A/N: Sorry it took so long, but here's part two of Damnation Protocol! Left it here because it made the most sense, and then the story can start making some progress in chapter three! Hope you enjoy, and as always huge thanks to my friends Kretolus and DrZevil for all their help and support!
Kassai Lydana, the devious former slave turned freedom-fighter turned aspiring dictator, stood in the Malinche's largest conference room, leaning against the wall as she took in the officers around her.
Achebe was droning on about...something, some plan or other, but whatever it was she had called in captains from across the quadrants for it. Klingons sat beside Cardassians, Romulans sat beside humans, Remans sat with Ferasans...she was certain someone from the Federation would get all poetic about the situation, but she personally didn't care. As long as there were enough bodies to keep her alive while she accomplished her own tasks, that was fine.
Whatever her tasks were.
She was beginning to imagine what an Andorian's insides would look like and how much pain their people could handle, when Achebe mentioned something that suddenly caught the Mirror Bajoran's attention.
"...as we prepare for an assault on Terok Nor."
Lydana blinked in surprise, wondering if she had heard correctly - until the other captains erupting into protest confirmed it.
"This is madness!"
"Such an attack is suicide!"
"There is no glory to be had in a fool's mission!"
It wasn't as if Lydana could blame them. Terok Nor was the mirror of Deep Space Nine, however unlike the now Federation-owned station Terok Nor was fully armed and heavily defended. It served as the Terran Empire's main base of operations in the Bajor sector, so it made a key target. Breaching such a target was certainly a bold plan...albeit one that would get every assembled captain and their crews annihilated in short order.
"Enough!"
Achebe's shout stilled everyone once more, and when she began talking again even Lydana began listening. Now her interest was piqued.
"I did not come up with this plan without carefully examining every asset we would need. Which is why Terok Nor is our final target. The first...is this."
She entered a command on a desk panel, and the image of a starship was displayed on the briefing room's wall screen.
Lydana recognised it instantly, or at least the type. It was a Terran Dreadnought, itself a powerful and dangerous target, and she found herself respecting Achebe's ambition.
Closely resembling the Galaxy-class ships that served as the basis for it, the Terran Dreadnoughts were massive and packed an incredible amount of firepower. The main differences between it and the 'Prime Universe' Galaxy-class were the third warp nacelle in the centre of the hull, and the giant spinal lance weapon mounted under the saucer. That weapon alone could split a Romulan D'deridex-class battlecruiser in half - the incredible amount of phaser arrays it mounted would make light work of anything smaller. Add to that multiple supplementary systems, both offensive and defensive, a small craft hanger and a cloaking device, and it was clear this would be a threat that would require co-operation on a scale almost unheard of.
No wonder Achebe wanted Klingons on the task force.
"This is the I.S.S. Steadfast," Achebe continued. "Our plan will be to infiltrate and commandeer her, then, using her as the linchpin of our force, drive an attack through to Terok Nor and destroy it, effectively ending Terran operations in this sector for the foreseeable future."
"And who would command such a vessel?" one of Klingons asked, with their usual force and bluster, no doubt expecting themselves to be given the honour.
"As she is seconded to us without her usual ship, and given her wealth of experience…" Achebe paused and looked at Lydana, forcing the distaste from her expression. "We felt that Admiral Kassai would be an excellent candidate."
That oddly quelled much of the grumbling, and Lydana found herself surprised once again. She had no idea the amount of respect her counterpart had garnered from all corners of the galaxy, and she began to re-evaluate the threat 'Prime Lydana' posed to her own continued existence.
"I know it's somewhat larger than you're used to, Admiral, but I trust it won't be problem?" Achebe added, raising an eyebrow in question, and Lydana shrugged.
"Not at all," Lydana answered, keeping her answer short so as not to say anything that might have given away the fact she wasn't their Admiral Kassai.
She had considered making a joke about 'liking it big' or something equally crass, but then she remembered that her counterpart limited herself to only women, and that too would be a warning sign to those who knew the woman even by reputation.
"Glad to hear it. So, if I may continue, here's what we intend to do…"
Eventually the meeting drew to a close, and Achebe herself walked Lydana back to her quarters - an armed guard following at a discreet distance, of course.
"Do not get any ideas," Achebe told her when they were finally alone. "I may be putting you in command of the vessel once we take it, but everyone else in it will be loyal to me. You will not be able to do with it as you see fit, you will do with it what we say, understand me?"
"Oh, perfectly Captain," Lydana answered with saccharine sweetness. "You have made me feel so welcome here, how could I possibly mistake your intent?"
Lydana delighted in Achebe's angered scowl, and waved as the captain stormed off down the corridor, leaving Lydana in her 'guest' accommodation.
The door hissed closed, locking itself as it always did when no-one had need of her - she had limited access to the replicator, a shower, and a bed, so technically she had everything she actually needed, but it felt so...Sterile.
Before she could continue with that line of thought, a piercing pain tore through her brain, driving her to her knees as she clutched at her head. Her vision blurred, her eyes burned, and she screwed her eyes shut against the pain even as she wished to claw open her own skull to alleviate the pain there. Through the waves of pain that pushed her to the edge of unconsciousness, images started flashing through her mind...along with the briefing she had been waiting for from her counterpart.
It lasted only moments, but to Lydana it felt like it lasted an eternity, and when it passed she vomited onto the floor, gasping with relief as the pain subsided.
When she was able to think again without it hurting her brain, Lydana mentally reviewed the briefing she'd been given, certain that there was a mistake.
But there wasn't. Everything she had 'seen' was accurate, and the Mirror Bajoran shook her head slowly.
"She's insane," she said to herself, struggling to stay conscious.. "She must be...absolutely...insane," she gasped, leaning on the bed as she scrubbed her eyes, ignoring the sweat dripping down her forehead. She took a few minutes to compose herself, making sure that it wasn't going to hurt when she moved, then started thinking. She was going to need to some plans of her own if she was going to pull off her counterpart's campaign