Deep Space Guardian: Season II-Episode 40

[Spellbinder Marik]

-IRW Salara, Corridor-

Trip was healed once again but also subject to the rules and regulations of the Romulan medical corps. Trip wondered along the corridor. He was a warrior; a hunter. His place was where the fight was. He didn�t know that they were headed to a fight right now. A fight that Trip hoped he would get to join in on.

-IRW Salara, Bridge-

N�Tran continued to stand motionless. He observed the crew around him. He could see that they had their own opinions. He could see that some shared his opinions. Some thought he was crazy to keep helping the humans. Some were neutral and continued their service to the empire by serving the Salara to the best of their abilities.

-U.s.s. Guardian, Port Nacelle-

Kiris pondered the possibilities. What could they lose that wouldn�t be irreplaceable? Kiris tapped his combadge again.
�We could pull life support from the crew quarters and all vacant areas. Do you believe that would be enough power?�

-IRW Sparverius, Bridge-
T�Rell tilted his head toward Tokal.
�Admiral Donatra told me that Sela was going to assist us and that we needed to give her more time. I don�t know anything other than that.� T�Rell wished he did know more. Then he�d know why he found himself sitting here on an apparent suicide battle.

+ 3 Dilithium. Good post.

Founder

[Arellia]

Starfleet Medical, Aia's Closet

This is an impossible fight.

The jacket, gray with the blue-green shoulders, dropped to the floor with a soft huff. It coiled limply, useless.

I can't do this if I fear. There can be no fear.

The tanktop joined the jacket and was kicked into a corner. The commbadge still shined from beneath the folds of cloth.

I may lose everything. Again. But... why should I fear what I have already experienced?

Boots landed with a clunk, bouncing off the wall of the small, enclosed space. A pair of pants dropped onto the other clothes, and the commbadge disappeared.

What I most hated is what I must use. And it will be their saving grace... and my end.

Like a mysterious shroud, the shock-white dress fell from its hanger, the silk encasing cool, pale skin, covering it in what appeared to be purity. Then the guaze, the black, slid over a pair of delicate shoulders, covering the dress in a haze of darkness, of evil, the symbol of who she had been, and who she had to be again.

Carefully, carefully, she tugged a box from the top shelf, standing on tip-toes to reach it. The box was metal, gray, unimpressive. Inside was a sword of light. A sword of death.

Aiasjia Shoran slid an accompanying belt over her hip and hooked the saber to it, concealed by the folds of the black monstrocity. She licked her lips and looked in the mirror at the sharp figure of a very, very dangerous woman. Her communicator chirped in protest when she accidently stepped on it. Slowly, she knelt and picked it up, examined how it reflected the light.

And tossed it, full force against the wall.

Agent, she thought, her message transmitted to the mind of her associate, to the more experience Mr. Robitaille. Come find me. NOW.

+ 6 Dilithium. Nice post.

Founder

[Founder]

-USS Saracen, Bridge-

While the battle continued to rage around Earth, more and more Federation starships were racing towards Earth. Sadly, only the Detroit and the Enterprise-E had arrived in time. The majority of the Federation ships were either too far or part of Operation Methane, which was now completed. However, there fate is unknown for the most part at this point. Another ship finally dropped out of warp and for once...it was not Nautolian in origin. No, it was the USS Scaracen, a Galaxy class starship that was tasked with patrolling the Federation-Klingon border. It moved towards Earth at high impulse in an effort to join the battle.



Captain Bran McCallahan, an Irishman, stared out the viewscreen and watched in horror as his planet was being flooded with Nautolian transporters, Koinian vessels, and Hydran fighters. He noticed a Federation transport being defended by another Galaxy class starship, the Detroit. The Federation flagship, the Enterprise and a Klingon vessel were fighting off any incoming ships. A large Nautolian fleet sat back, watching the battle and waiting...for something. Bran turned his head to look at his chief tactical officer, Udo Besuz.

"I want shields online and weapons ready." He ordered.

-Earth, Hidden Location-

Terrance Goddard, President to the entire Federation of Planets, leaned over a large console that depicted the grave situation on Earth. Fifty Nautolian dropships, all carrying battle hardened soldiers of the Nautolian Empire, were touching down on the planet. His eyes watched the red blips on the console with dispair as they began to unload troops. To make matters worse, the USS Aichi had been reported as fallen.

"There it is!" Janeway said, pointing to the console.

Admiral Smith, also the chief of staff, followed her finger to what she was pointing to. There was a symbol that stood for Starfleet on the console. It depicted the crashed Aichi and it's location. He tapped on the console and to his surprise, the ship was relatively intact.

"I don't believe it," He said, "He managed to land the vessel...it's intact for the most part."

Admiral Russ, an agent in the secret organization of S31, stared down at the console. He was not surprised that Andreas had found a way to survive. The man smirked at the thought that this was the second marine flagship that Andreas had lost. Although, it obviously wasn't out of choice either time. Goddard, standing between Janeway and Russ, turned to face the former commanding officer of the USS Voyager.



"Shall we dispatch officers to rescue him?" He asked.

Smith replied before Janeway could answer Goddard. The man was brash as usual and uncaring of who he offended.

"Absolutely not," He said, "There are marines that can handle that."

Janeway frowned at Smith's comment, feeling that leaving Andreas behind was rather cold. She knew it had to do with his jealousy more then anything. Smith relished the power he had and would do anything to hold onto it. Why Goddard had given him such a high position with Starfleet was beyond her.

"Mr. Andreas has proven to be highly affective when it came to strategy and tactics," She retorted, "Saving him should be paramount. Can we perhaps beam him out of the wreckage?"

Smith shook his head, "No, we can't. Transport inhibitors have been activated all over the planet to prevent the Nautolians from simply beaming shock troops down. Unfortunately, we're unable to beam our own forces as well."

Janeway looked helpless and cast a look towards Russ, who she knew disliked Smith.

"Admiral Russ," She said, "Surely we can do something for the man?"

All eyes was cast towards Russ before he finally responded by shaking his head in disagreement and shocking both Smith and Janeway.

"As much as I hate agreeing with Admiral Smith on matters," He said in a bitter tone, "We have to defend President Goddard. That's all that matters now. No doubt one of Fito's lackeys would love to get a hold of the leader of the entire UFP."

His concern was genuinly for the President, but more from a S31 point of view then out of loyalty. He didn't want the Nautolians to get the Federation President and hold him ransom or simply execute him. Janeway and Goddard cast a sad glance back towards the battle ensuing both in space and on Earth...

-USS Detroit, Bridge-

Tanos Xuse, chief medical officer of the Detroit, rushed onto the bridge as ordered. He noticed the dead body and immediately knew that was why he called her. He gripped the railing as he descdended downwards on the bridge and the ship shook from another hit.

"What the hell is going on, Captain!?" Tanos shouted over the explosion.

While he waited for a respone, he knelt down and scanned the dead body, seeing if there was anything he could do. Tanos shut his medical tricorder shut in confirmation that the officer was in fact...dead.

-Earth, Marine HQ-

"Oh my God. Are... are you sure?" She glanced from the reporting officer to Pierce and back to the reporting officer.

The right hand man to Field Marshall Andreas could only nod his head in affirmation.

"Yes ma'am," He said, "We'll dispatch officers to do a rescue mission."

Another officer checked his console and looked back towards Neisha and Pierce in surprise.

"Nautolian troops are attempting to enter the building!" He shouted.

The Marine HQ, while heavily armed and defended, was not hidden. It served as a training ground like Starfleet Academy. Pierce knew the Nautolians would eventually attack the building.

"Then let's give 'em hell." He said fiercly.

With that, he rushed off to grab a phaser rifle...

-Romulus, Internment Camp-

Spock nodded his head to the Founder's question, but he did not have a chance to confirm it vocally. As soon as he stepped outside, a Reman appeared, armed, and batted Spock in the face with the butt of the weapon. The Vulcan groaned mildly and fell down to the dirt floor. Before the powerful Founder could react, he was fired upon by another Reman. Unfortunately for them, the setting was very low and did not really harm the Founder except for forcing it back into a mix of Humanoid and gelatinous state.



Spock looked up to see the Founder retaliate against their attackers...

-IRW Sparverius, Bridge-

Tokal did not like this "plan", but he wasn't going to argue. Sela was Tal Shiar and going against them meant death. He simply nodded his head and waited for something to happen. The Valdore class starship turned about and continued the assault against the Nautolians.

"I hope she contacts us soon," Tokal warned, "Because we will not be able to attempt this attack again."

-USS Guardian, Starboard Nacelle-

�We could pull life support from the crew quarters and all vacant areas. Do you believe that would be enough power?� Kiris suggested.

Bengali thought about his idea and realized that Kiris struck something. His idea could work and get them to Earth in less then an hour.

"Yes sir," He said, "That'll work."

He tapped his combadge again, "Bengali to Taylor, deactivate life support from all empty crew quarters and any empty room, then seal the deck. Divert all the remaining power to the engines."

-IKS Fek'lhr, Bridge-

Dead officers littered the bridge of the Fek'lhr at this point. Kopok, still at tactical, attempted to fight off any more incoming ships. The Scott had continued to deploy the weapons platforms and was nearly done. They had to be activated simultaneously, sadly.

"(General,) Kopok called out, (Another Federation vessel has dropped out of warp....it's the Scaracen.)"

The Klingons would probably recognize this vessel as it was one of the Federation ships to patroll between Klingon and Federation space...

[Ziona]

Earth, Marine HQ

Neisha stood still, watching as Pierce rushed off to grab weaponry to defend the Headquarters. She saw the same look in his eyes that she had seen countless times in the eyes of her husband. Pierce was a good man. He defended the Marines well and, no doubt, would succeed. Neisha wrung her hands together tightly, stress rising quickly from the depths of her mind. This was the ultimate worst case scenario it seemed and Neisha felt helpless.

She was retired, for one. And even if she asked to help fight the battle, more than likely Pierce wouldn't allow it. She could, however, maybe help from Headquarters. She had had over twenty years of experience in the tactical division for the Marines and had risen in rank almost as quickly as her husband. If there was anything she could do, Neisha was going to do it.

One look over her shoulder showed her the various Marine officers rushing around trying to get the job done. A look in the other direction showed on a viewscreen the smoldering wreckage that had been her husband's flagship. There was no movement around the ship and Neisha feared the worst. If she prepared for the worst than better results would be a blessing.

"Let's see what we can do for our ground troops." Neisha finally spoke out, moving towards another console where another officer stood. She locked her mind into battle mode and began looking at the defense patterns they had laid down.

Earth, South American Jungles

Andreas was somewhat aware, in the back of his mind, that something terrible had happened. He remembered that the Aichi had gone down. He remembered that hundreds of officers probably laid dead around him now. A throbbing began to take over his body and he tried to open his eyes but his body wouldn't cooperate. He tried to move any extremity on his frame but nothing seemed to work. He felt weight pushing down on his chest, crushing his lungs. With a quick breath, Andreas steadied himself, letting parts of his mind shut down in order to conserve energy. He knew the survival skills he had learned in the Marine training camps and he was going to put them to use.

Somewhere nearby, he heard groans from dying or injured officers. He heard something walking around as well and, with a start, Andreas suddenly feared that it was possibly a Nautolian troop, rummaging through the ships computers and tormenting any living officer. With that, Andreas suddenly realized that it might come down to him having to destroy the Aichi for good. He couldn't let the information in that ship fall into Nautolian hands. For that matter, he couldn't let himself fall into the hands of the Nautolians. If he survived his injuries and was captured, Andreas knew about five different ways to ensure death so that he wasn't taken into Nautolian custody.

Hopefully it won't come to that. Andreas thought to himself as he lay there, still as death, trying to waken his conscious enough to move.

Nearby, he heard something rummaging through debris and he suddenly heard voices: human voices. He heard a cry of alarm and then somewhere in the muffled sound he heard his name being spoken over and over, in a high-pitched surprised but concerned tone.

The weight on his chest was suddenly removed and he felt hands at his sides, pressing down heavily on areas of his body that he assumed were injured. Andreas tried to move now, aware that Marine medics had found him, but his body still wouldn't cooperate. To the medics, he suddenly spasmed and the medic spoke quickly.

"Field Marshal, just relax. Don't move. Your injuries are extensive." The medic's brow wrinkled in concern and he passed a tricorder over the Field Marshal's body. A frown deepened the worried wrinkles crossing the man's face. "Broken bones, internal trauma, things are torn... it's like a battlefield in there." The medic mused over this. "We need to get him medical attention, anywhere. Can someone send out another SOS signal? We need to get him out of here, quickly! Before Nautolian's come after us!"

Andreas groaned again, trying to move but once again he managed to only twitch semi-violently and the medic turned his attention back to the Field Marshal. He took the twitching for a sign of shock and quickly pulled out one of the few hyposprays he had left. Touching it gently to the Field Marshal's neck, the medic tried to reassure the fallen man before him.

"Things are going to be ok, Field Marshal. We're trying to get you out of here. I promise you... you'll make it..."

Thank you. Andreas thought in the back of his mind. He didn't know this young officer, he didn't know his name or his rank. But he suddenly felt indebted to the young man's courage and ability.

At that moment, he suddenly realized, more than at any other moment, that this battle wasn't just a battle for Starfleet and the Marines. It was a battle for everyone on Earth, civilians and officers a like. A sudden sadness rolled over Andreas' mind before the heaviness of induced sleep suddenly blocked out his mind of all thoughts and concerns.

The last thing that Andreas' thought of was the location and condition of his family...

USS Guardian, Bridge

Aboard the bridge of the Guardian, still speeding towards Earth, Ziona suddenly felt something sinking in her stomach. She felt suddenly as if a weight had been dropped into her mind and it had traveled straight through from her brain to the depths of her stomach. She suddenly sat down heavily, putting a hand to her heart as the depths of the feeling took hold of her body.

Her eyes lowered dejectedly towards her console and she sat in silence. By no means did she understand what had happened, she didn't have the sixth sense to know exactly what sort of peril her mother and father were in, but she suddenly got the feeling that family members do. It was that suddenly tensing in the mother's body when the phone rings suddenly in the middle of the night, bringing news that her son died in a car crash. It's the sudden darkness that falls over the wife's mind when a military police officer comes to her home, bearing a letter lamenting over the death of her husband. It was a humbling fear, darkness, loneliness that told Ziona that something wasn't right.

With a slow turn, Ziona glanced around the bridge, at the officers who were standing nervously, waiting to see what sort of battle lay before them once they reached Earth. With a slow turn, Ziona glanced at Ian as he surveyed his bridge. And suddenly Ziona understood the exact revelation that her father had as he slipped into a dark unconscious. This was a battle for everyone... for Starfleet, for the Marines, for any alien species within the Federation, for civilians, for officers, for children and adults, for the old and the young, the living and the dead.

"I get it now." Ziona whispered to herself. "I get what this battle is testing. It's testing us all."

+ 10 Dilithium. Really good post.

Founder

[La Forge]

Romulus, Internment Camp

As Ambassador Spock was beaten to the ground by a Reman, a second Reman appeared out of the shadows with a phaser and fired upon the Founder. Luckily for the Founder, the phaser was on a low setting and the blast only forced the Changeling to revert into a combination of a gelatinous and humanoid state, a disturbing-looking form, indeed.

The Founder paid no mind to the attack, as it morphed back into its Odo-state, with relative ease. It was as if nothing had happened at all. The Remans watched on in horror, too fear-stricken to do anything, as the Changeling stretched out its two arms and roughly grabbed ahold of the two Remans, by the scruff of their necks. The armed Reman's phaser fell to the floor with a dull clank and disappeared into the darkness. Now, the Founder held both of the worthless Remans in the air, their feet dangling below them, helplessly. Without a second thought, the Founder rammed the two Remans into one another, smashing them into each other. A sickening crack was heard as the bodies in the Remans fragile bodies broke apart, due to the brute strength the Changeling held. The Founder dropped the two limp and lifeless Reman bodies to the floor, with a deafening thud. One of the Remans bodies twitched for a moment, however, all movement ceased within a few seconds. After all, what was one Reman to a Changeling, who could eliminate a well-trained Nautolian soldier, with ease?

After the two Remans had been taken care of, the Founder looked around for the Vulcan, Spock, who had been attacked by one of the Remans, only moments ago. The Founder found the Vulcan lying on the ground with a nasty gash on his forehead. The Changeling outstretched a hand and helped the wounded man back to his feet. Once Spock was on his own two legs again, the Founder spoke.

"I suggest we move quickly." the Founder suggested, calmly, as if nothing had happened.

U.S.S. Detroit, Bridge

Captain Cipriani watched as her chief medical officer, Doctor Tanos Xuse, a joined Trill, arrived on the bustling bridge of the Detroit, with a medical kit in hand and everything. She watched as the Trill doctor examined the limp body of the officer who had been in the way as computer console exploded, only moments earlier. As Doctor Xuse examined the officer, whom was obviously dead, the Trill doctor looked up at the Italian captain, at the same second another phaser blast had impacted with the Galaxy-class vessel.

"What the hell is going on, Captain!?" Tanos had shouted, over the explosion, as the bridge shook.

"The Nautolians are invading Earth, Doctor. We're fighting the bastards now." Lucia explained, calmly, as she regained her composure, after the previous blast which had shook the bridge and nearly sent the woman off of her seat. She neglected to mention how the battle was faring, as to not worry the Trill doctor. No undue stress was needed, not in the heat of battle, especially not one as critical as this. She paused a moment, as she pushed a loose thread of hair out of her eyes, before she looked to her chief medical officer and spoke, again. "I would like for you to remain on the bridge. If my instincts are right, that man there won't be the only casualty here today." Lucia spoke, grimly, with a solemn look on her ascetic worn face.

IKS Fek'lhr, Bridge

As the critically damaged Klingon Bird-of-Prey, the IKS Fek'lhr, continued to fight off the Hydran and Koinian vessels, as the Federation transport, the Scott attempted to deploy its orbital weapon platforms in Earth's atmosphere, K'Vagh remained on the dimly lit bridge of his vessels, which was littered with the bodies of his dead officers, each of whom having died in battle, a glorious death, indeed. Each of them had a place in Sto-Vo-Kor, which is what any good Klingon warrior could hope for. K'Vagh only hoped that, when his time came, he, too, would be allowed to pass through the gates of Sto-Vo-Kor. However, today would not be that day, as there was still so much left to do. Destroying the Nautolians, for one.

The battle raged on, with the Fek'lhr taking considerable damage from the numerous enemy vessels, which had been pounding the Bird-of-Prey for what seemed to be an eternity. In the midst of the battle, Commander Kopok, the Fek'lhr's first officer, spoke up, from his tactical station, at the right side of General K'Vagh.

"(General. Another Federation vessel has dropped out of warp...It's the Scaracen.)" the Klingon Commander reported, as an image of the Galaxy-class vessel appeared on the massive viewscreen.

General K'Vagh sneered at the name and sight of the Federation vessel. K'Vagh had served the Klingon Empire his entire life and had come to make many enemies, along the way. The captain and crew of the Scaracen had been one of them. The U.S.S. Scaracen was a Federation vessel that had been assigned to patrol the Klingon-Federation border. Before the Klingon Civil War broke out, K'Vagh had been tasked with the very same assignment and had come into conflict with the Scaracen and her captain, Captain Bran McCallahan, on more than one occasion. Luckily, their conflicts had never culminated in violence, however, it had come dangerously close to such, on a few rare instances. While the Federation and Klingon Empire were supposed to be allies, K'Vagh held no love for the Federation in his heart. However, despite this, K'Vagh would never attempt to destroy the alliance. Chancellor Martok, leader of the Klingon Empire and a close friend of General K'Vagh, was a staunch supporter of the Federation-Klingon alliance. To remain in good graces with the Chancellor, K'Vagh tried to learn to grow more accepting of the alliance, a difficult task, especially for one as stubborn as K'Vagh.

"(The Scaracen?)" the Klingon general reiterated, with a touch of distaste in his mouth, at the name, as memories of his time patrolling the Klingon-Federation border and the times he had clashed with Captain McCallahan and the Scaracen came flooding back to him. "(Good. We need all of the help we can get...no matter the source.)" General K'Vagh growled, at length, showing his true colors. K'Vagh's words rang true. Any and all help was appreciated. The Nautolian force was massive and the Federation would need a miracle to defeat it.

+ 10 Dilithium. Amazing detail.

Founder

[Spellbinder Marik]

-IRW Sparverius, Bridge-

T�Rell knew the look on Tokal�s face. He was worried about Sela. What he didn�t know is that Sela and the Tal Shiar weren�t what they once were. With N�Tran still alive and some of the things he knew Sela wouldn�t dare try to take over. Sela by all accounts should never have been allowed to enter into the organization. It was the first ever account of a hybrid serving in a position of power. As N�Tran had told him once Sela was more of a threat to the empire than anything on the outside. If worse came to worse and Sela became a problem T�Rell and N�Tran would deal with her.

T�Rell looked to Tokal.
�I know what you mean. She�s a dangerous person but it wouldn�t serve her interest to betray us now and Ambassador Spock is with her. He wouldn�t let her do anything that would hurt the alliance.�

-U.s.s. Guardian, Port Nacelle-

Kiris responded.
�Alright. I�m on my way back.� Kiris climbed out of the Nacelle housing and back into a crawl space. Once inside he headed for a near by hatch that would lead into the corridor that would take him back to Engineering.

-U.s.s. Guardian, Main Engineering-

Cory was still standing near a panel that read �Engineering Operations�. He heard Ensign Bengali�s voice through the com.

"Bengali to Taylor, deactivate life support from all empty crew quarters and any empty room, then seal the deck. Divert all the remaining power to the engines."

Cory tapped his combadge to respond.
�Acknowledged sir. Beginning Power Transfer.� Cory moved closer to the panel and began scanning the rooms on the ship one by one. He shut down the unoccupied ones as he ran across them. After another few seconds he�d shut down life support in all of the crew quarters and vacant areas. Then he rerouted the power into propulsion. He heard the warp core began to pulse faster as it received the power.

The Console next to him that showed the Operational status of the ship showed their speed had increased significantly. He tapped his comabdge.
�Taylor to bridge. Kiris, Bengali and I have given you all the power that can be spared.� After sending that message to the bridge Cory sealed off the sections that no longer had life support. He wouldn�t want anyone to wonder into one and suffocate because they didn�t know. It was sealed with an engineering code that only Engineers or senior staff could bypass.

Kiris entered engineering and saw Cory standing next to the engineering ops console.
�Looks like you did it ok.� Cory turned around.
�Let�s just hope it�s enough power. There isn�t anymore to spare.� Kiris nodded. They had what they needed for now. What worried him is when they got to Earth. The Guardian was already partially damaged and wouldn�t be his first choice in a battle against a superior enemy. Then again that�s why he worked in Engineering and the Captain worked on the bridge. It was his job to keep the ship together and the Captain�s job to fight the good fight.
�We�ll be fine.�

+ 8 Dilithium. Good post.

Founder

[Captain Besuz]

- USS Saracen, Bridge -

Chief Tactical Officer Udo Besuz had been standing at his post for the last 6 hours, experiencing the famous Quite Before the Storm. He hadn't been able to sleep in 2 days. He would lay there, thinking of his terrible child-hood, his parents (His Father, to be more precise), His life at the Academy, and his career on the Saracen, (mostly because he got the fealing that it was about to end). It seemed as though his entire life had been passing before his eyes to soon, which made his fear of what was about to happen even greater then it had been when Cpt.McCallahan called his entire senior staff to his ready room, and told them everything that had been hapening while they had been patroling the Klingon Borders, and that the Saracen would return immeadiatly back to Earth to help repel the Nautolian Invasion Force.

Udo looked up from his station when he heard the Captains raspy voice.
"Alright everyone! We're about to make the jump to Warp! Look sharp, Gent's! This'll be our Finest Hour!" The Captain roared at the senior crew with his Irish accent.

Udo grined slightly for a few seconds, knowing that this torture of past memories coming forth from the back of his mind would soon be forgotten once again during the heat of combat.

Moments later, the Saracen made the jump to Warp, but unknown to the crew, it would be its last time.

The Galaxy Class ship appeared abstractly in space a few kilometers from Earth Atmospere, and all the action. That quiet before the storm only lasted another few moments before it was broken by the last minute activity on the bridge. After another few moments passed, The Captain spoke up again.

"Alright, I want a status report on the battle!"

A young Ensign looked up at the Captain, and began telling him what was happening.

"Sir, there are currently 4 Allied Ships in the area! The Enterprise-E and The Detroit are fighting and destroying troop transports, The scott is deploying orbital weapons, and..." The young man's voice seemed to trail off at the site before he cought himself a second later, "A Klingon Bird of Prey, the IKS Fek'Ihr."

The entire crew seemed to stop what they were doing and look up at the Captain, who's eyes never moved away from the Ensign's view screen. After about a minute, he finally spoke.

"We'll need all the help we can get in this battle, any ally of the Federation is an ally of ours." With that, everyone turned back to there stations and continued to work. He then turned to Udo. "I want Shields online and Weapons Ready!"

Udo immeadiatly looked back down to his viewscreen and did what McCallahan told him. After another few moments, The young Ensign spoke up once again.

"Sir! 2 Nautolian ships are approching!" He Yelled among the noise of activity.

"On Screen, Ensign!" The Captain replied.

Surely enough, there were two large ships appoching, and the crew all stared at this new sight. None of them had seen anything like them ever before.

"Udo!" The Captain yelled, "Fire Phasers on my mark!" Udo punched in a few buttons then looked up to meet the Captains gaze. "... FIRE!" As the words passed through his lips, everyone looked over at the viewscreen to see the Phasers, coming from somewere behind the picture on the viewscreen, fly towards one of the Nuatolian ships and then abruptly stop just before getting to the ship, hitting the shields. Seconds later, the Enemy Ships responded, each with there own Phasers. They hit the ship and the lights flickered and low rumbling was heard and the ship shook a little.

"Sir! Shields at 80%!" Udo yelled to the Captain.

The Captain quickly replied, "Return fire!" Udo fired 3 more times before any of the Phaser shots got through. The beam hit the ship's hull and a large explosion was seen.

"Udo! Fire Photon Torpedos!" Udo immediantly fired them and they were both direct hits. The ship then exploded and everyone cheered for a few seconds and got immediatly back to work.

A Few Seconds later a very loud rumbling was heard and the ship shook with great force.

"Whats going on, Ensign?" The Captain yelled as he stood to his feet.

The Ensign turned around with a look of horror on his face.

"Sir, Shields at 30%! And Cardasian Reinforcements have just attacked us from Fito's Fleet!"

+ 7 Dilithium. Good intro.

Founder

[La Forge]

U.S.S. Guardian, Sickbay

Juliana had resumed her reading after Commander Robitaille's visit to Sickbay. She had moved on from researching Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome to Tuvan Syndrome. She was only reading to pass the time by, as the Guardian made its way to Earth. Hopefully, the Guardian would arrive soon...before it was too late. She didn't know what she would do if her homeworld was destroyed. Her birthplace of Paris, France...gone, in a blink of an eye, at the hands of the Nautolians. She had so many good memories of Earth. All of them would be just that...memories, if the Nautolians had their way.

The bored young Frenchwoman let a heavy sigh escape her thin pale lips, as she scrolled on down through the contents of the PADD. She was seated at a chair, beside a bio-bed, in a fully prepared medical station. Her legs were crossed across her knee and she held her head in her hands, as her eyes lazily drifted across the PADD screen.

Juliana only gave off the appearance that she was reading. Her eyes may be fixed on the PADD, however, her mind drifted away. She couldn't stay focused. Everytime she tried to read, her mind would stray off to thoughts of her home or her sister's safety. She felt useless, sitting in the Guardian's Sickbay, doing nothing, as her countrymen were fighting for Earth's survival back home. And, even when the Guardian finally arrived at Earth, whenever that would be, what would Juliana do? There would be injured, of course, and, naturally, Juliana would do her best to help them, but, that was all she could do. She was no soldier. She was dead weight on the bridge. After all, what help was a science officer in the heat of battle? She only wished she could be more proactive in the defense of Earth. Take Commander Robitaille, for example. That man was certainly taking the initiative. The security chief was a devoted man. Juliana could only hope she would be able to reach such a level of devotion to her homeland, one day. However, after spending so much time away, she was beginning to grow disconnected from Earth...a shame, indeed.

The doctor turned scientist turned doctor sighed, once more, as she placed the PADD on a nearby table, tired of reading. She looked around Sickbay, as the nurses scuttled about, to and fro, with all kinds of medical equipment, preparing for the coming battle. Juliana watched their worried faces, with a sympathetic look in her eye. For many of them, this was their first real battle. Juliana could remember her first real battle. After all, it had only been a few years ago. She had been a humble nurse, serving aboard the U.S.S. Lansing. The Lansing had been patrolling the Federation-Romulan border, when a rebel Romulan warbird had suprised them. The warbird decloaked right in front of the Lansing and opened fire. Within five minutes, the Lansing had been crippled. Romulans boarded the vessel within minutes. Luckily, the security teams aboard the Lansing had been efficient enough to repel the rebels and eventually, the warbird had fled. It was a guerilla tactic. Gun and run. How typical of the Romulans. Anyways, the Lansing was stranded, with many injured, and to top it all of, nearly the entire medical staff had been killed or wounded. It was so bad that Juliana was the most senior officer in the surviving medical staff. She managed to run Sickbay herself, with minimal help. In the end, the Lansing managed to limp its way to the nearest Federation outpost, where the vessel was able to repair, along with access to proper medical facilities. She had earned a commendation from Starfleet for her efforts and she was given doctor's status. That day was probably the most memorable day in her entire life...until today.

A faint smile touched upon Juliana's lips, as she reminisced about her life. She rarely thought of her past, nowadays. However, her life wasn't the most exciting of lives. There really wasn't much to think about. At length, Juliana attempted to return to her reading. Time was dragging on and it felt as if it had been an eternity since the events with the Gorn. She felt as if she would go crazy sitting around Sickbay idly. Reading helped pass the time...a little bit, anyways.

+ 10 Dilithium. Really good detail.

Founder

[Founder]

-USS Saracen, Bridge-

The Galaxy class starship was rocked with incoming fire from the Cardassians within Fito's fleet. A few ships had broken off to prevent the Saracen from nearing Fito's flagship. Not that one Galaxy class starship could do anything to it. No, it would take several ships to take that behemoth out.

"Move us towards Earth!" Captain Bran McCallahan yelled.

The large ship moved towards Earth, which was also under attack.

"Lieutenant Commander Besuz," He ordered, "I want those Cardassians off our tail!"

-IRW Sparverius, Bridge-

Tokal accepted T'Rell's words and simply eyed the viewscreen. The Valdore class starship raced past a myriad of screaming fighters and unleased torpedoes. His eyes watched as they flew from the ship and rammed into the Nautolian vessel.



The direct hit revealed that the large Nautolian vessel was now shieldless. Centurion Solal looked from his console and at T'Rell.

"Their shields are off-line." He reported.

Tokal's face revealed a dark smile that only a Romulan would understand was not threatening. The battle was turning in their favor, but not by much. Lieutenant Sala eyed her console and kept a close watch for anymore incoming ships...

-USS Aichi, Bridge-

Lieutenant Colonel Kline was leading the rescue team aboard the downed marine ship. With transporters off-line, they had to race here on shuttles. Kline noticed a young medic with Andreas and was grateful to see the man was alive.

"Come on," He ordered, "We need to get him out of here. Nautolians are coming!"

-USS Detroit, Bridge-

I would like for you to remain on the bridge. If my instincts are right, that man there won't be the only casualty here today." Lucia said in a grim tone.

The Trill Chief Medical officer could only nod in agreement and stand aside as to not be in any officers way. He didn't know the Nautolians were attacking Earth. While it was not his home world, Earth was an ally of Trill. He didnt' want to see anything happen to them. He wanted to say more about the situation, but what was there to say? Nothing...for now...

-IKS Fek'lhr, Bridge-

The Klingon bird of prey veered off, narrowly avoiding Hydran fighters. Kopok was getting sick of the Hydrans attacking and looked at his friend, General K'Vagh.

"(General!)" He barked, "(We must do something about those Hydrans. The fighters are nothing without the capitol ships from where they came. We should destroy it!)"

While it may have seemed bold for the damaged ship to go up against a Hydran battle cruiser, there was nothing else they could do. If they didn't, the Hydrans would keep belting out fighters...

-Romulus, Internment Camp-

Spock stood back up and nodded his head in agreement, recoving from the hit to the face.

"Agreed." He replied simply.

If he could worry, he would have at that moment. So far, Sela and the others were no where to be found and by now, the Remans and Nautolians were sweeping the camp for the source of the power failure. Spock looked towards the distance where there destination lay.

"Would you perhaps know a way to get to the office complex without going through the camp?" He asked, before moving on.

-USS Guardian, Main Engineering-

Bengali appeared from behind Kiris and nodded his head, not sure of what to say. A part of him didn't want to go into this battle. It would probably mean certain death for them.

"Lieutenant," He asked nervously, "What would you like me to do...when we reach Earth?"

-Earth, Marine HQ-

Pierce walked back, carrying a phaser rifle, and noticed Neisha still there. He wanted to get her to safety, but he knew the perks of having someone as experianced as her around.

"Your orders, ma'am?" He asked.

-USS Guardian, Bridge-

�Taylor to bridge. Kiris, Bengali and I have given you all the power that can be spared.� Cory reported.

Ian, grateful for some good news, stood up from his chair and pointed at Caroline.

"You heard them," Ian said, "Maximum warp!"

He looked towards Ziona in time to see her whisper something, but he didn't hear it.

"You ok?" He asked her.

[Ziona]

Earth, Marine HQ

"We still have some defensive turrets around the edge of headquarters. We'll lay down a cover fire for you. Lead a task force towards the Nautolian's advancing on us. They should be weakened slightly by the cover fire. Take out as many as you can." She thought quickly. "We'll lay down another blanket of cover fire and retreat back into the base to rearm and regroup."

Neisha watched Pierce quietly, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Good luck. And come back. I don't want to lose an officer like you."

With that, Neisha turned away and headed over to another console.

USS Aichi, Bridge

The young medic glanced up as Lieutenant Colonel Kline entered the bridge.

"The Field Marshal is greatly injured. I don't know if we'll be able to move him without causing more damage." The medic rung his hands together. He also knew that the Nautolians would certainly kill the Field Marshal. "We don't have a choice though, if Nautolians are on their way."

The medic gave the Field Marshal another hypospray to try and stabilize te man for a move. The hypospray would cut back on the shock.

"Field Marshal, we're going to be moving you. Sir, try to relax." He wasn't sure if the Field Marshal could hear him, but it was worth trying to at least alert the man to their actions.

USS Guardian, Bridge

Ziona glanced over at Ian, nodding quickly to him.

"Yes, I'm fine." She stammered, trying her best to hide the fear and the darkness that had fallen over her. She turned her eyes back to the console and fell into silence.

+ 4 Dilithium. Good post.

Founder

[La Forge]

Romulus, Internment Camp

"Would you perhaps know a way to get to the office complex without going through the camp?" Spock had inquired, as the Vulcan and the Founder approached the outskirts of the internment camp.

The Founder understood the Vulcan ambassador's question. The internment camp was filled with enemy guards, no doubt. Attempting to go through the camp would lead to trouble and it would be best to avoid any such unnecessary trouble. An alternate route into the office complex would be for the best. The Changeling wracked its mind, in search of an alternate route into the office complex. At length, the Founder remembered such a route.

"There is a way." the Founder replied, cooly. "According to the schematics of this place, there is a maintainance tunnel below the internment camp which leads directly underneath the office complex. It also serves as an escape route, for high level officials, such as General Villion, in case of emergency. It should be empty...for now." the Founder explained, as it glanced around, in search for the entrance to the maintainance tunnel.

According to the blueprints of the internment camp, the entrance was somewhere nearby. A moment later, the Founder spotted what he was looking for, a steel gray door with the simple words "NOT AN EXIT" written, in Romulan, on the front of the door, plain as day. From what the Founder could remember, that was the entrance into the maintainance hatch. The Changeling briskly strode over to the door and attempted to open it. No such luck. The door was bolted shut. Luckily for him, he was a Changeling and could simply slide under the door and open it from the other side. The Founder did just that. A moment later, the door was unlocked and stood ajar, open for Spock to enter. Beyond the door stood the Founder, back in his Odo-state, and a rusty old ladder which led down through a hatch into a tunnel of sorts.

"Come. We must hurry." the Founder spoke, simply, as it turned about and began to descend the ladder.

IKS Fek'lhr, Bridge

Hydran fighters plagued the Klingon Bird-of-Prey, the IKS Fek'lhr causing massive amounts of damage. While the fighters may be small, those nuisances, in numbers, packed quite a punch. The Klingon vessel was seriously damaged. Shields were dangerously low and several key systems were critical. The Fek'lhr wouldn't be able to stand much more, at this rate.

"(General! We must do something about those Hydrans. The fighters are nothing without the capitol ships from where they came. We should destroy it!)" Commander Kopok voiced K'Vagh's concerns, in Klingonese, from his position, the tactical station, at the right-hand side of K'Vagh, who sat in the captain's chair, in the center of the bridge.

K'Vagh thought over his first officer's words for a moment, weighing the consequences of such an act in his mind. If the Fek'lhr were to attack the Hydran capitol vessels, it would certainly mean the Fek'lhr's destruction. The odds of survival were slim to none, at best. It was a suicide run. And, in the mind of a Klingon warrior...it was perfect.

"(Target the capitol ships. Send those bastards to Grethor!)" the Klingon general barked, in his native tounge, with a wide toothy grin on his aging face.

"Today is a good day to die!" K'Vagh thought to himself, as the Fek'lhr headed for the Hydran capital vessels, doomed to death and destruction...

U.S.S. Detroit, Bridge

"Captain!" Ensign Benavides shouted, happily, from her operations station. "The Saracen has joined the battle!" the young Hispanic woman reported, with a smile on her beautiful face.

"Excellent!" Captain Cipriani responded to the news, as an image of the Galaxy-class vessel appeared on the viewscreen before her. She was glad to hear of the Saracen's arrival. She knew her captain, Captain McCallahan. Bran was a good man and would prove to be a great help in the battle.

"Now, if only the rest of the fleet would show up, we may actually be able to win this thing..." came a voice from the back of her mind, which forced a grim frown to adorn her worried worn face.

+ 6 Dilithium. Good post.

Founder

[ILoveHarry]

-DSG, Transporter Room-

Ensign Calista Simons materialized with one bag slung over her shoulder. Fresh out of the Academy, she was honored to take on the position of Head Nurse as her first real job as a Starfleet officer.

Considering the current war, Callie was not surprised that no one was there to greet her upon her arrival. No one, that is save for the lone officer manning the transportation room.

�Hi, there!� she called out to the man in a cheerful voice. As she did she took a step toward him and hell head over feet off the pad. She landed on her back with a thud. Her bag sailed through the air and hit the transportation Officer Square in the chest just as he was rushing to her aid.

�Oops,� she says in a small voice, �sorry.�

Annoyed, or perhaps just preoccupied with the war, the officer grunted something about it not being a big deal. He dropped her bag and extended his hand to pull her to her feet.

�Thanks,� Callie said with an embarrassed smile.

The officer grunted another response and turned to return to his station. As he did, Callie picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. The weight of the bag threw her off balance, and she and the bag were thrust into the path of the officer. The collision sent her elbow into his chest, causing him to gasp for air.

�Oops,� she said again. �Sorry!�

The man sighed, rubbing his chest and returned to his console.

Blushing at her clumsiness, she steadied her bag and balance and began to back out of the room. "�...Sorry again,� she stammered. She turned to exit the room. As she did, the bag smacked into the front of his console.

�Oh gosh,� Callie began.

�Give it to me,� the transport officer said through gritted teeth as he took the bag from her. �You�re likely to destroy the whole station if you carry it to your quarters.� He tosses the bag on the transporter pad. �I�ll site-to-site it.�

�Oh,� Callie replied, still embarrassed. �Thanks. Um� thanks. And� sorry� again. About...you know. OK� Thanks.� She turned and quickly exited the room but not before tripping over her own feet as she left the room.

�Oops,� she said as the doors swooshed closed behind her.

With her bag sent ahead to her quarters, Callie decided to head to sickbay to check in with the staff there. She had already studied the layout of the station, so finding her way was not a problem.

+ 7 Dilithium. Great intro. for your new character.

Founder

[Spellbinder Marik]

-IRW Sparverius, Bridge-

"Their shields are off-line." Solal reported. T�Rell stood up. Finally, a break.
�Fleetwide transmission. Target all weapons onto the capitol ship. It won�t be long until they get their shields back.� T�Rell sat back down. Or Until we don�t have anything left to shoot them with.

-U.s.s. Guardian, Main Engineering-

Kiris turned around and faced Bengali. He wasn�t sure what to say to ease the man�s tension. Kiris had been in many battles. He remembered vividly when he first entered a combat situation. He�d been scared out of his mind. Even more so then Bengali. Bengali hid his fear well.
�I need you to be strong. The other officers in here look to you and me for inspiration and strength. If we don�t give that to them then we�re not the officers I have confidence in. You back me and I�ll back you.�

-U.s.s. Falkirk, Bridge-

Captain Fredrick Swanson sat in his chair. He was disgruntled to say the least. They�d been called to Earth to thwart a Nautolian attack. He�d been told many ships wouldn�t be able to make it before the Nautolians got there. He hoped his ship would be able to get there in time to be of some assistance. They�d already pushed the ship beyond its recommended limits. He looked at the view screen. They were at maximum warp.

�Sir, we�ve been at maximum warp for nearly eleven and a half hours. I recommend that we slow to avoid structural damage and core instability.� Swanson looked over to his XO. The man was right. Any longer at maximum speed and they�d risk damaging the ship before they got to Earth. Swanson finally nodded.
�Helm, slow to 9.2 and continue on course. Tactical, round the clock simulations on weapons response times.� Swanson looked to his XO again. The man had recently signed on when his old XO left to pursue some other matter.
�Very good sir.�

Swanson looked to the helmsman.
�Eta Miss Thompson?� The young women looked at her console.
�One hour at present speed sir.� Swanson nodded. He got up and walked to the operations console.
�Do we know of any other ships currently on their way to Earth?� The ops officer checked his console.
�The U.s.s. Guardian is currently on rout and it seems they�re being tailed by three Romulan warbirds.� Swanson raised an eyebrow. From what he�d heard the Romulans didn�t have any ships to spare on other things. Their homeworld was under siege too.
�Let hope they aren�t there to cause trouble.� Swanson looked back to his XO who�d been looking over his shoulder.
�I don�t think so Mr. Kane. When we�re within sensor range scan the U.s.s. Guardian for Romulan biosigns.�

Kane wondered why there�d be Romulans on a Federation ship.
�Sir, why scan one of our own for Romulans?� Swanson cracked a small smile.
�Just a feeling. Maybe he�s there.� The ops officer had a querying look on his face.
�Who sir?� Swanson stepped back.
�An old colleague. Kiris Ditex.�

+ 6 Dilithium. Good intro. to the ship.

Founder

[Republican_Man]

--Sector 001, Dark Shadow, Bridge--
"Wave One has engaged the system's defense systems, My Lord," Joc, intelligence officer on board the Dark Shadow, reported to Grand Admiral Surak.

"Excellent," the Grand Admiral replied with a dark smile on his face. "Stand by to order Wave Two to commence."

Wave One, consisting primarily of Koinian and Hydran warships, had begun assaulting the immediate system defenses, all thirty ships beginning to attack the limited immediate defenses. The rest of the fleet waited for orders to come to engage for themselves.

+ 1 Dilithium. Nice post.

Founder

[Founder]

-IKS Fek'lhr, Bridge-

Kopok smiled when K'Vagh gave the go ahead to assault the deadly Hydran capitol ships. While the Hydrans were not very powerful in terms of their ship power, they certainly had a lot of fighters. Dozens upon dozens of Hydran fighters immediately noticed where the Fek'lhr was headed and fired on them. Kopok fired torpedoes back at them in an attempt to hold them off. He eyed the tactical screen and waited for a chance to fire on a Hydran capitol ship. The only real danger that came from them were their unique hellbore missiles and the fusion canons. Fusion canons were powerful phasers but only worked if the ship was within 80,000 km. The hellbores had no such weakness. One of them fired the missile and it rammed right into the Fek'lhr.

"(Shields are nearly gone!)" Kopok yelled to K'Vagh.

The Klingon bird of prey was finally near the Hydran vessel, one of three, and opened fire quickly.



The Hydran vessel felt the sting of the Klingon ship's weapons. Kopok monitered their shields and smiled, seeing that the Klingons were definitly stronger then the Hydrans.

"(There shields are nearly depleted!)" He reported.

The BoP flew over the hull of one of the capitol ships and dropped torpedoes across the hull. Explosion after explosion forced the shields to buckle.

"(Bring us around for another pass!)" Kopok barked towards the Helm.

All he needed was a few more shots and this light cruiser would be down for the count. The BoP swooped about, desperatly trying to avoid the wave of Hydran fighters that were protecting their mother ship. Kopok felt sparks drop onto his uniform from an exploding console. However, he ignored it and simply focused on the battle at hand. Once the Hydran ship was in target range, he unleashed the ships weapons on the Hydran fighter. Explosion after explosion rang out, narrowly engulfing the BoP. Kopok had a plan though. He wasn't going to take out that one capitol ship, but another one as well. Immediately, he activated the tractor beam and watched it grip the exploding Hydran cruiser. Obviously, the BoP didn't have the strength to drag it, but it did have enough to nudge it towards the other waiting Hydran ship. He watched in glee as the Hydran ship began to scratch along one of the other ships. It wasn't what he had hoped for, but the fighters, a part of them, went into dissaray. They attempted to regain order now that their command center was destroyed.

"(Quapla!)" Kopok yelled, watching the sight.

Unfortnately, the happiness died when the third Hydran cruiser fired it's fusion canon. The BoP was close enough to take the hit.

(Shields are off-line!)" Kopok yelled.

The Hydran fighters turned about and moved towards them...

-IRW Sparverius, Bridge-

T'Rell's fleetwide orders went through to the other vessels. All of them moved like flies to a dead body. The Nautolian ship, momentarily crippled, hovered in space and blocked Romulus. While the majority of the Romulan fleet was fighting off Reman and Nautolian vessels, several warbirds moved in as ordered by T'Rell.



They unleashed a barrage of disruptor and torpedo fire on the ship until the Nautolian vessel exploded and "fell" into space. The large vessel had been destroyed...finally. That did not mean the battle was over. Many ships remained, but the vessel after the Sparverius was now gone. The warbirds that assisted in destroying the Nautolian ship, began to surround the Sparverius in an effort to protect the new and old fleet admirals. Tokal looked back at T'Rell. The Romulans had powerful ships and it showed. They were holding their own against their enemies, the Nautolians. However, the Remans had sided with the Nautolians and this gave them an advantage of numbers.

"What is our next target, Fleet Admiral?" He asked.

He felt a little more "safe" with the squadron of warbirds surrounding the Sparverius.

-USS Guardian, Main Engineering-

Bengali gave Kiris a weak smile and nodded in agreement. He was right about that. The other, younger engineers look up to their commanding officers to set an example. If Bengali acted cowardly, what would that tell the others?

"Good point, sir." He replied.

He folded his arms and waited, with little else to do. The Guardian had reached maximum warp and was now 30 minutes away from Earth at this speed. Soon, they would be thrusted into a battle that they may not get out of...

"I'm right behind you, sir," Bengali told Kiris, "I just hope that death doesn't take either of us."

Bengali remembered that a while ago, he had asked Kiris if he thought this war would end. He could only wonder how Kiris felt about that question now that Earth was under attack...

-Romulus, Internment Camp-

Spock was about to follow the Changeling into the hidden location, but he stopped and looked back into the darkness. He could hear Nautolian guards shouting something, but there was no weapons fire. Sela never reported back to him either, which caused him to worry a little bit about the situation. Well, not worry as a Human would do, but it was still there. There should have been weapons fire, but there wasn't. Spock turned back to the waiting Founder and arched an eyebrow.

"I believe that something has gone wrong." He said.

He entered the building quickly because he did not want to risk being spotted, but he did not follow the Changeling any further. Once the doors closed, Spock activated the communicator.

"Spock to Sela," He said, "Please respond."

There was a distinct sound of silence and nothing more. He looked back at the Changeling, unsure of how to proceed. If Sela was dead, which seemed ot be the case, then the plan was much more complicated. However, capturing Sazi was the key to ending this. With the Founder's help, he's gotten further then he had anticipated. It seemed like it was up to them.

"I believe the mission has fallen to us to complete." Spock simply said.

-Earth, Marine HQ-

Pierce smiled and bowed his head, "Yes ma'am, I'll do my best."

With that, leaving Neisha in charge, he called for the marines to go with him.

"Let's move out!" He yelled.

Some of the marines, not all of them, followed after him as they left to defend the HQ of the marines on Earth...

-USS Aichi, Bridge-

Lieutenant Colonel Kline frowned at the sight and moved to assist the medic with the Field Marshall.

"Come on, sir," He whispered, "We need to get you out of here."

Another marine yelled from the damaged tactical console.

"Look alive!" He yelled, "We got incoming squid heads!"

He was holding up a tricorder and detected the enemy...

-USS Guardian, Bridge-

Ian simply nodded to Ziona and looked around the bridge. They would reach Earth in thirty minutes and then the battle would begin. He looked towards the helm, then OPS, then tactical, then at his own seat. That was where he should have been at that moment. Ian eyed Blake for a moment, wondering where Blake was gonna go. Board a Nautolian ship or head to Earth? Ian sighed and didn't want to think about his friend going into the midst of battle with a few security officers backing him up. The idea of losing anymore friends from DSG caused Ian to nearly break down. Blake, Ziona, Juliana, and everyone from DSG were more then his crew. They were his family now and losing them was hard to bear. Usually, the thought of losing them never popped in his mind but he had this feeling that they really could all die in this upcoming battle...

[La Forge]

Romulus, Internment Camp

The Founder watched on, impatiently, as Spock attempted to contact his Romulan companion, Sela. At length, the Vulcan gave up and looked to the Changeling.

"I believe the mission has fallen to us to complete." Spock stated simply, in his Vulcan matter-of-fact tone of voice. The Founder lazily nodded in response.

"Apparently so. In that case, we should complete the mission as quickly as possible. I don't relish the idea of remaining on this planet for any longer than I have to." the Founder spoke, simply, as the duo began to make their way down the maintainance tunnel, towards the office complex...and General Sazi Villion.

IKS Fek'lhr, Bridge

K'Vagh watched the battle unfold, via the viewscreen, as the Fek'lhr took on the Hydran capitol vessels. A wide grin adorned his wrinkly brown face, as the Fek'lhr took on the Hydran capital ship, even as the bridge of the Klingon Bird-of-Prey shook due to the constant barrage from the Hydran vessels.

Commander Kopok was at the tactical station and was skillfully engaging the Hydrans, using superb military tactic to take down the Hydran capital ship and a handful of Hydran fighters, using the tractor beam. Kopok was a fine first officer, indeed. K'Vagh would trust the man with his life and more.

However, the glory of the destruction of the Hydran capital ship was short-lived, as a Hydran cruiser fired its fusion cannon upon the Fek'lhr, sending the Bird-of-Prey's shields off-line, leaving the Fek'lhr defenseless.

"(Shields are off-line!)" Commander Kopok shouted over the explosion, as the Fek'lhr's bridge violently shook, the power flickering and the lights flashing. The Bird-of-Prey was in a vulnerable position. Destruction was imminent...Unless...

"(Cloak the vessel!!!)" K'Vagh shouted, in Klingonese urgently, saliva spraying from his mouth, as a squad of Hydran fighters approached the helpless Bird-of-Prey, with their phasers charged and all. The Fek'lhr's only hope was to cloak. While it may be un-Klingon to run and hide, it was the only way to survive. It was most certainly going to be a photo finish...

+ 6 Dilithium. Good post.

Founder

[Josi Rockholt]

USS Guardian,Bridge

Kathryn was starting to get nervous as they got closer and closer to Earth. Her family was there. She knew they didn't care about her,but she cared about them.

"Sir,ten minutes and we'll be at our destination."

[Spellbinder Marik]

-IRW Salara, Bridge-

Laura had left the bridge a few moments ago to check on the Plymouth girl in her quarters. N�Tran paced silently back and forth between the short space from his chair to the view screen. He stopped pacing when the lift doors open and Trip ducked out. N�Tran approached the massive alien and stopped directly in front of him.
�Something I can do for you?� Trip handed N�Tran a Romulan PADD.

N�Tran read the short report and recommendations by the Salara�s medical staff.
�You were seriously injured duirng a simulation in the holochamber and suspended from using it for a period of one month.� Trip nodded.
�I would like you to persuade your doctor to lift that suspension. I have nothing else to do here. I am a hunter, a warrior and thus far I haven�t been able to be who I am in this quadrant.� N�Tran knew how it felt to not have anything to do. He shared the same feeling once in awhile.

N�Tran tried to think of an activity that Trip would consider worthy of his skills and talent. There really wasn�t anything N�Tran could think of at the moment.
�How are you at piloting?� Trip scowled or at least the equivalent of a scowl for a Yautja.
�I don�t want to be a pilot.� N�Tran shook his head.
�Just answer the question.� Trip let go of his anger.
�I was training to be a fighter pilot for the civil disturbance.� N�Tran nodded.
�After we get all done with this I�ll try and get you a fighter to work with. Until then you�ll just have to sit tight and wait. Believe me when I say I know how you feel about not having anything to do.�

-IRW Salara, Crew Quarters-

Laura entered the room. She noticed right away that Tessa was picking at something in a bowl. Laura guessed that she didn�t have a taste for Romulan food.
�How can they eat this?� Laura smiled.
�They probably ask the same thing about some of our foods. Here, take this.� Laura tossed Tessa a Starfleet ration pack.
�Thank you.� Laura sat at the small table with Tessa and opened her own ration pack.
�I brought some along. I don�t share a liking for the Romulan food either.�

They sat in silence while they ate. After they recycled the wrappers they both sat down again.
�How are you feeling?� Tessa made a gesture.
�So-so I guess. I�m still feeling tired and sometimes can�t sleep.� Laura nodded.
�Well expect more of that after your baby is born. They like to wake up anytime during the night and cry for food or changing. Or to just know that you�re still there.�

-U.s.s. Guardian, Main Engineering-

Kiris gave Bengali a friendly slap on the back.
�We�ll be fine. I don�t want to die but if it can�t be stopped I�m not going to be afraid of it.� Cory walked closer to them.
�What do we do now?� Kiris faced him.
�Our jobs. It�s all we can do. That and hope for the best.�

-IRW Sparverius, Bridge-

T�Rell took a brief moment to hear what Tokal had called him.
Fleet Admiral, It�s a field commission but I technically outrank N�Tran right now. T�Rell shook off the thought.
�Let me know the status of our weapons and then I�ll let you know our next target.� They had to have weapons if they were going to keep fighting.

-U.s.s. Falkirk, Bridge-

�Fifteen minutes to Sol System sir.� Maria Thomson, helmsman of the Falkirk announced. Swanson nodded.
�Ops, do we have a sensor scan of the system yet?� The ops officer checked his panel.
�Partially sir. There�s some com traffic. From what I�m getting clearly they�ve already begun the assault. The U.s.s. Gaurdian and their Romulan escort is approximately 8 minutes from Sol at their present speed.� Swanson sat slightly at east. At least Sol wasn�t defenseless.
�Hail the Guardian. We need to know what�s going on and if they have a plan of attack.� The ops officer nodded.
�Channel open sir.�

Swanson stood up.
�This is Captain Swanson of the U.s.s. Falkirik to commanding officer U.s.s. Guardian. Please respond.�

+ 7 Dilithium. Nice job being so many people.

Founder

[Captain Besuz]

U.S.S Saracen, Bridge

The Saracen shook and rumbled at the heavy pounding of the Cardassian attack. Udo fell back after a hit on the ship and quickly stood back to his feet. The Senior Crew was all over the Bridge, falling to the floor and quickly standing up again, only to be knocked off there feet once again. Udo stood up and grabed on to his station to keep himself up.

McCallahan also stood to his feet and managed to stay up long enough to yell out more orders."Helmsmen! Come about! Udo, I want those bastards off our tail!"

"Aye, Sir!" Udo yelled back to him, punching in more keys as the ship came about. A few seconds later the Huge Galaxy class had completely turned around, facing the 2 small Galor and a Cardassian Weapon Platform that one of the Galor must have deployed that had managed to cause such a rucuss on the bridge.

"Fire Phasers, Udo!" Yelled McCallahan. Udo fired Phasers at the closest ship, a Galor that was attempting to turn around. The Phasers slammed against the Hull of the tiny ship and it sat there, incapacitated.



He then diverted his attention to the other Galor, that was attempting to escape as well. He once again fired his phasers at the small ship, and once again it took the ship completely out of comision.



Finally, he looked to the small Weapon Platform. He Shot one Final Phaser beam at the Platform and oblitorated it.



"Very good, Udo!" McCallahan Yelled, "Now finish them off!" Udo immediantly responded with two photon torpedos. They hit the small ships and they exploded into a mist of scrap.

"Alright Helmsmen!" McCallahan began giving out orders once again, "Bring us about, and take us towards Earth!" The Saracen came about and continued towards Earth. Soon after the Saracen was in the heat of battle once again. Hydran and Gorn fighters were flying everywere around the ship, and Udo destroyed as many as he could.

The young Ensign spoke up once again, "Captain! We've just recieved word that the U.S.S Aichi has gone down about 2 hours ago and Nautolian Ground Troops are advancing towards it! The Marine HQ on Earth is also under attack! Sir, What do we do?" Udo looked up for a few seconds at the Captain after he hadnt answered. The Captain was standing there scratching his beard, which he always does when he is thinking. After a few more seconds, he finally spoke up.

"Gentlmen, Prepare to perform Saucer Separation!" Once again everyone seemed to stop what they were doing and look up in disbelief, then quickly look back down to continue what they were, with the look of surprise still on there faces. The Captain spoke up again to explain, " The Saucer will head to Earth and attempt a rescue mission on the Aichi and then reinforce the Marine HQ! The Stardrive Section will stay in space and continue fighting!" Everyone seemed to understand what was going to happen and nothing could be done to change the mind of the persistant Irishmen. "I will continue to lead up here in space, and First Officer Blevins will lead the Saucer down to Earth."

"Uh, Sir! I dont thats going to work out so well!" Came the voice of a Medic standing behind him. He turned to see the Medic standing over the body of the First Officer. "We... We've lost him, Sir!"

The Captain turned around to face his crew with a look of sadness in his eyes, Then he continued, "Alright, Udo, you'll be in charge of the Landing Force! Alright Everyone else, Head to the Battle Bridge! Ensign, Send out a message to all Marine and Security Personel, tell them to report to the Bridge immediatly!" Soon after, everyone was in place, and the Saucer seperation Began.



Lieutenant Commander Besuz stood on the bridge as the Saucer flew towards Earth and sped up as it prepared to enter the atmosphere. As the lights flickered Udo looked up at the viewscreen to see the Stardrive Section of his ship, and somewere deap inside himself, he knew it would be the last time he ever saw it.



+ 9 Dilithium. Excellant post. Really dramatic end to it.

Founder

[La Forge]

U.S.S. Guardian, Sickbay

"...my sister lives in Houston. I'm scared for you, you know?" a chatty young nurse spoke with a group of other nurses, huddled in the center of Sickbay. "I haven't seen her in years, but, I don't know what I'd do if something were to happen to her. She's still my sister, after all." the human female continued, as the others listened to her drone on, slowly nodding their heads, as she spoke.

"Yeah. My mother-in-law is in London. I never really liked the woman but I wouldn't want to see her dead." a second nurse chimed in, also a human female, of about thirty years old.

The inane conversation continued on for about another ten minutes, as Juliana listened in, from her seat by a spare bio-bed in the corner, all the while. At length, Juliana, who had been trying to read a data PADD about the Betazoid phase, all to help pass the time, rose to her feet and marched over to the group of gossiping young women.

"Enough!" Juliana barked, as she approached the group, her PADD still in her trembling hand. Her French accent was strong, as it always was, when she rose her voice. She was clearly agitated, by the wild look in her eye. The nurses silenced themselves immediately, looking to the Frenchwoman, in worry. "I know you're all worried and this wait isn't helping matters, but, what help is going to come from standing around and talking? Do something productive, for heavens sake! You're Starfleet officers, aren't you? So, do your jobs!" Juliana snapped at the young women, her breathing heavy and her chest rapidly rising and falling. Her face was worn and tired and her patience was stretched thin. Her temper was at its peak and she had just about enough of the gossiping. It was driving her mad.

"But, Lieutenant-" one of the nurse stammered, weakly, however, she was cut off by Juliana before she could finish whatever she was going to say.

"No buts! Get to work! That's an order!" Juliana ordered, simply, before she marched out of Sickbay, with the PADD still in hand. She needed a walk, to help calm her nerves or something. Maybe she would go to the bridge, to see how much longer it would be until the Guardian reached Earth or something. Anything was better than idly sitting around in Sickbay, watching all of those young worried faces, waiting to die...

+ 6 Dilithium. Good post.

Founder

[ILoveHarry]

-DSG, Sickbay-

Callie entered sickbay, hoping to meet members of the medical team. Instead, the first person she came across was DSG�s own Mirror Universe runaway, Sophia Xavier, and her son, Demetrius. Callie of course knew nothing about the woman or her background.

�Oh gosh,� Callie said looking at Sofia�s back. �That�s quite a cut you�ve got there� isn�t anyone attending to you?�

�I actually only just arrived,�� Sofia replied, �but I haven�t seen anyone yet, no.�

�Well gee,� Callie exuded, �that doesn�t sound right, now, does it?� She took a few more steps into the room and yelled, �Hello?!� She glanced around the facility. �That�s strange. I knew it was as skeletal medical team� but I though someone�� She turns to Sofie. �Well, lucky for you I came by� I don�t know my way around here yet but surely I can get you patched up until one of the doctors is available.�

�Who,� Sofie stammered, �Are you even,�

�OH!� Callie cut in with a giggle. �Forgive me. I�m the new Head nurse, Calista Simons. Everyone calls me Callie.� As she said all this, she had made a tray of basic first aide supplies. �So� what happened here?�

Sofie explained the confusing ordeal to the best of her ability, as Callie cleaned the wound.

Callie made several gasps throughout the story. �Oh my�� she stated when Sofie completed the testimony. �This is definitely over my head. The cut is infected� ordinarily I�d know what to do� but given the circumstances� I think we�d better have one of the doctors� take a look at it too. I�m afraid you�re going to have to stay here. Without waiting for a response from Sofie, Callie continued. �What about the little one?� She reached out to take him from his mother�s arms.

�NO!� Sofie yelled.

�Don�t be silly,� Callie said laughing. �I�m just going to check him out. You do want to make sure he is unharmed, yes?�

Sofie starts to nod reluctantly as Callie whooshes Demetrius out of her arms. �Well then let me have a look.�

Sofie watched over the new nurse�s shoulder anxiously as she completed to examination.

At last, Callie smiled over at Sofie. �Your son seems to be in perfect health, Mrs��

�Xavier,� Sofie finished and reached for her son.

�Goodness,� Callie commented, �you are a nervous mother, aren�t you?� She chuckled and placed Demetrius in his mother�s arms. �Now,� she began as she crossed to the medical console. �I need to access your records�� As she made her cross, she knocked into a rolling cart spilling it�s contents to the floor.

�Oops�� she said as she knelt to pick up the contents.

+ 8 Dilithium. Good post.

Founder

[Republican_Man]

--Earth, Space--
Four Koinian warships and two Hydran starships charged toward the U.S.S Saracen, a Galaxy-class battleship, weapons blazing. The ship had begun separating into two parts, and the warships began to target one section, the Stardrive section of the ship.

Koinian and Hydran weapons fire rammed against the section, causing it's shields to shrink down. Soon enough, the section exploded, unable to keep up with the stress of the Imperial weapons.

--Dark Shadow, Bridge--
Grand Admiral Surak, Supreme Commander of the Nautolian Imperial Army, stood on the bridge of his large flagship, formerly the flagship of his glorious Imperator, Obsidian, glaring out the massive main window at the battle in the distance.

"My Lord," Lieutenant Joc stated, walking up to the Admiral, having received notice of the status of yet another Federation starship. "I have a full analysis completed. While their defenses are still operational, they have sustained enough damage to warrant the dispatch of Wave Two."

"Are you certain?" the Grand Admiral questioned.

"Absolutely," the officer replied.

"Then have Lieutenant Roj order the wave to begin its assault," he commanded, standing tall, hands clasped behind his back.

"As you command," Joc responded, bowing his head and turning about. The thirty Koinian and Hydran ships already in battle had shrunk down to twenty-six, and a few minutes later one-hundred and twenty ships, including the Dark Shadow and consisting primarily of Nautolian warships, charged toward the battle, ready to fight. Victory seemed imminent at this point. But oftentimes, when it involved the Federation, the perception of imminent victory was...misplaced.

The Nautolians forces in the system had started off with one-hundred and fifty craft; now they were short four, down to one-hundred and forty-six. When the time came, fifty more ships, including the Imperator's flagship itself, would, too, be dispatched to the scene, ready to fight and wage victory for the Empire. Twenty of those ships, however, were army vessels which had landed on the planet, dispatching a number of mechs and 20,000 troops to the scene (number changed by agreement).

--Obsidian's Hammer, Bridge--
On board the newly-renamed Nautolian warship, Obsidian's Hammer, Nautolian Supreme General Koon stood on its bridge behind a computer console, monitoring the situation on the planet below. The Supreme Commander had felt it acceptable to launch a ground invasion sooner, calling for the preparation of the next batch of 30 drop ships to come and ordering the dispatch of 20 ships to the planet, excluding his and another army-designated starship. And so he gave the order.

"Report?" the Supreme Commander inquired of a nearby Koinian intelligence officer. It had been ten minutes since the last report on the ground situation, and he wanted something tangible now. As of ten minutes ago things were looking good. Now, however, he was unsure.

+ 7 Dilithium. Pretty good detail.

Founder

[Founder]

-IKS Fek'lhr, Bridge-

"(Cloak the vessel!!!)" K'Vagh shouted.

Kopok nodded and looked down at the glowing console beneath his fingers. He had control of the cloak as did the science officer, but that officer was now lying dead on the floor with a piece of her console lodged in her side. It seemed like many of his comrades had been killed in this battle alone. Death did not sadden him, but the source of their deaths did anger him. Fito and his war machine had gone on for long enough. Kopok longed for the day that he could see Fito's corpse.

(Activating cloak, General!)" Kopok announced.

His gloved hand slammed onto the large cloak button and immediately, the vessel dissapeared from sensors and the naked eye.



The vessel avoided nearly being hit in mid-cloak by a Hydran phaser. Kopok sighed in relief as the Hydrans broke off their attack and moved towards the USS Scott. He looked up at K'Vagh, blood trickling down his face.

"(Damage teams are attempting to commence with repairs,)" He explained, "(For now...we wait...)"

He knew that K'Vagh didn't like sitting around, waiting while there was a battle to be fought, but what choice did he have? Kopok looked out at the viewscreen and watched the Enterprise-E attempt to protect the defensless shuttle, while the Detroit attacked Koinian vessels. The Saracen was seperating it's saucer while under attack as well.

"(These Nautolians and their ilk...,)" Kopok said, "(They fight with a ferocity seldom seen since the Dominion.)"

-USS Guardian, Main Engineering-

Bengali gave a weak smile and moved towards a console. He wanted to see when the Guardian would be reaching Earth. The dark skinned male brought up helm control just to see their status. Kiris' and Bengali's adjustments to the engines worked, they were nearing Earth, He looked back at the duo with a grave look on his face.

"ETA to Earth," He said, "Ten minutes."

-IRW Sparverius, Bridge-

Tokal nodded to the centurian who was manning weapons.

"Report." He said in a cold voice.

The younger officer looked at the console and checked their status. He looked up at T'Rell to offer his report.



"Weapons are currently functioning," He reported, "But shields are low, Fleet Admiral."

Tokal did not like that report at all. However, they were surrounded by a group of warbirds. They'd be fine for the most part.

"Sir," Tokal said, looking at his console, "The fleet is requesting orders."

With all the time spent on meeting with Donatra, the fleet has been without strict orders and chaos ensued. Now the ships were blindly firing, while being divided by the Nautolian/Reman forces.

-Romulus, Maintainance Tunnel-

"Agreed." Spock said simply.

He walked forward, following after the Changeling that had been posing as a Koinian aide to Sazi. It seemed that during the time spent there, he learned all he could about the area. His knowledge was proving invaluable.

"He will be heavily guarded." Spock warned about Sazi and the Reman Representative.

A part of him wondered what would happen to the Remans should the Romulans win this war. Although, he had a feeling that the Founder would not care at all. Spock didn't know if it was a result of his evolution, social prejudice, or this particular Founder but he found the alien to be highly rude. Spock stopped when his pointed ears picked up voices.

"Wait." He said simply.

-USS Guardian, Bridge-

Ian turned to the helm when Kathryn reported that they were only ten minutes away. It seemed the miracle workers in engineering had increased the speed. While he was glad to be nearing Earth, he became apprehensive because he was about to enter a battle. He turned his head towards tactical when he noticed an incoming hail coming in, but he didn't know from who.

"Who is that, Ziona?" Ian asked her.

-Obsidian's Hammer, Bridge-

The Koinian officer looked back at his superior officer, Supreme General Koon. He had a Nautolian PADD in his alien hands and gave it to Koon.

"Sir," He said, "Our ground forces have landed in various capitols around Earth nation states. Of course, our primary focus is on San Franciso. We're slowly gaining ground, but there are many marines and security officers in place that are resisting."

[Ziona]

USS Guardian, Bridge

Ziona quickly glanced at her console before turning to report to Ian.

"It's the USS Falkirik. I'll put them through." Ziona quickly hit a few commands on her console and an image pulled up onto screen

�This is Captain Swanson of the U.s.s. Falkirik to commanding officer U.s.s. Guardian. Please respond.�

Ziona sat back, cracking her knuckles once to prepare for the upcoming battle. They were approaching Earth quickly and sooner than later the battle would be around them as well. She continued to go over her different tactical plots and ploys in her mind as she listened to the hail coming in.

+ 1 Dilithium. Good post.

Founder

[Lord Borg]

-U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E, Bridge-

The seat that Captain Jean-Luc Picard sat in shuddered as the Enteprises shields asorbed another hit from the enemy, his hands griped the arms tightly, thankfully he had the smarts to activate his seatbelts, he remained in the chair.

"Report" The older Captain yelled over the noise of the Starship in combat.

Picard shut his eyes for a second as bright white hot sparks flew from the ceiling, the presseure of weapons fire on the shields had reached the hull. Officers let out a yell of surprise as the ship suddenly pitched foward, he looked back as he heard a farmiliar voice yell out.

"Shields are at 84.6%, Captain" Geordi La Forge yelled, the vessels engineer was at the engineering station on the Bridge, while his 'place' was in engineering, it did not feel right to be somplace other then the bridge in the current situation.

Picard looked back to the screen, his eyes glanced over the USS Scott, that tiny ship was ironically, a small glimiar of hope for Earth.

"Ready all torpedoes" Picard Ordered, "The next vessel that fires on the Scott, return with a full burst of our weapons."

-U.S.S. Scott, Bridge-

T'Sa's sensitive Vulcan ears would be screaming in agony at this moment, if that were possible. The bridge was filled with the sound of the combat the ship was engaged in. A fire had broken out in the rear of the bridge, beams had fallen in place. T'Sa leaned over a body of a Benzinite, she checked the mans neck for a pulse and found none. T'Sa's body slumped, the Captain of the Scott was dead. She sighed, she had almost argued with the man, but informed him while she needed to get to the UPY, it would, and could wait untill after the deployment.

"Report" T'Sa yelled over the chaos, she stood up, the half lit bridge was in shambles, they couldn't fail, they wouldn't fail. T'Sa would die to ensure that.

"I said report, Damn it" T'Sa yelled as she stepped forward, looking down at a consol, trying to make sense of the scrambled information that was currently displaying itself.

+ 6 Dilithium. Good post. Welcome back!

Founder