PBEM Up and Running - DS9 "In Harm's Way"

STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE
"In Harm's Way"

Based on the Award Winning Star Trek Deep Space Nine Roleplaying Game published by Last Unicorn Games, 1999. Additional material taken from Star Trek Roleplaying Game by Decipher Inc. published 2002. Star Trek © and Deep Space Nine ® are trademark items of Paramount Pictures and used here only in the context of non-commercial private use online role-playing.

STARDATE: 55012.1; Earth Date 2377 AD

Admiral Alexandria Marie Selkirk stepped off the transporter pad and looked around the old and familiar setting of the Deep Space Nine-transporter room. It had been many years since she had seen this station, not since her return by the Dominion to the Federation in the earliest days of the coming war. She had commanded Starfleet's first organized expedition into the Gamma Quadrant over five-years ago. She remembered those first terror stricken days as if they were only yesterday. She had led a taskforce of Starfleet ships into the Bajoran Wormhole and tried to establish a presence in the Gamma Quadrant. Her mission was to have been one of exploration. Almost immediately her ships had been set upon by the Dominion. She had lost the entire squadron. She herself had been captured and interrogated by the Dominion's agents. In a gesture that could have been only pure contempt, she had been returned to the Federation prior to the outbreak of hostilities, a broken woman.
Now over a year since the end of the fighting Starfleet and the Federation are still attempting to regain a semblance of normalcy. The Remus Incident and the aborted Romulan Civil War was the latest in the cascading fallout of the most devastating interstellar war in the history of the Federation and possibly the entire Alpha Quadrant. Diplomatic advantages the Romulans made with the Cardassians during the initial days following the end of the Dominion War were lost as if overnight due to the domestic turmoil at home in their home star system. The sputtering Romulan Civil War caused the Imperial forces occupying Cardassian space to withdraw, opening the door for renewed Federation contact and diplomacy. The sudden withdrawal of the Romulans back to their sovereign space weakened the Cardassians ability to defend their territory from Breen incursion along their common frontier. Breen warships sought retribution for their perceived betrayal by the Cardassians and the resulting collapse of their newly formed Dominion Alliance in the face of the weakened Federation Alliance. Many at Starfleet believed that a regional war with the Breen was inevitable and should be fought now while the fleet still had its combat resources consolidated and deployed in the region.
Alexandra Selkirk remembered when it was all so much easier, she had been a raw ensign once, like many of the Starfleet personnel now walking the halls of Deep Space Nine with her. Five decades ago it had been so much different. It had been just a decade since the Tomed Incident, the Federations last military encounter with the Romulans previous to this last Remus Incident. Starfleet still wore the military-cut uniforms of that legendary era, the nautical style maroon jacket and bloused pants. Starfleet had finally shaken the "cold-war" mentality that it had evolved under from constant confrontations with the Klingons and the Romulans during its earliest days. "Oh how innocent we all were in those days, before the Borg and the Dominion," she thought to herself. It has been the beginning of an era of consolidation for the Federation. Emphasis had shifted from rapid expansion to development of what had been explored. Those days had given rise to efforts like the designing and building of the Galaxy-class starship, ships of peace and colonization, not battleships like were now being designed and built.
"Ah…Colonel Kira, it is so glad to see you again." Admiral Selkirk extended her hand to meet the new commander of Deep Space Nine.
"Alexandra. It is good to see you again." The dark brown eyes of Kira Nerys warmed Selkirk's heart. "I am so pleased you were selected for this assignment. We will need your calm hand with this project. Especially with who the Romulans have sent to lead their expeditions."
Selkirk smiled broadly, "Nerys it was the only logical choice, this soon after a political crisis, where else would they want him but in the Gamma Quadrant?" Both women laughed as Colonel Kira escorted Admiral Selkirk back to her station commander's office.
"The station hasn't changed a bit has it Nerys?" Selkirk commented as the two senior officers walked toward the central turbolift station. "It's still the odd but beautiful mix of Bajoran, Cardassian, and Federation culture."
"Oh it's changed Alex, in many ways. I guess its grown up, maybe with the guidance of the Prophets; it's even found its place in the galaxy. This old station remains a sad place with a bitter history. I can often hear the souls of the people that were lost here during its long life. Before they were Bajoran, but now I hear human, Klingon, Cardassian, yes and even Romulan voices now." Both the women stop and share a quiet moment of remembrance for Ben Sisko and the others that lost their lives during the Dominion War before entering the turbolift and heading to station operations.
Station Operations was buzzing with activity, but the energy was filled with excitement, not dread as it had been for the past couple of years. They were beginning a new project and you could tell it on the face of everyone from Colonel Kira to the newest Starfleet mission specialist. One thing that caught Selkirk's eye immediately was the dominance of Bajoran uniforms, only two people in the center wore Starfleet black. The two senior officers quickly traversed the circular route to the commander's office of the opposite side of the operations center. Upon entering the first thing that Selkirk noticed was the absence of Ben's starship models. Replacing them were Bajoran tapestries and musical instruments. Gone also were the official looking Starfleet issue office furniture. The office looked more like an apartment's setting room than the office of a space station commander.
Smiling broadly Selkirk offered, "I like it."
"Well when I realized just how much time I was going to have to spend in here I came up with this idea. Plus as much as loved that old desk Ben had I remembered that Ducat sat there also." Colonel Kira seated herself in a well-worn leather recliner that swiveled to a computer workstation installed just under the central portal dominating the outer wall.
"Understandable," offered Selkirk as she selected one of many varied but equally comfortable chairs to use. "Well Nerys what has Admiral Ross told you so far?"
Smiling that unique smile of her's Colonel Kira began, "Well Alex, I've been told that Starfleet is very interested in restarting the exploration of the Gamma Quadrant and that you have been selected to lead that effort. I also know that the Cardassians are to assist in an effort to rebuild their national esteem, and as a concession to the Romulans they will be permitted to participate in this endeavor too."
"You've been well briefed, I have just a little bit to add to that. Starfleet has informed me that my Romulan counterpart as you already know, is the infamous T'Cal, he is returning from Romulan space even as we speak. As you know he also was the original commander of their efforts in the Gamma Quadrant. His brilliant handling of the diplomacy following the liberation of Cardassia Prime also was given by the Romulan High Command as the other reason for his posting to this assignment."
"I was led to believe Alex that you will be negotiating with the Romulans here at Deep Space Nine as to the size and scale of this operation. It was not agreed upon at Starfleet Headquarters?" queried Colonel Kira.
"You're right, your intelligence network is very good. No due primarily to the strained relations between the Federation and the Romulans over the Remus Incident it was thought best if the negotiations were handled locally. Starfleet rightfully thought that this project would get washed under the table by the post-incident negotiations now going on because of the Remus military action against Earth." She stood and paced around Kira's spacious office, she stopped to touch a tapestry hanging on the wall. "No Starfleet has given me total control over this project. The command structure is focusing on the rebuilding of the Federation and Cardassia, and the de-escalation of the current tension between the Federation and the Romulans." Selkirk smiled and turned back to face Colonel Kira, "Not to mention the stabilizing support we are giving the Klingons now, Martok is not exactly the people's choice as Chancellor you know."
"I had heard that Worf and the Martok were not warmly welcomed back on Qo'noS." Kira interjected.
"No Martok is a commoner that worked his way up through the ranks of the Klingon Defense Force, Worf is considered a traitor and puppet of the Federation by many. If it were not Picard's influence over the Emperor they probably would have been executed upon their arrival by the nobility," smiled Selkirk.
"Will there be a Klingon contingent on this project?" asked Colonel Kira.
"Probably not, I was told the Klingons are too busy with their own politics to worry about the reconstruction of Cardassia or the exploration of the other end of the galaxy," responded Selkirk.
"So what has Starfleet given you to work with? How many starships?" replied Kira.
"Basically I have an open purse. There are of course strategic considerations as far as ship deployments and personnel, but basically I've been told to establish a companion starbase to Deep Space Nine on the other side of the wormhole. And in the process of establishing that space station, explore the surrounding region establish contact with local civilizations."
"And keep an eye on the Dominion, and watch for any sign of the Borg," finished Kira.
"Exactly," smiled Selkirk.
"So how many starships?" asked Kira a second time.
"That unfortunately is to be negotiated with the distinguished representative of the Romulan Star Empire, my deputy commander of this project," grimaced Selkirk.
"Well from what I remember about the distinguished - your words Alex - representative of the Romulan Star Empire, you're going to have the largest fleet in Starfleet." Both women couldn't help but share a moment of laughter after that comment.
"What kind of station are you going to build on the other end of the wormhole?" smiled Kira.
"That hasn't been decided yet either. Initially we will probably use a standard Regula-class station temporarily, but I anticipate a need for a larger class station as the exploration matures. We may even contract that responsibility out to the Cardassians, their close proximity to Bajor would lend itself to the fast construction of the station. As you know, Betazed took a terrible beating during the war and is not capable of providing support to a project of this type at this time," explained Selkirk.
"Well if Betazed can not provide support to this project, what makes you think Cardassia can?" queried Kira.
"Cardassia is not just Cardassia Prime Nerys, it's also the rest of their union. There are over a dozen worlds that were not as affected by the war as Cardassia Prime was. Granted, most of those resources will be need for the reclamation of their homeworld, but there is still a lot they can do toward this project because of their location. Besides, part of the reason to include them in this project is to get them looking outward again."
Colonel Kira continued her questioning "Who are the Cardassian's sending to head their delegation?"
"One of their new national heroes, the gul that commanded the Cardassian fleet that first arrived at their homeworld following its liberation. He is the one that negotiated with the Romulans and kept them at bay while the Central Command reorganized. Not a bad piece of diplomacy if you ask me. He probably saved us all from a military confrontation with the Romulans."
"What happened to him that he is being given this type of assignment now, I mean Cardassia is far from fully recovered. I would think if his leadership was that crucial during the Romulan occupation then he would be invaluable to them now." This so-called Cardassian savior intrigued Colonel Kira.
"There was a general strike called once the initial crisis was over in response to the annexation of the Cardassian Union by the Romulan Star Empire, benign as it was. Remember that Central Command and the Obsidian Order had been decimated by the Dominion in the final phase of the war. The military government was unable to resist the civilian revolt despite it being a non-violent demonstration. A continued military government simply had no support following the abuses of the Ducat and then Dominion regimes."
Colonel Kira interrupted, "Alex I know all that, what I do not know is who is this Cardassian Gul you're referring to?"
"Gul Jak'Karr, commander of the Second Order," answered Selkirk quietly. "Gul Jak'Karr commanded the Cardassian Second Order during the battle of Cardassia Prime. As he saw his comrades lives thrown away by the Dominion in futile attacks on Federation and Klingon formations he had a moment of clarity. As the senior Cardassian officer present, he ordered all surviving ships to break off and attack the Dominion ships waiting to exploit the sacrifice made by the Cardassians. It is said that his defection was the turning point of the Dominion War and contributed significantly to the allied victory. After the battle Jak'Karr found his beloved Union in ruins. The once proud Cardassian military had been reduced to nearly a third of it's original strength and the civilian population suffered on a catastrophic level from the devastation wrought by the retreating Dominion forces. At this same time the Romulans began to lay claims to the Union and move warships into Cardassian space to take advantage of the weakened state of the Union. Seeking to avoid becoming a conquered people, Jak'Karr entered into a careful alliance with the Romulans, promising to serve the Star Empire as a client state in return for significant aid in restoring the shattered Union. His decision to ally with the Romulans was met with much opposition. In his long time away from Cardassia Prime the civilian populace had gained much influence and with Central Command in ruins, they were able to take power. While Jak'Karr still had the majority of the military under his control he decided against bringing further devastation to his people in the form of a civil war and instead offered his services as a true son of the Cardassian Union."

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