Authors Note: This takes place in the early days of the Guardian Force stories, a few months after Captain Kaziarl and the USS Chimera were assigned to Miranda Outpost. This is an early draft. I'm going to try to work on it more before the deadline, but real life has me running around like a chicken with my head cut off at the moment. Kellin went to the market, like he did every day after milking the Rentara’s. He overheard many things on his way; stories of other worlds, the progress of the Dominion on the other side of the Gateway, their subsequent fall against those on the other side. He let most of what he heard drift through his mind, since it had little to do with him. The day proceeded as usual as he made his way from one merchant to the next, exchanging the milk for delleks, till he arrived at his last stop. This shop was owned by an old family friend, so he would take some extra time to sit and visit with him. “Did you hear about the people from the other side of the gateway?” he friend asked him. “No,” Kellin replied as he counted the delleks. “Who are they?” “They call themselves the Federation.” “Federation?” he scoffed. “They are probably no better then the Dominion; just coming to claim the territory.” “That’s not what I’ve heard.” “Oh yeah, Rokan?” Kellin asked skeptically. “And what have your ‘informed’ sources told you?” “That they are explorers,” Rokan answered. “They’ve set up a colony on Trya 7, renamed it to Miranda.” “Trya 7! Isn’t that…” “Yeah, if the myths are true,” he replied. “No one alive today would remember though; I doubt even the Dominion remembers any of the old tales.” Kellin placed the delleks in his pouch and tied it back to his belt. He stood there for a moment; thinking about what his friend had told him. “All this is interesting, but I still say they are no better then the Dominion. They come through the gateway, and take the mantle of one of our greatest myths. Before long, they will be sending their ‘diplomatic envoys,’ just like the Dominion sent the Vorta. After that, it’s only a matter of time before they take over.” “Well my friend,” Rokan replied. “I hope you’re wrong.” So do I, Kellin thought to himself. It would be a nice change.
The Federation really needs a better PR department. You can't swing a dead tribble without coming across a people who suffer from a complete misconception of the UFP. Great start, love to read more.
Definitely need more of this; perhaps my own ignorance of the Guardian Force stories make this difficult to follow - the Trya 7 reference, for example - but it feels like a prelude to something on a larger canvas. Will you be giving us more of the story?
A good introduction to day to day life under the Dominion, these people would be right not to trust any new arrivals offering "diplomacy". I hope you get the chance to write some more.
thanks, and if all goes well this will indeed be part of my next guardian force story. And I gotta say, I love your sig. Probably my favorite line from the movie next to "I can fix that."
Interesting. I liked the POV and the characterization, which I found completely believable. Throughout history, one regime has looked pretty much like another, to the peasants who've provided the taxes and the conscripts. There's no reason why these people would expect anything more from the Federation.