themselves."
Several members of the audience and a few of the reporters shuddered, thinking about the hideous blob creatures, almost as ugly as the VUX.
"Starfleet's actions were a regrettable--though understandable--mistake," Trevalyen said, "for which we apologize most sincerely. In light of this, the Federation will not just be returning Quesstris II to the Ur-Quan, but we will transfer colony control of Quesstris I as well, effective at the start of next month."
"And the Ur-Quan Hierarchy will transport all Federation citizens and property back to their space as soon as possible," DOS added.
"We hope that we can put this ugly incident behind us that peace and friendship can continue to exist between our two nations," Trevalyen said.
"As do we," DOS agreed.
This was followed by the signing of the agreement and a round of questions from the reporters. After that, DOS boarded his diplomatic ship and then he was gone.
Trevalyen watched the ship until it was just a tiny speck in the sky. You were just sizing us up, weren't you, you bastard? he thought to himself as the reporters bombarded him with another round of questions. I wonder what you thought you saw.
He walked past the newsmen to his hovercar, feeling displeased. Having to say "aw, shucks, we was wrong, sorry," and de-escalate like that left a bad taste in his mouth.
Still, it was the smart thing to do, even he had to admit it. The invasion of Quesstris II had put a lot of other races on guard, and with the Hiigarans and the Exiles rattling the saber, inviting hostilities with the Ur-Quan was a bad idea.
Only an idiot fights more enemies at a time than he has to, Trevalyen thought. But I'd bet anything that we'll cross swords with them. Sooner or later.
------------------
The exchange left DOS 1.0 feeling soiled, and he wished that he could take a proper bath. Sadly, such was not possible on his tiny craft. Besides, he knew he wasn't actually dirty. The gazes of the humans there could make his skin crawl, but that was it.
When he'd looked into the human admiral's eyes, he had seen murder. Worse, he'd seen the desire to enslave. The others would tell him that he was imagining it, but DOS knew what he saw.
With the tension between the Federation and Hiigarans and the Exiled, it appeared to be the perfect time to make war on the Federation and end the threat.
But appearances could be decieveing. The new Armada wasn't ready yet, most of it sitting incomplete in the Hive-class construction stations. Worse, the Hierarchy was dangerously unstable at the moment. On several of the oxygen worlds, the Kzer-Za--who, thanks to the old Thirteen's damned colonization policy made up the vast bulk of the populace along side a handful of Kohr-Ah--were threatening to rebel in response to the coup. Such rebellions could easily tear apart the Hierarchy. They had to be able to give all their attention and resources to consolidating the new government's power.
Basically, now was not a good time for the Hierarchy to go to war. Not a good time at all.
DOS smiled slightly as he recalled reading Sun Tzu back on Earth. He didn't have a copy of The Art of War, since all Earth literature had been burned decades ago as part of an effort to free themselves of Human culture.
"War cannot be prevented, it can only be delayed until the opportune moment," he said to himself.
That probably wasn't it exactly, but it was close enough.
Peace would reign for the moment. He would wait for the opportune moment, and when it came, he would do all he could to make the Advisory Board and the new Thirteen see the wisdom of removing the Federation threat.
Vice Admiral Trevalyen watched silently as the tiny diplomatic ship descended down onto the landing pad. His face was expressionless as usual. His knuckles, however, where white. Nearby, reporters from FNN, the BBC, Vulcan News, the Andorian Chronicle, and every network or paper that was worth two shits jostled around, eagerly awaiting the Ur-Quan's representative.
The landing ramp lowered and out walked a man in a grey-green jump suit. He was handsome and powerfully built, with black hair that was streaked with gray on the sides. His eyes, though, were his dark eyes were the eyes of a warrior, Trevalyen could tell at once.
There were murmurs of disappointment through the assembled reporters and the audience. They were expecting some kind of bizarre alien, not someone who, for all they could see, was perfectly human.
Then the people seemed to remember the news that had come out of Quesstris, the news Starfleet had allowed out. Whispers of "Khan," soon ran through the crowd. Trevalyen allowed himself a small, brief smile.
Trevalyen walked forward and shook the Androsynth's hand. The "khan's" grip was painfully tight, but Trevalyen didn't allow any of his pain to show. Showing weakness was the ultimate stupidity.
"Welcome to Vulcan, Ambassador," Trevalyen said.
"Thank you, Vice Admiral," DOS 1.0 replied, placing just the slightest trace of emphasis on the word Vice.
The two men seemed cordial, if a bit stiff. But Trevalyen and DOS could both tell that they didn't trust each other in the slightest.
Trevalyen gestured to a pair of podiums that were set up nearby. Behind said podiums were a row of flags, the Federation's and the Ur-Quan's alternating.
Trevalyen despised the need for such shows, but matters of the military and war were forever tied to politics, and as he'd been reminded not too long ago, in politics, appearances were everything.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are here to today to announce that our governments have resolved the Quesstris Crisis," Trevalyen said as grandly as he could.
"What the Federation's Starfleet took to be a biogenics weapons lab was actually a sector of our colony that has a large Umgah population," DOS 1.0 said. "The Umgah, you see, are masters of genetic engineering and use their knowledge of it very frequently, mostly on themselves."
Several members of the audience and a few of the reporters shuddered, thinking about the hideous blob creatures, almost as ugly as the VUX.
"Starfleet's actions were a regrettable--though understandable--mistake," Trevalyen said, "for which we apologize most sincerely. In light of this, the Federation will not just be returning Quesstris II to the Ur-Quan, but we will transfer colony control of Quesstris I as well, effective at the start of next month."
"And the Ur-Quan Hierarchy will transport all Federation citizens and property back to their space as soon as possible," DOS added.
"We hope that we can put this ugly incident behind us that peace and friendship can continue to exist between our two nations," Trevalyen said.
"As do we," DOS agreed.
This was followed by the signing of the agreement and a round of questions from the reporters. After that, DOS boarded his diplomatic ship and then he was gone.
Trevalyen watched the ship until it was just a tiny speck in the sky. You were just sizing us up, weren't you, you bastard? he thought to himself as the reporters bombarded him with another round of questions. I wonder what you thought you saw.
He walked past the newsmen to his hovercar, feeling displeased. Having to say "aw, shucks, we was wrong, sorry," and de-escalate like that left a bad taste in his mouth.
Still, it was the smart thing to do, even he had to admit it. The invasion of Quesstris II had put a lot of other races on guard, and with the Hiigarans and the Exiles rattling the saber, inviting hostilities with the Ur-Quan was a bad idea.
Only an idiot fights more enemies at a time than he has to, Trevalyen thought. But I'd bet anything that we'll cross swords with them. Sooner or later.
------------------
The exchange left DOS 1.0 feeling soiled, and he wished that he could take a proper bath. Sadly, such was not possible on his tiny craft. Besides, he knew he wasn't actually dirty. The gazes of the humans there could make his skin crawl, but that was it.
When he'd looked into the human admiral's eyes, he had seen murder. Worse, he'd seen the desire to enslave. The others would tell him that he was imagining it, but DOS knew what he saw.
With the tension between the Federation and Hiigarans and the Exiled, it appeared to be the perfect time to make war on the Federation and end the threat.
But appearances could be decieveing. The new Armada wasn't ready yet, most of it sitting incomplete in the Hive-class construction stations. Worse, the Hierarchy was dangerously unstable at the moment. On several of the oxygen worlds, the Kzer-Za--who, thanks to the old Thirteen's damned colonization policy made up the vast bulk of the populace along side a handful of Kohr-Ah--were threatening to rebel in response to the coup. Such rebellions could easily tear apart the Hierarchy. They had to be able to give all their attention and resources to consolidating the new government's power.
Basically, now was not a good time for the Hierarchy to go to war. Not a good time at all.
DOS smiled slightly as he recalled reading Sun Tzu back on Earth. He didn't have a copy of The Art of War, since all Earth literature had been burned decades ago as part of an effort to free themselves of Human culture.
"War cannot be prevented, it can only be delayed until the opportune moment," he said to himself.
That probably wasn't it exactly, but it was close enough.
Peace would reign for the moment. He would wait for the opportune moment, and when it came, he would do all he could to make the Advisory Board and the new Thirteen see the wisdom of removing the Federation threat.
"I want to mow down a bunch of motherfuckers with absurdly large weapons and relative impunity - preferably in and around a skyscraper. Then I want to fight a grim battle against the unlikely duo of the Terminator and Robocop. The last level should involve (but not be limited to) multiple robo-Hitlers and a gorillasaurus rex."--Uraniun235 on his ideal FPS game
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force."--Darth Vader
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force."--Darth Vader
Jokala-Quesstris Mining Consortium HQ
Jake scowled at the monitor. The politicians in the live broadcast were throwing insults at each other, safe on Earth, while he and his miners had to work night and day in vacuum suits. Even the politicians on this planet worked. There was always the threat of violent decompression, or the odd orbiting Hiigaran frigate which the miners had to hope would not blow them to pieces because Starfleet refused to protect them or allow them to have anything more than cutting phasers. Hell, he and his boys could rig up a photon launcher in under a month, do all the work themselves, but Starfleet said no. Starfucks.
And this was another disgrace. The Vice President of the Federation proclaimed the Hiigarans would be allowed to expand into the Grendel system. That meant hundreds of Hiigaran ships would be arriving, transporting millions of civilians to their new homes. Each ship a potential danger to his colony. And still no Starfleet.
And yesterday, the Vice President had declared the Grendel system entirely Federation. They were toying with lives. Just a week ago, news of the Starfleet takeover of a colony ship had reached Jake. Jake first, of course, since he controlled the subspace comm relay. And he acted fast. He and a few others went through hundreds of personnel files overnight, and colony security arrested thousands of people with the stench of Starfleet in their records.
Jake and his fellow conspirators sat in front of the Federation Security Computer, or fucking shit cunt as they called it. It was the only link between Jokala and Earth, and severing it carried years of penalty in a penal colony. If Starfleet photon launchers were ever installed, this computer would've coordinated planetary defense. With it, Starfleet could override the colony's compression systems and kill them all. Without it, Starfleet couldn't do shit. It was a symbol of the taxes they had to pay back to Earth. And why the hell pay taxes, when they got nothing in return? Jake's fist tightened around his wrench.
"Once we do this," Jake said, "there's no going back."
"It is logical," Se'nar, a Vulcan with Romulan blood in his ancestry which prevented him from ever entering Starfleet, said.
Jake smashed the fucking shit cunt.
"It's done."
"What about all the Starfleet?" Raynor, a miner who had brought his family along, said.
"We'll give them a choice. Stay with us and work, or go back to Earth." Jake paused. "Ring the Hiigarans. Tell them we're ready for them."
Jake scowled at the monitor. The politicians in the live broadcast were throwing insults at each other, safe on Earth, while he and his miners had to work night and day in vacuum suits. Even the politicians on this planet worked. There was always the threat of violent decompression, or the odd orbiting Hiigaran frigate which the miners had to hope would not blow them to pieces because Starfleet refused to protect them or allow them to have anything more than cutting phasers. Hell, he and his boys could rig up a photon launcher in under a month, do all the work themselves, but Starfleet said no. Starfucks.
And this was another disgrace. The Vice President of the Federation proclaimed the Hiigarans would be allowed to expand into the Grendel system. That meant hundreds of Hiigaran ships would be arriving, transporting millions of civilians to their new homes. Each ship a potential danger to his colony. And still no Starfleet.
And yesterday, the Vice President had declared the Grendel system entirely Federation. They were toying with lives. Just a week ago, news of the Starfleet takeover of a colony ship had reached Jake. Jake first, of course, since he controlled the subspace comm relay. And he acted fast. He and a few others went through hundreds of personnel files overnight, and colony security arrested thousands of people with the stench of Starfleet in their records.
Jake and his fellow conspirators sat in front of the Federation Security Computer, or fucking shit cunt as they called it. It was the only link between Jokala and Earth, and severing it carried years of penalty in a penal colony. If Starfleet photon launchers were ever installed, this computer would've coordinated planetary defense. With it, Starfleet could override the colony's compression systems and kill them all. Without it, Starfleet couldn't do shit. It was a symbol of the taxes they had to pay back to Earth. And why the hell pay taxes, when they got nothing in return? Jake's fist tightened around his wrench.
"Once we do this," Jake said, "there's no going back."
"It is logical," Se'nar, a Vulcan with Romulan blood in his ancestry which prevented him from ever entering Starfleet, said.
Jake smashed the fucking shit cunt.
"It's done."
"What about all the Starfleet?" Raynor, a miner who had brought his family along, said.
"We'll give them a choice. Stay with us and work, or go back to Earth." Jake paused. "Ring the Hiigarans. Tell them we're ready for them."
-
Thirdfain
- The Player of Games
- Posts: 6924
- Joined: 2003-02-13 09:24pm
- Location: Never underestimate the staggering drawing power of the Garden State.
A bit of a disclozure: This guy, experienced in STGODs aws he is, is an alchoholic. Undestand this! I WILL br stoned, or at least drunk, on your average friday night. If you place a vote in my favor, wait until the week begins or vote for someone else; otherwise, my decisions may be a absurd.
Bonne Nuit!
*pukes on your shoes*
Bonne Nuit!
*pukes on your shoes*
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite.
John Kenneth Galbraith (1908 - )
You're so drunk you posted in the wrong thread!Thirdfain wrote:A bit of a disclozure: This guy, experienced in STGODs aws he is, is an alchoholic. Undestand this! I WILL br stoned, or at least drunk, on your average friday night. If you place a vote in my favor, wait until the week begins or vote for someone else; otherwise, my decisions may be a absurd.
Bonne Nuit!
*pukes on your shoes*
All across the Hierarchy, things were calming down as the new government consolidated power. A new constitution had been written and signed. Under it, Master One surrendered his vote on the Council of Masters in favor of a purely executive position and Lord Genocide would have a vote.
The Advisory Board gained the power to veto the Thirteen's decisions, if a majority of them voted to do so. The Thirteen could override such vetoes only by a unanimous vote.
Perhaps more important than the new constitution was the declaration of a new Doctrine by the Thirteen Masters. They had announced that the Ur-Quan would now follow the Path of Eternal Vigilance, under which the Ur-Quan would always remain on guard against those who would enslave them but never strike against those who were not a threat.
The cultural definition of the Ur-Quan had finally been restored. The galaxy would never be the same again.
The Advisory Board gained the power to veto the Thirteen's decisions, if a majority of them voted to do so. The Thirteen could override such vetoes only by a unanimous vote.
Perhaps more important than the new constitution was the declaration of a new Doctrine by the Thirteen Masters. They had announced that the Ur-Quan would now follow the Path of Eternal Vigilance, under which the Ur-Quan would always remain on guard against those who would enslave them but never strike against those who were not a threat.
The cultural definition of the Ur-Quan had finally been restored. The galaxy would never be the same again.
"I want to mow down a bunch of motherfuckers with absurdly large weapons and relative impunity - preferably in and around a skyscraper. Then I want to fight a grim battle against the unlikely duo of the Terminator and Robocop. The last level should involve (but not be limited to) multiple robo-Hitlers and a gorillasaurus rex."--Uraniun235 on his ideal FPS game
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force."--Darth Vader
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant compared to the power of the Force."--Darth Vader
-
GuppyShark
- Sith Devotee
- Posts: 2830
- Joined: 2005-03-13 06:52am
- Location: South Australia
"Flick the switch, Johnson."
"Aye, sir." The ensign, with great ceremony, pressed the button which would render the Davion scanner network operational. Dubbed "Merlin", it would monitor every warp gate and colony in the Federated Suns.
Elsewhere in the command bunker, personnel sounded off systems checks. Every component was fully operational.
"Let's take a look at the neighbourhood," Admiral Robinson declared. He strode over to the holotank at the centre of the room. It was now filled with highly detailed imagery of Davion space.
His expression of smug pride quickly vanished.
"Get the Prince on the line. Now!"
"Aye, sir." The ensign, with great ceremony, pressed the button which would render the Davion scanner network operational. Dubbed "Merlin", it would monitor every warp gate and colony in the Federated Suns.
Elsewhere in the command bunker, personnel sounded off systems checks. Every component was fully operational.
"Let's take a look at the neighbourhood," Admiral Robinson declared. He strode over to the holotank at the centre of the room. It was now filled with highly detailed imagery of Davion space.
His expression of smug pride quickly vanished.
"Get the Prince on the line. Now!"
USS Long Island
Alkar System
Suranian Home System
"What's going on?"
"Red alert sir. Suranian ships are moving into position to block the wormhole."
"Hail them. Find out what's going on."
"Suranian ships activating countermeasures. White noise on all channels."
"Dammit. Get me a visual of the slipstream conduit."
"Scout vessel coming through -- it's similar to the vessel that rammed Captain Bozeman's ship last stardate."
"Hail it."
"No use, the Suranians are jamming everything. Suranian carrier launching fighters. The scout's taking heavy damage. Its hull is breaking apart."
"Bring us to the debris field, see if we can find any survivors."
"The Suranians are continuing to fire at the debris sir. They're picking off the escape pods."
"Goddamn bloodthirsty animals. Stay out of their way. Last thing we need is a friendly fire incident."
Cewandi System
"It looks like this one."
"No you imbecile, it looks more like this one. A Warbird."
"It doesn't look anything like a Warbird."
"You two quit arguing about what the fuck it looks like and tell me what it can do."
"Uh, it can turn invisible."
"You have got to be shitting me."
"No, it says so right here. All Romulan vessels should be assumed to utilize light bending technology to mask visual identification."
"Forget the book. The first thing I did when I graduated was burn it. Helm, make sure we stay clear of its way."
"Aye, sir."
Alkar System
Suranian Home System
"What's going on?"
"Red alert sir. Suranian ships are moving into position to block the wormhole."
"Hail them. Find out what's going on."
"Suranian ships activating countermeasures. White noise on all channels."
"Dammit. Get me a visual of the slipstream conduit."
"Scout vessel coming through -- it's similar to the vessel that rammed Captain Bozeman's ship last stardate."
"Hail it."
"No use, the Suranians are jamming everything. Suranian carrier launching fighters. The scout's taking heavy damage. Its hull is breaking apart."
"Bring us to the debris field, see if we can find any survivors."
"The Suranians are continuing to fire at the debris sir. They're picking off the escape pods."
"Goddamn bloodthirsty animals. Stay out of their way. Last thing we need is a friendly fire incident."
Cewandi System
"It looks like this one."
"No you imbecile, it looks more like this one. A Warbird."
"It doesn't look anything like a Warbird."
"You two quit arguing about what the fuck it looks like and tell me what it can do."
"Uh, it can turn invisible."
"You have got to be shitting me."
"No, it says so right here. All Romulan vessels should be assumed to utilize light bending technology to mask visual identification."
"Forget the book. The first thing I did when I graduated was burn it. Helm, make sure we stay clear of its way."
"Aye, sir."