[2009: NOV-DEC] Wake of Violence

[Nimue]

“Wake of Violence”

From the observation port on Terok’Nor, Leggat Vumal gazed out at his massive invasion fleet as the final Galor class vessels assembled. With over 350 Cardassian warships in his armada, he would have no trouble crushing any resistance he encountered from the Bajoran population. Hell, he could destroy them from orbit on a whim. Total annihilation was not his goal however. He would subjugate and dominate this pathetic race of weakling artists and philosophers. The very thought of such an inferior people residing in his space was insulting. He would dominate this child race and show them the raw power of the Cardassian Union. Their resources would now be his resources. After all, Cardassia deserved them far more than the indigenous culture.

“Sir”, yelled Gul Vaset over the comm-link. “I don’t understand how they could have known our plans, but a fleet of Federation ships is entering our space! They have hailed us wanting to know our intentions.”

“Tactical analysis”, ordered Vumal.

“We outnumber them three to one, sir”, replied Vaset.

The Leggat was aware that in spite of the advantage, the Federation fleet was a significant threat. He only took a second to decide that attacking the Federation fleet was the only response worthy of a true Cardassian warrior.

“We will not be denied! Not today”, he bellowed. “Leggat Vumal to all Cardassian warships, engage and destroy every Federation ship in the vicinity!”

On command, every Cardassian ship swarmed in on the Federation vessels. While the Federation ships were prepared for battle, and fought valiantly, they were no match for the Cardassian armada backed by the devastating firepower of the Terok’Nor station. The entire battle took only a few minutes, but it ended with a handful of battered Federation starships tucking tail and falling back to the designated staging sector. The floating remains of almost a hundred brave ships and crews hung dead in the cold expanse surrounding the Cardassian leviathan.

While elated with his military triumph, Leggat Vumal was far from pleased at the destruction of 78 of his warships. “How the hell did they know about our operation? This was supposed to be a smooth occupation”, he complained. “I imagine we will never be left to our work if the Feds have anything to say about it”, he continued. In an irritated rush, he stormed into his command office. As the door shut behind him, Gul Vaset looked across Ops at the faces of his slightly confused fellow officers, and shrugged his shoulders.

Sector 15

Back at the fall-back point in sector 15, the Federation fleet licked their wounds. Admiral Antura conducted a briefing with the commanders of the remaining vessels. He informed them of the importance of protecting the Bajorans, who begged the Federation counsel for its assistance. If Bajor survived, not only would they become valued Federation members, but control of the space station that had just crippled their fleet and control of the wormhole would be theirs. Further, the Cardassians presented a clear and present danger to the security of the Federation, and could not be allowed to proceed unimpeded. The Admiral explained that 5 more fleets would be joining the Federation armada. With their combined forces, the Cardassian threat would be neutralized.

“Federation intelligence suggests that the Cardassians have commited almost all of their military resources to launch this offensive. While they won the battle at our last encounter, we believe we have weakened them enough to finish the war in one clean sweep at our next engagement. Make no mistake, we are at war people. The Cardassian’s aggressive actions and their assembled armada are in direct violation of our non-aggression pact. By blatantly breaching our agreement, they have declared war on the Federation…and we will respond”, declared Antura. With that, the Starfleet commanders readied their battle plans, made repairs to their wounded ships, and waited for the cavalry to arrive.

Terok’Nor

Leggat Vumal stepped confidently out of his office as the doors slid closed behind him. He was a tall, hulking man with an intimidating air. Never was this more apparent to his subordinates than at this moment. He seemed to have the look of a predator that just finished mauling his prey. His eyes narrowed as he looked to Gul Vaset.

“Open a channel to the fleet”, he said abruptly.

“Channel open, sir.”, Replied Vaset.

The Leggat began, “Our auxiliary forces will be here within the hour. Upon their arrival, your orders are to proceed to sector 15 where you will find a regrouping Federation armada. Once you are upon them, Gul’s Renen will deliver our gift. Once the Federation armada is incapacitated, crush them. Then proceed to the coordinates Gul Vaset is sending you now. The warships Lavorsa, Racula, and Taceth are to remain at Terok’Nor, to defend the station. Vumal out.” Gul Vaset nodded to his CO as he transmitted the coordinates to the waiting fleet.

Sector 15

“Fleet 3, standing by…Fleet 4, standing by…Fleet 5, standing by…Fleet 6, standing by…Fleet 7, standing by…”, reported the respective Fleet Captains.

“Acknowledged”, noted Admiral Antura. “Stand by to…” The Admiral was cut off by the surprised exclamation of his Operations Officer.

“What the hell?”! Commander Kallara could not believe the data beeping through her Ops panel. “Admiral, I’m reading a fleet of 487 Cardassian ships coming out of warp right on top of us! My god! Over half of the fleet is comprised of Galor class warships, and their weapons systems are hot!”

Admiral Antura, in an unusual display of shock dropped his jaw and stuttered, “O-o-on screen”.

A vast cluster of unpleasantly familiar warships filled the view screen. “Red alert, shields up! All vessels, evasive ac…” Before the Admiral could finish his sentence, a massive green cloud of biogenic particles burst forth from a formation of Cardassian ships, completely enveloping the clustered Federation armada. Shields were of no use. Instantly, Federation officers and crew members alike crashed to the floor, dead where they landed. No one on any of the ships survived.

“Ready our boarding parties”, shouted Gul Renen.

One by one, the Federation starships were boarded and manned by Cardassian soldiers. Within one hour, the entire Federation armada was operating under the control of Cardassian crews.

“Beam their wretched carcasses into space. We don’t want their smell to impede on our mission”, commanded Renen.

As thousands of Federation citizen’s remains materialized outside the hulls of their previous vessels, the Cardassians cheered in victory.

“Fleet Alpha, set course for Vulcan… Fleet Delta, set course for Andor…remaining fleets, set course for Earth! Engage!” As Gul Renen finished his commands, he wickedly chuckled under his breath. Now they pay for interfering with the destiny of Cardassia, he thought to himself.

Federation Space

The Vulcan and Andorian planetary defenses were not prepared for the massive assault that the Cardassians wrought. The Cardassian fleets smashed their way through the defensive platforms and assumed corresponding orbits around both of the primary Federation worlds. From orbit, the invading fleets hammered the surface with violent disruptor bursts and Ship-to-surface projectiles. These local Federation territories would not be coming to Earth’s aid in the foreseeable future. They would be lucky to survive at all.

Terran Solar System

The captured Federation armada preceded the contingent of Cardassian warships. Earth did not even suspect that an invasion force was upon them until it was too late. Sending false life-sign readings, the captured Starfleet ships slipped right through the perimeter defense forces. While Starfleet Command was in a state of confusion as to the early return of their entire armada, the Cardassians struck! Much in the same fashion Vulcan and Andor had just suffered, Earth was bombarded with a severe orbital assault. Once key targets were destroyed, the Cardassians beamed down their occupying soldiers.

Without compassion or mercy, black-clad Cardassian troops stormed through the streets killing anyone foolish enough to not run screaming for their lives. Nothing was sacred. Towns were ravaged, farms were burned, homes were invaded. It did not matter, man, woman, or child…all were fair game to the pale skinned, reptilian invaders. The streets of United Earth ran with blood and terror.

A special garrison of highly trained Cardassian soldiers breached what was left of Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco. In cold, calculated fashion, they assassinated every remaining Federation Officer and finally, the President of the United Federation of Planets.

“Now this world is ours”, proclaimed Gul…soon to be Leggat Renen! “How much better a prize than Bajor. We have taken the mighty Federation!”

From the former desk of the President of the Federation, Renen relayed the news of their conquest to Leggat Vumal. “Leggat, we have taken the primary Federation homeworld”, declared Renen proudly.

“Excellent work, Leggat Renen! Begin assigning regional Governors to oversee the installation of human labor camps. These troublesome humans will pillage their own world for us. Assume control of the planetary perimeter defenses. Place our troops on every remaining facility of strategic importance. Allow no aid to come to these people. They serve the Cardassian Union, now and forever!”, said Vumal.

“It will be my great pleasure”, hissed the new Leggat.

From the officers aboard the invading warships, Leggat Renen selected and appointed Regional Governors who assumed direct control of their respective domains. Each region would be responsible for exploiting the natural and technological resources of the area. Much of this work was to be conducted in forced labor camps under the direct supervision of Cardassian soldiers turned “overseers”.

The first Labor Camp to go operational was “Camp California”. Due to the large population in that area, it was easy to find enough able-bodied survivors to conduct the needed manual labor. Under lash and threat of execution, civilians were enslaved by the daunting Cardassians. Upon its official day of commissioning, the overseers of “Camp California” executed ten civilians as an example of their sincerity. Among the victims were four women and three young children. The point was, no one is immune.

Unwilling to be slaves to anyone, some humans made a valiant stand against the oppressive Cardassians. They called themselves “The Solution”. Massing a resistance army of about 1500 civilians, they attacked several key Cardassian installations. But with inferior weapons, numbers, and alas tactics, the revolt was short lived. The captured resistance fighters were publicly executed as a warning to anyone who decided to be a hero.

The terror of the Cardassian occupation was only compounded by the swift crushing of the rebellion and the news of the devastation delivered to the neighboring worlds of Andor and Vulcan. Hope for deliverance faded away into oblivion. With the Federation crippled and Starfleet in shambles, the people of Earth had only their individual strength of spirit to survive. Many Terrans returned to ancient religions to find hope. The future indeed seemed as dark as the obsidian armor of the oppressors.

As the months of subjugation, humiliation and torture drug on, the once proud civilization that was Earth fell to a bleak fragmented culture of raw survival. The horrible violence humans had worked so hard to eradicate from their society came rushing back. The strong began to prey on the weak. Human violated human. Oh, how quickly primal instincts and behaviors come back to the desperate. How the mighty have fallen.

Humans are renowned throughout the galaxy for their ability to adapt and endure. For centuries, humans survived plagues, famines, viruses, cancers, wars, and cosmological disasters. This occupation would be no different. Despite the fall of the Federation infrastructure, a small group of rogue militia endured. Already an underground organization, Section 31 was now completely free to do what it must. Not even the self-righteous Starfleet officers and Federation leaders could interfere. The civilian public cried out for deliverance, at any cost. When your wives are raped, your children murdered, and your loved ones tortured before your very eyes…morality and ethics take on new meaning.

Section 31’s most prominent leader was a former Starfleet Captain named Jason Gambit. He had spent the better part of his Starfleet career as a Tactical Officer, and was no stranger to being surrounded and outgunned. He took great pride in the fact that he had never lost a single engagement in his entire career. His closest associate was a Federation physician and biologist, Toren Hensley. Hensley had been assisting Gambit with his various nefarious tasks for the better part of 15 years. Any time Section 31 had a job for Gambit, Toren was right there with him.

Section 31 had been scattered after the initial invasion of Earth almost 18 months ago. Some key people managed to maintain contact with each other, but it was no small task. Fortunately, Section 31’s greatest asset was their intelligence network. Despite the odds and in true human form, it endured. It had become clear to the members of this underground, that only a subtle yet severe counter strike would be effective. An all out military assault would almost certainly fail, as it had once before. Something else must be done.

From an underground cavern in the rocky mountain range of Colorado, Jason Gambit schemed with his associate Dr. Hensley. “Toren, I’ve been talking with some of our friends, and they have made a suggestion I think we should consider. The Cardies are wiping us out on a mass scale, why don’t we do the same to them?” asked Gambit.

“What do you have in mind, dare I ask?” inquired the doctor.

“They used biogenic warfare on us didn’t they? Well lets give them a taste of their own cannar”, Jason replied.

“I hope you have a better idea. If we deploy a biogenic weapon, we’ll kill just as many humans and allied species”, countered Toren.

Gambit stopped him, “No Doctor, I’m suggesting you engineer a super-virus that will only kill Cardassians. Some of our…friends…have acquired detailed medical data on the Cardassian filth that has invaded our home. I need you to create the weapon; I’ll take care of the delivery system.”

There was a long pause, and then Dr. Hensley spoke up, “Okay Jason. I have no problem killing Cardies in mass, but this is no easy order. I have no idea how long engineering this virus will take, but I know…you want it yesterday!”

Gambit patted his accomplice on the shoulder and grinned, “I knew I could count on you old friend.”

For the next several days Dr. Hensley didn’t even take the time to sleep. He labored over his unconscionable creation with focused vigor. If the Cardassians were ever going to be removed from Earth, they would have to be exterminated like the pestilence they were. He had long ago decided that sometimes taking lives saves lives, but this would be the first time he had tried to wipe out an entire people. If he created this weapon, it would likely spread to every Cardassian man, woman, and child in the galaxy…true genocide. So be it, he thought.

While the doctor devised a Cardassian death agent, Jason considered the delivery system. Because this virus would only affect Cardassians, it could be exposed in any location. The answer seemed so simple. It had worked for terrorists for years. Taint the water supply! Gambit wasted no time contacting his allies and conveying his plan. The lead operative in each area would take a small team to pollute the drinking water of every major Cardassian reserve. No one objected.

“Mr. Captain Gambit sir”, Toren joked. “I have a package for you. I think you’ll like it. I have prepared two gallons of our special “cannar” for our guests. A single drop in a water reserve will do the trick. To top it of, the virus is contagious. It can be transmitted by direct physical contact or airborne particle. I estimate that every occupying Cardassian will be dead or dying within two weeks of deployment, provided you hit at least 15 sites in the next 72 hours. Think you can handle that?”

Jason smiled broadly and replied, “Without question my good doctor.”

Gambit immediately began distributing his forbidden weapon to the covert operatives of Section 31. After a quick masked sub-space briefing, the assassins went to work. The elite, highly trained operatives made their way to their respective targets. With great stealth, they bypassed the Cardassian sentries at all 15 sites, and deposited their chemical agent. Members of Section 31 were accustomed to missions of this nature. They were in their element. Not a single operative was captured in the flawless execution the mission.

Over the next several weeks, the occupying force dropped off from an unstoppable virus that no Cardassian had ever heard of. The Cardassians regarded Earth as a plagued planet and evacuated as suddenly as they had come. However, not a single Cardassian vessel made it home. The virus, once confined in the close quarters of the warships, spread so rapidly that it killed the entire battery of soldiers within hours. Leggat Renen lived just long enough to watch his entire command perish.

Several hours after the Cardassian force had departed from Terran space, a familiar set of starships returned to orbit. The remainder of the federation fleet had been waiting for the opportunity to return to Earth. As the rescue and aid teams beamed down, hope returned. It was only a matter of time, but they would rebuild the community that the Federation had been developing for centuries.

By Jesse Lawn