Kaedyn Zehn

I desperately want a new Star Trek show but worry that it might be too influenced by the current movie franchise. My biggest concern would be that we end up with some kind of super-glossy Star Trek: Agents of SHIELD type thing always acting as a sort of watered down version of the films. I agree with all of Sky's points too

((Capitol - New Romulus, 2400)) ::So much had changed in the galaxy since the Romulan homeworld had been destroyed. Captain Kaedyn Zehn marvelled at this as he stepped into the visitor's gallery above the newly built Romulan Senate chamber. He had personally seen the effects while serving onboard Starbase 118 on the edge of Romulan space. Where once the Empire was known for its insularity and paranoid control, he had seen it in tatters. He had also seen it rebuild itself at an impressive speed..:: ::Almost immediately after this thought had passed it was replaced by confusion that Starfleet would send him as part of the official Federation delegation. As relations with the Romulans warmed, so too had they cooled with the Klingons and Kaedyn had risen through the ranks as an intelligence officer - a spy - during a time when diplomacy had slept.:: ::Despite the best efforts of Starfleet, including the heroic actions of the Captains he had previously served under, Turner, Jaxx, Nicholotti and Herrara, the war with the Klingons had been unavoidable. When it had come, it had lead to millions of senseless deaths including that of his own husband, Eliaan, who was killed during the massacre on Deep Space 6. If it had not been for his career and, more importantly their young son, Kaedyn knew he would not have survived that loss but it was still so raw and he had found himself noticeably harder than he had been before it.:: ::Even now, even in this official setting, as his thoughts returned to his lost love, tears filled his eyes and he struggled to keep his emotions in check. It was a personal loss that allowed him to empathise with the Romulans who had lost so much more than he could imagine when their homeworld had been destroyed. He was interrupted from his morbid thoughts by the approach of a familiar Romulan man from the crowd.:: Sarup: Captain Zehn, it has been a long time. ::A faint smile danced in the eyes of the handsome Starfleet officer, where the uncried tears still remained. Ten years was a long time for most but for a Joined Trill, with more than three centuries of memories rattling around in his head, it sometimes felt like a blink of an eye. As he looked at the Romulan man, first encountered during the Klingon invasion of the Thracian Alliance, it felt like it had only been a few months.:: Zehn: Mr Sarup. You are perhaps the last person I expected to see here. Sarup: I'm part of the diplomatic mission from Thrace. I must admit, I never imagined that either of us would end up here. ::he paused and smiled:: But, I have been assured that my diplomatic status will prevent my former Tal Shiar colleagues from killing me while I am here. ::Only a Romulan, Kaedyn mused, could be so dry on the subject of his own possible assassination. It was yet another indication of the change in the Romulan government that they could welcome a delegation from the Alliance that had included a large number of former Imperial citizens to this event.:: Zehn: I agree it does feel strange to be here but that just goes to show different the Empire is from the one you left. ::An enigmatic look crossed the Romulan man's face, outwardly remaining friendly and diplomatic but there was also a darkness that was hard to pinpoint. For those who had lived in the Romulan Empire it was to be expected that a degree of cynicism would remain. Could that Empire truly change in ten years? The destruction of the moon Praxis had driven the Klingons to peace with the Federation but it had never changed their violent, warlike nature.:: Sarup: Perhaps, Captain. Although, from what I gather we may have already witnessed the high tide of Imperial openness and pacificism. Praetor Charon has built his power upon his ability to work with the Federation and the day when that help is no longer required fast approaches. There are those keen to step into his shoes... ::Unfortunately, Kaedyn had also heard similar rumblings. While not officially an intelligence officer any more, he still had contacts throughout the alpha and beta quadrants who fed him information. Old spies, he knew, never truly retired. After a decade of living in that world, secrets were still second nature to him. As always the Romulan government was riddled with factions and factions within factions. All the intelligence suggested that the Praetor's power was waning. There were two leading candidates to replace him in time, one was an old ally and the other was more troubling.:: Zehn: Senator Varend... ::Sarup beamed and nodded slowly in a mock version of a bow.:: Sarup: I'm glad to see your intelligence skills are not going to waste since you took command of that starship of yours. Yes, the Senator is very much the rising star. Zehn: And what of Vreeya? ::Proconsul Vreeya was, to Kaedyn's mind, the very personification of the new Romulus. He had first encountered more than a decade earlier when she had become a close ally of Admiral Nicholotti. She was intelligent, resourceful, fiercely patriotic and the very model of an inter-stellar stateswoman.:: Sarup: Ah, yes Vreeya. Believe me, Captain, no-one would rather see the magnificent Proconsul rise to the position she deserves than I. Zehn: ::smiling:: Sarup, I believe you are in love ::The Romulan nodded and for a split-second a genuine look of regret crossed his face.:: Sarup: Maybe a long time ago. However, the Proconsul's close relationship with Starfleet and President Creena of Thrace have marked her as something the Romulans have long mis-trusted: a foreigner. I fear when the Praetor falls, Vreeya will also fall. My only hope is that she will manage to escape with her life as she is certainly no ally of Varend. ::Before the Trill could respond, Praetor Charon entered the chamber followed by the Proconsuls and the leading Senators in order of precedence. The audience rose to their feet and applauded politely until the officials were in place. Smiling widely, the Praetor took to the podium and indicated for everyone to take their seats. He made a short speech, mainly thanking the guests for their attendance and discussing the hardships of the past years. It was a speech that seemed more suited to a Federation politician than the leader of the Romulan Empire and as he finished up, Kaedyn worried that Sarup had been right about the coming transition.:: Charon: I hereby declare the New Romulan Senate open ::There was another polite round of applause and people began to stand to head into the reception room when one of the Senators stood.:: Sarup: ::in a low voice:: The famed Senator Varend Varend: If I may say a few words, Praetor... Zehn: ::whispering:: What the hell...? ::A low noise of quiet consternation rippled throughout the crowd. Even with the relative informality of the situation, it was unheard of for a Senator to speak up in such an event unless called upon by the Praetor. By speaking out, Varend was challenging his authority in the most public of ways. Kaedyn held his breath as the Praetor attempted to cover his surprise at the break of protocol.:: Charon: ::nodding:: Very well, Senator. ::Having failed to respond to the challenge, the Praetor had allowed Varend to position himself as a political opponent rather than subordinate. As he the Senator began to speak, it was clear that he was doing so as a powerful usurper. The murmurs died down as the crowd listened to the man who would be king.:: Varend: I want to begin by commending the Praetor for his magnificent work in rebuilding the Empire in these past years ::As the crowd applauded the sentiment politely, Kaedyn glanced at Sarup who was shaking his head slightly. Evidently the Thracian envoy could see the compliment for what it truly was: a political assassination clothed in a smiled. Only a politician of the highest order could pull off such a feat.:: Varend: We have endured many hardships since the destruction of Romulus. The loss of our home, our friends and our family was followed in quick succession by a loss of pride. Our once proud Empire was forced to rely on the kindness of adversaries and tolerate betrayals that would have been unthinkable before... Sarup: ::in a low voice:: I think he means us... Varend: Today, with the dedication of the new Senate chamber on our new homeworld, we reclaim our pride. The time for the new Romulan Empire begins today ::The audience rose to their feet in excitement, applauding and cheering in a way that was uncharacteristic for the usually reserved Romulans. Kaedyn, Sarup and the other non-Romulan guests in the gallery clapped politely but there was a sense of nervousness among them. The Praetor looked crestfallen as Varend began to shake hands with other officials and pointedly avoided him and Proconsul Vreeya who also looked grim. Varend had seized the political initiative in the most dramatic way imaginable.:: Sarup: Did you see who shook his hand first? Admiral Koral Zehn: The Chief of the Imperial General Staff? Sarup: The very same. If he has the power of the military behind him, he will be Praetor by the end of the year and the military build up will start at the same time. When they speak of the next war, they will say it began today. Zehn: ::shaking his head ::Madness Sarup: Perhaps, Captain, perhaps. On the other hand, no-one ever said the Romulan government was sane. ::The Trill's train of thought continued, almost as if Sarup had not spoken. The applause of the crowd had still not abated, it was like watching the terrifying rise of a dictator:: Zehn: After all we've done for them, the Empire would have been overrun by the Klingons if we hadn't helped them Sarup: And that is precisely why they hate you. The Federation is a reminder of their past weakness and to reject you is to ignore that weakness... and to fight you would be to fight those memories. Zehn: The Romulan people have changed since you defected. They've had to change. Sarup: I may have been away for a decade, Captain but I am still Romulan. I know these people; I was these people. War will come. ((Ready Room - USS Turing)) ::Having stayed at the reception for minimum time that diplomacy allowed, Kaedyn had returned to his ship and briefed Starfleet on the shocking events of the day. They had been just as concerned about the situation as he had been and he was authorised to very discretely take the lay of the land on Romulus. As he sat in the ready-room of his Akira-class starship, he pored over every scrap of intelligence on Senator Verand that he could get his hands on.:: ::He was interrupted by the chimes of his door.:: Zehn: Come in ::His intelligence officer, Lt Commander Zak Malik, entered the room. Having been with him since his days in the Black Tower, the handsome human was now a trusted friend as well as an able officer.:: Malik: Captain, we just got word from the surface that Proconsul Vreeya won't be able to meet with you. Zehn: I didn't imagine she would risk being seen consorting with Starfleet after this afternoon but it was worth a try... Malik: Her office did send us this through secure channels, I'm sure you will find it useful ::He handed Kaedyn a PADD and the Trill scanned the Romulan intelligence file on Senator Verand. This was even better than meeting with Vreeya and a slight smile crossed his face.:: Zehn: Indeed. ((Conference Room - USS Turing)) ::With his hands behind his back, Kaedyn stared out of the conference room window at the planet below them. Behind him, Ambassador Sarup examined the intelligence that Vreeya had given them, the intelligence that indicated the very close ties between Senator Verand and the Klingon Empire. No-one knew how accurate the adage of history repeating itself was better than a Trill, throughout the past two hundred years the alliances between the Federation, Romulans and Klingons had shifted frequently. Links between the two Empires had always formed when the Federation was considerably stronger than them both. As was the case now.:: Sarup: We always suspected this but we had no confirmation until now. I will be honest, Captain, this is the worst case scenario for us. ::The Thracian Alliance, made up as it was from breakaway elements of the Romulan and Klingon empires, had relied on the emnity of the two and would certainly be destroyed if it found itself surrounded by a Romulan-Klingon detente. Even though it was a Federation Protectorate, there was little that Starfleet could do to protect her. Kaedyn returned to his chair at the head of the conference table.:: Zehn: So now we have the choice between sitting back and watching two of our enemies rise again or taking a pre-emptive strike while they are still weak. Sarup: Come, Captain, you know that neither your government nor my own would sanction such action. Zehn: Then we have to wait until he becomes Praetor and plunges us back into an intergalactic war? Sarup: There is, of course, a third option... ::Silence filled the room. They had both been in the intelligence business for a long time and Kaedyn knew exactly what he meant.:: Sarup: Why, I wonder, did Starfleet send you on this mission? Was it truly for your diplomatic skills and fame in Romulan circles... ::The Trill nodded.:: Zehn: And why did President Creena send you? Sarup: I'd imagine for the same reason. You may be a Captain now and I may be an Ambassador but we're just two old spies, Zehn. Zehn: If we assassinate a member of the Romulan Senate then war is inevitable... Sarup: Only if someone finds out. If, for example, it appeared that the Praetor had the Senator killed then it would clear the way for Proconsul Vreeya to take charge... Zehn: Even if it was as easy as that to do, it would also be illegal in both the Federation and Thracian Alliance Sarup: ::snapping:: Don't be so naive, Captain! We're talking about the death of one man to prevent a war. ::There was a long silence as Kaedyn considered his options. Sarup was, of course, correct that preventing another war was of paramount concern. Still, unlike many of their shared profession, Kaedyn had never allowed himself to cross the line that Sarup was now suggesting.:: Sarup: Think about what I have said, Captain. One way or another, this will happen. I have a greater chance of succeeding with your help. ::Without an adequate response, Kaedyn rose to his feet and straightened his uniform.:: Zehn: Thank you for joining me, Ambassador. I am late for dinner with my son... I'll be in touch ((New Romulus, three days later)) ::As far as anyone knew, the USS Turing's captain was onboard as she left Romulan space and the Ambassador had left with the Thracian delegation. Between the two of them, Zehn and Sarup knew enough tricks of the trade to make it discretely onto New Romulus without detection. That, it had turned out, was the easy part. Evidently, the Romulans had made sure to include their usual paranoid security aparatus to their new home.:: ::With a biodampening unit keeping his Trill life-signs suppressed, Kaedyn found himself waiting in the safe house of a Thracian spy. Thracian Intelligence were active on the planet and he could have left Sarup to lead this himself but he was still secretly hoping there would be a way around it. Vreeya's intelligence showed evidence that could be used to blackmail the Senator, particularly his illegal intelligence gathering for the Klingons. In truth, Verand was little more than a Klingon puppet and while Sarup was determined to kill him, Kaedyn believed he could be turned.:: ::A plan was in place, with the assistance of the pro-Federation faction in the Senate Sarup had been able to organise access to the security protocols for the Senate offices. When they were confident the Senator was alone in his office, the security network would be dropped and they would beam in. The signal came that everything was in place and Kaedyn wrapped a hooded cloak around him and grabbed a disruptor. As they stepped into position, he adjusted the beam setting.:: Sarup: Are you ready, Captain? ::He thought of his son, he was only twelve and had already lost both of his biological parents and Eliaan. He didn't deserve to become an orphan again but it was for him that Kaedyn was committed to this course of action. He had to prevent the war and if he was lucky, he could do so without being killed himself.:: Zehn: Ready Sarup: Well, we'll know if we're going to be successful or not very soon. ::Gripping his weapon tightly, Kaedyn took a deep breath as he dematerialised, not knowing what to expect next. They rematerialised in the officer and Senator Verand leapt out of his chair, evidently shocked and afraid.:: Verand: Who are you? ::Kaedyn pulled his hood down, revealing his Trill forehead.:: Zehn: Captain Kaedyn Zehn Verand: ::with a wry smile:: What do you want, Captain? You must know you won't get off this planet if you fire that weapon. Zehn: I only want to prevent a war, Senator. Sarup: What are you doing, Zehn? Take the [...]ed shot! ::Holding the disruptor up, his gloved hand shaking visibly, Kaedyn tensed the muscles in his jaw to stop his lip from quivering with nerves. With a sharp movement, he turned and fired at Sarup. The Thracian fell to the floor, stunned but not dead. Kaedyn turned the weapon back to Verand.:: Zehn: Senator, we need to talk... END. Lieutenant Kaedyn Zehn Intelligence Officer USS Vigilant

Great to be back!

((IKS Reclaw)) “Help us,” the voice crackled, echoing around the dimly lit room, “Somebody... please help us.” Jados, son of Heran, looked up from his computer and stared at the large object in the middle of the cargo hold. Finally, he had managed to interface with the mysterious device that they had found adrift in space. Moments earlier he had been cursing his rotten luck. Had he been on a Starfleet vessel, he had no doubt that this would have been easier. Klingon ships rarely had the most rudimentary scientific equipment. He turned his attention back to his computer, desperate to make the device give up more of its secrets. “Help us. Somebody... please help us.” The terror in the woman’s voice, like nothing the young scientist had ever heard before, chilled Jados to his very core. Who was she? What did they need help from? He didn’t entirely understand the information readout on his monitor but from the numerical data it seemed likely that the message was the last file on the probe. Engrossed in his research, Jados hadn’t noticed the doors to the cargo hold slide open or the massive hulk of a man that was the ship’s captain approaching him. “You have been down here for hours, science officer,” he growled placing an emphasis on the young half-human’s job title. Klingon warriors did not become science officers; human half-breeds did. “My apologies, Commander,” Jados said, “I didn’t hear you come in.” “Do you know what it is yet?” Kran demanded. “It may be a communications device,” Jados began, “it’s actually quite interesting, it seems to be...” The commander growled a string of colourful Klingon expletives. It was clear that he did not find a communications probe as interesting as a weapon or some artefact that could fetch a high price. “So it is worthless?” “I wouldn’t say that,” the young scientist replied, “I am waiting for the results of the dating analysis, but it appears to be several centuries old!” “And?” “W-w-with your permission,” Jados stammered, “I would like to keep studying it.” “Do as you wish,” the Captain replied, “it is junk.” As he turned to leave, Jados stood and took a few tentative paces towards him. “One more thing, Commander... Have you ever heard of a race called the Fellarans?” ((Fellara Prime)) President Mor Hilarri looked out over the cheering crowd and grinned broadly. In many ways, it had felt as if the last few weeks had been a dream but here she was, delivering her first speech after becoming the first President of her people's newly formed World Government. "We have overcome great challenges," she said into the microphone, "and we continue to face even greater challenges but we shall face them together, knowing in our hearts that we are stronger as a whole than we could be apart." The crowd erupted into thunderous applause. "I am excited," she said, struggling to be heard, "I say, I am excited to see what comes next. As our people look to the skies towards the new frontier and take our first tentative steps to other worlds, who knows what kind of wonders we will encounter. You've heard me say it before, and I have meant it every single time: the future begins today! Thank you." Her husband and sons joined her on the stage and they waved into the vast expanse of the crowd for several minutes. In the corner of her eye, she spotted her chief of staff waiting at the side of the stage; his face was expressionless and jarred with the smiles that surrounded them. Maintaining her smile, she whispered to her husband and they exited the stage as quickly as they could without causing a stir. "What is it?" "You are going to want to see this," the Chief of Staff replied. ((IKS Reclaw)) “Fellarans? No, never heard of them,” the Commander replied. “From some of the text that the computer has translated, it would appear that a race called the Fellarans created the probe,” Jados explained. The Captain looked down at him for a moment as if pondering the question further. After a few moments, he shrugged and carried on out of the cargo bay, leaving his science officer alone. Jados returned to his computer and ran a search in the ship’s database for any information on the Fellaran race. While it was certainly possible that it had came from far away, he shivered slightly that the way the commander had never heard of the race. Perhaps it was because of the message of terror that he had just heard. As the computer search ran he stared at the probe. ((Fellara Prime)) The President entered her new office without time to take it all in. Many of her cabinet members were already there and she could tell from their body language that they weren't there to celebrate. The tension in the room was almost tangible. "Surely there can't be an emergency already?"She asked, moving behind her large desk. "I've only been on the job for a few hours." "We're not sure, Ma'am," her defence minister explained, "early this morning one of our satellites detected something strange in orbit." She sat down at her desk, placing her hands in front of her and interlocking her fingers. "I am going to need more information than that," she said, calmly. "We believe it is a vessel..." ((IKS Reclaw)) Jados stared at his computer screen in wide-eyed wonder. He had managed to download hundreds of image files from the probe, the first of which was an image of a Fellaran. On the man’s hairless head, the skin was a pale yellow, which subtly changed to pale green at his neck. His eyes were much larger than most other races and were a dark shade of orange. The next image was a female, her features were more delicate and her skin was uniformly yellow. Further images were of locations, presumably from their homeworld; buildings and works of art. He was incredibly taken with the images, which gave the impression of a peaceful people: there were no images of violence or war, as was the norm in Klingon art. He felt as if he was discovering the race for the first time, like an exploring finding a hidden tribe in the middle a jungle. Although, he conceded, it felt more like unearthing a tomb. ((Fellara Prime)) The cabinet stared at the live satellite images of the object in orbit. It certainly looked like a vessel, and just from the design it didn't seem too friendly. So far their instruments could only tell that the object was in orbit, that it appeared to be made from a metal alloy that they had never encountered before and that it was giving off heat. Attempts at communications had been made, so far to no avail. "Anything?" the President asked. "Not yet," the Chief of Staff reported. "We are playing the greeting on a continuous loop now." "Until it makes its intentions known, we must regard it as hostile," the defence minister muttered. "Ma'am," her scientific advisor began, "we've spent a lot of time and resources building probes to send out into space. What's to say that what we're looking at isn't such a device? It would seem to be clear evidence of alien intelligence." "That doesn't mean they aren't hostile," the defence minister shot back. The President placed her elbows on the conference room table and briefly placed her face in her hands. Her cabinet fell silent as she looked up and stared at the image on the display. "Why are you here? And what do you want?" ((IKS Reclaw)) No results. The, albeit limited, ship’s database had no information on a race called the Fellarans. Crest-fallen, but still determined to find an answer to the historical puzzle that he had been presented with, Jados began to consider options to expand his search for information. He set up an interface with the Klingon archaeological database, which seemed the only Klingon route to find out more. However, he was not just a son of Qo’nos but also of Earth and he knew that as noble and magnificent as his father’s race could be, his mother’s people had a much better aptitude for sciences. It was, perhaps, why becoming a science officer seemed to isolate him from other Klingons and highlight his mixed heritage. The Federation would not view the pursuit of this mystery as a waste of time or a flight of fancy. He sent a message to the bridge requesting permission to contact the nearest Federation vessel regarding the probe and the race that he was desperate to find out more about. After explaining why he wanted to do so, and assuring the Commander that he was also exploring Klingon avenues of investigation, he was allowed to transmit his findings to the nearest Starbase. Now he had to wait for more answers and, in the meantime, continue to explore the contents of the probe. ((Fellara Prime)) There was a barely audible gasp of shock from the cabinet as the screen showed the image of an alien sitting in a darkened room. The poor lighting and dark shadows across its face only served to highlight the differences in its appearance from the Fellarans. The President calmly rose to her feet, after several days of the mysterious object being in orbit, the aliens had finally made contact. This would be the most communication of her political career, her life and maybe that of her entire race. “I am President Mor Hilarri of the Fellaran United Government.” She began. The alien spoke in a low, unintelligible growl. A panel of experts, although such a thing scarcely existed in a society that had never encountered an alien race, had been brought in and were sitting around the walls of the room. The President glanced at the man who had been identified as an expert linguist. He was staring at the screen as the alien spoke. “My apologies,” the President said in a calm, diplomatic voice, “we cannot understand your language yet.” The alien continued to speak in its low, growl of harsh sounds. “We are working to learn your language and hopefully we will be able to establish a dialogue...” The screen went black. “They have terminated the transmission,” the defence minister reported. “That didn’t go very well,” the President said, slumping back into her chair and rubbing her left temple. This wasn’t how she had hoped to spend her first week in office. She had been elected on a global wave of optimism about the future. Her own optimism had begun to wane at the first sight of the mysterious object in the sky and had been all but destroyed by the failed communication. “We will get to work immediately on analysing their transmission to see if we can do something with their language,” her Chief of Staff said, “I’m sure all such encounters are fraught with problems.” “I hope so,” the President sighed. ((IKS Reclaw)) Jados was excited when the computer reported that his analysis into the age of the probe was complete. It had taken the computer on the old Bird-of-Prey longer than he had expected to conduct the analysis but now he had the results. Two hundred and fifty years old. He leaned back in his chair and stared over at the large probe. He had detected no evidence of warp drive, so assuming that it hadn’t passed through any spatial phenomena and that it had been launched not long after construction, he could determine an area of space that it could have theoretically came from. He was an important step closer to his puzzle. ((Fellara Prime)) In the small library adjacent to her large office, Mor Hilarri sat in darkness. Moments earlier, her Chief of Staff had reported that the satellite network had detected additional vessels in the Fellaran system. As yet, all attempts to communicate with the aliens that now seemed to fill their skies had failed. She held her head in her hands, tears filling her eyes. It wasn’t meant to be like this, she continued to think, her people were supposed to have a bright future. They were supposed to be boldly stepping into that future together after having been divided for so long. She had been prepared for that but she wasn’t prepared for this. They were truly staring into the abyss and, it appeared, the abyss was staring back. ((IKS Reclaw)) The results from the Federation Starbase had come earlier than Jados had expected. A tribute, perhaps, to the efficiency and scientific aptitude of humans that he prided himself as having inherited. He was pleased to finally have some information about this race, although was quickly disappointed at the brevity of the findings. Most of what Starfleet had sent he had been able to determine or at least guess from the probe: they were a humanoid species that didn’t appear to have access to warp-drive and their homeworld was believed to be in or near modern-day Klingon space. He felt a jolt of shock as he read the final line of the report. “...believed to have been wiped out by the Hur’q.” That he could cry at all was testament to his human side; that his eyes filled with tears was yet another aspect of him that was decidedly un-Klingon. ((Fellara Prime)) “I want to issue an Executive Order: only good news from now on,” the President said, as she entered her office, “is this good news?” She could tell by the faces of the assembled staff that it wasn’t. “Ma’am,” the defence minister began, “we’ve lost contact with the Colony.” She closed her eyes tightly for a moment. The first Fellaran off-world colony, on a neighbouring planet, was the pinnacle of her people’s technological advances and a symbol of their future successes. “Are the aliens blocking our transmissions?” “No,” the defence minister said, “the communication relay station is gone.” “Gone?” “Approximately one hour ago,” her Chief of Staff began, “communications with the colony ceased. The space agency believed it to be a technical malfunction, possibly related to the presence of the alien vessel. A nearby satellite was diverted to the area to scan for the communication relay and found that the relay is missing from its geostationary position. Further scans have shown no sign of the relay station.” “What was the crew complement of the relay station?” The President asked. “47” She sighed, placed the palms of her hands on the desk and stood up slowly. “Please have the appropriate people join us in the war room.” ((IKS Reclaw)) It had been a few days since the message from the Federation, which had left Jados so depressed. He had continued to trawl through the archives of the probe and while he had been amazed at the art, music and literature that the Fellarans had created, everything was tinged with sadness. He was picking through the archives of a long dead people. He would never look a Fellaran in the face and tell them that he had found their probe. He wondered whether any other races had contacted them before the Hur’q came. Had they been alone until then? A single planet all alone in the darkness. ((Fellara Prime)) “How can the whole colony be gone?” There was a tense silence in the room as everyone came to the same realisation. “It must have been destroyed from orbit,” the scientific advisor began. “Which means,” the defence minister interrupted, “they have weaponry far beyond anything we have.” The President felt faint. If these aliens could destroy a colony from orbit then they could easily target the planet and there was little or no resistance that could be offered. “Ma’am,” one of the military officers spoke up, “We have an incoming transmission from the aliens.” “Let’s hear it!” she snapped. The image of the alien room appeared on the monitor. It was standing now, and the room was bathed in a brighter red light. “Surrender,” the alien growled. ((IKS Reclaw)) It was with less excitement that Jados began reading the information sent from Klingon Archaeology society. Much of the information was the same as Starfleet had provided, but there were some important addition details: most notably, the location of their homeworld. The planet, known to its original inhabitants as Fellara, was called Korch’eth by the Klingons and was the location of a major dolamide mining operation. The planet had become little more than a giant mine and had been for more than a hundred years. “Well isn’t that convenient,” he muttered, “we get to build weapons and all it took was for the Fellarans to be wiped out...” He was stopped by a thought that he couldn’t bring himself to think. “No...” ((Fellara Prime)) “You will surrender yourself to us,” the deep voice rasped, “this planet belongs to us.” The President rose to her feet. “We will not surrender,” she said defiantly, “this is our home and we will not allow you to take it from us.” “Then for you, today is a good day to die.” The screen went black again... ((IKS Reclaw)) Jados stared at the probe, the realisation slamming into him like a shuttlecraft as he confirmed his findings. The probe was definitely less than 300 years old. The Hur’q had terrorised this area of space more than a millennia ago: they would have been long gone by the time the probe was launched. “Help us. Somebody... please help us.” The voice echoed through his head and he stumbled away from the probe. Where was the honour in this act? How could it be justified? How would he be able to deal with this? He caught sight of himself in a reflective computer panel and for the first time in his life the man with the ridged forehead looking back at him seemed monstrous. “Help us. Somebody... please help us.”

I like that controlled element that Picard brings. He's deliberate, diplomatic, controlled and essentially pacifist unless totally necessary. I think he personifies the ideology of the Federation.

Captain: Kathryn Janeway First Officer: Kira Nerys CSO/Second Officer: Jadzia Dax ACSO: T'Pol Tactical: Worf Ops: Data Security: Tasha Yar Helm: Sulu CEO: B'Elanna Torres ACEO: Tucker Mission Specialist: Seven of Nine CMO: Bev Crusher ACMO: The Doctor Counsellor: Deana Troi Pet: Porthos (he's adorable, I want one)

I I was tempted to vote for Sisko because I loved DS9 and I really liked Sisko, I think he really came into his own during the Dominion War but then I had this thought: if Picard had been in charge of DS9 then maybe there wouldn't even have been a war.

generations was awful!! awful, awful, awful!!

Away Team is exellent, I hope they make a follow-up; Elite Force was very entertaining; Armada 1 and 2 were both fantastic but practically all other star trek gamers are really awful (and i have wasted money on more than one)

despite my hatred of Enterprise in the first season, I must admit I found myself getting hooked in Season 3 and now I'm actually lookig forward to season 4

Sounds like a mini-series, not a movie. I defiantely think the powers that be in the trek world now are just totally running it into the ground. We have two Series and two well liked crews in the shape of DS9 and Voyager that could have movies. Or if they were going to be ambitious: three crews in the same time frame. Why do they need to go back in time? Or even if they were going to do, at *least* do it with the Enterprise crew after they've finished their tv run. I'd think that was better than trying to develop a new crew for a movie.

During the Earth year 2375, much of the Alpha Quadrant was gripped in a bloody war between the combined Federation, Klingon and Romulan Alliance and the Gamma Quadrant Empire known as the Dominion and their newest members, the Cardassians. Unbeknownst to the Alpha Quadrant alliance, the Dominion had been negotiating in secret, an alliance with the mysterious Breen. Deciding to enter with a bang, the Breen struck a savage blow at the Federation’s heart: Earth. The city of San Francisco was specifically targeted, located there were many key Starfleet facilities including Starfleet Command, Starfleet Medical and Starfleet Academy… Red Alert Klaxons wailed and the red emergency lighting provided the only illumination in the smoke filled corridor. The two officers and three cadets headed as quickly down the damaged corridor as possible. With their wrist mounted torches flashing beams of light across the damaged floor and walls, they picked their way through the rubble searching for injured colleagues. One of the officers, a Benzite, stopped and stared at her tricorder. “Commander, here is someone nearby…” she said, furiously tapping on the controls of the device to pinpoint their location. The commanding officer of their search party, a terran, turned to her and pointed his torch directly at her tricorder. “Where?” He had a dried patch of blood on his forehead and his uniform was torn in a number of places, this was definitely not the type of mission Steven Clay had expected when was assigned to Earth. There had been a number of attempted attacks on what was seen to be the “capital” planet of the Federation but none had been as successful. “I can’t get a specific reading,” Lieutenant Hyrashi replied, shaking her head a little. “Well then, we keep doing this the old fashioned way.” She nodded and placed the device back in its belt holster. He indicated for them to continue down the corridor and the rest of the search team followed him until they came to two doorways. Clay turned to one of the Cadets, a Vulcan named Sorlack who had been acting almost as a living map of the building. “Cadet?” “Professor Hillman’s office and the primary weapons locker,” the Vulcan replied. Clay nodded, he wasn’t a huge fan of Vulcans but this kid was definitely coming in useful. “Okay, Sorlack, you’re with me. The rest of you take the weapons locker.” He entered the Professor’s officer with the Vulcan in tow. Hyrashi grabbed one of the double doors to the weapons locker and began pulling; with the power down none of the automated doors were working. “Kran,” she said as she struggled with the heavy door, “a little help?” The half-Klingon cadet grabbed the other door and began pulling; the doors opened slowly to reveal the charred remains of the Academy weapons locker. They entered the room and looked around at the mess. “Okay gentlemen,” Hyrashi said, “you know the drill… spread out, you find anyone stick a transporter tag on them and then beam them out of here.” The two cadets nodded and began searching the room for any signs of life. Moments later, the Betazoid cadet, Janaar, located an injured woman under a pile of phaser rifles and rubble. Pulling it away from her as best he could with an injured left arm, he recognised her. It was Master Chief Petty Officer Sharon Moss, the Academy weapons quartermaster “Chief, you are injured hold still,” Janaar said, quietly. “You cadets really are the best and the brightest, aren’t you?” “Just hold still,” he said with a roll of his eyes, “we’re going to get you out of here and treated.” He tagged her with a small transporter tag. As she dematerialised, he stood up and continued searching until he met Hyrashi and Kran on the other side of the room. “I heard a transporter beam,” the Benzite said, “find someone?” “Moss, she’s alive but injured.” “What is that we’re up to now, eighteen injured and three dead?” the half-Klingon said clenching a fist. The Benzite nodded grimly but tried to remain focused on the task at hand. “No time to stand around, there are still lots of people in these buildings unaccounted for,” she said They left the room as Clay and Soron were exiting the room opposite. The five returned to their quick visual search of the corridors. The Benzite moved into position next to the Commander. “Anyone?” the human asked. “Moss, injured but beamed out. You?” “Hillman. He’s dead.” There was a detachment in his voice that she knew betrayed his emotions. The professor and the Commander had been friends for a long time. She stopped in her tracks and looked at him. “We can grieve later, Lt. Just now there are still injured people who need us on the ball.” “Aye, Sir,” she replied. She knew a lot of people would be losing friends and colleagues today; it was up to them to reduce that number by rescuing the injured. They reached the end of the corridor, where it joined a perpendicular corridor “Left, takes us out of the building; right is more offices and another turbolift,” Sorlack informed them. “Then we go right,” Clay replied. “Commander!” Kran yelled as he leapt across the corridor and began pulling rubble from a pile on the floor. The others joined him in digging through the bricks and dust that had once been a part of the wall. Eventually, they had cleared enough to reveal an injured Andorrian:: “Help me…” the injured Andorrian gasped, “I can’t feel my legs.” “Don’t move… you’ll be in hospital in a second,” Clay said as he placed his hand onto the man’s blue forehead and tagged him The Andorrian dematerialised and the human smiled a little. “Okay, people keep moving.” “Commander,” Sorlack began, “I have been witnessing instability in the building’s structure. The logical course of action would be to evacuate.” The human officer turned to the Cadet, his face black with dust and his eyes blazing with disgust. “And who evacuates the injured? Without the transporter tags we have no way of beaming them out.” The Benzite stepped forward “Steve…” “No, Hyrashi, I want the Vulcan to explain to me why it’s logical to leave all the people in this building to die” He stared the calm Vulcan in the eye “I apologise, Commander, my words were… ill-advised,” the Vulcan conceded. The Benzite placed her hand on her colleagues shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze “No-one’s saying leave them to die,” she said quietly, “but let’s do this thing as quickly as possible in case this building does collapse.” “Okay, we split up. Sorlack, you and I will stay down here and clear this floor; you three go upstairs and make a start on that floor,” Clay ordered. “Understood,” she said and then leaned in to whisper to Clay, “go easy on the kid, okay?” He nodded and moved into one of the rooms as Hyrashi, Kran and Janaar headed to the emergency ladder. The Betazoid trailing a little, his head was swimming due to the blood-loss from his arm injury and the worry he was feeling. Really, he was in no position to join the search party, he should have reported to the medical facility to get his injury treated but he had insisted. She was in this building when the attack came and he had to help find her. Kran: I don’t understand how the Dominion slipped through the Earth defence perimeter. The Lieutenant indicated for him to start climbing the ladder “We don’t any details yet, Cadet,” she said, as he began to climb, “This might indicate that the Dominion has developed some new technology.” “They are without honour” “You’ll get no argument from me on that one,” She replied as she started climbing. She looked down at Cadet Janaar who was slowly struggling up the ladder below her “You okay, Janaar?” “I’ll make it,” he said as he pulled himself up with his good arm. “Don’t worry, Cadet. We’ll find her.” He stopped climbing for a moment. “I hope so, Sir; I hope so.” Kran reached the top of the ladder and immediately began looking around the new corridor. A moment later, Hyrashi joined him on the upper floor of the building and she then helped an injured Janaar off the ladder “Its ever worse up here than downstairs,” the half-Klingon reported. “That was to be expected,” Hyrashi replied, dusting her uniform down, “Okay gentlemen, let’s go.” The second floor of the building was far more damaged than the first. Typical of damage from an orbital bombardment, parts of the ceiling were gone and sunlight poured in. The floor was almost completely covered in rubble. The three quickly picked their way across the damage and searched each of the rooms in turn. After almost fifteen minutes, twenty-one injured people beamed out, two dead and a lot of blood-loss by Janaar later, they came to the last few rooms on the floor. By this time, Sorlack and Clay had finished on their floor and joined them “Okay,” Commander Clay said with an exhausted voice, “let’s clear these rooms and get out of here.” They all entered a room each and began their searches. Janaar looked through a badly damaged office, it only took a few moments to realise that it was empty. He entered one of the larger rooms where Cadet Kran was searching. “Anyone?” His friend shook his ridged head, “No.” “She was meant to be in this building” “We’ve searched every room, Akino.” Kran said, “Maybe she…” He was interrupted by Clay’s voice calling from the next room “Janaar, get in here… I’ve found her.” The Betazoid’s blood ran cold, his pulse quickened and his mouth was filled with the bitter taste of adrenaline as he ran into the room. There on the floor next to the human was his girlfriend Janaar: Oh hell, Tealla. He kneeled down beside her and looked at her, she was pretty badly injured. Clay was scanning her with a tricorder, he looked into the worried eyes of the young cadet. “She’s coming in and out of consciousness…” he said, “we have to beam her out now.” He placed a transporter tag onto Tealla’s arm and then one onto Janaar’s. “Stay with her, and get that arm looked at. We’re done here anyway.” Janaar nodded and moments later they dematerialised… The medical facility had, by some miracle, remained mostly undamaged in the attack. The hallways were full of walking wounded and busy medics. All Starfleet and civilian medical personnel in the area had been brought in for the emergency. Despite this, they were still being stretched trying to deal with all the casualties being brought in Janaar rematerialised in the transporter room and was immediately approached by a nurse with a medical tricorder. He scanned Tealla then turned to a med-tech next to him:: “She needs surgery immediately,” the nurse said, “move her to level three” The Betazoid could see and feel the concern of the Nurse: he obviously felt Tealla was badly injured. Perhaps more than Janaar realised. “Is your arm injured, Cadet?” “Its just a scratch, I want to go with her.” “Okay, but make sure you get that checked, eventually,” the nurse said and moved off to examine someone else. “I will.” He held his injured arm against his chest and placed his hand on Tealla’s forehead as she was placed on an anti-grav bed and moved down the hallway They entered a turbolift with another two beds and 6 people “Level Three,” the Med-Tech said. The lift ascended to its destination and for the first time since the attack began, Janaar was in a silent room. That changed as they reached one of the surgical floors and the doors slid opened to reveal a large hallway that was almost as busy as the ground floor. The med-tech moved Tealla’s bed to one side of the hallway “Wait here a moment, the surgeon is on his way along.” “Thank you.” He looked down at his injured girlfriend. “You are going to be okay, Tealla. She had drifted back out of consciousness and didn’t reply. Next to them a pale ensign, her faced covered in dust and her hair half in its ponytail and half out of it, turned to him. “Were you at one of the Academy buildings?” “Yes, Sir.” “I was in the basement of the Astrophysics Research Facility… I was [...]ed lucky. Luckier than the Breen, we destroyed all their ships. Not quick enough though.” “The Breen?” he said with more than a hint of surprise in his voice, “I just assumed it would be Jem’Hadar” “We all did,” she said, “but it seems the Breen wanted to enter the War with a bang.” “They sure as hell did that. Any casualty list been posted yet?” “The number keeps rising all the time,” she said with a little shake of her head, “but I doubt we’ll get an official casualty list until things calm down. Everyone down here is busy pulling people out of buildings and treating them.” Janaar nodded grimly and looked around at the injured people around them. “Yeah, I was on one of the campus search parties.” “How’s it look over there?” “Bad, Sir,” the Betazoid said, shaking his head, “Pretty bad.” Tealla began moving slightly. “Akino…?” He looked down at her and smiled a weak smile. “Hey you” “How bad is it? “You’re going to be fine.” She laughed a little and then winced in pain. “You are a terrible liar,” she said through gritted teeth, “and I am a telepath.” “You are going in for surgery in a minute.” She began coughing, held her side and squeezed her eyes closed. “It hurts,” she croaked “I know it does,” he said, leaned down, took her hand and kissed it Her eyes began to close; she was losing consciousness again. “Tealla, stay with me. Please.” “I’m tired, Akino” “I know but you have to stay with me. I love you, Tealla. And I kinda wish I had said that to you for the first time before now” “I love you too…” She coughed again, “but your timing stinks.” He laughed a little and tried to fight back the tears that were filling his eyes Janaar: I’ll work on it, okay?… just… just don’t leave me… The med-tech came back down the corridor. “Okay,” he said, “I have to take her into surgery now.” “How long will she be,” the Betazoid asked. “A few hours at least, get that arm looked after and come back up. We’ll find somewhere for you to wait until she’s done.” “Thank you.” Janaar watched as Tealla’s bed was moved down the corridor and into surgery. Never in his life had he felt so helpless or for that matter so worried. There was nothing he could do now except wait. Wait and hope… In that first few moments after waking, the things that burden the consciousness are often not at the front of ones mind. Akino Janaar blinked his eyes open, feeling refreshed and a little disorientated. He wasn’t in his own quarters, he wasn’t even in a bed, he was in a chair in a strange room. And then the memory of what had happened struck him, like a swift blow to the stomach that knocked the wind out of him. He jumped to his feet and looked around, there in a bed next to him was a sleeping Tealla. She looked so peaceful and beautiful that immediately he calmed down and sat back on the chair looking at her. A nurse entered the room with a tricorder and clipboard. “So you’re awake now, Cadet, thought you were going to sleep all day” “I didn't mean to fall asleep, must have just dozed off,” he said with a stretch. “Well, it was a tough day yesterday, I’ll bet you needed it.” She began examining Tealla and looking at the monitors around her biobed. “How is she?” Janaar asked. “She’s a little battered and bumped but she is going to be fine,” the Nurse said, “She’s a strong one, is our Cadet Morin.” “She is,” he said with a smile. “She will be sleeping for most of the day, you should go home and get some rest.” “No,” he said, placing his hand on Tealla’s forehead, “I want to be here when she wakes up.” The nurse smiled. “That’s sweet, you must really love her.” He looked up and returned her smile. “I do. She’s my everything.” The Nurse nodded and as she left the room, Akino took Tealla's hand and held it in silence as she slept.