Night
Widow Null
- Location
- Hoff
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To Boldly Go... (a Starfleet quest)
- Thread starter OneirosTheWriter
- Start date
- Sci-Fi
-
- Tags
- star trek exploration fully automated luxury gay space communism top level canon (canon) #hashtagcontent all-encompassing space amoeba cardassian boy bands cardassian magical girls darkest bureaucracy debate makes the qm cackle like palpatine hoh is an empire quest it has to be foreign infiltrators more ships ship happens singers delenda est starfleet this is not an empire quest ur waifu is collective?
AKuz
Been Better
- Location
- A Rising Tide of Horrors
- Pronouns
- She/Her
You can bet there's an entire directorate of the Tal Shair pouring over that paltry cultural packet trying to wring everything they can out of it. "Wow, this "Many Loves of Krilla" has some really really good censoring. Very talented"
> : P
KnightDisciple
Brotherhood. Unity. Peace.
- Location
- Midwest, USA
Now that they know our plan, they will plan around our plans. And so we shall in turn plan around the plan that they are planning around our plan!
aeqnai
Nerdy Homu
- Location
- Laniakea Supercluster
- Pronouns
- She/Her
And then everyone in the quadrant backstabbed everyone else so hard that every major power collapsed. And thus began the reign of the Grand Technocratic Dominion of Gaen, which lasted a thousand years.
On year 1001 a random Gaeni scientist decided to simultaneously synthesize about 5000kg of Omega particles, and the Alpha Quadrant disappeared from the Galaxy.
Random Member
Gardener of Human Happiness
- Location
- Behind You
50 weeks of vacation a year? Count me in!
Nervos Belli
Don't think this means you've won!
- Location
- Murica
Are you trying to drive Commodore Eaton mad?
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Her sanity is a small price to pay for galactic peace and margeritas for all.
It was the amazing break-dancing skills of the Jem'Hadar that convinced them of that, you see.
Tal Shiar preliminary assessment of Obsidian Order: "Four stars. Extreme danger of our worryingly similar organizations developing some kind of demented crush on each other and going off to blow up a planet together or something."
Torgamous
Aspiring Gynoid
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Tal Shiar after-action assessment of Obsidian Order: "One star. Does not return calls, only interested in blowing up planets."
Tal Shiar has requisitioned three million pints of ice cream.
Nervos Belli
Don't think this means you've won!
- Location
- Murica
Linderley: Just as planned.
ClawClawBite
Mad Engineering!
- Location
- Seattle, WA
Later on, this will be discovered to be a translation issue by Federation historians.
When the Klingons said glorious combat vessels. What they meant was high risk vessels that creates opportunities for heroism and advancement due to the high fatality rates of the command crew, dangers of repairs in the engine room, and forced discovery and exploration encounters due to the unreliability of the warp drives. Any crew member who lives through a full deployment will be a battle hardened warrior with stories of glory to last a lifetime. There being very few of these folks is not significant.
The Romulans heard glorious combat vessels and thought it meant frequently won battles against other local space powers.
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Jenny
anonymous user
- Location
- maryland
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I guess you're not interested in the Constellation class, then?
Night
Widow Null
- Location
- Hoff
We don't have any named Pueblo handy.
Omake - Retrospective - SynchronisedWritersBloxk
Retrospective
Andor Live! Evening News
"Breaking news from San Francisco, Earth, as rumors circulate that the Commander of Starfleet, Admiral Vitalia Kahurangi, is set to retire at the end of this month. Kahurangi is best known for leading Starfleet in defeating the Ulith III Biophage, alongside heroes of the Federation Hikaru Sulu and..."
Federation Broadcast Service, Evening Bulletin
"In a press conference this afternoon, President sh'Arrath confirmed rumors that Starfleet's Admiral Kahurangi is set to retire at the end of the year. She also denied rumors that the Admiral is stepping down due to the recent loss of the Miracht, stating that Kahurangi's retirement has been a long-planned move."
The hologram shifts to display a President sh'Arrath behind a podium with the Federation logo.
"The Admiral informed me of her intent to retire almost a year ago. We have been working with Starfleet to ensure the smoothest transition possible."
The hologram then shifts back to the Vulcan broadcaster.
"President sh'Arrath was evasive on the choice of the Admiral's successor, saying that her government had the responsibility to carefully consider all possibilities. Rumors from the Council indicate the leading candidates include the famous Hikaru Sulu, current Chief of Operations Heidi Eriksson, or the Andorian ch'Vohlet, among others."
Federation Broadcast Service, Opinion
"She has been praised as the woman who saved the Federation, and criticized for pushing it past its means. No one can deny that this era will be remembered as an age of expansion, and Kahurangi's Starfleet has been the welcoming hand that brought us the Amarki and many others. But in Starfleet itself, sources say one word comes to mind to describe Kahurangi."
"Steady. The Grey Lady was not nicknamed for the color of her hair, but for her unwavering core of steel. Her steady leadership saved the Federation in fight against the Ulith III Biophage. The heroes of the Battle of Kadesh, Nash ka'Sharen and Hikaru Sulu, praised her for giving them the resources they needed to vanquish the horrifying plague. The outgoing President singled out Kahurangi in his final speech for leading Starfleet in "making friends out of former enemies", a reference to thawing of relations with the Romulan Star Empire. Rumors out of Starfleet give her credit for calmly avoiding another State of Emergency in the recent crisis over the rogue Cardassian ship. Perhaps most mysteriously, Ambassador Sarek thanked her specifically upon the signing of the Landle Accords that ended the Caitian-Dawiar War, even though Starfleet played second fiddle to the Federation Diplomatic Service throughout that conflict."
"While in Starfleet she is seen as the steady hand guiding their push to the stars, in the wider Federation, Kahurangi has worn many hats. Many of her meetings with the Council are in the public domain, and none are more poignant than her briefing on the Biophage. Delivered first in closed session, and released publicly months later, her unwavering delivery on the horrors of the Biophage had many councilors losing sleep, and became infamous almost overnight. But it is in the yearly Starfleet review that another side of Vitalia Kahurangi is on display. An famous edited video shows Kahurangi promising and requesting Starfleet support for Diplomatic Service ambassadorial teams no less than one hundred and sixty eight times. And with the United Federation of Planets doubling in size on her watch, it's no wonder that some critics are calling her the greatest diplomat since President Archer - and the most dangerous."
Editorial, the San Francisco Daily, January 3, 2312.
When Vitalia Kahurangi was appointed Admiral of Starfleet, few realized the significance. Admiral Rogers was a quiet sort who kept his battles confined to the Council chambers, and decades from the escapades of the early 23rd century, Starfleet was seen as a fading star. The appointment of another grey, old, human Admiral, and one of the Federation Council's cronies at that, was in some sectors ridiculed as the end of the glory days of Starfleet.
But events would not keep Kahurangi in the background. Indeed, the public's first impression of the most influential woman in space was the press conference announcing her first and only State of Emergency. The grey-haired, strict-looking woman had to be introduced by the Federation's President, and stepped up to the microphone to say a few words.
It was the first time many of us had even seen the new Admiral, but everyone I spoke to afterwards was enraptured. I have no doubt that had anyone else delivered that speech, that panic would have swept the streets. I still remember the shivers that swept down my spine as she described, in what we now know was brief, edited detail, the biophage and the upcoming evacuations.
But perhaps even more demonstrative was the Council meeting a year prior, leaked to the public a few months later. Into the fire and brimstone of an angry Council, Kahurangi strode, holo-projector in hand. Her delivery is precise, clipped, dry. The images behind her, of the twenty-thousand citizens of Dunwich IV slaughtered and sculpted into a monster, more graphic. Yet even in the face of that horror, Kahurangi continued to speak, and she uttered her most famous quote, one that became Starfleet's unofficial motto in the months after the Battle of Kadesh.
"We look to the stars as they are, never blinking."
Indeed, we did have a good reason to fear. But when we looked to the stars, we saw more than just death. For somewhere out there were gleaming silver ships with oval hulls and crewed by steely-eyed men and women, the same steely eyes we saw every week as the Admiral gave the weekly brief.
Starfleet ships guarded our convoys. Starfleet engineers built refugee camps. Starfleet scientists developed a vaccine. And the shining stars of Starfleet's captains threw the beast back, hunted it, and put it to the sword. When Admiral Kahurangi once again stepped to the podium and renounced her emergency powers, the doubts about Starfleet at the turn of the century had been washed away. Names like ka'Sharen, Thuir, T'Faer, T'Lorel, and Sulu were once again on the tips of everyone's tongues. Starfleet's heroes had not been idle, but merely waiting for their time of need.
For us who grew up in this era of peace, it had been easy to dismiss Starfleet. The Klingons, the boogiemen of our parents' childhood, bound away by parchement and honor. The Romulans tucked away at the end of a 50-light-year neutral zone. Space was safe, comfortable. The biophage tore that illusion away. Without Kahurangi's Starfleet, no one wants to speculate what could have happened. And when Kadesh had been burned and the dead put to rest, Starfleet remained. Everyone wanted to know: what next?
The next five years brought a new age of romanticism not seen since the 2260s. Starting with the launch of the Miracht, Starfleet's Explorer Corps brought us a steady stream of new species, wonders and discoveries. The galaxy was full of friends we hadn't met. Even the Cardassians couldn't overcome this feeling. After all, the Romulans weren't as bad as we had thought. Nothing underscored this more than Ngo Mai's bestselling book, Children of the Neutral Zone, full of feel-good stories from the Athos V colony, of Romulan scientists babysitting Human children, Andorian custodians rescuing Romulan spelunkers, and Sotaw merchants openly gawking at quadrant maps. Through all this, Admiral Kahurangi faded into the background, content to let her captains fly the flag for her.
The loss of the Polaris could have overturned any lesser Admiral. Kahurangi's distress at the loss of life was palpable, even as politicians and critics alike slammed her and Starfleet for triggering a war. But President sh'Arrath acted quickly, and Starfleet's Enterprise paved the route to the Landle Accords. In retrospect, the incident underscored how even apparent enemies could be led to see reason, a principle demonstrated throughout the Admiral's career. Kahurangi's diplomatic strategy, led by the Diplomatic Service and Starfleet together, was tested and validated, and will likely serve as guiding principles for decades to come.
Of course, while the Explorer Corps were chasing wonders on the borders, events closer to home came to a boil. The bombing of the Courageous by the Orion Syndicate brought Admiral Kahurangi to the forefront again. She quickly closed ranks with the new President Jorlyth sh'Arrath, setting the stage for the Anti-Slavery Act. Tales from Starfleet once again filtered down to the media, this time of the heroic Yukikaze and Captain Grann's battles against the pirate menace. The assassination of Councilor Carmichael two years later only reinforced the tragic heroism of Starfleet's captains, and Kahurangi stepped forth this time with Councilor Stesk of Vulcan in condemning Syndicate violence. The legacy of the Anti-Slavery Act is still felt today, and time will tell if the war against the Syndicate will be remembered as Kahurangi's crowning achievement, or her greatest folly.
Has Vitalia Kahurangi been Starfleet's greatest Admiral yet? That's one for the historians. But from a position without expectations, she rose to every crisis, and Starfleet's next generation of heroes rose behind her. She was a steady hand, a diplomat, and a visionary. Kahurangi's tenure as Admiral has changed the Federation in ways we are only beginning to understand. I hope that in the coming years, we will be worthy of her legacy.
Excerpt from the cover article of Federation Monthly, 2312 Month 1 edition.
[...] For me, the months of the biophage crisis were a constant blur of press briefings, questions, interviews with scientists, interviews with politicians, the latest report from the front. I tried to keep work away from home, but it was impossible. One night, my two children came to me because they had been having nightmares. The stations kept on playing those grotesque scenes over and over. Kids are smart these days, they know what a plague is. And while I was tucking her back into bed, my eldest asked me, 'Can that woman in Red really protect us?'.
Well, I couldn't exactly say no. But I stayed up that night, lest I have nightmares of my own. And I researched her, Kahurangi, the woman in red. She had taken to the stars in Kirk's era, fought the Klingons and the Romulans both, been wounded in action, done her time. There was nothing that stood out, but against giants like Kirk and his crew, standing out would always be difficult. I went to bed assured that she had a long career as a warrior, but did little to assuage my nightmares.
It was hardly two weeks later when my father called me at about ten in the morning on my day off. He woke me up. 'They beat it! Those sons of bitches really did it!' he shouted over the communicator. That woke my children, but if it hadn't, the celebrations out in the street would have. Then the messages started pouring in over my press account, that we had won some sort of final battle, thousands dead, millions saved. I had to rush to the office, taking my kids with me. We flew over crowds in the streets of Paris chanting 'Starfleet! Starfleet! Starfleet!'. I had never in my life seen anything like it.
The living memory of Starfleet's victory over the biophage orbits Earth today, the warp fields of the Pride of Kadesh visible through the most rudimentary of magnifiers. And my eldest is now studying to enter the Academy. My ten years on the FBS's Council desk went by in a flash. But Vitalia Kahurangi's ten-year tenure as Admiral felt like a lifetime. [...]
Suddenly Sergei, a currently popular talk show, early 2312
"With so many channels running biographies, you would think Admiral Vitalia Kahurangi had died. The Federation Broadcast Service is practically eulogizing her. Well, I have some news for our viewers across the Federation." He leans in to the camera and speaks in a stage whisper. "She's not dead, everyone."
Gasps from the audience are a little louder than necessary, the reason for which quickly becomes apparent.
"I agree," a voice says from off-camera. The scene pans out, revealing a grey-haired woman in a timeless business suit. The glow of transporter particles fades into nothing around her.
"Admiral Kahurangi! What a pleasant surprise," the host says. There are bursts of laughter from the audience from the obviously staged delivery.
"It's a pleasure to be here, Sergei," Kahurangi says quickly, ruining the possibility of continuing the joke.
"Take a seat, Admiral," the host says.
They take a moment to seat themselves around the interview table.
"So it's true. You've retired."
"I have retired," Kahurangi says slowly, as if incredulous at the question.
"I hear you're an avid fisherwoman," the host says.
"That's right. Fishing is my dream job. It's quite a promotion from my last position."
The audience and host both laugh on cue.
"Everyone is wondering," the host says, "why retire? By all accounts, you were doing a fine job. I have no doubt many citizens would love to see another decade of Admiral Kahurangi."
"Eleven years is a long time, Sergei. Any officer grows long in the tooth after a decade. It was time to move on."
Sergei frowns.
"You were worried about growing... complacent?"
"Always," Kahurangi says. "But Starfleet needs fresh blood, and Admiral is a job someone can only do for so long. It wears at you."
"What advice did you give your successor, Admiral Sousa?"
Kahurangi gives a short bark of laughter.
"Sousa's an old dog," Kahurangi says. "I told her she'll have to pay for the drinks next time."
Sergei smiles slightly and turns to the camera.
"The joke, for our viewers in Rigel and the Union, is that we don't have currency here," he explains. The audience laughs again.
He turns back to Kahurangi.
"So I said we wouldn't be doing an obituary, but your tenure has been most memorable. I would be doing our viewers a disservice not to ask about events. Why don't we start with the Biophage? What enabled you to face that horror with such a steady hand?"
"The biophage was an enemy unlike any in the Federation's history," Kahuragi says flatly, a far-away look in her eyes. "I am glad our captains could stop it with only some loss of life. My role was only to give them the tools they needed to protect our citizens, and themselves."
Sergei looks a little lost at that answer.
"There are those who say that without you, the Federation would have been lost. But I suppose we should not dwell on that."
He coughs once before continuing.
"Can you comment on Starfleet's role in designing the diplomatic plan that ended the Caitian-Dawiar War?"
There's a twitch in Kahurangi's posture that only the most perceptive watchers would catch.
"What do you mean?" she asks after a moment.
"Rumors out of the President's office were that her directives closely followed an informal plan, one that originated on your desk," Sergei says bluntly. "We in the media called it the sh'Aarrth plan, but perhaps the Kahurangi Plan would have been more accurate. Or so the rumors go."
Kahurangi is now frowning, leaning forward slightly to stare into the camera.
"Starfleet exists to fulfill Federation policy. I can tell you that in the Dawiar war, the heads of every Federation service were summoned to deliver a briefing. Once our information was considered, orders came down from on high, and my staff did their best to resolve them by designing the operations requested of us. Requested by the President and the Diplomatic Service," she says in a clipped tone.
"But you must agree that President sh'Aarrth was desperate to end the war by any means," Sergei presses. "She campaigned hard on Caitian Ratification, only to have it blocked at last minute. Surely, at the time the Polaris was lost, any concrete advice was a balm to her."
"I don't have anything to say about that," Kahurangi says bluntly.
Sergei grins like the cat who caught the canary, but visibly restrains himself from asking any more questions on the subject.
"Many of our viewers are wondering: why did you not declare a State of Emergency when the Cardassians told you they had a rogue cloaked ship on the loose?"
Kahurangi relaxes at this question.
"A State of Emergency exists only for an existential threat to the Federation or to a large number of her citizens. A single cloaked ship, while very dangerous, does not represent the ability to destroy the Federation as we know it. In the end, we were able to resolve the situation with Starfleet assets alone, and plenty of margin to spare."
"And we are all very glad you did!" the host says. "Final question, this one was sent to us by a viewer, T'Plaan on one of our more remote colonies. She writes:
"The Romulan Star Empire came to Starfleet for help in fighting the Biophage. For decades, we wondered about the next time a cloaked fleet would slip through the Neutral Zone. Now, if you know where to look, you can find Romulan holograms and vids on the networks. I remember you once said that their Praetor sent you a bottle of Romulan ale. Do you think the Romulan threat to the Federation is over?"
"I still have that bottle," Kahurangi says. "But as for the question... it's difficult to say. I think our differences are much less than they were even twenty years ago. And the Biophage showed us our similarities. Much like they worked with us then, continued openness with the Romulan Star Empire will demonstrate that a lasting peace is both good and necessary. In generations to come, it is my hope that our wars of the last century will be just another memory."
The audience is silent for a moment, before bursting into unplanned applause.
"Vitalia Kahurangi, everyone!" the host says as he recognizes the best possible opportunity to end the interview on a high note. He stands and gestures to the seated Kahurangi, who looks somewhat nonplussed, but nods her head in acknowledgment.
I was surprised to see we've had only one omake on the subject of Kahurangi's retirement. There was the one where she was delivered the painting of the Lexington. But I thought I'd see if I could say something about the reaction in the wider Federation and the general citizen's / media perspective on Starfleet. Yes, they miss several nuances and focus way too much on the Biophage, but I feel that's entirely natural. Kind of human-centric, but Kahurangi was human, so there you go.
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- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
To be fair, Oneiros himself did one ("A Satisfied Mind"), and one of our best omake-teers has been so busy for the past month or two she hasn't even had time to wrap up her own ongoing stories, let alone star fresh ones.
AKuz
Been Better
- Location
- A Rising Tide of Horrors
- Pronouns
- She/Her
To be fair, Oneiros himself did one ("A Satisfied Mind"), and one of our best omake-teers has been so busy for the past month or two she hasn't even had time to wrap up her own ongoing stories, let alone star fresh ones.
> : |
I really should get on that now that my schedule is calmed down... I've got the last half of "Passing the torch" done, but I can't decide weather to just put it at the end of the first part (Because it's just a straight follow-on) or post it on it's own.
Also, I've got the impression that Kahurangi could get herself elected president if she wanted to. Some sort of Federation Eisenhower? But she does seem to want to get some fishing done. I guess we'll see if she gets bored... > : P
aeqnai
Nerdy Homu
- Location
- Laniakea Supercluster
- Pronouns
- She/Her
My bet is she'll spend like a halfdecade in retirement, then go into politics on a lark, prolly as part of the Expansionist faction, then at some point the Expansionists will win plurality near the end of a Presidential term and vote her President of the United Federation of Planets whether she likes it or not.
Chaos Blade
Procrastinating Writer
- Location
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
I am really looking forward the Syndraxian report.
We do need to keep in mind the other factions are not stupid and they are capable of their own initiative and are probably as smart as we are (except the Gaeni, who are smarter but make up for it with a wisdom dump stat)
I am not sure how things with the Syndraxians reached this point, think it was due to a captain's horribad roll, but I think we have consistently failed trying to build bridges with them. perhaps we can have the council work on that after the report? because failing that, we will have to do something about them, and they know they are simply not strong enough to face us head on, hence cloak and dagger.
Sure, the Apaita op might be them tryign to make things hard for us, but if they are trying to spark a war between us and the spoon heads, at the very least we need to give them some headaches, covertly.
Still, since we now seem to have some communication lines to them, we might be able to de-escalate or start running ops to turn their allies/trade partners to the fed size or at least sour their relations to the Syndraxians.
Do we have covert ops open to us? I am not talking about really questionable stuff, but basic intelligence gathering and maybe hears and minds, plus counter intelligence?
We do need to keep in mind the other factions are not stupid and they are capable of their own initiative and are probably as smart as we are (except the Gaeni, who are smarter but make up for it with a wisdom dump stat)
I am not sure how things with the Syndraxians reached this point, think it was due to a captain's horribad roll, but I think we have consistently failed trying to build bridges with them. perhaps we can have the council work on that after the report? because failing that, we will have to do something about them, and they know they are simply not strong enough to face us head on, hence cloak and dagger.
Sure, the Apaita op might be them tryign to make things hard for us, but if they are trying to spark a war between us and the spoon heads, at the very least we need to give them some headaches, covertly.
Still, since we now seem to have some communication lines to them, we might be able to de-escalate or start running ops to turn their allies/trade partners to the fed size or at least sour their relations to the Syndraxians.
Do we have covert ops open to us? I am not talking about really questionable stuff, but basic intelligence gathering and maybe hears and minds, plus counter intelligence?
So everyone seems to have voted without hesitation that if given the order to 'push back' in these low level border skirmishes, we can do so without a problem. We all feeling good about that? Feeling confident?
UbeOne
Daydreaming CPU
- Location
- Philippines
- Pronouns
- She/Her
And then she realizes that being Admiral was a cakewalk compared to being President.
Something I'm concerned about given the meeting with the President is the potential alliance between the Expansionists and the Hawks. It's fine as long as its tentative, but if the two start getting conflated or move closer, you could easily call the result the Conquest party. Sure, the President is using us as a military advisor, but the political slant to use these ideas to entice the Hawks into an alliance also exists.
Night
Widow Null
- Location
- Hoff
Well, from that standpoint there's not much good to say. "If you throw us into an offensive war with Cardassia, the best I can tell you is that it will be bloody and mistakes will be made. If you want us to take a more active form of defense or if we can stand up to Cardassian attack, the answer is yes."
- Location
- USA
[x][OGODBEES] "Well, Madame President, in general, the Apiata have been reliable, generous allies, their territory an island of refuge in a sea of hostility. The presence of Apiata at the Academy has lead to enrichment on both sides, just as the forest is enriched by new growth. The Apiata's unique perspective has irrevocably expanded our own. Our diversity of opinions and ability grows ever stronger with them.
Now certainly we have our differences, but we have barely had contact for a decade, and already we have made as many great diplomatic strides with them as they have a great many reforms and changes in order to bring themselves closer to our orbit. It has been a mutually reinforcing relationship, and despite the detractors in their own society, it is my belief that if we continue these efforts the friendship between the Federation and Apiata will be an unbreakable, star-forged bond built on a shared desire for great exploration -- both of the stars, and of other ways of living.
However, if you want a more complete perspective -- while I have broken bread with a few of their leaders on several occasions, Nash ka'Sharren has the most complete insight to their species, having had the privilege to meet and mingle with them in an incredible array of circumstances -- rescues, government negotiations, as a Captain to a Captain, and most importantly - casually as a friend."
[X][CLAIM] Starfleet has a wave of cruisers in production, and the wave has only now started to crest. Tell me to do it today, and I can but we will be thin on the ground. In six months we'll have two more Connie-Bs. In six months, another two beyond that. Yes Madame President, I can hold Gabriel Expanse, but time is on our side.
[X][SKIRMISH] "Don't doubt us for a moment, Madame President. As long as it's limited to pushing back on the border, we can do it."
[X][WAR] War is a terrible thing, Madame President. Even in the best case we'll take massive losses, and I truly hope that there's a path to a diplomatic solution. That's not high-minded idealism; it's my people who will be the first to die. That said, you asked me a question. If you told me to go right now we could be sure of victory only with the support of the Member Fleets to both guard the home sectors and in some cases support us on the attack. Because of the Member Fleets I don't believe we could lose, but it's possible we'd lose a good portion of Starfleet in the victory. (Holds up 3 fingers.) Three years. If you can hold off a full scale war for 3 years, the fleet will be far stronger. We'll have all our Mirandas refitted, we'll have 14 new ships that we don't have today... a dozen of them cruisers or Excelsiors. Admiral Kahurangi once told me that if we can build two Excelsiors for every two Jalduns the Cardassians build then this conflict is a mountain out of a molehill. We can- but we need to actually get them built.
Now certainly we have our differences, but we have barely had contact for a decade, and already we have made as many great diplomatic strides with them as they have a great many reforms and changes in order to bring themselves closer to our orbit. It has been a mutually reinforcing relationship, and despite the detractors in their own society, it is my belief that if we continue these efforts the friendship between the Federation and Apiata will be an unbreakable, star-forged bond built on a shared desire for great exploration -- both of the stars, and of other ways of living.
However, if you want a more complete perspective -- while I have broken bread with a few of their leaders on several occasions, Nash ka'Sharren has the most complete insight to their species, having had the privilege to meet and mingle with them in an incredible array of circumstances -- rescues, government negotiations, as a Captain to a Captain, and most importantly - casually as a friend."
[X][CLAIM] Starfleet has a wave of cruisers in production, and the wave has only now started to crest. Tell me to do it today, and I can but we will be thin on the ground. In six months we'll have two more Connie-Bs. In six months, another two beyond that. Yes Madame President, I can hold Gabriel Expanse, but time is on our side.
[X][SKIRMISH] "Don't doubt us for a moment, Madame President. As long as it's limited to pushing back on the border, we can do it."
[X][WAR] War is a terrible thing, Madame President. Even in the best case we'll take massive losses, and I truly hope that there's a path to a diplomatic solution. That's not high-minded idealism; it's my people who will be the first to die. That said, you asked me a question. If you told me to go right now we could be sure of victory only with the support of the Member Fleets to both guard the home sectors and in some cases support us on the attack. Because of the Member Fleets I don't believe we could lose, but it's possible we'd lose a good portion of Starfleet in the victory. (Holds up 3 fingers.) Three years. If you can hold off a full scale war for 3 years, the fleet will be far stronger. We'll have all our Mirandas refitted, we'll have 14 new ships that we don't have today... a dozen of them cruisers or Excelsiors. Admiral Kahurangi once told me that if we can build two Excelsiors for every two Jalduns the Cardassians build then this conflict is a mountain out of a molehill. We can- but we need to actually get them built.
I mean some of us did. But there was a distinct group that was like "it'll be easy once we hit their profits!" And also hilariously that it might pay for itself in event rewards
Forgothrax
Not Going Gently
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Given that the Sydraxians are explicitly supporting factions opposed to us and the Cardassians have those who support them as well, plus the new insight that the Apiata are more like a Confederacy than a united nation... welp, the ingredients are all present if the opposition decides to stick their oar in and stir when membership gets proposed.
That's a rhetorical/satirical statement if I ever heard one. Care to explain?