test content
What is the Arc Client?
Install Arc

Mirror Wars (RP Thread)

16162636466

Comments

  • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
    edited August 2019
    Brea III (Prime)

    Admiral Valdez just arrived home from a field assignment,
    "Nathan, you look shattered" said Joanna.
    "It's been a long series of talks, of which I cannot go into detail" answered Valdez as he gave Joanna a kiss, "How is our little bundle of joy?" he asked afterwards.
    "Apart from keeping me up half the night, she's been a little angel" answered Joanna as she passed Zoe Maria over.
    "Yeah, the no sleep club" replied Valdez before Zoe Maria left a surprise down his shoulder.
    "You pick your moments little lady" said Joanna trying not to laugh.
    "I better get her cleaned up" sighed Valdez as he was passed a box of wipes.
    "Hey dad" said Trianna (yellow) when she walked in with Isoisa (prime).
    "I see my Little sister in law left a surprise" said Isoisa before she laughed.
    "Isoisa, I'm glad you see the funny side" replied Valdez.
    "It's quite cute really, it shows she loves you" joked Trianna (yellow) to Valdez.
    "So how many recruits have you terrified today Anna?" asked Valdez.
    "At least half a dozen" answered Trianna (yellow) as Trianna (prime), Ablim Snr and the kids got back.

    "How's the grand kids been?" asked Valdez.
    "Spending time with their grandma while we've been working, I told mother not to spoil them and well Junior and Teanna Jane are totally hyper. Elizabeth has finally got to sleep so try to be a bit quieter around her" answered Trianna (prime).
    "How is Teanna?" asked Valdez.
    "Mother is fine, she's started dating again" answered Trianna (prime).
    "Good to hear, how's the business doing?" asked Valdez.
    "Very well, I ended up giving Luke a job" answered Ablim Snr.
    "He's a good kid, we've got him cleaning and being a waiter. Once he's old enough to pour drinks, we'll be training him up" added Trianna (prime), "having someone who disassembles, cleans, repairs and reassembles equipment is a good thing" she added afterwards.
    "Rick is due home from medical school, he's still not used to married life" joked Trianna (yellow).
    "You mean Oreada is keeping him on track?" asked Valdez.
    "She is" answered Trianna (yellow) as Rick (prime) and Oreada got back home.
    "Rick, nice work earlier" said Oreada as she gave Rick a kiss.
    "Wrong place, right time" replied Rick.
    "What happened?" asked Valdez.
    "There was an accident at the geothermal plant, nothing fatal but lots of burn victims" answered Oreada.
    "Literally, all available staff and cadets were sent in to deal with the casualties. Good thing is no one was killed or fatally injured" added Rick.
    "Good lad, you using what your learnt in the military?" asked Valdez.
    "Triage" answered Rick.
    "That's my boy, put that mind to good use" replied Valdez.
    "My darling baby sister decided to customise your uniform" joked Rick.
    "I need to go and get changed, keep your little sister occupied" said Valdez before he put Zoe Maria back into the carry cot.
    "Copy that dad" answered Rick as Valdez left the room.

    When Valdez returned, Trianna (yellow) tried not to laugh.
    "What's funny Anna?" asked Valdez.
    "Your choice of fashion" answered Trianna (yellow), "it's got old man written over it" she said afterwards as Valdez put his uniform in the wash.
    "I am not old" replied Valdez.
    "You're nearly 44 and have turned grey, that's old" answered Trianna (yellow).
    "Makes your father looks scholarly" said Joanna.
    "It's kind of old fashioned" replied Trianna (yellow).
    "Nothing wrong with it" answered Valdez.
    "Dad, makes you look like a teacher" replied Trianna (prime).
    "Granddad old" said Teanna Jane.
    "I'm outnumbered here" sighed Valdez.
    "And grey" joked Trianna (prime).
    "I chalk that one up to the grand kids" countered Valdez.
    "Well it's good to see you getting old with dignity" answered Trianna (prime).
    "It's inevitable dad" added Trianna (yellow).

    All the jokes stopped when a priority message came through from Starfleet, Valdez went to his office to take the call,
    "Nathan, I'm sorry to disturb you but a crisis has come up in the Laurentian cluster, there's been an accident and all available ships are needed to evacuate the colonists on Laurentia IV. Admiral get those people out" said Admiral Janeway.
    "I'll get ready, Kathryn, I'll need Starfleet on this" answered Valdez.
    "You'll have our support, Janeway out" replied Admiral Janeway before the screen went blank.


    Post edited by theraven2378 on
    NMXb2ph.png
      "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
      -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
    • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
      edited August 2019
      Betazed (MU red)

      In a meeting with her officers, Empress Jodi Iodokar (red) looked at the options,
      "We need to stamp it out, execute the ringleaders and their entire families. Any Terrans who have joined must also be wiped out along with their entire families" urged Naynta Lot (Red), "fear must be maintained" she said afterwards.
      "The more brutal you are, the more enemies you make. Violence is not an answer" countered Seisa (red).
      "You're a coward, you don't have the guts to punish an entire population" replied Naynta.
      "You'll only encourage more resistance" answered Solat (red).
      "This idea of self rule and democracy is dangerous, it gives the people ideas of independence" replied Naynta.
      "So you would punish innocent people for the crimes of their leaders, how big of you. Reprisals only cause more resistance" answered Seisa.
      "We need a middle ground, something that prevents a pointless waste of troops and resources" suggested Solat.
      "This Republic needs stamping out before their dangerous ideas start spreading further" countered Naynta.
      "At what cost?" asked Seisa.
      "Losses are irreverent" answered Naynta.
      "They'll fight you tooth and nail, your losses will be so heavy that your victory will be as bitter as defeat" replied Seisa.
      "The Empire can deal with the losses" answered Naynta.
      "When you corner a wild animal, it will strike out. The Terrans will not submit without a fight" replied Seisa.
      "An example must be made" answered Naynta.
      "Do you really want to risk a war of independence?" asked Seisa.
      "It's what the Terrans call a powder keg ready to blow, all it needs is a spark" said Solat.
      "A spark we do not want to set off" replied Seisa.

      "The Terrans suffered greatly under the Klingons and Cardassians, to them you are just another alien repressing them" said Solat.
      "I am nothing like those monsters, I grew up being bullied and called names like half-breed and mongrel all my life" replied Jodi.
      "You know Spock did have a point, we put his teachings of peace, tolerance and logic into law but we still maintain the big stick" suggested Solat.
      "The Monarchy rules for the people on behalf of the people, for too long the Empire has shown brutality, it needs to stop. We need to take a good long hard self reflection" added Seisa.
      "The logic is sound" said Solat.
      "Logic will not end this rebellious republic, force of arms will" answered Naynta.
      "Force of arms would be counter-productive, logic must be applied to this situation" replied Solat.
      "I'm going to have to agree with the Regent" said Jodi.
      "We can end this act of rebellion in one big hammer blow" replied Naynta.
      "They will not yield to you, you are just as bad as the Alliance was. You are no better than the Cardassians and Klingons who oppressed them" answered Seisa.
      "Shut it coward, know your place" replied Naynta.
      Solat just waved a micro-transporter on a chain in front of Naynta followed by,
      "You know where this will take you, somewhere not very pleasant."
      Naynta gulped.

      "We're going to show restraint, we cannot afford another conflict which could destroy this empire" said Jodi after listening to both sides of the argument.
      "Regent, suggestions?" asked Jodi.
      "Reassign Admiral Lot to Betazed, somewhere behind a desk so she cannot cause any more problems than she's already caused" suggested Solat.
      "I'll take that under advisement" answered Jodi.
      "We may have to put our forces on standby, intelligence has picked up a militant group who are trying to take over Terra, they call themselves Trotskyists, they want to spread their revolution to the rest of the Empire" suggested Solat.
      "What's the state of our forces?" asked Jodi.
      "Most of the Terrans have resigned and have headed back to Sol, Terra is on the verge of a civil war and we're going to have to get troops from other worlds in order to intervene. Most of the Terran crewed starships have also returned to Sol but we don't know who's side they are on" answered Solat.
      "Cowards, traitors and deserters" said Naynta.
      "They have a fleet, troops and lots of weapons" answered Solat.
      "They're not using violence" replied Seisa.
      "They want to talk but they've said only at a neutral location" reported Solat.
      "Restraint it is" said Jodi, "thank you all, we'll call this meeting over" she said afterwards.
      The officers got up and saluted the Empress before leaving the room, Naynta stayed behind looking nervous.

      "Why are you looking terrified?" asked Jodi.
      "There might be Tal Shiar watching me" answered Naynta as Solat's guards were leaving the room.
      "Never upset a Vulcan who has the Tal Shiar under their control, you've got a bullseye on your back" replied Jodi.
      "Green blooded demon suggesting I get put behind a desk" complained Naynta.
      "It's called keeping you on a short leash" replied Jodi.
      "You're not the one having to wake up with cold sweats paranoid that someone may be watching your every action" answered Naynta.
      "You were warned what would happen, you did not listen. You are lucky that Solat decided to teach you a lesson, you know what happens to people who get the Tal Shiar's attention. They disappear and are never seen again" replied Jodi.


      Post edited by theraven2378 on
      NMXb2ph.png
        "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
        -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
      • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
        edited August 2019
        Betazed (MU Yellow)

        Trianna (red) was preparing for her wedding, after a trial period of sharing a home with Brookfield and Mara, Brookfield and Trianna had decided to bring the wedding forward.
        "Little one, why a Terran wedding?" asked Teanna (red).
        "Mother, there are some things I'll draw the line at" answered Trianna.
        "You are forgetting your heritage" replied Teanna as she was helping Trianna with her hair.
        "Mother, I'm not nervous" said Trianna as Isabella came in with the wedding dress.
        "Trianna, you're my little girl" replied Teanna.
        "Mother, I've been through hell and back, fought nightmares and I protect my people. I'm not your little girl anymore" answered Trianna.
        "You still are, a lot has happened over the last three years. I've still not fully caught up but I know you've had some good teachers. I may have disagreed with the empress when I first met her" replied Teanna.
        "You slapped her, hardly a good first impression" answered Trianna, "for a former Federation, she's the breath of fresh air the Empire needed" she said afterwards.
        "This empire has more freedoms than the other does, a better quality of life too" said Teanna.
        "Give her a chance, you won't regret it" answered Trianna as she got her wedding dress on.
        "I'll take that under advisement" replied Teanna.
        "Isabella, how's Junior?" asked Trianna as Teanna zipped the dress up.
        "Junior's looking very smart" answered Isabella before Junior ran into the room.
        "Why the look of disapproval?" asked Trianna to Junior.
        "Can't play" answered Junior.
        "Well, it's a big day. I need you to be on best behaviour" replied Trianna as Teanna put her family's crystal necklace on Trianna.

        Once everyone was ready, they left for the temple. Isabella and the rest of the family went in first and took their seats with friends as Brookfield was at the alter nervous, when Trianna entered, Brookfield was in awe as Trianna was walked up the aisle by Teanna.
        "You are stunning" said Brookfield.
        "Looking sharp" countered Trianna.
        "Priest, we're ready" chorused Trianna and Brookfield.
        The ceremony took place and followed by a,
        "You may now kiss the bride" from the priest to Brookfield.

        Afterwards, both families and their friends had a party to celebrate,
        "Mr Brookfield" said Trianna to Brookfield.
        "Mrs Brookfield" answered Brookfield giving his new wife a kiss.
        "Congratulations to both of you" said Jasmine Smith-Petrofski.
        "Thank you Jas" answered Trianna.
        "Mrs Petrofski, thank you" answered Brookfield to Jasmine.
        "Both of you, congratulations" said Mario Petrofski.
        "Thank you Mario" said Brookfield.
        "Does this mean I have to call you Mom?" asked Mara to Trianna.
        "When you are ready to, but I need you to set a good example to your little brother" answered Trianna.
        "I'll try my best" replied Mara.
        "No such thing as trying your best, you do your best" answered Trianna.
        "Yes Red" replied Mara.
        "Good girl" answered Trianna.
        "Mara's accepted you" said Brookfield.
        "You know she'll be spoilt rotten by my mother, my aunt and uncle" replied Trianna as Mara went to play with Julius and Pel.
        "You two are a good couple" said Seisa (yellow).
        "Jaye, thank you from both of us" said Trianna.
        "Well Junior and my two little terrors are getting along, hopefully they don't get too hyper" replied Seisa.
        "Poor aunt Isabella and poor mother" joked Trianna at the thought of them trying to calm down a hyper toddler.
        Jaye just laughed,
        "My two will take some calming down" she said afterwards.
        "Trianna, a bit of advice from your mother, when raising a girl, do not give them an inch of ground" advised Teanna.
        "I know, be firm but fair" replied Trianna.

        Everyone celebrated over food and drink and Mr and Mrs Brookfield had the last dance.
        Before they left for their honeymoon, Trianna threw a bouquet of flowers over her shoulders and Teanna caught it.
        "Isabella, mother, there's a routine for the kids" said Trianna.
        "Mara usually gets up at 0630, she needs to be ready by 0730 then at 0800, school. She finishes school at 1600" said Brookfield.
        "Charlie, don't worry about Mara, she can stay with us while you are on honeymoon" said Isabella, "she goes to the same school as my boys" she said afterwards.
        "Isabella, you know Junior's routine" said Trianna.
        "We're now family and family help each other, now both of you go and enjoy your honeymoon. Lake El Nar is beautiful this time of year" said Teanna.
        "We'll send you a postcard" replied Trianna.
        Trianna and Charles Brookfield then both boarded their delta Flyer and and left for El Nar.









        NMXb2ph.png
          "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
          -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
        • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
          edited August 2019
          Terran Empire (MU Red)

          Aboard the I.S.S. Papela, Jodi tabled her offer via INN,
          "This is the only deal we are offering" she said as she made sure the everyone heard it loud and clear,
          "You have two options, any wanting to leave will be granted safe one way passage to the wormhole under escort. Only those who choose to resist by force will be punished, there will be no reprisals" as a signed order aired.

          On Terra and other worlds, dissidents realised that if they did not leave, their lives would be a lot more uncomfortable. Dissidents got their families together and boarded ships, the Starfleet personnel who had resigned also took their ships and left. Across the Empire, an exodus of dissidents all converged on Bajor as the wormhole was opened, the convoys of dissidents and Starfleet defectors went through.

          In a matter of weeks, the dissidents were put onto ships along with their families and escorted to the wormhole, Terra was now under Solat's dominion and as an act on reconciliation, she offered the Terrans a seat on her ruling council, they accepted but the more militants rather than leave the Empire peacefully decided to take what ever ships and weapons they could and left for beyond Imperial borders, rather than capitulate, they decided that a guerrilla war was the only way to remove the regime.

          Bajor System (Prime).

          Aboard Deep Space Nine, the station went to alert and the Federation Ninth Fleet was put onto alert.
          Aboard the I.S.S. Manchester, Captain Ellis hailed DS9,
          "This is Captain Ellis of the I.S.S. Manchester, there's more convoys coming through. We have families with us, we request Alliance aid and asylum."
          "Get me Starfleet Command" ordered Kurland to his ops officer, he then turned his attention to Ellis,
          "What of your warships coming through?" he asked afterwards.
          "We're surrendering our ships to you" answered Captain Ellis.
          "Power down your warships, you'll be put under Starfleet guard" replied Kurland.
          "Captain, see that these people and their families are granted asylum" requested Ellis.
          "How many are coming through?" asked Kurland.
          "Millions including a good chunk of our Starfleet, we tried to oppose the regime by non-violent action. We could not willingly serve a regime that was not willing to accept giving the people the right to choose their own leaders and destiny, we want to live in freedom where we can choose our leaders and choose our own destiny" answered Ellis.

          Earth (Prime)

          "Ambassador, this came through from DS9" said President Ford showing Smith the footage of the ships coming through.
          "I saw the ultimatum myself, given the alternative, exile seemed the most humane option" replied Ambassador Smith.
          "From what we've picked up is that Admiral Lot is part of the cause of the discontent" said Ford.
          "Admiral Lot better avoid me, to threaten reprisal on my homeworld and people is crossing that line" replied Smith.
          "Ambassador, what resources will these people need?" asked Ford.
          "We may need to see the situation for ourselves, I recommend a trip to DS9" answered Smith.
          "This puts you in a tough position being an Terran in exile yourself" said Ford.
          "I've served the Empress' mother as a soldier, I serve her daughter as a diplomat" replied Smith, "I owe that family everything and my debt to them is my honour" he said afterwards.
          "Ambassador, I can see why the Empress trusts you, your loyalty to her is never in question. I hope you don't mind spending some time aboard the U.S.S. Constellation, we'll both go to DS9 and see the situation for ourselves" answered Ford.
          "I don't mind" replied Smith.
          Post edited by theraven2378 on
          NMXb2ph.png
            "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
            -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
          • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
            edited August 2019
            Deep Space Nine (Prime)

            Ambassador Smith and President Ford entered the station by airlock, what greeted them were refugees all trying to get asylum.
            "We need to get these people sorted out" said Smith as he looked at the situation.
            "We need to set up evac centres on Bajor, Derna and Jeraddo" replied Ford.
            "I'll go talk with the refugees, find out what happened" answered Smith.
            "Ambassador, you talk with the defectors, I'll organise the evac centres" replied Ford.
            "First things first, we need to get supplies to these people. Your replicators won't be able to keep up" answered Smith.
            "What supplies will be needed?" asked Ford.
            "Food, medical supplies and clothing. These people only own the clothes on their back" answered Smith.
            "Captain Kira, work with Ambassador Smith" ordered Ford to Kira.
            "Mr President" answered Kira.

            "Captain, you have a first name I can call you by? I don't do formality" asked Smith to Kira.
            "Nerys" answered Kira.
            "Ambassador, first name?" asked Kira.
            "Dexter" answered Smith.
            "Dexter, you deal with the military personnel, I'll deal with the civilians" suggested Kira.
            "Nerys, these people are destitute and scared. They've lost everything apart from their families" replied Smith.
            "The last time I saw Terrans, they were being enslaved under the yoke of the Cardassians and Klingons" answered Kira.
            "I was helping run a underground railroad to help free slaves during those dark days, my family were all Terran resistance. We moved slaves out of Klingon and Cardassian Alliance space to worlds beyond their reach" replied Smith.
            "Bajoran Resistance in my younger days, we kept fighting until we chased the Cardassians from Bajor" answered Kira.
            "Sounds like the Cardassians were equally nasty in both universes" replied Smith.
            "When you have time, you need to visit Bajor" replied Kira.
            "After we've got this sorted out" answered Smith.

            Both then got to work and the stories they heard were enough to cause anger,
            "Admiral Lot did what?!!!" asked Smith trying not to lose his temper.
            "That witch threatened reprisals on Terra and her people, others have also been threatened with reprisals by Admiral Lot" said Captain Ellis.
            "I'll be having some choice words with the empress over this, Ellis I need you to keep the crews calm" replied Smith.
            "Ambassador, what is your official position?" asked Ellis.
            "I'm staying out of this, officially I'm neutral" answered Smith, "best way, most I can do is see about about getting these asylum requests dealt with" he said afterwards.
            "Ambassador, you're in a tricky position, I do not envy you" replied Ellis.
            "Hence why I'm staying as neutral as possible" answered Smith.
            "We have only one choice of officer we wish to surrender to, someone we know and respect" replied Ellis.
            "Who?" asked Smith.
            "We'll only surrender to Nathan Valdez, he understands us better than the Federation" answered Ellis.
            "The Admiral is a bit occupied at the moment on a rescue mission" answered Smith.
            "We'll wait then" replied Ellis.
            "I better contact my superiors, I'll try and arrange for the Empress to send resources" answered Smith.
            "We'd like to make a statement, we want it all to see it in the Terran Empire" requested Ellis.
            "Not the best idea, the Empress is still more than a little upset" answered Smith.

            Ellis then gathered the Federation News Service crews and after connecting to INN, the defectors made their statement live on air,
            "We the free peoples and exiles of the Terran Empire have a message for the citizens who are being repressed by a regime who does not want their citizens having the freedom to choose their own destiny, the Empress' mother was a collaborator who allowed her people to be repressed and experimented on by the Cardassians. The Empress' mother did nothing to stop that suffering, your Empress is the daughter of a collaborator. She is not our Empress, she's not yours either and to our brothers and sisters who had their families moved to this reality, keep opposing the regime in any way you can. The Terran Empire is an illegitimate state which treats their own citizens like resources to be expended, any military units who do not want to fight for an illegitimate regime are welcome to join us here. We're leading our people to a brighter future, we have our freedom and the right to choose what we want to do.

            And this is to the regime, we're surrendering our ships to this reality's Starfleet intact."
            When Smith heard the declaration, he immediately got in contact with his superiors.
            "Ambassador, update" requested Empress Iodokar.
            "FUBAR ma'am" answered Smith.
            "FUBAR?" asked Jodi.
            "Fouled up beyond all recognition" answered Smith, "though there is a less eloquent translation" he said afterwards.
            "I've just listened to a statement and to have my late mother's reputation dragged through the mud is more than a little upsetting" replied Jodi.
            "I'm trying to stay as neutral as possible here, we need resources here. We have people and families here all scared of their future. They only own the clothes on their back" answered Smith.
            "They defied my authority" replied Jodi.
            "They really hate you" answered Smith, "oh and tell Naynta to stay the hell away from me. She threatened reprisals and death on my homeworld and people, I will not be forgetting that any time soon. You, I have no problems with, same with Kestrella. Naynta, different story" he said afterwards.

            "You're angry at my sister but I know you would never act on that anger" replied Jodi.
            "It may take a while, I'll cool down eventually" answered Smith.
            "You're in a tricky position, your people or your prior obligation" replied Jodi.
            "I served your mother as a soldier, I serve you as your diplomat. I've served two generations of your family and these rumours about your mother have no basis" answered Smith.
            "It's a smear campaign to destroy my mother's reputation" replied Jodi.
            "To quote one of the great Terran propagandists, "Tell the people a big enough lie all of the time and they will believe it"" answered Smith.
            "Goebbels" replied Jodi.
            "Indeed, truer words have never been spoken, people are fickle and often will believe anything they are told if exposed to it for long enough. Goebbels kind of had a point, I may not like the guy but he knew the power of propaganda" answered Smith.
            "Suggestions?" asked Jodi.
            "Counter it, you have your mother's records safe?" replied Smith.
            "I do on a very secured computer" answered Jodi.
            "That's all the evidence you need, I did a little digging on the accusation of collaboration. Their case rests on their claim that Betazed did not do it's utmost to oppose the Alliance, a flimsy case at best" replied Smith.
            "You have no idea how bad Betazed got it, my people used as slaves and test subjects by a Doctor Crell Moset" answered Jodi.
            "Betazed was a rough patch to operate in, I was helping slaves escape from a very early age, my family ran an underground railroad getting freed slaves beyond Alliance reach" replied Smith.
            "Dexter, you have a good head on you and a heart of gold. You want to help those exiles and defectors but still remain loyal to my family, my mother would have respected that" answered Jodi.
            "The Iron Lady of Betazed certainly made an impact on my life, I'll never forget her" replied Smith, "in fact, two of the people she helped and gave a chance to ended up getting married, the Pitasklis named their daughter after your mother" he said afterwards.
            "Mother would have been honoured, how's the family?" asked Jodi.
            "We're fine, well apart from the lack of sleep some nights" answered Smith.
            "Little ones tends to do that" replied Jodi.
            "Jakob is worth it" answered Smith.
            "Bring that little one up well" replied Jodi.
            "Oh we will be doing" answered Smith.
            Post edited by theraven2378 on
            NMXb2ph.png
              "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
              -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
            • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
              edited October 2019
              Laurentia System (Prime)

              Admiral Nathan Valdez was overseeing the evacuation of the colony of Laurentia IV, there had been an accident and now the world was becoming uninhabitable as the air was becoming toxic. For three long days, colonists were being evacuated to an evac centre on one of the planet's moons. All crews worked around the clock and three days later, they were finishing up the evacuation as Valdez got call from DS9,
              "Admiral, sorry to interrupt your operation" said President Ford.
              "Micheal, we're down to the last set of evacuees here" replied Valdez giving Ford his report.
              "Once you've finished up at Laurentia, you're needed at DS9" answered Ford.
              "What's happened?" asked Valdez.
              "The Imperial regime has been expelling dissidents, we have a refugee crisis" answered Ford.
              "I see, how bad?" asked Valdez.
              "We've had to set up temporary accommodation on Bajor, Derna and Jeraddo" answered Ford.
              "What's the Terran ambassador had to say?" asked Valdez.
              "He's stuck in the middle, this however concerns you" answered Ford.
              "How so?" asked Valdez.
              "Parts of the Imperial Starfleet have come over, they want to surrender but only to you, you were requested by name" answered Ford.
              "Understood" replied Valdez.
              "Nathan, they seem to know you and respect you" answered Ford.
              "We'll get this last set of evacuees to Starbase 24, we should be at DS9 in four days" replied Valdez.
              "Understood, see you there" answered Ford, "Ford out" he said afterwards before the channel closed.

              "Sir, anywhere we can talk in private?" asked Trianna (yellow) to Valdez.
              "Solat, can we borrow your office?" asked Valdez to Solat (prime).
              "One of them not in front of the rest of the crew?" asked Solat.
              "It is" answered Valdez.
              "I better prepare my report" replied Solat.
              In Solat's office, Valdez and Trianna (yellow) sat down,
              "I cannot stand back and do nothing while my people are in trouble" said Trianna.
              "Anna, as much as I feel their pain, we have a prior obligation" replied Valdez.
              "They're being punished for wanting freedom, not just them, their families too" answered Trianna.
              "From what I've heard about defiance against the regime in the Terran Empire, exile is humane. It's better than the alternative" replied Valdez.
              "We need to help those people" argued Trianna.
              "Not before we've got these people to SB24, we have a prior obligation first" replied Valdez.
              "Dad, my people are scared, they're terrified of the regime. They need all the assistance they can get their hands on" answered Trianna.
              "Anna, I know you feel strongly for your people but there are times when you must put those feelings aside. We have a job to do here first. Once we've finished our job here, we're going to DS9. I can tell you are anxious to help your people, it's also a sign you've come a long way" replied Valdez.
              "Does not always feel like it" answered Trianna.
              "I don't know about that, when you first moved in, you were hesitant and unsure. Look at you now, you're happily married and comfortable with who you are. A big difference" replied Valdez.
              "Fair point" answered Trianna.
              "Meditate on it, but for now, I need that head of yours focused on the task at hand" replied Valdez.
              "Thanks dad" answered Trianna.
              "Come on, let's get back to the bridge" replied Valdez before they both left for the bridge.

              After offloading the evacuees of Laurentia IV at SB24, Valdez's fleet of ships set course for DS9, when they arrived, they were overwhelmed at the sheer scale,
              "Nathan, glad to see you made it" said Ford.
              "Micheal, where do you need my personnel?" asked Valdez.
              "Anywhere help is needed" answered Ford.
              "Centurion, work with Starfleet and make sure that aid gets where it's needed. Corpsman, get to the infirmary and help out as best you can there" ordered Valdez to Trianna and Rick.
              "Sir" they both chorused.
              "Solat, move the ship to Bajor. Assist where you can with the temporary accommodation and getting aid distributed fairly" ordered Valdez.
              "Onto it Nathan" answered Solat.
              "Let's get this surrender done" said Valdez to Ford.

              When the Imperial Starfleet defectors saw Valdez, they appointed Captain Ellis to sign for them. At 1400 Bajor time, the Imperial Starfleet defectors surrendered their ships to Federation and Alliance control as more dissidents and Imperial defectors arrived through the wormhole.
              Once the last of the exiles and defectors came through, the defectors surrendered to Valdez. At Quark's bar, Anna was sat down having a drink with Rick,
              "How was work?" asked Trianna.
              "Felt humbled working with a great man and legend" answered Rick.
              "Doctor Julian Bashir, you're honoured little brother" replied Trianna as a defector tried to charm her.
              Rick just counted down,
              "What's your name?" asked Trianna to the defector.
              "Lt. Jake Calvas" answered the defector.
              "Well Calvas, what does this ring on my finger say?" asked Trianna.
              "Married?" answered Calvas.
              "Free advice here, never try it on with someone else's wife, I'm very clearly taken" replied Trianna.
              "Lucky man" answered Calvas.
              "Lucky lady" replied Trianna correcting Calvas.
              "Calvas, you're not my sister's type" said Rick.
              "I may have put my foot in it" joked Calvas.
              "Be more observant next time" replied Trianna.
              "Yes ma'am!!!" joked Calvas.
              "No sarcasm please" answered Trianna.
              "I better leave you two to it" replied Calvas, "apology accepted?" he asked afterwards.
              "It is" answered Trianna, "we're all good now" she said afterwards.
              "Can we be friends at least?" asked Calvas as several female Terrans tried to get Rick's attention.
              "Once I get to know you better, name's Anna" answered Trianna.

              "Ladies, I'm already spoken for" said Rick.
              "We respect courage, you were crazy enough to run into battle armed with nothing but a medkit and courage" said Lt. Sarah Calvas.
              "What's your name Lt.?" asked Rick.
              "Sarah Calvas, watching my brother get shot down never gets old" answered Sarah Calvas.
              "We've all been there" replied Rick finding it amusing.
              "Well Mrs Dawson must be one lucky lady" answered Sarah Calvas noting the wedding ring.
              "You could say that" replied Rick as Valdez came in.
              "Dad, you want to join us?" asked Trianna.
              "Who's the fan club?" asked Valdez trying not to laugh, "nice to see you both again" he said afterwards to the Calvas siblings.
              "Ladies, Rick here is a married man, anything beyond friendship is off limits" said Sarah Calvas to the defectors.
              "Lads, same with Anna. She's already married" said Calvas to the defectors.
              "Sir, me and my sister need to place to call home" said Calvas to Valdez.
              "We've heard about a community of exiles on Brea III, we choose to live in that community" added Sarah Calvas.
              "I'll contact my superiors with your request, I never forget courage, both of you showed that in that mine on Gamma Draconis IV, you both fought with honour and choosing to leave the Empire, rather than use violence. That has earned my respect" said Valdez to the Calvas siblings.
              "Where we can be free?" asked Calvas.
              "It's a democracy and there is freedom of speech, Romulans, Alliance and Terran Empire exiles all working as a community. We're a veterans colony where all past transgressions are forgotten left buried" answered Valdez.
              "Fresh start, new life" replied Sarah Calvas.
              "A clean slate" answered Valdez.



              Post edited by theraven2378 on
              NMXb2ph.png
                "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
              • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                edited August 2019
                Deep Space Nine (Prime)

                President Ford, Admiral Valdez, Captain Ellis and Ambassador Smith all made a joint statement,
                "After speaking with my superiors, I have been given this, and it reads "From her Imperial Majesty Empress Jodi I, the Terran Empire will not condone any acts of terrorism, we do not not negotiate with terrorists and if any exiles get it into their head that violence and terrorism are the only ways forward, you are sorely mistaken. If you are caught committing terrorist acts, your deal of amnesty is null and void"" said Smith.
                "The Federation condemns any violence against the legitimate Imperial government, despite our differences, we can work together. As of now I'm making an executive order, we will have a fleet at the wormhole, their orders are to stop and search any ships going to the Terran Empire, any ships caught carrying war supplies to the guerrillas will be impounded and their crew arrested. We ask that the Terran Empire does the same on their end, we will provide humanitarian aid and nothing more" said Ford.
                "The Alliance will support our allies and the Imperial regime in that respect, any acts of aggression against the Empire will not be tolerated" said Valdez.
                "We disavow any violence, we wanted a bloodless revolution, terrorists hijacked our revolution. They will get no support from us either, commit violence and you are no better than the old Terran regimes of the past and no better than the Klingon/Cardassian Alliance. If anyone opposes the regime, do it with words and art, not gunfire and bloodshed" said Ellis.

                The statement was heard in both the Alliance and in the Empire, Jodi was satisfied with the statement and ordered Admiral Cage to position his fleet at the wormhole to stop any war supplies leaking through the Federation blockade on their end.
                The news came through on INN, a troop convoy had been attacked on Laurentia IV (red) with 15 dead and 25 wounded, the security personnel guarding the atmosphere processors had been betrayed from within as the defences were shut down by a guerrilla in disguise as a soldier before letting the rest of his guerrilla unit in and set demolition charges.

                With their sabotage mission complete, the guerrillas disappeared transported to their ship and left the system as the atmosphere processors exploded, when Imperial command got the distress call, Starfleet sent a rescue mission to get the colonists out. The guerrillas had just made a key industrial colony uninhabitable and left their calling card of a vandalised Imperial flag bearing a hammer and sickle over Terra.

                With the first guerrilla attack, Jodi ordered Starfleet to carry out counter-insurgency operations. Admiral West would lead search and destroy missions in the Alpha Quadrant while Veel'Riz (red) launched search and destroy missions in the Beta Quadrant.

                In a strategy meeting, Admiral Lot was removed from her position and kept under house arrest while on the civilian front, Imperial troops began hearts and minds operations under Solat. Seisa (red) would handle intelligence gathering.
                Solat left a couple of Vulcan doctors with Jodi, they would try and treat Admiral Lot.

                Smith soon got news of the attack and immediately got in contact with his friends in low places, it was confirmed that Laurentia IV was now uninhabitable and the colonists were evacuated. Every evacuee was screened and questioned by security services, the evacuees answered the questions openly and honestly as possible.

                When security forces examined the blast zone, they found the guerrillas' calling card. The demolition charges used were traced back to an Imperial armoury in the Mempa Sector.

                The guerrillas sent INN an anonymous message claiming responsibility for the attack and unless the the regime handed power to them, they would render another world uninhabitable. They had effectively declared war on the Empire as guerrilla cells began attacking Imperial troops on patrol and checkpoints using civilian crowds as cover to make their attacks and disappear fast.

                On Majewski III, the Imperial governor was assassinated when a guerrilla disguised as a Starfleet officer put a bomb on his shuttle, the bomb going off killing the governor and his guard detachment. The guerrillas left their calling card and claimed responsibility for the attacks. The explosive used was traced to the same Imperial armoury in the Mempa Sector.
                When Imperial investigators got to the armoury, the officer in charge was questioned and found to be collaborating with the guerrillas as vast stocks of explosives, weapons and other war material was found to be missing, his senior staff were also detained and questioned.

                Jodi condemned the attacks as the work of terrorists and vowed that Imperial justice would catch up with them.
                The Alliance, the Federation and Ellis' exiles all also condemned the attacks and asked the Empire what assistance did they need.
                Post edited by theraven2378 on
                NMXb2ph.png
                  "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                  -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                  edited October 2019
                  Betazed (MU red)

                  An Imperial officer was woken up, as his eyes got used to the light, he watched as two Betazoid guards came in and deactivated the cell forcefield,
                  "You wanted by the Empress, get changed" said one of them guards throwing the officer a uniform.
                  "Where am I and what year is this?" asked the officer.
                  "You're on Betazed, the year is 2414" answered the guard.
                  "All I remember was the crash, I locked myself into a transporter buffer to await rescue. What happened to the rest of the I.S.S. Monroe crew?" asked the officer.
                  "All will be explained, you've got 10 minutes" answered the guard.

                  Ten minutes later, the officer was brought into Empress Iodokar's office,
                  "What am I going to do with you?" asked Jodi.
                  "I'm not in Kansas anymore" commented the officer, "you look Terran but are not quite Terran" he noted to Jodi.
                  "Normally I would have you shot for that, since you are from a different time I'll let this slide" said Jodi.
                  "Betazoid?" asked the officer.
                  "Correct guess" answered Jodi.
                  "Different, that must have been rough growing up" noted Reyes.
                  "Don't go there" said Jodi.

                  "I was in the second wave of the invasion of Betazed in 2254, for a peaceful people, the Betazoids fought bravely knowing they were going to lose. They were impressive" replied the officer.
                  "Cmdr Reyes Valdez, the butcher of Hathon. Why carry out the sack of a city?" asked Jodi.
                  "Terran troops had been ambushed by Bajorans, I was ordered to go in and carry out a reprisal on the civilian population. Orders were orders and saying no to the Empire was a bad idea, they would have had my entire family disposed of in reprisal for not following the order" answered Reyes (red).
                  "So you blindly followed the order, that order led to the deaths of 20,000 Bajorans. What were the reasons for the sack?" asked Jodi.

                  "To punish the civilian population for supporting the Bajoran rebels, I had misgivings about it but never aired them" answered Reyes.
                  "What about the massacre of 300 Betazoids at Rixx in 2256?" asked Jodi.
                  "I only had those who resisted the Terran occupation shot, it was done in front of their families and the rest of the population" answered Reyes as he saw a photo of the Lot family from 2256.
                  "One of my ancestors was among the people you had executed, you murdered a member of my family" replied Jodi.
                  "Orders were orders, disobeying an order was enough to get you spaced while alive and your family killed" answered Reyes.
                  "So a member of my family had to die just so you could protect your own, you have a lot of blood on your hands" replied Jodi.
                  "Then your people should have just surrendered and accepted the occupation, that was why my superiors at the time ordered the executions" answered Reyes.
                  "Damned if you do and damned if you don't" replied Jodi.
                  "An impossible position and I've had over 150 years to dwell on that" answered Reyes.

                  "Let's discuss your work breaking rebellions" said Jodi.
                  "Dirty work, not always pretty" replied Reyes.
                  "El Diablo, where did you get that name?" asked Jodi.
                  "From the many rebel groups I've crushed, I was like the devil to them" answered Reyes.
                  "What does El Diablo mean?" asked Jodi.
                  "It's Spanish for the Devil" answered Reyes.
                  "What would you say is the ideal counter-insurgency method?" asked Jodi.
                  "Why?" countered Reyes.
                  "Hypothetically" replied Jodi.
                  "Show them no mercy, hunt them down using what ever resources are available" answered Reyes.
                  "Blunt and to the point" noted Jodi.



                  Post edited by theraven2378 on
                  NMXb2ph.png
                    "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                    -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                  • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                    edited October 2019
                    Betazed (MU Red)

                    Jodi paused the questioning,
                    "Normally I would have you executed, however at this time I cannot afford to waste a potentially good officer. You will be tested on your morals, if you are truly repentant, you will be given a chance to redeem yourself. The Terran Empire you knew is gone, it collapsed and fell in 2295. This is a new Terran Empire" she said afterwards.
                    "I don't know what to say" said Reyes (red) as Kestrella just gave him a glare.
                    "You know what you've done, if you try to harm or deceive my sister, I'll kill you" said Kestrella.
                    "I'm not doubting that" answered Reyes.
                    "Let's start off with a moral test" said Jodi as the guards brought in two prisoners.
                    "What were their crimes?" asked Reyes.

                    "The man on the left was caught stealing a loaf of bread and the man on the right was the soldier who arrested him. The man on the left says his family were starving hence why he stole the bread, the soldier shot that man's wife to punish him. Who gets punished?" asked Jodi.
                    "Is the man on the left telling the truth?" countered Reyes.
                    "He is" answered Kestrella.
                    "The theft can be overlooked, he did it for the right reasons, the soldier has no excuses. If he has, I want to hear them" replied Reyes.
                    "I was only obeying orders, that man's wife tried to obstruct an arrest" said the soldier.
                    "Did you question those orders or have misgivings?" asked Reyes.
                    "No, I still obeyed it" answered the soldier.
                    "You used lethal force in a situation where it was not warranted, you have no excuse" replied Reyes, "I've made my judgement" he said to Jodi afterwards.
                    "Which one?" asked Jodi.
                    "The soldier for using lethal and excessive force when it was not required" answered Reyes.

                    "Guards, let the man on the left go free. His crime can be overlooked" ordered Jodi.
                    The man on the left was then set free,
                    "Guards, take that prisoner back to his cell" ordered Jodi before the prisoner was escorted back to the cell,
                    "You chose the right answer and saved the life of another" she said afterwards.
                    "It's a start" commented Kestrella.
                    "Tomorrow, that prisoner will be executed, you will carry out the sentence" said Jodi.
                    "As a test, I know" replied Reyes.
                    "You'll have better lodgings in these grounds where you will be monitored, once you are deemed trustworthy, you'll be put to work and be permitted an apartment among the citizenry" answered Jodi.
                    "Majesty" replied Reyes.
                    "Go get something to eat and get some sleep, that's an order" said Jodi, "you'll have a very busy day ahead of you tomorrow" she said afterwards.
                    Reyes gave Jodi a salute and was escorted to his lodgings in the servants' quarters.

                    "Guards, keep an eye on him" ordered Jodi by combadge.
                    "Ma'am" answered the guard detachment commander.
                    Post edited by theraven2378 on
                    NMXb2ph.png
                      "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                      -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                    • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                      edited August 2019
                      Betazed (MU red)

                      After finishing his second test, Reyes Valdez (red) handed the phaser back to Empress Iodokar,
                      "Why a phaser?, the booth would have been fitting" asked Jodi.
                      "A phaser is quick and clean" answered Reyes.
                      "You don't inflict suffering needlessly" replied Jodi.
                      "I prefer to get it over and done quickly" answered Reyes.
                      "Congratulations, you passed" replied Jodi, "one last final test, a test of faith" she said afterwards.
                      "Majesty?" asked Reyes, he then noticed something in the crowd and pushed Jodi to the ground as a phaser bolt flew past inches from her head.
                      "Guards, area lockdown, now!!!" ordered Jodi as soldiers blocked off all the streets and forcefielded the doorways to prevent people leaving. The failed assassin tried to frantically activate her transporter as the troops closed in on her,
                      "Going to plan B" she said via concealed combadge and pushed a button on her wrist PADD. There was an almighty explosion as hidden devices detonated. The soldiers put themselves between the explosion and the citizens, in a matter of minutes 20 soldiers were dead with another 30 wounded, 15 civilians had been killed in the attack as well. The assassin was killed in the explosion.

                      "Get medics down here now!!" ordered Reyes to the guards, any soldiers who are unhurt, you're with me" said Reyes as Jodi's guards tended to her.
                      "Cmdr, get this area secured" ordered Jodi to Reyes.
                      "Soldiers, nothing gets in or leaves" ordered Reyes to the soldiers as medical teams beamed in to treat the injured.
                      The district was then secured and the entire population assembled as their homes and businesses were searched, all the citizens cooperated and soon were free to return to their homes and businesses. Imperial troops now fanned out throughout the rest of the city as each building was searched. Their occupants were told to wait in the street until their homes and businesses were fully searched.
                      "Cmdr, we've found something" said one of the soldiers found an explosives lab the the cellar of a bar.
                      "Has the owner been detained?" asked Reyes.
                      "He's in cuffs, we've also arrested a group in the cellar" answered the soldier.
                      "Transfer them to a secure facility, the empress will be interested in speaking with them" ordered Reyes, "Royal Guard, state of the empress?" asked Reyes via combadge.
                      "Unhurt, shaken up slightly but unhurt" answered the guard.
                      "Get her back to the palace and increase the security" ordered Reyes.
                      "Cmdr" answered the guard.

                      Once the police were at the scene, they took over security as the soldiers were rotated out. At the palace, Jodi was reading through the report,
                      "Cmdr, I owe you my life. Excellent work earlier in finding that explosives lab" she said to Reyes afterwards.
                      "Somebody tried to assassinate you, why?" asked Reyes.
                      "Some don't like my rule, those who have refused to use violence against me and disagreed with me have left, I ordered a more humane solution in exiling them. Those who have chosen violence remained rather than leave, they want this empire dead, they want me dead and my family, I will not let that happen" answered Jodi.
                      "Majesty, these were the actions of cowards. If they want to behave like animals, we treat them like animals. We hunt them remorselessly" advised Reyes, "In my Empire, they would be begging for death to take them if we ever caught them, it's all they deserve" he said afterwards.
                      "100% agreed" replied Jodi as Kestrella took a seat in the room and glared at Reyes.
                      "Ms Lot, I mean you and your family no harm" answered Reyes.
                      "We'll see" replied Kestrella as she just glared at him.
                      "What will it take to earn your trust?" asked Reyes to Kestrella.
                      "You saved my sister's life, I'll consider that a start" answered Kestrella.

                      Later that day, Jodi made a statement to INN,
                      "To the terrorists who attacked civilians, we're coming for you. You tried to kill me, you failed. This will not go unpunished, we will not give up our empire and your revolution is doomed. You will be hunted, you will be hounded and you will face justice for the 35 killed and 30 injured, that I promise the citizens of this empire. Long live the Empire."
                      Post edited by theraven2378 on
                      NMXb2ph.png
                        "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                        -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                      • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                        edited August 2019
                        Betazed (Prime)

                        A Starfleet officer woke up in a bed in hospital,
                        "Where am I and what year is this?" asked the officer.
                        "Cmdr, glad to see you awake, my name is Doctor Wren (prime)" said the Betazoid doctor.
                        "My head feels like someone landed a shuttle on it, doc, just tell me where I am and what year" asked the officer.
                        "Cmdr, you are on Betazed, the year is 2414" answered Doctor Wren.
                        "How did I get here?" asked the officer.
                        "You were recovered from a transporter buffer, you are very lucky to be alive" answered Doctor Wren.
                        "Rescue did arrive it seems" commented the officer.
                        "What do you remember?" asked Doctor Wren.
                        "I was the first officer aboard the U.S.S. Monroe, we were in battle protecting a race we had recently made first contact with" answered the officer.
                        "The U.S.S. Monroe was lost defending this planet in 2256" replied Doctor Wren.
                        "We were engaging Klingons, we warped in and were ambushed by four bird of preys, we destroyed three and forced the other to retreat, the battle had taken it's toll and we were forced to crash land. Half the crew were killed instantly in the crash and the rest did what they could to help the injured. I was put into the buffer to keep me alive until rescue arrived" answered the officer.

                        "We found the Monroe buried in the polar ice, you were close to death when we rematerialised you" replied Doctor Wren.
                        "What happened to the crew?" asked the officer.
                        "From your ship's records, Captain Dawson and the rest of the crew tried to walk their way overland to get help. They were found 30 km away from the crash site around the same time you were found. They didn't make it" answered Doctor Wren.
                        "Captain Dawson left behind a wife and children, I left behind a wife and daughter" replied the officer.
                        "Your descendants are around as are your captain's" answered Doctor Wren as the Federation News Network came on.
                        "What's going on?" asked the officer.
                        "Refugee crisis" answered Doctor Wren.
                        "Get me my uniform, I may be in a different century but I'm still a Starfleet officer" replied the officer.
                        "You are going nowhere, not with that severe concussion" answered Doctor Wren.
                        "Can you find out where my family is?" asked the officer.
                        "I can, what's the family name?" asked Doctor Wren.
                        "Valdez" answered the officer.
                        "I need to know your name as well" requested Doctor Wren.
                        "Cmdr. Reyes Valdez, first officer of the U.S.S. Monroe" answered Reyes (prime).

                        "I'll check the Valdez family records for you" replied Doctor Wren, "I'll need a DNA sample" she said afterwards.
                        "Vampire" joked Reyes.
                        "I heard that" answered Doctor Wren as she took a blood sample.
                        "You Betazoid?" asked Reyes.
                        "I am, what the crew of the Monroe did has never been forgotten. They were lost in the line of duty protecting us from the Klingons" answered Doctor Wren as she went through the Valdez family DNA records.
                        "Good to hear we've not been forgotten" replied Reyes.
                        "The story is taught in every Betazoid school, you fought to protect us. We joined the Federation because of your stand" answered Doctor Wren.
                        "It was the right thing to do at the time" replied Reyes.
                        "It was, found a current match in the Valdez family records. You have a 6th generation grandson and granddaughter, three 7th generation granddaughters and 8th generation granddaughters and grandsons. You want me to put you in contact?" asked Doctor Wren.
                        "Not yet, I need to take it all in first, thanks doc" answered Reyes.
                        "When you are ready, I'll make arrangements for your family to come here and see you" replied Doctor Wren.
                        "I may have to get in contact with the Dawson family as well, they need to know what happened" answered Reyes.
                        "When your strength has returned, you are in no fit state to be going anywhere" replied Doctor Wren.
                        "You single doc?" asked Reyes.
                        "I don't date anyone I've treated, call it a professional courtesy" answered Doctor Wren.
                        "You're the first Betazoid I've met" replied Reyes.
                        "Do you always fly at women at warp?" asked Doctor Wren.
                        "I've put my foot in it" joked Reyes.
                        "I'll overlook it, it's a big galaxy, you'll find that special someone eventually but not me" answered Doctor Wren.
                        "Friends?" asked Reyes.
                        "I may consider it" answered Doctor Wren.
                        Post edited by theraven2378 on
                        NMXb2ph.png
                          "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                          -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                        • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                          edited September 2019
                          Taleebia Sector (MU red)

                          After a meeting with his superiors, Captain Reyes Valdez (red) was ordered to deal with an insurgent cell on the Imperial colony of Taleebia II. When the I.S.S. Monroe-A arrived in orbit, the colonial governor gulped when he learnt who was in orbit,
                          "Governor, you were given orders to deal with this cell and you have failed in your duty. Care to explain why?" asked Reyes via subspace.
                          "I sent my security chief and a security detachment to round them up. The blame is not on me" answered Governor Carralas.
                          "Governor, then you are the one to blame. You were charged with that mission and you failed and her Imperial majesty does not like bad news. I've been dispatched to bring you into line, fail me and I will have you disposed of. Understood?" asked Reyes.
                          "Tell that half breed she can go to hell and say hi to her mother for me" answered Governor Carralas, "Taleebia joins the rebels, glory to the motherland" he said afterwards.
                          "Emden, put me through to her Imperial majesty. Inform her that Carralas has gone over to the enemy" ordered Reyes to Ensign Peter Emden (red).
                          "Kapitan" answered Emden as he followed the order.
                          "Now governor, this could end one of two ways. You surrender without a shot being fired or I can personally come down with my picked men and remove you, the populace will not be harmed and if you decide that to punish the populace for not supporting you, I will personally dispose of you myself" said Reyes to Governor Carallas.

                          "New orders from her Imperial majesty, she's just been informed" reported Emden.
                          "Read them" ordered Reyes.
                          "Dispose of the traitor, no collateral damage. The order is signed" replied Emden.
                          "Barnes, meet me in shuttlebay 1 with my picked men" ordered Reyes to Sgt. Barnes (red).
                          "On our way to shuttlebay 1" answered Barnes.
                          "Baker run things here for me while I deal with the wayward governor" ordered Reyes to Cmdr. Baker (red) as he left for shuttlebay 1.
                          "Sir" answered Baker.
                          In shuttlebay 1, Reyes briefed his team and all boarded the shuttle down to the surface as the Monroe-A kept her weapons locked onto the governor's palace.
                          When the shuttle landed, the team left the shuttle and secured it. What they saw was enough to make the MACOs angry as a vandalised Imperial flag was flying with a hammer and sickle embroidered onto it,
                          "Let's just kill the traitor and be over with it" said Barnes.
                          "Barnes, as much as I like your enthusiasm, you may want to keep a lid on it" advised Reyes.
                          "Won't happen again sir, I was wrong for speaking out of turn" answered Barnes.
                          "Barnes, there is a time and a place for that kind of enthusiasm but we need to be delicate here. No collateral damage and no reprisals" replied Reyes.
                          "Sir" answered Barnes as the team walked into the governor's palace armed to the teeth.
                          When the guards saw who was leading the team into the palace, they immediately put their weapons on the floor and surrendered without a fight,
                          "Wise choice" said Reyes to the surrendering guards as his men secured their weapons.
                          Now, the team marched into the governor's office and in a matter of a few moments, governor Carralas was no more. Reyes had personally disposed of him. The Carallas family were told,
                          "You are safe, I was only after the governor and his officers" by Reyes.

                          With the governor disposed of, the Imperial garrison was brought under Reyes' command and over a space of a few weeks, Imperial troops scoured the planet and system. Their search ended with the arrests of 21 rebels, the rebels were then secured and then interrogated as a new governor chosen after a series of loyalty tests. A fresh Imperial flag was then raised and the vandalised one destroyed as the populace all watched the procession of rebels heading to the public plaza of Taleebia City.

                          "These 20 have committed acts of terror against the empire, there are those of you who are afraid of reprisals. You have my word that only the guilty will be punished" said Reyes in a proclamation to the Imperial populace, "Hang the condemned" he ordered afterwards and the order was carried out.
                          "This is the fate of those who commit terrorist acts against the empire, I am firm but I am fair. I will at least permit the families to bury their relatives since I am not a monster" he said to the populace before glaring at the sole surviving rebel,
                          "You I will spare because you are with child, your offence was minor so consider yourself lucky."
                          "I will not betray the empire again, I pledge undying loyalty to the empire" answered the surviving rebel as she made it a blood oath.
                          "Wise choice" replied Reyes.

                          With Taleebia pacified, Reyes and his team handed over control to the now Governor General Erich Schmitt and departed from the planet by their shuttle.
                          When they arrived back aboard the I.S.S. Monroe-A, the team were cheered by the crew and a secured message sent back to Betazed with,
                          "Governor and his staff disposed of, 20 rebels have also been publicly executed by hanging. No collateral damage and no reprisals."
                          Post edited by theraven2378 on
                          NMXb2ph.png
                            "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                            -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                          • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                            edited September 2019
                            Betazed (MU Yellow)

                            Captain Reyes Valdez (yellow) was at war with his own daughter,
                            "Marissa, you are going to school, like it or not" said Reyes.
                            "No" answered Marissa Valdez (yellow).
                            "You WILL go to school" replied Reyes.
                            "No" answered Marissa as Captain Trianna Valdez-Brookfield (red) entered the room,
                            "All quiet on the Western Front?" asked Trianna.
                            "Marissa is refusing to go to school, she's being defiant about it" answered Reyes.
                            "I do not want to be a citizen of this empire, it should have stayed dead!!!" yelled Marissa.
                            "You've got a lot of anger in you little lady, that's the problem" replied Trianna.
                            "I've given up, I cannot cope with her" answered Reyes, "she's defiant, rebellious and all I see in her eyes is hatred of me and the empire" he said afterwards.
                            "You being all authoritarian on her is not helping, what happened to make her this way?" asked Trianna to Reyes.

                            "I'll answer that, I retain the memories of my original" answered Marissa.
                            "Go on" replied Trianna.
                            "My mother was executed by the Empire over my father's perceived treason, my father is a war criminal and I was nearly hanged alongside my mother but I was told to run. That's how I survived" answered Marissa.
                            "Reyes, your daughter needs to see a counsellor. She's angry, she hates you and take this from someone who's father was a genocidal warlord and I've done some terrible things, you are part of the problem" said Trianna to Reyes, "I still hate my father" she said afterwards.

                            "She's got to go to school" said Reyes.
                            "I agree but she needs to know that this is a more civilised empire, the old ways have mostly gone" replied Trianna, "She needs to see that" she said afterwards.
                            With that, Marissa was escorted to school and soon her defiance flared up as the Imperial anthem played in the classroom and the flag was raised. Marissa rather than standing to attention and saluting the flag turned her back to it and refused to sing the Imperial anthem as Heath was visiting the school in company with INN, she even refused to bow to Heath and spat on the floor in her direction.

                            When challenged on her defiance, her answer in front of INN to Heath was,
                            "To hell with the Empire, it should have stayed dead. Let me leave for the Federation because I hereby renounce my Imperial citizenship and refuse to serve an illegitimate regime. I will not salute the flag, I will turn my back on the Imperial anthem and I will not go to an Imperial school for indoctrination.

                            Give your people the right to choose who leads them, I hereby refuse to serve this illegal empire. Terran, Betazoid or Bajoran, it makes no difference since you are not elected, you are all the same tyrannical and totalitarian regime."
                            Everyone just were stunned at what they were hearing and the level of defiance to the empire,
                            "You force me to come to school, I'll make sure I deliberately fail each and every subject and exam. I'd rather be a failure with no future than serve a illegitimate regime and empire. The Empire can fall on it's own sword for all I care, I hate the empire and everything it stands for, their glory paid with the blood of innocent lives. This empire has very bloody hands and most of it innocent, now let that sink in" finished Marissa.
                            NMXb2ph.png
                              "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                              -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                            • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                              edited October 2019
                              Betazed (MU yellow)

                              Marissa Valdez (yellow) was brought to Heath's office,
                              "Sit down and do not move" said Kestrella Lot (yellow).
                              "No" answered Marissa.
                              "Sit down, I've called your father in and I've called Captain Brookfield" replied Kestrella as Heath entered the room and sat in her chair.
                              "She's refusing to do as she is told, she's defiant, disrespectful and a disruptive influence in class" said Kestrella as Reyes Valdez (yellow) and Trianna Valdez-Brookfield (red) entered and took a seat each.
                              "No one is forced to stay here. They are here because they want to be. As for you, I will make arrangements for your transport. May you find the peace there, that you've never known here" said Heath to Marissa after reading the report on Marissa's original.
                              "Tyrant" answered Marissa.
                              "If I was the tyrant you think I am, I'd have you shot. But I wish you a long life and hope you'll be happy over there" replied Heath.
                              "Marissa Luisa Valdez, what is wrong with you? That was a good school and you got yourself expelled on the first day" asked Reyes.
                              "Shut up murderer. My mother hanged because of you and I was nearly hanged with her, why don't you just have a heart attack and die in a corner?" answered Marissa.
                              Reyes just calmly got up and walked out of the room.
                              "You've just hurt him deep down, anger destroys not only you but the people around you. Your father has been making amends for what he has done, he's faced greater evils worse than the old Terran Empire just so innocent people can sleep easy at night and this is how you treat him?" asked Trianna.
                              "Why should I care?" answered Marissa as Reyes re-entered the room and sat back down.

                              "And you let your anger get the better of you, your original let her anger and quest for revenge destroy her" replied Heath.
                              Marissa defiantly ignored Heath,
                              "Marissa Luisa Valdez, listen" said Reyes.
                              "No" answered Marissa.
                              "Ma'am, this is what I have to deal with everyday from her. I can no longer cope with her" said Reyes to Heath.
                              "I won't listen to a murderer" commented Marissa.
                              "Both me and your father have done our our best with you and all you did was challenge us. We've given up on you, you're too defiant and your father cannot cope with you any longer and that has hurt him deep down. I have shown you proof that your father is a changed man, you refused to listen and getting yourself expelled from school on the first day and your refusal to comply has put your teacher in a very difficult position, it's not you taking the flak, it's your father taking the flak" answered Trianna as she put her glasses on.
                              "Expelled from school on the first day, wow a new record" joked Marissa laughing.
                              "No one is laughing here, you may find it funny. We don't" replied Trianna.
                              "You are in for a very hard reality check when you get over there. You forget, I was born over there. You think you can do whatever you want over there? You are very sadly mistaken. But as my grandmother used to say 'a hard head makes for a sore backside'. If you give her any trouble, she has my permission to shave your head. My good will only goes so far" added Heath.

                              "Don't you even think about running your mouth, my ship, my rules. This trip could one of two ways. You cooperate and do as you are told or you'll be sedated, I am not messing around here. You are defiant, angry as well as rebellious and that would have got you hurt or worse if this was the old empire" said Trianna to Marissa.
                              Marissa just spat in Trianna's direction, Trianna had been patient but that was the last straw.
                              "Marissa Luisa Valdez, do not make this worse than it already is. Had one of my officers shown that level of disrespect, I would shoot them myself. Red, I'm putting Marissa up for adoption in the prime universe, the document is signed" said Reyes trying not to let his emotions get the better of him as he passed Trianna the paperwork.
                              "I better contact dad" said Trianna.
                              "Use my terminal" replied Heath.
                              "Thank you" answered Trianna.

                              Trianna then put a call through to Valdez,
                              "Red, I take it that this is not a social call" said Valdez via subspace.
                              "Business unfortunately" answered Trianna.
                              "You look stressed out" replied Valdez.
                              "It's a long story" answered Trianna, "I need to contact mom" she said afterwards.
                              "What about?" asked Valdez.
                              "We've got a very defiant 13 year old girl here who needs a loving and disciplined home" answered Trianna.
                              "What's she done?" asked Valdez.
                              "Sending you the file on her" answered Heath.
                              After reading the file and watching the INN report, Valdez just calmly took it in,
                              "I see, I'll contact Joanna. Thank you empress, thank you Red. I'll be in contact soon" he said afterwards.
                              "Thanks dad, got some personal things to tell you but I'd rather have that talk face to face" answered Trianna.
                              "I'm on Bajor dealing with a crisis, Hathon sound good for a meeting?" asked Valdez.
                              "Hathon is ideal, I've never actually been to the prime Bajor" answered Trianna.
                              "I better contact Joanna, I'll call you back in 30 minutes" replied Valdez.
                              "Thanks dad for listening" answered Trianna.
                              "Red, any time" replied Valdez, "Empress, thank you for giving Red a second chance" he said afterwards.
                              "She's a fine officer" answered Heath.
                              Valdez just smiled like a proud father,
                              "I'll contact Joanna, we know how to deal with difficult children" he said afterwards, "Empress, Red, give me 30 minutes."
                              "Thank you Mr Valdez, Empress out" answered Heath and the screen went blank.

                              30 minutes later, Valdez called and confirmed that he and Joanna would take on the task of giving Marissa a home and he gave Marissa a warning,
                              "You will live by house rules, no cursing, no stealing, you will be honest because we will know and you will do chores when asked to the first time round, you will earn your keep and if you decide to be defiant about it, you will be disciplined by hard work."
                              "Do not challenge my dad and mom, it's a bad idea" said Red to Marissa.
                              "Captain, how long can you have the Teanna ready to go?" asked Heath.
                              "Anytime" answered Trianna.
                              "Red, I'll meet you and Marissa outside the temple in Hathon, Empress, have a good day and may the Prophets give you strength" said Valdez.
                              "Thank you for listening, Empress out" replied Heath and the screen went blank.
                              "Marissa, hold my hand" said Trianna.
                              Marissa refused so Trianna grabbed her on the shoulder and both beamed up to the I.S.S. Teanna after Trianna bowed to Heath and saluted her.

                              The Teanna then set off for Bajor (prime).

                              Post edited by theraven2378 on
                              NMXb2ph.png
                                "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                                -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                              • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                                edited October 2019
                                Betazed (MU Yellow)

                                "I can't pretend to know how you feel right now. Words are completely inadequate and any attempt at comfort would just ring hollow.
                                Sometimes our path lies far from home and away from the ones who love us. She, must find hers. When you think of her, don't think of the hate. Think of the time before. Embrace that memory of her" advised Heath.
                                "I will, she blames me for what happened. It was out of my control, I was MIA in a transporter buffer. I've done some terrible things, things I'm not proud of and I've been doing my best to make amends but she refused to see it even when it's presented to her, she was not always like this, I don't know where these ideas come from in her head.

                                I hope she finds happiness with the family Red's putting her with. From what I've heard from Red about her folks, they're ideal choices. Loving but tough on discipline, that's what she needs" answered Reyes.
                                "He's a good man, always prepared to fight for peace. Marissa will benefit from that wisdom" replied Heath.
                                "If she listens, first thing she'll do is be defiant. She stands no chance from what I've heard from Red" answered Reyes.
                                "Let's not dwell on it" replied Heath as she poured three glasses of Kanar and passed one to Reyes and another to Kestrella.
                                "To honour my Marissa's memory, I'd like to spend my off duty time educating the youth on the first Terran Empire" said Reyes.
                                "I'm willing to overlook the fact that one of family were killed in the Sack of Rixx due to you showing remorse for your actions" said Kestrella.

                                "I've had 158 years to dwell on it, the atrocities committed by the First Terran Empire should never be repeated. This one is equally guilty in places, the only way to prevent these horrors happening again is to educate the youth. Ma'am, I may not fully agree with you on some things, no offence intended" said Reyes.
                                "None taken, go ahead" answered Heath.
                                "You're a bit soft at times" replied Reyes.
                                "It's also strength, everything has a time and place" answered Heath.
                                "Fair point, there are times when violence is necessary but all other options must be considered, a lesson the first Terran Empire did not learn" replied Reyes.
                                "Not going to disagree" answered Heath.
                                "Good point" added Kestrella.
                                "Ms Lot, you have a noble profession. Could I speak to your students about the first Terran Empire and why the answer to atrocities should be 'Never Again'?" asked Reyes.
                                "We make sure the lessons are learnt" answered Kestrella.
                                "We cannot sugar coat this either, we have to give them the full facts" replied Reyes.
                                "Not my juniors, my seniors however would be more receptive" answered Kestrella.
                                "Marissa went about it the wrong way, we need to go about it the correct way" replied Reyes .
                                "What do you propose?" asked Kestrella.
                                "A lecture with your seniors, I'd be more than happy to tell them how it was and answer their questions. This is how we make a difference" answered Reyes.


                                ............................................................................................................................................................................................
                                I.S.S. Teanna (MU yellow)

                                "Marissa, clean this pigsty up" said Captain Trianna Valdez-Brookfield.
                                "No" answered Marissa.
                                "Clean it, you will be supervised and if you decide to trash these quarters again, I will have you confined to the brig. Do not test me" ordered Trianna.
                                "Or you'll do what?" remarked Marissa as she tried to square up to Trianna.
                                Trianna just gave her a slap across the face,
                                "My patience has limits, I could have done something far worse. You understand that?" asked Trianna.
                                "I hate you" answered Marissa.
                                "You can hate me all you want, you WILL get this pigsty cleaned up and don't even think about answering back unless it's 'Yes Ma'am'. Barnes, make sure she cleans this place up and watch her like a hawk" said Trianna,
                                "That slap hurt me more than it hurt you, you are a defiant little brat who thinks she can do what ever the hell she wants. Bad news, the family you are going to will not take your defiance, they will put you in your place every time you step out of line, you will learn discipline, you will learn respect and you will learn that being defiant gets you nowhere now clean this pigsty up" she finished with before leaving.

                                "Ma'am" answered Barnes, "start cleaning and no protests" he ordered afterwards to Marissa.
                                "A**hole" commented Marissa.
                                "I've been called worse, MOVE IT!!!!" snapped Barnes, "Make sure it's spotless, you waste the captain's time, she wastes your time."

                                Meanwhile, Trianna was reporting back via subspace,
                                "Is she being defiant?" asked Heath.
                                "She trashed her quarters and refused to clean up her mess" answered Trianna.
                                "You look stressed out" replied Heath.
                                "She squared up to me and was being really defiant, she got a slap across the face for her troubles. Junior, I'd expect defiance from, he's 2 years old and maybe Mara, she's 6 years old. Marissa is old enough to know better. That slap has hurt me more than her but she needed it. She's under Sgt. Barnes' direct supervision and he's under orders to make sure those quarters are spotless, if she decides to trash them again, she'll find herself in a cell in my brig" answered Trianna.
                                "We all have our limits of patience" replied Heath.
                                "How's Reyes?" asked Trianna.
                                "In pieces, what Marissa said has deeply hurt him" answered Heath.
                                "Too much anger in her" replied Trianna.
                                "Just like you were when I first met you, it's taken time but you've calmed down and taken responsibility" answered Heath.
                                "I've had some good teachers" replied Trianna.
                                "Keep me posted, contact me when you reach Bajor" ordered Heath.
                                "Ma'am" answered Trianna.
                                "Betazed out" replied Heath and the screen went blank.

                                "It rains then it pours" sighed Trianna, "at least I get to spend time with dad so a good thing."



                                Post edited by theraven2378 on
                                NMXb2ph.png
                                  "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                                  -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                                • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                                  edited October 2019
                                  I.S.S. Teanna, Bajoran System (prime)

                                  After reporting in, Captain Trianna Valdez-Brookfield (red) made sure that Marissa Valdez (yellow) was prepared,
                                  "Come on, we've arrived. You're about to meet your adoptive father so no cheek and no defiance, you step out of line with him and his wife, they are good people who only want to get the best out of you" she said to Marissa.
                                  "More like tell me what to do" remarked Marissa.
                                  "I'm older than you and I have to do as I'm told, no different" answered Trianna.
                                  "You're just as bad as the Empire by wearing that uniform and willingly serving them" replied Marissa.
                                  "My job is to make sure that the citizens of the empire can sleep easy at night, knowing there are people fighting everyday and risking or sometimes losing their lives so others may be safe. The Empire you know died, the Terran people enslaved and oppressed for nearly a century" answered Trianna.
                                  "Then they should have remained enslaved, they deserved it for collaborating with the Empire" replied Marissa.
                                  "My grandparents were murdered by Cardassians, show some bloody respect" answered Trianna.
                                  "Captain, she's trying to provoke you" advised Sgt. Barnes (yellow).
                                  "Pick your bag up and move it, that's an order" said Trianna to Marissa.
                                  "You carry it" demanded Marissa.
                                  "You will carry it, I expect defiance from my two, you are old enough to know better so pick that bag up and MOVE IT!!!!" snapped Trianna to Marissa.
                                  "Marissa realising that she was not going to win, picked her bag up and defiantly dragged it along the floor to the shuttle bay.
                                  "I said carry it not drag it" ordered Trianna.
                                  "I'm not a slave" answered back Marissa.
                                  "You are not, but you are on my ship and you follow my orders. That goes for every officer and enlisted on this crew, they step out of line, I put them back in their place" replied Trianna as they boarded the shuttle and departed the I.S.S. Teanna.

                                  .................................................................................................................
                                  Hathon, Bajor (prime)

                                  Trianna and Marissa (yellow) landed at the space port and walked to the temple using a map provided by Heath,
                                  "Glasses on, you need them to deal with the light" said Trianna.
                                  "Do I have to?, I could so easily drop them on the floor and step on them" remarked Marissa.
                                  "Do not challenge me, MOVE!!!" snapped Trianna.
                                  Marissa just defiantly tried to provoke Trianna but she soon found that it was not working,
                                  "I'm hard on you for a reason, you are clinging onto the past. Don't, it'll only drag you down. For years I let my past dictate who I was, I no longer let that happen. Look to the future and don't cling to your past, what you need is love and discipline. Your adoptive father can give you that as well as wisdom, give him and his wife a chance. They've helped me when I was at my lowest" she said to Marissa (yellow).
                                  "Sounds like you know them" answered Marissa.
                                  "I do, they're my mom and dad and they are good people" replied Trianna as she saw saw Reyes (prime) with Marissa (prime) and Marissa (red), "They are you and that's your father's prime counterpart, they are happy together. You could have had that, your father was offering you that happiness but your anger burned that bridge. The family I'm putting you with are good people who I trust, they are loving, understanding but tough on discipline, may you find happiness with them."

                                  Marissa (yellow) broke down when she realised what her anger and defiance had cost her,
                                  "Actions have consequences, what you did was the wrong way about going about it. Your father only wanted the best for you, I did and so did your teacher, you threw that in their face with defiance and disrespect and look where it got you. The truth hurts, you need to take responsibility for your actions. I was once like you, angry, defiant and with a nasty violent streak. I owned my mistakes and worked to calm down and deal with my problems, you need to do the same and take ownership of your actions" said Trianna as she wiped Marissa's (yellow) eyes with a handkerchief.
                                  "The truth hurts" answered Marissa (yellow).
                                  "It does, now put your glasses on" replied Trianna, "I take you to meet my dad" she said afterwards.
                                  Marissa (yellow) complied without resistance before both walked to the temple to meet Valdez.

                                  NMXb2ph.png
                                    "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                                    -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                                  • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                                    edited October 2019
                                    Jouret IV (MU red)

                                    On the anniversary of the reformation of the Empire, rebel forces took over the colony of New Providence and made a public declaration,
                                    "Citizens of New Providence, you are guilty of collaboration with the Empire against the Revolution. For this, you are evicted from your homes, you can only take the clothes on your back. Hoarding food, medication and water is forbidden, those are for the revolution. Any who try to hoard supplies will be shot now leave or die" said the rebel commander, Colonel Drayfus.
                                    The rebels now levelled their weapons on the population and marched them to a cave network before leaving them to die.

                                    The Imperial garrison had managed to get a call out before they were captured, the 200 Imperial POWs were then marched into into a cellar and locked in.

                                    When Imperial command got the call, Solat and Reyes linked up and made the slipstream jump to Jouret. Once in orbit, they gave command an update,
                                    "Enemy has control, fate of population is unknown" reported Solat aboard the I.S.S. Surak.
                                    "Permission to search for the population?" requested Captain Reyes Valdez (red) aboard the I.S.S. Monroe.
                                    "Granted, we've picked up readings in a cave network. Land your team at these coordinates 2 km from the caves" answered Solat.
                                    "Copy that, Valdez out" replied Reyes, "Barnes, picked men and have Doctor Wren and her team meet us" he ordered afterwards.
                                    "Sir" answered Barnes (red).

                                    The ground team now boarded a shuttle and departed the I.S.S. Monroe, once the team landed they started tracking life signs and soon traced them, when they arrived, they found the population huddled together hungry and thirsty. Doctor Wren and her team got to treating the population while Barnes and Reyes had a security detachment guard the cave entrance. They then started to ask the population,
                                    "500 of them, they've got 200 Imperial troops as hostages" answered one civilian.
                                    "I need that confirmed, run a scan of the colony" ordered Reyes to Cmdr. Baker (red).
                                    "Sir, 700 life forms in the colony" answered Baker.
                                    "We've got 900 civilians here, all hungry and thirsty, prepare to receive refugees" ordered Reyes.
                                    "Sir" answered Baker.

                                    "Let's take a look at the colony" said Reyes as the refugees were beamed up to the Imperial fleet in orbit.

                                    The ground team now carried out their recon and found a ring of hills surrounding the colony,
                                    "This looks good, have some drones take a look" ordered Reyes as he scouted the terrain surrounding the New Providence Colony.
                                    "We're not getting in there easily, tanks and what appear to be bunker positions dug into the cellars and upper floors" answered Barnes as he increased the zoom on his binoculars.
                                    "What about the rest of the hills?" asked Reyes.
                                    "We need to occupy them" suggested Barnes.
                                    "We need a full legion on this" answered Reyes.
                                    "That we do" replied Barnes.
                                    "Keep drones on recon and notify command that we may have a siege on our hands" ordered Reyes.
                                    "Sir" answered Barnes, "Regent, we may need a legion here. Armour, infantry, air and artillery, sending location of good defensive ground to fortify and hold with the artillery and infantry, we'll need entrenching tools as well with the landing forces" he requested to Solat via combadge.
                                    "Tell you captain to return to the Monroe, I'll notify command that we may need a legion here and that a siege may be necessary" answered Solat.
                                    "Ma'am" answered Barnes, "Sir, we've been given order to return to the ship with our recon intel" he said to Reyes.
                                    "Team, return to the shuttle" ordered Reyes.
                                    The team then returned to the shuttle before returning to the Monroe.

                                    Solat now gave orders for the 3rd Imperial Siege Legion to be mobilised, the 1st Imperial Airborne were also mobilised as 6,500 men were given their shipping out orders. Before they left Terra, they were given a parade live on INN to the cheers of the population of Madrid. General Velasquez led his troops to the transports and under the protection of the Imperial 3rd Fleet, they set a course for Jouret.

                                    The rebels entrenched in the New Providence Colony now worked frantically to improve their defences as word reached them of the Imperial 3rd Siege Legion being mobilised, Colonel Drayfus knew a storm was coming and sent the Imperials a message,
                                    "Call off your army and fleets or every 24 hours, we will execute 20 hostages."

                                    "We need to plan and execute a hostage rescue operation, Captain Valdez, you have carried out a scouting mission of the colony, what can you tell us?" asked Solat.
                                    "Bad news is that they've entrenched themselves in and activated transporter inhibitors to prevent us beaming the hostages out, we've seen tanks being put into hull down positions and our drones are keeping a watch on the colony. The colony has been fortified with bunkers, barricades and the buildings have been fortified. Getting in will be difficult to say the least" answered Reyes.
                                    "Our first objective is to rescue the hostages, I need solutions" replied Solat.
                                    "They'll expect a ground assault, no doubting that. If we take that option, the hostages will most likely be executed" answered Captain Petrova (red).
                                    "What about an airborne assault?" asked Barnes.
                                    "Sgt, unorthodox. Elaborate" answered Solat.
                                    "We make a parachute landing onto the building where the hostages are being kept, once we secured the roof, we fight our way down until we get to the hostages, an exit strategy however will be more difficult" replied Barnes as he pointed out a floor plan of the military barracks.
                                    "Intel has confirmed that the hostages are being kept there, we do not know their condition but given how the rebels have treated the population, they'll not be in good shape" said Reyes.
                                    "Your logic is sound, I've mobilised the 3rd Imperial Siege Legion and the 1st Imperial Airborne. They'll be arriving in 12 hours so you've both got 12 hours to plan your raid, once the Airborne arrive, you will lead the raid" answered Solat.
                                    "Ma'am" answered both Reyes and Barnes.
                                    "I'll report the situation to her majesty" said Solat, "Captain Petrova, I need you to achieve air supremacy. Secure the skies so our Airborne can make their assault" she ordered afterwards.
                                    "Ma'am" answered Petrova.
                                    Post edited by theraven2378 on
                                    NMXb2ph.png
                                      "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                                      -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                                    • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                                      edited October 2019
                                      I.S.S. Monroe-A

                                      "Recon on target building?" asked Captain Reyes Valdez.
                                      "We've got a break, the barracks are on the outer edge of the colony. Probes have picked up 200 life signs in the cellar of the building" answered Sgt. Barnes (red).
                                      "The transporter inhibitors are a major problem" said Siesa (red).
                                      "Inquisitor, suggestions?" asked Reyes.
                                      "I'll need a direct link to the colony computers" answered Seisa.
                                      "If you can knockout the security and inhibitors without setting off the alarm, that would be excellent" replied Reyes.
                                      "Leave that with me" answered Seisa.
                                      "You've got 12 hours" replied Reyes.
                                      "Captain" answered Seisa.
                                      "Cyber-Warfare Specialist, a useful talent for what we've got in mind" said Barnes as he was reading Seisa's file.
                                      "Inquisitor, meet Sgt. Barnes, Sgt. meet Inquisitor Seisa" said Reyes.
                                      "Former Imperial Army infantry, Airborne?" asked Seisa.
                                      "Commandos ma'am" answered Barnes.
                                      "Why is a fine soldier like you not an officer?" asked Seisa.
                                      "I'm happy being a Sgt." answered Barnes.
                                      "Loyal NCO" noted Seisa.
                                      "Enthusiastic, I'll say that" commented Reyes, "That wicked little scheme you cook up, make it a good one. Haywire, welcome to the team" he said afterwards.
                                      "By the smile on her face, it's going to be somewhat creative" commented Barnes.
                                      "Wait and see" answered Seisa smiling.

                                      "We need the floor plans of those barracks, numbers of guards and the access points in" said Reyes.
                                      "Ask the colonists?" asked Barnes.
                                      "They've been cooperative and what they've told us has been backed up, go for it" answered Seisa.
                                      "I'll talk to the colonists, Haywire, start work and Barnes, train the picked men for a night parachute landing, we need precision" said Reyes.
                                      "Captain" answered Seisa.
                                      "Sir" answered Barnes, "Which reminds me, you two need to be trained as well for the jump" he advised afterwards.
                                      "Count me in" answered Seisa.
                                      "Those rebels will not know what hit them, once we remove the hostages from the equation, they have no leverage. Something we take advantage of" said Reyes.
                                      "And a few of them in the process" replied Barnes.
                                      "Gentlemen, give them death from above" said Seisa.

                                      "We'll break for lunch, my crew mess hall?" asked Reyes to Seisa and Barnes.
                                      "What's the Chef's Special Today?" asked Seisa.
                                      "I believe it's Paella today" answered Reyes, "From what I've heard, it's a popular one with the crew" he said afterwards.
                                      "Invitation accepted" answered Seisa.
                                      "Yes sir" answered Barnes.

                                      With that, the meeting was halted as all three went for lunch.

                                      That afternoon, the Airborne's elite commandos arrived in system and transferred over to the Monroe as a floor plan was being generated, for the next six hours, the teams practised the raid from airborne phase to assault until the attack plan was in their heads. At T-Minus 60 minutes, the teams were briefed,
                                      "Inquisitor, you're with me and Barnes. We'll be leading in the hostage rescue team. Lt. Adams, you lead the kill team, neutralise any guards quietly" ordered Reyes.
                                      "Captain" answered Seisa and Adams.
                                      "We'll be jumping from the upper atmosphere, the target building is the Imperial Barracks. We'll land on the roof and enter through the roof access and upper floors. Haywire, your job is to knock out the security I hope your program is ready. Adams, once security has been knocked out, you will secure us a path to the hostages, show the guards no mercy and hit them hard and fast" said Barnes.
                                      "The Sgt. and I will be leading the hostage rescue team, once security is down, we need transporter amplifiers to evacuate the hostages. Haywire, make sure those inhibitors are knocked out, you'll be with us" ordered Reyes.
                                      "Captain" answered Seisa.
                                      "We go in 30 so suit up and be ready to meet up in the shuttlebay" ordered Reyes.
                                      "Captain!!!" chorused the raiders.





                                      Post edited by theraven2378 on
                                      NMXb2ph.png
                                        "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                                        -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                                      • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                                        edited October 2019
                                        Jouret IV, (MU Red)

                                        Two shuttles masked their energy signatures as two teams all clad in black opened the back of the shuttles,
                                        "Kill team, go" ordered Reyes.
                                        The Kill team jumped out of the back of the shuttle as rescue group now jumped out of their shuttle, once the raiders were on their way to the target, the shuttles departed as the raiders homed in on the objective, at 400 metres, they opened their parachutes and landed on the barracks roof. After quickly disposing of their parachutes and harnesses, the teams now fanned out and found the roof access corridors,
                                        "Haywire, security terminal, you're up" said Reyes after tapping Seisa on the shoulder. As Seisa got to work, the raiders were on edge as the security system went down. The raiders now moved to take the security offices as the Kill team fanned out to quietly neutralise the guards on the upper floors. In the security officer, Seisa sent the security system haywire,
                                        "That should take them some time to deal with" said Seisa.
                                        "Clear the lower floors, remember quietly" ordered Reyes via secured coms as the two teams quietly neutralised the guards on the lower floors. Seisa now activated her shutdown program on the transporter inhibitors as the raiders ruthlessly and silently cleared the building.

                                        They now reached the cellar and using a caretaker's code, opened the door and threw a flash grenade through before the raiders burst in and ruthless disposed of the two guards, Seisa downing one of them after putting a TR-116B round into his chest,
                                        "Good kill" said Barnes.
                                        "Good shot" added Reyes.
                                        "Setting up the transporter amplifiers now, if you gentlemen can keep me covered, I would be very thankful" said Seisa.
                                        "Boys, you heard the lady, let's give our Betazoid friend time to do her work" ordered Reyes.
                                        "Give me three minutes" said Seisa.
                                        "Can you do it in 90 seconds?" asked Reyes.
                                        "And risk scattering us over a wide areas if it's misaligned?, I cannot work miracles all of the time" answered Seisa.
                                        "You've got three minutes" replied Reyes as the alarm sound,
                                        "It will take precisely 60 seconds for the enemy to respond, another 25 seconds for them to reach our present location. We must hold them off for 95 seconds" commented Trooper Serak.
                                        "It's going to be a long 95 seconds, use the boxes as barricades" ordered Reyes.
                                        "Captain" answered Serak.

                                        The raiders now awaited the rebel counter-attack but it never arrived as they looked to the sky and saw hundreds of Imperial fighters covering the night sky, the raiders now transported out the hostages and were the last to evacuate as rebel troops finally reached the barracks, what they saw was a message. When Col. Drayfus saw the aftermath of the raid, he knew that his only leverage was gone and that he had lost at least 30 of his most trusted men.

                                        When dawn broke, the rebels now saw the Imperial 3rd Siege Legion land and soon the sound of machinery was heard as the Imperial 3rd Siege Legion now built their siege lines. The rebels in the defensive position watched as Imperial troops built an earthen and duranium alloy wall around the colony. Behind the wall construction, the hills were being tunnelled out for artillery positions, strong points and command posts.

                                        The engineers now deployed ambush turrets and sentry weapons to the wall as the Imperial infantry now began to man the siege the sieges lines as Imperial tanks now were moved into hull down position, INN had also arrived and soon were broadcasting live from the siege as General Velasquez read out the the terms for the rebels' surrender,
                                        "You have two choices,
                                        1) Surrender now
                                        2) Be ground down by a siege, You have limited manpower, limited supplies and no way out. We have a constant supply of supplies and reinforcements, you cannot win. We will be slowly making sure you and your followers are ground down by siege, we've got plenty of time, you have not."

                                        Col. Dreyfus responded by,
                                        "Then we die for the Motherland."

                                        The Siege of New Providence was now on as INN watched the opening artillery barrage of the Imperial guns and air strikes burst above the rebels' heads forcing them to remain in overhead cover, Imperial infantry were now ordered to light two cooking fires in view of the rebels. Col. Drayfus now thought he was facing two full legions when in fact, he was only facing one.

                                        The Imperial 3rd Siege Legion now kept the barrage of airbursts constantly going as once every hour, a bell rang. The bell was heard all over the battlefield as the rebels gulped,
                                        "For Whom the Bell Tolls" quoted one rebel as he looked out of his bunker position as Imperial fighters and artillery kept him awake.


                                        Post edited by theraven2378 on
                                        NMXb2ph.png
                                          "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                                          -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                                        • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                                          edited October 2019
                                          New Providence Siege line, Jouret IV (MU red)

                                          The siege was now in it's 7th day as the 3rd Imperial Siege Legion finishing installing the heating systems into their underground and bunker positions, winter had come to Jouret IV as the first snow descended from the skies and the temperatures dropped. For the 3rd Imperial Siege Legion, the troops endured the cold conditions outside their heated bunkers in their winter warfare uniforms before rotating in new troops so the previous watch could warm up. The weather soon got so bad that both sides had to retreat to within heated cover, in one bunker, Seisa and some Imperial Army troops were having a joke,
                                          "Dmitri, you of all people would feel right at home here" joked Private Tate.
                                          "Reminds me of home" countered Private Dmitri Orensky.
                                          "You try growing up on a ball of ice then" joked Private Thren.
                                          "Thren, no wonder why they say Andorians are bad tempered" countered Orensky.
                                          "Must be that cold" added Tate.
                                          "Makes for a tougher people" joked Thren.
                                          "The Iceman has spoken, nothing beats an Andorian winter" said Orensky as Reyes and Barnes walked in.
                                          "Captain, Sgt." said Corporal Huarez
                                          "A bit cold out" joked Barnes.
                                          "A bit?!, it's like a freezer outside" answered Seisa as the bell tolled at the start of another hour.

                                          In the besieged colony, the rebels hoped the bad weather would bring some respite from the bombardment bursting above their heads as the bell tolled, the strikes were being directed in from orbit as Starfleet began marking positions for bombardment to the dug in artillery batteries. The bombardment now began to hit targets as the the colony's water supplies were destroyed by an antiproton round destroying the water storage units in the colony.

                                          The next target hit was the power generators, soon across the colony, the rebel power grid went offline as the temperature dropped to a crisp -35 degrees Celsius. In their bunkers and strong points, the rebels now had to face the the danger of exposure as they heard the Imperials cheering and laughing from their lines. Col. Drayfus realising that he had only a month's supply of food and three weeks of water now imposed strict rationing to stretch what supplies they had as they smelled the scent of cooking meat wafting over from the Imperial lines.

                                          Soon, the rebels were reduced to burning furniture and anything else flammable to stay warm as Imperial troops all enjoyed hot food and heated shelters. Life now began to start getting unbearable for those rebels trapped inside the colony as the cold began to bite. Rebel losses to frostbite and other cold related conditions began to rise as the temperature dropped to -40 degrees Celsius.

                                          The Imperials in their heated bunkers and underground positions now used drones and sensors to watch the rebels from their heated locations. Reyes and Barnes both sat with Seisa over an army meal,
                                          "You two are out of your minds" joked Seisa.
                                          "Haywire?" asked Barnes.
                                          "Jumping out of a perfectly good shuttle, that said, it was fun" answered Seisa.
                                          "You did good on your first combat drop" said Reyes as he made a round of hot tea.
                                          "Nice work back there" said Barnes as Reyes passed round cups of tea.
                                          "Death from above" joked Seisa.
                                          "Indeed" answered Barnes.
                                          "Next time you boys need me for some crazy scheme, sign me up" replied Seisa smiling.
                                          Reyes and Barnes both found it funny,
                                          "Any time, Haywire" answered Reyes before they all settled down to their meal and hot teas.

                                          In the rebel positions, things were not so great and the rebels now used the Imperial winter uniforms they captured. They removed all Imperial iconography and replaced it with their iconography as Drayfus now found out that his medical supplies had been hit by another Imperial artillery round, the rebels were now down to three weeks of medicine as the bombardment now returned to airbursts forcing everyone in the colony back into cover.

                                          For the rebels, this would be the winter from hell as the Imperials were being reinforced by a volunteer cohort. The colonists and freed hostages now formed the New Providence Cohort, it consisted of men and women expelled from the colony and the liberated Imperials freed who volunteered to help liberate their home. After they were trained in a crash course and issued with a uniform, equipment and weapon, they were sent to reinforce the forward bunker line. Any colonists not in a combat role but could be of use were issued winter warfare clothing and put to work in helping organise supplies to the fighting men and women from heated storehouses, civilians also aided the Imperial medical staff acting as nurses and helping bring in the sick and injured, the rest of the colonists were evacuated to an Imperial safe zone aboard the Surak.

                                          The civilians would use the covered trench lines to move supplies to where ever they were needed as officers and NCOs barked orders to the Imperial troops to watch the temperature gauges on their uniforms, one Lt. had decided to commandeer an entire heated dugout and left his soldiers in the trenches, the soldiers' complaint soon reached Reyes who promptly had the officer brought up into the trench and given a dressing down in front of the soldiers.

                                          The Lt. being from a noble family had decided that sharing with those "beneath" him was not worth his time soon found himself charged with dereliction of duty and promptly shot for failing to look after his soldiers. The men and women all saluted Reyes before Sgt. Crane said,
                                          "Thanks sir, he was a bad officer and deserved what he got."
                                          "Sgt., look after those boys and girls, tell them that they've got their shelter back" answered Reyes.
                                          "Yes sir!!!" replied Crane.
                                          "Sgt., carry on" said Reyes.
                                          "Right, you sorry lot, warm beds and hot food. Get inside and enjoy, thank the captain" said Crane.
                                          "Thank you sir!!!" chorused the men and women of 2nd Platoon, 3rd Hastasi Battalion.
                                          "You're all welcome" answered Reyes before he returned to his bunker and met up with Barnes and Seisa in their position.

                                          Imperial troops strength on Jouret IV was now 6,000 men and women as a steady arrival of supplies and reinforcements arrived to sustain the 3rd Imperial Siege Legion.

                                          INN reported from the scene in a heated bunker,
                                          "Enemy forces have been contained, after refusing a surrender deal for their safety, they have strengthened their position. Imperial troops now have them surrounded as winter is finally here on Jouret IV. We have just witnessed the colony water supplies and power get hit, with temperatures of of -40 degrees Celsius outside, they are now freezing where as our boys and girls are warm, well stocked with food, water, medicine and ammunition. Our morale is high here as our glorious armed forces show the citizens of the Empire who the true heroes are, the sons and daughters of the Empire who risk everything every day to ensure the safety and security of their fellow citizens.

                                          Long Live the Empire and good night from Jouret IV."






                                          Post edited by theraven2378 on
                                          NMXb2ph.png
                                            "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                                            -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                                          • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                                            edited October 2019
                                            Betazed (MU Yellow)

                                            Captain Trianna Valdez-Brookfield docked at SB Omega,
                                            "Time to report in" she sighed as she boarded her Delta Flyer and took off from the landing pad.
                                            When she arrived, she landed and walked to the Empress' office,
                                            "Captain Brookfield here to see you" said Jasmine Smith-Petrofski.
                                            "Jas, it's been a long trip. Thank goodness that the little brat is with her adoptive family" sighed Trianna.
                                            "That bad?" asked Jasmine.
                                            "You have no idea" answered Trianna.
                                            "You look stressed out" replied Jasmine, "the Empress will see you now" replied Jasmine as Katerina Petrofski woke up for her feed.

                                            Trianna walked in, saluted and took her seat,
                                            "Prophets, Four Deities, God or whoever, someone give me strength" sighed Trianna.
                                            "I can find you every pantheon if you want" joked Heath.
                                            "Thanks for that, that and something a lot stronger than tea" answered Trianna finding the joke funny.
                                            "We all have our limits of patience, how was the trip?" asked Heath.
                                            "A week of hell, that little brat trashed her quarters in a temper tantrum at being told "No" and tried to challenge me by squaring up to me, trust me when I say this but that slap was well deserved though it hurt me a lot more than it hurt her" answered Trianna, "She's disobedient, defiant but in the end she broke. She saw her counterparts with their father happy together, her own refusal to part with her past broke her in the end. At least she's with people who can help her to grow and flourish in a loving and disciplined environment."
                                            "You'll be wanting to keep in contact" asked Heath.
                                            "As much as I can, at least I got to spend some time with family over there. Hathon is a beautiful city, the people something unique" answered Trianna.
                                            "I hope the map helped" replied Heath.
                                            "It did and since I was there, have your people make some space in the cargo bays of this palace" asked Trianna, "I brought back a surprise of the alcohol kind" as a bottle of Bajoran recipe Kanar beamed onto the table.
                                            "How much did you bring back?" asked Heath.
                                            "At least four big crates and three crates of Prime universe Bourbon" answered Trianna.
                                            "I'll have each crate and bottle scanned first" replied Heath.

                                            Once the crates and bottles were cleared, Trianna presented Heath with five big crates of Bajoran recipe Kanar as a thank you for giving her a chance,
                                            "Ma'am, a taste of your homeworld" answered Trianna.
                                            "Thank you, now just be careful with all that bourbon. That is a lot of alcohol" replied Heath.
                                            "I will, it's going into my spirits cellar" answered Trianna, "How Reyes?" she asked afterwards.
                                            "He's feeling slightly better, he's been teaching the senior pupils of Betazed about the Terran Occupation from the standpoint of him being there, how the Betazoids were stripped of their very names, enslaved and nearly destroyed as a culture. From what I've heard, he's been totally open and honest about his crimes and telling the seniors that these crimes should never happen again" answered Heath.
                                            "It's going to help that healing process, I have picked up nothing but remorse from him. His humanity is coming back to him, he needs the support. He just needs to know that he's not alone and there is family who can help, he just has to ask for that help" replied Trianna.
                                            "He's a lot like your father in some ways, stubborn" answered Heath.
                                            "That is the problem, call it a family trait" replied Trianna.

                                            "How are your two terrors?" asked Heath.
                                            "Knowing my mother, totally hyper when I go and pick them up. I have told her not to spoil the little ones, Charlie has as well. We do not want them becoming spoilt brats. But mother being mother wants to spoil her grand-kids rotten" answered Trianna.
                                            "It's a grandmother thing, in this case resistance is futile" replied Heath.
                                            "Good thing me and Charlie have the house to ourselves over the weekend, the terrors are at their great aunt's over the weekend. Even we need a break from the kids" answered Trianna, "I also need to attend to Isoisa's grave. I buried all her finest clothing and belongings so she has them in the afterlife. I miss her everyday but I know that being a drone not in control of her body is something worse, at least she's at peace.
                                            "Tough choice, it may have broken you at first but it's made you stronger and more determined" replied Heath.
                                            "More determined that my duty to protecting the citizens has only given me more resolve, if they can sleep at night without fear, then I know I'm doing my job to my full potential" answered Trianna.
                                            "Yet you seem happier behind your desk on SB Omega" replied Heath.
                                            "I can no longer afford to be away from home for too long, little ones. Me and Charlie are co-providers to them, good thing he works days" answered Trianna.
                                            Heath understood exactly,
                                            "Enjoy your family time" she replied afterwards.
                                            "I will, I'll contact dad as well later to make that Marissa is fine. She may need some guidance from her big sister" answered Trianna as both got a call that a stasis pod had been found and recovered in the NGC 456.2 sector.

                                            When they arrived at the palace hospital, they saw a young 30 year old woman undergoing surgery. After a four hour battle, she was given the all clear by Doctor Lot. When the woman awoke, she found herself looking up at the medical staff,
                                            "Where on God's green Earth am I?" she asked.
                                            "Betazed" answered Heath.
                                            "You are not slaves, okay, this is not my time" replied the woman looking around.
                                            "Where are you from?" asked Trianna.
                                            "Last time I checked it was 2272" answered the Woman.
                                            "You are in the 25th century, the year is 2414" replied Heath.
                                            "Oh great, the Empire is still here. I know Imperial iconography when I see it" answered the woman.
                                            "That empire died in 2293 when it became a republic" replied Heath, "The republic was soon conquered and the Terrans enslaved for nearly a century" she said afterwards.
                                            "They needed that lesson, now they know how it feels to have their names taken away from them, taken from their homes and sold like cattle. They now know what terror they put other races through. They deserved what they got" answered the woman.
                                            "What's your name?" asked Trianna.
                                            "Captain Marissa Luisa Valdez of the free starship Conqueror, I led a mutiny and rebellion against the empire. In two years, I had liberated nearly three million slaves and dissidents by getting them out and beyond Imperial borders. Now I see a new Terran Empire" answered Marissa (yellow original), "we pushed it once too far and were lured into an ambush, I was critically injured in the opening strike and my crew put me onto another rebel starship. What happened to the Conqueror?" she asked afterwards.
                                            "Lost with all hands in a kamikaze run, the rebels then swarmed the Imperial fleet destroying it. Over 4,000 Imperial troops killed and none taken prisoner" answered Trianna.
                                            "My crew is dead, my family dead, hopefully the colony me and my rebel group set up to house freed slaves, dissidents and their families is still there" replied Marissa.
                                            "It is, they're a trading partner with the Empire. Not a member and not an ally" answered Heath.
                                            "Where does that leave me?" asked Marissa.
                                            "I'll have to decide that" answered Heath.

                                            "Slavery is no longer a thing, that I can promise you. We've become more enlightened and we have the best choice of leadership" said Trianna, "In fact the last slaver I met got a bullet through his skull. If I see slavers, I kill them without any hesitation" she said afterwards.
                                            "Who's the emperor?" asked Marissa.
                                            "I am, my name is Empress Heath Layress I" answered Heath.
                                            "Bajoran, interesting" replied Marissa.
                                            "Please say you are not as angry as 13 year old you" answered Heath.
                                            "Given the circumstances, you can hardly blame her" replied Marissa as a DNA test confirmed who she was.
                                            "What about you?" asked Heath.
                                            "I'm still angry at my father and the Empire but that Empire is gone, my father is long dead by now. I'm sorry I could not make amends with him" answered Marissa.
                                            "Your father is alive, he's a changed man. Give him a chance because he's going through a rough patch at the moment, 13 year old you, well a Mycelium birthed copy of you told him to go die of a heart attack" replied Trianna.
                                            "Where is that individual?" asked Marissa.
                                            "Moved out of this universe and put with a foster family in a far better place" answered Trianna.
                                            "I was angry back then, too angry. My war against the Empire is over, that Empire collapsed and was conquered. This is a new Empire and if you are telling the truth that this is a far more civilised Empire, I want to see it for myself. I'm requesting immunity from prosecution, my rebellion was against the old Empire, not this one" replied Marissa.

                                            "Captain Brookfield, contact Reyes and tell him to get here as soon as possible" ordered Heath.
                                            "Brookfield to Reyes, you busy?" asked Trianna via combadge.
                                            "I'm about to start teaching another class, exposing the crimes of the first empire so they never happen again has been a huge help" answered Reyes.
                                            "Get over here when you've finished your class" replied Trianna.
                                            "May I ask why?" asked Reyes.
                                            "Because dad, I want to speak to you and to see if you've changed for the better. I've accepted that you committed those crimes because you had no choice, disobey and you would have swung from the gallows along with me and mom" answered Marissa.
                                            "Not that it helped my wife, is that Marissa?" asked Reyes.
                                            "I was called Marissa Luisa Valdez last time I checked" answered Marissa.
                                            "This is the original Marissa, you both need to have a good long talk. You both have a lot to catch up on" said Trianna.
                                            "Dad, I'm not going anywhere. Teach, that's the only way younger generations can prevent the crimes of the past happening again" added Marissa.
                                            "I'll be there when I've finished classes for the day, you sound older" replied Reyes.
                                            "I'm 30 years old, not as angry as I used to be" answered Marissa.
                                            "I'll be there at 1600" replied Reyes.
                                            "Thanks Reyes, Brookfield out" answered Trianna

                                            "Captain, you may have to contact your mother, you may be on overtime" said Heath.
                                            "Red to Charlie, can you pick the terrors up from my mother's?, I've been called into work for more hours" asked Trianna to Charles Brookfield via combadge.
                                            "Red, consider it done" answered Brookfield.
                                            "Thank you, I'll make it up to you later" replied Trianna.
                                            "Heading to your mother's now, they'll be hyper again, both little terrors" answered Brookfield.
                                            "Have fun, Red out" replied Trianna.

                                            "Stay with her and guard her, she is not to leave that bed" ordered Heath before she left.
                                            "Ma'am" answered Trianna.
                                            "Why does a Betazoid serve the Empire?" asked Marissa, "they enslaved your ancestors and took away their names and cultural heritage. They were bred like cattle for sale and yet you've forgotten that" she said afterwards.
                                            "My father was a genocidal Terran warlord and my mother is Betazoid" answered Trianna, "my father was killed for his crimes" she said afterwards.
                                            "Interesting" noted Marissa, "it still does not change the facts" replied Marissa.
                                            "The people who ordered those atrocities are long dead, why reopen old wounds?" asked Trianna.
                                            "A valid point, so how do you serve the Empire?" countered Marissa.
                                            "To protect those who cannot fight back, I am a warrior and my duty is to the people no matter the species" answered Trianna.
                                            "You have honor" replied Marissa.
                                            "I've had to regain it, as has your father" answered Trianna.
                                            "And you are under orders to keep me guarded" said Marissa.
                                            "Indeed, so just cooperate" answered Trianna.
                                            "I will, too much anger and hate in the universe. This empire facing up to the crimes of the first Empire I grew up in is a refreshing thing indeed, I see hope for a better place here" replied Marissa.
                                            "Though sometimes we must fight for that hope, every citizen is valued here and we're less brutal than we used to be. People do try and bring back the old ways but those have been rejected. Shame it took nearly a century of enslavement to teach them that harsh lesson, but it had to be learnt" answered Trianna.
                                            "It's good to hear another rational voice" replied Marissa.
                                            "I'm picking up open honesty from you, I may be half Terran but I can still read minds" answered Trianna.
                                            "Empath?" asked Marissa.
                                            "Telepath" answered Trianna.
                                            "A telepath with a killer instinct when it comes to punishing the wicked, that sounds terrifying" replied Marissa.
                                            "That's the intention, those who do evil often die by my hand and it's only to the guilty" answered Trianna.
                                            "On that we see eye to eye" said Marissa.










                                            Post edited by theraven2378 on
                                            NMXb2ph.png
                                              "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                                              -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                                            • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                                              edited October 2019
                                              New Providence Siege line, Jouret IV (MU red)

                                              The 3rd Imperial Siege Legion had been working on an assault plan, it agreed that once the weather cleared that a combined ground and airborne assault would happen as canisters were being delivered to the specialists for deployment. No one but those with clearance knew the contents of the canisters as specialists in full EV gear secured the canisters in a well guarded storehouse, only authorised personnel were allowed in and those without clearance just knew to keep their mouths and minds shut concerning the secretive activity,
                                              "Captain, the canisters have been brought in for softening up the rebels if we have to go in. In these canisters is chlorine and bromine gas, my doctor has assured me that it will thin out the enemy numbers" said General Velasquez.
                                              "Chemical weapons, how much would it contaminate?" asked Captain Reyes Valdez (red).
                                              "We can decontaminate after we've liberated the colony, contamination will be manageable" answered Velasquez.
                                              "People have to live here afterwards, think about that" replied Reyes.
                                              "We are building a temporary settlement just in case we have to deploy the gas" answered Velasquez.
                                              "Put a hold on the use of chemical weapons for now, let's use the threat of them as a warning to gain an enemy surrender" advised Reyes.
                                              "Nothing like suffering the effects of having to cough one's own lungs up, not a nice way to go" answered Velasquez.
                                              "I'm thinking environmental concerns and the health of the colonists, the last thing we need is people suffering because of the level of contamination caused by deployment of such a weapon" replied Reyes as a report of rebel activity reached the command post.

                                              "Rebels forces have reinforced their forward positions, they've also managed to bring the underground reserve power generators online" reported Major Hansen.
                                              "Hansen, can we mark those for the artillery?" asked Velasquez.
                                              "They've put a sensor jamming system in place, Starfleet cannot lock on" answered Hanson.
                                              "That will make any ground and air assault doomed to failure and heavy losses, the colony defences are a force multiplier" replied Reyes.
                                              "We need to knock out those defences" answered Velasquez.
                                              "They'll be computer controlled, unless we can get into the defence mainframe remotely, we may have problems" replied Hanson.
                                              "Don't worry about the mainframe, I've got a specialist who can help on that front" answered Reyes.
                                              "Have your specialist working with the colony computer technicians, make sure it's creative" replied Velasquez.
                                              "I have faith in my specialist, she's good" answered Reyes.
                                              "Gentlemen, back to your positions" ordered Velasquez.

                                              "Sir" answered Reyes and Hanson before they returned to their positions.
                                              "Time to deliver the ultimatum" said Velasquez.

                                              As INN reported live, Velasquez sent the rebels a clear message,
                                              "We have the means to end you, a weapon so nasty, your fates will be extremely painful.

                                              Surrender and think about the lives of your troops, if you surrender now I will see to it that you are granted POW status. This is a one time offer so think about it, you cannot win as you are outnumbered 12-1 and we are getting stronger by the day. We have hot food, warm shelter and a near endless supply of ammunition, soldiers and supplies so think about this, refusal will mean no mercy will be shown. If we have to storm the place, you will be shown no quarter and the survivors will be executed as enemies of the state. You'll be forgotten, you'll disappear and all this can be avoided if you just surrender."

                                              The rebel response was,
                                              "We would much rather die as martyrs for the revolution. Death to the Empire, all hail the People's Republic."
                                              "So be it" answered Velasquez before delivering a speech to the troops,
                                              "Solders of the 3rd Imperial Siege Legion and Starfleet, our enemy has refused to accept defeat and has chosen death. We have better morale, better soldiers. I could talk about faith, but it has no place where we are going. I could talk about honor, but you are here. You know enough about honor. I know you all as men and women, but today, today we are warriors. You can fight for faith, for honor, for country, for family, for yourselves. I do not care, so long as you FIGHT!!!"

                                              "LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!!!" chanted the troops as over 6,000 men and women let their voices be heard. The bell now tolled again as the troops readied themselves for the inevitable assault, tank crews made sure their vehicles were ready to go as the infantry checked their kit and checked each other's kit, one soldier caught Reyes' attention,
                                              "What's you name soldier?" asked Reyes.
                                              "Private Daniel Edwards, sir" answered the soldier.
                                              "Where are you from?" asked Reyes.
                                              "Sark, Channel Islands" answered Edwards.
                                              "First battle?" asked Reyes as he helped Private Edwards with his kit.
                                              "Yes sir, I'm excited!" answered Edwards.
                                              "No fear?" asked Reyes.
                                              "A bit sir" answered Edwards.
                                              "Any soldier who says that they are not scared when going into battle is either a fool or damn liar" replied Reyes.
                                              "Yes sir" answered Edwards.
                                              "How old are you?" asked Reyes.
                                              "Today is my 18th birthday, I was deployed here six hours ago" answered Edwards.
                                              "Happy birthday Private, when did you sign up?" asked Reyes.
                                              "Six months ago, I was told I could not go on combat operations until I was 18. One hell of a birthday present if you ask me" answered Edwards.

                                              "Edwards, listen to what the NCOs and veterans have to tell you. Don't be a hero unnecessarily and do not put yourself and others in danger. Do as the veterans do, learn from them" advised Sgt. Barnes.
                                              "Barnes has been in the military for 19 years, listen to what he has to tell you" said Reyes to Edwards.
                                              "Sir" answered Edwards.
                                              "Get this lad a hot tea and a hot meal, Edwards, learn to relax. This is not a parade ground so at ease" ordered Reyes.
                                              "Sorry sir" answered Edwards.
                                              "Nothing to be sorry about, you're green and inexperienced. This will be your first taste of combat, do as you are told and you may well live through this" advised Reyes.
                                              "I'll do my best, sir" answered Edwards.
                                              "Good, that's what is expected of you" replied Reyes, "sit down and enjoy" he said afterwards as Barnes passed Edwards a hot meal and a cup of army tea.
                                              Edwards sat down and soon relaxed as Seisa was working on her Haywire 2.0 program,
                                              "This one will be fun" she joked afterwards.
                                              "What you got in mind?" asked Reyes.
                                              "Turn their own defences on them" answered Seisa.
                                              "Haywire, you are one crazy Betazoid" joked Barnes.
                                              Seisa just found it funny as the technical support staff walked into the bunker.


                                              Post edited by theraven2378 on
                                              NMXb2ph.png
                                                "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                                                -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                                              • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                                                edited October 2019
                                                New Providence Siege Line, Jouret IV (MU red)

                                                The weather had improved as Imperial infantry and armour formed up in no man's land. Captain Reyes Valdez (red) and his team were beamed into the colony's underground passages outside the sensor jamming field and soon worked their way to the generators, after quietly disposing of the rebel guards, Reyes had his team provide cover as Seisa got to work on the generator,
                                                "How long will you need?" asked Reyes.
                                                "Five minutes at least" answered Seisa.
                                                "Haywire, can you do it in less time?" asked Sgt. Barnes.
                                                "Not without blowing the colony up and us along with it" answered Seisa.
                                                "What about a demo charge, put a force field up to absorb the explosion?" asked Reyes.
                                                "Blow the generator, shut down the rebels' power and defences. Good thinking" answered Seisa.
                                                "Set up the force field generator, Barnes, form a firing line and use what ever comes to hand for cover. Give us time to get the explosives in place" ordered Reyes.
                                                "Sir, soldiers, you heard the captain" said Barnes.

                                                The team now held their nerve as the explosives were set by combat engineers and the force field went up. The team then moved to their assault position as the countdown ticked down. At 1400, the generator exploded knocking out power to the defences and rebel positions. The remaining powered defences were now turned on the rebel defenders as canisters were beamed into the forward rebel lines. The Imperial troops all wore full sealed suits under their winter uniforms as the artillery opened up a creeping barrage on the colony. The canisters were now activated and a green cloud now filled the forward rebel positions.

                                                Rebels now streamed out struggling to breath as the effects of the gas laid waste to rebel units. Many rebels died in agony as the gas got into the eyes and respiratory system. Those rebels who saw the gas attack found a safe way out, 300 rebels rather than fight a doomed last stand, chose to march towards the Imperial troops with their hands up. The prisoners were now taken to secure holding locations and forced to watch as the 3rd Imperial Siege Legion commenced their assault. As Imperial airborne troops exited their shuttles, Reyes and his team now launched their attack on the rebels from the rear,
                                                "Edwards, tank. Knock it out" ordered Reyes.
                                                "Sir" answered Edwards as he aimed his Isokinetic launcher at the rebel tank, he fired at 20 metres, the round detonating the ammunition inside the tank sending the turret flying.

                                                The strike team now made sure to knock out the other rebel tanks as each street and building around them was cleared, the rebel tanks now had demo charges dropped through the hatches from above, the tanks burst into flames and exploded. With the armour and defences neutralised, the Imperial airborne and infantry supported by armour now hit the forward rebel positions.

                                                What they found were dead and dying rebels, the gas had done it's work well as the 3rd Imperial Siege Legion cleared the first line of defences. Decontamination teams were put on standby as the rest of the colony were stormed, Colonel Drayfus and the surviving 150 rebels barricaded themselves into the Imperial governor's compound hoping to hold out. They were sorely mistaken as the Imperial beamed gas canisters into every room and corridor, the gas then spread through the environmental systems. Those who ran outside to avoid the gas were soon gunned down by Imperial troops as airborne troops secured the ground outside the governor's compound.

                                                The rest of the 3rd Imperial Siege Legion now marked the governor's residence for artillery bombardment as they, Reyes' strike team and airborne troops withdrew to a safe distance. The Governor's compound was laid waste, any rebels who survived were captured and then shot. Colonel Drayfus and three of his officers were the last to be taken alive as the colony was declared secure. Drayfus and his surviving rebels were later brought before General Velasquez escorted by Reyes and his strike team.
                                                Decontamination teams now cleaned up the colony as all traces of the gas were washed away by air filtration and decontamination canisters.

                                                After three weeks, the colony was back to being inhabitable and the colonists allowed to return home, the New Providence volunteers as well as the original garrison of 200 all agreed to provide the garrison.

                                                Colonel Drayfus and his surviving rebels were then found guilty of treason, in a secluded location, well away from the INN news crew and cameras, the rebels were executed. Drayfus and his surviving officers were hanged, those rebels were taken alive in the final assault were then shot.
                                                Rebel losses were total where as Imperial losses were less than 50 killed and 80 wounded. The executed rebels and rebels killed in the assault were then dumped into mass unmarked graves, they had disappeared. The Imperial dead were moved to I.S.S. Surak, they were later given a military burial on Terra.

                                                For the next two weeks, Reyes and his crew assisted the colonists before they departed. A new Starbase would be built to secure the system as a battle group would be stationed to cover the sector and system. When the other rebel cells found out the fate of the New Providence rebels, they chose to start handing themselves in rather than face chemical weapons.
                                                The die hard rebels would now find themselves being hunted down, all over the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, Imperial Intelligence, Inquisitors and Tal Shiar now began their secret campaign.

                                                The citizens of the Empire cooperated with the authorities and soon, rebel cells were being caught and arrested. The rebellion was now on it's last gasps as it lost all public support and was being hunted down. Imperial military forces kept their hearts and minds strategy going while covertly hunting the rebels.
                                                Post edited by theraven2378 on
                                                NMXb2ph.png
                                                  "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                                                  -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                                                • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                                                  edited October 2019
                                                  Betazed (MU yellow)

                                                  Marissa Valdez (Yellow Original) was on parole after signing an agreement not to cause any trouble, as part of the deal, she had to have a minder with her in public to watch her behaviour, soon though a trade mission from Alcar IV was in the market of Rixx. When the trader saw Marissa, he recognised her,
                                                  "You liberated my grandparents" said the trader.
                                                  "What's your name?" asked Marissa.
                                                  "Drelak, my grandparents were Orion and Betazoid. They told me how you freed them from a slave market all those years ago" answered the trader.
                                                  "How's the safe haven I set up?" asked Marissa.
                                                  "Alcar IV has been a good home, we've kept out of galactic affairs" answered Drelak.
                                                  "I want to see the colony, what are you doing here?" asked Marissa.
                                                  "Working out a trading deal with the Empire, we may not like them but they've left us alone and see us as a trading partner, nothing more and nothing less" answered Drelak.
                                                  "Good to see things are going well" replied Marissa.
                                                  "Not exactly, the political factions are at it again. What we need is a leader we can all get behind and I may have found that leader" answered Drelak.
                                                  "Who?" asked Captain Trianna Valdez-Brookfield (red).
                                                  "Our liberator" answered Drelak.
                                                  "I'm not exactly the best choice" replied Marissa.

                                                  "You are, I'll contact my leaders and set up a meeting on Alcar IV" answered Drelak.
                                                  After several hours, Drelak was escorted to Heath's office,
                                                  "Your government seems to be in disarray" said Heath.
                                                  "Factionalism, it's harming our society. The factions will agree to a unitary government but one condition" answered Drelak.
                                                  "What would that be?" asked Heath.
                                                  "We elect our liberator as Queen of the Alcar Commonwealth, if it was not for Marissa here, I would never have grown up free" answered Drelak.
                                                  "You have that in writing from your government?" asked Heath.
                                                  "I do" answered Drelak passing over the PADD.
                                                  "Me as a monarch of a small commonwealth, I don't feel ready" said Marissa.
                                                  "Ms Valdez, would you accept that position if the Empire and Alliance respected Alcaran neutrality?" asked Heath.
                                                  "I would on the conditions that no Imperial forces are to be based in Commonwealth space, I would need recognition from the Empire and Alliance of the change in government. I'll rule as a constitutional monarch, someone to keep the political factions on the same page but any laws wanting passing by parliament must be agreed to by me" answered Marissa.
                                                  "I'll contact my government" said Drelak.
                                                  Drelak soon got an answer back, the Alcar Commonwealth parliament had accepted Marissa's terms.

                                                  Marissa was freed from her parole on the condition she did not use her position to cause trouble on the border,
                                                  "I accept" was her answer.

                                                  Later that day, Marissa met her family and made her peace with Reyes (yellow), both father and daughter gained an understanding as Marissa was smiling at seeing how things were with her family. After a family dinner at Trianna's, Marissa got a full family group photo as a reminder that she was not alone.

                                                  Trianna then gave her a lift to Alcar IV along with Reyes providing escort to Drelak's ship in the I.S.S. Monrovia, when they arrived by transwarp, they were greeted by the Alcaran fleet. It was made up of captured Imperial ships from the first Empire, refugee Starfleet ships from the fall of the first empire and captured Klingon ships, the I.S.S. Teanna was escorted in and a landing spot was arranged.

                                                  When Trianna and Marissa landed, millions came out to meet the liberator who freed their ancestors. Some were even old enough to remember her. In front of the Alcaran Parliament and INN, Marissa was called up to an empty throne. She was then summoned to sit in the throne as a crown was brought forwards,
                                                  "Do you promise to serve the people and be a guiding light?" asked a Betazoid priest.
                                                  "I do hereby promise to lead the people" answered Marissa.
                                                  "Do you promise to uphold the Commonwealth Constitution?" asked the priest.
                                                  "I do" answered Marissa swearing on a bible.
                                                  "You are hereby named Queen Marissa I of the Alcaran Commonwealth, the first of her name and liberator of the people" answered the priest as a sceptre was placed in her hand and a crown placed on her head.
                                                  "Long live the Queen, long may she reign" said the priest as all bowed to Marissa before she made her speech.
                                                  "Peoples of the Commonwealth, we have all struggled in our fight for freedom. We have suffered loss and pain, this system is our home and nothing will change that. I will be a firm but fair ruler and put the people before politics, the Parliament must serve the people and the factions must unite in interest of the people. The Commonwealth Defence Forces are to now protect our neutrality, we will not get involved in wars that do not concern us, we only wish to be left alone to trade and be a mercantile Commonwealth. Furthermore, anyone thinking of using our territory to attack our neighbours will be handed over to whoever they attacked."

                                                  Reyes even had a proud tear run down his face,
                                                  "Marissa, lead these people well. I have faith in you" said Reyes to Marissa afterwards as he bowed in respect, "you may be queen but you are still my daughter."
                                                  "Dad, you need not bow to me. Be the better man you've learnt to be, teach the younger generations why the crimes of the past should never be forgotten" answered Marissa.
                                                  "I promise, I'll keep in contact to see how you are doing" replied Reyes.
                                                  "Dad, I won't be a stranger" answered Marissa, "In fact, as my first official act, The Alcaran Commonwealth will pursue a policy of neutrality with her neighbours. We will trade but no military forces from the other powers are permitted to use our territory as bases, we will only act in self defence" she said to her people and INN.
                                                  Trianna was also told to relax,
                                                  "You showed me that the Empire has changed for the better, for that I thank you. Show strength and honour in protecting your peoples, you need not bow to me" said Marissa.
                                                  "Thank you" answered Trianna.
                                                  "May I call you Red?" asked Marissa.
                                                  "Royal prerogative" answered Trianna.
                                                  "Red, thank you for helping my father regain his honour and humanity. For that, I'll never forget how you've helped him" replied Marissa.
                                                  "He's a good man and he's family. Family helps each other" answered Trianna.
                                                  "Indeed, Red" replied Marissa.
                                                  "What's your first act as Queen?" asked Trianna.
                                                  "A neutrality act, I'll put before parliament" answered Marissa.

                                                  The Commonwealth Parliament all supported the Neutrality Act and it was signed by Royal assent with Marissa's first executive order. Marissa now offered the Empire a new trade deal, in exchange for their high quality dilithium, she asked for some older Imperial ships to modernise the Alcaran fleet, to sweeten the deal, she gave the Imperials an unclaimed star system as part of the deal,
                                                  "I'll take this to my Empress" said Reyes.
                                                  "I will, I'd rather this new treaty be discussed head of state to head of state" answered Marissa, "You and Captain Brookfield are family, you are my guests. Your crews are welcome to have some leave here for 48 hours but they must obey Commonwealth law, make sure they are on best behaviour" she said afterwards.
                                                  "They will be, if they cause problems, I will deal with them" answered Trianna.
                                                  "My lot will be on best behaviour as well" added Reyes.

                                                  After 48 hours, The I.S.S. Teanna and I.S.S. Monrovia escorted the new Royal flagship and her escort to Betazed for talks with the Imperial government, Marissa's flagship was the Excelsior class A.C.S.S. Liberator and when the royal trade party arrived under escort from Commonwealth ships, the I.S.S. Teanna and I.S.S. Monrovia, Marissa got to work in her first negotiation with the Imperials.

                                                  The deal was that the Empire would get system NGC-456.2, a trade deal for supplying the Empire with high grade dilithium for some more modern warships to protect Commonwealth borders, Imperial goods and latinum were also included for Commonwealth goods and latinum. Also in the treaty proposal was a joint border policing system to secure both Imperial and Commonwealth borders and a non-aggression pact.





                                                  Post edited by theraven2378 on
                                                  NMXb2ph.png
                                                    "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                                                    -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                                                  • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                                                    edited October 2019
                                                    (Comment deleted)
                                                    By order of the Imperial Inquisition
                                                    Post edited by theraven2378 on
                                                    NMXb2ph.png
                                                      "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                                                      -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                                                    • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                                                      edited October 2019
                                                      Altar IV (MU yellow)

                                                      After securing a treaty with the Empire, Queen Marissa I began her reforms, in a session of parliament, she lay down her first military reforms,
                                                      "The Defence Forces are to be modernised, the Empire has provided us with some of their older ships, ships that will bring our defence forces into this century" she said as a small fleet of 30 Galaxy class, Sovereign class, Saber class, Intrepid class and Centaur class starships jumped into the system manned by skeleton Commonwealth crews as dilithium and trade goods were shipped to the Empire
                                                      "Is our neutrality going to be respected?" asked Minister Diez.
                                                      "It is, in fact, we'll be working with the Empire on issues of border security. It's in our mutual interests" answered Marissa.
                                                      "These new ships will take time for the crews to get used to" replied Minister Diez.
                                                      "Our military forces have been provided with the means to train. Our oldest ships are to be retired and put into a Commonwealth museum, they've served us well and so should be preserved for our peoples and future generations. The Klingon ships will be retained in service and modernised. Minister, can you approve that?" asked Marissa.
                                                      "Yes Majesty" answered Minister Diez.

                                                      "Next order of business, crime and punishment. What's current policy towards Slavers?" asked Marissa.
                                                      "Prison time" answered Minister Dreyax.
                                                      "Make it an execution level offence, slavery is not to be tolerated" replied Marissa.
                                                      "Adding it to the most serious crimes on the execution list" answered Minister Dreyax.
                                                      "Excellent, next order of business. I want an embargo put on those governments who use slaves, that kind of blood money is not welcomed here" replied Marissa.
                                                      "It will be done" answered Minister Fuarez
                                                      "We have principles, principles that are a cornerstone of this commonwealth" replied Marissa.
                                                      "Yes Majesty" answered Minister Fuarez.
                                                      "Education, where are we at?" asked Marissa.
                                                      "Education programmes are in no need for overhaul" answered Minister Gregoe.
                                                      "Excellent, as long as every citizen has access to a fair education system, I will stand by that judgement" replied Marissa.
                                                      "We got rid of the class based social structure a century ago" answered Minister Gregoe.
                                                      "Keep it that way" ordered Marissa.
                                                      "Yes Majesty" answered Minister Gregoe.

                                                      "How are we on economics?" asked Marissa.
                                                      "With all the trade routes that connect to this system, our tariffs and income based taxation have been used to finance public sectors like infrastructure, housing, education and healthcare. Employment levels are very healthy though we've automated the dilithium mining process" answered Minister Drecos.
                                                      "Good, let's remove living things from such a dangerous task" replied Marissa.
                                                      "We can put that manpower to other uses like maintaining the machinery and processing the dilithium" answered Minister Drecos.
                                                      "Go for it" replied Marissa.
                                                      "Yes Majesty" answered Minister Drecos.
                                                      "Excellent, lets break for lunch and return in an hour, I'm calling this meeting adjourned" said Marissa.
                                                      The ministers bowed to Marissa as she left the parliament chamber and returned to her private quarters in the Royal palace.

                                                      "Computer, put me through to Betazed" ordered Marissa.
                                                      "Marissa, how are things?" asked Captain Reyes Valdez (yellow).
                                                      "Dad, I'm still getting used to leading my peoples. When I walk the streets with my bodyguard, people bow to me. For crying out loud, I'm not a goddess, I'm a mortal Terran" answered Marissa.
                                                      "You're a monarch, anyone been trying to be a potential suitor for you?" asked Reyes.
                                                      "I'm not ready for any relationships yet, you won't believe the amount who want my hand in marriage. Once things settle down, I may consider courting" answered Marissa.
                                                      "Choose well" advised Reyes.
                                                      "Dad, how's your love life?" asked Marissa.
                                                      "I met a beautiful and funny Russian captain, a Captain Diana Petrova (yellow)" answered Reyes.
                                                      "It's good to see you've moved on from Mom, I miss Mom everyday. I can tell Diana has made you happy, when you mentioned her name, you smiled. Dad, I accept you've made some bad decisions but now you've gone and shown that you are a better man, I'm proud to call you my father" replied Marissa.
                                                      "I do miss Luise everyday, it's tough but moving on is the only thing I can do. I'm proud to call you my daughter, all those lives you made a difference in. The generations of people who are free because of you. I saw the people love you as their leader. You are a liberator, your mother would be very proud of you for standing up for those who could not fight back and helping them gain their freedom. Stick to your principles" answered Reyes.
                                                      "My duty is to my peoples and will always be" replied Marissa.
                                                      "Just as a captain's first duty is to their crew except you've got millions to look after" answered Reyes.
                                                      "An excellent point" replied Marissa.
                                                      "I'm going to hand in my retirement from military service, I've seen too much war and suffering. I just want to settle down on Betazed and spend that time teaching and spending time with the family" answered Reyes.
                                                      "Even a warrior must put down their weapon" replied Marissa.
                                                      "Exactly, I'll get this last tour done and then, that's it. I can still serve in another manner that is beneficial to the citizens" answered Reyes.
                                                      "Teaching is making you happy but remember this, a classroom is not a military unit" replied Marissa.
                                                      "Keep positive" advised Reyes as he smiled, "I've got to get back to teaching, I'll speak to you when I get chance next. I love you kiddo" he said afterwards.
                                                      "Love you, Dad and take care" answered Marissa.
                                                      "I will do, now you stay out of trouble" replied Reyes.
                                                      "I will, Alcar IV out" answered Marissa and the screen went blank.


                                                      Post edited by theraven2378 on
                                                      NMXb2ph.png
                                                        "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                                                        -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                                                      • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                                                        edited October 2019
                                                        Betazed (MU Red)

                                                        "Captain, you carried out my orders" said Empress Jodi Iodokar.
                                                        "The citizens' help and assistance cannot be overstated, given the result, the rebellion has broken. News of Jouret IV and the accounts of the those 300 I spared has put fear into the rebels, I've seen the after effects of that weapon and it's not a nice way to go" answered Reyes (red).
                                                        "So you only spared them to bear witness?" asked Jodi.
                                                        "They surrendered before the final assault without a shot being fired, 300 rebel witnesses all telling the same story has weight to it" answered Reyes.
                                                        "And the other 200?" asked Jodi.
                                                        "Those killed in the fighting or taken alive have been disposed of, they're in an unmarked location" answered Reyes.
                                                        The meeting was soon interrupted as a grim delivery was found in the cargo bay of the palace,
                                                        "Ma'am, the Vostroyan Occupation forces have returned" reported the officer down in the cargo bay.
                                                        "Explain" answered Jodi.
                                                        "It would be better if you came down here, ma'am" answered the officer.
                                                        "Understood, Empress out" replied Jodi, "Captain, walk with me" she said afterwards.
                                                        "Ma'am" answered Reyes before both left the office.

                                                        "I spoke to the hostages your team freed, remarkable work" said Jodi.
                                                        "Not my plan" answered Reyes.
                                                        "Who came up with it?" asked Jodi.
                                                        "Sgt. Barnes" answered Reyes.
                                                        "Why is Barnes not an officer?" asked Jodi.
                                                        "Because, Barnes has said in his own subtle tone, "I'm an NCO, I work for a living" and if he's happy where he is, he's fine with that" answered Reyes, "Good NCO, loyal as well and not afraid to lead by example. A good man to have covering you."
                                                        "You also did your duty as my political officer, I read the report on the execution of Lt. Edger. Correct assessment in that you investigated and listened to the complaints" replied Jodi.
                                                        "He let his troops suffer in the cold while he kept a warm shelter to himself, I deemed his neglect of the troops under him to be a dereliction of duty and disposed of him" answered Reyes.
                                                        "A wise move" replied Jodi as both entered the cargo bay.
                                                        "What's happened to them?" asked Jodi.
                                                        "You better take a look, it's not pretty" answered the officer.
                                                        What Jodi and Reyes saw was something they'd never forget,
                                                        "All executed" said Jodi as she examined the boxes.
                                                        Reyes then said a prayer for the fallen in Latin to ease their passing as Jodi listened,
                                                        "You a spiritual man?" she asked.
                                                        "I am, the prayer was to ease their passing" answered Reyes.
                                                        "Whoever did this will pay" replied Jodi.
                                                        "These are fresh, wait there's a note here" answered Reyes.
                                                        "Read it" ordered Jodi.
                                                        "We the Vostroyan Liberation Army now control our territory, Empress, that will be the fate of every soldier and ship you send against us, the Empire cost us a lot of money and our only means of making a profit so unless you give us the money we're owed, we'll enslave your citizens" said Reyes reading the note.

                                                        Jodi's mood changed,
                                                        "So they are trying to secede, they've just declared war on my citizens" she said as a report came in from Imperial Intelligence,
                                                        "Ma'am" said the courier as they delivered the message.
                                                        "Vostroyan rebels have just captured all of the orbital shipyards and resource rich worlds in the sector, while we were busy dealing with this rebellion, they took advantage of the situation" said Jodi.
                                                        "What's your proposal?" asked Reyes.
                                                        "Extermination" answered Jodi.
                                                        "There maybe innocents there, we just deal with the guilty. You exterminate them, you become as bad as the last emperor. Don't fall into that trap, it's like wacking an ant swarm with a sledgehammer. Sure you'll get the ant you want to squish but others will be squished in the process" advised Reyes.
                                                        "What do you propose?" asked Jodi.
                                                        "Kill Teams, we find the leaders and dispose of them. I can have a team ready and on standby" answered Reyes,
                                                        "Instead of execution, I propose this, any world that does not surrender has the population deported and their cities sacked and razed. All males over the age of 18 get deported to various remote colonies in the Gamma Quadrant, all females over the age of 18 get deported to colonies in the Delta Quadrant and the rest, we put into the Imperial State Care System for adoption by loyal families for Imperialisation to the correct way of thinking. Any world that surrenders without resistance we spare but we make sure to destroy all cultural records and sites, ban their language and impose Imperialisation on them."

                                                        "Rendering the culture extinct in four or five generations" replied Jodi.
                                                        "They're still alive but as a price of rebellion, have lost their history, culture and those who's worlds have to be stormed, lose their homeworlds and families. Execute them and it's over too quick, destroy them as a people by deportation and you have succeeded, to quote a character from Terran literature,
                                                        "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush his achievement and remove all record of his very existence. From that defeat there is no recovery. That is the meaning of victory." We do this to worlds who resist by deportation of the population" answered Reyes.
                                                        "We then erase the Vostroyan name, the sector will be renamed, the civilisation will be wiped from the records and reclassified as Terran, they've lost the right to have a civilisation by their treatment of my soldiers" replied Jodi,
                                                        "I want a message sent, an ultimatum."
                                                        "What's the ultimatum?" asked Reyes.
                                                        "Prove you had no hand in this and will be spared, the rest will pay, I want this read out on all recaptured worlds to the population" ordered Jodi, "I want total capitulation and submission for Imperialisation" answered Jodi as INN came on,

                                                        "We are the VLA and this message is to the Empire, we claim responsibility for the lawful execution of all Imperial soldiers in Vostroyan space. They were invaders and paid the price, we've also executed those Vostroyans who collaborated and betrayed their people, their families were also purged. This is for the citizens of the new Independent Vostroyan Empire and the Terran Empire, if you are not with us, you are against us and Empress, we want financial compensation for the property, you stole from us. Your empire stole our livelihoods and our free labour force, they were not people, they were our property so we're going to start enslaving your people as compensation, pay up or more will be sold into slavery" said the masked figure as reports of a rebel offensive came through, the outer Imperial colonies along the old border were stormed.

                                                        The garrisons' survivors were then executed and the citizen population sold into slavery, Vostroyan raiders now began attacking Imperial merchant ships, their cargoes stolen and their crews enslaved. Any Starfleet ship captured had their crew vented into space, the Vostroyans had made the first move. Not only was the Empire attacked, the rebels now opened hostilities against the Alcaran Commonwealth (red) by launching raids onto Alcaran trade convoys. The Alcaran Navy disabled the raiders, boarded their ships and detained their crews, any Imperial citizens found in their holds were liberated and a message was sent to Jodi via diplomatic lines,
                                                        "To the Imperial Empress, we've just intercepted raiders from your side. They attacked our trade lines and that has become a problem, as of now, I've mobilised the Commonwealth Navy and Army to protect my space and worlds. We also found some of your citizens in the holds of the raiders.

                                                        They're being looked after and well treated in my hospitals, we do not like slavers and are offering assistance in dealing with a mutual threat to both our nations' interests. I would be interested in discussing this in person face to face,
                                                        signed Queen Marissa I, Mother of the Alcaran Commonwealth."
                                                        "An ally?" asked Reyes.
                                                        "The Commonwealth have never given us issues, they expand by trade, mining and diplomacy since they are not a warlike people. Do not mistake that for weakness given their history" answered Jodi,
                                                        "Descendants of liberated slaves and refugees fleeing the first Terran Empire, Terran refugees fleeing the fall of the first empire also joined them, their military is a defensive force only, expansion by military conquest is not their way but will defend themselves, "Si vis pacem, para bellum" is their national saying."

                                                        "If you want peace, prepare for war" answered Reyes.
                                                        "It's why they've never been conquered by the Klingons and Cardassians during the 24th century, they'll protect their independence and trade routes" replied Jodi.
                                                        "Their queen has offered Commonwealth assistance, maybe we should listen to what she has to say" answered Reyes.










                                                        Post edited by theraven2378 on
                                                        NMXb2ph.png
                                                          "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                                                          -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                                                        • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                                                          edited November 2019
                                                          Betazed, three days later (MU red)

                                                          In orbit of Betazed, a vast Imperial armada was being formed, 250 ships and five full Imperial Legions were mobilised as news of more VLA raids reached Betazed,
                                                          "Our colonies along the old border have fallen, their garrisons executed and the population missing, we suspect they may have been enslaved" reported Captain Reyes Valdez (red) reading the report to Empress Jodi Iodokar aboard the I.S.S. Papela.
                                                          "Has that been confirmed independently?" asked Jodi.
                                                          "Intercepted communications have confirmed that as have drone flights over the colonies" answered Reyes as they both waited for the Alcarans.
                                                          "Ma'am, we have ship decloaking, one Negh'Var class and several B'Rel class Birds of Prey" reported Jodi's operations officer, "They've got the crest of a lion on their hulls with "Si vis pacem, para bellum" underneath the crest."
                                                          "Klingon ships" noted Reyes as a hail came though.
                                                          "Put them through" ordered Jodi.
                                                          "Answering hail" answered her operations officer.
                                                          "This is Empress Jodi Iodokar of the Terran Empire, identify yourselves" said Jodi.
                                                          "My name is Mylissa, my queen has travelled a long way for this meeting" answered the Orion officer, "what my queen has to say is strictly face to face only."
                                                          "Orion" noted Reyes.
                                                          "Mylissa, I'll take over from here" said a female Terran.
                                                          "Yes my queen" answered Mylissa.
                                                          "Your Imperial Majesty, my name is Queen Marissa I of the Alcaran Commonwealth. We both have a mutual problem that is a threat to our mutual interests in the sector, there are things that are best discussed face to face" said Marissa (Red original).

                                                          "Captain, make the security arrangements for the talks" ordered Jodi.
                                                          "Ma'am" answered Reyes before he left for the transporter room.
                                                          "I'll have your transported over along with your guard" said Jodi to Marissa.
                                                          "Empress, thank you for hearing me out" answered Marissa.
                                                          "My conference room, 10 minutes" replied Jodi.
                                                          "I'll be there, Liberator out" answered Marissa.
                                                          Ten minutes later, Marissa and her guard transported aboard and were met by Jodi, Reyes and the Imperial bodyguards. Mylissa was the first to arrive with the Alcaran Royal Guard,
                                                          "Mylissa to Liberator, it's safe to transport the queen over" reported Mylissa via communicator.
                                                          Marissa now transported over and soon got to business,
                                                          "Empress, an honour to meet you" said Marissa to Jodi, she then saw Reyes,
                                                          "Dad?!" asked Marissa.
                                                          "Do I know you?" asked Reyes.
                                                          "You should, the last time I saw you was just before you shipped out in 2256" answered Marissa.
                                                          "You're older" replied Reyes.
                                                          "When you spend the best of of over a century in a stasis pod, you tend to see things differently. How are you still alive?" asked Marissa.
                                                          "A transporter buffer kept me alive and some divine intervention" answered Reyes.
                                                          "Not a day over 34" remarked Marissa.
                                                          "How old are you now?" asked Reyes.
                                                          "I'm 30, you've heard what happened after you were posted MIA" answered Marissa.
                                                          "Sorry to hear about what happened, can you forgive me for the bad choices I made?" asked Reyes.
                                                          "What happened was not your fault, you were set up and mom paid the price, I very nearly did. If it was not for the anti-Imperial resistance and escaped slaves taking me in and teaching me to fight, I would not be here" answered Marissa, "Dad, you're forgiven."
                                                          "Thank you Marissa" replied Reyes, "Look at you now, a Queen and leader of a nation."
                                                          "We can catch up later, as of now, let's get this business dealt with" replied Marissa, "Mylissa, work with the Imperial security" she ordered afterwards.
                                                          "Majesty" answered Mylissa.

                                                          "In case you are both wondering, she's a free Orion and not a slave. She's my handmaiden and guard commander" explained Marissa to Jodi and Reyes as they walked together to the conference room. They arrived and soon all took their seats,
                                                          "How are my citizens?" asked Jodi.
                                                          "Recovering from their ordeal, we'll transfer them to one of your hospitals but my doctors have advised that any debriefing must wait until they are in a fit state" answered Marissa, "Valdez to Liberator, transfer the Imperial citizens to Betazed" she ordered afterwards via communicator. Once it was confirmed that the citizens were all transferred, the talks could start,
                                                          "Captain, I want a campaign to smash the VLA. I need the Devil hunting these people" said Jodi.
                                                          "Just how do you intend to deal with them?" asked Marissa.
                                                          "Captain, please explain" said Jodi to Reyes.
                                                          "Any VLA world that needs to be stormed will have their entire population deported and their cities and history razed, men separated from women and deported to the Gamma Quadrant, women to the Delta Quadrant, all those under the age of 18 will be taken from their homeworlds and families for adoption by loyal citizens and Imperialisation. Kill Teams track and dispose of the VLA leadership. Worlds who capitulate and submit to Imperialisation will be spared but their history will be erased and burned" answered Reyes.
                                                          "Extreme, may I offer another solution?" asked Marissa.
                                                          Jodi listened to what Marissa said,
                                                          "Any worlds where deportation is the punishment, let my Commonwealth take them in. I've got worlds that need colonising along my my southern borders, 50 light years away from your space. You want to deport them, I'll take them in. They'll be limited to only having impulse capability and their new homes will be build in the Alcaran manner. I'll permit to keep their language but that's it" suggested Marissa, "everything else is forbidden, they won't be able to leave their new home systems though I'll have an orbital fleet and defence platforms containing them in, that should solve your problem without the need for tearing families apart."
                                                          "That could solve two problems in one go" said Reyes.
                                                          "And done humanely" answered Marissa.
                                                          "They're a people of slavers" replied Jodi.

                                                          "Then they'll get a rude shock, slavery is an execution level offence in the Commonwealth. These are a list of Commonwealth laws and punishments, the most severe crimes are execution level" answered Marissa passing a PADD over to Jodi.
                                                          Jodi then passed the PADD to Reyes after reading it,
                                                          "Firm but very fair" said Reyes afterwards.
                                                          "We are, every Commonwealth citizen has the right to a fair trial. Due process is required in all criminal and military law cases" answered Marissa as she passed another PADD to Jodi.
                                                          "What are these?" asked Jodi.
                                                          "Star charts, this is the Crisalis Sector block, six sectors and we split them between us, three sectors each, we're also offering cooperation. A joint Imperial and Commonwealth campaign against the VLA, they attacked my trade lines, I'm not happy. I'm also putting onto the table a joint border patrol and anti-piracy/anti-slavery task force.

                                                          They also massacred Imperial troops and sold your citizens into slavery, they must be dealt with. They've also got outside help, one of my neighbours, the Crisalis Imperium has been arming rebel groups and trouble makers for years. They utilise slave labour and they do business with the Vostroyans, your citizens will most likely be being sold in their slave markets now or have been sold already. They tried to conquer the Commonwealth but were stopped on the border, they're the ones pulling the VLA's strings" answered Marissa,
                                                          "Have your people confirm this."

                                                          Jodi authorised a recon mission, when the I.S.S. Anubis jumped to the border with the Crisalis Imperium, they scanned the border and watched for any movement. They soon traced weapons being shipped to the VLA and large numbers of slaves taken by the VLA raids on the Empire were being delivered, the news was sent back to Jodi and Marissa as the news of more VLA raids came in,
                                                          "We just lost contact with Starbase 460, a transport ship blew it's reactor inside the dock severely damaging the station from within, 12 Imperial ships lost with all hands and the station out of commission" said Jodi.
                                                          "That was a major staging post, more reports in, a dozen more staging posts along the old border have just been destroyed, same MO, a transport detonating it core. Over 100 ships destroyed or disabled, they're using raids to delay our offensive" reported Reyes.
                                                          "We need secure staging posts" sighed Jodi as the losses came in.
                                                          "Use this system here, Coronis IV, base your fleet there, my Navy can provide security" suggested Marissa.
                                                          "Captain, send word to Solat that all ships entering our staging grounds are to be stopped and scanned, any ships that fail to stop will be fired on" ordered Jodi.
                                                          "Ma'am" answered Reyes before he sent a secure message to Vulcan by secure channel.
                                                          "Can your Commonwealth move a fleet in secret?" asked Jodi.

                                                          "Valdez to Liberator, send orders to the defence forces along our border to mobilise and prepare Coronis IV for a staging ground, all security precautions are to be observed, I want absolute secrecy" ordered Marissa to her flagship's captain.
                                                          "Majesty" answered Captain Croll before carrying out the order, "Parliament has mobilised the 2nd and 4th Commonwealth fleets and the 6th, 19th and 33rd Commonwealth Armies" he reported afterwards.
                                                          "Thank you, Valdez out" answered Marissa, "Empress, I'm offering you this, Imperial forces will be allowed to travel through my space and maintain supply lines but on one condition, Commonwealth laws are to be observed and obeyed."
                                                          "Can those supply lines be secured from raiders?" asked Jodi.
                                                          "The Commonwealth Navy can provide an escort in company with your Starfleet, I just want the Commonwealth and Empire to be on good terms, it's better for both our peoples that way. We just tend to value our independence and will defend it" answered Marissa.
                                                          "Si vis pacem, para bellum" replied Jodi.
                                                          "Exactly" answered Marissa as the meeting was brought to a close.

                                                          "So you are the rebel leader who caused headaches for the first empire, over 3.5 million people freed by the actions of your rebels. Your group also smuggled dissidents out and your peoples helped against the Klingons and Cardassians by smuggling out millions of Terrans and other peoples out of Klingon and Cardassian space, over 20 million saved over the space of a century" said Jodi.
                                                          "It was necessary, the Empire was dying so I did what I had to do. It may have cost me a lot personally but it was the right thing to do and I don't agree with your methods so let's get that cleared up, good to see you've been keeping my father busy" answered Marissa.
                                                          "He's a good officer, tough but fair. He always investigates before he punishes" replied Jodi.
                                                          "Only those who willingly carried out atrocities, those forced to fight in the rebel ranks, I want to offer amnesty on the condition they sign a parole never to bear arms against the Empire again and it must be signed in blood" commented Reyes.
                                                          "A blood oath" replied Marissa, "The most sacred of oaths."
                                                          "I'd rather not kill innocent people" answered Reyes.
                                                          "Captain, your suggestion to wipe out their cultural history and raze their cities, the price of rebellion being the loss of your home and cultural heritage. What can be suggested to keep the people pacified?" asked Jodi.
                                                          "The razed cities are to be rebuilt in the Terran manner, we take control of the education system so all those of school age and younger can be Imperialised, we forbid their language and we reduce them to an agrarian society while their cities are recolonised by loyal citizens, any Vostroyan who enters a city must bow to the Imperial flag, those who don't are arrested as political opponents. The Vostroyans will also be reduced to a medieval level of technology with us controlling every facet of their lives, those who submit get to have comfortable lives in the cities, those who refuse will be reduced to serfs doomed to farm the land for our benefit.

                                                          Their children will know nothing of their people's past and will not even be able to speak the language, Imperial English being mandatory for all Vostroyans, any caught speaking their ancestors' languages will be detained as enemies of the Empire. We don't need to exterminate the people, we just need to completely destroy their culture. Take away the past and you control their future" answered Reyes.
                                                          "A most interesting suggestion" replied Jodi.
                                                          "You mean subjugation" said Marissa.
                                                          "After what they've done, it's warranted" answered Jodi.
                                                          "Report in from the old border colonies" said Reyes passing over a PADD to Jodi.
                                                          "They've been razed and the atmospheres burned away, those worlds are now dead and uninhabitable" replied Jodi.
                                                          "They're using Scorched Earth tactics, anything of value to us, they destroy" answered Reyes.
                                                          "Dad, you sure on that?" asked Marissa.
                                                          "It makes sense, leave nothing for the enemy or in this case, us" answered Reyes.
                                                          "I can arrange for your forces to be supplied in my space, everything you use, you pay for since I cannot supply you for free and mistreating my peoples by looting and other offences will not be tolerated. Any of your troops start trying to loot from my people, I'll make sure that they are handed over to your forces for discipline. Your troops must be on best behaviour" said Marissa to Jodi and Reyes.
                                                          "That sounds fair" said Reyes to Jodi.

                                                          "Here's the strategy, we pin the rebels along the old border in place, make them think their raids have stopped our offensive" answered Jodi as she sent orders to Solat,
                                                          "Solat will lead an offensive from Commonwealth borders into the rebel rear lines. Reyes, you will join the Royal Fleet along with I.S.S. Hawke. Monroe will be covering my wing. We'll attack North west from Commonwealth space and aim for the heart of the rebel defences, any world that surrenders will be spared, any world that does not surrender will be depopulated by deportation and their cities razed."
                                                          "Ma'am" answered Reyes.
                                                          "Empress, I can carry out the deportations. They'll be trapped in one star system 50 Light Years from their former homeworlds, they'll never be able to leave since they are forbidden from ever having warp technology" suggested Marissa.
                                                          "I want a meeting with your parliament and military to work out the details" answered Jodi.
                                                          "Alcar IV it is then, let's end these scumbags" replied Marissa.
                                                          "Excellent, Empress to Royal fleet, prepare to set a course for the Alcar System. We'll be escorted over the border by the Commonwealth Navy, all offensive fleets are to secretly converge on the Coronis system. Reyes, send word to your XO and Captain Petrova to join us" ordered Jodi.
                                                          "Ma'am" answered Reyes.
                                                          "Everyone to your ships, we're going to war" replied Jodi.
                                                          Reyes and Marissa bowed then returned to their ships, the Royal fleet now set a course for Alcar IV in company with the Commonwealth Royal guard squadron.
                                                          Along the way, they were joined by the 3rd, 10th and 14th Imperial fleets as well as the Romulan 2nd and 5th fleets. Solat's offensive forces were now moving to the Alcaran border as the VLA were not aware of the Imperial movements.






                                                          Post edited by theraven2378 on
                                                          NMXb2ph.png
                                                            "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                                                            -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                                                          • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                                                            edited November 2019
                                                            Alcar IV, (MU Red)

                                                            After a five day journey from Betazed at Transwarp, the combined Imperial/Commonwealth fleet arrived and decloaked in orbit of Alcar, before them was the Alcaran Navy Home Fleet being assembled for war, Empress Iodokar and Queen Marissa I both beamed down with their guard to the Royal Palace.
                                                            "Navy reports ready" said Admiral Voras to Queen Marissa I.
                                                            "How many ships are ready and what types?" asked Marissa (red original).
                                                            "We've brought the rest of the Cardassian and Klingon ships online so each fleet is around 20 ships each, Excelsiors and Mirandas supplemented by a dozen ex Alliance vessels" answered Voras,
                                                            "Get the captured VLA raiders repainted, repaired, rearmed and re-crewed, looking at the total of Raider class ships, send 15 more ships to each fleet" ordered Marissa.
                                                            "Yes my Queen" answered Voras.
                                                            "Empress, meet my commander for naval operations, Admiral Voras" said Marissa to Empress Jodi Iodokar.
                                                            "A motley collection of ships, admiral" said Jodi to Voras.
                                                            "Never an easy task" joked Voras.
                                                            "Betazoid?" asked Jodi.
                                                            "My grandparents were liberated by my Queen, they were Betazoid" answered Voras.
                                                            "Keep up the good work" replied Jodi.
                                                            "Empress, may the Four Deities smile on you" answered Voras.
                                                            "Thank you" answered Jodi.
                                                            "Admiral, how's your family?" asked Marissa.
                                                            "They're doing well, my son is due to be called up soon" answered Voras.
                                                            "Send them my best wishes" replied Marissa.
                                                            "I will, thank you ma'am" answered Voras.
                                                            "As you were, Admiral" replied Marissa before her and Jodi left the room with their bodyguards.

                                                            "This city is beautiful" commented Jodi as she saw a view panoramic view of the city of Hope's Landing. The city extended for three km as the full scale of the city sunk in. Below, she saw ordinary people just going about their daily lives as the bustle of commerce took place below, along the skyline of the city were grand spires of the opera houses, multi-faith cathedrals, temples and sites of learning. The houses were in the lower sections of the city between the first curtain wall and the second curtain wall. Between the second and main citadel curtain wall was the trade and cultural quarters as wide zig-zagged roads cut through the city with fortified gate houses in the walls.
                                                            "This city is remarkable, a different blend of architecture" commented Jodi as the sun glinted of the spires of the city.
                                                            "All the cultures that reside here have brought what makes them unique, hence the different styles of architecture. We consider this place to be a light in the darkness, different peoples call this home. All descendants of freed slaves, refugees and those with no other place to go after the fall of the first Empire. To avoid any conflict, we took the name of this planet to be the name of our peoples" answered Marissa.
                                                            "Because your peoples' past was too traumatic" replied Jodi.
                                                            "Indeed, here they were free, our citizens have a lot more civil liberties and personal freedoms. Our laws are strict but fair" answered Marissa.
                                                            "Merchants and miners" replied Jodi.
                                                            "With a very selective choice of business partners, governments that use slaves are black listed. That kind of blood money is not welcome here" answered Marissa.
                                                            "Loved by your peoples" replied Jodi.
                                                            "They call me the Mother of the Commonwealth and the peoples. The church wanted to make me a living saint. Dammit, I'm just a mortal Alcaran not a saint" answered Marissa, "Lord, give me strength" she sighed afterwards.
                                                            "Sometimes, it is better to be feared than loved" quoted Jodi.
                                                            "Niccolò Machiavelli" answered Marissa.
                                                            "The VLA will learn that lesson the hard way" replied Jodi.
                                                            "Given the fact that my father and his team are planning something" answered Marissa.
                                                            "They have a talent for special forces operations, this is the after action report for a hostage rescue operation they carried out. All 200 hostages saved" replied Jodi passing Marissa a PADD.
                                                            "For what my Commandos and police have in mind may need that kind of talent" answered Marissa.
                                                            "Combined operations, how would your police and commandos be for liberating slave markets?" asked Jodi.
                                                            "A joint Anti-slavery task force, that should get parliament to agree but they'll need assurances that Alcaran Independence is respected with us allowing you to use our territory" answered Marissa.
                                                            "Once the conflict is over, Imperial forces with withdraw back over the border. Your independence is guaranteed" replied Jodi.
                                                            "I'd like that in writing" answered Marissa.
                                                            "For the benefit of your peoples" replied Jodi.
                                                            "Correct" answered Marissa as both her and Jodi entered the Parliament chamber.

                                                            "All bow" ordered the speaker, all bowed to Marissa and greeted Jodi with respect.
                                                            "Ministers, the VLA have become a problem not only for us, but also for our Imperial neighbours. To combat this threat, the Empire have agreed to abide by our laws for their forces using our space. Ladies and Gentlemen, to increase friendship with our Imperial neighbours, we're going to raise a joint Anti-Slavery task force. I now hand the floor to Empress Jodi Iodokar of the Terran Empire" said Marissa before she sat down on her throne.
                                                            "Commonwealth Parliament, your queen has offered the Empire assistance. The Empire will not forget your assistance in this war, there are those of you who fear this Commonwealth may lose her independence.

                                                            Your independence is guaranteed and all Imperial forces will withdraw after duration of war. The VLA take people and sell them into slavery, a scourge that needs to be wiped out. Your laws are clear on this, execution after a trial. We may do things differently, we may have opposing viewpoints but we need to work together in dealing with a common enemy, thank you for taking good care of my citizens your navy rescued, this I will not forget.

                                                            What I'm proposing is a Anti-Slavery task force, jointly run 50/50 shared command. I have teams who can help your commandos and police, with a talent for hostage rescues. On your terminals was a recent operation by one of those teams" said Jodi to Parliament.
                                                            "Impressive work, slavers are the scumbags of the universe and must be dealt with. On that we can agree, but can your troops be trusted to abide by our laws?" asked Minister Diez (red).
                                                            "Any of my troops who break your laws will be punished, you have my word" answered Jodi.
                                                            After deliberation, the vote passed unanimously. Jodi's proposal passed.
                                                            "Any of your troops who get detained by our police will be handed over to your forces for discipline. That way we don't step on each other's toes" said Minister Fuarez (red).
                                                            "Minister, we see eye to eye" answered Jodi, "I now hand the floor to your Queen" she said afterwards before taking her seat in the guest seat.
                                                            "Thank you, ready the Commonwealth military. We're going to war" ordered Marissa.
                                                            "Yes my Queen" answered Marshal Li-Weng.

                                                            Across the Commonwealth, reservists reported to their units while those with dependants were put to work on the home front. Commonwealth servicemen and women marched to the transports and boarded them as the Allied fleet made ready to set course to Coronis. When the Army convoy was formed up, the armada jumped to warp. When they arrived at Coronis, they were greeted by an allied fleet consisting of Commonwealth, Imperial and Romulan ships, Solat had managed to get the Imperial offensive arm through undetected.
                                                            In the fortress of Coronis, Jodi was nominated Supreme Commander of all Allied forces.
                                                            The Allied leadership now had to plan a joint campaign as more VLA raids came up on the display,
                                                            "Our Q-Ships ready?" asked Marissa.
                                                            "They'll be a rude shock for the VLA, capital ships disguised as transports. We catch the raiders by setting some bait and a large cargo transport would be something they'd be interested in" answered Voras.
                                                            "They get close and soon are confronted by a battleship" replied Captain Reyes Valdez (red), "sneaky but a good one."
                                                            "That's when we isolate to cut off retreat, we then disable, board and detain. Any cargo is confiscated and any slaves freed are taken care good care of and treated with respect, the crew on the other hand stand trial" answered Marissa.
                                                            "We do need them alive for questioning" replied Reyes.
                                                            "Intel" answered Marissa, "Never upset an Alcaran, it will not end well."
                                                            "Seisa, I'll need you on running intel and recon" said Jodi.
                                                            "I'll be listening in on their communications, I've got drones patrolling enemy space" answered Seisa (red).
                                                            "Reyes, you and your team will assigned a delicate task. Shut down their slave trade, you'll be working with the Alcarans and Tal Shiar" ordered Jodi, "once the location of the main rebel leaders are confirmed, you will lead a kill team in to eliminate them"
                                                            "Ma'am, I'll bring my chosen men" answered Reyes, "I may need to borrow Seisa for her talents in dealing with security systems."
                                                            "Anytime, I have a few surprises in store for them" replied Seisa smiling.
                                                            "Solat, work with the Alcaran naval staff and plan an offensive. I want to hit the enemy hard and I want to hit them fast, the enemy thinks they have stopped our offensive along the old border by knocking out these staging posts. I want them to think they are winning.

                                                            While the fleets pin the rebels along the old border, we are to attack North and trap the rebels between our fleets. Any worlds who are stormed will have their populations deported to a system in the Commonwealth and banished from ever returning back to their homeworlds. In retaliation for our colonies being sacked and razed, their cities will be sacked and razed.
                                                            Any world that surrenders without a fight is spared" said Jodi, "I want to make an example out of them."
                                                            "ma'am" answered Solat.
                                                            "There's still the problem of their backers" replied Marissa.
                                                            "Their time will come, let's remove their puppets" answered Jodi.
                                                            "A wise strategy" replied Marissa.
                                                            "Me and the Queen will direct operations from here" said Jodi, "reconvene here in 24 hours."
                                                            With that the meeting was called to end, all bowed to both monarchs and left.
                                                            "Your father must be proud" said Jodi.
                                                            "He is, I got over my past in order to help others. I'm now a Queen responsible for the lives of tens of millions, not an easy job" answered Marissa.
                                                            "I don't envy you" replied Jodi.
                                                            "Universal Law" answered Marissa.
                                                            "Good point" replied Jodi.
                                                            "The sooner we get rid of the VLA, the better" answered Marissa as new came in from the Nova Thedis system,
                                                            "My engineers have just commenced construction of new towns and roads on the third and fourth planets in the system, the new colonists will have everything they need to survive but will not be allowed to bring any belonging from their past lives. They'll be reclassified as Alcaran-Terran" said Marissa as Reyes reentered the room with a new report,
                                                            "Ma'am, the VLA has begun a general offensive along our old border. Starfleet forces have the offensive contained and are pushing the invaders back, the VLA were after our second line staging posts" said Reyes passing Jodi the PADD.
                                                            "Captain, good, they've not noticed us here. Your team ready?" asked Jodi.
                                                            "You just need to give the order" answered Reyes.
                                                            "Prepare your chosen men" ordered Jodi.
                                                            "Ma'am" answered Reyes before he saluted Jodi and Marissa before leaving.



                                                            Post edited by theraven2378 on
                                                            NMXb2ph.png
                                                              "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                                                              -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                                                            • theraven2378theraven2378 Member Posts: 5,985 Arc User
                                                              edited November 2019
                                                              Operation Sledgehammer, Vostroyan Sector (MU red)

                                                              The Imperial flanking assault went in over the Commonwealth border, behind the Imperial fleet were squadrons of Alcaran Navy ships escorting what appeared to be a pair of transport ships, it was part of a trap as the Allied fleet cut a path through the sector. Using a combination of raids, planetary assault and ambushes of VLA ships, the allies cleared each system in their path, when the orbital defences fell, the ground troops were landed and the fighting was now at ground level. Leading his team, Captain Reyes Valdez (red) led the Imperial and Alcaran troops in storming city after city on Akri IV. Once the cities were secured, the population was driven out onto the plains and soon were surrounded by armed troops, Empress Jodi Iodokar now commanded that Betazoids walk up and down the ranks of people.

                                                              Those guilty were pulled out of the crowd then detained before being put on trial, the rest were now sorted into three groups. Males over the age of 17 were separated from the females over 17. All those under the age of 17 were then taken away from their families and deported as every family was made to feel the pain,
                                                              "Captain, sack those cities" ordered Jodi, "I want every trace of this civilisation wiped out so all cultural artefacts are to be brought out and put in a large pile. All the populations' belongs, anything your troops can carry away with them, they can have as my reward for their loyalty. I want the city prepared for razing as well."
                                                              "With pleasure" answered Reyes before giving the troops their orders.
                                                              What followed was a three day sacking as peoples' homes and businesses were looted, those forced to watch their life's possessions being carried away by Imperial troops wept as the cultural artefacts were now brought down. Paintings and books were now put into piles and soaked with a flammable liquid, the population forced at gunpoint to burn them.
                                                              The cities were now systematically razed as every building and statue were destroyed by controlled explosives, the people were in tears as their history went up in smoke.
                                                              "People of Akri, you are now Alcaran-Terran, you will be deported to a system where you'll have to start over. You'll only be allowed a protein resequencer for food and clothing. Any other form of technology is forbidden and we execute slavers so do not think you can do your same tricks, anyone caught enslaving will be executed after trial" said Queen Marissa I (red original).
                                                              "Reyes, execute the rebel prisoners, you decide how" ordered Jodi.
                                                              "Crucify them" ordered Reyes to his troops, the order was carried as the screams of the prisoners were heard by all.
                                                              "Begin deportations" ordered Jodi.
                                                              Commonwealth transports beamed up the populations and over the next four days, the entire adult population were being transported to their new home in Commonwealth space under Commonwealth Navy escort.
                                                              With Akri secured, the offensive rolled on.

                                                              The sacking of Akri caused shockwaves as more worlds were sacked, their history destroyed and their population deported, Imperial reprisals were brutal in the fear and terror caused, Jodi now announced the news,
                                                              "VLA rebels, you raze my worlds, we razed your worlds. Your peoples' histories erased, your cities sacked then razed and your people being deported. This is the price of rebellion, you lose your home, your homeworld and your cultural history. Any world that surrenders will be spared this fate" she said on INN.
                                                              Those worlds faced with the utter destruction of their culture soon capitulated to Jodi, others who resisted met the same fate as Akri. On the newly subjugated worlds that had surrendered, the population were forced into the countryside as they were told their fate by Jodi,
                                                              "Those who submit to me for Imperialisation will be allowed to return to the cities. Those who do not submit will be reduced to a state of serfdom and kept at a medieval level of development, your cultural history is hereby stripped from you, your language suppressed, you are now Terrans. Your children will be Imperialised and any family that prevents that happening will have their children taken off them for adoption, you will be forbidden from ever learning about your peoples' past."

                                                              Half the populations submitted and bowed in surrender, the rest refused and were soon stripped of their names and given designations. They would be serfs to their new masters as loyal colonists were brought in to repopulate the cities, those who had submitted were then allowed to return to their homes as Imperial flags were raised.

                                                              Meanwhile, Reyes and his Chosen Men were liberating slave markets in company with Alcaran police and commandos, each slave market brought a different level of horror but thousands were liberated in the space of a week. The liberated slaves were then sent to Alcaran hospitals for treatment, rest and recovery.
                                                              Operation Sledgehammer was off to a good start with 12 star systems secured and the VLA now forced to fight a two front war.

                                                              On Littorius III, Jodi now smiled as entire peoples were now forced to bow to her at gunpoint as they walked past in a broken and demoralised procession,
                                                              "May your family suffer misfortune, I hereby put a curse on your family" said a priest, "may your gods abandon you and your people to death and extinction, you and your sisters better sleep with one eye open because our backers can make sure your sisters do not wake up in a morning" he said afterwards.
                                                              "Reyes, detain him and question him, break him" ordered Jodi, "priest, mark my words well. Do not threaten me and my family because you'll never see your people and homeworld again" she said to the priest.
                                                              "Death to the Terran Empire, long live the Klingon and Cardassian Alliance" answered the priest, "Your people will pay the price for this, our backers will make sure of that."
                                                              "Your people collaborated with the Klingon and Cardassian Alliance and still do, how many Terran Rebellion cells were betrayed by your people?" asked Jodi.
                                                              The Priest just laughed,
                                                              "They died screaming under Klingon torture" he said afterwards.
                                                              "The fact your people also let the Alliance invade the Commonwealth, by the way, I thank the Alliance for all the ships we captured from them. You are slavers, collaborators and disgrace to the Terran name. God is no longer on your side, he's on our side" replied Marissa,
                                                              "The Commonwealth liberated millions from your masters, their stories are taught to every Alcaran as are the stories of those liberated from the Empire, no offence intended, Empress."
                                                              "None taken" answered Jodi.
                                                              "He's all yours, get this thing out of my sight" replied Marissa, "when you reach hell, tell the Devil who sent you."
                                                              "Priest, this man here has a rather interesting nickname" said Jodi, "Captain, why did they call you El Diablo in the old empire?" she asked Reyes afterwards.
                                                              "Because I was the devil to those who would harm the Empire, what has happened to these people is a punishment from god, Deus Vult" answered Reyes.
                                                              "God wills it" translated Marissa, "Dad, do whatever the hell you want with him. Make sure he suffers for his crimes."

                                                              "Come on, Priest, some friends of mine want a word and they are very good at extracting information. You will be begging for death when they've finished with you" said Reyes as his chosen men dragged the priest to a Tal Shiar team.
                                                              The Priest was then interrogated, he was never seen again. Soon more dissidents began to disappear across the new subjugated worlds as Imperial intelligence, the Tal Shiar and the Inquisition made early morning raids under the cover of darkness, the rest did not say a word of what happened for fear of arrest.

                                                              Jodi now looked over the results and smiled as Marissa oversaw the withdrawal of Alcaran troops on the world,
                                                              "Marissa, your troops are capable. Send them my regards for they have earned the respect of the Terran Empire" she said to Marissa.
                                                              "I will pass that on, they've earned it" answered Marissa.
                                                              "How are we on humanitarian aid for the liberated slaves?" asked Jodi.
                                                              "Those recovered from the slave markets are being treated in hospitals on Alcar IV, all security precautions have been undertaken" answered Marissa.
                                                              "They are not your people and are strangers to you yet you will help them" replied Jodi.
                                                              "Slavery is a scourge, my peoples know this better than most so we will go out of our way to liberate slaves and help them. It's the right thing to do" answered Marissa.
                                                              "The Empire thanks your Commonwealth for their humanitarian aid, we will not forget it" replied Jodi.
                                                              "Empress, the Commonwealth will help those who need it. Liberated slaves who's homeworlds are gone or cannot be traced, we offer them citizenship. If any of the liberated Imperial citizens feel they cannot return to the Empire, I would be more than happy to discuss resettling them somewhere they can start again, most of them have lost everything, families, homes, businesses and their belongings. The families we've been able to reunite are together, they're thankful for the rescue" answered Marissa.
                                                              "Would you let INN into these hospitals so the Imperial citizenry see your peoples' as friends to the Empire?" asked Jodi.
                                                              "That can be arranged, but security precautions will have to be carried out" answered Marissa.
                                                              "That I can agree to" replied Jodi, "this sector block will require tough but fair leadership."

                                                              "Once this sector block has been secured, it'll need a strong governor to keep it secured from rebellion" answered Marissa, "a governor we can both trust."
                                                              "Any suggestions?" asked Jodi.
                                                              "Him" answered Marissa as she looked at Reyes.
                                                              "Why are you both looking at me?" asked Reyes.
                                                              "This sector block will need a new governor, the last one was not up to the task. I need a governor with the fear factor but fair on judgement and punishments" answered Jodi.
                                                              "I have not got experience of governance, I'm a soldier not a politician" replied Reyes.
                                                              "I'll appoint you advisers who's loyalty is assured, what I need is someone to keep these people in line. Someone who's very name causes fear among the population, a devil" answered Jodi, "you run this sector by whatever means you deem necessary. If you want to run it like a military operation, it's entirely up to you since you have shown you can carry out independent operations and your loyalty is unquestioned."
                                                              "Dad, I'd feel much safer with you watching the Imperial side of the border as would my people. Your loyalty to your Empress is something to be respected, the people of this sector block need firm leadership to keep them in line" said Marissa.

                                                              "Reyes, some 23rd century experience would help the Empire and your fellow citizens. You are of the old school so you understand what is necessary, that is the type of thinking I'm after" said Jodi, "You only execute the guilty and only after investigation."
                                                              "Can I keep my command?" asked Reyes.
                                                              "You may" answered Jodi.
                                                              "Who's being assigned to assist me on the naval front?" asked Reyes.
                                                              "Captain Petrova (red), beam down please" ordered Jodi.
                                                              Captain Diana Petrova beamed down and when she saw Reyes, she tried to keep it professional but instead smiled.
                                                              "Ma'am, the Hawke is ready to serve" answered Petrova to Jodi.
                                                              "You'll be assigned to this sector under a new governor, you already know him" replied Jodi.
                                                              "Who?" asked Petrova.
                                                              "Captain Valdez here, you two have worked well together" answered Jodi.
                                                              "Reyes, means we can also strengthen our relationship off-duty" said Petrova as she gave Reyes a kiss.
                                                              "Dad, do you really want to send your daughter to therapy?" joked Marissa giving the glare of disapproval.
                                                              "Diana, meet my daughter Marissa, or by her Royal title of Queen Marissa I of the Alcaran Commonwealth, mother of the nation and liberator of the people" said Reyes,
                                                              "Marissa, meet Diana" he said afterwards introducing both Petrova and Marissa to each other.
                                                              "You two together?" asked Marissa.

                                                              "We are, I've had to move on from your mother. It's not been an easy decision" answered Reyes.
                                                              "You're both happy, that's what matters" replied Marissa.
                                                              "Your father is a good man who's fair. I may have to teach him Russian" answered Petrova, "The Spanish lessons have been enlightening" she said afterwards.
                                                              "Maybe in the same way I'm teaching you Spanish" replied Reyes.
                                                              "We may need the "Do not disturb" sign on my quarters' door" answered Petrova.
                                                              "You two are terrible" sighed Marissa, "after this war is over, I may need to find a husband. I've been putting off a love life for too long and need to think about raising a family in this century, the Commonwealth needs an heir."
                                                              "Choose well and let your heart decide" advised Reyes.
                                                              "Thanks dad" replied Marissa.
                                                              Jodi just found it amusing,
                                                              "Back to business, we've got a war to win" she said afterwards.
                                                              "Reyes, you've proved your loyalty to my sister. Just be aware if you betray her, I will kill you" said Kestrella (red) after she had watched the subjugations.
                                                              "Ms Lot, I owe your sister my life. I'm atoning through service to my Empress, I made some bad choices for your people all those years ago, that cannot be undone. I cannot bring back those people I killed or enslaved, for that I'm sorry" answered Reyes.
                                                              "Your actions will prove that, I know what you did so do not forget that" replied Kestrella.
                                                              "Ms Lot, that hatred will consume you one day. Maybe you should let it go, it's been over 150 years so old wounds should not be reopened. That is something you need to work out" advised Reyes.
                                                              "Ms Lot, my father was forced into carrying out those orders. He did not have a choice, he would have been executed for disobeying Emperor Georgiou. As it was, my mother was hanged on her orders and me very nearly with her. For years I blamed my father for my mother's death.

                                                              I eventually had to let it go, maybe you should as well" added Marissa.
                                                              "Mother would not want me to fall into that trap" said Kestrella.
                                                              "Your mother would be right" answered Marissa.
                                                              "She was murdered" replied Kestrella.
                                                              "Sorry to hear about that, your family has my condolences" answered Marissa.
                                                              "Ms Lot, as long as you remember the good times, your mother will always be with you" added Reyes.
                                                              "Thank you" replied Kestrella.
                                                              "Ms Lot, you're angry at me, I accept that but direct it at our enemies. I am not your enemy" said Reyes to Kestrella.
                                                              "You direct your talents at the enemies of the Empire, we'll get along. You've earned my sister's respect so I'll do as you Terrans say, bury the hatchet" answered Kestrella.
                                                              "Works for me" replied Reyes.
                                                              "Ma'am the fleet has reorganised" reported Admiral West to Jodi, "they're resupplying now and will be ready within 12 hours."

                                                              "Excellent" answered Jodi as she ordered the troops to provide an honor guard,
                                                              "Captain Reyes Valdez, kneel before your Empress."
                                                              "Reyes obeyed.
                                                              "Do you promise to uphold the law, protect the citizenry from those who would do harm to them and govern fairly?" asked Jodi.
                                                              "I promise to uphold the law, protect those who cannot fight back and govern fairly in your name" answered Reyes.
                                                              Jodi then tapped Reyes on both shoulders with the blade of her sword,
                                                              "Captain Reyes Valdez, you are hereby named a Knight of the Empire and Lord of the New Castilian Sector. Rise a Knight of the Empire" said Jodi.
                                                              "Thank you, Excellency" answered Reyes before he rose to his feet, Jodi then gave him a good slap and told him this,
                                                              "That is so you do not forget your vows, Lord Valdez."
                                                              "Yes my Empress" answered Reyes.
                                                              "Reyes, you've earned this" replied Jodi as she presented Reyes with a sword and a set of 23rd century Lord's armour.
                                                              "Hand and a half sword" commented Reyes, "excellent workmanship on the blade, very well balanced" he said afterwards as he examined the sword.
                                                              "Reyes?" asked Jodi.
                                                              "Hand and a half, it can be used either with one hand or with both hands. Whoever made this needs a pay rise because this work is amazing" explained Reyes.
                                                              "I'll pass your compliments to the blacksmith who made it" answered Jodi.
                                                              "Betazed Steel, a very fine blade indeed. Strong but flexible so it won't break, I'd call it equal to Damascus Steel" replied Reyes.
                                                              "You know your blades" answered Jodi.
                                                              "Swords are a hobby of mine, my family were originally knights of the Spanish nobility during the medieval age on Terra, members of the Order of Santiago during the Spanish Reconquista where we liberated the Iberian Peninsular from the occupying Arabs and Berbers" replied Reyes, "My family were warriors and many paid the price for the liberation of the Spanish people."
                                                              "A proud family, bring honor back to your family name" said Jodi.
                                                              "I am" answered Reyes.

                                                              "Dad, congratulations" said Marissa.
                                                              "Thank you" answered Reyes as Barnes helped him put the armour on and attached the sheathed sword to Reyes' belt.
                                                              "Barnes, how would you like the job of commanding my Lord's Guard with a rank of Colour Sgt?" asked Reyes.
                                                              "Sir, I would be honored to accept" answered Barnes.
                                                              "Barnes, you are promoted to Colour Sgt" replied Reyes as he removed Barnes' old rank and attached his new rank to his uniform.
                                                              "Reyes, congratulations" said Petrova as she gave Reyes a kiss.
                                                              "Diana, it means a lot" answered Reyes.
                                                              "How about when the war is over, we make our relationship permanent?" asked Petrova.
                                                              "As in marriage?" asked Reyes.
                                                              "Indeed" answered Petrova.
                                                              "When this war is over, until then, we will have to both put it on the back burner" replied Reyes.
                                                              "I can wait" answered Petrova.

                                                              "Diana, how good are your runabout pilots?" asked Reyes.
                                                              "You got a crazy scheme up your sleeve?" asked Petrova.
                                                              "Next Slave Market and camp facility we liberate, I need your pilots to land our strike teams as close to the target as possible without being detected" answered Reyes.
                                                              "That can be arranged, method of landing?" asked Petrova.
                                                              "Lead Pilot's discretion" answered Reyes.
                                                              "I'll have my best pilot lead the force in" replied Petrova.
                                                              "Part two is going to be close air support, maximum amount of force with pinpoint precision" answered Reyes.
                                                              "Hit them hard and hit them fast, you'll get the the 288th Tactical support squadron. A mix of runabouts and Peregrine class fighters" replied Petrova.
                                                              "Diana, thank you" answered Reyes.
                                                              "Death from above, my pilots will enjoy it" replied Petrova.
                                                              Reyes just smiled,
                                                              "Reyes, Marissa, I want all troops going on these liberation missions to wear helmet cameras. The public needs to see the full horror of these atrocities, show them what happens to those who harm our respective citizens" requested Jodi.
                                                              "Lethal or non-lethal?" asked Reyes.
                                                              "Lethal" ordered Jodi.
                                                              "I concur, normally we would detain but having the evidence literally all around them, on the spot execution is ordered" added Marissa.
                                                              "As you both wish" answered Reyes,
                                                              "Haywire, you up for delivering the Empress' justice on the wicked?" he asked Seisa (red) afterwards.
                                                              "I'm in" answered Seisa smiling, "I may have a few "gifts" for them" as she laughed.
                                                              "Haywire, Have fun" answered Reyes.
                                                              "I will" replied Seisa as the new garrison troops were being landed, the new garrison took over the old Vostroyan cities, construction began on building walls and defences to keep the serfs out.
                                                              "Everyone, return to your ships" ordered Jodi.

                                                              After everyone left the surface, the fleet re-supplied and soon left at Warp 9 for the Hellius system. The VLA had be detected massing for another slave raid, the Alcarans has sent a seemingly defenceless convoy. The VLA had taken the bait and massed their fleet to attack the convoy at Hellius, precisely the situation Jodi wanted them in.




                                                              Post edited by theraven2378 on
                                                              NMXb2ph.png
                                                                "The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
                                                                -Lord Commander Solar Macharius
                                                              Sign In or Register to comment.