Unexpected News

Posted on Fri Sep 14th, 2012 @ 8:59pm by Fleet Admiral Mike K`Wor Bremer

1,679 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Mission 79 - Triangle
Location: Starbase 400, Ops
Timeline: Current

ON:

Mike was in his office, awaiting Captain Hammond to arrive. It was only minutes since Vice Admiral T’Lar left…

The comm beeped…

“Admiral, please report to Ops.”

Mike stood from his desk, Lieutenant Archer’s voice was again showing concern. ‘What now?’ Mike thought as he walked to the door.

As he entered Ops, Archer walked over to him, “Sir, there’s a transmission coming in from Starbase 349 on all Starfleet, Federation, Klingon, and Romulan subspace bands.”

“On screen.” Mike replied as he looked over to the Main Viewer. A moment later the screen flashed to life with the face of one of Mike’s old friends and comrades in the Fourth and now Ninth Fleets.

"This is Rear Admiral Liam Riskin, commanding officer and military governor of Starbase 349. I am going to provide a response to the recent actions of Federation President Bacco, the Federation Council, and the Vulcan Science Academy. On a subchannel, I am providing recordings and documentation that verifies all I am about to say."


Mike looked over at T’Lar as she walked back into Ops, then he glanced over at Archer, “Record the data he’s sending on that subchannel.”

Mike looked back at the screen as T’Lar stepped over beside him.


"Seven months ago, the star known as Hobus in the Romulan Star Empire exploded in a supernova of unprecedented nature. What is not known, and has been kept hidden by the Federation government, is that there was a way to stop it before it reached the Empire's core worlds, that the Vulcan Science Academy was in possession of it, and that both they and the Federation Council refused to release it. Instead of reaching out to help the Romulans in their hour of greatest need and open a new age of friendship with them, they instead decided to turn their backs, citing the Prime Directive. President Bacco ordered Starfleet to not permit any vessels to enter Romulan space until the crisis was over with. Never in the Federation's history did it turn its back on those in need of help."


Mike looked over at T’Lar, “We need confirmation on that.” Mike remembered the Hobus event and the distruction of Romulus. He’d been the first to offer the Romulans aid after Romulus and Remus were lost, but the Romulans refused. Mike had also ordered Commander Coleman and the Endeavor to the area, cloaked, in the aftermath. He knew Ambassador Spock had tried to stop the shockwave from reaching the Romulan system but failed to prevent it, but was able to stop it from spreading further and was now he was missing along with some Romulan named Nero and his vessel. He also knew the Enterprise-E had been in the area and was turned away, however this was the first time Mike heard that the Federation Council and President Bacco had any forewarning about the event.

Mike looked back at the screen again, concern was growing inside of him now…


"The order to ignore the pleas for help by a people threatened with catastrophe was too much to bear. We of the Peacekeeper Taskforce and the Raeyan Sector could not comply. We could not watch from behind the Prime Directive as a people died. Unwilling to comply with this outrageously immoral act, I and a coalition of the willing disobeyed those orders and led a fleet of volunteer ships to the threatened worlds to retrieve as many people as we could before the shockwave arrived. We saved some forty thousand souls from Romulus and other worlds in the shockwave's path, but that does not begin to compare to the billions that were still lost. Those refugees now live on the Federation colonization reserve world Omicron Icarius III, which they have renamed Mandukar. Its new name is fitting. It is a sanctuary to any survivor of the shockwave...and the Federation leadership's sin. Providing the survivors with a world we claimed as our own was the very least we could do for a betrayed people."

"The Federation Council and the Starfleet Admiralty reacted to our mission of mercy by condemning us as outlaws. Vice Admiral Walter Roland Dasher was sent by President Bacco to arrest us and assume control of Starbase 349, home to a quarter million beings. There, he declared martial law and his forces detained Starfleet officers and private citizens without cause. I was captured by his forces and tortured to near death."


Mike’s eyes widened. He’d heard of Vice Admiral Dasher before, knew he was a man that would stop at nothing to reach his goals, and he was a personal Starfleet Advisor to the President. He quickly picked up a PADD from the Marine Operations station he was standing next too and started taking notes.


"After my rescue, Vice Admiral Dasher acted on orders from the Federation President herself to destroy the station with Tricobolt weapons, which are restricted for use. Had we not stopped him from carrying out this plan, the detonation of these weapons would have caused a subspace rift and destroyed not only the station, but Raeya III, the planet it orbits, as well. Billions more of innocent beings would have died, had we not taken direct action against Admiral Dasher and his fleet."

"The actions taken by the Federation Council, Starfleet Admiralty, and the Vulcan Science Academy for our daring to stand where they would not, and performing the duties they were duty and honor bound to, go against the Federation Constitution, the Starfleet Code of Uniform Justice, and their founding moral principles. How dare we declare ourselves a moral people when its leaders just let billions die? The blood of the dead are on their hands."

"We in the Raeyan Sector cannot let this lawlessness... this madness...continue without response. These events have compelled us to take drastic action. Starbase 349 is seceding from the United Federation of Planets. We will remain an independent state until President Bacco, Vice Admiral Dasher, and others responsible for these heinous acts are brought to justice, and the Federation's better nature is regained. Only then will we restore ties with the Federation. Till then, we will gladly grant sanctuary to anyone who seeks it, and we will defend ourselves against anyone who tries to take it from us."

"We remain loyal to the Federation's ideals and moral foundation, and ask each one of you listening tonight to search your souls and decide what side you are on and what you want your futures to hold not only for yourselves, but the generations to come." The screen then went black.


Mike looked over at T’Lar, speechless for the moment. He turned and took a few steps back toward his office before stopping and turning back to face everyone in Ops.

“Nick, send recordings of Vice Admiral Riskin’s message and any data he sent on the subchannel to my office. Deele, I want a sector wide yellow alert issued. I also want to know where Vice Admiral Dasher is now.”

“Sir, are we joining Starbase 349 in seceding?” Petty Officer de Luca asked”

“No.” Mike replied, “But I want to know what’s really going on. If the Council and President Bacco did know about the Hobas event and could of done something to prevent it, or done more to aid the Romulans before their star went nova, then we are duty bound to find the truth and expose it.”

Mike paused, then continued, “We are Starfleet Officers, and we are duty bound to assist those in need. Maybe we failed to do so then, but maybe now we can make some kind of amends for that.” Mike looked around the room, everyone in Ops was silent as they watched the Admiral, but all Mike could think of in that moment was, no wonder the Romulans refused aid after the fact, perhaps he’d be as bitter as they were if he was in their place.

“You have your orders.” Mike finally added, then he returned to his office.

As he sat down, he tapped a few commands into the console on his desk, cutting off the computer’s ability to log what he was about to do. Mike knew that once Starfleet Command received word of Starbase 349’s secession they would cut off all uplinks with Starfleet communications and stellar cartography, leaving 349 blind and deaf. While he didn’t agree with Liam’s decision to secede, he knew his old friend was a man of principles and he was doing what he thought best for his crew and the Raeyan system. Heck, it was Mike himself that made first contact between the Federation and Raeya people fourteen years ago following their first successful warp flight during the Dominion War…and then aiding in their defense when the Krazzel tried to attack their world.

Mike punched in commands to secure one of Starbase 400’s subspace antennas and point it toward Starbase 349, relaying all Starfleet communications and data transmissions on and encrypted channel. He couldn’t openly aid Riskin, but at least he could make sure they had eyes and ears.

After getting the antenna set, Mike then sent a separate communication to 349, to Liam directly.

‘We stand ready to assist, if we can verify your claims. Please relay any additional information you have to me, and we will pursue things from the inside. I don’t agree with your secession, but I understand your motives and concerns. We’ll be in touch, keep your head down Liam. Signed Bremer, Mike K’Wor, Admiral, Commanding Starbase 400.’

Mike then leaned back in his chair and exhaled. With the current tension with the Romulans, the ongoing issues with Pirates, the recently secceed Federation Colonies within the re-established Romulan Neutral Zone, and now this…Mike wondered what could possibly happen next.

OFF:
(The Starbase 349 events are a part of that simm, and will be an ongoing subplot on SB400…but won’t be our main plot or focus. It’s just always nice to work with our fellow simms!)

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