From: Shawn _ (alamo_nate_at_yahoo.com)
Date: Wed Jan 02 2008 - 18:15:06 PST
=Declaration of War=
(cont'd from "Footnote")
LOCATION: Shuttlecraft
SCENE: Interior
STARDATE: [2.8]0102.1819
The little ship bobbed and weaved, dipped and rose, twisted and turned in an insane attempt to shake off its pursuer, but the Dominion battlecruiser, with a small wing of four fighters, came ever onward like an unstoppable juggernaut. The shuttle was more maneuverable than the cruiser, but it was slower- and it was far less agile and quick than the Dominion fighters. For all but the most experienced pilots, this was the textbook definition of a hopeless situation.
Luckily, Lt. Nick Cannon had thrown the textbook out during his first day in class, and he had no intention of dying in something as mundane as a shuttlecraft.
"Rerouting available power to the engines," Crichton reported from the copilots seat. "That should give you an edge on speed over the fighters, but they're still going to outmaneuver us!"
"Lieutenant Cannon!" Yao reported from behind them. "Do you still have the locations of the subspace bubbles stored in the systems navigational computer?"
"Yeah," Nick nodded, with a grin. "Guess now is as good a time as any to see if they work."
He altered the shuttles trajectory, pointing them towards the nearest bubble. The fighters and the Dominion battlecruiser followed suit, laying down a hailstorm of fire on the tiny Federation ship. Cannon kept zigging and zagging, avoiding most of the blasts, but every now and then a stray shot from one of the fighters would catch the shuttle, rocking it violently. Crichton's teeth were clenched and his hands gripped the armrests of his chair tightly, his eyes fixed on the navigational display. They neared the bubble, their ship rocking violently every few moments, until finally, they sailed through the subspace distortion- unaffected, as they'd hoped.
The Dominion battlecruiser and the fighters poured straight on, obviously not caring about the tiny rift in subspace, assuming that if it weren't powerful enough to damage the shuttle, it would hardly be enough to damage them. The fighters were the first to realize their mistake- they zipped through the rift and almost immediately began to spin out of control, two of them colliding with each other and exploding, the fireball from their collision engulfing another fighter as it grew outward. The fourth fighter managed to survive its trip through the rift, but its shield was shimmering frantically before disappearing altogther, the energy outputs from its engines fluctuating wildly, until one of the tiny impulse drives on the fighters tail seemed to go super-nova, vaporizing the fighter in a sudden blinding flash of light.
By now, the battlecruiser had realized what it was barreling into, and made a futile attempt to change course, its nose sudden climbing steeply upward. But the massive ship's belly dipped into the distortion, and that was enough- the shields began to suffer the same way the fighter's had, and a sudden explosion from the ships rear caused it to list to one side, a stream of pink plasma venting out into space.
The critically wounded Dominion vessel began to fire wildly, making a desperate attempt to destroy the tiny shuttle before its own destruction, but Cannon was ready- snapping the shuttle in a quick barrel roll, he rolled the ship out of harm's way and hit the accelerator, heading towards GATEWAY Station.
Behind them, the massive Dominion battlecruiser exploded.
"That was a hell of a cocktail you two mixed up," Cannon said, obviously impressed with the bubble's effect on the Dominion ships.
"But we didn't finish the field," Crichton frowned. "And the Dominion fleet is already on its way towards GATEWAY Station."
"We need to get back there," Yao said. "There's no way we'll beat them there, but maybe we can do something to help once we arrive."
"We'll be flying into a warzone," Cannon said, clearly not too enthused by the prospect. "Crichton, what can you give me in the shields department?"
Crichton briefly considered a quick barb about Cannon's fixation on shields, but dismissed it. "I can protect us from anti-fighter flak, low-power shots, that kind of thing," he said. "But if a Dominion battlecruiser targets us with their main cannon, there's not a whole lot I can to keep us together."
"Then we'll just have to make sure that we don't let them target us," Cannon said. "Setting a return course to GATEWAY."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
LOCATION: GATEWAY Station
SCENE: Space
Although it had done a good job of licking its wounds, GATEWAY Station was not ready for the Dominion's return. Large holes still gaped in the sides of the station's various modules, and several sections remained totally without power. The Federation fleet that had come to protect them, led by the PATRIOT, flew in haphazard patrol routes around the station like watchful guard-dogs, ever vigilant for an attack, knowing full well that the station couldn't stand on its own right now.
The Dominion fleet slid to a halt a few million kilometers away from GATEWAY and hung silently, making their presence known. Immediately, the Federation fleet formed up to oppose them, but neither side made a move after that. The two great fleets hung in space, staring each other down, waiting for the first move to be made.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
SCENE: Operations
"Incoming transmission from the lead Dominion vessel," Lt. Kor reported.
"Put it through," Commander Daisy Davidson reported.
The holographic image of Vertec, the Vorta ambassador who had led the blockade against GATEWAY Station during its long months of isolation, shimmered into existence before them, her polite smile ever on her lips.
"I am Commander Daisy Davidson," Daisy said to the image. "We demand an explanation for the-"
{{I'm sorry,}} Vertec cut in, {{..I don't believe I met. Where is Commander Learna Teague?}}
"She's dead," Daisy scowled. "Thanks to *you*."
{{I see,}} Vertec said. {{A pity- I only knew her a short while, and only as an enemy in battle, but I must say I rather liked her.}}
"Maybe you can tell that to her family after you apologize for killing her," Daisy said. "You *attacked* GATEWAY Station without provocation! That is an act of war!"
{{May I remind you, Commander,}} Vertec said. {{At the time of our attack, GATEWAY was considered to be an independent entity and not a part of the Federation.}}
"Then what are you doing back here now?" Col. Bret Maverick asked, frowning at the Vorta. "The Federation fleet has reclaimed GATEWAY, the wormhole has reopened- we're back in business."
{{Your bravado is endearing,}} Vertec smiled, {{..but you don't need me to tell you that my ships could crush your fleet and leave GATEWAY a smoking ruin long before any Federation reinforcements could arrive.}}
"You do that, and you're inviting war with the Federation," Daisy said.
{{I should warn you, Commander Davidson,}} Vertec said, her tone becoming icy. {{If it comes to it... I *am* authorized to start a war here today.}}
That news stopped Daisy's next few words in her throat.
"A... war?" she asked. "You can't be serious."
{{I am quite serious, Commander,}} Vertec said. {{The Dominion has tolerated Federation intrusion into our space for far too long. The closure of the wormhole made our treaty with the Federation obsolete, giving us every right to lay claim to all pieces of Federation property still within our territory... and that *includes* GATEWAY Station. The wormhole may have reopened, but that changes nothing- we will no longer tolerate Federation ships in our space, and our claim on GATEWAY stands.}}
"This.. this is insane!" Daisy said. She was confused, and angry, and afraid- how could this Vorta be so casual towards a discussion that could very well be shaping the future of both the Dominion and the Federation? Didn't she appreciate the weight of what she was saying?
{{You have one chance,}} Vertec said. {{You and your fleet will be allowed to leave our space, withdraw to your own territory. GATEWAY Station will be annexed by the Dominion, and our borders will be considered sealed. Any further incursions through the wormhole *will* be repelled by force. Is that understood?}}
"There's no way I'm agreeing to that," Daisy said.
{{Then you doom yourself and those under your command to death or enslavement,}} Vertec shrugged. {{Either way, GATEWAY Station *will* be ours. It makes very little difference to me one way or the other.}}
Her transmission cut off abruptly.
"Commander," Kor reported, "the Dominion fleet is charging weapons."
"Raise shields," Daisy said. "Patch me through to the fleet."
"Done," Kor reported.
"This is Commander Daisy Davidson," Daisy said, feeling numb, unable to shake the thought that she had just inadvertently started a new Dominion War. "Prepare to repel attackers. The Dominion has declared war on the Federation."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
LOCATION: Elsewhere
SCENE: The Great Link
You are not equipped to understand the Great Link.
Do not take this as a criticism- it is merely the fault of your biology, a limitation of your solid form, that precludes your understanding. Solids can only ever be themselves, and can never know or understand what it means to become one with everything and yet remain yourself- to be both everything and nothing all at once.
The Link itself makes no noise- at least, not any noise beyond the whisper of liquid shifting slowly against itself. But for the changelings, the Link is an experience similar to that of the Borg Collective- millions of voices, at all once. But they are not intrusive- each voice is heard individually and understood perfectly, even though all voices speak at once.
Usually, thousands of subjects are discussed simultaneously within the Link. Today, however, there is only one topic of discussion- the solids. And what should be done about them.
Animosity towards solids had not died down all that much after the end of the Dominion War. True, the changelings had learned not to fear the solids as conquerors and exterminators, but that did little to effect the opinion that changelings were superior to solids. This gave rise to the attitude that changelings *deserved* to rule, that the solids should willingly allow them to lead. Of course, solids were a stubborn lot, infamously resistant to common-sense, and the Link knew that many of them would not simply accept Dominion rule.
For those who resisted, there could be only one answer- they would have to be *made* to understand. They would have to be beaten into submission, until they had no choice but to realize the truth.
There were opposing ideas- claims that the solids meants no harm and deserved no harm in return. But these were quickly forgotten- decisions are made quickly in the Link, even ones as weighty as this.
The decision had been made. If the solids fought back, they did so at their own peril- the Dominion would no longer be denied. And those who resisted would learn very quickly the error of their ways.
========================================================
NRPG: So its official- the Dominion has declared war on the Federation. And it wants GATEWAY Station very, very badly.
Good thing we have the PATRIOT to back us up!
Shawn
a.k.a.
Jake Crichton, Lieutenant
Chief of Engineering
GATEWAY Station, GS-2
---------------------------------
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Wed Nov 19 2008 - 03:10:45 PST