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#Post#: 259--------------------------------------------------
Roundup at the Borderlands
DIR By: MichaelH23
Date: March 10, 2016, 2:15 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Having received the go-order from the Imperial High Command,
five fleets are assembled. Their mission objectives are twofold:
Secure the Galaxy Gate linking Galaxy 23-A (Bode's Galaxy) to
the Milky Way as a transit route, and neutralize the Xie fleet
which remains, for the time being, at the Borderlands. The enemy
fleet posed a threat as long as it remained just outside
Imperial space, and could potentially launch offensives against
the border colonies and independent systems aligned with the
Empire.
Put in charge of the Task Fleet, codenamed Task Fleet Oblivion,
was a young, hot-headed young woman named Carlia Rhess.
ISS Warhammer, lead starship of Task Fleet Oblivion en route for
the Borderlands. Z+2 Days
Carlia Rhess sat with one leg crossed over the other in the
captain's chair. She was only 3 years old when the Barlat
Assault had taken place and was one of a handful of survivors
from the joint Trekylon-USSR colony of Twist. While she escaped
physically unhurt, emotionally and psychologically she was
scarred for life. Now, at age 22, she had graduated second in
her class from the Academy as a hot-tempered, isolated youth
with a major grudge against the Great Houses of Xie and the
other members of the Concordiat who had nearly taken her life in
their unprovoked attack. As she glared at the forward
viewscreen, daring a Xie patrol to come into visual range, the
rest of her crew worked at their stations. She was known among
them as the coldest of cold fish, never seeking a relationship,
never engaging them in friendly banter, always eating her meals
alone. While they respected her service record and her
calculating nature, they feared her temperament and scorned her
aloofness. She knew that they often spoke of her in whispers and
in closed rooms, and not always glowingly, but she didn't care.
Rhess - "First Officer Trenton, report position of the Xie
fleet."
First Officer Gene Trenton hurried to the Tactical station,
nearly shoving Tactical Officer Philip Deering. When the captain
demanded a report, it was always wisest to respond immediately.
Deering protested the abrupt shove, which earned him a nasty
glare from Trenton as he hurried to comply.
Trenton - "They're still holding position at coordinates 3 by 14
by 20. No sign that they've detected us."
Deering brushed a lock of his blonde hair to the side.
Deering - "Captain, wouldn't they be able to detect us by now?
Surely they've been informed that war has been declared against
them."
Rhess - "They're too stupid to realize that a hammer is about to
fall on them. They believe anything we send at them can be
brushed aside easily."
Trenton - "Perhaps they forgot that the rebels gave us a
valuable lesson in surprise offensives, feigned retreats, and
direct strikes."
Deering - "The FTLi interdictor cruisers are in position. We
should deploy them now and cut off the Xie's escape."
Trenton - "Those nano-probes the cruisers deploy aren't just for
FTLi. They also block all subspace communications. If we deploy
them prematurely, they will discover it when they call home and
get nothing but static."
Rhess - "They'll be deployed soon enough. Perhaps the cruisers'
FTLi field can keep them from leaving while the probes are reset
to serve as jammers. Their missiles won't be able to lock on to
us, nor will they be able to cry for help."
Deering - "I presume you wish to order the commanders to modify
their probes."
Rhess growled a warning, which Deering took to heart
immediately.
Deering - "Transmitting coded message to the ships."
Trenton walked back down to command level, to join Rhess.
Despite the uniform featuring a short skirt that almost revealed
more than it concealed, there was a coldness which served as a
means of warning men not to get too close to her. Trenton was
the only man in Rhess' entire life who had seen the more
vulnerable side to her, hidden so well during missions that one
believed it didn't exist.
Trenton - "Carlia, that was unnecessary. Philip was only making
sure that you wanted that command issued before doing so."
Rhess - "Then next time he better just come out and ask."
Choosing not to take his seat to her left, Trenton went back to
the Tactical station and stood with Deering. Right now, the
captain was all business...all vendetta.
#Post#: 260--------------------------------------------------
Re: Roundup at the Borderlands
DIR By: MichaelH23
Date: March 13, 2016, 12:44 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Xie FleetCommand Starship, stationed 2.5 parsecs from Galaxy
Gate
Lord Tokashiro was just a typical Xie command officer. He had
been ordered to withdraw from the Azuria system during the
Trekylon Civil War when the govermnent was accused by both the
planetary governor and the Inuyashian Empire of attempting to
foment discord on the planet, then use the chaos to seize
control of the system and hence plant a Xie stronghold almost
deep in the heart of Trekylonian territory. On the one hand he
was just as happy to be gone from the accursed system and the
empire that ruled it. Trekylon had been a nuisance well before
the Barlat Assault, but on the day they took up arms against its
ally, Ish'Cong, it went from a pesky nuisance to a terroristic
threat. The 42-year-old believed at first that the removal of
the terrorist Michael I and their subsequent exile from the
Milky Way was the best outcome, but over time he came to realize
that the rise to power of a new emperor and their revival in a
new galaxy had made them even more dangerous than they ever had
been before. Their recent victory in their civil war drove home
in his mind the inherent danger Trekylon now presented even in a
backwater galaxy of little importance.
Tokashiro - "Akagi, status on weapons?"
Fujita Akagi worked his console quickly, reading the status
reports on his board. Akagi was a servant of House Meiji, which
Lord Tokashiro was a member of. While servility did not equal
slavery as other nations might see it, the rule in the Great
Houses was that servants had three ways to escape service to the
eleven major Great Houses. They could either perform such
distinctive military service to be elevated to a Minor Lord,
capable of being married into a Great House and hence become a
member. They could be released by their master House and join a
moderately sized group sometimes referred to as the 'Free
Peoples'. The least welcome scenario for servants was death,
either in battle alongside their master, or as a result of their
master's wrath. Akagi worked for the hope of becoming one of the
Free Peoples.
Akagi - "Weapons status nominal, My Lord."
Tokashiro smiled. While he did not anticipate a military
offensive from Trekylon, he wanted to be ready for anything.
Despite the central government emerging as the clear winner, the
rebel hierarchy being put to death, and the surviving clone
troops being planted on an uninhabited world under Imperial
protectorate status, he surmised that the empire as a whole-and
here he chuckled at the use of the word 'empire' to describe
Trekylon. It was, at best, a collective of weak planetary
systems enthralled to an emperor who was clearly not even
deserving of being called king, let alone 'emperor'-was too
militarily weakened and disorganized to present much of a
challenge should the Great Houses wish to use the opportunity to
finally put the nail in their coffin once and for all.
Minor Lord Teihito Sakoto - "My Lord, I have just received a
subspace communique from the High Command. Its coded."
Tokashiro rose from his chair and walked to the Communications
station. Teihito Sakoto was once a servant of House Meiji and
had served Tokashiro's grandfather Ashihara. Tokashiro viewed
him as a close companion, though as a Lord, he could just as
easily demote Sakoto as promote him.
Sakoto - "Just decoded the message, My Lord. It appears our
emissary to Imperiopolis has been arrested. The Trekylonian
emperor has declared war on the Great Houses. Their IGF is now
considering war as well."
Tokashiro - "What is the response of the Concordiat to this
blatantly daring and ultimately fatal move by Drake I?"
Sakoto - "Ish'Cong and Alexzonya have declared themselves
neutral. Apparently some false information from our Prefecture
of Verulon has deluded them into siding with the Trekkies.
Jovepenia has sided with us, as has Serdaristan, the New Terran
Republic, and Rhamos."
Tokashiro - "Dammned Ishii. They were the ones that forced the
removal of the Harvey dynasty from the Trekylonian throne. I'm
willing to bet their remnants in Inuyashia are behind this
stupid move of Drake's. Our government should've forced them
from Inuyashia as well, and with bounties on their heads no
less. Those Alterran bastards convinced Ish'Cong to keep that
**** on her throne and as such serve as a beacon for the rest of
that damned family."
Sakoto - "Message concludes that a reinforcement fleet is on its
way here. It will arrive in seven days, and once we link up with
that fleet, our orders are to lay waste every independent system
along our path. We're to move against the military outposts
first and neutralize them before proceeding to Azuria, Bespia
and finally the Gaia-Hera system."
Tokashiro - "The W.T. Sherman maneuver. Very well. Have our
scouts move out into intergalactic space. They will inform us
when our reinforcements arrive. Meantime, I want our scanners at
maximum because I expect those foolish Trekkies to try and mount
an offensive. Battle drills every day."
Sakoto turned back to his station to relay the commands.
Tokashiro looked over at Akagi with a predatory smile.
Tokashiro - "You may yet become a Minor Lord very soon. Or you
may die along with us. Only Fate can decide, though I hardly
believe the Trekkies will be more than gnats to be swatted away
before we begin our Long March."
#Post#: 261--------------------------------------------------
Re: Roundup at the Borderlands
DIR By: MichaelH23
Date: March 16, 2016, 10:08 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
ISS Warhammer
Commodore Rhess watched the tactical display as they drew closer
to the enemy fleet. She could see that scoutships had broken off
from the group and made the jaunt into intergalactic space, and
surmised that they were sent to track enemy reinforcements. She
knew that this would be the moment where an offensive could
either succeed or fail. Looking up at Lieutenant Deering, she
pointed at the display.
Rhess - "This is the sign we've needed. Have the interdictor
ships begin jamming subspace and stand by for missile-jamming.
As soon as we enter range, they'll start firing everything
including harsh language."
Trenton - "Dropping out of warp in six minutes. Shields are up
and weapons charged."
Deering - "I think we've got their attention. They're
intensifying their scans, trying to locate us."
Rhess - "Stealth mode stand by. Deactivate at my command."
She was glad that stealth-mode, something they learned thanks to
modifications introduced by the Inuyashians, functioned.
Otherwise the Xie fleet would already be pouring fire at them
before they dropped out of warp, which would result in disaster.
Trenton - "Two minutes, Captain."
Rhess - "Disengage stealth-mode. Target lead ships. Launch
fighters."
Trenton - "Fighters launching, taking up screening positions."
Rhess - "Engage missile-jamming."
Deering - "Order acknowledged."
Trenton - "They're firing."
Rhess - "Time for you animals to pay the piper. All ships, break
and attack!"
---------------------------------------------------------
Warhammer and its sister ships, the ISS George B. McClellan, and
ISS George A. Custer advanced, fortified by the missile-jamming
fields of the interdictors and flanked on all sides by
Starfuries. Phasers flashed across the space between the fleets,
and everywhere explosions blossomed like blinding flowers. Rhess
could see the Xie fleet attempting one of their vaunted
enveloping maneuvers, hoping to entrap her fleet and force her
to either surrender or fight to the death. She smiled as she
watched the maneuver play out on the tactical display. Waving a
finger toward the viewscreen, she gave orders for the next move
to be made. Trenton and Deering looked at her quizzically, to
which she offered no clue. On the tactical display new signals
appeared all around. Upon closer examination, they were revealed
to be Defiant-class ships decloaking. Trenton looked up at her
in surprise, but she again betrayed nothing. The Defiant-class
ships began their own maneuvering, going out at wide angles
before swinging back and plunging into the enemy fleet.
cont'd>
#Post#: 262--------------------------------------------------
Re: Roundup at the Borderlands
DIR By: MichaelH23
Date: March 16, 2016, 11:09 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
<cont'd
Xie Command Vessel
Lord Tokashiro held fast to his chair as the viewscreen lit with
the explosions from incoming fire. The Trekkies were performing
as he expected. He knew it would be only a matter of time before
his fleet destroyed the Trekkies and the spacelanes into their
pathetic little state would be wide open for him to burn through
on the way to the capital world. He was already dreaming of
leveling every city on the planet when Minor Lord Sakoto
muttered a startled shout. Tokashiro was not accustomed to
someone on his ship expressing fear or surprise, especially
where the insipid Trekkies were concerned.
Tokashiro - "What is going on? Have the Trekkies decided to flee
before we envelope them? It will do them no good anyway."
Sakoto - "Negative. They've cut off our subspace frequencies."
Tokashiro - "Damn them. Search for those interdictor cruisers of
theirs and eliminate them. We need to keep in touch with our
reinforcements on their way from the Milky Way."
Sakoto - "They keep them well-guarded. Jem'Hadar attack
fighters."
Tokashiro - "I don't care if they're guarded by pitbulls and
chihuahuas. Take them out."
Akagi - "My Lord, we've got three damaged ships. They're not
even suffering serious damage."
Tokashiro - "I knew we should've moved against them while they
were fighting among themselves. We could've had them on their
knees. Despite strong calls from our government to do so, the
Concordiat Council rejected it and opted for benevolent
neutrality. Now we see what our inaction has done. Have the
frigates move in among them and engage. They won't be able to
defend themselves without firing on one another."
Sakoto - "I'm getting some strange new readings."
Tokashiro - "Source?"
Sakoto - "Unknown. But its encircling us and the Trekkies."
Akagi - "We should pull back. If its an ion storm, we could let
it do the hardest part for us, weaken the Trekkies to such an
extent that we could take our time slaughtering them."
Tokashiro turned sharply on Akagi and struck him so hard that
the sound exploded across the bridge. Akagi fell to the deck
stunned. Tokashiro towered over him, drawing his katana and
pointing the end of the blade down on his throat.
Tokashiro - "You should know that once battle is joined, there
are only two ways it will end. Victory or death. We will not
pull back because of some storm. If you ever make another
suggestion like that again, your head will adorn my wall."
Sakoto - "My Lord, those readings. They're changing."
Tokashiro - "Changing into what?"
Sakoto fell silent, prompting Tokashiro to press the end of his
blade to his neck.
Tokashiro - "Speak, dammit!"
Sakoto said nothing, but switched the viewscreen angle to show
what the tactical display was revealing. Tokashiro turned to it
and gasped in shock as Trekkie ships decloaked all around them.
They had used his own entrapment maneuver against him, and with
their ships protected from missiles by a jamming field, and
their subspace communications cut off, it was now Tokashiro who
was trapped.
Tokashiro - "Have our forward battlecruisers seek out their
command ship. If we take it out it will confuse them and allow
us to neutralize their interdictors and reopen our lines to the
scouts."
Akagi halfway choked on his words as he slowly pulled himself
back up, the welt on his cheek darkening.
Akagi - "They have us outmaneuvered, My Lord!"
Tokashiro could only watch as his dreams of burning Gaia
personally began to crumble all around him.
#Post#: 267--------------------------------------------------
Re: Roundup at the Borderlands
DIR By: MichaelH23
Date: March 17, 2016, 2:29 am
---------------------------------------------------------
The battle degenerated into a series of sorties, dogfights, and
advances as the 1st Imperial Fleet slowly enveloped its Xie
adversaries. Rhess continued to track the enemy ship movements
on the tactical display as the battle raged on. Conduits
flashed, lights dimmed then returned to full illumination, and
bulkheads rumbled all around her, but she remained steady on her
feet. Deering was shouting damage reports while Trenton was
shouting damage reports from other ships. It was all a confusion
of noise and light surrounding her. Rhess was determined to
bring the Xie to heel, and she knew that the Xie commander was
just as determined to escape long enough to link with
reinforcements and smash through the borderlands. Warhammer
continued to push deeper into the battle-zone, taking heavy fire
and throwing back with equal ferocity...
Bridge of ISS Warhammer
Deering - "Captain, the Defiant wing has closed the gap and
begun their attack run."
Rhess - "Have the Galaxy and Excelsior groups push into the
center of their lines."
Trenton - "Wouldn't their flanks crushing inward give them more
ships in the center of their line and thus cost us more in
ships?"
Rhess - "They were not expecting us to pull our trump card.
They're confused now, and this will give us an advantage. I
intend to take that advantage."
Deering - "Captain, we've lost a ship."
Rhess - "Details later, we still have a battle to win. Status of
the enemy fleet?"
Trenton - "One battlecruiser is listing and severely
damaged...two destroyed."
Deering - "Captain you won't believe this, but a signal just
flashed across the Xie fleet, and..........they've ceased fire."
Trenton - "They've ceased fire?"
Rhess - "Start scanning for their reinforcements. They've
probably stopped firing just long enough to link up before they
resume the battle."
Deering - "No sign of any-- Sir, they're hailing us."
For the first time in so many years, Carlia Rhess was utterly
speechless.
---------------------------------------------------------
Lord Tokashiro watched in utter horror as battlecruiser Totomari
exploded on the viewer. He hoped it would take a couple of the
damned Trekkie ships with it, but as the screen brightness
returned to normal and vacuum claimed the atomized remains of
the ship, no Trekkie ships had been caught in the shock wave.
Sakoto - "My Lord, our two sister ships are severely damaged. We
need to bring them back within the safety of the fleet before
the Trekkies finish them off."
Akagi - "Too late!"
Sure enough, the second ship, Fujimori broke apart and exploded,
sending debris in every direction. Tokashiro noted bitterly that
the Trekkie ships' shields withstood the rain of debris as they
advanced deeper into the combat zone. Worse still, one of those
was the command ship for the Trekkie fleet.
Sakoto - "My Lord, with all due respect, we're cut off,
outnumbered, outgunned and out-maneuvered. Casualty reports are
growing higher as long as this battle continues, and long-range
sensors are now picking up as many as 10 to 12 additional
Trekkie fleets converging not far from here."
Akagi - "My Lord, the best course now is to seek terms from the
Trekkie commander."
Tokashiro frowned. He was of House Meiji, and he knew that
dishonor would befall the House if he sought terms with the
enemy commander, but considering the tactical situation he now
faced, he was left with no alternative. He drew his katana from
his sash and held it in both hands, almost reverently.
Tokashiro - "Open a channel to the Trekkie.......Trekylonian
commander requesting their terms."
The entire command deck froze as the unheard of, unfathomable,
and unthinkable order was given. For seconds, no one moved.
Tokashiro noticed right away.
Tokashiro - "Obey me!"
Akagi - "My Lord, the channel is open. We can contact their
commander."
The image on the screen changed to a spacious bridge backdrop.
Staring at them with burning eyes was a young woman who
Tokashiro thought was much too young to be in command of a
warship.
Rhess - "I am Task Fleet Commodore Carlia Rhess. I request that
you unconditionally surrender your fleet."
Tokashiro recognized her instantly.
Tokashiro - "I am Lord Tokashiro of House Meiji. I remember you
from the attack on Twist. I can't believe you survived that
attack."
Rhess - "I survived, but my parents didn't. In fact almost all
of my family died on that world thanks to you and your Barlat
friends. You should never have attacked us."
Tokashiro - "We prevented a major galactic threat from becoming
too powerful. Your parents were simply too weak to resist."
Rhess - "We could sit here and trade insults, but the bottom
line is, I outnumber you, I outgun you, and I out-sass you, not
to mention surround you. How many more ships and lives are you
prepared to sacrifice to satisfy Xie honor?"
cont'd >
#Post#: 271--------------------------------------------------
Re: Roundup at the Borderlands
DIR By: MichaelH23
Date: March 27, 2016, 1:17 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
<cont'd
Lord Tokashiro muted the commchannel. The image of the hated
Trekkie commander, barely more than a girl, remained on the
viewscreen. He paced in front of his command chair while the
rest of the bridge crew waited for the inevitable explosion of
emotion which was typical of a Meiji military officer. Tokashiro
simply continued pacing, and it seemed as though an eternity had
passed before he finally ceased.
Akagi - "My Lord, you could request, as part of the official
surrender, that she come aboard and accept your ceremonial
sword."
Tokashiro whirled on the inferior, ready to strike him with the
back of his hand. Akagi, thinking fast even as he saw the Meiji
lord's hand rearing back in preparation, formulated his idea.
Akagi - "You could use her either as a hostage to force the
Trekkies to yield...or kill her. Without her command, their
fleet will be disorganized and we can seize the initiative."
Tokashiro's hand froze in mid-strike. He actually liked the idea
that Akagi had proposed. Letting his hand drop to his side
again, and rewarding Akagi with a very rare smile, Tokashiro
walked back to his seat, but did not sit down.
Tokashiro - "I want a fully armed team on the bridge
immediately. They will be needed to either detain
our......guest, or to carry her corpse to the airlock."
Sakoto - "She's still waiting for a reply, My Lord."
Tokashiro turned his gaze back to the viewscreen....
---------------------------------------------------------
Rhess watched as the enemy commander debated his decision with
the crew. She saw him raise a hand toward one, in preparation to
strike him, then drop his hand and smile. She grew more
suspicious as he walked back to his seat but did not sit down,
then turn his eyes to her, smile still on his face.
Tokashiro - "We have a custom that the enemy commander is needed
in order to present the ceremonial sword as a gesture of
surrender. Would you deny your opponent his custom by refusing
to meet and accept his humble surrender?"
Rhess - "One moment, My Lord."
She gestured for Deering to mute both the audio and visual feed,
then called Trenton to her side.
Rhess - "I have no intention of going over there and possibly
becoming either a hostage or a casualty, and our reinforcements
are just an hour away, but at the same time, I cannot risk
losing any more of our ships in a prolonged battle."
Trenton - "Perhaps, Commodore, we can use his so-called custom
to our advantage. We could say that because of your rank as
Fleet Commodore, you cannot transport to his ship, but as a
compromise he could be beamed directly to the bridge."
Deering - "The Xie would see that as an insult and an affront to
their honor for their commander to submit to an 'inferior'
enemy."
Trenton - "When have the Xie honored ANY cultural traditions and
customs in our past dealings with them? For once, we can do to
them what they've always done to us. Would you miss such a
chance, even if it violates our diplomatic protocol?"
Deering - "No sir I would not. Protocol be damned, but its time
we changed the rules ourselves."
Trenton - "Anyone else among the crew have an objection?"
Nobody spoke, instead offering encouragement and defiance toward
Xie custom. Rhess allowed herself a brief smile before the mask
of serious aloofness returned. She turned to face her enemy on
the screen and gestured to restore the audio-visual.
Rhess - "I'm honored to receive such a warm invitation, but we
have a custom as well. Because of my high status in Fleet
Command, it is not traditional to transport over to an
opponent's ship. I am willing, however, to offer a
counterproposal. You could be beamed direct to the bridge and
offer your katana ceremonially. The surrender would be
transmitted so that your ships could have a record as well, that
way your propaganda people back home would not have any chances
of turning this to your advantage."
Tokashiro - "I refuse to set foot on a Trekkie ship, unless I'm
taking possession of it. And seeing that you are not that
advanced enough to warrant such an action, I'm afraid we're at
an impasse."
Rhess - "So you're saying you're afraid of us, that right? I
mean, if we're as inferior as your propaganda lets on, then you
shouldn't have anything to fear from us 'Trekkies'."
Her attempt to irritate the Xie commander instantly paid off
when his face reddened, his eyes widened, and his chest swelled
with indignation. Xie were predictably easy to aggravate, which
was one more victory she could claim.
Tokashiro - "Lord Tokashiro fears no man...or woman!"
Rhess - "Good. Then stand by for transport on my next signal."
The viewscreen cut back to the sight of the battered yet still
defiant Xie fleet. Rhess looked up at Deering.
Rhess - "I want troop transports to prepare boarding parties.
Have Starfleet Security join them in securing the high-risk
areas of their ships. They're not to fire unless fired upon."
Deering - "Yes sir."
Rhess - "Mr Trenton, get me some Panther Guard up here, on the
double."
Trenton - "Yes sir."
Within a matter of minutes, eight Panther Guardsmen were in
position. Two by the turbolift doors and four stationed on
either side of the viewscreen. Rhess looked at Deering and
received the confirmation nod from her Tactical/Security
Officer. Everything was in place. She gestured to activate the
audio channel.
Rhess - "Stand by for transport, Commander Xie flagship"
She didn't wait for an acknowledgement from the other ship.
Rhess - "Mr Deering, the exact same moment Lord Tokashiro is
beamed to the bridge, begin transport of our troops."
Deering - "Ready to go, sir."
Rhess - "Begin transport....now."
She turned as a curtain of sparkling energy appeared, then
coalesced into a humanoid form. Lord Tokashiro materialized in
front of the main viewscreen, with the Guardsmen now closing in,
defensively. Tokashiro looked surprised both by the size of the
bridge, and the fact he was surrounded by hawkish Guardsmen.
cont'd>
#Post#: 276--------------------------------------------------
Re: Roundup at the Borderlands
DIR By: MichaelH23
Date: June 3, 2016, 12:30 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
< cont'd
Tokashiro - "Perhaps my assessment of your ship was a bit
hasty."
He suddenly became aware of the Guard approaching him from all
sides, their hands hovering so close to their weapons that he
knew if he were to make an impetuous charge at the commander of
the Trekkie ship, they would slice him down before he got within
feet of her.
Tokashiro - "I see you anticipated my plan and put it into
effect far more efficiently than I could have. Clever, for an
inferior people. But you do realize that I could unsheath my
dagger and commit seppuku on your bridge. That would be a more
effective propaganda coup, a loyal soldier of the Great Houses,
tricked by Trekkie perfidy and killed on their flagship. That I
had taken my own life would not matter. It would be the very
thing needed to incite the rest of the Concordiat to declare war
on your pathetic civilization and finally do what we should have
done years ago.....wipe it out totally."
Rhess - "Yes, you could take your own life right on my bridge.
But you overvalue your own death. All that would happen is my
carpet would be stained with your blood and have to be ripped
out and replaced. See, I refuse to trample on Xie filth, even if
its dead filth. But you will find that your dagger has been
beamed into space separate from you. Guard, seize his saber."
A Guardsman walked up to the shocked Tokashiro and pulled his
saber, scabbard and all from the commander's belt. Tokashiro
stared at Rhess as the Guardsman handed her his blade.
Tokashiro - "How dare you seize my saber! You have tricked me
with your feminine duplicity!"
Rhess - "Sticks and stones, Lord Tokashiro. I do have one other
surprise for you, however. You may want to turn to the
viewscreen."
Tokashiro initially refused to give her the satisfaction of his
curiosity. But as Rhess focused her attention past him, he began
to feel a sense of dread. He slowly turned, expecting to see his
entire fleet reduced to floating flotsam. What he saw instead
made him pale with horror. It was even worse than
destruction...it was humiliation. The Xie fleet, pride of the
Great Houses and but the first in a wave of Barlat invasions of
Bode's Galaxy, had switched their transponders off. Their
running lights switched to the blue-white common of the Trekkie
fleet, and their weapons had been disengaged. He knew that the
reinforcement fleet would now lose their bearing and be forced
to retreat back to the Milky Way galaxy in haste.
Rhess - "Beautiful sight, isn't it? Your fleet now in the
custody of the Intergalactic Empire of Trekylon, minus two. I
think it a fair price for our two ships destroyed and one
severely damaged, don't you?"
Tokashiro hung his head. Deprived of a means of taking his own
life, deprived of his shining fleet, deprived of reinforcements
at a stroke, and worst of all, deprived of his chance to blaze a
trail through Trekylonian territory straight to the capital
systems. He gritted his teeth and growled, but eventually
realized his war was now over.
Rhess - "Mr Trenton. Signal the closest ship and inform them
that I'm transferring my flag. I'm relinquishing command of this
ship to you. Your orders are to take our...guest...back to Gaia.
He is to be treated with respect, but make no mistake, he is now
our first war-time POW."
Trenton - "Yes, Commodore. Thank you."
Rhess turned back to face Tokashiro.
Rhess - "Look on the bright side, My Lord. You aren't going to
Gaia a conqueror, or even as a fleet commander...but you are
going there. That's more than could likely be said of your
countrymen. And, uh......welcome to Trekylon."
With that, Rhess stepped up to the upper level, flashing Deering
a rare smile before entering the turbolift for the last time as
commander of ISS Warhammer.
#Post#: 277--------------------------------------------------
Re: Roundup at the Borderlands
DIR By: MichaelH23
Date: June 3, 2016, 12:58 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Captured Xie warship Kiributo
Corporal Jim Jenkins of the MACOs had been itching for a battle
with the Great Houses ever since the Barlat Assault three years
before. He did not participate in the recent Civil War as he was
not willing to shed the blood of his fellow countrymen, though
he did make it clear he did not support the rebel agenda. As
soon as war was declared against the Great Houses of Xie, he
volunteered for duty aboard the ISS Warhammer, knowing it would
lead the attack. Now he was aboard a Xie warship, in charge of
Engineering. His team consisted of two other MACOs: Donald
Malcolm and Teresa Bingham, three Starfleet Security officers
loaned from Warhammer: Tomas Gonzalez, Mai-Ling Bao, and N'Dula
Mfala, and twenty Imperial Marines led by their commander,
Lieutenant Commander Delax Sobar, who was from Abraxas.
Twenty-five men and women had seized control of the Engineering
Room of an enemy ship, supported by additional teams who had
secured the Main Shuttlebay, Weapons Control, Communications
Control and the Command Level. Looking down from the upper
level, he spied a sea of Xie enlisted, on their knees with their
hands above their head, supervised by several of the Marines. He
heard footsteps approaching from a nearby ladder, which was the
only access from the ground level. Judging them to be feminine
in sound and further assessing the gait, he recognized Teresa
Bingham easily.
Bingham - "Sir, Private Bingham status report, sir!"
Jenkins - "At ease, private. Report status."
Bingham - "Our Medtech has found something rather unusual among
the prisoners. They're not all Xie."
Jenkins - "Not all?"
Bingham - "No sir. In fact, several of them had to be separated
from the Xie personnel because as soon as they were brought
together, these people would spit, curse and even kick the Xie."
Jenkins - "Have our teams separate them and begin to conduct
interviews. Be courteous but cautious. Do not restrain them
unless they pose a threat."
Bingham - "Yes sir. What should we tell them?"
Jenkins - "Let them know we mean them no harm and that our enemy
is the Great Houses."
Bingham - "Yes sir."
Jenkins - "On your way, private..and nice work."
Bingham saluted Jenkins, not required in the MACOs, but he
accepted as a sign of respect. He turned his attention back to
the sea of Xie POWs and their Imperial Marine overseers, feeling
triumphant but also wondering what this latest news would mean
for the rest of the war.
#Post#: 278--------------------------------------------------
Re: Roundup at the Borderlands
DIR By: MichaelH23
Date: June 5, 2016, 1:30 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Interrogation Room, aboard captured Xie warship Kiributo
Private Bingham had never conducted an interrogation before, nor
had she witnessed an interrogation. She rose to the challenge
presented by her command officer, Corporal Jenkins, nonetheless,
with finesse and a feminine charm that was hoped would relax the
fearful individual sitting across from her. She had first looked
around the Interrogation Chamber when she entered and found
herself disgusted with the various 'tools' openly displayed on
the walls. Clearly, the Xie had no regard for inflicting harm on
its prisoners, which seemed to confirm the rumor she had heard,
about how no one survived the Great Houses' interrogation for
very long. Judging by the cruel, gruesome, and outright inhumane
nature of the instruments, the rumor seemed to be grounded in
fact. She ordered them removed from the room just before the
individual was brought in, to further relax him. But from the
moment he entered the chamber, escorted by a pair of Marines,
she got the impression from his horrified expression that he had
been in the chamber many times. She started the questioning by
reassuring him that he would not be harmed in any way, to which
his response remained that of a deer trapped by hunters eager
to make the kill. She next introduced herself, hoping this would
elicit a change in his behavior and even get a response. All she
got in return was a barely whispered name, as his eyes continued
to take in the chamber with a dread horror she was by now
getting used to.
Bingham - "You say your name is Raan' Ta, correct?"
Raan'Ta *whispering* - "Y-y-yes."
Bingham - "You can relax. You're among friends here. We've taken
this ship from the people that oppressed you."
Raan'Ta - "This chamber brings back too many memories."
Bingham was thankful that the Universal Translator was working,
though it would still take time to decipher and translate fully,
the language of the individual named Raan'Ta. She did learn from
the UT that his named, translated, meant 'He who brings
freedom'. Were it not for the UT, his responses would've came
out sounding more like "unnnnc...nann'maat, to"
Bingham - "We have never encountered your race before. Can you
tell me who you are?"
Raan'Ta *undeciphered language* - ".....Venzetti"
Bingham - "Venzetti?"
Raan'Ta - "Y-yes."
Bingham - "How long have the Xie oppressed your people? What
happened to your homeworld?"
Raan'Ta fell into silence, his eyes continuing to dart about,
looking at every corner of the chamber, displaying pure horror.
Bingham knew she'd get nothing more from him as long as he was
in the chamber. Bingham rose from her seat, across from the
frightened Venzetti and pressed a control on the door. The door
opened, and the two Marines who brought Raan'Ta in earlier
entered the room again, taking up position on either side of
him.
Bingham - "Send a message to ISS Orpheus and request permission
to bring Raan'Ta over. See if they can provide him comfortable
living quarters and ask their doctor to do a full medical
workup. I need to know what the Xie may have done to him, but
more important, he needs to be taken off this ship. Maybe then
he'll be willing to tell us more about him, his people, his
homeworld, and his history with the Xie."
Marine #1 - "Yes Ma'am."
Bingham - "Treat him with all courtesy and let him see that he
is not a POW."
Marine #2 - "Yes Ma'am."
Bingham locked eyes on the Venzetti, who now looked at
her...genuinely looked at her for the first time since their
interrogation began.
Bingham - "You will be taken to one of our ships, where a doctor
will check you for any diseases or injuries. You have my word
that you will not be harmed in any way."
Raan'Ta - "W-w-who are you people?"
Bingham - "Your liberators. You'll learn more once you're aboard
our ship."
Both Marines pulled the chair back slowly, so as not to startle
Raan'Ta. His eyes darted from one to the other, and both men
responded with looks that conveyed their gentleness. Raan'Ta
rose from his chair and walked out of the room, followed by the
Marines. Bingham sat back in her chair, puzzled and amazed by
the way in which Raan'Ta reacted to the Marines and her offer of
sanctuary, but, deciding that she and the Venzetti did agree on
the fact the room was too disgusting even with the torture tools
removed, she made her own exit not long after.
#Post#: 279--------------------------------------------------
Re: Roundup at the Borderlands
DIR By: MichaelH23
Date: June 5, 2016, 2:44 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
ISS Orpheus
Commodore Rhess walked onto the bridge of Orpheus and found that
it very closely matched Warhammer, which she found satisfying as
she would not have to learn her way around a new starship.
Waiting at the command mid-level stood the captain, now
commander, Wheeler Dickson. A young 26-year-old from Bespia,
Dickson seemed very mature for his very youthful appearance, and
she found him to be, remarkably, attractive. Next to him was
Ship's Counselor Tawan Dovas, a Betazoid woman of 35 years of
age who kept her reddish hair in a bun, allowing only the
longest hairs to spill down her back. Her deep black eyes marked
her as fully Betazoid, which did not surprise Rhess. She knew
there were half-Betazoids in the empire, especially one in the
ministry itself, but she had never met a full Betazoid until
today. On Dickson's left, looking irascible, stood Doctor
Patrick Benzeen. Rhess had met him once, during the relief
mission to Caledonia II after the Civil War. She knew him to be
highly irritable, old-fashioned, crotchety, and generally aloof.
He had an accent she recognized as from Earth's southeastern
region of the North American continent, in the old United
States, again reminding her of the Surgeon-General in the
ministry, who was also from that region.
Rhess - "Commodore Carlia Rhess, here to take command of fleet
from ISS Orpheus. I relieve you, Commander."
Dickson - "I stand relieved, Commodore. Welcome aboard. Let me
introduce Counselor Dovas from Betazed."
Rhess and Dovas shook hands, smiling. Dovas could sense that
Rhess was remaining reserved despite the smile, but said
nothing. There would be time later to confer with her.
Dickson - "I believe you already know Doctor Benzeen from the
Caledonia II relief mission."
Rhess *addressing Dickson* - "You know of my role in the relief
mission?"
Dickson - "I took the liberty to look over your profile before
you came aboard. I hope that was okay."
Rhess - "You remind me of me in that regard, Commander.
Perfectly understandable under the circumstances."
She took the Doctor's hand and pumped it furiously.
Rhess - "Good to see you again, Doctor. Glad you're doing
better."
Benzeen flinched and Dickson could see that the reminder of his
role in the relief mission still bothered him.
Dickson - "I guess he's still tormented by the number of
starving children he encountered in New Glasgow."
Benzeen - "No. I'm remembering a precocious little 9-year-old
girl who kicked me so hard in the crotch when I couldn't come up
with a treat for her after giving one to her brother, that I
spent four days making sure my testicles were still in the right
locations. Damn kid. If I had had the mind to do so, I'd have
gotten a hickory switch and tore her behind up good."
Rhess - "And you would've ended up in the brig for it."
Benzeen - "I wouldn't have cared. That little girl would've
learned her lesson on how not to disrespect her elders."
Dovas - "How come it took you days to relocate your genitals,
Doctor?"
Rhess couldn't help but chuckle at the innocence of the
question. Benzeen shot the Counselor a look that could've
destroyed the Xie fleet in one shot.
Benzeen - "Because I may be 129 years old, but I still value
my.....manhood, young lady. I won't have some brat girl ruin my
chances of continuing my family line even at this ripe old age."
Rhess laughed at that, which surprised Dickson and especially
Dovas. Benzeen glared at Rhess as a grandfather would a
grandchild who had just played a joke on him.
Dickson - "At the Upper Level, Tactical Station we have Andorian
shan Resthrik Ch'Vareness...we call him Thrik for short."
Rhess looked up at Thrik, who bowed in greeting. Rhess returned
the bow as Dickson continued.
Dickson - "At the Ops console is Lieutenant Commander Tahna
Narik of Bajor, and at the Conn is Ensign Miroku Ryujin from
Azuria."
Both officers nodded at Rhess, who nodded back in return.
Dickson - "Our Engineer is Brittney LaForge. She is the daughter
of Secretary Geordi LaForge. You'll meet her later. Right now
she's overseeing preparations for our next campaign, checking
weapons power status and engine efficiency."
Rhess - "Very good. I look forward to meeting her and commending
her on her performance. I was informed that we have a guest from
the Xie warship who was beamed aboard minutes ago."
Dickson - "He arrived about the same time you did. He isn't Xie,
however."
Rhess - "What race?"
Dickson - "All we know of his race is a name...Venzetti. He's
apparent a slave crewman aboard the Xie vessel and there are
several others scattered throughout the Xie fleet we just
captured. He's frightened out of his wits. One of our MACOs
could barely get any information out of him."
Rhess - "Considering his treatment by the Great Houses, its not
surprising. Where is he now?"
Dickson - "On his way to Sickbay. Nurse Chaplin has already
signaled her readiness for the patient."
Benzeen - "I guess I better get down there to supervise the
examination. Otherwise, Chaplin will be gunnin' for my job
within an hour."
Rhess - "I'll join you, Doctor. I want to meet this Venzetti
myself."
Thrik - "Commodore, message from Warhammer. They're ready to
return to the Imperial frontier, only awaiting your order."
Rhess - "Tell Captain Trenton he has his orders and Godspeed."
Thrik - "Message sent and acknowledged."
Rhess watched for a moment as her former flagship broke
formation and came about, setting course back to the empire.
Minutes later, the ship elongated into a bright streak as it
went into warp, then vanished in a final, distant flash of
light.
Dickson - "I take it your former flagship has a very valuable
POW aboard."
Rhess - "Indeed. Lord Tokashiro, the Xie fleet commander."
Benzeen - "Tokashiro you say?"
Rhess - "Yes, why Doc?"
Benzeen - "I remember hearing from rebel POWs on Hellonde that
one of their so-called officials met with a Lord Tokashiro. He
represented one of the most belligerent of the Great
Houses....House Meiji."
Rhess - "House Meiji attempted a coup seven years ago. They
almost succeeded except the other Great Houses banded together
and defeated them in a brief civil war, though they did allow
House Meiji to maintain control of the overall military fleet as
well as the military colonies the Great Houses established in
the wake of the Barlat-Laptev War. They're regarded as the most
dangerous of all the Great Houses."
Dickson - "Seems like the Meiji boys have been busy since the
Barlat Assault."
Benzeen - "They led the Xie in the Barlat Assault. We lost
thousands of our citizens and hundreds of thousands of our brave
men and women defending them to those dogs."
Rhess - "Then our Lord Tokashiro may be more valuable than we
first thought."
Dickson - "Doctor, you better be on your way to Sickbay before
we have to call Chaplin the new CMO."
Benzeen - "Over my dead body...and I'm not dead yet. Commodore,
if you would like to accompany me?"
Rhess - "Commander, I'll want a meeting with you and Lieutenant
Thrik at 1500 hours to plan our next objective. I want the fleet
underway by 1600 hours. I'll be with the Doc in Sickbay if you
need me."
Dickson - "Yes Ma'am."
Rhess gestured to Benzeen to lead the way to the turbolift. He
grumbled, then started for the lift with Rhess following close
behind. As the lift doors closed behind them, Dickson turned to
Dovas.
Dickson - "What is your first impression of our new CO?"
Dovas - "She is hiding some painful memories from her past, as
well as deep resentments toward the Great Houses. Especially
when Tokashiro was mentioned, her rage boiled to the surface
briefly. I worry about her fitness to lead the fleet."
Dickson - "Anyone who suffered as she did has every right to be
outraged at the Great Houses. Still, keep a discreet eye on her
for now, talk to her when you can, and keep me informed. She
seems on the level right now, but if she breaks down in a combat
situation, I may have to step in for the sake of the fleet and
the war effort and relieve her."
*****************************************************
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