#i think if i create a bridge for the power supply with a female barrel power to male barrel power

[turtlecat1440]

It's nice to get carried away with hobbies. I've been too busy and uninspired to play my guitar in the past few weeks, but I've been feeling *the urge*. The NEED to create music and sound on my string-ed instrument. Made some fun sounds while sitting in bed, and to my surprise, instead of taking five minutes, I found that I'd been at it for over 30 minutes.

I know this is the meaning of time flies, but sometimes it feels really good to get carried away.

I think I might actually start recording my guitar playing so that the bits and pieces of a song I've been writing doesn't fall out of my ears like moldy soup in a few days. Problem is my distortion pedal sounds like dog shit. I know how to fix it, but it'll require some electronics I won't be able to get til after Christmas.

[friendlyunclej]

Proving My Worth

Prologue

     My brothers and I haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, especially when it comes to territory to take over. Bruuk, the oldest of the three of us, always placed his eyes on the icy north. He always believed that the flurries and blizzards would make any and all towns ripe for the taking. Thuul, the next oldest, kept track of the ridge that held the difference between the mountains that divided Kalldor. He claimed that the best places for camps were there, where we could easily traverse between either side of the continent. I, Shuulash, always kept close tabs on the forests in the south. With a grand amount of villages, towns, and even a few cities covered in fog and rain, it was obviously the best option to build a proper fortress. However, neither of my two brothers would ever side with me on the matter, as I seemed to be the only one of us who wasn’t worried about some green-skinned tusk bearers.      That issue past relatively soon, however, as some new owners of a town fought them directly. Proving to be more powerful than any of the Orcs forces, these “heroes”, as the townsfolk were calling them, drove them to the farthest reaches of the continent towards the south. Relaying this information to my brothers, they actually began to consider my proposition. Soon enough, I had convinced them that the forests surrounding the town would be perfect. Unbeknownst to them, I desired more than just simple wooden posts as a home. I had to prove to my brothers that I was more than just an angry Hobgoblin looking to earn his marks, so I set my sights on the one thing that would show them that. I wanted the town that the Orcs couldn’t take. I wanted C’Moira for myself.

New Acquisitions

     “Did you see what those hooded things did to that town?” I asked my brothers with a smirk.

     “Yes, we did,” Thuul responded, “we did give them the majority of our forces as support.”

     Bruuk, picking his teeth with a branch, said, “And it was a good thing we gave them the weak ones. I’m pretty sure that if any survived, those creeping pieces of shit would have just kept them for themselves.”

     “You say that as if not all of the goblins are weak,” Thuul snickered.

     “You’re right,” Bruuk agreed with a chuckle, “Still, we shouldn’t trust them too much. Those blasts were-”

     “They were incredible,” I interrupted, “Picture such power in our hands. If we could convince them to-”

     Bruuk spouted, “Shuul, wipe that smirk off your face. We’re done with them.”

     I stared at him dumbfounded as Thuul supported by saying, “He’s right. They’re not to be trusted, much less bargained with.”

     Enraged by their fear, I shouted, “Again with that fear of magic tying both of your hands behind your backs. If we can capture a single one of them and bend them to our will, we could-”

     My speech was interrupted by Bruuk’s fist. As I returned to my feet, he was reprimanding me with, “Again with your lack of respect wearing away at my nerves. It’s not fear that keeps us from parleying with them. It’s trust, Shuul.”

     “We trusted them with this and they delivered. I don’t see why we can’t trust them again,” I said, clearing the blood from my nose.

     Thuul interjected by saying, “We can’t trust them, because we never saw their faces, little brother. Those who are faceless are soulless. Those who are soulless can’t be bent to any will, no matter the methods used.”

     “Then what about those in the town who have similar abilities?” I asked, staring back sternly. “We’ve seen some practicing the art of magic, even a few children. If we take them, they should be just as powerful.”

     Bruuk snarled back, “And how would you keep them on our side?”

     I gestured to my bag of metal tools, consisting of various knives, daggers, rope, and pitons, as I answered, “As I always have.”

     For the first time for as long as I could remember, I saw Thuul chuckle, shrug, and side with me in a soft, “I agree.”

     Bruuk, surprised of Thuul’s reaction, questioned, “Do you really think a magician would make such a difference for us?”

     “Truthfully speaking,” Thuul said with a pause to consider the issue a bit further, “It would be a hell of a weapon. Additionally, if they’re not as potent a weapon as expected, one of my herd informed me of someone across the ocean seeking magicians in trade. We could obtain silver weaponry or even special armor for them.”

     Seeing the sincerity in Thuul’s eyes, Bruuk jaunted back over to me and stared down at me for a second. Locking eyes with him, I stood tall and certain with the streak of red down the front of my nose still fresh.

     Laughing a bit, he clasped me by the shoulder and said, “Well, alright, little Shuul. You want a magical pet, you can have it. We’ll need to refill our ranks with stronger creatures before trying to attack that town again. Once we do, you tell us how to get it. Deal?”

     He outstretched his hand to me as I glanced from his eyes and conniving smile down to his red paw. A bit angered still, I clasped is tight before saying, “That’s a deal, but, before we continue this...”

     Pausing for him to drop his guard, I smashed my forehead against the bridge of his nose. He reeled back as I growled, “My name’s ‘Shuulash’, brother. Not ‘Shuul’. It would benefit you to remember the difference.”

     I stepped over him towards my fortress as he chuckled at me. He responded, “It’s good to see that you’ve actually grown a pair, brother. We’ll see how useful your magical pets are before calling anything other than ‘little Shuul’, little Shuul.”

     Ignoring his teases, I continued walking towards my fortress, smiling to myself with the knowledge that I had kept a few barrels that those hooded figures used on the town.

     As the years pressed, my brothers and I witnessed the once scarce C’Moira transform into a bustling town with a growing population. As we gained greater numbers of goblins, they produced more children. While we gathered bugbears and lesser Hobgoblins, they recruited more guards. As I broke an ogre to my side, they found more magicians and warriors. I would always remind them that my brothers and I were still around, sending small patrols to interrupt their supply chains or even sneaking in personally to capture a magician or two to bargain for weapons or armor.

     Through the bargaining with the creatures from the other side of the world, we had obtained immaculate armor and weapons, some with special attributes or powers attached to them. We had never seen who was supplying us for such treasures, but their treasure was better than good so we had no desire to ask questions. After we had enough weapons and armor, my brothers and I held our forces from meddling in their affairs anymore. My brothers did it because they were waiting on my orders. I pulled my forces so as to better scout the town for one last attack, hoping to make C’Moira my own.

     Working behind my brothers’ backs, I spent months studying C’Moira’s traffic and supply lines, hoping to weaken them as much as possible. If I was to do this, I wanted to do this right. My first step was to slowly cut off their supplies. I had ambushes that would take out farmers, their cattle, and even some roaming traders who made an agreement with the town’s leaders. The second step was to sneakily plant the barrels I still had from the hooded figures we worked with many years ago. I waited for openings in their patrols and even snuck around in stolen garbs during the day to plant the barrels where I needed them to be. With everything in place, the third step was to send in my brothers and some goblins as I stole my prize weapon; a female magician who seemed to be the most powerful in the town. I told my brothers where to be and what to do, while I kept my weapon’s whereabouts to myself.

     Fortunately, some new troublemakers came into the town just a few days before the last step. A couple of them assassinated some people in a carriage while most others just seemed to be regular bystanders until they fought in the prison. Honestly, they seemed a bit powerful, at least powerful enough to give that head guard some issues. I may try to get something from them if I’m able to capture them. Otherwise, their heads would make decent trophies.

Epilogue

     “So, is that all, Shuulash?”

     “Yes, Bruuk, it is. We stick to this plan and we’ll have the strongest magician in the town in our grasp before tomorrow night. Do you have any concerns, Thuul?”

     “Only the newcomers in the city. The ones who you said were fighting in the prison.”

     “With the forces we’ve mustered, they won’t stand a chance.”

     “True, but we aren’t sending all of our forces tomorrow. We’re sending just enough to create a distraction for you to get your magician. Why is this specific one so important anyway?”

     “Neither of you need to know why the magician is important. You just need to know that it’s needed for my plans.”

     “Oh, so the magician is going to help us take out one of the cities?”

     “Something like that.”

     “I don’t like the sound of that. Bruuk, what about you?”

     “That sounds like you’re keeping more secrets than necessary, Shuulash.”

     “I’ve told you guys everything you need to know. Bruuk, you’re attacking the southeastern side. Thuul, you’ll be on the northern side. I’ll have mine sprawled throughout the center and western side of the city. Once the first bit of smoke begins to die, I’ll have my weapon in chains, and more for each of you and those across the water. Everyone wins at the end of this, except the damn elf head guard. Isn’t hurting an elf plenty worth a few measly goblins?”

     “Fine.” “Fine.” “Good.”

     “Well, then, Shuulash. I’ll be ready in the morning.”

     “Thank you, Thuul. Bruuk?”

     “After this, we’re discussing your love of secrets, but, before that, my troops will be in position.”

     “Hmph, that’s if you’re still around to discuss it.”

     “What was that?”

     “I said that we’ll all be together discuss it. But after this is done. Now, go and prepare.”

[weerd1]

Star Trek DS9 Rewatch Log, Stardate 1909.26: Missions Reviewed, “Strange Bedfellows,” “The Changing Face of Evil,” “When it Rains,” and “Tacking into the Wind.”

(Note: as we are in the last nine episodes which run as a continuous storyline, these four will be summarized together.)

Ezri and Worf are transferred from the Breen to the Jem’Hadar, and the Founder herself comes out to welcome the Breen into the Dominion. Damar wants to know why he wasn’t consulted, and why the Dominion/Breen treaty allows concessions of Cardassian space to the Breen. Weyoun’s answer makes it clear that Cardassia and Damar need to stop thinking of themselves as anything other than servants of the Founders. When they interrogate Ezri and Worf, Weyoun brings up Ezri’s feelings for Bashir, immediately leading to Worf snapping his neck. 

Damar kneels next to the fallen Vorta and laughs. On DS9, Sisko is getting used to married life, but Kasidy is also confronted with some new realities; being the wife of the Emissary means something to her Bajoran crew, and that’s a responsibility she’s not ready for.  Dukat continues to manipulate (and by that I mean romance) Kai Winn, until she has another vision of what she believes to be the Prophets.  This time, they reveal their true nature as the Pah-Wraiths to her, and she is horrified, sending Dukat to get her ever more frustrated assistant Solbor to bring her an actual Orb so she may meet the real Prophets. Damar is amused to meet the new Weyoun but finds out the Breen have access to all Cardassian classified files, and that the Dominion has just sacrificed half a million Cardassian soldiers in a feint to draw out the Federation. He goes back to drink it off, but can’t look at himself in the mirror, throwing the glass of canar out…forever this time.

 Winn, unable to get a response from the Prophets or the Orb calls Kira to her quarters for advice, admitting she has let her ambition come between her and her gods. Kira tells her no one is above redemption, and there is a way to find forgiveness and get back on the proper path: Simply step down as Kai, give up power so power cannot corrupt. Winn can’t accept this however, saying she has learned her lesson and Bajor will need her when the Prophets see she’s repented. Kira leaves, and Winn realizes the Prophets will never accept her. She tells the still disguised Dukat she is ready to give her allegiance to the Pah-Wraiths. Ezri and Worf come to an understanding about their friendship, and the mistake they made hooking up, just as they are about to be executed. Damar walks them out, then shoots the two Jem’Hadar guards.  He gives Worf and Ezri their weapons, tells them where to find a shuttle, and asks them to tell the Federation, “they have a friend on Cardassia.”

Ezri and Worf return to DS9, but the happiness around their return is short lived: The Breen strike at Earth, killing thousands at Starfleet Headquarters. Sisko decides to keep Kasidy from going on her supply run as they increase station security. She’s having none of that though. Damar is not impressed with the Breen attack, but is also sober, which Weyoun notices. Weyoun assumes it’s newfound confidence with the new set of Dominion assaults, and Damar lets him believe that while having his comrade Gul Rusot begin recruiting officers to a Resistance. Winn, Dukat, and Solbor return to Cardassia where Dukat convinces her to pull the Kai-only book of Kosst Amojan from the archives, to find how to release the Pah-Wraiths from the fire caves. Solbor is resistance to all these ancient, evil books, but Winn must keep researching. The Kosst Amojan is blank. Ezri decides she has to talk to Julian, and Worf agrees, though watching Bashir and O’Brien plan battles around a scale model of the Alamo, he also thinks Bashir is a “child who plays with toys.” (No funny Worf, I’m like right here.)

 Kasidy is about to resume her supply runs when Admiral Ross says the Dominon is about to assault the Chin’Toka system again, this time with the Breen. The Defiant leads the joint fleet, only to find the Breen have a new weapon capable of knocking out a starship’s power.  The Defiant is hit, and unable to defend itself, Sisko orders the ship abandoned.

 The Founder tells Weyoun to allow all the escape pods to go- they will carry back news of what happened. On Bajor, Solbor has become suspicious of Dukat, and testing his DNA finds his true identity. Winn is again horrified, but rather than siding with Solbor when he chooses to reveal this to the authorities she stabs him. His blood gets on the pages of the book of Kosst Amojan, and the ancient spells appear. On DS9, they find Starfleet and Romulan ships are susceptible to the Breen weapon, but Klingon ships can be adapted to resist it. Now realizing the Klingon fleet will have to protect them all, Kira tells them there is an important broadcast. Damar is announcing that he will lead Cardassia against the Dominion. His resistance destroys the cloning facility responsible for the Weyouns, which the current Weyoun knows is on purpose. Sisko realizes they have to help Damar; he just might save the Quadrant.

Kira is chosen to lead a team to help Damar’s nascent resistance organize. Garak who will also help mentions that having a Bajoran colonel there may be an issue, so Kira is given a commission into Starfleet as a Commander. 

Before Odo goes with her, Bashir asks him for a tissue sample, as he thinks he can create injectable organ transplants using the morphogenic matrix.  Given all the Klingon action, Chancellor Gowron comes to the station to give Martok a prestigious award, but also assumes command of the Klingon fleets himself. He begins sending Martok on unwinnable missions, and Worf believes he is trying to break Martok’s reputation.

  Dukat tries to read the Kosst Amojan without Winn, and is struck blind.  She sends him out on the streets as a beggar to “learn humility” before they move forward with freeing the Pah-Wraiths. Ezri goes to tell Julian how she feels, but they are interrupted when Julian discovers that Odo IS in fact suffering from the same disease the Founders have. He contacts Kira’s mission, but Odo insists they move forward.  There is immediate tension with the Cardassians, but Kira has a lot to teach them. Odo covers up that he is starting to show signs of the illness. Bashir reaches out to Starfleet medical to get copies of Odo’s records from his visit to Earth back in season 4, and finds they are classified. Getting Sisko to get a hold of them, Bashir immediately notices they have been faked. He regresses the virus in Odo’s tissue back and discovers Odo was NOT infected by contact with the Founders. He was infected while he was on Earth. The virus is a biogenic weapon put in Odo to carry to the Founders by someone in Starfleet. Bashir realizes this was an attempt at Genocide, and O’Brien suggests it was Section 31.

Bashir keeps working on a cure while Odo is progressively worse. He is assuming more shapes on this mission and it is taking a toll. Garak finds out how sick Odo is, but Odo swears him to secrecy. Eventually, Garak tells Kira anyway, but she already knows. Gowron sends Martok on a veritable suicide mission, and though he survives, Gowron is quick to blame Martok for the loss. Ezri discusses the Klingon Empire with Worf, and she tells him it is dying, because for all their talk of honor, too much corruption is allowed at the upper levels, especially Gowron. Kira and Gul Rusot, fight, with Kira getting the upper hand, and Garak warns her she will have to kill him. They have a mission though; there is an opportunity to steal a Dominion ship with the energy dampening weapon and take it back to the Federation. Bashir is stymied in his attempts to cure Odo’s virus, but O’Brien suggests they tell people there is a cure, so when Section 31 comes to destroy it, then can capture that person and get the real cure. When Martok recovers, Gowron announces an even riskier mission, which Martok is ready to do, when Worf has had enough and challenges Gowron to a duel. They fight and Worf prevails, killing Gowron and giving him the Klingon death ritual. 

Martok names Worf leader of the Empire, but Worf refuses and tells them Martok should be leader. The council hails Chancellor Martok. Kira, Rusot, Damar, Odo, and Garak head out to steal a ship, when Damar receives word his family has been executed by the Dominion. He asks what kind of people could do that, and Kira gives him the single most perfect response she could possibly give (see GIF below).  

They sneak onto the Jem’Hadar ship, using Odo shifting into the form of the female shapeshifter, but find they Breen weapon is still being installed. They have to hold for 30 minutes.  Tensions increase when Odo can’t hold form anymore and collapses into a parched mess. Rusot wants to kill them and escape, but Garak pulls his gun on Rusot, then Damar on Garak.  Rusot pleads with Damar to fire, to kill the traitor Garak and the Bajoran terrorist, and Damar fires, killing Rusot. Damar declares the Cardassia Rusot represented must be allowed to die, and he will build a new Cardassia. They take the ship back to the Federation for analysis.

Obviously quite a bit going on here!  I found the Kai Winn story really interesting here because you watch her character keep hitting these checkpoints for how evil what she is doing is, and you watch her almost stop…and then barrel through. Her ambition keeps her moving forward, and she has by this point given up her faith, her Gods, her friends, and literally slept with the enemy for the Pah-Wraiths.  She at least has enough Bajoran spark to screw with Dukat a bit. It did seem a little odd to me in the rewatch, given how unique Dukat is as a character, that more people didn’t recognize his voice, despite his face. The Damar storyline here is stunning.  Once just a background Cardassian bridge officer, we have seen him become a toady, then a murderer, and even when he starts his rebellion against the Dominion, it is for “greater Cardassia.” Here though, losing his family, seeing for the first time the Cardassians through Kira’s Bajoran eyes, he has truly become the hero Cardassia needs, not just to liberate them from the Dominion, but from their own history. And speaking of government misconduct, how about that Section 31? Attack on Earth or no, they have decided on genocide. This is specifically the path the Picard rejected against the Borg back in “I, Borg” on TNG, but the path Future Janeway seems happy to follow in the season finale of “Voyager.” A fascinating setup for the Bashir’s last tango with Sloan. The destruction of the Defiant was wholly unexpected, but definitely tells you what the stakes are. Almost makes me wish they aren’t going to issue them another one in the next couple of episodes. And Worf.  Worf and the shenanigans around the Empire always make me say, “F-ing Klingons.” I have to wonder how the Empire would be with him in charge; perhaps something a future “Picard” series can look into.  

Along with Kai Kira.

NEXT VOYAGE: Part 7 of the finale has Section 31 return to the station along with a dying Odo with “Extreme Measures.”