I was returning home from Erradus Prime, when the Klingons intercepted our ship. "Open Hailing Frequencies", I ordered.
"Socrates, how are you going to escape us? We are three and you are one.", said a fairly young Klingon with the ridges of a pahtahk
"Perhaps I can convince you?", I said.
"But you cannot convince us if we refuse to listen, right?"
"By Zeus, I can't"
So they asked me to beam over to their ship, and I did so. It was a Bird of Prey, of un unknown size, and I had initially planned to start a big discourse over that when they asked me to consider instead the question of the Defiant. They wanted to know all about it. "But how can I tell you if I don't know?", I said. "Of course you can. We shall arrive at the truth together" "Fine, I said."
We were sitting in the room eating a load of gagh and rokeg pie, and after much bloodwine, started the discussion.
I said "Well, the Defiant!"
"Qa'pla!", said the Klingon.
"Is it true, or is it maybe not True, that construction on the ship began in 2366?"
"So much we know."
"But we need to prove that, right. Did Sisko not say that it was built five years before he brought it to DS9?"
"By god he did."
"And was that year not 2371?"
"By god it was!"
"And does not the DS9 Technical Manual say that construction began in 2366?"
"Of course it does."
"Well, there you go. Now, give me that bloodwine."
"Allright, so, what else? Where did the construction start?"
"We think it was the Antares Fleet Yards."
"But we need to prove that, right. Doesn't Sisko say at one point that he helped design the ship, and that he was in charge of the shipyard where the Defiant was built?"
"That's what he says?"
"And was he ever assigned to Antares Fleet Yards between 2366 and 2371"?
"Maybe. We don't know where he was before Saratoga."
"Well, but is it not far more likely that he meant the Utopia Planitia Fleet yards where he spent two years after the Borg invasion?"
"Yes, of course. Here's another rokeg blood pie for you."
"Thank you. Now, we need to test this further. After all, Sisko was merely supervising construction of orbital settlements?"
"Aha, A SECRET PROJECT!"
"It is the logical conclusion. But how can the project be secret if it is there for everyone to see, as we know from Voyager's depiction of the yards?"
"Well, he must have told everyone that he was building an oribital habitat, when in fact he was building the Federation's first warship."
"Naw, naw...more bloodwine."
"Here it is."
"Ok, but is it not possible that he was in charge of that shipyard, as well as the one where the settlements were being constructed, and that the Federationists were simply told that they were building an escort ship"
"By god, it is."
"Good, well that makes more sense. He can't be in charge of the entire yards, being a teensy commander. Yawn. Too late. What time is it?"
"No, if you sleep now, you will sleep on a Klingon bed."
"Allright, allright. So where were we? Ah, yes. But here is a question. Why would the Federation want to build the Defiant in the middle of the Federation, and design it on its outer rim? Let us consider the advantages of either location. Presumably the outer rim is a perfect place to keep the Defiant secret from the Federationists but not from thugs like you, whereas the Mars yards are a perfect place to keep the Defiant secret from thugs like you but not the Federationists. So, it is only reasonable to think that Starfleet wasn't really worried about information leaking out to you, but when they started building the ship, they were worried that you might come in and destroy it, so they moved it to the center."
"Perhaps they didn't have the resources at the outer rim, right?"
"It is possible. But we shall never really know. Ah well, let me finish that blood pie."
End of Book I
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"@%#@&@#The@#@truth$#$# @#@$@points@#@#to@#@$@# itself@#@$@#@$"
Simply priceless. I wish I'd read the original text so that I would have known what was truth and what was added.
Truly, one such as yourself carries the directions to the location of such a place?
Some sort of virtual, holy link, pray tell? (Mmm, I like this)
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Don't kill me, I'm charming!
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"Kif, I have made it with a woman! Inform the crew!"
- Zapp Brannigan
Of course, we will now expect Socratic dialogues regarding all sorts of fandom issues.
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Not even a god can deny that I have squared the circle of a static Earth and cubed the Earth sphere by rotating it once to a dynamic Time or Life Cube.
--
Gene Ray
****
Read three (three!) chapters of "Dirk Tungsten in...The Disappearing Planet" Or don't. You know, whatever.
I'll try and put together Milton's take on starships the next time I have some free time...
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"I can be creative when I have a good idea. That just happens way too rarely."
-Omega, April 6
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Don't kill me, I'm charming!
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At that point, McDonald fired his gun three times in the air to emphasize his point. The crowd, estimated at 350,000, loudly cheered the new candidate.
"Let me make this clear: I am the law! I am your ruler! And you will have fries with that, motherf*cker!"
Boris
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"@%#@&@#The@#@truth$#$# @#@$@points@#@#to@#@$@# itself@#@$@#@$"
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At that point, McDonald fired his gun three times in the air to emphasize his point. The crowd, estimated at 350,000, loudly cheered the new candidate.
"Let me make this clear: I am the law! I am your ruler! And you will have fries with that, motherf*cker!"
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"Replicate some marmalade, Commander - helm control is toast!"
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"Well if it's gonna be that kind of a party, I'm putting my dick in the mashed potatoes!"
-Nimrod 16/4/2001
Boris
[This message has been edited by Boris (edited April 16, 2001).]
[This message has been edited by Boris (edited April 16, 2001).]
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"Well if it's gonna be that kind of a party, I'm putting my dick in the mashed potatoes!"
-Nimrod 16/4/2001
Boris (Mr. sex, (bleep), and rock'n'roll piano)
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"@%#@&@#The@#@truth$#$# @#@$@points@#@#to@#@$@# itself@#@$@#@$"
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"Well if it's gonna be that kind of a party, I'm putting my dick in the mashed potatoes!"
-Nimrod 16/4/2001