USS MILLENNIUM: Commander Aron'Son Answers the Call

Dense foliage covered the surface of the unknown planet and the heat and humidity of the jungle climate seemed to blanket the air. In a clearing a battle was raging, and to some the odds might seem to scale heavily to one side, but anyone who believed that did not know the Jem'Hadar. Aron'Son rolled to one side as a Bat'leth swiped through the space where he had been. The three Klingons maneuvered themselves around him each one wielding a gleaming Bat'leth and growling with battle rage. Aron'Son pulled his own weapon a kar'takin the, melee weapon of choice for a Jem'Hadar, and readied himself. The first Klingon lunged at him and Aron'Son blocked the teeth of the Klingon weapon with his blade, stepped back and crossed weapons with the Klingon again. 

Aron'Son heard the second strike coming and dropped low raising the polearm to block a strike from the second warrior but instead of merely blocking the Jem'Hadar countered driving the kar'takin upward using the razer tip of his blade to strike the Klingon and his strength to give him momentum. It was a killing blow striking several major organs and now it was one on two. The two warriors began to combine their attacks whirling bat'leth strikes came at Aron'Son used his kar'takin to block and parry the blows as they came. A casual observer might think the Jem'Hadar stood no chance against two Klingon warriors but the truth was that the hardened soldier was merely biding his time. Aron'Son waited, calculating, maneuvering, absorbing blow after blow and then finally when the opening presented itself he struck. After blocking an overhead strike Aron'Son lashed out at the Klingon with a vicious kick to the mid section that sent the warrior sprawling backward. Aron'Son followed moving so quickly the Klingon that remained standing barely reacted and on reaching the fallen attacker Aron'Son raising the Kar'takin above his head and whipping it downward impacting with the straight edge and striking a mortal blow. 

As Aron'Son turned to face the lone Klingon out of thin air a doorway appeared and a whoosh was followed by the entrance of a human in a Starfleet uniform. The Jem'Hadar stopped in his tracks and looked for a moment at the man and then at the growling Klingon in front of him.

"Computer, end program." 

The environment disappeared along with the Klingons and the Kar'takin, which had been generated by the holodeck. Aron'Son looked again at the only other actual being in the space

"What could be so important that you would interrupt my training?" 

"I'm sorry Commander but I was instructed to find you immediately when you didn't answer your combadge." 

"I did not answer because I do not have it. What do you need Ensign?" 

"You have a priority call waiting Sir."

"Waiting? Meaning it is not a message?" 

"Correct Sir."

"From who?"

"I can't say."

"Because you don't know?"

"Yes Sir." 

"Very well. I will return to my quarters." 

The ensign shook his head "Sorry Sir, but I"m to escort you to Operations, immediately." 

"Then lead on Ensign." Aron'Son replied.

There was no conversation as the pair moved through Starbase Lotus, just silence. It may have been uncomfortable for the human, but for the Jem'Hadar he didn't speak because there was no need. Additionally Aron'Son was trying to figure out exactly what could be so urgent that he would be receiving a call reserved for emergencies and much higher ranking officers than himself. It was especially confusing as he knew that there were still many who simply did not trust that someone who represented the face of their mortal enemy could possibly be serving as anything more than a spy. As they arrived in operations and every head in the space turned to look at them and in the middle of the room Starbase Lotus executive officer Commander Schmidt spoke.

"Thank you Ensign, Commander Aron'Son please take your call in my office."

Aron'Son nodded and proceeded to the XOs office just off of main operations and settled himself at the terminal which was already open.

"Priority call on secure channel for Commander Aron'Son, please state authorization." The disembodied computer voice said.

"Authorization Aron'Son Delta-Oscar-Zero-One-Zero"

"Authorization accepted..."

The Federation logo on the monitor was replaced by the face of a human man close cropped black hair and gray eyes wearing a Starfleet uniform and rank pips that designated him a Captain.

"Commander Aron'Son, I am Captain Ramsey, it's good to finally meet the only Jem'Hadar in Starfleet." 

"I am sorry you had to wait Captain."

"It's no trouble Commander, you couldn't have known I'd be calling."

"What can I do for you Sir?"

"I will get straight to it Commander. I am with Starfleet Temporal Operations, and we have a mission for which we believe you will be ideally suited. This is a volunteer mission Commander, you are not being ordered to report, but if you accept you must be fully prepared to see the operation through to its conclusion."

"What is this mission?"

"I'm afraid I'm not authorized to tell you that Commander. Right now that information is compartmented and classified way above your clearance." 

"Very well, I accept." 

"No other questions?"

"No Sir. I will report as ordered."

"Not many officers would accept a mission without knowing what the mission is."

"Jem'Hadar do not question superiors Sir. I will do as instructed." 

"I see...well Commander...report to Captain Kheren in Bay One in twenty four hours."

"Yes Sir." 

"and Commander, this call and our conversation are classified. You will discuss them with no one, Ramsey out." 

Throughout the next day and even through the mission briefing Aron'Son anticipated the beginning of a new mission and particularly the thought of working with the Andorian captain again. Of all the cultures of the Federation it was Andorians that Aron'Son believed closely resembled Jem'Hadar. Klingons sought battle, welcomed it, and saw death in battle as a desirable end to their lives. The Andorians fought when needed and fought with honor, and a fierceness that equaled any Klingon but they did not seek battle unnecessarily. With the Dominion's conditioning gone Aron'Son was beginning to see value in their beliefs. While he still believed victory in battle to be his greatest glory as a soldier, he no longer believed that throwing his life away needlessly on the whim of another being was his sole purpose. Part of him wished he could go back to the Dominion and show them that the Jem'Hadar were more than mere pawns in their empire.

As he entered the bay now, he saw the assembly of officers and realized that there must be a large scope to this mission to need so many people. Rather than dwell on it he sought out Captain Kheren who was standing near the front of the room

"Commander Aron'Son reporting as ordered Captain." 

"So am I, Commander."

"I find it disturbing, Sir, that there is so much secrecy behind this mission. It is impossible to prepare for a mission one knows nothing about." 

The Andorian took a moment before answering, obvioulsy chosing his words carefully.

"Rest assured the mission itself will be perfectly clear once we get to our new assignment. That will not make it any easier, however. But judging by the people here, we have all been chosen because we were able to properly... improvise."

His four oculars went to the stars beyond the forcefield of the hangar bay door.

"It is difficult to prepare for something no one has ever done before."

"I suppose that is true. I seem to keep finding myself in such situations, but then I never thought  for a moment that I would still be alive after the Vorta sent me through the wormhole much less serving in Starfleet. I think humans call that the "bright side." 

Kheren glanced sideways at him, antennae curving inward.

"Optimism? You sound almost like a Denobulan, Commander."

"If you being agreeable to being alive optimism, Sir, then perhaps you are correct." 

Kheren nodded to him. He understood that Aron'Son, as a Jem'Hadar, had already outlived any other member of his artificially bred warrior species. His life was also most certainly already richer in experiences than any other one of his kind before, possibly more than all of them combined.

And there was much more to come... for the both of them.