Star Trek: Distant Horizons

[msisko]

-=CURRENTLY ACCEPTING (2) ACTIVE MEMBERS!!=-

Interest Check // OOC // In Character

Of all the dramatic events in galactic history, few are more dramatic, both for good and for ill, than war. War shows us the most brutal, horrifying side of humanoid existence, while simultaneously presenting some of the best opportunities of heroism, bravery, compassion, and sacrifice on behalf of a just cause. The Dominion War was no exception. The most significant even in the recent history of the Alpha Quadrant, it pitteda powerful, unmerciful foe bent on conquest against the might of the Federation, Klingons, and Romulans. (DWS).

2734: Operation Return: Captain Ben Sisko created a bold plan. To take elements of the Second, Fifth, and Ninth fleets, and use them to execute a four pronged attack on DS9 to retake the station and resecure the worm hole, and stop the Dominion from removing the mines that hold back Dominion reinforcements. His plan also relied heavily on Klingon support, but due to Chancellor Gowron's refusal to assist, and the Ninth fleet being out of place to execute the plan, Sisko chose to proceed without two critical pieces of the puzzle. In this version of the Trek universe, the Federation of Planets is a thing of recent history. In our universe, the Federation of Planets has fallen to the Dominion as a result of the Dominion War. With the mine field only 8 hours away from detonation, Sisko was running out of time. The Federation fleet engaged a joint Dominion/Cardassian fleet of 1254 ships lightyears away from the station in a battle to prevent the plan from succeeding before it even began. During the battle, the USS Defiant was the only ship to slip through the Cardassian lines, and alone, Sisko proceeded to DS-9. The divergence from cannon occurs during the Episode arch (Favor the Bold / Sacrifice of Angels), when the Prophets prevented a large Dominion fleet from exiting the alpha quadrant side of the wormhole. In our universe, this never occurred. The Dominion Fleet indeed did come through the worm hole, and the tide of war shifted in favor of the Dominion/Cardassian alliance. Deep Space Nine was destroyed, along with the Defiant in defense of Bajor.

Bajor was the first to fall. The Federation’s task force took heavy losses against the Cardassian/Dominion fleet, and the support to hold the station simply was not there. With a newly fortified hold on the wormhole, the Dominion’s war machine flexed its might, and within six months the Dominion made a run for Sol. For six months the Federation had been pummeled on all fronts, including major losses in the Bolian and Betazoid sectors, but any significant incursion into their space hadn’t been attempted. Losses continued to mount on the front lines, as the Federation tried time and again to re-take the Bajor Sector and the wormhole.

Then again, Wolf 359 stepped into the history books as the Federation Armada made its stand against the Dominion fleet bound for Sol. The odds were similar to those faced by the Sisko's taskforce, a 2 to 1 advantage enjoyed by the Dominion. The battle was costly, and as a result, crippled the Federation of Planets' ability to further engage the Dominion in any directly offensive way for the remainder of the war. With the Federation fleet destroyed, the Dominion successfully engaged the Sol defense fleet, and took Earth.

The fall of their capital left the Federation fleet disorganized, and the Dominion left them little time to regroup. Within a week, Andoria and Vulcan were both in Dominion hands, effectively collapsing the United Federation of Planets… In early 2735, Sol fell to the Dominion, and nearly a week later, it was reported that the Dominion had major footholds on both Vulcan and Andoria. By April 19th, 2735, Starfleet Admiral David Nash, onboard the Federation Flagship Sekigahara, issued the following statement across emergency channels:

"The situation is grave, and I am not optmistic of a successful venture at this point. It does my heart serious injury to have to be the one to give this order, but I fear that I may be the last of authority to do so, and I cannot in good conscience delay any longer. I, Admiral David Nash of Starfleet Command do hereby issue the following direct order: all aggressions are to be ceased, and all hostilities ended against the Dominion. This battle is lost, and our efforts only cause further death and destruction. I beseech you to lay down your arms, and go peacably into this new frontier. We have lost the battle, and for our own survival, must postpone the war. Accept that what is to come, but only on the surface. Be ever vigilant, because even though our mighty Federation of Planets may disappear, it cannot be totally destoryed while you live. To each of you, I charge this last duty, as officers of Starfleet: to find an opportunity, that moment in time when the Dominion shows it weakness, and when that time comes, join together, and in the name of a fallen Federation, strike true at the very heart of the beast to declare freedom and sovereignty once again... and until that time comes, survive."

This was two years ago.

Today the former territories of the Federation are suppressed under Cardassian boot, under the umbrella of the Dominion. Most citizens are having to adjust to life under the Cardassian caste system, and though some manage to do so quite peacefully, the streets of the major cities have become places of public execution, corporal punishment, poverity. The once golden civilization of the United Federation of Planets, where equality and peace reigned, is replaced by a world in which the shadows belong to the Obsidian Order. Nightmare has become reality, as utopia bends to dystopia.

But still some fight!

Pockets of freedom fighters continue to press on against the Dominion hand that holds them. Much like the Bajorians in their bid for independence against the Cardassian Union, these freedom fighters are isolated groups of refugees: disenfranchised, separated, and often ignorant of each other. They fight, knowing the odds. They fight to bring freedom for their families and friends. They fight to liberate their homeland, in remembrance of a once glorious and powerful Federation… Because they will not be subjugated. Because they have not given up hope.

This roleplay will focus on the resistance based around the Paulson Nebula, near the Klingon and Romulan borders. Depending on interest, the storyline may develop around several different groups.


I want to start off by telling you all that this roleplay will be focusing on character interaction and story development. Submission of a CS to this roleplay is taken to signify that you have read and understood the following conditions:

1.) You will follow and abide by all Roleplayer Guild rules / regulations.
2.) You will conduct yourself as an adult. This means that in the event of a conflict, you will abide by the decision of the conflict moderator be it myself, or a member of the management team.

Name:
Race:
Age:
Appearance: (A picture is fine, but please also provide a descriptive paragraph)
Biography: (any prior Fleet experience? Rank?? Their reason for fighting??? Any personal fallout from the Fall of the Federation? (Did someone die? Did they lose a business?? Something else of value. Why are they fighting??) Life prior to the fall? Life afterwards?) **these are ideas, just flesh the character out.

Skills/Training: (If a fleeter, what branch/department where they? How long?)


Personality: (Please keep in mind that this roleplay is set in a very dark time for the Federation. )

[Ruby]

Love Star Trek. Been waiting for a good Trek game for years.

But I've got some points that leave me curious: You don't mention the disease given to the Founders by Section 31. Even if the Prophets let the Fleet through, the Dominion is still built to run top-down: without their Founders the Vorta and Jem'Hadar fall into chaos. The whole House of Cards falls...hence S31's plan. Nor do you mention the heavy conflict within the Cardassian Union itself: they were far from unified near the end of the war. To say nothing of the Federation wasn't alone at this point: they had the Rihannsu and Turtleheads in a full alliance. Curious as to how the above factors in, if any of it does at all.

Thanks. ^_^

[msisko]

Thank you for the questions! Laying out a proper TREK outline is so daunting in its complexity, so I'm grateful for some reminders of what I didn't think of when writing it up. These are my thoughts on your topics of concern, but they are hardly set in stone. I'd apperciate any opinions / suggestions you may have.

Virus: I was figuring the Dominion bargined the virus antidote for the survival of earth itself. If I'm not mistaken, the Vorta Weyoun had noted that the best thing to do with Sol was to utterly destory its population, feeling that any source of rebellion would start there. Now Dukat voiced objection at this point, but I don't really see that carrying much weight beyond that conversation. What I was figuring with the virus is that the cure was traded in exchange for the survival of the Terran population. I had actually planned on this being not so much a governmental decision, but one of a section 31 operative, who lost the ability to stay objective when looking at the utter destruction of Earth's population.

Romulan / Klingons:
I am still in the process of figuring them out, and was thinking they're alliance with the Federation would have terminated with its fall. I -don't- see a Romulan/Klingon alliance lasting if it even ever got off the ground without the stabilization of the Federation...so. What I was thinking was that, in Typical Klingon fashion, the war continues along the Klingon border, but the Dominion isn't so focused on advancement right now as it is simply upholding its borders so it can solidify its presence in the Alpha Quadrant..

The Romulans are a different story. I was actually planning to use them as a backbone for the resistance groups. Officially, they've receeded into their own sectors again, hiding behind their cloaks as it were... Officially. Unofficially, I can see cloaked warbirds transporting supplies to the resistance cells in the SOL sector, supplying them. NOT because they actually give a crap about the Federation and its fate, but because they know that once the Dominion can stabilize itself, they are VERY high up on the to-do list. The Romulan goal is simply to forestall Dominion stabilization.

[Laurenced]

Interest Check...
Interest? Check.

Now, I'm not heavily versed in the Star Trek universe however i do have a working knowledge of it.
Now.... I do wish i could be a klingon in this, Batlith, warrior-culture and Feasting.....

[msisko]

Laurenced: They are a major race in the universe, so I have no problem with Klingon involvement in the roleplay. Shoot me a pm with your idea / cs.. I don't see why a Klingon warrior couldn't have joined up with the resistance.. especially if trapped this side of the border after they were secured..

[The Australian]

Totally interested.

I'll elaborate now;

My concerns are mostly from that you'll either OP the Dominion, and play them up to the unbeatable force, or OP the rebels to be having thousands of Defiants and Sovereigns at their disposal. Also, the Cardassians weren't exactly too happy with the Dominion, and I think their hope in them might wax and wane if they see that they couldn't put down the Federation.

Also, what happened to Voyager? I suppose they're still somewhere in the Beta Quadrant, since the future Janeway didn't go back and get them home later.

[msisko]

look forward to it.

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Totally interested.

I'll elaborate now;

My concerns are mostly from that you'll either OP the Dominion, and play them up to the unbeatable force, or OP the rebels to be having thousands of Defiants and Sovereigns at their disposal. Also, the Cardassians weren't exactly too happy with the Dominion, and I think their hope in them might wax and wane if they see that they couldn't put down the Federation.

Also, what happened to Voyager? I suppose they're still somewhere in the Beta Quadrant, since the future Janeway didn't go back and get them home later.

I don't see the Dominion as unbeatable, especially in the alpha quadrant in the inital write up.

As I'm seeing it, establishing control over an area of space as vast as the Federation will be problematic for them. Thus isn't not completed after 2 years. I -do- include the Cardassian sentiments towards the Dominion to be a part of the problem, along with freedom loving citizens who won't take to kindly to being told they're now under Dominion control... oh yeah, that's a major theme of the roleplay. As I see it, the Dominion is in a very vulnerable situation... so I don't see them being played as over powered.. though I am very open to criticism as we go along if you believe something I'm doing starts to bend them that way, please drop me a PM to let me know!

As far as the Rebels being over powered... my initial idea is that they might be a little under powered.. but I want them that way at first. Don't worry about a unlimited number of defiant or galaxy class starships... they're in occupied space, I don't see how they could hide a single one of them. Nono. afriad for the inital part of the roleplay I was thinking something smaller.. Maquis style raiders...

I actually want to make starship assimulation (pardon the borg term) as part of the roleplay...

Does that make any sense?

[Ruby]

Thank you for the questions! Laying out a proper TREK outline is so daunting in its complexity, so I'm grateful for some reminders of what I didn't think of when writing it up. These are my thoughts on your topics of concern, but they are hardly set in stone. I'd apperciate any opinions / suggestions you may have.

Virus: I was figuring the Dominion bargined the virus antidote for the survival of earth itself. If I'm not mistaken, the Vorta Weyoun had noted that the best thing to do with Sol was to utterly destory its population, feeling that any source of rebellion would start there. Now Dukat voiced objection at this point, but I don't really see that carrying much weight beyond that conversation. What I was figuring with the virus is that the cure was traded in exchange for the survival of the Terran population. I had actually planned on this being not so much a governmental decision, but one of a section 31 operative, who lost the ability to stay objective when looking at the utter destruction of Earth's population.

S31's pretty fanatical. If they could end the very group that destroys Earth? They would. Because it leaves the rest of the Federation. S31's to ensure the survival of the Federation. Earth does not necessarily equal the Federation, despite how many a Trekkie views it. lol I'm sure the Vulcans, Andorians, and Centaurians would disagree. Could one of them snap and ruin everything, giving the Dominion a cure? If it's the right one that snaps. So, yeah, would work for the game. This is all assuming there is a 'cure' created. Wouldn't it just be like S31 not to make a cure in this case? Heh.

Romulan / Klingons:
I am still in the process of figuring them out, and was thinking they're alliance with the Federation would have terminated with its fall. I -don't- see a Romulan/Klingon alliance lasting if it even ever got off the ground without the stabilization of the Federation...so. What I was thinking was that, in Typical Klingon fashion, the war continues along the Klingon border, but the Dominion isn't so focused on advancement right now as it is simply upholding its borders so it can solidify its presence in the Alpha Quadrant..

The Romulans are a different story. I was actually planning to use them as a backbone for the resistance groups. Officially, they've receeded into their own sectors again, hiding behind their cloaks as it were... Officially. Unofficially, I can see cloaked warbirds transporting supplies to the resistance cells in the SOL sector, supplying them. NOT because they actually give a crap about the Federation and its fate, but because they know that once the Dominion can stabilize itself, they are VERY high up on the to-do list. The Romulan goal is simply to forestall Dominion stabilization.

The Klingons were pretty devastated, even at the end of DS9. The Romulans were the best off, having come in so late. And if you gave them a Scimitar or two? Well, that might be OP. lol

The Dominion War Sourcebook, if you don't already know it, Google it and download it. I think Last Unicorn Gaming did that, and not FASA. I think. I collect RPG source books. (Should see my Ice and Fire collection. Heh.)

As for me...I don't know. I'm interested, and waiting for the OOC. Not quite committed. After being flooded with post-apoc type settings (which is what this feels like) that reduce the game to raw emotes and harsh survivals recently, probably due to the success of Zombie games, I just can't quite commit until I see more. But it's all well written, and you definitely know the setting up and down (I'm betting you've spent some time RPing Trek before), so I'm certainly interested. =)

Thanks!

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I actually want to make starship assimulation (pardon the borg term) as part of the roleplay...

Does that make any sense?

You might consider 'Worms'; essentially cylinder shaped stealth shuttles that has one end for onload, and the opposite end for 'drilling'/offloading. Using mining technologies and re-engineering them to create a lot of small shuttles designed to 'eat' through the exterior of a large capital ship, and board it. Cheap option. Defiants won't be available. Mining technology will likely be. Especially since it's often in out of the way places, as mining colonies usually are.

[Jeddaven]

Perhaps the Dominion is slowly falling apart due to the S31 virus, and that allows the rebellion some measure of success? Just a thought.

[msisko]

Let me throw up an OOC real fast.. (just so we can discuss things there, and not here in the Interest check).

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OOC Thread is HERE