Ongoing ST PBEM Campaign

[kimq]

Fox tries to ignore his broken wrist and focus on the matter at hand. Subconsciously, however, he protectively clutches the damaged limb to his body. His face is alight with some kind of strange exhilaration in the face of the charred death of his crewmates on the bridge.

"Conn, get us under the Dominion ship and stay with them. Ops I need power to weapons and shields. Everything else can go. Medical team to the bridge. Commander Willet, report to the bridge. Mr. Savu, is the tactical station operational?"

The Bajoran's response is slow but he nods his head confirming his station is operational. Savu is unsteady on his feet and it takes considerable effort to focus on his display. As he painfully steadies his tortured body against the tactical railing, his good hand begins to engage the weapons and shield systems. His face is clouded with pain and desperate thoughts.

"Good. Helm and tactical, execute attack pattern Sierra-4."

The Rapier smoothly comes about under the belly of the streaking Dominion vessel. It takes additional precious seconds as the two pilots fight for position to carry out the tactics of their superior officers. Finally the Starfleet vessel fakes a turn, which the Jem'Hadar fall for, and begins a loop over the enemy ship. Several glancing blows from the Dominion Attack Ship glance off the reinforced aft shields of the Saber-class starship as it pulls in front.

"Fire all aft weapons!" Fox orders his injured tactical officer. Even in his haze, Savu is one step ahead of his executive officer.

The rear of the Rapier alights with weapons fire. Under a stuttering hail of phaser fire, several torpedoes streak towards the fore of the Jem'Hadar vessel. With main power redirected almost fully to the tactical functions of the Rapier, the hail of weapons withers the Dominion's starship's shields to nothing. During the brief recycle period of the Federation vessels' weapons, the Attack Ship begins to leak plasma from several breaches in its hull. It becomes clear that if the Rapier had fully functioning phaser arrays, that the Dominion vessel would be severely damaged.

*****

In the near perfect darkness of the damaged Jeffries tube, Berrier works a manual cutting tool through the material of his uniform. After a few moments he has a length of cloth with which he affixes his welding torch to his open tricorder. With the tool lashed in place, he relights it and attempts to complete the EPS repairs. Unfortunately, with the makeshift nature of his cloth wrapping, he cannot make out what the tricorder display is reading so he has to attempt the finish of the repair based on his technical expertise.

*****

"Sir," the Operations officer shouts from their station, "the Dominion ship is firing!"

"Helm, evasive pattern Gamma-3!"

"Aye sir!"

As bright lances of weapons fire from the Dominion ship begin tracking the darting Starfleet vessel, the Rapier jinks slightly upward to the port and then commits an impossibly steep dive. The bridge crew has to adjust their body position as the inertial dampeners strain against the intense maneuvering of the flight officer. Few shots find their mark in the aft shields of the Federation starship.

"Aft shields at 55%," Savu reports. After a few heartbeats at the close of the dive, the Bajoran's face goes even paler. "Lieutenant, judging by the Jem'Hadar's new attack posture they have determined our starboard phaser array is not functioning. They are positioning themselves in our phaser shadow." It is taking all his effort to remain upright at his station. Savu's knees buckle under him.

*****

Berrier grits his teeth in pain. Whoever is at the helm is trying to break his legs for sure. Whatever crazy maneuvers they are trying are putting such a strain on the ship's inertial dampeners that his pinned legs feel like they are going to snap at any minute. His knuckles turn white with his intense grip on the floor plating and his makeshift repair tool.

Finally the maneuver is completed. It's hard not to wonder how anyone expects the young engineer from successfully making any kind of repairs with such extreme maneuvers being executed. It's amazing how medical officers can perform their duty during star battles.

The engineer seizes the moment of relative stability and finishes his repair. He rips his cooling welder from its attachment to his tricorder and throws aside the torn material. He eyes the tricorder display to ensure his repair job is done right the first time.

*****

A surprisingly quick follow-up barrage of weapons fire savages the aft shields of the Rapier. The brave bridge crew clings to the nearest stable structure for dear life as vibrations and deflect explosions ripple through the vessel.

Over the explosions Fox shouts, "Helm get them back into operational phaser arcs!"

"I'm trying sir, but they're outmaneuvering us!"

"Aft shields are about to collapse," Savu hoarsely reports. His strength is draining away. It is likely that his weakened voice was unheard by anyone.

The bridge's public address system activates. "Berrier to bridge, starboard phaser array online. I need a rescue crew down here, I'm pinned beneath some bulkhead."

Fox stands fully erect, not fearing the slings and arrows of his enemy. "Helm, swing around head on. Mr. Savu, target their bridge and blast them to hell."

The Rapier performs a sliding turn. When the vessels are face to face, the Starfleet vessel's momentum has it still moving backwards. Before the Jem'Hadar can react to the rather unorthodox positioning of their threat vessel, the Federation starship opens fire with everything that it has, including its starboard phaser array. Even though Savu's trauma has adversely affected his precision, his aim is still true. Though he does not successfully target the Jem'Hadar bridge, the massed firepower of the Rapier is enough to begin the brief chain reaction that explodes the enemy vessel into a pyrotechnic cloud of flame and hull.

A great cheer erupts through the Rapier. They have defeated the Jem'Hadar in single combat. The bridge crew turns to one another share their victorious elation. Just as the bridge turbolift opens to spill out Commander Willet and a medical team, the Savu succumbs to his wounds and passes out.

One of the medical personnel scans the fallen tactical officer. She gives Fox a nod that his sturdy tactical officer will live. A second nod from another medical crewman reveals that the captain will also live. It only takes Fox a few moments to brief the Rapier's executive officer of the situation. Commander Willet assumes command of the bridge and recommends that the young lieutenant head to sickbay to get his wrist looked at.

As the beaming officer steps into the turbolift, the bridge operations officer reports, "Commander, I am picking up a large Dominion task force behind us bound for the Federation front line."

Commander Willet shakes his head as he looks at the condition of the Rapier, "We're in no position to fight. Helm, set course for fleet rendezvous delta. Emergency warp. Communications, advise the support ships that we are en route and our situation. I'd like to get back to the front line as soon as possible."

The turbolift doors close, leaving Fox with a few moments of solitary glory. Under his command, the Rapier successfully defeated a Dominion threat vessel.

Fox arrives at the crumpled mouth of a Jeffries tube. Three engineers with cutting implements are helping the bootless Berrier out of the damaged area. A pair of medical crewman standby with medical equipment arranged to see to the engineer's wounds. The engineer's walk is tender and limping. As the Alpha Shift executive officer arrives, Berrier is tended to.

One of the medical personnel scans the engineer's legs and shakes his head. "Your ankles have been sprained, lieutenant. Nothing is permanently damaged, though. You're going to be out of service for a couple of days." He flips his medical tricorder shut and grabs the gurney's handles.

The two medics lift the engineer up. Berrier and Fox head down to sickbay.

When the two arrive at sickbay, they are confronted with the truth behind the "glory" of star battles. The kind of "glory" that Berrier's father spoke of when he was especially deep in his cups. The kind of "glory" rarely discussed between non-commissioned veterans.

Several crewmen are present in various states of injury. Broken limbs and burned bodies are everywhere. The entire scene looks like a chaotic triage. Doctors and nurses frantically move through the bodies doing what they can. The blank looks of the traumatized or the rictus jaw grinding of crewmen in unimaginable pain are haunting, but not nearly as much as the slack faces of the dead who passed on before their wounds could be contended with in time. The two recognize some of the dead crewmen as being members of their honor guard at their recent promotions. The bodies keep coming.

Savu and Captain Barker arrive. Both have been artificially stimulated by the bridge medics and partially shoulder carried to sickbay. The captain minutely shakes his head as he is helped to the front of the line. It is clear that he wants to remain last to allow his crew to receive treatment before him, but his rank precludes any argument with either his bearers or the doctors.

Though the Rapier has won the battle, it is an empty victory.

[kimq]

Captain's Log, Stardate 51203.82: The Rapier has finally arrived at Starbase 375. Through the efforts of my capable engineering staff and the support vessels in the Twentieth Federation Fleet, we have been able to limp our way to dock to initiate repairs. My crew has taken medium injuries and light casualties from our ship on ship conflict with a Dominion Fast Attack Ship. All in all, I believe we have done well considering the nature of our foe.

Admiral Vharr was killed when the Dominion forces destroyed the USS Baikonur that day. If it weren't for the almost immediate reformation of surviving Alliance forces and the launching of Operation Blue Room, the Dominion war machine would have the Bolian system already in hand. If it weren't for the efforts of Commander Boreg in destroying the Dominion supply convoy, the battle would likely have finally been completed with the Jem'Hadar victorious.

It is my understanding the Dominion Axis is striking deep towards Vulcanis. Starfleet vessels are endeavoring to put up a stalwart defense of the system. With the current state of the Rapier, all I can do with pray for those brave souls and hope for their victory.

I have contacted Admiral Leyton with my recommendations for commendation and promotion for heroic actions during the battle. Though Admiral Ross is responsible for overseeing the Dominion Front and is currently my superior, I feel that my long-term superior officer remains to be Admiral Leyton. The Admiral has agreed to my recommendations, although his approval is merely a formality in regards to the promotions and commendations I issue to my crew.

Lieutenant Fox and his team of young officers have proven to be the kind of officers Starfleet needs. In times like these, I wish there were more of these young, skilled officers available. Despite their youth and relative inexperience, they have impressed me with their ability to contend with any situation. It seems that they are going to go far in the next few years, both as a result of the daily Starfleet casualties affecting all ranks and positions and their demonstrated capability.

*****

Berrier is still angry with the Rapier's medical staff. After he was discharged from Sickbay, a nosy crewman discovered him working on finishing his work on the EPS conduit. As a result, the Chief Medical Officer onboard forced the young engineer into a week's sick leave and relieved him from active duty. This resulted in Berrier's engineering access codes to be temporarily locked out, so he could do next to nothing on the Rapier other than rest and recover.

Savu is one of the more severely injured crewmen. As a result, he has been spending the majority of his time under the watchful and caring eyes of the medical personnel on a Sickbay treatment table. The dermal regenerative process to his body is maddeningly both lengthy and itchy. It is later in the week that he is surprised to find a private message is waiting for him from Ensign T'Quell:

"I am informed you were severely injured during the Battle of Kumarek. I trust all is well. T'Quell."

Short, sweet, and to the point - it must be from T'Quell.

Fox has been spending the majority of the week coordinating the uninjured crew to fill in for the injured or dead. With the Rapier behind friendly lines, the bulk of the efforts made by the active crew is maintaining ship functions and making field repairs. Of course, he has been forced to use his repaired wrist as lightly as possible despite the medical attention he received the day of the star battle. The young Alpha Shift Executive Officer knew that his active status burned his engineering Starfleet Academy mate every single day. He also receives a private message:

"Lieutenant Stephen Fox, I have heard very positive things about your performance onboard the USS Rapier. Captain Barker has spoken with me personally and speaks very highly of you. You have demonstrated that you are your father's son by defeating the Jem'Hadar in one on one combat. You should be very proud. Very few Starfleet officers can make that claim, none of which are ranked lieutenant. You have done very well with young officers such as you being forged in the fires of war, I feel that the future of Starfleet is in good hands. Admiral Leyton."

It is not until Berrier and Savu are released from their medical overseers that all three officers are brought to the bridge of the wounded Rapier. Captain Barker and Commander Willet await them on the bridge. It is immediately clear to the trio what is happening, but this time there is not honor guard or ceremony. However, the captain and his first officer are clearly proud of their subordinates as they issue the new ranking pips and commendations to them.

Captain Barker proudly reads some material on a PADD in his hand as Commander Willet issues the awards. "Stephen Fox, in addition to being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander you are awarded the Starfleet Cross. The Starfleet Cross is awarded to those who have distinguished themselves by extraordinary heroism, against an enemy of the United Federation of Planets.

"Savu Adar, in addition to being promoted to the rank of full Lieutenant you are awarded the Citation of Valor. The Citation of Valor is awarded to those who have contributed in a major way to the resolution of an important mission or conflict.

"Nigel Berrier, in addition to being promoted to the rank of full Lieutenant you are awarded the Act of Distinction. The Act of Distinction is awarded to those who have continually proven themselves solid and reliable.

"In addition to the promotions and commendations you have individually received, each of you will also receive the Dominion Cluster. The Dominion Cluster is awarded to those who have participated in action offensively or defensively against the Dominion during the Dominion War."

Captain Barker sets the PADD on the armrest of his command chair. The bridge staff is all beaming at the three recently promoted men. The captain takes a moment to shake each of their hands. Once he has completed his congratulations he says, "Follow me," and leads the group to his Ready Room.

The doors quietly shut behind the group. Commander Willet has positioned himself a little part from the team. Captain Barker stands behind his glossy black desk and places his fingertips on the molding.

"Gentlemen, Starfleet Command has decided to reassign some of my senior staff. It seems other vessels require them more than I do. As a result, I am hereby promoting each of you to positions into my senior staff. With Commander Willet moving on to his own command, Lieutenant Commander Fox will assume the full-term position of ship's Executive Officer. Lieutenant Savu will now be my Chief Security and Tactical Officer. Lieutenant Berrier is now the Rapier's Chief Engineer. It will be three weeks before the Rapier has completed dock repairs. I suggest each of you take some time for yourselves. I do not want to see any of you for at least two weeks and I do not want to hear that you are working on official material. There will be plenty enough for official work later. The war is far from over, gentlemen. Enjoy what time you can. Dismissed."

[kimq]

Berrier takes the opportunity to write his distant father. Far across the Federation, the aged veteran goes about doing his part in fighting the Dominion-Cardassian Axis by working himself to the bone producing new materials and vessels to be used on the front lines. In an organization as vast as Starfleet, not all the war's heroes live and die on the front lines - they just get the majority of the recognition and promotions. His father, however, is very proud of his son for his accomplishments and bravery on the front lines and makes it a rare, heartfelt point to express it.

At first, Savu attempts to go over official security and personnel records to prepare himself for his role as Chief Security Officer of the USS Rapier. Unfortunately, Captain Barker arranged a series of red flags in the computer systems to be raised if any of his subordinates access official records during their enforced shore leave. The ship's commanding officer summons the Bajoran to his office and verbally dresses the young lieutenant down like a first year cadet. The verbal barrage lasts just over an hour. It would seem the stalwart captain of the Saber-class vessel expects his orders to be followed without question. As a result, Savu spends the first week of his two week vacation in the brig under the watchful eye of those men and women in he Rapier's security teams - the same people that Savu will be in command of in short order. It is a bitter irony enforced by Barker. By embarrassing the Bajoran in this way in front of his future subordinates highlights how the ship's captain feels about Savu not following his explicit orders. Fortunately, Captain Barker sees to it that word of Savu's house arrest is kept under wraps from the rest of the crew.

Fox initially spends time aboard the starbase. During a visit with a trusted advisor, he attempts to reconcile the ideals of Starfleet against the reality of their role in the galaxy. One of the most poignant questions the other person has regards the team's surprisingly quick series of promotions. Someone in Starfleet Command has to have a strong interest in the group and greasing the wheels for their amazingly quick advancement.

More troubled than before, Fox arranges for a shuttlepod and spends the majority of his vacation time traveling from planet to planet in the nearby star system and playing games with the computer. It is a peaceful time for the solitary officer, which gives him much needed time to readdress his place in Starfleet and where he wants his career to go. It may be becoming clear to the young man that rank is not necessarily a measurement of worth and skill as much as Starfleet officers would like to believe.

*****

Captain's Log, Stardate 51247.48 - The Rapier has been fully repaired. During the repair duration, we have missed out on several conflicts with Dominion. The most important battle we have been forced to sit out of was Operation Return, the recapture of Deep Space 9 from Dominion control.

With that victory in our pockets thanks to the genius and resolve of Captain Sisko, the tide of war took a turn in our favor. A few days after retaking DS9, our front lines were bolstered by the arrival of newly constructed starships mainly crewed with cadets from the accelerated Starfleet Academy program. With the new forces brought to bear, morale immediately rose along the front lines.

We were surprised when the Cardassians called for peace talks. At first it was assumed that the threat of more Starfleet vessels in the area was the reason, but it was later discovered that a part of the treaty was a world that would provide the Dominion with materials necessary to produce their Ketracel-white. This was a clear indication that the treaty was ultimately hollow and that the Dominion was making far reaching future plans. If we allowed them to execute their long-term plans, we will lose this war. Needless to say, the peace talks were halted.

The Rapier has been reassigned to the Tenth Federation Fleet. We are to rendezvous with the fleet that protects Betazed and its outlying colonies.

*****

Captain's Log, Stardate 51714.3 - For several months my crew and myself have not seen any direct action with the Dominion. Many feel, including myself that placing the Rapier so far behind the front lines is a waste of our resources. In short, we want another shot at the Jem'Hadar.

Starfleet Intelligence does not believe that the Dominion-Cardassian forces in the Kalandra System pose much of a threat to Betazed. Admiral Koaddar Ma'adeen seems to agree with them. The admiral is a good man and I trust him, but to assume the Dominion has no teeth is foolhardy at best.

The admiral has grown as antsy as the rest of us from lack of action. As a result, he has drawn up an extensive series of training exercises that he has decided to make the Tenth Fleet perform. Ultimately, anything is better than sitting our hands.

The Rapier is to rendezvous with her one hundred and thirty odd Starfleet sister ships in the Tenth in an area just outside of populated space. This will give us the room necessary to perform the admiral's exercises. I look forward to some trail combat with some of the more advanced starships in the fleet - their crews have grown a little too big for their britches.

*****

Life aboard the Rapier as official members of her senior staff at first was difficult and stressful on the trio of young officers. The day-to-day operations of the vessel fell upon their shoulders. The long hours of their initial days dragged on and on, until they started to get a handle on their roles. Soon they got into the rhythm of their roles and their days shortened to more respectable levels. In the past few weeks, they have even begun to enjoy their positions. It is a good thing that the Rapier has been out of the action for the past several months, to give the new officers a chance to settle into their roles.

Captain Barker strides on his bridge. He takes a seat in his command chair and addresses his first officer. "Number One, our orders are to rendezvous with the fleet at the following coordinates. See to our immediate arrival and advise me when we have arrived. I will be on Holodeck Two." With that, the Rapier's veteran commanding officer stands and heads for his afternoon fencing exercises.

Fox issues the necessary orders after his captain has disappeared into the bridge's turbolift. The Rapier adjusts course from its existing patrol route and begins to warp towards the designated training grounds.

While en route to their destination, the helm officer hunches over their console with a concerned look on their face. "Sir, I am detecting a mild subspace distortion in the area. I will have to readjust course."

The operations officer begins his own sensor analysis of the area. "I have confirmed the distortion, sir. It appears to be naturally occurring. These kinds of distortions are not uncommon during deep space exploratory missions, sir." Fox remembers that this particular crewman has spent years on exploration vessels. "I don't think it is anything to worry about, sir. A course adjustment is simple enough and recommended."

The subspace distortion is disrupting the wave front in the warp drive. Berrier immediately comes to the conclusion that a more powerful distortion could cause a warp drive failure and possibly destroy a starship as a result. Fortunately, this area's distortion appears to be mild enough and easily circumvented.

[kimq]

We have reached the point in my posts that recap the PBEM campaign where the game is actually being played. My posts go out to the Players between Tuesday and Thursday each week. I will post a copy of each week's material like the previous content the day after they receive their information.

This means that from now on, posts made by me on this thread will now slow to weekly periods. There are another NINETEEN posts scheduled to complete the PBEM campaign that will culminate at the end of 2375.

Any comments are welcome via private message or e-mail. I am interested in what you (the readers and lurkers) have to say about what is present on this thread. Thanks to those who voted.

[kimq]

Savu, the Rapier’s Chief Tactical Officer, walks on the bridge from the recently arriving turbolift. His face has a strange smile on it and his eyes have an oddly out of place, far away look. He assumes the tactical station from his Andorian subordinate and centers himself to the situation at hand. The Andorian exits the bridge via the open turbolift doors.

Fox takes a moment to consider the situation. Finally he says, “Ops, boost power to sensors. Have an astrophysicist analyze our readings. Is there is any way we can detect this disturbance and any changes in it at our current speed?”

“The disturbance is relatively localized sir,” the sensor operative responds, “though quite large. We will have a limited range in which we can maintain an eye on it. Once we get beyond that range, the disturbance will disappear from our scopes back into the background noise of our surroundings, sir.”

Berrier, the Rapier’s Chief Engineer, turns on his rotating chair and addresses the bridge’s ranking officer. “I think it is mild enough to not cause harm to the ship, but are such distortions natural for this area of space? To be on the safe side, I recommend shields Commander.”

The Rapier’s helmsman turns to address both Fox and Berrier. “Distortions of this kind are uncommon, but not unheard of. They are found throughout known space. They are rarely a serious concern for a properly navigated starship. I have already charted a safe course around the disturbance, sir, and am ready to engage on your order.”

Fox considers his options. The disturbance appears to be merely a minor obstacle on the Rapier’s course to rendezvous with the fleet. He finally gives the order for the course adjustment and the disturbance circumvented.

The Rapier turns its nose around the distant disturbance. Once angled on its new path, the ship’s warp engines engage. The sleek vessel visually elongates and jumps to warp speed. On the stellar horizon, the starship’s warp signature pulses in the distance like a brief flare of light.

*****

“We are rendezvousing with the fleet sir,” Fox pages Captain Barker over the Rapier’s internal communications system. “We are receiving mission data from the admiral for the exercises as we speak sir.”

“I’m on my way. Prepare us for whatever the admiral has in mind, Number One.”

“Aye sir.”

Incoming data from the fleet appears on Fox’s chair display. Several subsections of instructions have been prepared for each branch of the Rapier’s senior staff. While reading the overall parameters of their exercise, he sends each subsection to its respective superior officer.

The Rapier is going to be a part of a small target group. This group must defend a buoy set up in a computer simulated debris field. The conditions of the debris field will be regulated by the admiral’s flagship and will be constantly transmitted to the fleet’s computers to ensure everyone is playing on the same field. The larger group of the fleet is made mainly up of older vessels while the smaller is made up of newer ones. Unfortunately, the Rapier and her allies are outnumbered between two or three to one. To offset the numerical advantage, the attackers will suffer the “fog of war” while the defenders will have a constant update on the tactical situation in regards to both ship positioning and the status of the debris field. The admiral will lead the offensive force. No one has been predetermined to lead the defenders.

Savu and Berrier go over their subsection of exercises. It all appears to be run of the mill staff exercises during the battle. Battle repairs will succeed or fail depending on engineering repair teams response times. Each ship can beam over phantom (simulated) boarding parties that will be coordinated manually and are immune to internal shields and anesthezine gas. These boarding parties may be able to take control of key locations of an enemy ship, if successful in their tactical operations.

Captain Barker arrives on the bridge. Fox shifts himself from the command chair to his official station. The Rapier’s captain doesn’t move to his seat and continues on his walk towards his ready room. An administrative aide hands him a PADD with his command outline of the exercise. He pauses outside the movement sensor zone of his ready room to read his orders. He finally nods to the patiently waiting aide and turns to an ensign.

“Ensign Macarthur, you have the bridge. All senior staff to my ready room.” With that, the Rapier’s enduring captain exits the bridge into his office area.

It takes only a few moments for the Federation vessel’s senior staff to arrange themselves at the captain’s smallish conference table. Captain Barker stands at the head of the table. A screen-saving display of the hull of the Rapier rotates behind him at his debriefing console.

“I assume you have all read the mission profile. We are outnumbered but not outgunned. We have the advantage of knowing the terrain. Defending a target is normally a little harder than attacking one. I want to hear your suggestions. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m not content to allow the admiral the pride of defeating us with an outdated fleet – no matter the odds.”

[kimq]

Every senior office gives their suggestions to Captain Barker. Some suggestions hold obvious merit, while others are simply so outlandish the speaker receives many odd looks from their peer. The ship’s commanding officer listens to each one intently, clearly extracting the useful essence of each proposal and combining them together with a plan already formulating in his mind.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Captain Barker finally says as he sits down in his chair at the head of the wood trimmed table. “Thank you for your input. It is clear that Starfleet’s finest sits before me. Report to your stations and await further orders. Ensign, I want you to prepare an open channel between the Rapier and the other defending vessels. I wish to open a dialogue to discuss command structure and our strategy. Everyone is dismissed.”

With that, the entire staff excuses themselves and return to the bridge. The crew can sense a feeling of mounting excitement. It is almost as if the ship herself is gearing up for the upcoming exercises.

Nearly an hour passes. The young crewman responsible for the Rapier’s coded communications is extremely busy. Finally the captain emerges from his office and assumes his seat at the Conn.

“We are the defending fleet’s flagship,” he states seriously. “I have assumed command of the task force. Helm, take us to the following coordinates.”

The Rapier begins to bank and enter the simulated debris field. She takes up position along the fringes along with a handful of other advanced vessels, while others head deeper in.

Captain Barker looks over at his anxious first officer. “Stephen in case I am taken out in the battle, here is the overall plan.”

Everyone on the bridge cranes their neck to overhear what is being said, but remains attentive at their console.

“We are going to use the debris field for cover with two lines of defense. When the enemy moves into the debris field, the first line will launch ambushes from within their midst. Our tactics will be to divide the enemy into smaller groups with bait attackers, which then will become the target of hidden vessels. Enemy vessels will be drawn into regions that are difficult for them to maneuver and somewhat easier for our smaller, more maneuverable vessels. When the enemy begins to gain the advantage, the first line will fade deeper into the debris field. To confuse enemy sensors we will deploy probes tailored to our warp signatures heading in different directions. While the first line of ships is in retreat, the second will already be in position to launch their own attacks. When the second sphere collapses, the first should be in their next position. With this method we will have a steadily decreasing defensive perimeter until we reach the buoy where we will make our last stand. Hopefully, we will have crippled the attackers to the point that they will retreat.”

Captain Barker looks up and notices everyone’s cocked heads. “Seeing as everyone has been briefed of our strategy, you already know what needs to be taken care of for your individual branches. See to them.”

Everyone on the bridge quickly returns their attention to their stations and makes the necessary preparations for the upcoming struggle. The tension mounts.

The worst part of any approaching conflict is the waiting. Minutes stretch frustratingly into hours. When sensors begin picking up the approaching Tenth Fleet, it is like a twig snapping in a quiet forest. The adrenalin begins to rush.

Watching the scouts of the fleet pass by the Rapier’s hidden position is anxiously bittersweet. Everyone sighs a little when the vanguard begins to enter. The concealment of the first line must be effective. Captain Barker is like a statue in his chair as he studies the main view screen for a plum target. His experienced eyes find a likely target and he begins issuing orders to engage and draw out the target to the ambush point.

Fingers fly over their consoles. The Rapier emerges from between a knot of relatively stationary stellar debris and fires a concentrated volley of firepower on the target vessel. It only takes a few moments for the vessel to react along with her wing ships, and the chase is on.

“Helm, get us to ambush point alpha one!”

“Aye sir!”

The Rapier turns on a dime and lays down a second hail of withering firepower, this time on one of the target vessel’s sister ships.

“That’s right Lieutenant Savu,” Captain Barker smiles like a hungry wolf. “Egg them on.”

By the time the tactical wing of enemy vessels determines that they have strayed a little too far from the main vanguard, they are attacked on all sizes. By the time the Rapier has a chance to round an especially large piece of debris for cover of its turn and begin its main attacking run, the enemy wing has been severely crippled. It only takes a few moments for the remaining ships to be successfully eliminated from the exercise.

“Engineering, fire the probes. Helm, get us to rendezvous beta.”

The chief operations officer receives an alarm at their console. It only takes them a moment to take their readings. “Sir, we are being hailed by Betazed VII. Sir, they are being attacked by the Dominion!”

“WHAT?!”

“Yes, sir.” The officer works frantically at their station to ascertain what is happening. “Sir, the subspace distortion we experienced on our way here has affected our readings of the fleet’s relative positioning. We are actually further from our patrol zone than was first thought.

“Sir, I am picking up a message from the Admiral. It reads all ships are to head to the Betazed system immediately and engage the Dominion forces.”

Unsurprisingly, the computer simulated exercise dies immediately. The Tenth Fleet doesn’t have time to arrange itself and each ship haphazardly heads towards the besieged system. As the two forces close, the roughly 140 Federation vessels approach the positioned and ready 200 Dominion-Cardassian vessels. Those aboard the bridge of the Rapier are wide-eyed and tense. Random circumstance has conspired against the Tenth Fleet.

Things go from bad to worse when Captain Barker makes a telling, simple gesture as he clutches the left side of his chest with his right hand. His face is screwed up in a grimace of considerable pain. His fingers dig into his chest, seeking to pull the agony from his body.

His hand tries vainly to clutch his failing heart.

[kimq]

The Rapier’s chief engineer sends a signal from his console to his department. “Main Engineering, this is Berrier, prepare to go 110% on the core! Run level one diagnostics on all weapon and defensive systems and double-check all EPS conduits for proper over-powered insulation! Sensor teams double check targeting computers! Battle Damage teams prepare for polaron radiation surges and stick to Alpha plan for deployment once engaged with the enemy. We need everything tip-friggin-top by the time we hit Betazed people...MOVE!”

Savu leaps around his console and rushes to the captain's side. Tapping his communicator he says, "Bridge to sickbay, medical emergency on the bridge!" He waves over the bridge’s operations officer and the two gently lay the captain down to the deck on his back. The Bajoran sets to work with his field knowledge in first aid.

Fox is a red and black uniformed statue in his leather seat. His eyes are locked on the fallen, spasming form of Captain Barker. It is clear that the young man is suffering from flashbacks from the previous engagement with the Dominion. Only through strength of character does the Rapier’s executive officer begin to shake off what is preventing him from taking action.

Berrier seizes the moment to verbally shake Fox out of his detrimental reverie. “Commander,” he shouts.

Fox’s head snaps around in the direction of the strong voice.

“Engineering ready for 110% on the warp drive for emergency power if called for it. All weapon systems are being checked and recalibrated for over-power situations. Sensor teams are double-checking all backup systems. Battle Damage teams report all green. She's ready to roar Foxy.”

Fox blinks a few times and then nods his head. As Savu continues to attempt to stabilize the captain, Fox stands and assumes command. “All hands, battle stations! This is for real, people.”

“Commander,” the operations officer reports, “the Dominion has breached Betazed’s planetary defenses. They are landing ground forces, sir.”

Fox considers the fact for a moment. “Engineering, give me everything you’ve got. Helm, get us to that planet immediately.” With a moment or two to spare, the young first officer leans over his Bajoran comrade. “How is he?”

Savu is feverish. “It’s not good.”

The turbolift doors open and spill out the ship’s doctor and a pair of nurses. As the group approach, the chief tactical officer retreats and advises them of the captain’s situation. His status is grim, very grim. Savu returns to his station and prepares the ship’s tactical systems for combat.

“We are closing in on the inner planets sir,” the helm officer reports.

“I count 200 vessels arranged into five task forces,” the operations officer reports. “This appears to be the Dominion fleet from Kalandra. They must have launched their attack when we strayed too far from the system due to the subspace distortion. We are receving tactical orders from the admiral. I am routing them to you console, sir.”

The captain’s situation reflects what the attack on Betazed means. From here, the Dominion has a military launch point to strike at the very heart of the Federation. To make matters worse, the Tenth Fleet only is composed of a little over 130 ships – most of them from the latter part of the previous century or the earlier part of the current one.

“We are closing in on the front line sir,” the helmsman reports. The tension is so thick that their voice is strained and weak.

“Bring us out of warp and place the enemy fleet on screen,” Fox orders.

The Rapier slows to tactical impulse speeds. She is one of the first ships to arrive, with the rest of the fleet only moments behind. The bridge’s main view screen comes to life, depicting the forbidding scene of a Federation core world besieged by hundreds of enemy vessels.

“Just look at them all,” the operations officer stares at the screen with a shocked face of awe.

“Cut the chatter crewman,” Savu reminds his fellow senior officer.

Fox turns to his tactical officer. His voice is even and determined. “Mr. Savu, find us a target and let’s get the battle started.”

“Aye sir.”

The Rapier comes to life. It is clear that her priority is to survive until the rest of the Tenth Fleet arrives. In the first minute or so of the exchange, she does well. That is until a large spread of Dominion torpedoes finds their mark in her forward shielding, which crumples under the explosions.

“Forward shields are down!”

“Engineering reports damage to all forward sections!”

“The fleet has arrived, sir.”

“It’s too late!”

A trio of Dominion attack ships close on the plasma trailing Federation vessel. As the Rapier’s helmsmen attempts to avoid in the barrage of incoming fire, some shots find their mark. Entire chunks of the once proud vessel are ripping from her fuselage. She returns fire and savages the shields of one of the enemy vessels.

“Main engineering is registering a coolant leak, sir! We are going to have a core breach in two minutes!”

“We’re not going to have two minutes!”

Amongst the chaos of bridge, Fox slowly shakes his head. His mouth forms a thin line. “All hands, abandon ship. All hands, abandon ship.”

*****

“To his credit, Admiral Ma’adeen regrouped his forces, but it was too little, too late. The ships of the Tenth fought valiantly for seven hours, but one by one the Dominion-Cardassian ships blew them out of the sky. Admiral Ma’adeen briefly considered surrender, but realized he had to buy as much time as possible for Betazed to prepare its defensive systems. On his orders, the Tenth went down fighting, destroyed to the last ship in a noble effort to save Betazed.”
- Civilian Federation Historian Steven S. Long, “The Fires of Armageddon”

*****

Despair. The few remaining survivors of the Rapier had nothing but despair in their hearts. When the life pods fled the dying vessel, it first appeared that they would all make it safely to Betazed. A passing Cardassian cruiser saw to it that only a few pods would make it into the upper atmosphere of the besieged planet. Those pods damaged by the Cardassian ship but not completely destroyed, stood little chance against the rigors of re-entry.

Those on the bridge were one of the few lucky pods that managed to make planetfall. Unfortunately, the medical team could do little for Captain Barker during the traumatic time inside the life pod. His loyal subordinates buried him near the life pod that delivered them. Only his communicator resting on a headstone hand etched with his full name, rank, and life’s duration marks where he lay.

Less than a dozen crewmen of the Rapier survived its destruction. They huddle in the night around small campfires in nearby caves. The Dominion-Cardassian Axis surely has control of Betazed. To ensure that the survivors would not be discovered, they disengaged their life pod’s homing beacons.

The dirt and blood stained Berrier, Savu, and Fox all sit blankly staring into their fire.

[kimq]

Fox concentrates his efforts on appearing totally in control of the situation. He gives everyone jobs to do to keep their minds off the situation. The human officer makes every effort to keep morale high, be light hearted, and convincing everyone that the situation is positive and that they will be picked up.

The first problem, in Fox’s mind, is survival. He orders his Bajoran chief security officer to set up a defensive position. Teams are established for begin proper shelters and supplies.

With the passing of Captain Barker, it is clear the Fox has assumed the role of commanding officer of the few remaining Starfleet survivors. Fox assigns Savu as his First Officer and in charge of camp security. Berrier is in charge of the structure and maintenance of the camp.

The survivors set to work. The cave system is mapped out. The escape pods are salvaged for everything useful. Major caverns are converted into living quarters and storage facilities. Every scrap of the life pods is cut away from the remainder and used for creature comforts, power for long-term illumination, and additional structural support for tunnel areas deemed unsafe. What little security equipment remains, is installed at strategic points in the caverns to maximize Starfleet’s defensive position.

When the small group of survivors has completed their tasks, they have established themselves a reasonable little community. Without any kind of replication technology present, fresh water must be hand hauled from a nearby waterfall. Fortunately, the wilderness region provides enough food to support the survivors – for the time being. Should they remain here until winter, which is yet two seasons away, it is unlikely that their supplies will hold out for long.

Each crewman’s uniform is showing the signs of extended use. Unfortunately, the survivors arrived on Betazed with the clothes on their back. Nonetheless, the Rapier’s crew attempt to maintain a clean appearance despite their relatively subterranean surroundings.

During a night’s vigil at the fire between the three comrades, Berrier speaks quietly with the remaining two. “Well, I for one am sick and freaking tired of string at a fire pit. I say we get some salvage, grab some weapons and start a little revolution. It won't be too long before Ross and his crew summon up a fleet that will kick the living hell out of the Occupation. We have to be ready for it. What do you say guys? We have a handful from the Rapier, but there is no telling how many others survived.

“All I need is some dominion technology and some time. I’ll get you the ins and outs of their weapons and cloaking devices. Give me some Starfleet officers with nothing to lose and some guns over Dominion troops any day. It's better than waiting away that's for damned sure! It's us or them, and I'm too pretty to die.”

[kimq]

Fox calls for a gathering of his remaining staff. In the relative safety of their cave network, the Starfleet officers gather. It is time for long-term planning.

The priority after survival, according to the Rapier’s Executive Officer, is to get intelligence on the situation in our area. To reduce the chance of the occupationists from discovering their position with long-range scanners, all materials not to be found on the planet should be discarded.

Adaptable officers are given individual assignments to set up distant operations to covertly gather intelligence on Dominion activity. Observation of the Betazoid population is a secondary objective – coupled with making contact with possible occupation resistors.

Those remaining in the cavern network are detailed to become familiar with the surrounding area and create a workable map. It takes little effort for some LCARS displays from the escape pods to be converted into a field headquarters. Very soon every officer knows the region like it was his or her own quarters – every creek, bush stand, and rock become well known.

Berrier begins a daily ritual of material foraging. Not venturing too far from camp, he returns each day with some scrap of salvageable equipment. With all the wreckage high above the planet from the star battle, much of it has survived entry into the planet’s atmosphere. There is not a night that passes that the sentries do not see several shooting stars in the dark sky, which are actually ship wreckage finally pulled into the upper levels of the atmosphere.

According to the Rapier’s Chief Engineer, a reliable communications network is going to be important to overall function of the resistance. Much of his initial efforts go into refining the headquarters equipment with a short-range relay station. This equipment increases the overall range of the field operatives investing the occupation. The encryption is limited, due to the timeframe and mishmash of technology.

Each Starfleet survivor is equipped with his or her Type II Phaser. Induction recharge stations are constructed at key security points in the cavern network. Unfortunately, the construction of additional energy weapons requires either specialized manufacturing equipment or an engineering replicator – neither of which the survivors have.

Word begins to trickle in from the field operatives. The Dominion acted immediately in solidifying its position on Betazed. Hundreds of additional ship and thousands of troops have arrived to pacify the planet.

A psionic Vorta named Wayhau is leading the occupation. Wayhau’s chief Jem’Hadar warrior is a renowned Alpha who is on the Dominion’s best – far exceeding his clones. Wayhau is seconded by a Cardassian Gul named Mordant – a name that is does not escape Savu’s ears.

Wayhau’s first orders to his standing Jem’Hadar army are to eradicate every trace of resistance on Betazed and occupy every major facility on the planet. So far the Dominion has rounded up hundreds of thousands of locals including Starfleet personnel, governmental officials, and civic leaders and executed them. Each day thousands more people has been added to the growing tally across the globe. In the first week of operations, more than half of the Rapier’s field operatives have been caught by the brutal efficiency of the Jem’Hadar and executed in the public eye.

More psionic Vorta have arrived. These Vorta are controlling the population and arrange for the immediate execution of any Betazoid who even seemed to try to use their psychic abilities to communicate with their fellows or influence Dominion personnel. There is word that an entire Cardassian order is on its way to Betazed to bolster the Dominion presence on the planet.

There is only one way to describe Wayhau’s occupation – brutal and efficient.

[kimq]

There is at least one PC position open at this time. A second position is up in the air right now, so I am willing to take applications at this time. I am looking for generated Starfleet characters following the ICON rule set that would fit into the ongoing campaign. Please read the material up until this point in order to understand the idiosyncracies of this campaign. Applicants can send me a PM or e-mail.

Have a look at http://forum.lotrrpg.net/showthread.php?threadid=2755 for character generation guidelines. New characters will follow the normal creation rules and have two tours under their belts. Positions available are Medical, Science, and perhaps Security.