"What can we help you with Sentinel Portland?"
"Why didn't you tell me I was a prisoner of terrorists for three months while at the Academy?"
"What exactly are you talking about?"
"Oh you know what I'm talking about, I'm talking about the missing three month period in my Academy records from when I was a third year cadet. You made me think I was in a coma for three months but that's a lie I was a prisoner and you never told me...what would you have done if I had a flashback during training or something else that seriously affected me?"
"We would have told you then. Portland you have to understand something, those three months were frantic for us because we had no way of contacting your people and we didn't know if we ever would. There's also the fact that we never found your captors despite all our searching. We found you quite by accident actually because while we were looking for you actively we weren't looking at the right places, the USS Saratoga was the ship that found you on Betazed, we had all the ships looking for you whenever possible once it was determined you were no longer on Earth but we didn't have a clue as to where you could be. You remained unconscious until the very day you arrived back at the Academy, and even then it took until that evening for you to wake up, and when you did it became clear pretty quickly that you didn't remember the past three months. When that was determined we decided to erase that period of time and make falsified records so that if you ever decided to question why you were missing three months of class work there would be an available explanation that you might not easily question because we didn't know how to explain a missing period of three months otherwise. If we were wrong to lie to you then we were wrong to lie to you but we did the best we could considering the circumstances of the period we were in in regards to Sentinel's"
(Sighs) "I know and understand that, unfortunately it's not a good thing I was missing three months of memory, especially now that I remember those three months. It turns out that the terrorists deliberately wiped my mind when they realized you guys were getting close, even for a routine mission such as the one I know the Saratoga had been on when they found me. They vowed they would return one day and that when they did I would remember them as a means to make me afraid of them due to the fact that they tortured me the entire time I was in their hands"
"What did they want?"
"Information on Starfleet, even though they knew I was a cadet they could tell I was different and as such wondered if I was privy to more security issues regarding Starfleet than most cadets would be. Unfortunately for them as a Jedi I can ignore pain at an incredible level especially if they give me a night's rest to recover. As such they don't make me too afraid of confronting them however I am worried that if they get someone and manage to break them they could bring Starfleet down with ease and I don't know how to stop them"
"We'll be ready, now then how would they try and break us?"
"Shut down our systems, give us false emergencies...I honestly don't know what they would do"
"Very well we'll basically prepare for anything, now then the New Hope should be there soon so be ready to report in at a moment's notice"
All of a sudden everyone heard a new voice, one that was not normally heard in a conversation between an Admiral and another officer mainly because of the nature of the comm system, but since this was on all channels it came through for everyone and for a reason too
"To all Starfleet Sentinel's this is Captain Hanson of the Braxton, we have a code Death Star, I repeat we have a code Death Star Entry Sentinel Sara Rylon told me to pass that one before her death"
"Captain Hanson this is First Junior Sentinel Ashland Portland, did you manage to record her entire message before her death?"
"How do I know this is Sentinel Portland and not an impostor?, after all Sentinel Portland died three years ago"
"Guess you haven't gotten the notice quite yet, it's been proven I'm alive I was only a prisoner for three years. Now then did you record her final message?"
"Yes, as soon as we heard her voice we started recording in case she died on planet and we were forced to leave her there"
"Why did you leave her there?"
"Teleportation impossible somehow"
"Fine, now then what's the entire message Sentinel Rylon gave you?"
Message
"Captain, there's big trouble, a potentially newer, stronger enemy is amassing their forces and it looks like there could be cloning involved, either Kamino or Federation cloning I can't tell. Tell the Sentinel's that we have a code Death Star to deal with, they'll know what I mean and will translate it at the proper time. Tell the Jedi Council that they won't have to worry about my lightsaber because I made sure it was destroyed shortly after I was discovered seeing as how I saw the enemy put up a teleportation shield I know that you can't beam me back. It was an honor serving with you even for this short amount of time...well looks like you boys caught up to me that's fine, it's already too late anyways your plans have been discovered and revealed to the Federation. This is my final words as Entry Sentinel Sara Rylon...for the Federation!"
They hear the sound of blaster fire for a very brief moment before communications are cut and static is heard
End of message
"We cut communication and got out of there as fast as possible as soon as we realized we were losing our Sentinel we didn't...we didn't want to hear her death"
"That's understandable Captain" (sighs) "unfortunately we now have a very big problem on our hands. Code Death Star means that there's a big enemy base on the planet because when a code Death Star is mentioned it could involve a planet or space station, because either way it's a big enemy base"
"Why is it called code Death Star?"
"Have you read Republic history?"
"You mean the time of the Rebellion before the New Republic when it was known as the Empire?"
"Yep, rebel pilots managed to destroy both the first and second Death Star, the first was destroyed at the battle of Yavin while the second was destroyed at the battle of Endor. Both Death Stars would have been the size of a small moon had the second Death Star been completed like the first one was"
"Okay, that's trouble alright"
"Exactly...I do believe we should be on high alert until further notice Admirals"
"Agreed Sentinel Portland, agreed"
"One more thing, about Kamino clones, they can be killed as you know from the Clone Wars history but they are also bred to be soldiers if that's what's needed and they're slightly tougher but will age a lot sooner because of what's needed on the front lines so don't expect them to last longer than ten to fifteen years if even that long"
"Well for now we need to get in touch with the Republic because we might be sending refugees over once more sooner than expected. And Portland, the New Hope will be receiving new orders once you're on board"
"What will those orders be sir?"
"You will be home for at least two years depending on the enemy's movement longer if necessary"
"But sir..."
"Sorry Portland but I need you in the Republic"
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't return once I have my lightsabers"
"Because of what we plan to do should the enemy be stronger than we estimated. We're going to activate the plan we mentioned when and if you ever made contact with the Republic again and we had a formal treaty between us"
Ashland gasps at the realization and practically whispers the plan being mentioned
"The Burning Galaxy plan" (louder) "sir are you absolutely sure you want to be thinking about that plan?, because if you go through with it nothing that we currently are will survive and you know it"
"What other choice do we have?, at least with The Burning Galaxy plan there will be a chance of regaining a semblance of government even if it's only in the Republic at first"
"Excuse me Admiral but just what is this Burning Galaxy plan?"
Ashland was the one to speak up though because of the fact that it would affect her the most
"Captain Sisko, The Burning Galaxy plan is a plan made by the Admiralty in my final year of the Academy when it was mentioned that there was a possibility of me finding my way home by accident, if that should ever happen there would be a treaty allowing both sides to succor refugees and that treaty has worked really well so far. Part of the treaty is that either side helps the other regain their home as quickly as possible but The Burning Galaxy plan is different. If there is an enemy so powerful that even a Sentinel is afraid then as many refugees as possible are gathered and sent to the Republic and once there the Starfleet vessel that escorts them, or a vessel sent ahead alerts the Republic Senate of the fact that the Federation has fallen and we need a place to form a semblance of government that people had back home. While the refugees are setting up a form of government that people are familiar with in the Republic the Federation and more specifically Starfleet will do everything they can to slow the enemy down while files and records and anything that could damage the refugees is destroyed, and yes that would include the history of many planets if not for the fact that it's being preserved in Republic archives by their request. Normally once we receive word the Federation has fallen the Republic will send aid as quickly as possible but that's not how it will work this time, this time the Republic is to wait at least five years before attempting to defeat the enemy"
"Why wait? because by that time the enemy will have established a new government and will be heavily entrenched"
"Exactly Captain Sisko, they will be heavily entrenched and that will give us the advantage"
"What do you mean?"
"Five years gives the enemy a chance to set up their own government and entrench themselves but it also gives enough time for a Rebellion to have formed and they too will be heavily entrenched, granted they might be pretty small because they won't be able to form for at least a year maybe a little longer, maybe even unable to form until shortly before we can come back but people will have made note of every base, every government building, every weapons cache. Targets either they or we can destroy, and if we time this right the rightful government will simply step right back in no problems with transition"
"That's a crazy plan you know that right?"
"The Admiralty knows that quite well Captain, which is why I hope they don't do it but they might so best be prepared now. It's also the reason why it's known as a last ditch plan"
"Well either way, we need to wait for the New Hope so that you can start your new assignment"
"Of course Captain, hopefully it should be here within the next two days"
"Exactly"
That night Ashland meditated and she got an intense vision that she knew would happen no matter what and she also realized that meant that the crew of the New Hope would be thought dead for a long period of time, the only thing that might change depending on her actions was how soon that would be. As soon as she came out of the vision she made a log that was to be sent to the Jedi Council at a specific trigger, and Ashland knew what that trigger would be, she also made sure to write down what the vision was for both Starfleet and the Council so that they understood why she hadn't said anything before. After all of that she finally went to sleep knowing she had to be in shape to report to her new commanding officer soon, but she also knew that if she couldn't sleep she was to report to Dr. Bashir for sleep aid, per Starfleet regulations that she established back when she was still in the Academy, but first she had one more thing to do before she crashed
"Computer wake me up at 0700 if I am not up before then"
"Acknowledged"
She goes to sleep knowing she had an alarm clock mainly because of the fact that she knew she needed to get in early morning practice the next day to make sure her skills were on par, even if that meant using a hologram of her lightsaber it was still lightsaber training for the first time in a while. Unfortunately she continued to wake up in the middle of the night because while she was no longer getting Force visions she was remembering several things jumbled up between the Republic and Federation
(Sighs)"OK time for sickbay, computer cancel alarm clock, allow medical personnel access if sensed in front of door with me due to potentially being unconscious"
She leaves and heads to sickbay where she receives a surprise, because she saw a bacta tank which was mandatory but it didn't look like a normal bacta tank, the doctor on duty noticed she was there and asked what she needed
"Sentinel friendly sedatives, I can't sleep, so I need help. Doctor just what is it with that bacta tank?"
"Ah that's something new that has only been tested twice, it doesn't have an official designation because no one's sure what to name the thing but it's a bacta tank that can also do carbonite freezing, giving the person longer to live while allowing the bacta to heal the wounds"
"Have any Jedi or Sentinel's been subjected to it?"
"Fortunately no so we don't know if there are any side effects for Sentinel's but for a normal person there's currently none that we know of"
"Who were your two test subjects?"
"An Ensign and Lt. both with severe injuries that would have killed them had we not frozen them to give them enough time to make it to higher level care"
"Okay how long has this system been in place though?"
"Since after your supposed death three years ago, we knew that there was nothing we could do to bring you back but if we could save at least one life that otherwise would have been lost we would take the chance"
"You guys do realize just how dangerous what you did was"
"Yes we know, due to the fact that it was an untested procedure there were many risks involved but everyone did it knowing the risks and also knowing that there might be ways to improve and make it safer if need be"
"No carbonite freezing is actually pretty safe, though you have to be careful to un-thaw the person correctly or there could be problems that would kill someone but otherwise what you did was okay I guess, it's just that it's never been done before is all"
"Okay, now then why exactly do you need Sentinel friendly sedatives?"
"Can't sleep, memories are keeping me up especially because they're all jumbled together between the Republic and Federation"
"Okay I'll give you one of the stronger sedatives then, do you want to go back to your quarters or stay here where I can monitor you?"
"Quarters, if you want though you can do remote sensing so that if there's a problem you'll know in enough time to act"
"Works for me"
Ashland is quickly given a sedative and a nurse makes sure she gets back to her temporary quarters safely because Ashland gave into the sedative within moments. Fortunately no one gave the two strange looks because there were times someone needed help getting to their quarters after going to medical, all Odo did was check to see exactly why it was needed and let the medical crew go on with their business. When he saw the nurse help Sentinel Portland back to her quarters though he knew something was up and decided to give the nurse a hand just in case, because either Ashland had sensed trouble that didn't allow her to sleep or memories, but either way when it came to a Sentinel Odo had developed a policy to check if they were being helped out of medical
"So what happened?"
"Her memories decided to overwhelm her tonight"
"So no security issues I need to be made aware of?"
"None that I know of"
"Well I'll help you just in case you need help getting into her quarters"
But when they arrived the quarters opened up no problems which meant Ashland had already given the computer preprogrammed instructions
"Looks like you didn't need my help after all, let's get her to the bed"
Ashland would remain asleep until 1000 hours and she needed that sleep too. Once she woke up she went to Quarks so that she could get in the training she needed so desperately because of how long she had been prisoner
"Okay, computer Jedi training program Alpha 1, lightsaber needed"
The holodeck automatically locks down because of the fact that it was a Jedi only program that needed to be locked. Ashland would remain there for three hours mostly working on the basics to make sure she wasn't that rusty but also doing several scenarios that ended either peacefully or in action depending on several actions
"Well, now that training's over I basically have the rest of the day to relax, seeing as how my ship doesn't arrive until tomorrow as long as everything goes well"
What Ashland didn't know was that the New Hope had managed to get to DS9 a little faster than expected because of the fact that the planet was closer than they thought so they arrived a little after her daily training was done
"Captain Sisko to Sentinel Portland"
"This is Sentinel Portland go ahead"
"Your ship is here a little early, to the surprise of both groups"
"Okay I'll be right up"
She gets to Ops and is promptly teleported to the New Hope
"Permission to come aboard"
"Granted Sentinel Portland, my name is Captain Anderson and this is Commander Baron, the rest of the Command crew are currently busy but you will be meeting them..."
The Captain would never finish his speech because Ashland's eyes suddenly went very wide and she forced her way through the two of them and they followed because they realized that something big was going on for her to interrupt a greeting like that, but they missed the turbolift by just moments
"Engineering!"
Once Ashland was in Engineering she started pushing buttons and shoving people out of the way, she even brought down the newest containment barrier for the warp core that only went down the warp core and didn't block off an entire section of Engineering like the old designs did which meant a lot of more lives were saved if there was a problem with the warp core that a physical barrier was needed in order to save lives, now then it didn't mean lives weren't still lost in that section because there was a possibility of things going seriously wrong but it gave people a better chance then before. The ones closest to her whenever she was punching buttons could here hear muttering something but what they couldn't tell, all they knew was that it was best to leave her alone because of the star shaped pip on her collar which signified that she was a Sentinel and as such knew what she was doing
"Oh for...did they have to do that when they designed the new computer system?"
Finally though Ashland stopped moving about and punching buttons and simply sat there looking quite pleased with herself, though for what they weren't quite sure