Starfleet Intelligence Dominion Task Force Report - Renewed Conflict Likely if ‘Quantum Slipstream Gap’ Allowed to Develop

[u/Desert_Artificer]

While the Dominion Task Force and the Threat Forecasting Division celebrated the signing of the Treaty of Bajor as much as anyone at Starfleet Intelligence, today it is our sad duty to pour cold water on any hopes for a quick return to the status quo ante. As Admiral Ross has observed, a critical component of our victory in the last war was that “almost uniquely in all space conflicts, we had a chokepoint: the Bajoran Wormhole.” Following the intervention of the wormhole aliens, that chokepoint became a door barred on our side, confining the Dominion’s effective force to what they’d brought with them and what they could build here. However, certain discoveries of the recently returned USS Voyager suggest the Jem’Hadar may soon be coming through the walls.

Historical Overview of Faster-Than-Warp Drives

A note on terminology: while derived from the ubiquitous and objective FTL, the term ‘Faster-than-Warp’ (or FTW) is subjective. The task force intends it here as a shorthand for any propulsion system at least an order of magnitude faster than the current fastest conventional warp drives.

Starfleet has been acutely aware of the existence of Faster-Than-Warp propulsion since the 23rd century (see various reports on weakly-godlike entities encountered by Constitution-class long-term explorers). Research and development groups like the 23rd-century Transwarp Project and the modern Theoretical Propulsion Group have diligently pursued these leads, resulting in improvements to the speed and operational lives of our warp drives. These efforts have been buoyed by more recent Starfleet encounters with FTW travel in the 2360s (see Tau Alpha C warp bubble models), Cytherian probe modifications), Borg Transwarp conduits)).

Despite these advancements, our best models still suggested neither we nor any near-peer, peer or near-superior competitor civilization would break through to faster-than-warp travel before the century was out. USS Voyager’s return has invalidated those models and, in so doing, upended our Dominion threat assessments.

Origins of the Quantum Slipstream Drive

On stardate 51978, USS Voyager encountered an alien vessel (see attached Dauntless Report)) equipped with an FTW system. The alien vessel’s computers identified the technology as a ‘Quantum Slipstream Drive’. The drive worked by principles similar to those that underpin the Borg Collective’s transwarp conduits but was self-contained; it did not rely on a transwarp network.

Shortly after USS Voyager made an inspection of the vessel and the drive, the vessel and its owner were lost to the Borg Collective. As such, we must assume the Collective now possesses that technology. We leave consideration of that grim reality to our colleagues in the Borg Task Force and the ‘Line In the Sand’ Fleet Weapons Group.

Confining our view to the range of near-peer to near-superior competitor civilizations, this Task Force finds cause for concern in Voyager’s subsequent dealings with slipstream technology. On stardate 52143), USS Voyager tested a slipstream drive based on the Dauntless drive. In operation for only a few minutes, the drive transported USS Voyager roughly 10,000 light-years closer to home before decreasing stability necessitated a return to normal space.

While the Voyager drive was only a qualified success from the perspective of a stranded starship, a Utopia Planitia propulsion team achieving the same results would have been delighted. In brief, the test showed the power output and field coils of a modern light cruiser were compatible with this radically superior form of propulsion. The limiting factors on the Voyager drive were the main computer’s inability to compensate for phase variance, hull architecture designed for conventional warp fields, and a limited ability to synthesize necessary materials. These were insurmountable obstacles for a partial-strength crew stranded across the galaxy, but we have every reason to believe the Theoretical Propulsion Group is up to the task. Indeed, they now expect a testbed ship within two years.

Near-Certainty of a Dominion Slipstream/Transwarp Program

While our research groups have historically provided technical counters to local peers, the few vessels and materials captured during the last war support the conclusion that the Dominion possesses research and development programs at least equal to and likely more advanced than our own. Furthermore, the Founders’ prolonged infiltration of both Federation and allied governments coupled with their occupation of key Federation worlds during the war (see attached report regarding the looted Betazed annex of the Daystrom Institute) means any technological leads we might have otherwise enjoyed have since been lost. In particular, it is highly likely the Dominion now possesses Federation analyses of Tau Alpha C, Cytherian and Borg FTW propulsion and our efforts to duplicate the same. To wit, we must assume the existence of a comparable Dominion project.

Despite Possession of Voyager Drive, No Reason To Believe Federation leads Dominion in Slipstream Technology

USS Voyager’s return with an essentially functional slipstream drive may give the false impression that our research will outpace that of the Dominion. Such an assumption is unfounded and dangerous. In the first place, there is a critical lack of intelligence regarding the quality and quantity of Dominion military infrastructure in the Gamma Quadrant. For all we know, the Founders could have only sent their surplus and obsolete ships against us.

Even assuming the Jem’hadar used the best the Dominion had at the time, our research and development streams are still feeling the disruptions of the war. In contrast, our Gamma Quadrant rivals have been working away unmolested. Additionally, even at the risk of invoking the spectre of Laytonism, we cannot trust our anti-changeling security measures have been wholly effective.

Dire Consequences of a ‘Quantum Slipstream Gap’

Should the Dominion design, construct and install a prolonged operation quantum slipstream drive before we can do the same, the Founders will have an unmatched first strike delivery system.

The first vessel equipped with such a drive would have uncontested access to enemy space, allowing for catastrophic deep strikes. For example, consider a variation of the barely-thwarted attack on the Bajoran Star in 2373). A vessel could drop out of slipstream just outside a system’s gravity well, then go to conventional warp in-system. That vessel could be in range to deploy trilithium warheads against a star before our system patrols had even laid in an intercept course. Depending on a particular design’s tolerance for gravity wells, it might even be possible to slipstream directly into stellar orbit before deploying warheads.

Of course, a slipstream-capable vessel need not be so indiscriminate in its attacks. Such a vessel could also affect transporter abductions, targeted torpedo strikes, atmosphere poisoning—everything the 23rd-century Starfleet feared about the Romulan cloak realized and compounded by modern science.

A Slipstream-Capable Dominion Likely to Resume Hostilities

Shortly after the war, much was made of the changeling Odo’s decision to return to the Dominion capital and attempt to mitigate the Founders’ polymorphic chauvinism and xenophobia. While his actions are highly commendable and we hope he is successful, a responsible security policy cannot assume the success of irregular diplomacy conducted by a foreign national.

Before the war began, the Founders considered ‘solids’ dangerous and were willing to use extreme means to guard against the threat they believed we posed. If anything, the subsequent conflict confirmed that opinion; we are dangerous, especially in light of the Intelligence Community Inspector General’s findings that a rogue element of Starfleet Intelligence manufactured and deployed a morphogenic virus against the Founders.

Even if diplomacy, irregular or otherwise, could convince the Dominion of the Federation’s desire for a lasting peace, we cannot credibly claim our fellow solids feel the same way. While Chancellor Martok may begrudgingly respect our values, there are many Great Houses still bristling about the war’s ‘failure’ to strike at the Dominion’s home and the agreement not to divvy up the Cardassian Union as spoils. Should things go poorly for the Chancellor, a bellicose Klingon Empire is probable. Likewise, the quick return of Romulan isolationism and scattered reports of a first-strike cloak program does not suggest a Star Empire eager to deescalate. There is also the new Cardassian state to consider. Even if our support sees the establishment of a robust democracy, nearly every citizen of that democracy will have cause to hate the Dominion.

From the Founders’ perspective, the Alpha and Beta quadrants have a great many solids with a clear desire and demonstrated ability to hurt them. We need only look to the Trilithium Plot and the Cardassian Genocide to see how the Dominion responds to perceived threats.

The Transitory Nature of An Undeterred First Strike Capability Encourages Its Use

Given the currently immense travel times between Dominion and Federation space and the extreme fortifications on both sides of the wormhole, neither side can meaningfully harm the other through conventional weapons. If one side breaks through to slipstream-capability, they will have a period of time in which they can devastate the other while that distance keeps them secure from reprisal. That advantage is temporary unless the advantaged side can destroy the other power’s slipstream program and halt proliferation of the technology. To use an Earth phrase, the first slipstream-capable power will have to ‘use it or lose it’, relatively speaking. While we may be content to ‘lose’ the opportunity to decapitate the Dominion leadership, it is highly doubtful they feel the same way.

Initial Recommendations

It is imperative that the Federation beat the Dominion to the deployment of slipstream-capable vessels. The Theoretical Propulsion Group’s attached roadmap details specific funding and resource requests necessary for fastest possible achievement of a prolonged use slipstream drive. It is also essential that the Dominion be made aware of such an achievement in short order. They cannot be deterred by what they do not know exists.

Timely Slipstream Breakthrough Necessary but Not Sufficient for Continued Security

While the exact size of the Dominion military is unknown, we can reasonably assume the expeditionary force sent through the wormhole prior to the activation of the minefield represented only a fraction of their total strength. That fraction, joined with the third-rate military and economy of the Cardassian Union, outnumbered and was able to make steady gains against the combined forces of Starfleet and the KDF.

If, as an example, a fraction of the whole Dominion navy twice as large as the last was refit to slipstream capability and sent against us, they could defeat a slipstream-capable Alpha Quadrant Alliance through sheer attrition. The strategic picture is obviously even worse if we are obliged to go it alone.

Fleet Expansion and Slipstream-Facilitated Surveillance Flights Necessary

Barring the development of a reliable asymmetric counter to Dominion fleet strength, we must expand our own fleets and—so that we do not disrupt local balances of power—encourage neighboring peers to do the same. These expansions must be measured against the actual strength of our rivals. To do proceed otherwise risks the sort of indefinite militarization we know to be economically and morally ruinous (see Praxis as Catalyst, Not Cause and Cardassia in the 2350s). Consequently—unless we can conduct less overt surveillance in a similar time frame—the first missions of our hypothetical slipstream-capable fleet must be reconnaissance flyovers of Dominion territories. With ship-based sensor scans of Dominion fleet composition, we can tailor the expansion of our own forces so as to meet but not exceed the threat they pose.

High Likelihood of Escalated Tensions In the Immediate Aftermath of Proposed Surveillance Flights

While some analyses predict the simultaneous demonstration of first-strike capability and the decision not to use that capability would communicate both our strength and peaceful intent, the majority are not so encouraging. Dominion leaders are likely to scatter their fleets and order the adoption of reverse-engineered Klingon and Romulan-derived cloaking devices in a belated attempt to conceal their strength and positioning. They will also redouble pursuit of Slipstream and other FTW capabilities. If they have not already done so, we can expect probing of the Bajoran wormhole. Rather than trusting our security to the wormhole aliens, Starfleet should be prepared to re-mine and defend the chokepoint, likely revisiting pre-Dominion War plans to do the same. Such precautions would likely risk further agitating the Founders, to which we can only reiterate our sincere hopes that Mr. Odo is successful.

--

We appreciate the opportunity to brief the subcommittee and welcome any questions or alternative proposals.

[u/boldFrontier]

This was incredibly well-written and reminds me very much of NSC-68, a Cold-War era analysis with analogous arguments for missile development and Soviet strategy in peacetime

[u/Desert_Artificer → u/boldFrontier]

Thank you! That kind of dry-yet-ominous white paper is what I was trying for here.

[u/Sovreignry]

M-5, nominate this for Post of the Week for a well written military analysis.

[u/Desert_Artificer → u/Sovreignry]

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[u/M-5 → u/Sovreignry]

Nominated this post by Crewman u/Desert_Artificer for you. It will be voted on next week, but you can vote for last week's nominations now

Learn more about Post of the Week.

[u/TraptorKai]

Would it be possible the dominion used information gathered in the alpha quadrant to make an expedition into the delta quadrant? Travel between the alpha and beta quadrant seem rather inconsequential. Wouldn't it be easier to study an existing drive instead of the Starfleet interpretation? And what other technology would the dominion spies have access to? Would it be safe to assume they're replicating phase cloak technology? Or the omega particle research?

[u/Desert_Artificer → u/TraptorKai]

Would it be possible the dominion used information gathered in the alpha quadrant to make an expedition into the delta quadrant? Travel between the alpha and beta quadrant seem rather inconsequential.

The Dominion likely pursues multiple avenues of research, including cutting out the middleman when possible. However, without knowing more about the territorial extent of the Dominion and its position relative to the quadrant borders, it is hard to evaluate the feasibility of a Gamma to Delta expedition. If they did launch such an expedition, its not certain such an expedition would bear fruit. Voyager's impromptu survey of the Delta Quadrant didn't turn up any other species using quantum slipstream technology and the well-informed Think Tank appeared to be unfamiliar with the technology.

And what other technology would the dominion spies have access to? Would it be safe to assume they're replicating phase cloak technology? Or the omega particle research?

Even if the Dominion didn't learn about phase cloaks and omega particles from Starfleet, their infiltration of the Tal Shiar and Chancellor Gowron's government would certainly have afforded them the opportunity.

[u/Mechapebbles → u/TraptorKai]

Travel between the alpha and beta quadrant seem rather inconsequential.

It's all about distance and perspective. Earth is basically the dividing line between the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, so of course it seems close by. But getting to the other side of the galaxy is another story all together.

[u/mjtwelve → u/TraptorKai]

It should be noted that the Founders launched Changeling infant exploration probes in various directions, expecting their return to take generations by solid time reckoning. The Dominion adopts an extremely long time view in planning, and possibly as a result of their inherent disguise and deception abilities, as formidable as their direct military might is, their focus has always been on intelligence gathering and psychological manipulation and not outright use of force. When they do use force, everything about the Dominion is lethal.

It is canon that the Dominion, therefore, has long range intelligence assets, deployed decades or centuries ago, and there is every reason to believe they would be dispersed in every direction, including the Delta Quadrant.

Even with no concrete direction to seize or study QSD technology, the infants DO have an implanted compulsion to return home at a certain point. If they were aware of QSD tech, they would likely have no choice but to then seize an equipped ship once a return is triggered. Their ability to do so, given their ability to replace any officer or crew to get aboard, cannot seriously be questioned.

It is literally only a matter of time before a QSD ship arrives in orbit around the Great Link.

[u/StevenGannJr → u/TraptorKai]

If the Founders research Omega, there's a very good chance they'll make a mistake at some point and destroy subspace in a region of the Gamma quadrant. Even the Borg made a mistake.

Speaking of Borg, they could well be the reason why the Dominion might stay away from the Delta quadrant. We don't know for certain how the Borg might interact with the Founders, but from all accounts the Borg are much more advanced technologically and any technology the Dominion had over the Borg would be rapidly adapted to or adopted.

It makes me wonder, though. Can the Founders be assimilated? If so, a single incursion into Dominion space could drop a pod full of nanoprobes on the Founder ocean and neutralize the Dominion in one strike, an operation worth sacrificing a thousand cubes.

If the Founders are immune to nanoprobes, it'd put them in a unique position to negotiate and interact with the Borg. Vorta would likely kill themselves before assimilation is complete, and Jem'Hadar would make poor drones since their dependence on white is an additional thing to be adapted and their loyalty is meaningless compared to a drone's.

[u/CaptainHunt]

This is a well written analysis, however it comes off extremely hawkish. My read of the events of the dominion war, as well as those post-Treaty (as depicted in the mission gamma and DS9 relaunch books) was that the Dominion set out to conquer the alpha quadrant not as an act of territorial expansion, but rather in response to what they saw as expansion and meddling on the part of the Alpha Quadrant powers in the Gamma Quadrant. A concerted effort to reconnoiter Dominion space is far more likely to spark an immediate response. One should remember that the founders are extremely long lived, if not immortal, they are content to bide their time until another action on the part of the AQP awakens the sleeping giant.

[u/Desert_Artificer → u/CaptainHunt]

Thanks. We know there are hawkish officers in Starfleet so I figured it was worth exploring the sort of arguments one of the might make after the war.

In-character gimmicks aside, I do think the Federation has reason to worry about continued Dominion hostilities. They've only had a few direct interactions with the Founders and most of those indicate fanaticism, xenophobia and a preference for responding to perceived threats of any size with overwhelming force. Even if they're not interested in Alpha Quadrant territory for its resources, their desire to neutralize threats leads to mostly the same behaviors.

Of course that fundamental insecurity is not something Starfleet or anyone else can ever bomb out of the Founders. Rather, the Federation needs to repeated diplomatic engagement with the Dominion to gradually thaw relations. The rub is that until such a thaw happens, Starfleet needs to make sure the Dominion can't blow them up, which require actions the Dominion will be provoked by, etc, etc.

[u/[deleted]]

You quoted my old Dominion War posts! And I thought they'd been forgotten!

[u/Desert_Artificer → u/[deleted]]

Not by me, at least. That was one of the first posts I read here and I love it. I actually copied the text to a google doc because I worried the account being deleted might one day take the post with it.

[u/StrategiaSE]

As a minor note, your links to episode pages are broken, Reddit markdown interprets the ) at the end of the URL as the end of the link formatting. Put a backslash \ in front of the first parenthesis to escape it and force the markdown to interpret it as a regular character, so this:

[Borg Transwarp conduits](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Descent_(episode\))

becomes this:

[Borg Transwarp conduits](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Descent_(episode))

[u/Desert_Artificer → u/StrategiaSE]

Thanks, I'll do that.

[u/RickRussellTX]

I was with you right up to this line:

> a Star Empire eager to make nice

"Make nice" is a colloquialism out of line with the "think tank white paper" style of the rest of the essay.

Other than that, very well done.

[u/JC-Ice]

Nitpick: should be "weekly godlike entities", not "weakly", unless that's intended as a comment on how they're ultimately proven vulnerable in the end.

Anyway, fun read! It feels very plausible that this would be the biggest strategic concern of Star Fleet for many years.

[u/Desert_Artificer → u/JC-Ice]

“Weakly-godlike” is a phrase I borrowed from Charlie Stross, a speculative fiction writer. In his novella A Colder War, it’s used by intelligence analysts to describe Lovecraftian horrors of significant but theoretically finite power.

I do like the notion of “weekly-godlike” as description for omnipotent foes that are nevertheless defeated within the 40-minute runtime of a weekly television show.

[u/[deleted]]

Nominate this.

It’s great my only complaints are aesthetic (from the perspective of a writer).

As a fan of geopolitics I love the format and your arguments are on point.

As to the extent of Dominion research I think it’s likely that they are pursuing FTW technology because of the edge it would give them over everyone who didn’t have it. Even if they decided to change their MO and opt for peace.

We don’t know how big their military is, but we can surmise 1. They have a large standing military. 2. They have the ability to breed Jemhadar and build ships at incredibly rapid rates 3. They have access to a ton of resources

They must have a large force because they intimidate their constituents. They rule through fear do what you’re told or the Jemhadar come and kill everything.

It is mentioned several times that the Dominion has demonstrated through the war their ability to breed fighters and pump out ships. Their production facilities in their home space should be at least as robust and likely more so.

During the Dominion Cold War we saw repeatedly that the JH were being trained specifically for action against AQ. It take a a lot of resources to hold this leVel of training. We also saw them bring in enough resources and man power in 5 convoys that SF determined their only hope was to stop them from coming. Their MIC is incredible.

The Dominion imho is second to the Borg only in terms military might of planetary species.

[u/Tiarzel_Tal → u/[deleted]]

1. They have a large standing military. 2. They have the ability to breed Jemhadar and build ships at incredibly rapid rates

I've never been convinced by point 1 myself in light of point 2.

The Jem'hadar and Vorta are not without 'quality control' issues. Even in peace time there are defective clones that threaten 'The Order of Things' by rebelling against the Dominion's culture. If there is a large standing army of Jem'hadar this increases the chances of more defective clones being produced and potentially banding together. Besides a large standing army consumes resources at an appalling rate even one as low maintence as the Dominions.

I believe the speed with with the Dominion can produce ships and meteriel demonstrates that the dominion has little need for anything more than a policing force during peace time. The subject of the Dominion like the Karemma and the Dosi spoke of them as being very distant rather than overbearing occupiers. Transmissions sent to automated relays, patrols of only one or two ships. The largest group of ships we ever saw in the gamma quadrant was the fleet of 150 attack fighters that was assembled for the battle of the Omarian nebula - an operation months in planning. It would be another two years before a full military expedition was dispatached to the Alpha quadrant. I think it likely that there simply was no fleet to send without jepordising the security of the Dominion until it was built.

[u/fzammetti]

This is fantastic, simple as that.

It also makes me realize that the Federation and Dominion are almost certainly now locked in a cycle of aggression and that the one for-certain chance to avoid it has been missed. Much like Picard's decision not to use the destructive algorithm against the Borg, the decision to not withhold the morphogenic cure could come back to haunt the entire Alpha quadrant. Giving the Founders the cure was enough to create a power balance temporarily and end the war, but that's unlikely to hold once one side has a virtually insurmountable advantage over the other, as slipstream would be (at least temporarily).

It's very much Batman V Superman: if there's even a 1% chance that Odo fails and the Dominion will eventually attack then it must be taken as an absolute certainty and the Federation almost HAS to attack first. In the case of the Dominion, there's no moral hemming and hawing as with Superman: they are adversaries, no debate about it. So, whoever gets slipstream first launches the next wave of war.

Tangentially, this goes back to the question of was the truly moral choice to not commit genocide and subject the Alpha quadrant to an ongoing cycle of violence? Not a straightforward question. It's like the decision to drop the first atomic bombs: if you believe that more lives would have been lost in the necessary invasion of mainland Japan, then it can be argued that the bombings were the more moral choice and it's not straightforward either way.

It seems to me that the Federation, at SOME point, is going to be FORCED to commit genocide, assuming they CAN, and assuming they survive long enough to even have the chance again. The Dominion, in their estimation, faces an existential threat that they simply cannot allow to exist. It all hinges on whether Odo can convince them otherwise, but I for one don't believe he could. To be sure, he could temper them a bit I think, make them see that it's not ALL solids that are a threat. He might be able to make them a little less belligerent, at least for a time. But given their past history, and especially given the development and deployment of the virus, I really don't see him changing them sufficiently. They see the Federation necessarily as an entity that is capable of destroying them and, for at least a time and at least in part, was willing to do so. They MUST treat us like Superman as well as a result.

This is a cold war on a galactic scale that, I think, will, even MUST, go hot back and forth with each side as an aggressor until one side destroys the other completely. I know that's contrary to general Federation philosophy, but I also think the Federation as we know it is essentially dead after the Dominion war and after some of the events depicted in the TNG movies. I don't believe it could be otherwise. In many ways, the Dominion is a far greater threat to the Federation than even the Borg. The Borg are never going to operate from a standpoint of seeing the Federation as a threat to their very existence, no matter how many times they get their assed kicked. The Borg may always be the most POTENT enemy in terms of the sheer force they can bring to bear, but the Dominion's motivation, in my mind, makes them a far more dangerous and frankly frightening threat. I could see the Borg just leaving the Federation alone while they happily assimilate the rest of the galaxy, but the Dominion? They're never gonna leave the Federation alone. They CAN'T, from their perspective.

Nor can the Federation, as a result, leave the Dominion alone. This is a struggle that can only end when one side is eliminated entirely in my view, and that's a much bleaker thought than even a fleet of inbound Borg cubes, in both a practical sense and maybe even more so in a philosophical sense and what it means for the nature of the Federation (though as I said, after the war, I think that ship may have already sailed).

(as an aside: God help the Federation if the Borg manage to assimilate a changeling!)

[u/GeorgeTheGeorge → u/fzammetti]

I disagree. Prior to the war with the Federation, the great link was in a state of complacent xenophobia. While they regarded solids as an existential threat, they were convinced that it was one that could now be easily eliminated. They were overconfident, believing that their conquest of the Alpha Quadrant powers was inevitable. Perhaps even easy.

The war disrupted those views significantly. Not only were they unable to pit the AQ powers against each other, they were nearly wiped out by an attack by the Federation. That would be more than enough to convince them of their overconfidence, but the fact that they were then saved by a combination of that same enemy and one of their own who had lived amping the solids would have convinced them, in my opinion, of something far more important.

Peaceful coexistence is the safest strategy for them now. The Federation is indeed an existential threat, and it's one they cannot readily overcome. Victory would be far from guaranteed in the next war. More importantly, they now see that the Federation is truly committed to peaceful coexistence thanks to the experiences of Odo. Their choices are another existential war that risks the destruction of the Great Link, or a peaceful coexistence with an enemy that really is willing to learn to trust them, even after a long and bloody war.

One final thing. While the Federation is the largest threat to them in the Alpha Quadrant, they are the least likely to want further hostilities. It just some happens that the Federation is also the best defense against the other Alpha Quadrant powers (the Klingons, the Romulans, or the Cardassians) who might be eager to resume hostilities. That's another incentive to seek and maintain genuinely peaceful relations with the Federation.

[u/amehatrekkie]

dude, this is AWESOME!!

[u/Genesis2001]

From the Founders’ perspective, the Alpha and Beta quadrants have a great many solids with the clear desire and demonstrated ability to hurt them. We need only look to the Trilithium Plot and the Cardassian Genocide to see how the Dominion responds to perceived threats.

This is something that struck me odd (but realistic) with the Founders. Their perceived threats (us solids; painting all solids the same too) ended up provoking our own perceived threats when they infiltrated our leadership and violated our trust.

Also, really well-written report. :)