"N"

[Joe Manning 0]

"Anyone wishing to send aid to any of these worlds is advised to contact the Federation Emergency Response Division at subspace channels 518-L6B3 through 518-L6B9. Direct aid packages are also being accepted at all of the relief camps which have been established at the colonies scrolling at the bottom of your display; a full list of colonies can be viewed at the FERD's subspace channel.

 

"We now have a moment to speak with Starfleet Admiral William Thorne. Admiral Thorne coordinated the defense efforts of Fleet Divisions 125 and 138 along the Klingon border. He is currently assisting with the management of the relief camp at the Faergus III colony and is maintaining contact with Starfleet Command in their efforts to gather complete records of the crisis.

 

"Admiral Thorne, Leslie Young of Federation News, I want to thank you for your time."

 

"Missus Young."

 

"Admiral, how many engagements with the Beholders did your Fleet Divisions take part in?"

 

"Well ... in addition to the attack which was launched against the Faergus colony, the Beholders targetted Starbase 318, one of the stations that was established along the Klingon border during the conflicts a century ago. The Starbase attack took place during the invasion's first wave, so my Fleet Divisions were totally unprepared for it. Only one ship was assigned to the base at the time, and one other could respond to its distress call before the Beholder fleet departed. Fortunately, the attack inflicted only light damage both on the base and on the defending ships. The attack on the Faergus colony was somewhat more severe ... though the colony was a third wave target, so by that point the 125th and 138th Divisions had managed to organize under my command into a combined defensive force."

 

"How effective was the engagement at Faergus III, Admiral?"

 

" ... well, Missus Young, I am sorry to say that the defense of Faergus III was only marginally effective. The ships under my command may have succeeded at drawing some weapons fire away from the colony, but we cannot be sure -- the Beholders' preference for striking at the fleet or the colony wavered in a largely random fashion. We managed to damage a few of the Beholder ships, but we were not able to completely disable any of them. Two of our light cruisers were lost ... and the colony suffered significant casualties."

 

"Yes, we are hearing similar reports from throughout the Federation. What can you tell our viewers about the Beholder ships, Admiral?"

 

"I, myself, know very little, Missus Young. I have been told that the Fleet has captured a few of the vessels, and they are being transferred to R&D facilities for study, but I imagine that those studies will be classified for the foreseeable future. As for my own experience, I can tell you that the Beholder ships are immensely advanced, at least on par with the destructive and defensive capabilities of the Borg fleet. We employed the strategies suggested by the Andorian Guard -- targeting the spires -- to some effect, but my fleet divisions were badly outnumbered and the Beholder vessels stand up quite well to attack."

 

"I notice, Admiral, that you are referring to the Beholder vessels in a present tense. You are not among the Starfleet Command officers who believe that the invasion was defeated and the Beholders driven away?"

 

" ... no, Missus Young, I do not believe that. I have seen the battle reports that Starfleet Command is compiling. Given the numbers and capabilities of the Beholder fleets, as well as the relative ineffectiveness of our weapons against their hulls despite the Andorian strategic intelligence, it is my belief that we were very fortunate to emerge from this crisis with our society still in tact. I firmly believe that the Beholders possess the ability to completely obliterate our fleet; their exodus from the galaxy merely indicates that they chose not to at the time."

 

"I see. Though we do not wish to cause our viewers any alarm -- "

 

"Some degree of alarm could be healthy, Missus Young. By no means do we wish to foster any panic among the Federation's citizens, especially at this time when we must all come together to aid one another ... but this crisis must serve to build a renewed sense of preparedness among the Council, Fleet Command, and the people of the Federation."

 

"Of course. I wonder, Admiral, if you have considered the speculations by some that the Beholder fleets were only advance scouts of a second invasion body?"

 

"I have indeed discussed that with Starfleet Command. My understanding is that one of the targetted colonies, equipped to screen for cloaked vessels, detected mobile sensor platforms accompanying the invading fleet. The name 'Beholder,' in fact -- a Tellarite military reference -- was applied to the fleets at this colony. It may be too soon to know for sure, but some of the experts at Starfleet Command believe that these fleets were sent here only to test our defensive strategies and capabilities. If this is true, it speaks volumes that the Beholders were able to essentially sacrifice so many starships of such advanced technological capability for the purpose of learning about our defenses. The primary body of their fleet may be many times larger and more capable."

 

"There are critics of that theory who believe that it lessens the heroic sacrifices made by our own fleet officers."

 

"I merely believe it is unwise to color the events of the past few days as a victory for Starfleet, Missus Young. I would not, under any circumstances, belittle the courage and honor of a Starfleet officer who would give his own life to protect a defenseless Federation colony. But the Admirals who are touting the word 'victory' when it is closer to the truth that we were simply ... spared ... may be unwisely building up expectations of our capabilities. Keep in mind that we were still in the process of rebuilding our fleet after the losses suffered during the Dominion War. We came out of this crisis far worse off."

 

"But Admiral, if, as you suggest, the Beholders' scout fleets were capable of 'obliterating' us, why not do so? Why merely report gathered information and wait for a larger invasion force?"

 

"It is possible, Missus Young, that that is not the Beholders' primary intention toward our galaxy. Keep in mind that they were probing various facets of our Fleet's and colonies' defenses, as well as observing our logistical capabilities during the nine-hour course of the crisis. Speculatively, a larger body may invade with the intention of occupying our more critical worlds and stations, of taking control of our society, perhaps to use our people as slave labor for resource gathering. They might wish to kidnap large groups of our people ... or to take a more subsersive approach toward controlling our governments. Their intentions may be something else entirely, something too alien for us to fathom. The evidence we have observed so far suggests to me that they are more than capable of carrying out any plan they desire. It also suggests that they -are- interested in the strength of our fleets ... so it is imperative that we work hard to prepare Starfleet for their return, or for any other threats which should arise in the aftermath of this crisis."

 

"Quite alarmist views, Admirals. If what you are saying proves to be true, is there anything that you would tell our viewers to ensure them that there is cause for optimism?"

 

"I would tell them the same thing that I have told the citizens of the United Federation since the day I swore an oath to protect them. The Commanders of this Fleet are not going to rest until we have made certain that your planets and your colonies are safe from enemies both foreign and domestic. This Federation has been knocked down by the Beholder fleets ... but as it always has in the past, it will pick itself back up and be regarded stronger for the experience.

 

"This I promise to the people of the Federation ... if Starfleet Command is given the authority that is needed to repair the damages, we will be ready for the Beholders if they return. We will rebuild our ships and stations, we will make them stronger and sturdier, we will recruit new officers to crew them and to patrol our colonies, and we will endeavor to do so with the renewed spirit of purpose that the Beholders have made the grave error of instilling in us.

 

"We -will- make the Federation stronger.

 

"At any cost."