"Home Base"

The small Dominion vessel approached the asteroid field where their base was hidden from the rest of the universe. The entire field was bathed in high levels of radiation from a nearby red giant, but the base was heavily shielded from the effects and the radiation prevented anyone from detecting the base. The base was originally a simple customs post, but after the end of the Dominion-Cardassian war in the Alpha quadrant had fallen into disuse as the Dominion regrouped it's forces.

The vessel approached the base cautiously and passed several sentry platforms that guarded the base from attack. The platforms were of a Cardassian design and had been salvaged just after the war. Entering the hanger bay, the vessel docked with the embarkation platform and came to a haLieutenent

Quickly and efficiently the Jem'Hadar started to unload the stolen equipment whilst the Jem'Hadar First along with a smaller group soldiers escorted the two Federation scientists taken from the base on Juno III away. They walked down several corridors in silence until they reached a large and for the most part empty room. Part of the room had been sectioned off into a kind of living area, with two bunks in one corner and a large table with two chairs. There was also what could loosely termed a bathroom area as well.

The main area was much sparser, the only major piece of furniture was another large table in the very centre of the room. The Jem'Hadar 'herded' the two scientist into the living area and a forcefield was activated as soon as they were inside.

"Why have you brought us here ?" Doctor Mitchell asked loudly. "I demand that you release us at once and return us to Juno III. Your actions will be seen as an act of war and the Federation will not rest until we are rescued."

The Jem'Hadar First said nothing, just watching as the equipment they had taken from the base was brought into the room. He took one more look at the two scientists before turning away, leaving his Second in charge.

"Doctor, shouting will get us nowhere." His assistant Dantex Jix stated. "Just sit down and take it easy. It appears that for the moment we are safe."

The young Trill was right, shouting the odds wasn't going to help. When all the equipment was transferred in the room, the Jem'Hadar Second walked across to two scientists and spoke for the first time to their captives.

"I apologies for the way you were brought here, but it was necessary for the attack." The Second stated.

"You apologies now." Mitchell said coldly. "What are your intentions ?"

"That is for our First to know, we just follow orders." The Second replied. "All I have been told is to make sure that you are safe and that all your equipment is set-up correctly."

The Second dropped the forcefield and allowed the two captives to leave the living area.

"If there is anything you require just ask the guards." The Second stated before turning to leave.

"Some food would be nice." Jix replied. "We haven't eaten in hours."

"I will ensure that some suitable food is brought to you within the hour." The Second stated, leaving the room and closing the door.

The room was quite large and from the looks of things the Jem'Hadar had made an effort to at least give the scientists some comforts. What the room had originally been used for they couldn't make out, but from it's large size, it had probably been a cargo bay.

Meanwhile the Jem'Hadar First approached the base's command centre to discuss the results of the attack. He stepped inside and all the Jem'Hadar sat at their stations came to alert. The First continued to walk across the room and entered the small office just beyond. He pressed the door controls on the wall and awaited the doors opening. Seconds later the doors did open and he stepped inside.

"Vorta, the raid was a success." The First announced as soon at the doors closed behind him. "We secured the scientists that you requested and their equipment. They are secure in the lab area and their equipment is being unloaded as we speak."

"Did you receive any casualties ?" The male Vorta sat behind the desk in the officer asked.

"Just one." The First replied. "Ger'Tax. He was injured during the attack and was unable to reach the rendezvous point before the explosives we planted detonated. As far as we could tell he was still in the research labs and was probably killed in the explosion."

"Unfortunate, Ger'Tax was one of your best soldiers." The Vorta sympathised.

"He was one of my batch brothers." The First stated. "He was a formidable soldier and loyal to the cause. His presence will be lost, but all Jem'Hadar must fact death everyday."

"Then the news I have may bring you some relief from your loss." The Vorta stated. "I have found the location of two more Jem'Hadar from your batch."

"Two ?" The First announced. "So far we have only been finding them individually."

"Well these two have been stationed together during their entire service for the Dominion." The Vorta explained. "They are currently stationed on an outpost very close to the Federation border. Prepare your crew for departure in six hours, that should give them enough time to recover."

"What of the supply of 'White' that you promised ?" The First asked.

"I was able to obtain several batches of 'White' for your troops." The Vorta replied. "They will be distributed as normal, the medics have been briefed."

The First stood motionless in front of the Vorta.

"Was there something else you wished to discuss with me ?" The Vorta enquired.

"There was an incident during our escape." The First stated. "We were intercepted by another Dominion vessel."

"So, the vessel that you have under your command is more than a match for a standard battleship." The Vorta stated. "I am sure that you were able to evade them successfully."

"That is so. We managed to severely disable the vessel." The First replied. "What worries me is that we fired upon our own people. Some of my crew were hesitant at carrying out the command. Plus attacking a Federation outpost was dangerous, we were chased by a small Federation vessel."

"A Federation vessel ?" The Vorta asked. "Our information was that there would be no Federation vessels in the area when we attacked."

"The vessel was identified as a Federation frigate, New Orleans class." The First reported.

"You should have had no problems dealing with such a minor vessel." The Vorta commented.

"We didn't stay around to find out." The First continued. "The vessel was approaching at incredible speed, far faster than any Federation vessel we have yet encountered. We left before they got within sensor range. The Federation are however predictable, rather than continue their pursuit, they stopped to assist the other vessel. That gave us enough time to cover our tracks and escape."

"This could be bad for us." The Vorta suggested. "We always predicted that attacking the Federation outpost was going to be risky. But we never envisaged them detecting our presence or that the Dominion would become involved."

"The Federation will not believe anything the Dominion tell them." The First suggested.

"It all depends upon how they tell the story." The Vorta replied. "Prepare your men for the journey."

The First left the room and stepped back into the command centre. He spent several minutes checking in with each of the operators before heading back to his vessel to prepare to leave once more.