Special Forces 1: Height of the Dominion War and the Federation is taking losses, morale is dropping, and a huge win is needed.
Admiral Ross is looking for a win - and it needs to be a huge one!
Starfleet intelligence's finest must go behind the lines - rumour is there is an asteroid which is a major producer of Ketracel White but without specs, reports on their defensive posture, and an exact location nothing can be done.
Having had some minor luck decoding the records on the captured Dominion fighter there know the rough grid but that is just not enough.
We follow a team from Starfleet Intelligence as they take on the mission that might just give the Federation a fighting chance - but also knowing they might not make it back...
This leads directly into A Time to Stand
(yes this is very much a Trek take on Rogue One)
Special Forces 2: Life is normal on DS9 - Odo partrols the promenade and stops briefly outside Quarks as someone shouts Dabo...all is well and nothing to see here...
Up in Ops, Julian is trying his luck with Jadzia (set around season 2) and striking out as per usual. She is half listening to him, half checking the sensors and then an alarm goes off!
An unidentified force is straining the stations structural integrity - thankfully O'Brien is on it as always and keeps them together...question is for how long.
As part of his attempts to understand more about his role as Emmisary, and simply to better understand Bajoran culture and history in a bid to reinforce relations following the Circle's attack on DS9 he has been studying historical religious records - in particular the writings of Kai Intero, a legendary Kai from 600 years ago who in a Moses style way is known for saving the Bajorans from plagues, floods, and more.
Reports start coming in from Bajor of tectonic disturbances, animals/insects turning feral, and tsunamis - Sisko thinks this all sounds a little familiar and realises when cross referencing against the Vulcan's records from that era and before that a gravitational eddy passes through the region every 600 years (ish) and now it is back
While the crew search of a scientific solution Sikso returns to the books - right now anything that might help will do
Reference is made to the Orb of the Cosmos - but it hasn't been seen since the start of the occupation.
The scripture says how Kai Intero used to Orb to "speak" to a Special Force beyond corporal beings but not of the Prophets level (angels relative to God) - after meeting these beings and explaining what was ongoing these beings (who exist on a subspace level) realised that their proximity to their side of the anomaly is creating a rupture and moved away ending the issues
Previously reports were of more minor impacts - Sisko realises that in the past these aliens had not been advanced enough to get near the eddy, hence why it was worse last time.
Dukat rocks up conveniently carrying the Orb - seems the Cardassians keep forgetting what they stole...- hoping this will be a step towards Bajor recognising as a hero.
Sisko opens the Orb and again meets members of this species - for years they had kept an exclusion zone but the new generation, inquisitive about the fabled others, thought they could find a technical solution and break through but it is only making it worse
O'Brien and Jadzia though have noticed a pattern to the eddy's quantum signature that if they use the station deflector to transmit the inverse will neutralise the waves hitting Bajor and allow these explorers from another dimension to cross the barrier.
Realising the importance of both Federation science led training coupled with a philosophical understanding of Bajoran scripture (and how it is really their way of understanding science from that era) Sisko begins his journey to full acceptance of his dual life
Next title: A Day without the Badge