It Begins (Part I of VII)
Posted on Sat Feb 13, 2021 @ 10:48pm by Captain Maritza Soran & Civilian Hydel Turvan
1,088 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
Si vis pacem, para bellum
Location: Various
Timeline: MD04 0430
Tags: Xi'Cadian Fleet, Invasion,
[ON]
"All the guls are either in the conference room, or we have a connection. It’s time." Brovek stepped into Turvan's office. Despite the fact the sun had not yet risen, the inside of the Cardassian research facility on Pangaea was a quiet hive of activity, the occupants contemplating the great step they were about to take, at minimum to secure Cardassia, at best restore the glory it had been denied for too long. "Everyone is waiting for you, sir."
Hydel took one last sip from his glass of kanar. He let the viscous liquid pour down his throat slowly. He wanted to enjoy the moment. He wanted to enjoy the moment before he reached out and grasped his destiny in the palm of his hand and held it up for the entire Federation...no, the entire quadrant to see and realize.
Hydel nodded to Brovek and followed him down the hall towards the conference room. As he entered he saw the various personnel hunched over their respective consoles, getting or sending information. Weather reports, tactical displays, satellite telemetry, and other vital pieces of information that would come together to create the mosaic of victory they would need.
"And just where is our beloved Proconsul this fine morning?" Hydel said as he was handed the padd by a technician.
"She departed on a transport back to Cardassia Prime, Legate Turvan," Glinn Brovek advised.
It was for the best that she was not present to interfere or to even provide an uninvited opinion on the matter. She had only been sent to the station to serve as a spy on behalf of certain elements within the Detapa Council. With her gone, the operation would have one less hurdle to overcome.
"Status on the fleet within the Typhon Expanse?" Hydel called out as he handed the padd to the technician after signing it.
"Wide-spread beta-tachyon particle dispersion field detected at the staging area within the Typhon Expanse," Glinn Syar reported. "That was over forty-eight hours ago, and they have maintained subspace silence since."
Hydel nodded. He had complete faith that Gul Kyreen and Gul Vashur were traveling to the planet with all deliberate speed. However, he also understood the lack of communication. The implementation of Project Oasis throughout the 127th Tactical Wing as well as the Xi'Cadian Expeditionary Fleet represented the epicenter of Cardassian scientific and tactical innovation. Once the transphasic drive begins the acceleration process beyond the standard subspace field, the respective vessels would activate their Dominion technology-inspired metaphasic drive to create a superluminal overlapping subspace field. The overlapping fields provided the protection necessary to survive the intense stress that would have otherwise torn the vessels to pieces.
The feat is what would allow the combined fleet to travel the distance between Xi'Cadian space and arrive on the front doorstep of Pangaea within 2 days, nearly halving the fleet's travel time. The silence in communication was necessary to prevent Starfleet from anticipating what was about to happen to them.
Glin Marel turned to the room. "Our agents on the station have signalled they are in position and standing by."
Hydel looked up from a wall panel and smiled. While a massive fleet was preparing to descend on the planet, Cardassian soldiers were in position both on the planet's surface and within the station itself preparing to take action. He was certain that Starfleet was tracking the movement of the Cardassian detachment that was on the planet surface. Hydel wasn't worried since the official explanation was that they were involved in routine military training exercises.
The reality was that they were simply waiting to receive word on when to engage. Ordinarily, any assault on the portal cavern would be repelled by DS5's ability to bombard from the surface as well as to dispatch reinforcements to the surface. However, the station was about to have its hands full if it chose to interfere.
Over the course of the next minute, the activity in the room stilled, everyone looking to Turvan, waiting for the final order.
The silence in the spacious room was deafening. Hydel could feel his heart beating -- no, pounding within his ribcage. He knew that his next command would set into motion a series of events that could never be forgotten, nor ignored by the Federation and their puppet allies.
Hydel's fist clenched as he thought about the patronizing glances he had received so many times by the supposed Federation diplomats and "peacekeepers". They would always pour flattery upon the poor and helpless Cardassians that they sought to care for. But Hydel could see through the veil of altruism. He saw the pitying and at the same time taunting way the Federation viewed the Cardassian people. They were a cautionary tale of what happened when you dared to strike out against the Federation, when you dared to seek your own destiny along a path other than one leading to Earth.
Hydel knew what choice had to be made.
"Sir, we're detecting the 127th dropping out of warp, followed by the Xi'Cadians," Glinn Brovek announced.
"Attention!" Hydel said firmly to the gathering. "As a people, we currently face one of the greatest threats to our way of life since we began this long climb from the swamps of Cardassia Prime all the way to the stars. This battle that we are about to pursue is not just for this planet, but instead it is a battle for our way of freedom!
"If we merely give up and submit to the directions and boundaries imposed by the Federation, then we shall lose so much of who we are as a people, and in so doing history will record with the greatest astonishment that those who had the most to lose did the least to prevent its happening!" Hydel said with a raised fist.
"You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of Cardassia, or else we will have sentenced them to a thousand years of darkness," Hydel said, his voice rising with passion. "The martyrs of our history were not fools. Today we honor our dead with our actions to seize our future!" he said as he turned to his communications officer.
"Signal Gul Denat and tell him that he and his troops are to go forward and seize the portals from Federation control, ousighukum!" he ordered.
To be Continued…
RSS Feed