Deep Space Guardian: Season II-Episode 39

[Founder]

(Stardate Unknown)

-Elerra Prime, Federation Colony-



Ian Xavier, commander of the Federation space station: Deep Space Guardian, was in the safety and comfort of the colony on Elerra Prime. Very little time had passed since the events with Merik. Once he returned to DSG, Ian quickly changed into civilian clothing and left command of the station to Ziona. After, he quickly beamed down to the colony, needing some time to be alone. He felt like his head was going to explode with all the thoughts and problems assaulting him. As soon as he had stepped off of the Radical, he was confronted by officers asking questions. Starfleet Command demanded a report, one that Ian did a poor job on and sent quickly. He didn't have time to focus on the myriad of problems. Ian had to clear his mind and focus on the issues. He stood at the edge of bridge and began to do Tai Chi in an effort to let him think more clearly. Hopefully, he could clear his mind and then return to the station where he could offer a little more support. For now, Archer and Ziona would have that task. He shut his eyes and focused on relaxing his body while doing the movements of the Asian excercise. The groaning sound of an animal caused him to jump in surprise. He turned to see a Jol Jol munching on some grass at the city gates. For once, Ian was not running from a massive and deadly predator. The Jol Jol were similiar to Earths' horses mixed with camels. They were harmless and roamed the colony freely. Ian sighed and looked back at the water under the bridge he was standing on. It was...soothing.

-DS9, Ops-

Oyet watched as Dominion ships continued to pour through the wormhole. It didn't seem like there was any end to them. That many ships could only mean one thing-an invasion force. He pieced together in his mind as the Dominion vessels continued to mass and surround the station. Garak had been missing on Cardassia since the take over. No doubt he fled into the Gamma quadrant and rallied the Dominion. Oyet could not fathom why the Dominion would even want to get involved.

"So many..." Jeilor repeated.



The Cardassian leader could only nod in agreement, unable to find the words to explain this. The Nautolian commander was mostly silent, as usual.

"We're being hailed." Jeilor reported.

Oyet nodded in affirmation, allowing Jeilor to open a channel. He had a bad feeling he knew who was hailing them. His suspicons were confirmed when Garak appeared on the viewscreen from his Cardassian shuttle.

"Oyet Bocal." He said in a polite and cheerful tone.

Only Garak could mix politness with sarcasm and wit.

"Elim Garak." Oyet spat.

Garak bowed his head in a mocking, introductory way.

"I must say, I've been waiting for this moment for quite some time," He replied, "I was expecting a much larger force waiting for us..."

Oyet clenched his fist in anger and had the biggest urge to extend his hands through the viewscreen and choke the life out of Garak. Both had been members of the Obsidian Order roughly around the same time. Oyet only knew Garak by one name...

"You traitor," He seethed, "You would have us be the lap dogs of the Federation and Klingons while the butt of every joke to Bajorans!?"

Garak tilted his head to the side in a curious fashion.

"I'm the traitor Bocal?" He asked in an astounded voice, "I don't recall selling my species out to the Nautolians. Then again, your sanity has been in question from what I hear."

Oyet looked at Garak in surprise, not understanding how he knew about that. It was recent and as far as he knew, news did not travel into the Gamma quadrant.

"How do you know about that?" He asked in surprise.

Garak's smile grew wider, as if he was about to reveal a secret he wanted to let out for some time.

"He knows, because I told him." Din Fomeh replied in a strange, gruff and non-Nautolian voice.

Oyet looked at him in surprise, slowly realizing what happened, but not fully able to process it. The Nautolian's natural tone turned blurry and liquidy until he changed into another form. The familiar form of former chief of security in the Bajora militia, Odo.

"Surprised Gul?" He asked in a sarscastic tone.

Jeilor grabbed Odo's shoulder, but the changeling was quick. His arm turned into a long steel blade with a very pointed tip. He slid the blade through Jeilor, killing Oyet's right hand man instanstly. Odo shouted to the viewscreen.

"Attack, Garak!" He yelled.

Garak nodded and the viewscreen switched to show the Dominion fleet assaulting the station. The small Jem'Hadar fighters made a mad dash and unleashed everything they had.



Oyet ordered the other officers to kill Odo and fled into his office, fearful of the Changeling. He heard his officers shout and looked back to see Odo attacking everyone in Ops with multiple tenticles. Oyet charged into his room.

-Garak's Shuttle, Cockpit-

As that attack commenced, Garak's shuttle sat back and watched chaos. Garak swivled around in his seat to face Colonel Kira who sat at another console.

"May I suggest the next stop be Bajor?" He asked, "I can only imagine how many Bajorans are being killed en masse, what with Nautolian barbarity and Cardassian experiance in mass murder..."

He said all of those horrifying things in a charismatic way that Garak always seemed to pull off. The Cardassian didn't hide what his people to the Bajorans.

"No!" A whiny voice called out from the aft section, "I need to beam over and check my bar. I wouldn't doubt if thise filthy Nautolians set up some perverse swimming pool in there! You know, I had a program that would have been sexually charged and their head tails would have plenty to do, but do they listen to me? No. They attack my place of bussiness! Never attack a Ferengi's bussiness, Rule of Aquisition # 349."

A small Ferengi wearing a Starfleet uniform appeared from behind the older Ferengi, Quark.

"That is not a rule uncle!" He shouted.

"Quiet," A stern, Irish voice called, "Both of you."

Former chief of operations on DS9, Miles O'Brien, looked towards his old commanding officer and surrogate mother to his baby.

"What's it going to be Colonel?" He asked.

-DS9, Captain's Office-

Oyet ran into his office, fleeing the trouble. He had to find a way to contact Fito and fast. Fito would save him...wouldn't he?

"Are you alright Gul?" The guard asked.

Oyet ignored him and pushed past him, completely forgetting Melina was even there.

"I must contact him." He said to no one.

He sat down and quickly tried to open a channel to Fito's flagship...

+ 10 awesome detail, Andy.

Lord Borg

[La Forge]

Deep Space Nine, Captain's Office

Only about five minutes after Gul Oyet had rushed out of his office, after being interrupted by a crisis in the adjoining Operations Center aboard the now joint Cardassian/Nautolian station, Terok Nor, while attempting to kill the chained leader of the Bajoran Resistance, Colonel Ryder, the Cardassian Gul had returned, with a mixed look of extreme fear and worry on his gray Cardassian face.

Oyet's guard, one of the countless mindless Cardassian brutes who served under the deranged Gul, had asked about what was wrong with the worried leader of the Cardassian Union, however, Oyet had briskly ignored him, as the Cardassian man had quickly rushed to his desk, muttering something about contacting someone.

Melina could see some sort of...multi-armed being through the doors, out in the Operations Center, as Oyet had entered, if only for a split-second. Cardassian soldiers were fighting the being, to no avail. The being was incredibly powerful. The Bajoran woman could swear she had seen a being of this sort before. Could it be...? While she pondered this question, she could feel the station violently shake, as Terok Nor was bombarded with phaser barrages from the onslaught of Dominion warships, unbeknowest to Melina, however.

"Just what the hell is going on?!?" Melina asked herself, mentally, with a troubled and confused look on her face. "Has the Federation finally gotten off their ass and decided to help us? I doubt it." Melina pondered, as she peered out through the slits in the door to OPS, looking for some clue as to the situation on the beseiged station.

+ 4 Dilithium. Good post.

Founder

[Lord Borg]

-Garak's Shuttle, Cockpit-

A Bajoran woman stared at the viewscreen on the bridge of Garak's shuttle. She let out a sigh as she saw the Dominion ships rush the station. It was an errie sight, there was a time when it meant invasion againts the Federation. Now it was an invasion to help the Federation.

Kira took in a sharp breath and was about to respond to Garak when Quark spoke out, whining yet again, about his bar. She gritted her teeth, having heard the same line over and over again for the last year.

"QUARK!"

Kira's face flushed with anger, now was not the time to worry about some...some...some damned bar.

"ONE more word out of you," she said, "I will personally destroy your bar, and revoke your license. Got it!?"

Quark stared at Kira, his jaw fell open in shock. He stuttered to protest, when Nog, the younger Ferengi spoke.

"I think she's serious, Uncle."

Quark sighed and turned his back to Kira. With a disgusted sigh, she looked back to Garak, and spoke with a fuming voice. Only the prophets knew what was going on at the planet this moment.

"Yes, Garak. Send four wings to Bajor, clear the way for the ground troops."

Another voice spoke from the back of the cabin, the stations young energetic doctor spoke up.

"I'll need to get to the Infirmery as soon as we can clear the way. Lots of hurt people, no doubt..."

-Dominion Flagship-

The Jem'Hadar first looked into his eye piece and studied the read out. The feeling that arose in him from seeing the attack againts the enemy forces, it had been a long time coming since they had been able to wage war againts someone. The First looked over to the Vorta next to him, who also had an eye piece. Despite the fact he also had an eye piece, he spoke, giving a report.

"The Nautolian and Cardassian forces are attempting to divide our forces between the Station and the Planet."

DSG, Promenade

Archer sat in a corner, a drink in hand, thinking over the events of the last few hours. Many people, good people had died. Because of the battle, and the fact people are dead, as well as security, the party was ended, and civilians sent to the planet, officers that were not able to preform their duty to their quarters. Jon made a small sigh and stared at his glass, he had not even taken a sip off of it, since he had ordered it twenty minutes ago. Archer wondered what he should do, the fleet was under repiar, the shuttles being changed for fighters, it would be days before they could all return to service.

-Engineering Transport, T'Sa's Quarters-

T'Sa sat in her quarters and stared out the window, thinking over events of the last few days. The weapon was in production, with all the test of the modifications passing. A make shift party was thrown, and it seemed everyone attended. T'Sa choose not to, not wanting the attention or the sole credit that some seemed to give her, it seemed she had to keep stressing it was a team effort.

+ 6 Dilithium. Good post.

Founder

[Spellbinder Marik]

-Unknown Place-

Kiris found himself standing in an area with nothingness. To his left, to his right, all around him was nothingness.
�Where am I?� His voice echoed. His mind began to race. If there was an echo this had to be a very large room of some kind. Little did Kiris know it wasn�t a room at all. The scenery began to change. He saw clouds twisting in on each other the way a tornado did. When the clouds broke Kiris found himself standing in a foggy area. As the fog cleared he saw spheres of light with trailing tails.

Kiris watched in awe as the things circled him. The fog began to peal away revealing a much greater sight. Kiris fell to his knees. He wasn�t really sure why. It may have been the grand sight before him or the fact that he felt so small and insignificant here. Kiris saw two of the spheres appear from the back of the water fall.

They took the form of Romulans. Kiris didn�t recognize them. One of them held out his hand. Kiris took it and the being pulled him to his feet. Kiris summed the courage to speak to the beings.
�Am I dead?� One of the entities looked to the other.
�He arrives with questions.� The other spoke.
�Like his father. A risk taker he is.� Kiris listened as the beings spoke. Their voices were in his head and out load all at the same time.
�Am I dead?� Kiris repeated.
�Do you want to be dead Kiris Ditex?� Kiris wasn�t sure how to respond. He wasn�t even sure of where he was or what this place was.
�What kind of a question is that?� The entities exchanged glances again.
�It is a strait forward and upfront question to be sure.� The other broke in.
�With a simple answer. Yes or No?� Kiris pointed and moved his arm.
�Is this where the dead are supposed to be?� The first entity pointed as well.
�This,� he said, �Is an environment in which the two of us can exist. It is also one of the limited places your mind can understand. You are not dead Kiris Ditex, Not yet.� Kiris lowered his hand.
�What is that supposed to mean?� The entities looked at each other again.
�Like your father Kiris you have arrived before your time. You sacrificed yourself for a greater purpose, a greater good and for that we reward you by giving you back your existence. Do try to be careful in the future. We cannot always do this.� Kiris was about to speak when he felt intense pain. The beings vanished as did the environment and Kiris himself.

-DSG, Sickbay-

Kiris opened his eyes and began screaming.
�Ahhhhhhaaaaaaaaaargggggg.....� A nurse looked over at the now awake and screaming Kiris.
�Doctor, Doctor! He�s awake!�

-DSG, Cory Taylors Quarters-

Cory entered his quarters. He�d just been back from sickbay. Something had happened to Kiris down on the planet. He was badly injured, even in critical condition. As far as Cory knew Kiris may or may not survive. He�d been severely injured when he hit the ground. That�s what Cory was told. From the fracture and break patterns in his back Kiris and Merik had been pushed or fallen from the top and landed on the ground. It was a miracle that the fall alone didn�t kill him. Tessa looked up from a PADD she was reading when the door opened.
�Are you ok?� Cory shook his head.
�I�ve just been from sickbay. Kiris is in critical condition. He may not survive. Several bones and nerves were severed in his back�.� Cory�s lip began to tremble. He sat beside Tessa. Tears began forming in his eyes. Kiris was his friend and although they didn�t start off that way they�d bonded and quickly developed a friendship that would have taken years for anyone else. Cory rested his head on Tessa�s shoulder and cried silently. He didn�t have any siblings but Kiris was as close as he�d ever come. He didn�t yet know of Kiris�s miraculous recovery. He kept thinking that if Kiris died he didn�t know what he�d do�

-Elerra Prime, Federation Colony-

N�Tran had been made aware of Commander Xaviers location. He needed to get this done before there wasn�t time. N�Tran passed through the colony until he came to a bridge. Xavier was standing on it. He seemed mesmerized by something. N�Tran walked to his side not entirely sure of what the Commander was doing.
�Excuse me Commander. If you have a moment I�d like to speak with you.�

+ 5 Dilithium. Nice post.

Founder

[Ziona]

DSG, OPS

Ziona stood, her hands clasped behind her back as she stared out over OPS. It was strange, standing by herself, with only a few officers still bustling around the consoles. It was late... somewhere in the early morning, but sleep hadn't even crossed her mind yet. She knew that Ian was on Elerra Prime, somewhere, trying to relax and clear his mind.

No time had been given for the two to discuss exactly what had happened down there. Ziona had heard snippets from other officers. With a heavy sigh, Ziona crossed her arms on her chest, furrowed her eyebrows and sunk into deep thought. She wasn't sure what had happened, not all the details, but it had had its effect on Ian. With another heavy sigh, Ziona turned and heaed towards a nearby seat. She took a quick seat, rubbing her hands across her thighs as she tried to think.

"All systems are operational again, ma'am." An officer reported to her. She simply nodded and tried to smile at the officer before turning and looking back down at the ground in front of her.

It took Ziona a moment, but she realized that wondering about the events that had taken place was only going to make her stress more. With a quick sigh and a deep breath, Ziona cleansed her mind of the thoughts bouncing around her head. She, for the moment, needed to focus on the station and all the publicity happening around the events. Starfleet Command asking for more information while Ziona was unable to give them little data. All she could comment about was what she had seen from her vantage point on the station. Nothing else.

For all the questions she was asked, Ziona had stated a blanket comment of simply "no comment". It was the best she could do at this time. And for her, OPS offered a safe haven to get away from the constant questions from officers and officials. For now, no one would ask her a question in OPS. She hoped it stayed that way...

+ 4 Dilithium. Nice post.

Founder

[Spellbinder Marik]

-IRW Ferex, Medical Bay-

Trip sat up. He had a slight headache from his experience with the memory scanner. He looked over to T�Rell and Y�Vel.
�Did it work?� Y�Vel nodded.
�It did and there�s far more data here than we expected. We�ve filled approximately 19% of the free space in the primary data core.� T�Rell checked the computer status. It was slightly lagging.
�We�ll have to replicate a separate core to accommodate your memory scan. For now though it�s fine where it is.� Trip hopped off the biobed and placed his mask back on. �Would you like something for the headache?� Trip shook his head.
�No. I am a warrior and will fight anything that places it self in my path.� T�Rell and Y�Vel exchanged glances.
�As you wish. Report back here immediately if it gets any worse.� Trip walked with T�Rell toward the door.
�That�s as order Lieutenant.� Y�Vel added. With Trips new Romulan rank came rules and regulations he still wasn�t entirely familiar with.

-Ferex, Corridor-

Once they were in the corridor Trip spoke.
�Why was there more data in the scan than what we predicted?� T�Rell had the answer strait away.
�Because you were a willing user of the device. It�s generally used for forcefully extracting data from unwilling participants.� Trip nodded. The two of them stepped into a lift. Trip almost filled the entire compartment himself. T�Rell squeezed in beside him.
�Cargo bay 3.�

-Salara, N�Trans Quarters-

Laura laid down and turned off the lights. It felt as though she hadn�t slept in days. N�Tran had been hiding something from her. She could feel it. She didn�t know if it was something worth reporting. She�d been ordered to report suspicious behavior. Although N�Tran had always teetered on edge and always seemed to be watching over his shoulder. He�d always been very careful to keep whatever he was thinking or planning to himself. Of course that was a trait most, if not all Romulans had. Laura turned over and closed her eyes and began dreaming�

+ 4 Dilithium. Good post.

Founder

[Founder]

(Points have been updated.)

-Elerra Prime, Federation Colony-

Ian immediatly stopped his Tai Chi when he heard the familiar voice of the Romulan admiral, N'Tran Ditex. He opened his eyes and looked at the man, face to face. N'Tran had assisted the DSG crew into going to Romulus and attempting to warn to Romulans of an impending Nautolian invasion. Sadly, their efforts were in vain, but N'Tran's help was still appreciate. However, Ian had somehow offended the Romulan admiral due to a lack of courtesy at the time apparently. He seemed to upset many people. If it wasn't N'Tra then it was Sofie or someone else. Before the Nautolian war, Ian was courteous and polite to everyone he crossed paths with. The war had changed him and made him much more cynical it seemed. He bowed his head in respect.

"Admiral Ditex," He said, "How may I assist you sir?"

-Dominion Flagship, Bridge-

The Vorta clone, Weyoun, watched the battle with controlled glee. A part of him had perverse pleasure watching the Cardassian ships explode. He recalled with vivid detail how Garak had kill his last clone on Cardassia. Thankfully, he was recloned in the Gamma quadrant by none other then Odo himself. The Founder had returned to the Gamma quadrant to heal his dying people and to install a massive reformation throughout the Great Link. Suffice it to say, that did not happen the way Odo planned. Complicated issues arose and the Gamma quadrant was seeing problems of it's own, although not as bad as the Nautolian war. Odo managed to persuade the Great Link in sending their largest fleet to assist the others in the Alpha quadrant, pointing out that without the aide of the crew from DS9, they would all be dead from the mutagenic virus implanted within them by S31. The Great Link reluctantly agreed and the fleet made a very long preparation to enter the war...

"The Nautolian and Cardassian forces are attempting to divide our forces between the Station and the Planet." The Jem'Hadar First reported.

Weyoun smiled and looked away from his eyepiece to look at the Jem'Hadar officer.



"Let them, we have more then enough ships," He said in a calm voice, "Prepare a regiment to storm Ops and take it by force. Tok'atikla? Once you beam over, defend the Foun-Odo at all costs."

He had made the mistake of calling Odo a Founder once more. To this day, Odo did not like that moniker and demanded he be called by his name. Weyoun would never disagree with him and obediently obeyed his "God". He clasped his hands behind his back and continued to watch the battle, hoping that Odo was not injured or dead...

-DS9, Captain's Office-

Oyet kept shifting his eyes nervously between the door and his computer. Much to his chagrin, communications had been blocked. It was either because of a communications black out by the Dominion or Odo had sabatoged it while he was hiding as Din Fomeh, a Nautolian commander sent by Fito. Had he really been sent by Fito? Oyet had never questioned it before. How had Odo come into the Alpha Quadrant? As far as Oyet knew, no ships had come through the wormhole, cloaked or not. Suddenly it hit him as if everything was falling into place, piece by piece. When Fito had dispatched ships to install a sensor array in the Gamma quadrant, one of the smaller Nautolian patrol ships went missing for a few days. It was recently found, disabled from an anomaly or say they claimed. His eyes widened when he realized that an entire ship, possibly full of Changelings, came back. Odo must have been amongst them. His head began to throb in intense pain. Who knew what damage those Founders were causing at this very moment? He began to feel sick, realizing that Fito would not be able to save him now. His small Cardassian fleet would never hold up against that many Dominion ships. The only real fleets that were under his control were Obsidian Order ones and due to the treaty after the Dominion war, the production of Cardassian warships was halted. He had to start from scratch and on top of all of that, some of his own vessels were in other parts of the Alpha quadrant, helping the Nautolians hold a system. He cringed as he felt the station shake from a rather rough hit. Oyet looked back to see a Nautolian ship literally cut in half from the fierce attacks by the Jem'Hadar. He doubted the Nautolians were ready for a foe like them.

"Oh no..." He whispered.

Oyet got up, still ignoring the officer in the room, and prepared to flee from one of the side doors. He stopped, realizing that Melina was still in the room and alive. No, he would not leave and risk her somehow escaping. Especially after it was so difficult to..."attain" her in the first place. He rushed towards the guard and yanked out the device that would unchain the woman from his desk. Oyet would take her with him as he fled to Nautolia Prime.

"You're coming with me," He said, "I'll introduce you to Lord Obsidian himself..."

He freed her from the chains and pulled her up, grabbed her roughly and digging his uncut nails into her arms.

"Gul," The officer asked, "Where are you going?"

The doors to the room opened before he could respond and Odo appeared, quickly extending his arms in a gelatinous state and tossing the Cardassian guard across the room. He looked at Oyet and pointed at him.

"Don't move." He ordered.

Oyet let go of Melina and smirked at the Changeling.

"What?" He asked, "Do you think I'm one of your common criminals that you can just order to stand down Changeling? I'm not..."

He slapped his chest with his fist.

"I am Oyet Bocal!" He screamed, "Leader of the Cardassian Empire!"

Odo shook his head, "Not anymore. Your reign has come to an end Gul and it was not short enough..."

The side doors open and a large Nautolian guard rushed in, his energy swords beaming in the darkness.

"Kill him!" Oyet ordered.

He turned and ran out of the room before Odo could attack him. One of the Nautolians swung the weapon across Odo's stomach. He quickly detached his upper body from his lower body, avoding the heated blade. As his upper body flew in the air, he turned his fist into a spiked mace and slammed it against the Nautolian's head. It cried out and dropped to the ground in pain from the attack. Odo reattached his body and prepared to run after Oyet, but stopped suddenly. He noticed Melina on the ground, bloodied and bruised. The Changeling couldn't put his finger on it, but Melina reminded him of Kira. It could have been the hair, he didn't know. He felt a pang of guilt for the woman, knowing that she was probably brutalized by the Cardassian overseer. His hand extended out to her.

"You're safe now." He told her.

There were loud sounds in Ops and Odo realized that reinforcements were pouring through.

"However," He told her, "We should go..."

-DSG, Ops-

Jones had been working to assign clean up engineering teams to repair the Fifth fleet damage. Thankfully, none of the ships had been destroyed. Fighting in a planetary atmosphere was difficult for the large starships and it showed. Clean up crews had not been assigned to the unknown continent to pick up the Nautolian ship. For now, it was deemed to hazardous for any to go. Jones was slightly concerned that Nautolians and Koinians would flee into the continent, but he doubt there was anywhere they could go. It wasn't safe down there from what he heard and there was no way they could get a message out. Merik had been stopped thankfully and Ziona remained in charge of the station. He had a feeling that she would definitly be the next first officer of the station. She had handled the role so well for quite some time. Jones was interrupted from his thoughts when a figure walked into Ops and randomly began to use a console. From his memory and judging by the rank pips on the figures neck, he was not assigned to the station. Jones quietly approached him, wondering what the figure was doing.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

The figure turned to him with a serious look.



"I am director Monroe," He introduced in a monotonic voice, "I am the deputy director of Starfleet Intelligence on Earth."

Jones wondered why someone from Starfleet Intelligence was onboard the station. It wasn't everyday that this happened. However, there had been an officer that had been assigned on the station in the past that was from SI, but he left quickly.

"I see," He said, "Can I help you sir?"

He stared at the cyborg for a moment before calmly responding.

"Yes," He said, "I am looking for Sophia Findlay...."

+ 10 yet again...good details, also time and effort

Lord Borg

[Spellbinder Marik]

-Elerra Prime, Federation Colony-

N�Tran raised an eyebrow at the politeness and almost �chain of command� response from Ian Xavier. Responding to Xaviers inquiry N�Tran produced a PADD.
�I understand that you�re the one to see in this sector about getting a building permit to build on Elerra Prime. I am wondering if I can be permitted to build a house on Elerra Prime near the abandoned Romulan camp.� N�Tran handed the PADD to Ian.
�There�s a beach near there that is ideal for building. It has a hill side that could be built into and adequate stability several meters below ground to put a basement.� N�Tran gave Ian a moment to let all of this sink in.
�Neither Laura nor I have a home to go back to anymore. Elerra Prime seems a logical place to put down roots since our work keeps us near here anyway.�

-Ferex, Cargo Bay 3-

Trip and T�Rell stood by a platform. It was a large replicator. Most commonly used to replicating engineering components. The time they were creating a mobile computer core. They were going through several computer core designs in the Romulan database. Not all of the schematics were of Romulan origin. There were Klingon, Andorian, Federation and several other designs listed. Each had its strengths and weaknesses. Federation computers were slightly faster but didn�t have the extensive security setup that Klingon or Romulans did and the Andorian organizing software was nice but wasn�t compatible with Romulan systems. Trip stopped the screen and pointed.
�What is this?� T�Rell looked over to the screen Trip was at.
�It�s called bio-neural circuitry. I was originally developed by the Federation but in recent years other cultures have begun using it. We might be able to use it in our design and decrease the amount of cell processors needed. Save the design until we have a suitable operating system for it.� Trip nodded and saved the design into a PADD.

+ 2 Dilithium. Good post.

Founder

[Ziona]

DSG, OPS

Ziona turned to look at the man as he entered OPS and as Jones approached him. She remained in her seat for a few moments before she got up and approached the two. Hesitantly she watched the man, but didn't chastise him at first. She wasn't sure who Starfleet might have sent to look over things.

"Can I help you with anything, sir?" Ziona asked, watching the man quietly. She wasn't sure what Jones had found out about this man but Ziona was going to make sure she knew exactly why he was here and what he was looking for.

With a quiet alertness, Ziona watched the man, judging his pips and his uniform. He wasn't one of theirs, she knew that.

[Founder]

-Elerra Prime, Federation Colony-

Ian gently took the PADD from the Romulan admiral's hands and scanned the information on it. It appeared that N'Tran had given this idea deep thought for a while. Nothing this detailed could have been put together in a time span of a few days. He felt sorry for N'Tran when he commented on how he has no where to go. The occupation of Romulus is still a shock to everyone, including non-Romulans. A part of him wondered how the Klingons took the news. There had been little contact with them from DSG. He hoped that something would be done for Romulus soon. If not, the Nautolians would no doubt be coming soon....

"This looks...good admiral," He said, "The detail is impressive. You know, I never thought of you as a...setteling down kind of man."

He smiled and held the PADD out to N'Tran. Ian saw no real problem with allowing N'Tran to settle on the planet. Although, Starfleet expressed they did not want a non-Federation presence living on the planet. He saw no threat from an old man wanting to live in retirement with his wife and near his son on the space station though.

"Admiral N'Tran," He said, "I'll be forward. I don't think Starfleet wants Romulans living on Elerra Prime. I...don't know what's happened to Command personally. However, the officials on Earth do not understand what life is like here in the Elerran system. It's different here and rules that apply there can not always apply here. I'll approve your request admiral, but you do understand this is a Federation world and goes by Federation rules. No weapons, first and foremost. No military build up of any kind. Just a home...for you and your family. Are we in agreement sir?"

He waited for N'Tran to respond patiently. Ian looked into the man's old eyes, seeing bright experiance that he had not seen since his own father.

-DSG, Ops-

Jones motioned towards Ziona before the Starfleet Intelligence official could answer her query.

"This is lieutenant commander Andreas," He introduced, "Ma'am? This is Director Monroe...from Starfleet Intelligence. She is currently in command of the station, sir."

He moved away, allowing the two officers time to speak, but shot her a warning glance before leaving. It wasn't like he needed to. He was sure that Ziona knew better then to act foolish with SI nearby. Monroe watched Jones leave and then spoke to Ziona.

"Commander," He said in an emotionless tone, "I am looking for a woman named Sophia Findlay. Where is she?"

Sophia Findlay, the Sophia from this universe, has been an agent for Starfleet Intelligence before going into a coma at the hands of Daien Archer. Her condition was known to SI for some time, but with the news of her mirror counterpart being on the loose in this universe, they wished to investigate the matter, especially in light of the Merik situation.

+ 4 good detail, the post was wel written.

Lord Borg

[La Forge]

Deep Space Nine, Captain's Office

Melina, after being released from her chains by Oyet, watched the events unfold, helplessly, from the cold floor, her glazed eyes watching Oyet escape, out into the battlefield of the Operations Center, while Odo, the Changeling; leader of the Dominion and former Chief of Security on Deep Space Nine, so long ago, fought Oyet's Nautolian cronies, defeating the laser-sword armed Nautolians with ease. The Changeling was about to leave, after defeating the Nautolian to chase after the fleeing Oyet, when Odo noticed the wounded Bajoran woman on the floor. Odo had looked at her for a moment, with a funny look in his eyes, before he spoke.

"You're safe, now." Odo had stated, at length. "However...We should go..." the Changeling had added, with a brief glance back at the door to OPS, with the blood-curdling sounds of battle coming through the thick door.

Melina simply stared at Odo for a moment, with so many things rushing through her mind at once, she couldn't sort through it all. What was going on? With the sight of Odo, everything was beginning to make sense. The pieces of the puzzle were beginning to come together. The Dominion had come to fight the damned Cardassians. The Cardassian forces were no match for a Dominion fleet, with its countless Jem'Hadar bugfighters, powerful Jem'Hadar ground troups, and the most powerful enemy of all, the Changelings. It was over for the Cardassians and Fito's grip on the Bajoran and Cardassian sectors. Or so it seemed. A battle still raged on and this fight would have to be won before freedom would come to her and her people. Melina, for one, despite her physical condition, was not going to sit idly by while the Dominion fought the Cardassians. No, she would fight. She had a chance to see a free Bajor, once more. She wouldn't give up such an opportunity. She had a purpose, once more. She had a reason to live. She would see Bajor, again.

The wounded Bajoran Colonel heaved herself up on her feet, her body aching, as if her body was crying out at her, telling her to stay on the floor. After all, she had been brutally beaten by her Cardassian captors before being taken to Oyet. Still, that wasn't the first time she had to endure Cardassian punishment. She still had the marks on her back from the first time she had been captured by the Cardassians, so many years ago, during the time of the First Occupation of Bajor. She had been young, at the time. This was when Dukat was in charge. Different times, those were. There were no Fitos, then. A simpler time, it seemed. In any case, Melina simply shrugged of her minor wounds. She would recover. Adrenaline had already kicked in, pushing the pain of her body away, silencing the voice that was screaming at her, from within. Her body was numb, however, she could fight. She didn't care if she had lost her arms and her legs, she would fight. She would fight.

Now back on her feet, Melina stretched for a moment, to get the feeling back to her body. While she did this, she looked to the Dominion leader, with a twinkle in her eye. She had served on Deep Space Nine, before the Dominion War. She had been a security officer, in fact, a Private, fresh out of the Bajoran Military Academy. Personally, she had little contact with Odo in the time before the Dominion War. When the Dominion War rolled around, Melina, who had been promoted by this time, was off on mission for the Bajoran Militia. However, she had come into contact with Odo from time to time, during this time. She had been there for the Second Battle of Deep Space Nine, on that fateful day, the beginning of the Dominion War. By the end of the war, Odo had left for the Dominion and Melina had served as the Chief of Security for a time, before being transferred down to Bajor, on administrative duty.In any case, she didn't know Odo too well, however, she knew of his deeds. Odo was a legend, in his own right. Now, the Changeling was living up to tha title. How he could have managed to persuade the Dominion to help the Bajorans was beyond her. However, Odo had done it and that was all that mattered.

On this subject, Melina was reminded of something that had nagged at her mind ever since the outbreak of the Nautolian War. Only hours prior to the attack on Deep Space Nine, at the start of the Nautolian War, Melina had set off towards Deep Space Guardian, to serve as the Federation space station's liason officer. The Bajoran Provisional Government was intrigued by the events unfolding on the station on the outskirts of the Quadrant and had sent her to serve as liason officer and, if one so chose to call it, a spy. However, her shuttle had been attacked by the Nautolians, stranding her in space. Meanwhile, Deep Space Nine had been attacked. Melina had always wondered what had happened to one of her closest friends, the Commander of the station, Colonel Kira Nerys, a friend of many years. Perhaps she had a hand in all of this. Nerys was a resilient and resourceful woman. She had to have survived the attack. She simply had to of.

Melina eventually snapped out of her trance, of nostalgic memories, as the station shook from a violent blast from a phaser barrage, in the space battle, raging outside the station. She snapped to her senses and looked to the impatient Changeling.

"Alright...Constable." Melina said, at length, affectionately calling the Changeling by the name that Odo had come to have been known as, while he had served as the Chief of Security on DS9. "And...Thank you." Melina added, with a faint smile, thanking the Changeling for saving her from Oyet.

Oyet...Melina had almost completely forgotten about the Cardassian bastard, in the excitement of the events. She would deal with Oyet when the time came. For now, a battle had to be fought and she sure as hell would fight. On that subject, Melina looked to the body of the dead Nautolian and noticed a phaser holstered at his side. She pulled out the Nautolian phaser, brandishing it in her bruised hands for a moment, to get a feel for the weapon, before she holstered it, at her side.

"After all of this is over, I think that you and I need to have a little chat." Melina suggested to the Changeling, politely, before she looked to the door. "Alright. Lead the way." Melina stated, simply. She couldn't wait to get into the fight...and kill that bastard, Oyet.

+ 9 Dilithium. Excellant post, good detail.

Founder

[Spellbinder Marik]

(Old Man? That�s a Little Harsh, he�s only 75, Middle aged for a Romulan. He�s not retiring either.)

-Elerra Prime, Federation Colony-

N�Tran accepted the PADD back.
�I really am not the settling down type Commander but when I am away on business or other tasks that take me away from home it would be nice to have a place for my family to wait for me.� N�Tran tucked the PADD into his uniform.
N�Tran understood the rules. No military buildup and by no weapons he assumed that Xavier meant large scale weapons such as torpedoes and disruptor banks. Telling a man he couldn�t keep a gun in his house for self defense or hunting wasn�t very logical. N�Tran locked eyes with Xavier. It was though Xavier saw or expected to see something that he hadn�t seen for years.
�Agreed.� N�Tran didn�t really have a choice. With the station floating overhead in orbit they�d probably be �checking up� on him quite frequently.
�Thank you Commander.� N�Tran pulled his communicator from his belt.
�Ditex to Salara.� The communicator beeped.
�Go ahead sir.� N�Tran took one last look at Xavier, nodded and spoke.
�One to transport.� N�Tran vanished.

[Founder]

(To Ian, he's an old fart. I know he's not retiring...perse, but Ian doesn't know that...exactly...)

-Garak's Shuttle, Cockpit-

Quark stifled an angry retort to Kira and simply sat down, folding his arms in protest. He wondered if his bar was ruined and if so, would his brother allow him a position on Ferenginar. Nog stood next to his uncle, Quark, and watched what the others were discussing. Dr. Bashir appeared from the aft section and always the doctor, requested to go to the infirmary and assist the wounded. Nog wondered what wounded he was talking about. Jem'Hadar wouldn't want his assistance, nor would the Cardassians or Nautolians. He assumed Bashir was simply used to the station being full of Human and Bajoran officer. Chief O'Brien eagerly awaited a chance to return to Earth. While he wanted to stay and help Bajor, he missed his family dearly and hadn't seen them for a year. He hadn't expected to have to hide in the Gamma quadrant for so long. Ezri Dax, the chief counselor of the station, had also been with the group as they fled. She was no doubt still in the aft section of the shuttle, patiently awaiting a chance to disembark. Most of them were tired and wanted to simply go home.

"As you wish." Garak said politelly.

He turned around in his seat and sent a message to Weyoun's starship, requesting forces be diverted to Bajor. Garak couldn't help but find the situation...amusing and ironic. Once more, his people, or some of them at least, had opted to serve another galactic power in a bid for self recognition. He was pleased to hear reports from Odo that most of Cardassia had risen up against Oyet and Fito. It seemed they had learned their lesson with the Dominion, who ironically, was now attempting to liberate them. As Sisko once told Kira, these are...interesting times.

"We should send a message to Earth." O'Briend chimed in.

Once more, the others looked to Kira for affirmation.

-DS9, Captain's Office-

As soon as Melina spoke, Odo recognized her as a former security officer under his command years ago. Physically, she didn't look the same due to the bruising and dried blood. He hadn't checked to see who she was when she was captured. Had he known it was his old friend, he would have jeapordized his cover to save her. However, she had been an excellant officer under his command and he was glad to see she was alive.

"Agreed." He said smiling, before turning to the door.

He stepped out into Ops and immediatly regretted it...

-DS9, Ops-

Oyet had fled in a turbolift, but left behind nearly a dozen Nautolian and Cardassian officers to deal with Odo. The Changeling hoped that Melina would flee or at the least, remembered how to fight. They would need it due to being out numbered...

-Elerra Prime, Federation Colony-

Just like that, N'Tran dissapeared in a transporter beam to a ship somewhere in space.

"Talkative fellow." Ian joked.

One of the Jol Jol approached Ian and sniffed him. He patted it's head softly.

"No food here..." He said.

Ian looked up into the sky, searching for DSG. It was time that he stopped playing around on the planet and go back up. He scooped up his combadge which has been sitting on the railing of the bridge and tapped it.

"Xavier to DSG," He said into it, "One to beam up."

He dissapeared in a bright bath of blue light, leaving the Jol Jol to grunt in surprise and gallop away...

+6 time and effort with wonderful details.

Lord Borg

[La Forge]

Garak's Shuttle, Cockpit

"We should send a message to Earth." Miles Edward O'Brien, the former Chief of Operations aboard Deep Space Nine, before heading to Earth, to serve as the Professor of Engineering at Starfleet Academy. Kira, who stood beside Garak, with her arms folded across her chest, looking out at the viewscreen as the battle between the Dominion and Cardassian forces unfolded, simply nodded, in agreement, before she turned to look at her old friend. The two were close. After all, Kira had birthed Miles' child, Kirayoshi O'Brien or, as the boy was affectionately called by his parents, Yoshi.

"Of course. I'm sure Starfleet would like to know what's going on." Kira responded, with a curt nod, in O'Brien's direction. The Irish man nodded in reply, before he sat down at a nearby console in the cramped cockpit of the Cardassian shuttle and started work on sending a message to Earth regarding the Dominion invasion. The turning point of the Nautolian War was soon at hand.

Deep Space Nine, OPS

When Odo and Melina exited OPS, the two were greeted with the faces of nearly a dozen angry Nautolian and Cardassian officers, left to deal with Odo. However, Melina was unphased by the sight of the enemy officers before her. She was looking forward to giving those bastards "just desserts". Not to mention the fact she was glad to be out of those damned chains, too. The skin on her wrists were severly chafed, because of those chains. However, she couldn't feel a thing. The adrenaline was pumping through her veins, furiously, pushing out any feeling of pain from her body. In any case, if she survived this ordeal, she would surely be feeling some pain the next morning.

The Bajoran Colonel sprung into action, quickly pulling her Nautolian phaser from her holster and firing two quick shots at the nearest Cardassian officer, who fell to the floor, dead, with two phaser burns through his forehead. Melina was an excellent shot. After all, she had years of practice, in the Resistance and the Bajoran Militia. As the first Cardassian officer lay dead on the floor, smoke rising from his phaser burns, Melina quickly dashed forward, hiding behind a nearby console, for cover, as some Cardassians opened fire on her and Odo. Odo, a master Changeling, had artfully dodged the phaser shots and took on an incoming pair of Nautolians, leaving Melina to deal with the Cardassians.

From her vantage point, behind the computer console, Melina waited for the Cardassians to pause in their phaser barrage, before she spun about and peeked her head around the console, to open fire on the two Cardassian officers, shooting the first one, dead, while severely wounding the other, with a phaser blast to the leg. The wounded Cardassian fell to the floor and stumbled down into the pit, in the center of OPS, but, not before he fired off a shot in Melina's direction, grazing her shoulder. The Bajoran woman grimaced in pain, however, the feeling of the pain quickly faded. The adrenaline was in high gear, now. She was in the heat of one of the biggest battles in the Nautolian War, now.

+ 7 Dilithium. Good post.

Founder

[Arellia]

Starfleet Medical, Aia�s Office

With an unhappy-yet-firm determination, Aia stabbed away at the proposal she was working on. All her concentration, her regret and anger and pent-up energy was raining down upon her PADD in the form of ten slender fingers. She cringed, growling as she brought all her thoughts to a conclusion, and tossed the PADD back on the desk, glaring at her partner who sat opposite her. Kayal Aylin, who had become a close and trusted friend over these weeks, was making a sincere effort not to appear stricken. Hesitantly, Aylin plucked the PADD off the desk and skimmed it.

�It�s not that long.� Aylin commented boldly.

Aia very slowly, very methodically raised an eyebrow. �Do you have any idea how many drafts I�ve gone through, Aylin?�

Aylin shrugged, leaning back in her chair and primly replacing the proposal on the desk. �Nanotechnology frightens everyone around here. I�m sure it took a lot of work to find the right words.�

Aia smiled. Aylin wasn�t like her. Where Aia would easily categorize herself as aggressive, Aylin was a special breed of passive-aggressive. Calculated, and with a little more tact, Aylin could quietly weave through Aia�s badass personality with grace. That�s why they got along so well.

That was also one of very few reasons Aia was staying on with this project.

�Very good, Aylin. So yes. It�s short, but it�s going to work.�

�Oh, I�m sure it will.� The Cardassian-Bajoran woman smoothed her uniform, sighing a little. �You�re one of very few people I think could really make this work. But proposing that we begin tests is one thing. Getting through all the red tape it�ll take to put our work to good use��

�It�ll come.� Aia said softly, solemnly. �The way this war is going, people are going to be begging for what we�re offering. The kind of reconstruction we could do would be a thousand times what terraforming accomplishes.�

�You�re right, of course.� Aylin slipped the PADD into the bag slung over her shoulder, and paced the length of the room. Aia�s office overlooked a grassy patch shaded by trees, a conservatively-sized window revealed from the corner of the room. Aia had taken to redecorating the office quickly after she received it, the shelves filled with various fantasy novels and medical reference book. A framed copy of Richard Feinman from the Caltech speech that resonated with both her and Aylin adorned the wall, along with a few paintings in abstract and surreal taste. One thing she didn�t miss about the station was how rigidly sterile she had to keep her office.

�What is it?� Aia asked softly, standing to stretch.

�I�m concerned,� Aylin said quickly, �I�ve asked you several times to come with me in the evenings. Get away from work, from��

�You�re not a psychiatrist, Dr. Kayal. I�ve checked out your degrees.�

�And you�re good at hiding from the world.� Aylin shot back, �I know about your dreams, you�ve told me. I know you spent all that time with the Nautolians, and I know it�s killing you to be stuck here away from your station.�

�I may never go back.�

Aylin spun, clenching her fists. �What do you mean, you might not go back? You can�t tell me you don�t want to go home. And I know it�s home to you.�

�There�s too much there. I have...� Aia caught herself. Not even Aylin could know about Section 31 and what Aia had to do with it� or what Aia planned to do with it. �I have too many memories there. Of Fito. Of everything.�

Aylin paused, and shook her head with a huff. �That�s your choice, of course.� She shrugged, �I�m going to present this to Admiral Chen in the morning. Are you going to come along?�

�Yes,� Aia groaned.

�Alright, then, you�re coming with me to dinner.�

�I didn�t say��

�You agreed to one, you agree to the other.� Aylin insisted, �We�re going into the valley. There�s a decent resteraunt there you�re going to try, and trust me, you�ll like it.�

Aia conceded, following Aylin out of the office. As she turned to look back, her gaze lingered upon the picture of Dr. Feinman. Leaving her practice and everything else behind would be worth it� it was what she would do when it was over and she was left with nothing that worried her.

+ 8 Dilithium. Really good post. Nice nod to her leaving DSG and personal feeling.

Founder

[Ziona]

DSG, OPS

Ziona nodded quickly to Director Monroe.

"Sophia Findlay is currently incapacitated and being housed in the main hospital, Director Monroe." Ziona answered quickly watching the man carefully. A frown rippled across Ziona's face. "I'm afraid she currently isn't of much use to you, sir."

[ILoveHarry]

-Elerra Prime, Governor's Estate-

Sofie arrives finally at he home of her new friend, Ahamed Al-Firdos, Governor of Elerra Prime. Though she raises a few eyebrows when she enters all filthy and torn, she is recognized and permitted entry into the mansion. Without stopping to check in with her friend, she heads straight to the temporary nursery to find her son.

"Mommy," Demetrius squeals when he sees her. He streatches his arms up to her.

She swings him into her arms and embraces him as if it had been days since she had last seen him. "Hi, Sweetie. Mommy missed you. Did you have fun with Zoe?"

The child nods and nuzzles his head into her shoulder.

"How was he," Sofie asks turning to the nanny.

Zoe smiles and replies, "A delight." She sizes up Sofie's clothing. "Uh... how was the party...?"

Sofie laughs at her appearence. "That's... a long story."

Zoe nods her understanding. "You look like you could use a shower. Why don't you go and I'll get Demetrius ready for bed and put him down in your room."

"You're a dream," Sofie responds. She kisses Demetrius and passes his off to Zoe before retreating for a shower.

-Elerra Prime, Governer's Estate, Sofie's Room-

Sofie returns to her room feeling refreshed. She hadn't had the heart to dispose of the ruined dress. It was the only beautiful gown she had ever owned, and it's value to her goes far beyoond surface. She sees Demetrius fast asleep in his bed. She leans over to kiss him goodnight. She then crosses to a comfortable looking chair where she curls up with a cup of tea to reflect on the day's events.

+ 5 Dilithium. Good post.

Founder

[Founder]

-DSG, Ops-

The enigmatic officer arched an eyebrow and nodded his head after seconds of silence.

"I'm well aware of her status," He said, "However, I was not speaking of that Sophia Findlay. Based off of commander Xavier's reports to Starfleet Command, we're aware that a Sophia Findlay from a parallel universe exists here, in this universe. Where is she?"

He stared at Ziona in a no-nonsense way, as if he was testing to see if she lying and not in the mood for any small talk.

-Elerra Prime, Governor's Mansion-

A figure approached the doors to Sofie's lavish bed room. He pressed on the chime and awaited a response.

-DS9, Ops-

Odo had killed one of the Nautolians, but the other four were quick and careful. One had used his mental abilities and caused Odo to fly across the room. While in mid-air, Odo morphed into an alien bird and flew towards the ceiling. The Nautolians and Cardassians attempted to shoot him, thus giving Melina a chance to fire on them...

[Ziona]

DSG, OPS

Ziona arched her eyebrow in almost a mirrored way to the man standing before her. She remained silent a few moments and continued to watch the man. She didn't like him one bit.

"To be honest, sir, I do not know the location of the other Sophia Findlay that you speak of." She crossed her arms on her chest and drew herself up to her full height. "If I did know her location, I assure you, you would know. But my concentration lately has been repairing the fleet and the station."

With a quick shift in her weight, Ziona squared off her shoulders and stood facing the man, a rather imposing glare placed on her face. He didn't want any nonsense and Ziona felt the same way. She didn't have time for prying SI.

[La Forge]

Deep Space Nine, OPS

After Melina had dispatched the two Cardassians firing upon her, across OPS, the Bajoran Colonel took a quick breather, from behind her hiding place, one of the many computer consoles in the Operations Center of Terok Nor or, as it would soon be called, again, Deep Space Nine, after the intense battle in the massive room.

From her hiding place behind the computer console, she could see Odo, the Changeling, taking on the Nautolians, on the other side of the room. While Odo was most certainly powerful, four Nautolians was quite a challenge, even for a Changeling. In fact, Melina had seen one of the Nautolians attempt to throw Odo across the room with its Nautolian mental abilities. However, Odo, using his own abilities, transformed into an alien bird and flew off up towards the ceiling, while the Nautolians prepared to fire upon the transformed Changeling.

Melina took this opportunity, while the Nautolians were distracted firing upon the bird Odo, to open fire on the distracted Nautolians. The Bajoran Colonel peered over the computer console and fired a barrage of phaser blasts from the Nautolian phaser. After she had finished firing, smoke was rising from the barrel of the phaser pistol, with four dead Nautolians lying on the other side of the room. Even their mental abilities couldn't save them from Melina's accuracy.

Now, the room looked secure. However, OPS was now a graveyard, littered with the dead bodies of Nautolian and Cardassian officers. The smell of charred flesh was unbearable. Nautolian phasers were powerful weapons, indeed. The Bajoran woman looked up to the Changeling, still in bird form, up around the ceiling of the vast room, and nodded, signaling to him that it was safe to come down. Melina, herself, came out of her hiding place, only to be attacked by a Cardassian soldier, who was lying on the ground, half-dead. The officer weakly grabbed at her ankle, trying to pull her down. Melina simply aimed the phaser at his head and pulled the trigger, putting the Cardie out of his misery.

+ 5 Dilithium. Good detail as always.

Founder

[Founder]

-DSG, Ops-

Director Monroe stared at Ziona, internally fuming, but externally showing a calm and collected figure.

"Commander," He replied in a sinister tone, "I warn you, you're playing with forces above your rank. I want that woman found...and soon. The priorities of the fleet and station come second to that. Do you understand me?"

Some of the officers nearby stole a glance at the altercation, but were sure to avoid it. They were not about to get in the middle of their discussion. Monroe stared Ziona down, not impressed with what he believed to be just another face in Starfleet.

-DS9, Ops-

While flying, Odo morphed back into his humanoid shape and stood over the dead bodies in Ops. Just as he had remembered, Melina was a fantastic shot.

"Good work captain." He said, calling her by her old, Bajoran Militia rank, just as she had called him by his old moniker of constable.

In the Bajoran ranks, captain was essentially a lieutenant commander. He gripped a console as the station shook again.

"We need to deactivate the shields to allow the Jem'Hadar to beam over," He told her, "I lived amongst the Nautolians for a while, while pretending to be Din Fomeh. Trust me, the Jem'Hadar are a match for them."

He approached a console and tapped away, trying to remember the controls. Odo had forgotten completely about Oyet who was attempting to escape...

[ILoveHarry]

-Elerra Prime, Governor's Mansion, Sofie's room-

The chime startles Sofie. She assumes Al-Firdos has come to visit her, so she stands to check that she is presentable. Her blond hair is still down, softly framing her shoulders. She pulls her femanine robe closed over the matching pajamas. Satisfied, she calls out, "Enter."

[Ziona]

DSG, OPS

Ziona managed a smile that could peel paint off a wall. It must have been the most sweet, sappy smile she had ever forced onto her face. For a second, Ziona felt her insides churning with disgust.

"Of course, sir. I'll double my search for this woman. I assure you that she shall be found. Now... If you please. I have work to do."

With that, Ziona turned sharply and abruptly, marching past the man towards Jones. She leaned towards the cyborg, keeping her voice low.

"Just give it a good go and make it look like you're trying." She half-rolled her eyes and tried to show her appreciation to him.

+ 2 Dilithium. Nice post with Z, I love the attitude.

Founder

[Founder]

-DSG, Ops-

Jones nodded and shared a look of understand with Ziona. Everyone in Starfleet knew that SI were pushy, arrogant, and sneaky individuals. Hell, even the marines knew that much. Jones worked to scan for Sophie on the station, wondering why this individual was searching for a civilian. Judging by his harsh tone towards Ziona, this was extremely important that she be found. Jones heard the turbolift doors open and saw Ian walk into Ops, dressed in civilian clothing. He passed the Director as he approached Ziona. Director Monroe, not saying a word to him, stepped into the turbolift and left.

"Report commander." Ian ordered Ziona, oblivious to what happened with SI.

-Elerra Prime, Governor's Mansion-

The doors slid open to reveal one of the aides of the governor. She was an elderly woman of Medeterranian descent.

"I beg your pardon madam," She said, "But governor Al-Firdos wanted to give you this message."

She gently placed a PADD next to the desk Sofie was near and then walked away, leaving her to read it in private.

[Ziona]

DSG, OPS

Ziona turned to look at Ian, watched the SI slip out of the door, and then turned back to look at Ian.

"We've got SIs." Ziona spoke up quickly. "A big one!" She spoke sarcastically, going over to talk with Ian. "They're looking for Sophie."

With a look at Ian, she waited to hear what he had to say. If she knew anything, it probably wasn't a good idea to let the SI know exactly where Sophie was at this point in time.