Chapter 14
The Gathering
Tyr and Dylan focus on the screen. Sisko matches their gaze, clearly not happy about something.
" I'll get straight to the point. " Sisko pauses " As you have obviously noticed we are currently gathering a large number of ships here, Federation, Klingon, Romulan. We are, hopefully, going to finish this war once and for all. Causalities on both sides will be enormous! The Andromeda is a potent weapon. I have been ordered to ask you to accompany the fleet, with a view to aiding us destroy the enemy. "
"I see. Captain, while I am not against the idea, and I know that the Andromeda likes a good fight, I will have to speak to my crew. While it is true that the friendship you have offered us is undeniable, I could not order them to do this. We have only fought defensive battles so far. To join an invasion fleet means that are committing ourselves to war. I will call a meeting straight away, and have an answer for you with in one hour " Dylan answers, in his most diplomatic tone of voice.
" Understood, DS 9 out"
" Andromeda, have the crew report to command " Dylan orders the AI.
" Aye Sir "
**************************************************************************** *************
Dylan and Tyr wait on the command deck for everyone to appear. Beka is the first to arrive
" Has Harper done it, do we have a way of getting home ? " Beka asks, thinkling that's the reason for the staff meeting
" No, lets wait for everybody, then I'll explain "
" Oh, Okay " Beka response's, and moves to stand near the helm controls as Rommie walks into command. Within moments Harper and Trance, the last of the small crew, walked into command. Harper looks like he had been asleep moments before while Trance seemed slightly sheepish. Deciding not to make a comment that would embarrass the younger members of his crew, he asked Andromeda to replay his conversation with Captain Sisko
" Well, that's why I called you all here, to get your views on whether we should join their invasion force or not ? "
The crew look at each other, but Harper is the first one to speak
" Well, the way I see it is like this, we are stuck here. We have sided with the Federation in conflicts so far. The Dominion will consider us hostile whether we assist them or not. If we don't assist the Federation, and they lose, I get the feeling that we are going to have a very big problem for a very long time "
Everyone reflects on what Harper has said
" The boy is right " Tyr states
Everyone looks at Tyr, Harper shocked more than most.
" Well, he is "
" You bet you last dollar that I'm right " Harper states, cheerfully. Recovering quickly.
" If we all agree " everyone nods " Beka, inform Sisko we're in. Find out when the briefings begin. Tyr, Harper, Rommie, find as many ways as possible to give us an edge. So far, we have been successful in engagements with the Dominion by staying out of range of the weapons, but in a fight of this size ? Trance, make sure that we have al we need in the way of medical supplies, etc, I expect that we will be taking on a number of injured at some point"
The Andromeda crew left for their various assignments. Once the bridge was empty Dylan let out a long breath and closed his eyes
" Captain ? "
Holographic Andromeda had appeared in front Dylan
" Yes Andromeda ? "
" Are you alright? "
" Yes "
" Your reaction is not what I have come to expect from you, you have never seemed so reluctant about going into combat before "
" That's because this time the fight is not for us, we are not trying to protect our homes, rebuild the Commonwealth, this time it's somebody else's fight, but we're getting drawn into it "
There is a moments silence before Andromeda speaks again
" I understand what you are trying to say. But both you and I are High Guard officers, and the High Guard has always stood against tyranny, oppression, persecution, bully's. We are the shield between the darkness and the light. Without our help, the forces being assembled will be destroyed, the Dominion will be weakened, but the loss of life will break apart the alliance "
" How can you say that ? "
" I have reviewed the profile of the Romulan and Klingon cultures. The Klingon's have thrown nearly all their resources into this war, and they are about to literally burn themselves out. Then they will have nothing left to oppose anyone. The Romulans will pull back to their borders and form an alliance with the Dominion, rather than lose to many of their own citizens, and that leaves the Federation, and they will not be able to with stand the Dominion alone. As I said, without our help the Dominion will win. "
" I know, I'm just tired of fighting "
" But you are a High Guard Captain. You will do what is right " Andromeda then blinked into nothing, leaving Dylan to ponder her words.
**************************************************************************** *************
DS 9 Briefing room – two weeks later
Sisko walked in, right behind Admiral Ross. He quickly surveyed the room. The Klingon's were being represented by the welcome sight of General Martok, and two of his closest Captains Klag and T'Garnt. They all looked weary. The Klingons, he knew, had saved the entire Quadrant while the Breen weapon had been proving fatal to the Federation and Romulan fleets, but now that had changed.
The Romulans had three representatives present, one of the war leaders and two Captains, and finally in the corner stood Hunt, the massive Tyr Anazasi, and Rommie.
As they all took their seats around the briefing room, with the exception of Rommie, who stood behind her Captain, Ross spoke.
" Morning. He all know why we are here, so lets get in with it. I have spent the last week, in consultation with Captain L-Tarnok of the Romulan Warbird Provocateur and Commander Worf. We have able to generate a strategy which, if you will look here " He says gesturing to the screens, " will give us a fighting chance "
The next ten minutes are spent as the assembled officers studied and discussed the plans.
" What about the Andromeda ?" Martok asks " I don't see her here ?"
" Study the plan for section 5 of the system "
" That is were they are holding their reserves " Worf states
The officers all focus on the simulation that covers the reserves, zooming on a distant sector of the system where they expect to fight the Dominion fleet. However, moments into the simulation the other Romulan Captain speaks
" They have 150 ships in reserve ? " He sounded very wary.
As the simulation starts the Andromeda appears behind the reserve ships and instantly starts firing salvo after salvo at the Jem Hadar, as well as firing its AP cannon every 15 seconds. The Dominion ships, taken by surprise remained stationary slightly too long, giving the Andromeda a chance to close the range, After the initial shock the Dominion respond to the Andromeda, but as in the Tan – Okia system the return fire misses the High Guard vessel.
" The returning fire " Ross breaths " It's not hitting the ship "
" And they have almost no where to run " Worf states
Attention returns to the main fight as the simulation continues, the Romulan forces, which are at the centre of the fight go head to head with Cardassian vessels, while the Federation take the Jem Hadar, and the Klingons face the Breen.
" Once the Andromeda has taken care of the reserve forces then she will assist whichever group is in most need of assistance. Estimates suggest that we are looking at casualties between 30 and 35 % of friend vessels destroyed. " L – Tarnok states, providing a running commentary. The Romulan Captain had pressed hard to assist with the planing of this battle. He knew that the Romulan Empire would stand a better chance of remaining intact as part of the alliance than if they sided with the Dominion. " But it must be made clear now, that regardless of how many men and ships we lose, if we withdraw from this then we will probably lose the war. "
At hearing this all faces grow somber, then Admiral Ross speaks
" We leave in 12 hours "
**************************************************************************** *************
As the officers return to their various ships, Hunt is stopped by Admiral Ross.
" If you can spare a minute ? " The three Andromeda crewmen and Admiral Ross wait until the room is clear.
" Commander Worf is going to be needed at his post during the coming battle. I would like to assign a few other officers as our liaisons. Their ship has been too badly damaged to take part in the battle. "
" Of course, but we are going back out to the Andromeda now, so they will have to be quick " Dylan answers. The Andromeda was holding at the edge of the system as nearer the station was full with alliance ships.
Ross then taps his comm badge
" Ross to Riker "
" Riker here "
" Report to briefing room 2, bring Commander Data and La Forge with you "
" On our way. Riker out "
Two minutes later the three Star Fleet officers enter the room. All three are carrying a large holdall, obviously expecting to be leaving with the Andromeda crew.
The three are introduced to the Andromeda crewmen, and after wishing the Admiral good luck head towards the drop ship that had brought them to DS9.
" We have shifted orbit away from the station too make room for the assembling fleet " Rommie explains, as Tyr piloted the craft. " Our ETA is 35 minutes "
Riker and Hunt are talking at the back of the drop ship, while La Forge bombards Rommie with questions. Data attempts to converse with Tyr, but the only response from Tyr was
" Another machine "
**************************************************************************** *************
The Drop ship manoeuvres around a Klingon heavy cruiser, and the three Star Fleet officers lay eyes on the Andromeda Ascendant for the first time.
" Whoa " La Forge says, more to himself
" Impressive " Riker blurts, while Data just stares.
" Thank you " Rommie says " I am, aren't I ? "
The Enterprise crewmen look at Rommie, confused.
" We have been given background information about the fall of your commonwealth, and a brief outline of how you came to be here, as well as your known offensive capabilities but that was all " Data quickly explains.
Tyr just laughs at the lack of information that these three where given, and then explains
" This, as you have heard is the Andromeda Ascendant. It is a Glorious Heritage Class Heavy Cruiser. Its true designation is in fact Shining Path to Truth and Knowledge. There have only been 12 such ships built. Andromeda is the 12th and final vessel. She was designed to carry a crew of over 4000 as well as a regiment of lancers. "
La Forge just continues to stare at the ship, and Rommie continues what Tyr had begun, giving their guests a quick history of the Glorious Heritage ships and their role in the fall, as well as explaining about the controlling AI's of the ships.
Dylan then interrupts.
" When we were rescued from the black hole I researched as much as I could about the battles during the fall. I wanted to know how the High Guard lost. The Nitchean's often backed the fleet into a corner, using ambush tactics and the like, or making the ships stay and fight in order to prevent orbital bombardments of civilian populations "
" The most famous last stand I could find was the Scales of Justice. The Scales of Justice was hurrying to answer a colony distress call with an escort of 5 high endurance frigates when they were ambushed by a force three times their size. The opening salvo destroyed the slip drive, so the Scales covered its escort while they escaped before fighting to the death. " Dylan pauses.
" He prolonged the engagement as much as possible to give the other five a chance to get clear before the Nitcheans could pursue. He was finally cornered with his back to the systems star so start and turned to make his last stand. Most of his crew were dead, dying or injured, and he was still heavily outnumbered. "
" The Nitcheanan's closed for the kill when suddenly the escort re-appeared from slip stream behind the Nitche fleet. It caught them in a perfect cross fire. "
" What happened ? " Data asked, curious.
The time Tyr answers
" The remaining Nitchean fleet broke into two sections. The smaller half engaged the escorts, forcing them to turn away from the position's breaking the crossfire, but in doing so got themselves destroyed of severely damaged, the remaining half of the ambushing fleet, the more powerful half, closed to point bank range of the Scales to drive him into the sun. It was a good tactic."
Rommie then takes over the narrative
" Realising that he couldn't endure such a punishment for long, he deployed his towing cables, and pulled his attackers into the sun with him"
" He was like an older brother to all the Glorious Heritages. Always the first to volunteer for the dangerous assignments, so nobody else could, keeping us safe in his own way. He had the most cautious Captain of the High guard, they made a good combination.
" His last act, just before the heat from the Star destroyed them, was to send a message" It simply said ' Long Live the High Guard '
A silence fell in the shuttle for a few moments, which was broken by Tyr.
" During the war, whenever ships that had been engaged in battle never reappeared they were presumed destroyed. Although since then we have found another Glorious Heritage class cruiser The Pax Megelantic "
Riker could tell that something bad had happened by the way Rommie reacted to the public revelation
Rommie speaks again
" The Pax's Avatar was referred to as Maggie. She was the first of the Glorious Heritage Cruisers, the prototype. With the most impressive battle record of all of us. "
Rommie smiles to herself before continuing
" Three times she saved the Scales from a spot of bother. I spent my first month with her as my escort. The Avatars of the Glorious Heritage's regarded each other as brothers and sisters. Avatars and AI's from other ship classes were more like cousins. Older ships, parents "
Tyr interupts
" The Pax was the first one that was targeted at the outbreak. It was felt that the destruction of the Pax would break the morale of the High Guard, if their best and most advanced warship was destroyed. A task force was dispatched to achieve this goal, they caught her alone and unawares, but she outfought the ambush, destroyed three of the five heavy cruiser and all escorts. It sent a message to the High Guard, just not one that the Nitchezans planned!
" The ships controlling AI had gone insane when we found her . " Dylan pauses " In the Commonwealth, AI's were considered equal, but one had never been alone for 300 years after being unable to stop the fall of the Civilisation. The High Guard AI's were very loyal to the Commonwealth and their crews. It turns out that they cannot remain sane for very long without a crew to serve "
" Could you explain about Avatar's again. You mention them a lot? " Riker asks
" The ship's controlling entity is an AI. She can manifest in several form, on the screen, holographically, or in the Form of the Avatar. " Tyr says
" I am capable of being separated from the ship for long periods of time. But think of me as the ship " Rommie states " Prepare for landing.
As they emerge from the drop ship in the hanger bay, Beka and Trance are waiting for them.
" We are ready to go " Beka informs Dylan but stops when the 3 Starfleeters emerge as well.
Rommie does the introductions quickly
Trance offers to take them on a tour of the ship, which after the war stories on the way out to the Andromeda they were more then eager to see, and they depart leaving only Dylan, Tyr and Beka in the bay.
"I have Harper going over everything with a fine tooth comb. If we are going into a battle of this size, then I don't want anything going wrong "
**************************************************************************** *************
The crew and guests were all eating in the mess hall when Andromeda appears next to Riker, in holographic form.
" Captain "
Riker starts at the sudden presence
" The fleet have just left the system, in order for us to be in position we will need to be underway in 8 hours "
" Understood " Dylan says as he finishes his meal." What's the travel time to our holding point ?"
" About 4 hours " Beka says, "and then we hold for the go signal from the Defiant "
" Very well " Rommie, if you will show our guests to their quarters, I want everyone on the command deck in 3½ hours. "
The Gathering
Tyr and Dylan focus on the screen. Sisko matches their gaze, clearly not happy about something.
" I'll get straight to the point. " Sisko pauses " As you have obviously noticed we are currently gathering a large number of ships here, Federation, Klingon, Romulan. We are, hopefully, going to finish this war once and for all. Causalities on both sides will be enormous! The Andromeda is a potent weapon. I have been ordered to ask you to accompany the fleet, with a view to aiding us destroy the enemy. "
"I see. Captain, while I am not against the idea, and I know that the Andromeda likes a good fight, I will have to speak to my crew. While it is true that the friendship you have offered us is undeniable, I could not order them to do this. We have only fought defensive battles so far. To join an invasion fleet means that are committing ourselves to war. I will call a meeting straight away, and have an answer for you with in one hour " Dylan answers, in his most diplomatic tone of voice.
" Understood, DS 9 out"
" Andromeda, have the crew report to command " Dylan orders the AI.
" Aye Sir "
**************************************************************************** *************
Dylan and Tyr wait on the command deck for everyone to appear. Beka is the first to arrive
" Has Harper done it, do we have a way of getting home ? " Beka asks, thinkling that's the reason for the staff meeting
" No, lets wait for everybody, then I'll explain "
" Oh, Okay " Beka response's, and moves to stand near the helm controls as Rommie walks into command. Within moments Harper and Trance, the last of the small crew, walked into command. Harper looks like he had been asleep moments before while Trance seemed slightly sheepish. Deciding not to make a comment that would embarrass the younger members of his crew, he asked Andromeda to replay his conversation with Captain Sisko
" Well, that's why I called you all here, to get your views on whether we should join their invasion force or not ? "
The crew look at each other, but Harper is the first one to speak
" Well, the way I see it is like this, we are stuck here. We have sided with the Federation in conflicts so far. The Dominion will consider us hostile whether we assist them or not. If we don't assist the Federation, and they lose, I get the feeling that we are going to have a very big problem for a very long time "
Everyone reflects on what Harper has said
" The boy is right " Tyr states
Everyone looks at Tyr, Harper shocked more than most.
" Well, he is "
" You bet you last dollar that I'm right " Harper states, cheerfully. Recovering quickly.
" If we all agree " everyone nods " Beka, inform Sisko we're in. Find out when the briefings begin. Tyr, Harper, Rommie, find as many ways as possible to give us an edge. So far, we have been successful in engagements with the Dominion by staying out of range of the weapons, but in a fight of this size ? Trance, make sure that we have al we need in the way of medical supplies, etc, I expect that we will be taking on a number of injured at some point"
The Andromeda crew left for their various assignments. Once the bridge was empty Dylan let out a long breath and closed his eyes
" Captain ? "
Holographic Andromeda had appeared in front Dylan
" Yes Andromeda ? "
" Are you alright? "
" Yes "
" Your reaction is not what I have come to expect from you, you have never seemed so reluctant about going into combat before "
" That's because this time the fight is not for us, we are not trying to protect our homes, rebuild the Commonwealth, this time it's somebody else's fight, but we're getting drawn into it "
There is a moments silence before Andromeda speaks again
" I understand what you are trying to say. But both you and I are High Guard officers, and the High Guard has always stood against tyranny, oppression, persecution, bully's. We are the shield between the darkness and the light. Without our help, the forces being assembled will be destroyed, the Dominion will be weakened, but the loss of life will break apart the alliance "
" How can you say that ? "
" I have reviewed the profile of the Romulan and Klingon cultures. The Klingon's have thrown nearly all their resources into this war, and they are about to literally burn themselves out. Then they will have nothing left to oppose anyone. The Romulans will pull back to their borders and form an alliance with the Dominion, rather than lose to many of their own citizens, and that leaves the Federation, and they will not be able to with stand the Dominion alone. As I said, without our help the Dominion will win. "
" I know, I'm just tired of fighting "
" But you are a High Guard Captain. You will do what is right " Andromeda then blinked into nothing, leaving Dylan to ponder her words.
**************************************************************************** *************
DS 9 Briefing room – two weeks later
Sisko walked in, right behind Admiral Ross. He quickly surveyed the room. The Klingon's were being represented by the welcome sight of General Martok, and two of his closest Captains Klag and T'Garnt. They all looked weary. The Klingons, he knew, had saved the entire Quadrant while the Breen weapon had been proving fatal to the Federation and Romulan fleets, but now that had changed.
The Romulans had three representatives present, one of the war leaders and two Captains, and finally in the corner stood Hunt, the massive Tyr Anazasi, and Rommie.
As they all took their seats around the briefing room, with the exception of Rommie, who stood behind her Captain, Ross spoke.
" Morning. He all know why we are here, so lets get in with it. I have spent the last week, in consultation with Captain L-Tarnok of the Romulan Warbird Provocateur and Commander Worf. We have able to generate a strategy which, if you will look here " He says gesturing to the screens, " will give us a fighting chance "
The next ten minutes are spent as the assembled officers studied and discussed the plans.
" What about the Andromeda ?" Martok asks " I don't see her here ?"
" Study the plan for section 5 of the system "
" That is were they are holding their reserves " Worf states
The officers all focus on the simulation that covers the reserves, zooming on a distant sector of the system where they expect to fight the Dominion fleet. However, moments into the simulation the other Romulan Captain speaks
" They have 150 ships in reserve ? " He sounded very wary.
As the simulation starts the Andromeda appears behind the reserve ships and instantly starts firing salvo after salvo at the Jem Hadar, as well as firing its AP cannon every 15 seconds. The Dominion ships, taken by surprise remained stationary slightly too long, giving the Andromeda a chance to close the range, After the initial shock the Dominion respond to the Andromeda, but as in the Tan – Okia system the return fire misses the High Guard vessel.
" The returning fire " Ross breaths " It's not hitting the ship "
" And they have almost no where to run " Worf states
Attention returns to the main fight as the simulation continues, the Romulan forces, which are at the centre of the fight go head to head with Cardassian vessels, while the Federation take the Jem Hadar, and the Klingons face the Breen.
" Once the Andromeda has taken care of the reserve forces then she will assist whichever group is in most need of assistance. Estimates suggest that we are looking at casualties between 30 and 35 % of friend vessels destroyed. " L – Tarnok states, providing a running commentary. The Romulan Captain had pressed hard to assist with the planing of this battle. He knew that the Romulan Empire would stand a better chance of remaining intact as part of the alliance than if they sided with the Dominion. " But it must be made clear now, that regardless of how many men and ships we lose, if we withdraw from this then we will probably lose the war. "
At hearing this all faces grow somber, then Admiral Ross speaks
" We leave in 12 hours "
**************************************************************************** *************
As the officers return to their various ships, Hunt is stopped by Admiral Ross.
" If you can spare a minute ? " The three Andromeda crewmen and Admiral Ross wait until the room is clear.
" Commander Worf is going to be needed at his post during the coming battle. I would like to assign a few other officers as our liaisons. Their ship has been too badly damaged to take part in the battle. "
" Of course, but we are going back out to the Andromeda now, so they will have to be quick " Dylan answers. The Andromeda was holding at the edge of the system as nearer the station was full with alliance ships.
Ross then taps his comm badge
" Ross to Riker "
" Riker here "
" Report to briefing room 2, bring Commander Data and La Forge with you "
" On our way. Riker out "
Two minutes later the three Star Fleet officers enter the room. All three are carrying a large holdall, obviously expecting to be leaving with the Andromeda crew.
The three are introduced to the Andromeda crewmen, and after wishing the Admiral good luck head towards the drop ship that had brought them to DS9.
" We have shifted orbit away from the station too make room for the assembling fleet " Rommie explains, as Tyr piloted the craft. " Our ETA is 35 minutes "
Riker and Hunt are talking at the back of the drop ship, while La Forge bombards Rommie with questions. Data attempts to converse with Tyr, but the only response from Tyr was
" Another machine "
**************************************************************************** *************
The Drop ship manoeuvres around a Klingon heavy cruiser, and the three Star Fleet officers lay eyes on the Andromeda Ascendant for the first time.
" Whoa " La Forge says, more to himself
" Impressive " Riker blurts, while Data just stares.
" Thank you " Rommie says " I am, aren't I ? "
The Enterprise crewmen look at Rommie, confused.
" We have been given background information about the fall of your commonwealth, and a brief outline of how you came to be here, as well as your known offensive capabilities but that was all " Data quickly explains.
Tyr just laughs at the lack of information that these three where given, and then explains
" This, as you have heard is the Andromeda Ascendant. It is a Glorious Heritage Class Heavy Cruiser. Its true designation is in fact Shining Path to Truth and Knowledge. There have only been 12 such ships built. Andromeda is the 12th and final vessel. She was designed to carry a crew of over 4000 as well as a regiment of lancers. "
La Forge just continues to stare at the ship, and Rommie continues what Tyr had begun, giving their guests a quick history of the Glorious Heritage ships and their role in the fall, as well as explaining about the controlling AI's of the ships.
Dylan then interrupts.
" When we were rescued from the black hole I researched as much as I could about the battles during the fall. I wanted to know how the High Guard lost. The Nitchean's often backed the fleet into a corner, using ambush tactics and the like, or making the ships stay and fight in order to prevent orbital bombardments of civilian populations "
" The most famous last stand I could find was the Scales of Justice. The Scales of Justice was hurrying to answer a colony distress call with an escort of 5 high endurance frigates when they were ambushed by a force three times their size. The opening salvo destroyed the slip drive, so the Scales covered its escort while they escaped before fighting to the death. " Dylan pauses.
" He prolonged the engagement as much as possible to give the other five a chance to get clear before the Nitcheans could pursue. He was finally cornered with his back to the systems star so start and turned to make his last stand. Most of his crew were dead, dying or injured, and he was still heavily outnumbered. "
" The Nitcheanan's closed for the kill when suddenly the escort re-appeared from slip stream behind the Nitche fleet. It caught them in a perfect cross fire. "
" What happened ? " Data asked, curious.
The time Tyr answers
" The remaining Nitchean fleet broke into two sections. The smaller half engaged the escorts, forcing them to turn away from the position's breaking the crossfire, but in doing so got themselves destroyed of severely damaged, the remaining half of the ambushing fleet, the more powerful half, closed to point bank range of the Scales to drive him into the sun. It was a good tactic."
Rommie then takes over the narrative
" Realising that he couldn't endure such a punishment for long, he deployed his towing cables, and pulled his attackers into the sun with him"
" He was like an older brother to all the Glorious Heritages. Always the first to volunteer for the dangerous assignments, so nobody else could, keeping us safe in his own way. He had the most cautious Captain of the High guard, they made a good combination.
" His last act, just before the heat from the Star destroyed them, was to send a message" It simply said ' Long Live the High Guard '
A silence fell in the shuttle for a few moments, which was broken by Tyr.
" During the war, whenever ships that had been engaged in battle never reappeared they were presumed destroyed. Although since then we have found another Glorious Heritage class cruiser The Pax Megelantic "
Riker could tell that something bad had happened by the way Rommie reacted to the public revelation
Rommie speaks again
" The Pax's Avatar was referred to as Maggie. She was the first of the Glorious Heritage Cruisers, the prototype. With the most impressive battle record of all of us. "
Rommie smiles to herself before continuing
" Three times she saved the Scales from a spot of bother. I spent my first month with her as my escort. The Avatars of the Glorious Heritage's regarded each other as brothers and sisters. Avatars and AI's from other ship classes were more like cousins. Older ships, parents "
Tyr interupts
" The Pax was the first one that was targeted at the outbreak. It was felt that the destruction of the Pax would break the morale of the High Guard, if their best and most advanced warship was destroyed. A task force was dispatched to achieve this goal, they caught her alone and unawares, but she outfought the ambush, destroyed three of the five heavy cruiser and all escorts. It sent a message to the High Guard, just not one that the Nitchezans planned!
" The ships controlling AI had gone insane when we found her . " Dylan pauses " In the Commonwealth, AI's were considered equal, but one had never been alone for 300 years after being unable to stop the fall of the Civilisation. The High Guard AI's were very loyal to the Commonwealth and their crews. It turns out that they cannot remain sane for very long without a crew to serve "
" Could you explain about Avatar's again. You mention them a lot? " Riker asks
" The ship's controlling entity is an AI. She can manifest in several form, on the screen, holographically, or in the Form of the Avatar. " Tyr says
" I am capable of being separated from the ship for long periods of time. But think of me as the ship " Rommie states " Prepare for landing.
As they emerge from the drop ship in the hanger bay, Beka and Trance are waiting for them.
" We are ready to go " Beka informs Dylan but stops when the 3 Starfleeters emerge as well.
Rommie does the introductions quickly
Trance offers to take them on a tour of the ship, which after the war stories on the way out to the Andromeda they were more then eager to see, and they depart leaving only Dylan, Tyr and Beka in the bay.
"I have Harper going over everything with a fine tooth comb. If we are going into a battle of this size, then I don't want anything going wrong "
**************************************************************************** *************
The crew and guests were all eating in the mess hall when Andromeda appears next to Riker, in holographic form.
" Captain "
Riker starts at the sudden presence
" The fleet have just left the system, in order for us to be in position we will need to be underway in 8 hours "
" Understood " Dylan says as he finishes his meal." What's the travel time to our holding point ?"
" About 4 hours " Beka says, "and then we hold for the go signal from the Defiant "
" Very well " Rommie, if you will show our guests to their quarters, I want everyone on the command deck in 3½ hours. "
