Paint and Powder
A Star Trek anthology by Andrew Joshua Talon
DISCLAIMER: This is a non-profit fan based work of prose. Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager et al are the property of CBS Television, and creation of Gene Roddenberry. Please support the official release.
The Wounded
The USS Phoenix was a decorated veteran AI of several starships. It was rather ironic that despite her original namesake being a weapon of war converted for peaceful purposes, the Phoenix herself had fought in many conflicts. Even with her warrior nature though, she was an able and sensible AI. She had managed many peace talks and scientific expeditions, and despite her fiery red hair and exuberant personality, she was a professional.
This is why her captain, Benjamin Maxwell, trusted her completely. Especially in sensitive matters. Sensitive matters they were discussing in his ready room, as she patrolled the border with the Cardassians.
Her captain leaned back in his chair in his ready room, looking expectant.
"All right Phoenix. Have you completed your analysis on those intelligence reports and sources?"
Phoenix nodded, standing at attention in front of him.
"Yes captain."
The silver haired human leaned forward slightly.
"And your conclusion?"
Phoenix hesitated a bit, but carried on.
"... I must agree with your assessment, sir. The Cardassians are rearming in violation of the treaty," she said. "There are simply too many coincidences for it to be otherwise."
Maxwell smiled in triumph, squeezing one hand into a fist.
"We've got proof..."
"In this case sir," Phoenix concluded, "we should submit our findings to Starfleet Command immediately."
Maxwell snorted and rose from his chair. He went to the window and glared out at the stars before he answered.
"Like the last five times?"
"They can't ignore this evidence, Captain!" Phoenix replied earnestly, "not like the last few times-!"
"They want to ignore the problem, Phoenix. We both know this," Maxwell stated, his anger low but hard. Phoenix looked aside, and then back to her captain.
"... I don't like it anymore than you do, but Wolf 359 is a compelling argument to end the conflict with the Cardassians, sir."
Maxwell huffed.
"The Borg are the greater threat, yeah... But you can't claim the moral high ground if you don't enforce the smaller morals too, Phoenix. It's like a house without a foundation-It won't stand. They're rearming and preparing to strike again. And we're vulnerable."
He turned to his ship avatar, eyes intense.
"We can't just let them peck at us. We know how brutal they are. How merciless."
"I know captain," Phoenix admitted wearily, "but we cannot act on our own."
Maxwell hummed thoughtfully.
"Can't we?"
Phoenix blinked, tilting her head.
"Sir?"
"Phoenix, what is your primary objective? What is the core of your program?"
Phoenix stood at attention, a habit she had developed over time.
"To defend my crew and the Federation," she answered. Maxwell nodded.
"We have an obvious threat to the Federation. We can't ignore it. If the higher ups won't do something about it, it's up to us!"
Phoenix considered her argument carefully before she responded.
"Couldn't we gather more evidence first, sir? To make our case something no one can ignore? Before we take independent action?"
"What more do we need?" Maxwell growled.
"Physical evidence would be far more compelling than simple long term analysis, sir," Phoenix pointed out. Maxwell paused, considered... Then nodded.
"All right... We'll gather more evidence."
"Good! I can do that, sir."
Two hours later, the USS Phoenix entered the Cuellar system. Officially, it was supposed to be in Cardassian hands, territory turned over as a peace overture. Unofficially, the Cardassian enforcement of the borders was still all over the place and thus enforcing these imaginary lines on the map was much harder than it seemed. Even with a vessel as powerful as a Nebula-class starship crossing the border.
"Sir, we are entering the Cuellar system," Phoenix reported on the bridge, standing at her customary place next to the captain's chair. Maxwell sat in the center, his posture alert but relaxed. His first officer, Commander Fei Fei Sun, stood at another console nearby. The communications officer Kariss Mrekr, a Caitian, looked up from her controls.
"The Cardassian station is hailing us, sir," she said. Maxwell nodded.
"Put 'em on hold, Kariss," he ordered.
"Yes sir."
"Quord, give me a full scan of the station," Maxwell ordered his operations officer ahead. The Rigellian ensign, only a few weeks out of Starfleet academy, hummed softly as he looked over his readings.
"... They've got high powered subspace fields in place, sir. As well as high density duranium shielding. If they've got weapons, they're hiding them well."
"Sir," Sun said quietly, "I again urge you to reconsider."
"Noted, Fei," Maxwell replied, just as quietly, "Kariss? Put them onscreen."
"Aye sir!"
A Cardassian officer appeared on the viewscreen, glaring imperiously across the distance between them.
"Federation vessel, this is the Cardassian Research Station CU1009. State your intentions."
"This is Captain Benjamin Maxwell of the Federation Starship Phoenix. We are making a routine check on your operations in this system, as stipulated in the recent treaty. Lower your subspace fields and allow us to inspect your station," Maxwell ordered.
The Cardassian sneered arrogantly.
"There is no such provision in the treaty! You are in our space! Surrender and prepare to be boarded!"
Maxwell, Sun, and Phoenix exchanged looks. Sun turned to the viewscreen, and cleared her throat.
"The treaty allows for inspection of vessels and installations on the border for suspicious activity," Sun stated calmly, "you are operating your installation under suspiciously high powered subspace fields and duranium shielding. This could be used to conceal weapons, and so-"
"You are lying!" The Cardassian commander shouted, "we are an unarmed science station! You are in violation of our territory-!"
"Fei," Maxwell called on his first officer, "Give me a firing solution on their power distribution system. Fire to disable."
"What?!" The Cardassian demanded. Maxwell held his gaze, his expression stony. Fei hesitated only a moment, before nodding.
"Aye sir. Mister Gortin, do you have a firing solution?"
"Yes ma'am," the Tellarite at tactical reported, "phasers locked."
"Phasers locked on target, sir," Sun reported.
"You-You would not fire on us! We have a treaty!" The Cardassian blustered. "This is a human bluff!"
"Fire," Maxwell ordered. Phoenix knew better than to look askance at her captain, but even so.
Sun, on the other hand, didn't hesitate.
"Firing sir!" Sun reported.
The Phoenix fired her phasers, hitting the power distribution system center on the Cardassian station. Phoenix made sure to keep the blast intensity at just the right level-And was rewarded when the sensors showed no change in life form readings.
"Their power system has been disabled, sir," Quord reported, sounding relieved, "no casualties-Wait-"
Phoenix herself saw it first: Backup power systems activating what could only be-Launchers!
"They're powering up additional weapons!" Quord shouted, "They're locking on!"
Maxwell stood up straight.
"Red alert! Shields up! Take evasive action!" He barked.
A volley of photon torpedoes slammed into the Phoenix's shields, and the Nebula-class starship accelerated and dove to avoid the next volley. The deck shook and the red alert klaxons screamed as Maxwell stood up, holding onto his chair to stay even.
"Lock all weapons! FIRE!" Maxwell bellowed.
"FIRING! Hang on!" Gortin shouted back.
Phoenix unleashed a furious barrage of all her forward weapons-Full phasers and a full spread of photon torpedoes. This much firepower from a Galaxy-class starship was enough to give a Borg cube pause in their first encounter with the Federation. While the Nebula was a little sister to the Galaxy-class, this was only a matter of degree. As a result, the science station was annihilated by the salvos, only having enough time to send a distress call out before it exploded into a gigantic fireball.
No one spoke on her bridge for a few moments, the red alert klaxon still blaring as the red lights flashed. Maxwell looked around.
"Damnit... Damage report!"
"Two shield generators are overloaded, repair teams are on their way," Sun reported.
"Moderate damage to our forward shields sir," Quord added, "uh, five sensor arrays on the forward saucer were overloaded. No hull damage, no casualties."
"All weapons are fully functional, sir!" Gortin barked. Maxwell nodded, a triumphant smirk on his face as he glared at the debris field.
"So... An unarmed science station, huh? Phoenix! Scan the debris!"
Phoenix analyzed the wreckage. It painted a grim picture.
"In addition to multiple photon torpedoes, they were carrying shield generators and spiral wave disruptor components for Galor-class starships. As well as what appear to be mass accelerators and mine launchers," Phoenix reported.
"I take it all of that is illegal under the treaty?" Maxwell asked Sun. His first officer, pale but unshaken, nodded.
"You were right, Captain... They are rearming," she replied. She shook her head and blew some loose hair out of her face. "So brazenly though!"
"That just shows how little they respect us," Gortin contributed with a snort.
"Did they get their distress signal out?" Maxwell asked Kariss. The Caitian frowned, and nodded.
"Looks like, sir," she said.
"They'll know about this in a matter of hours, sir," Sun pointed out.
"Which means they'll be moving fast," Maxwell replied, "so we need to move faster. We need to find more logistics assets, and take them out too!"
"Sir," Phoenix asked, "Isn't this sufficient evidence for a treaty violation though, sir?"
Maxwell shook his head.
"Evidence? Yeah, but we've got bigger problems. If they've gotten this far, we need to hit the Cardassians hard, and fast. Cripple their ability to make war by making it clear we won't tolerate this. No more strongly worded letters or red lines they let the Cardassians cross! This time? We make it clear there are consequences for violating treaties!"
"But sir, begging your pardon," Sun said quietly but firmly, "we're already past our orders-"
"Our standing orders are to defend the Federation from enemies, foreign and domestic," Maxwell stated, loud and clear, "we have a clear and present danger here, right now. We need to make sure the Cardassians regret this. So... Let's cripple their supply chain."
"Sir, that could potentially restart the war," Gortin pointed out.
"They never stopped the war, Lieutenant!" Maxwell retorted. "And if they think they've been caught, they may panic and strike now, to try and get what they can before we can get organized! Only by taking out their means of fighting can we head off an offensive!"
It was a tense silence that followed. Every officer was considering their options, how to respond. Finally though, Phoenix spoke up.
"... I agree with the Captain."
Sun looked at their AI in surprise.
"Phoenix?"
"The Cardassians have clearly used this treaty as a deception to rearm," Phoenix stated calmly, ensuring all eyes were on her, "they will take advantage of our focus being on the Borg and strive to take what they can get. Making it clear that such actions will not be tolerated is the only logical way to make them stop. A peace treaty is based on truth and good faith. They have violated it, therefore, a state of war now exists between us. Whether the politicians agree or not, they are not out here. We are. And we cannot allow the Cardassians time to retaliate."
Sun sucked in a deep breath, and let it out through her nostrils. She looked to Maxwell, and nodded slowly.
"All right sir. I agree," she said.
Maxwell nodded back, a grim smile now on his face. He looked around at his crew.
"We didn't want this war. We didn't start it. But if the Cardassians are going to keep it going? Try to take advantage of us in our weakness? We aren't going to stand down. We're in murky waters here, people. I don't disagree. But you are the finest crew I have ever worked with. It is my responsibility to chart our course, and to carry out our mission successfully. I take full responsibility for what has happened, and what we are about to do. If anyone has an objection, you may make it. I won't blame you. But you all saw what I did. We can't let the Cardassians get away with this... Because I've seen what they do to the defenseless."
His eyes narrowed and darkened. Phoenix looked around. The crew... Stood fast, and ready.
She herself stood tall.
"Thank you," Maxwell said with a grateful smile. He turned to Phoenix. "Let's find their key logistics hub in this sector. Start working up a plan to take it down. Our priority is to cripple their ability to make war. Let's do it, now."
"Aye sir!"
Revised and improved.
Basically, I figure that things probably started slow but quickly escalated. A Starfleet captain doesn't go from zero to One Man War in an instant. His crew had to have been convinced first. As would Phoenix. And at the time? It would seem like a good idea to engage in retaliatory strikes...