Ok, here's a start to the next part of the story. I hope I can get it done within the next month or so, but we'll see what real life throws at me between now and then.
Kaziarl paced his quarters as a contemplated their next move. It had been five weeks since the deep range sensor array had come online, and with it the knowledge of a foreboding shadow on the horizon. The Tryesharan Alliance claimed dominion over this region, and what was even more frightening was the fact that even the Founders seemed to be afraid of them. Kaziarl couldn’t help but wonder what kind of force could strike fear into an enemy that had so nearly brought the Alpha Quadrant to its knees.
There was some good news though, he reminded himself. The USS Common Wealth had finally arrived. The new Typhoon class carrier ship was outfitted with 28 Peregrine class fighters, and 20 Sacajawea class scouts. In addition to fighter support, the Common Wealth was outfitted with a multitude of pulse phaser and quantum torpedo turrets. She was a force to be reckoned with, and Kaziarl was glad to have her around.
The captain looked down at the PADD on his desk again, disgruntled by what was on it. Shortly after their first encounters with the Tryesharan Alliance, Admiral Hera, the other captains in the task force, and himself had drafted a proposal to allow them to form a loose alliance of their own among the other Gamma Quadrant races. Kaziarl, and the rest of Task Force 24, felt it would be difficult for them to hold the sector without help of their neighbors. He had expected a level of bureaucratic mentality; a dragging of the political feet with such a proposal. In this case; however, the reply they had received simply said that Starfleet Command would consider the proposal, and to expect further correspondence in about eight months.
He was starting to realize that they would have to take things into their own hands. However, convincing the admiral of that would be harder then getting Starfleet Command to make a decision any sooner. It wasn’t that she was by-the-book, because she wasn’t by a long shot. The problem was that Starfleet felt she was too much of a rebellious individual for her current post. He knew, in a way, that it was true, but he also knew that it made her uniquely suited for the job. She was a risk taker; true, but it had paid off more times then Kaziarl could count.
It was clear that the next few weeks would be difficult; the approaching adversary, forging this alliance. Kaziarl was a little bewildered as to where to start. He had spent the last couple of days looking over Starfleet’s encounters with the various races of the Gamma Quadrant. The Dosi were a little too aggressive for his taste, as were the Hunter’s. The Karemma were a possibility, but their close ties to the Dominion made them distrustful of Starfleet. Eventually he came to a report filed by Doctor Julian Bashir. While exploring the Gamma Quadrant, Bashir, Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax, and Major Kira Nerys received a distress signal from a planet in the Teplan system. The Teplans, once a great civilization, were suffering from a disease they called the blight; a disease given to them by the Dominion as a warning to other worlds that might resist them. The good Doctor couldn’t directly cure the disease, but he did find a way to keep future generations from contracting it. Since then Starfleet has helped them rebuild, and they have been very receptive as a result.
Kaziarl paced his quarters as a contemplated their next move. It had been five weeks since the deep range sensor array had come online, and with it the knowledge of a foreboding shadow on the horizon. The Tryesharan Alliance claimed dominion over this region, and what was even more frightening was the fact that even the Founders seemed to be afraid of them. Kaziarl couldn’t help but wonder what kind of force could strike fear into an enemy that had so nearly brought the Alpha Quadrant to its knees.
There was some good news though, he reminded himself. The USS Common Wealth had finally arrived. The new Typhoon class carrier ship was outfitted with 28 Peregrine class fighters, and 20 Sacajawea class scouts. In addition to fighter support, the Common Wealth was outfitted with a multitude of pulse phaser and quantum torpedo turrets. She was a force to be reckoned with, and Kaziarl was glad to have her around.
The captain looked down at the PADD on his desk again, disgruntled by what was on it. Shortly after their first encounters with the Tryesharan Alliance, Admiral Hera, the other captains in the task force, and himself had drafted a proposal to allow them to form a loose alliance of their own among the other Gamma Quadrant races. Kaziarl, and the rest of Task Force 24, felt it would be difficult for them to hold the sector without help of their neighbors. He had expected a level of bureaucratic mentality; a dragging of the political feet with such a proposal. In this case; however, the reply they had received simply said that Starfleet Command would consider the proposal, and to expect further correspondence in about eight months.
He was starting to realize that they would have to take things into their own hands. However, convincing the admiral of that would be harder then getting Starfleet Command to make a decision any sooner. It wasn’t that she was by-the-book, because she wasn’t by a long shot. The problem was that Starfleet felt she was too much of a rebellious individual for her current post. He knew, in a way, that it was true, but he also knew that it made her uniquely suited for the job. She was a risk taker; true, but it had paid off more times then Kaziarl could count.
It was clear that the next few weeks would be difficult; the approaching adversary, forging this alliance. Kaziarl was a little bewildered as to where to start. He had spent the last couple of days looking over Starfleet’s encounters with the various races of the Gamma Quadrant. The Dosi were a little too aggressive for his taste, as were the Hunter’s. The Karemma were a possibility, but their close ties to the Dominion made them distrustful of Starfleet. Eventually he came to a report filed by Doctor Julian Bashir. While exploring the Gamma Quadrant, Bashir, Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax, and Major Kira Nerys received a distress signal from a planet in the Teplan system. The Teplans, once a great civilization, were suffering from a disease they called the blight; a disease given to them by the Dominion as a warning to other worlds that might resist them. The good Doctor couldn’t directly cure the disease, but he did find a way to keep future generations from contracting it. Since then Starfleet has helped them rebuild, and they have been very receptive as a result.
