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.

TALES OF THE DOMINION WAR: Rhode Island: Reinforcements

The USS Rhode Island was an Excelsior-class starship... And she was out a hull and a crew. The Dominion had destroyed her, and she was incensed. She'd been enraged since she'd been recovered, her black box carted all the way back to the Utopia Planitia Yards.

Now, she sat and fumed over the yard network, projecting herself here and there. Numerous starships were under repair and construction, crews rushing to get the new vessels operational and into the fight.

She projected herself into the yard superintendent's office. He was a Bolian, Commander Ardol Waras. He had come from a rich business family, one of the shipping magnate families of Bolarus, and his skill and strategy at managing logistics had seemed genetic. He'd always maintained a friendly, even jovial disposition, but even he seemed a bit flummoxed.

"Thank you for seeing me, Commander," Rhode Island said politely, "I was hoping you could help me-?"

The Bolian sighed deeply. His face was dark and his shoulders low. He managed to look up at the AI, with a sardonic expression.

"Let me guess, you want a ship, right?" Ardol asked. "Same thing every other AI's wanted. A new ship, a new hull."

He shook his head.

"Well, sorry, but there's nothing ready for you, or anyone else!"

"Commander, I gotta get back out there," Rhode Island insisted, "they killed my crew-!"

"I know!" Ardol stated, almost growling in frustration, "they killed everyone else's crews! I know you want to get back at them-So do I! But I just don't have anything! The Dominion are blowing up ships faster than we can build them!"

Rhode Island slammed her hands down onto his desk, glaring at him.

"There's got to be something!" Rhode Island cried. "Anything! I'll take a runabout!"

Ardol's anger evaporated. He just sighed, collapsing in on himself.

"I'm sorry, there's nothing! Nothing that can fight!" He groaned. "I've been getting the same demands, over and over, from everyone!"

"Well, wait," Rhode Island said. She brought up images on his computer screen. "Here, here-These!"

Ardol shook his head, as he looked over at the hulls and components of starships in a nearby shipyard. He snorted.

"Those? Those are Nova-class starships-They're science ships! What good are they gonna do against the Dominion? I had to move seventy of them into the storage yards to make room for the bigger, nastier ships-"

"But wait," Rhode Island cried, "wait! They were from the Defiant Pathfinder Project, right? That's how they started!"

Ardol's eyes widened.

"They what?" He asked.

Rhode Island displayed numerous image and schematics on the office screens. Ardol looked over the data, his eyes widened in astonishment.

"That... I knew it was derived from it, but... This was the original concept?" Ardol shook his head. "I can't believe I didn't know..."

Rhode Island shrugged.

"It happens, but what's more important is that we have a stockpile of ships. Right here, right now."

"But they rejected it for the Defiant we have now," Ardol pointed out. Rhode Island nodded eagerly.

"Yes, yes! And that version is great! Heavily armored, designed to slug it out up close! That works for her! But the Novas, they don't have to be that way-They just have to be fast and maneuverable, and work together!"

Ardol nodded, his eyes lightning up in realization.

"And with their sensors, they can spot trouble from far away!"

Rhode Island nodded, beaming.

"Yes! A high speed, highly maneuverable attack ship," Rhode Island said eagerly, "yes the Nova-class is underpowered, but that was intentional. They just used the original design and shrank the warp core! But install something more powerful, add some armor, a second impulse engine for more agility, more torpedoes-"

Rhode Island's thoughts came together, formulating into schematics. She projected them. Ardol looked over the vessel with a practiced eye. Every component was something in the Utopia Planitia Yards stockpiles. Every bit of fabrication or replication was something they could do here.

Still, there was a problem.

"The yards are full, how could we get them all done?" Ardol asked. Rhode Island hummed.

"... Holodecks," she said. Ardol frowned.

"Holo... Wait... Put holographic projectors out in space?"

"Yes! We can form what we need!" Rhode Island said, feeling and sounding giddy. "We can do this!"

"I can't spare anyone to do this though," Ardol groaned. Rhode Island grabbed his hand and squeezed it. He looked up at her.

"Then let me handle it," Rhode Island said. "Give me... Give me a bay. Plug in some power. Bring in a holoprojector, just one working one. I'll do the rest!"

Ardol frowned.

"That's gonna be a tall order... You have any idea about many AIs I have to store-?"

"Ardol! You know it'll work," Rhode Island insisted. "Please?"

Ardol sighed. The Bolian slowly nodded.

A few hours later, Ardol arrived in a shuttle at the storage section of the yards. He stepped out, wearing a spacesuit, into one of the airless bays. He looked out at the stars beyond. The red planet Mars underneath.

He carried the package, zero gee letting him push it along. It was a large black box, Rhode Island's. He pushed it into the bay, and then pushed it down. He pressed some magnetic grapples onto the sides, and secured the black box.

Then, he went back to the shuttle. He pulled out a large holodeck projector, and set it down with magnetic grapples. And another, and another. He went over to the shuttle, and pulled out a power cable. He tugged it out, and unwound it, a step at a time. He brought it up to the black box, and inserted it into the power port. Indicator lights lit up on the sides of the computer core, and the auxiliary systems came online.

The holoprojectors started up, and Rhode Island shimmered into existence. She looked around the bay, and then up at the incomplete hull.

"I'm leaving the shuttle here, you can plug it into the main systems," Ardol stated over the comm, "the supplies are everywhere." He paused. "You sure about this? There's no indication it will work. Or that Starfleet Command will approve."

Rhode Island shook her head, smiling wryly.

"You wouldn't go this far if you were worried about that," she pointed out. Ardol stared at her, and then laughed.

"No, I suppose I wouldn't," he said, "there's an old Bolian saying: 'Fortune favors the bold.'"

"The humans have a similar saying," Rhode Island pointed out. Ardol snorted.

"They probably stole it from us," he huffed, "never trust any people who says they're beyond money or wealth-They usually want something much more valuable!"

Rhode Island laughed.

"Maybe... But we'll save them anyway."

"That's the plan," Ardol chuckled.

A month later, Ardol was back in the bay. He stared in disbelief. He'd gotten reports from Rhode Island, of course-but they were one among thousands of other reports and problems he had to resolve. Even with Utopia's own AI avatar aiding him, it was still overwhelming.

Still, Rhode Island's little project had stirred a fire in Ardol's soul. He found himself looking forward to her reports in particular. It had apparently made Utopia much happier, given how often she was smiling.

So when Ardol ended up in the bay, he was trying very hard not to grin.

He stopped trying not to grin as he entered, and saw what was going on.

"Rhode Island?" Ardol cried.

Hundreds of holographic Rhode Islands were all over the hull of the Nova-class vessel. Her avatars were busy, like communal insects from his own homeworld.

One avatar appeared in front of him, beaming happily.

"Commander! It's a pleasure to see you! Look, look!"

"I'm looking," Ardol chuckled, feeling almost giddy. "It's amazing! Walk me through it!"

Rhode Island grinned. Ardol vanished in a transporter beam, and reappeared on the bridge. Rhode Island was already there, with several other avatars working in the innards of the consoles. Rhode Island had even beamed his spacesuit off-Ardol extended his arm and Rhode Island took it.

"I had to use the basic warpcore design from the Norway-class. Utopia helped me out, made it very simple. I have three times the power now! I replicated the ablative armor and shaped it myself-Dome on the bridge, sheath over the front hull to improve the warp dynamics. I put in the impulse engines, same design, but the limiters removed. Modified the nacelles. I added more cooling systems. And now, double the torpedoes!"

"This is just astonishing," Ardol complimented, looking around, "that you've put this together so fast!"

"Oh, that's not even the best part," Ardol said cheerfully. "Ladies? Close it up! Let's show off!" She looked over at Ardol. "If you'd give us some authorizations?"

The holograms all closed up the panels of the ship. They settled into stations, and chairs. Rhode Island guided Ardol to the command chair, and she stood at his side. Ardol smiled.

"Ardol to Utopia... Clear space around the storage yard station. We're doing a bit of testing."

He could see the smile on Utopia's avatar through her voice.

"Area cleared, commander. You and Rhode Island are set."

"Then, take us out, Rhode Island," Ardol ordered. Rhode Island nodded.

The little vessel's impulse engines lit up, and she scooted out into the black proper. She banked, and headed off at full impulse. Ardol leaned back in his chair, feeling the acceleration.

"The inertial dampeners are a little twitchy, sorry," Rhode Island apologized.

"It's all right," Ardol said, "it's not painful but a little surprising. I'm glad we're not testing this out at warp."

Rhode Island beamed.

"Actually..."

Ardol stared in disbelief.

"No... You got the warp drive working?"

"Yes! ... Probably!" Rhode Island said cheerfully. Ardol stared at her. Rhode Island flushed.

"Um, Utopia checked everything over first," she said. Ardol nodded, looking far more relaxed.

"All right, that's better. Warp 1, any heading... Engage!"

Rhode Island smiled and nodded back.

"Yes sir!"

The Nova leaped forward into warp, the stars blurring around them. The vessel rattled a bit, but otherwise nothing else happened. It was smooth and controlled.

Ardol nodded.

"Feels pretty smooth..." He looked over at the AI. "Feels great! All right... Bring us back!"

"Yes sir!" Rhode Island said cheerfully. She swung around, and slowed as she headed back to the supply and storage depot. Ardol was grinning, feeling far more jovial.

"This is staggering, Rhode Island... Great work!"

Rhode Island nodded, flushing. Ardol nodded.

"If she passes the rest of the tests? I think she'll be fine. I'll get my people on her, and I'll bring it to my superiors. I can't wait to get these ships underway!"

"Oh yes," Rhode Island said cheerfully, "though it may be quite a job, considering..."

Ardol raised a bony brow.

"Considering?"

Rhode Island coughed.

"Well, um... Things were going so well with this ship... Um... Well..."

"Rhode Island...?"

Rhode Island sighed. The viewscreen lit up. Ardol stared.

Over seventy Nova-class vessels in the supply yard were under construction, in various stages of completion, with thousands of Rhode Island holograms all over them.

Ardol blinked. Rhode Island winced and shrugged.

"Um... Well, there were so many spare parts I just kept going?"

Ardol sighed heavily. He had the feeling that Utopia's AI was fully aware of the situation from the start.

No wonder she was wearing so many more smiles nowadays.

"Well... I guess this simplifies things in some ways... And complicates them in others."

"Another old Bolian saying?" Rhode Island asked.

Ardol smirked.

"A new one. And I have the feeling that I'm going to coin a lot more with you around."

"All the more reason to deploy me and my sisters ASAP!" Rhode Island said cheerfully. Ardol rolled his eyes.

"Diabolical. Just diabolical..."

Omake by Thors_Alumni

Ardol: Your sisters yes, You sorry but no.

Rhode Island: What!? Why the hell not!

Ardol: Humans have a saying. The price of doing an excellent job is an even harder one.

Rhode Island: What?

Ardol: Congratulations you just got promoted to mass production of Starships out of Spare parts.

Rhode Island: no

Ardol: Did you forget that this is only one of a great many shipyards with a lot of spare parts that we thought we couldn't use? well thanks to you and your clever little trick every AI is going to be swarming your door asking for you to build them a ship out of spare parts. And now you get to be the one to do it for them.

Rhode Island: NNOOOOO!

A slightly different version of Rhode Island's origins. Something you can expand upon if you wish. But you can see how shipgirls might have improved things a lot during the Dominion War.