t has been now seventy years since the end of the Andromedan invasion that shook the known galaxy at that time to its core. The following series of articles will attempt to give Galactic citizens the opportunity have a clearer view of the events leading from the end of the First General War to the end of the “ISC Pacification program”. The first part of this series will give an general overview of the conflict and then delve deeper into the origins of the ISC and it collective mindset that in time coalesced into the thought that they could indeed attempt a far ranging “Peacekeeping force” for all the known races of the time.
Perspective allows us now to examine those events with a clearer eye and I hope that these articles will allow the reader a better grasp of the conflict that gripped the known galaxy in an iron hand for so long.
A.J.P. Taylor
The ISC became aware of the Gorns and Romulans in Y160 when then energy flash from a battle were detected by a far ranging survey mission. As the ISC are singularly pacisifistic anyway (having found wars to be very unprofitable), their first encounter with the two warring races left a scar on the ISC psyche. They had assumed the development of warp-power would lead all races to a higher understanding based on the realization that there were enough worlds for everyone. The “outworlders” were considered to be dangerously violent and not entirely sane.
The ISC withdrew before they were detected and concentrated on building a defensive fleet. This was a psychological burden on the ISC, but they felt that their neighbors could not be talked to. The ISC developed their tactics in battle simulators before the lets were built, resulting in an integral tactical doctrine and anachronistic ships, such as the Romulan Warbird.
The ISC made their presence known to the Romulans in Y169 when a squadron defeated a Romulan exploratory mission crossing the unmarked border of the Trusteeship Territory. Contact with the Gorns soon followed. Diplomatic relations followed, and ambassadors where eventually sent to the other races. By this time, the ISC had already deployed their border stations and had a secure border. They made it quite clear that they intended to keep their border secure.
They treated both races with the same disdain and considered both races to be dangerous lunatics who could never be trusted. There was never any thought of allying with one agisnt the other; both were considered (metaphorically speaking) to be wild animals that should be kept outside of the civilized areas of the ISC itself. The Romulans and Gorns however, however, constantly tried to enlist the ISC on their side. Two ancient enemies never had enough combat power to spare to make any serious move against the ISC (Beyond responding to their incursions).
As the General war went on, the ISC developed their tactic of moving aggressively to incorporate new territory into their domain, but never actually using aggression. The first ISC movement in Romulan territory occurred in Y186; the first incursion into Gorn territory was only a week later. These incidents were only the first of a series of battles as the ISC, taking advantage of a perceived weakness, began its expansion policy in earnest.
Any unoccupied system near the border was likely to be occupied and tenaciously defended by an ISC squadron, although such a squadron would never try to capture the system from even a single Romulan or Gorn ship. During this period ISC diplomats met with both races, and ambassadors were sent to the Federation and other capitals. What the ISC found shocked them even more deeply. The galaxy had not just two dangerous lunatic races on the loose but, in fact, had at least eight and they were apparently became more and more barbaric the farther they were from the ISC.
During the next 10 years, the ISC became aware of the Orion pirates. Relations were complicated as at least three cartels and several independent operators were involved. Although the ISC did not have any form of alliance with the pirates, and found their activities intolerable in a polite society, they did obtain from them a great deal of information about the rest of the galaxy.
Pirates looked upon ISC territory as a sort of “happy hunting ground” where there was no open warfare and riches were available for the taking. The ISC did not appreciate this attitude and exerted considerable efforts to keep its borders closed and its trade routes safe.
Several pirate has operated in the territory before the ISC occupied it in Y160. While pirates were never ones to explore for the sake of pure science, they were on the lookout for planets with easily obtainable riches. Several “colonies” (to mine for or otherwise extract these materials) and bases were established; the ISC never succeeded in finding and removing all of them.
The ISC attitude toward open warfare reached fulfillment in Y185-186 when the General war reached a final end. Since nothing had been resolved by the 18 years of warfare, the ISC knew that left to their own devices the forces of the galaxy would be back at each others throats within a decade. Eventually, the fighting was bound to overflow into ISC territory. Considering that the ISC had more major ships than any three races combined, they recognized once in a lifetime opportunity to save the galaxy from itself.
The “ISC Conquest” (know in the ISC as the “Pacification Program”) between Y186-188 (during which ISC fleets more or less at will within the entire known area of the galaxy as far as Lyran space) was not a conquest as such., but a self-appointed peacekeeping mission to end all warfare forever. The ISC never actually conquered any major race (and quickly learned to leave the Tholians alone), but they did manage to force the races to withdraw from the border areas. The ISC reasoned that, if they kept th races apart and had enough force to crush anyone who tried to crush anyone who tried to challenge their control, they could keep wars from happening. The Organians who had some contact with the ISC, appear to have provided some limited support to this program. Some analysts are convinvced that there was an informal “arrangement” with the Organians under which the ISC assumed peacekeeping duties. What both the Organians and the ISC had overestimated, however, was the willingness of the carious races to be saved from themselves (or to appreciate the service). IN the end, the two years of peace enoforced by the ISCC (During which warship construction reached a peak) may have given the Galaxy the edge to survive the Andromedans.
The arrival main elements of the Andromedan Invasion in the period Y188-192 caught the ISC forces dispersed across the entire known galaxy; more than 2/3’s of their forces were destroyed before they could concentrate. During the andromedan War, The ISC gradually gave up its previously idealistic philosophy and adapted a gaglatic outlook similar to that of the other races.
Historical battles:
Y185
Accursed are the Peacemakers (SL147.00 CL#15)
The general war ground to a halt in mid-Y185, but the ceasefire agreements and Organian proclamations bring a total end to armed conflict. Political leaders of the various empires were no more ready to discuss the underlying causes than their predecessors had been 20 years before. Warfare had almost become an acceptable way of life. Embittered veterans still carried the scars and grudges of countless bloody battles, while younger officers longed for any opportunity to prove themselves in combat. Fleet commanders were not always willing, or able to restrain their sub-ordinates. In such an atmosphere, border encroachments and interracial incidents constantly threatened to rekindle open fighting.
The ISC watched these developments with nervous skepticism. Though for years they had opportunistically “emancipated” Gorn and Romulan border systems, they refrained from immediate direct intervention after the war to “Give peace a chace”. Disastisfaction with the other empires’ failures to move toward peaceful relations ultimately led the ISC to their program of enforcing the peace.
Even during the interim, the ISC sometimes found forbearance impossible ehen events threatened ISC interests. In one memorable instance, a small ISC task force tried to break up a Gorn-Romulan duel near ISC space. Despite their long standing hatred of each other, The Gorns and Romulans both deeply resented the ISC and its interference. In this incident, they gave the ISC a fortaste of the hostility with which othr races would freet armed intervention.
ISC forces: CS “Mira”, DD “Defender”, FF “shield”
Gorn forces: BCH “Basilicon”
Romulan forces: NHK “Heir Apparent”
Historical outcome:
The Gorn and Romulan ships briefly allied to face off against the ISC force (After the ISC commander had pointedly refused to help wither against the other). Unfortunately for the Gorns and Romulans, their brief alliance could not hold. They succeeded in destroying the ISC frigate, but could not resist opportunities to fire on one another (both having accused the other of firing first). Eventually, the two ships, both crippled, withdrew, leaving the ISC I control of an otherwise worthless area of space
Y186
First Arrest (SH103.00)
The ISC Pacification Campaign (also known as the ISC Conquest) covered two years and 20,000 parsecs, but like all great battles it began with a single step.
In order to delay exposing their intentions as long as possible, the ISC planned to take out the Romulan and Gorn frontier pickets before they could detect the main ISC fleet.. More than a dozen such operations were launched, almost simultaneously, by the dleets that had long patrolled the borders.
The first such operation to begin was an attack by the Escort Carrier Mandate on a small Gorn mining station and the ship assigned to defend it. The ISC captain had orders; destroy the Gorn ship and the ground warning stations without allowing any of your ships to be crippled. The easily replaceable fighters wre expendable but the carrier group (after picking up new fighters) was needed in tha campaign itself
Various factors conspired to make this battle the first in the campaign, since all of the ships near the border were in constant motion. It was according to Galactic Standard Time, only a few minutes before the the other battles were joined.
But this was the first.
ISC forces: CVE “Mandate”, DEA “Conviction”, FFA “Stockade” 8 ISC FSF fighters
Gorn forces: BDD “Whiptail”, 2 PF’s, Small mining and ground warning station, 1 ground based phaser-IV.
Historical outcome (created from playtesting this scenario, not from ADB)
The ISC force commander mindful of his orders, split his fighter force in two and dedicated them to harass the PF’s to allow his force to directly engage the Gorn Ship. The commander had not counted on the bloody-mindedness of the Gorn captain who had realized he was in a no win situation, stayed close to the planet to benefit from the special sensor of the warning station. Realizing the key to the ISC force he concentrated his fire from his ship and the PH-IV on the carrier.
However assuming a static defensive position had deprived him of many tactical options and in short order the Gorn ships was a gutted wreck. The ISC had taken severe damage but along with its consorts pounded the ship until it was crippled. By this time the PF’s had shot their way through the ISC fighters by using the majority of their plasma F’s and were closing on the ISC force. The ISC force concentrated its fire upon the PH-IV and warning station destroying them both. Once this had been done the ISC commander offered to the PF’s terms of surrender. Seeing that their BD and all defensive bases had been destroyed. The Gorns accepted.
Hyperion:
Chapter 2
The following is a piece of fiction based upon the historical basis of the ISC conquest produced by ADB.
From the outside looking the philosophical decision for the ISC to begin its’ “Pacification Program seemed to been haven done without major controversy or soul searching. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Although the ISC is comprised of 6 major races and a dozen or so affiliate members. The actual path from merely tenaciously defending their borders to that of attempting to enforce a peace based o military might was not so easy. The ISC itself had fought many wars while incorporating itself into the nation we know them today. The founding members of the ISC had much like the Federation a difficult beginning in its first contact experiences with each other. In general these wars are referred to a “minor” in most texts published today. However now that the Second Andromedan invasion has been defeated only recently have cultural exchanges been able to examine the origins of what became the “Pacification Program”.
During the years were Earth was recovering from the Eugenics wars and was beginning to encounter races such as the Tellarites, Andorians , Centaurians and Vulcans. The Isc development was somewhat slower. Though warp drive had been established slightly earlier than most of the early Federation races in Y63. The primary founding race of the ISC, the Veltresai made use of this power for space exploration but for planetary use. Warp Reactors were placed in orbit around key power production. Although they did have exploration ships in service this was more out of a curiosity than any real desire to expand their race with new colonies. However what the Veltressai hade not fully expected was the dramatic rise in their population in the following 2 decades after the development of cheap power. The original population of 15 billion in Y60 had nearly doubled by Y85 to nearly 27 billion. The sheer effect of this population on this planet led them to begin serious survey missions in around their immediate vicinity of space.
It is important to note that the ISC had never created a national policy (or thereafter a ISC policy) of the Prime directive. Noting that the arrival of warp power had in all cases benefited their own race, when encountering new races who were technologically inferior to that of their own culture, the Veltressai had no compunction about contacting these new races and beginning the process of boot-strapping these races up to the equivalent of the ISC. Upon seeing the suffering these races had endured who often were at pre-industrial age technologically. The Veltressai would often leave a large team of advisors in place to instruct these new races on how to improve the quality of life on their own planets. As the population of the Veltressai homeworld was still massive, the dedication of hundreds of thousands of their people to assist these developing races was not seen as a burden, but in fact wholey beneficial to them in that their influence was increased and the strains of the population of their world was eased.
The first contact of the Veltressai with a technologically equal race came in Y95. The Rovillians were an aquatic race that had through use of their psionic abilities been able to bring themelves to much the point the Veltressai were only a generation previously. The primary advance for the Rovillians had not been warp power originally but and advanced form of cold-fusion. Something of which the Veltressai had never fully mastered. Though the Rovillians vessels were comparably crude by the Veltressai’s standards the sheer effort involved in having an ocen going race able to launch themselves into space exploration delighted the Veltressai and immediate cultural and technological exchanges began.The Rovillians being a primarily telekenitic race with advanced psionic powers made the exchange much easier due to the fact that the Veltressai were slightly psionic of themselves.
The next race that the Veltressai and Rovillians met however would nearly bring them all to ruin. The Korlivilar were a bipedal , feline race of hunters that had developed a culture of forced inclusion for all races that they met. Korlivilar vessels were highly mobile and very well armed. First contact occurred in the orbit of a neutral planet that the Korlivilar had discovered a 20th century technological race that the Veltressai had established one of their boot-strapping missions. Upon detecting the use of warp power the Korlivilar made deep scans of the neww additions to what should have beeen a relatively easy conquest for them. Maintaing low energy emissions the Korlivilar managed to evade detection from Veltressai sensors and reported back to their fleet headquarters that they had encountered their first warp powered race.
The news back on the Korlivilar homeworld electrified their fleet commanders. The chance to incorporate new technology from what seemed to be a equal race was an opportunity that they could not pass up. Gathering a force of 6 ships the Korlivilar came into the system with no pretence of peaceful contact. Seeing that no Veltressai ships in orbit the Korlivilar immediately began to land troops on the primary Veltressai centers. The Veltressai themselves had never in their experience encountered another warp powered race who had use the blessing (to their way of thinking) of warp power for a campaign of conquest. When contact was lost with their mission a small squadron of 4 ships was sent out to investigate. When the Veltressai squadron entered the space of their former mission, the sight shocked them. It seemed that the Korlivilar were masters of assimilation of foreign technology. In the short time that the planet had been under control the entire planet was ringed with defensive platforms and dozens of minefields.
Upon reaching communication range the Veltressai received a message from the Korlivilar that this planet and it surrounding 5 light years were now incorporated inside the Korlivilar protectorate. For the first time the Veltressai were thrown into a position of a possibly no-win situation, the citizens of their own race were still on the planet determined by scanning and deserved to be rescued. Not to mention the promise of peaceful advance given to the inhabitants of the planet when the Veltressai first arrived. However the Veltressai commander faced a deeply troubling situation. If they Veltressai force attacked it would be a given that the Veltressai and the Korlivilar would be at war. Something which was incomprehensible to the Veltressai. The commander also realized that she was essentially out of contact with her superiors and any messge to them would be days in arriving and further delays in response. Not having a great deal of time the factors that decided the issue for her was the fact that there WERE Veltressai on the planet, presumambly prisoners, and that the Veltressai had promised their new charges the ability to avoid the growing pains many races encountered in dixcovering new technology. She ordered a message sent detailing the situation and her decision
The order to offer battle was given.
The fighting that followed was both brutal and instructive. As a rule Veltressai ships were not encouraged to fight battles. Though their vessels were moderately armed no concept like combined fleet manouevers had been thought of much less practiced. However the Korlivilar being an aggressive race, they had made fleet manouevering part of their tactical doctrine from the beginning. The Veltressai commander new from scans that though the Korlivilar defence were formidable she felt that she could defeat them. What she didn’t count on was the Korlivilars determination to keep their new planets and the will to do anything that allowed them to retain it. The Veltressai force slowly encroached into the defensive fields surrounding the planet, they began the process of picking away at the mines and laser platforms. However during this time the Korlivilar had launched waves of high yield nuclear missiles at her force. Not expecting this, one of her consorts was crippled in the blast of a huge nuclear explosion and immedialty fell out of formation towards the planet. The spotty communication from the stricken ship indicated that it had lost all helm control and was headed directly for the planet. There was nothing that she in her power could do (Tractor beams would be another 35 years in developing) Upon realizing that the Korlivilar meant to use every weapon in their arsenal to beat back the Veltressai force, she all at once realized that her entire force may be lost and was faced with the decision to launch selective strikes on the planets with non-nuclear warheads to eliminate to missile batteries. She ordered the launches.
Having waded their way through the Korlivilar minefields they gun crews on the Veltressai vessels did their best to pinpoint the location of the launches the remaining Veltressai forces launched their own missiles at the Korlivilar defenders. The effect was both quick and devastating to both sides. Not having had any reason to perform simulate planetary bombardment the Veltressai attack was poorly aimed and most of the missiles were intercepted and destroyed by automated defensive batteries from the planets surface. However several did make it through and destroy their tagets, what the Veltressai had not counted on was the fact the Korilvilar missiles timers had failed to give their own weapons the time to activate before they detonated. Upon hitting the Korlivilar batteries, a series of high yield nuclear explosions began wracked the planets most heavily populated centers. In the ensuing chaos hundreds of millions of the planets population were vapourized and entire cities were leveled. However worse followed soon after, the ship which had been crippled previously was unable to prevent its entry into the atmosphere of the planet. To the horror of the remaining Veltressai crew, they witnessed helplessly, the uncontrolled run-away matter-antimatter reaction of the hapless vessel inside the atmosphere of the planet. The theortical effects of such a occurance had been postulated by the Veltressai and safeties had been built into their ships, due to the ship being crippled left them unable to eject their warp core previously. The effect of this cataclysm was far reaching as it was final. The force of the blast literally pulled the mantle of the planet to pieces. Any surviving members of the Veltressai mission and the planets original inhabitants were killed as the planets core be came unstable and massive earthquakes and tidal waves rolled over the planet. Killing every living thing.
The Veltressai had the unenviable and horrendous honor to be the first of their race to watch a planet die in front of their eyes. There was no one to save the entire planet was either aflame or underwater, there were no survivors detected by scans. The Veltressai were stunned by the horror. After a long period the Veltressai commander ordered her vessels back into their formation and began to leave the now deactivated defences and set course for their homeworld at maximum speed.
Upon the arrival of the remaining Vletressai forces back the homeworld. The report of the squadron commander would forever change the policy of the Veltressai forces, and although they didn’t know it then. The history of the known Galaxy
Hyperion:
chapter 3
The following is a piece of fiction based upon the historical basis of the ISC conquest produced by ADB.
The return of the Veletressai squadron back to their homeworld sent waves of fear and anger through the populace and the Veltressai parliament. The Prime Minister and his cabinet arranged a direct debriefing of the ISC squadron commander. She indicated that there seemed to be no set policy that would have allowed her either to withdraw or engage the enemy forces without bringing the Veltressai into what seemed some certain level of conflict with the Korlivilar. The duties of the Veltressai their own kind on the planet and the promises the Veltressai Government to assist the planets inhabitants with their goal of assisting them in attaining the benefits of their advanced technology. Left her with the only option of attempting to rescue their own brethren and conducting some sort of interrogation of the Korlivilar as to the nature of their race.
The Veltressai had abandoned large-scale conflicts centuries before as they semi-psionic nature of their own race allowed them to resolve the majority of the Veltressai conflicts long before the need for open warfare was required. The images of the destruction taken from the ships computers and her original communication confirmed her decision, but they still couldn’t understand what led to the immolation of the planet. Various proposals were put forward, that the Veltressai people should end their program of boot-strapping races and concentrated on building more of their own colonies. That the Veltressai should begin the distasteful process of finding the Korlivilar and eradicating them as they seemed to be nothing but parasites. The knowledge of the loss of hundreds of thousands of Veltressai on the planet in question could not be hidden from the people for too much longer, perhaps only a day. The government had to come up with an explanation of what had happened and what their plan of action would be. However no real consensus was reached as to what to do. The External Affairs Minister broached the idea of bringing in the Rovillian ambassador for their view of the current situation.
The choice of the current Rovillian ambassador had not been done by chance. Originally an award-winning scientist before she went to head their own governments’ Science & Technology department. It was felt that the exchange of technology would be advanced by having her take the position of the Ambassador to the Veltressai. Upon her reaching the Parliamentary buildings she was briefed on the current situation and the events that led up to it and honored by the fact that the External Affairs Minister had thought of her, for a clear statement she would have to contact her government, however, on her own personal opinion she felt that all the right steps had been taken in the right order. Her own personal belief was that it was the sheer violence of the Korlivilar, which had prompted the apocalypse that had unfolded. Further though not having direct contact with own government she felt that the Veltressai could count on the full support of the Rovillians.
Further she advised a halt to the boot-strapping program and the implementation of defensive platforms on all current projects. That being said it was vital that she contacted her own Government and receive their official policy.
The Prime Minister and his cabinet drafted a public statement to the current situation for the news media. That a Veltressai “program” already well established on the planet in question had been out of contact for several days and the Veltressai force sent to determine why the outpost had ceased communication. Had discovered that the Veltressai and planets native population had been invaded and conquered by a race know as the Korlivilar. During the attempt to free their own people and the population from the occupying force, that by unforeseeable circumstances. The Korlivilar weapons had damaged and crippled a Veltressai vessel. The remaining ships took the decision to attempt to eliminate the Korlivilar weapons stations. During the course of the conflict these stations had exploded devastating the planet, further that the crippled ship had fallen into the atmosphere and destroyed the planet completely. The government was committed to determining the threat and defending all Veltressai everywhere.
The news of this tragedy rolled through the population……
Nearly 200 light years away on the homeworld of the Korlivilar events were taking a much different route. All during their advancement the Korlivilar had been an aggressive race. Descended from feline stock the inherent attributes of their earlier primitive lifestyle had maintained their hold even through various ages of their civilization. However the intercine conflicts, which ravaged both the Kzinti and Lyran, races during this time period. The Korlivilar had been channeling the desires outward rather than inward for almost a century before their first contact with the Veltressai. The family ties that permeate the Lyran and Kzinti race were magnified a hundred fold on Korlivilar. And also due to rapid birthing process that Korlivilar females have the population was both large and invariably interconnected. The racial characteristic of extreme aggressiveness was thus not turned in to civil wars as the case with the Lyran and Kzinti peoples. But an overriding realization that they best way for the individual, the clan, and the race was to be the very best that they personally could do. Personal combat was not the true measure of a male, in fact the Korlivilars had achieved sexual equality long before most in the Federation did (This may have also had something to do with the fact that the female was usually on the order of 50 kilos larger that the average male) The Korlivilar began their early space exploration in earnest but very soon they had been blessed with something that neither the Veltressai or the Rovillians had during the early space exploration. In approximately Y-20 radio telescopes had detected regular emissions from a target within their system moving at a very low sublight speed
By this time the Korlivilar had been extensively colonizing their own system and sublight travel was become everyday. Radioing one of the mining outpost stations on the edge of their system they were able to have one of the transport/resupply tugs to intercept the target. The concept of extraterrestrial lifeforms had not been such the controversy as it had been on earth. The Korlivilar had taken it as a given that other races were out there and they would eventually meet them. So, when the transport finally came within range of the mystery target, it was quickly revealed that it was in fact a derelict ship on low power. Examination of the ship showed severe damage and the majority of the vessel was uninhabitable, but the warp core was intact and was providing a trickle of power to the sub-light drive and communications systems
The discovery of this ship revolutionized the thoughts of the Korlivilar. No serious research had put into the possibility of faster than light travel. The opportunity to literally pick apart a warp-powered vessel opened a whole new set of possibilities to the Korlivilar. Instead of spending generation traveling to new systems to being the process of colonizing new systems, the time factor could be reduced to months. (As a footnote after the defeat of the Andromedan Invasion and relations were normalized, it was revealed to Federation historians that the ISC had determined that the vessel was a Jindarian Frigate that had encountered a Space amoeba) The downside of this technological windfall, was that virtually all research in others areas was redirected towards copying the technology from the ship. Within 5 years the Korlivilar had amassed a rather large fleet of colony ships and their own well-organized navy. The Korlivilar then began the expansion of the territory.
In the hundred years since their original Korlivilar fleets had sailed forth to add to Korlivilar influence. They like the Veltressai encountered several races. But unlike the Veltressai, the Korlivilar had little to offer these races in terms of technology and in fact just the opposite was true. Upon first contact with any race, the Korlivilar would present themselves as the dominant power in known space and offered the race in question the chance to join the Korlivilar’s sphere of influence and protection for a small price. This was the standard offer and was in fact vital to the Korlivilars survival. With the advent of early warp travel and waves of colonizations. The strains of the need to keep up the pace of expansion were slowly pulling the Korlivilar’s economy apart. Research and development for the systems that were normally found on Veltressai and Rovillian ships had been delayed. The necessary developments of warp astrogation was never developed properly and huge delays were encountered in warp travel for the need of the ships in question to come out of warp and take readings using antiquated computers, linked with optical telescopes. In fact there were essentially two class of Korlivilar vessels warships and transports, the first being little more than ships with warp drive and guns with only armor as defensive system, the latter being only a slow warp drive and a large cargo volume. Armaments wise the Korlivilar had for generations had only nuclear radio guided missiles as their primary armament.
As a result of this path. The natural tendency became to glean as much technology as possible from races that they had incorporated and use them as innovatively as possible, the Korlivilar became experts at modifying existing technology. . Buy the time the Korlivilar encountered the Veltressai on the planet where their boot-strapping project was under way. The Korlivilar had grown to encompass 6 individual pre-warp systems of varying technological levels and a dozen small colonies in another 4 systems. However the strains on their economy was beginning to pull apart the social fabric of their race. High taxes and high unemployment had done to their treasured family structure what nothing else could, dividing the extended families and turning the aggression that once looked out and bringing it back in. The discovery of the Veltressai project on a late twentieth century planet, was a godsend. Never before had the Korlivilar encountered another warp capable race, and the mere possibility of assimilating new technology from the Veltressai stations promised to solve all of their problems at once. If they could adapt the Veltressai technology to their own purposes the seemingly insurmountable problems faced on their homeworld could be resolved without ceasing the expansion throughout space. Not to mention the fact that there would be thousands of Veltressai scientists of all types to squeeze information out of, that could lead to many more advances.
The original force of 6 ships that the Korlivilar sent to take over the planet easily accomplished their mission. The Veltressai were taken into protective custody and the interrogations began. It was also realized that the Veltressai had regular communication schedules with their own command. And that it was reasonable that a Veltressai response would be coming to investigate. The Korlivilar began deploying orbital laser batteries and primitive minefields. While deploying their ships missiles with ad-hoc launchers on the planets surface. However the original squadron could not remain, as more & more lately every vessel was needed to bring more raw materials back to Korlivilar to keep the economy from totally breaking down, and also they took any piece of Veltressai technology that want nailed down and began to load it upon their ships. Within 48 hours the Korlivilar ships were on their way home.
The arrival of the Veltressai force shortly thereafter was not a surprise to them. What was a surprise was the willingness of the Veltressai to fight. During their interrogations because of the language failure, they had failed to recognized one of the primary philosophies of the Veltressai. The general idea that the Korlivilar had of the Veltressai was that they were in fact dedicated pacifists. The actual matter is that thought the thought of interstellar warfare (or any warfare for that matter) was abhorrent to them. The dedication to their program and an unshakable belief that a Veltressai promise to one of their “project” races would be carried out to the full. Like the Veltressai the Korlivilar had never fought any sort of interstellar war at all. Basic fleet tactics were practiced but due the limited technology available to the Korlivilar, however, these were more an offshoot of the pack mentality of their race than any tactical benefit of squadron tactics.
The Korlivilar having made their tragic mistake of misinterpreting Veltressai intentions gave the Veltressai no choice but to do there best to free their people and the inhabitants of their “project”. The Korlivilar seeing the Veltressai force close to point blank range decided that global bombardment was inevitable and began throwing every weapon they had at the Veltressai in the hope of a quick and decisive victory.
On the Korlivilar homeworld a great sense of trepidation gripped the race. The end of transmissions from their occupation force threw the high command into a frenzied effort to determine why contact had been lost. A scratch force of 3 warships and one transport was dispatched as soon as possible towards their new planet. Upon arrival, to their overwhelming horror they soon realized that the entire planet had been destroyed. Not just major population centers. But literally the entire planet had been destroyed. No life remained and no life could ever again live on the surface. For the only time in their collective existence and entire world had been destroyed, and apparently for the first time. The Korlivilar had met a race with the will to do what even they had no thought of even attempting, total warfare.
What the Korlivilar, Rovillians and Veltressai didn’t know, was that they were being watched
Hyperion:
Chapter 4
The following is a piece of fiction based upon the historical basis of the ISC conquest produced by ADB.
This is an ongoing history project from Dr. A.J.P. Taylor IV (Phd.)
The Qnaabians had been in space for nearly two centuries. There overwhelming majority of the advances of this race had been made more than500 years ago and had achieved space flight approximately the time that Henry the fifth was using wooden fishing boats to transport his army across the English channel to finally make his claim for the French throne.
The Qnaabians were and are perhaps the mostly loosely organized of all the races Federation historians and scientists have ever encountered. Naturally curious and with a zeal for researching the history around them had allowed them to bring their race in a peaceful social structure while Terran and Vulcan cultures were still embroiled in Royal and dynastic wars that would still consume them for centuries more. The most intrigueing aspect of this race is that although they posses a high order of respect and discipline within their race, their seems to be an almost total lack of central government that has characterized other races final amalgamation and entry into serious space travel. Unfortunatelty for the Qnaabians this desire to “See what was over the next hill” would keep them from advancing much past the early warp driven vessels that were common during that era. The need to learn so much from those that inhabitated space around them would tie up maasive research teams for decades , and their Qnaabians own Research and Development would fall to the wayside in the fervour to learn as much as they could about everything else
For centuries the government which ruled Qnaabia were much more designed as what Federation citizens would recognize as more of the ruling body of a powerful university than that of an interstellar government. In addition much like the Federation the Qnaabians had a primitive from of their own Prime directive to guide them in their research. It was strictly forbidden for any Qnaabian vessel or citizen to contact any other lifeform either sentient or not under any circumstances. The overriding desire of the Technocracy of Qnaabia was to simply observe and collect as much information about the galaxy around them. The natural course of history must flow. As a result of this edict ethods were put in place that would promote a way of life that would allow the Qnaabians to do their research in the most covert and hidden ways possible. A single vessel could spend years in space simply remaining in a single system gathering and catalouging data from races that had no idea that they were being monitored.
As most military and scientific historians will know that during this time that warp drive and the ships they were based on were terribly primitive as compared to todays common Late Second Generation and prototype Third Generation ships. Even today the few remaining “museum ships” of the Space Control Ships and early “X” ships which are on permanent display in orbit around Mars, are unable to hold a candle to the vessels that the United Starfleet sails today. However during that time vessels lacked even the modest of achievements, Tractor beams and Transporters were still decades away from general use and Armor was the primary form of defence for all the races warships. However the Qnaabians in the desire to remain concealed from those that they had studied the Qnaabians had developed over the decades an electromagnetic masking system for their vessels. When either in “warp” space or on sublight travel this “masking” system would be in operation at all times. An perfect analogy would be from the ancient Earth Nation-State of the United States of America. During the late twentieth and early twenty-first century this nation has begun what was termed at the time a “Stealth” program. In that sensors fitted upon military aircraft and warships would close upon enemy detectors like then primitive radar and sonar of the time, read the electromagnetic signature of those detectors and mimic those same electronic characteristics with the use of special enamels, sensors, broadcasters and even the primary shape of the vehicle in question.
The Qnaabians had brought this level of “Stealth” technology for beyond that state but still used it’s same basic principles. To monitor the race in question, and use their own detectors against them to allow the Qnaabians to mask themselves and conduct their research. The Qnaabian’s would often spend decades studying a single race and their preferred method of observation would be to begin by placing their ships and certain light year distances from the planets in question and monitor the radio wave and other forms of transmission that would eminate from the planet if it all. Then slowly close on the planet until they were actually in a far orbit.
However, that would change when the Q,naabians encountered the planet on which the Veltressai had established their “boot-strapping” team. The procedure had been going as per normal operating procedures when the Qnaabian vessel listening to the usual transmissions when they began to detect sub-space transmissions from the planet. For the first time in their recorded history a race had been observed using not advanced transmissions but the concept of using “warp” characteristics to communicate. For the Qnaabians’ it was a milestone, and it electrified the crew on their on the vessel. Upon the detection of the transmissions it was decided by the ships captain to remain as long as reasonably possible but that a report had to be made to the homeworld. That contact with an Interstellar race had occurred. Estimating that the race in question sensors were likely to be just advanced as their own. The Qnaabian vessel withdrew to a nearby dense asteroid field and took up a passive detection stance. The events that followed during the next few days shocked them. Not only had they found one, but two apparently highly aggressive interstellar races who were beginning the process of an involved and highly intense period of conflict.
The destruction of the only inhabited planet in the system was deeply disturbing for two reasons. First was that it was clear that these races were terribly violent, the other was that it soon came clear that the Qnaabians had the only true account of what had really happened at the planet. When the two opposing forces had completely left the system the Qnaabian vessel immediately activated their masking system and set course for their own homeworld at maximum speed, and decades ahead of their projected time of completion for the survey. The report from the Qnaabian captain immediatley presented the ruling board of Governers of Qnaabia with the difficult task of how this would affect their future operations with regards to their own non-interference policy. The choices were to observe the coming war and it’s effects on this area of space and it’s cultures. Or to take other measures wither overtly or covertly to influence the tide of this war in some way.
Qnaabian historians had always known that contact with “Warp” capable races would happen eventually. And there were in fact certain protocols in effect to determine the proper course of action. Yet the factors that would allow them to use their policies to guide them toward to the proper solution were lacking. For a race of historians , the Qnaabians knew next to nothing about the two races involved and had only began the laborious process of attempting to decode the transmissions they had intercepted. Not to mention the fact that these races very likely could present a clear and present danger to Qnaabia itself. The Board of Governers was in a moral crisis. For hundreds of years the Qnaabians were content to simply watch other races from afar with no concern as to how these races may affect the Qnaabians themselves.
After no small debate it was decided that after an interval some form of intervention would be required. The crossroad had beet passed when they would have the luxury of simply observing and other actions would have to be taken. The issue of how to put forward their action. The Qnaabians knew the real course of events that took place on that fatefull planet and they feverently hoped that with their knowledge they could help avoid an all consuming war for both sides by sharing that information. It was decided that two envoys would be sent to both races and give freely of that information in the hope that the two races could find their way to peace.
However as with all things Qnaabians , the actual planning of this took time. For them it was hard to overcome centuries of conditioning when great swathes of time were available to make a plan for this. Even though in their eyes the preparations for such a plan would take a short amount of time, months would pass before it was put into action. Events of the War between the Veltressai and the Korlivilar however would take on even more sinister aspects.
Hyperion:
Chapter 5
A Brief History of the ISC conquest Part 5
A continuing series presented by A.J.P. Taylor IV (PhD).
Ever since the disastrous events from First contact of the Korlivilar and the Veltressai, the high commander of the Korlivilar forces looked upon the last 3 months with a measure of both satisfaction and deep concern. There were 4 more engagements of Korlivilar forces since the fateful first meeting and in every one of the Veltressai forces had defeated them every time and gained 2 new systems and a single forward base captured during combat. However, at this time he had made a ominous briefing to the Ruling council. Although it was clear that the military victories although impressive, had in fact accelerated the economic crisis that had always loomed of the Korlivilar horizon. For decades the Korlivilar had been keeping it financial and social head above water by simply assimilating weaker lower technology races and stripping their planets of collective wealth. Yet recent experience had been serious shock to the Korlivilar culture, the war against the Veltressai had brought the Korlivilar culture to the brink of ruin.
It had become clear that no matter what the recent acquisitions of Veltressai systems and bases, the logistical cost of attaining these were several times higher than the value gleaned from stripping the Veltressai’s former possessions. No matter how efficiently he managed his supply and support system it was becoming clear that in a matter of months. The Korlivilar must achieve final victory, or face the fact that his naval forces would be immobile from a lack of fuel and parts. In his report to the council that has been preserved to this day, he makes it clear that these were the only two options that faced the Korlivilar. The Korlivilar high commander was an extremely intelligent and thoughtful being (Somewhat out of the norm for his race) he accurately estimated both the military and financial resources of his race and his report was flawless. The only solution to the current military problem was more efficiency.
From the Veltressai point of view, the war with the Korlivilar had been an unmitigated disaster. In every key engagement with Korlivilar forces had been turned into a rout of Veltressai forces. The reason had become clear very clear after the loss of the first Veltressai protectorate boot-strapping world. In the first engagement the Veltressai captain commanding the force to investigate as to why they had lost contact with the now destroyed planet, had shown both courage and determination to take free planetary wards. Unfortunately for the Veltressai she was one of only a handful of commanders and officers who had shown this spirit. After action reports of the first three serious engagements had shown that not only had the Veltressai fleet commanders been unable to maintain control of their respective squadrons, but in fact a strong trait of indecision and fear had permeated the ranks of the Veltressai Navy. With having effectively eliminated the concept of warfare from their society, the shock of being drawn into a interstellar war had demoralized Veltressai to the point where the effectiveness of the fleet had been brought to a mere fraction of its actual power. The Chief of the General Staff made his report to the leaders of the Veltressai and it made for disturbing news.
Essentially, the Veltressai forces were becoming unable to carry out any significant strategic operations. With the morale situation as it was, there was no possibility of regaining the systems and the base already lost. And if fact it was concluded that it would be all they Veltressai Forces could accomplish to retain ownership of their own homeworld. The only way to regain the initiative in the current war was that Veltressai forces must brace themselves to the current conflict and fight in a concerted effort and to do that , the morale of the Veltressai armed forces must be raised significantly. Regrettably the time constraints of the war did not allow this program to be carried out. Reasonable timelines even stretched to the minimum amount of preparation indicated that 6 – 8 months would be required to reform the current military structure in order to provide a credible defense to protect their space. With the current situation, the strategic situation was grim. Nevertheless the General staff began to implement what they felt were the key points in the plan in the hope that a positive effect would take place
It was something with appropriate irony that the Q’naabians were able to finally bring a resolution to what promised to be a shattering war for both sides in this unintended conflict.The ISC as a political body it can be said had its roots deriving from this particular moment in time. Both, the Korlivilar and Veltressai were fighting an interstellar war that neither one of them had the resources to fully complete.
The war itself went into a period of stalemate on both sides, though neither one of the two races could gage the reasons for it. The war diminished into a series of skirmishes and no strategic centers were subject to attack on either side. In many cases this would be seen a political opportunity to be exploited to bring an end to a costly war. However political contact, non-existent to begin with had not grown perceptibly during the hostilities. In fact no ambassadors or Embassies whatsoever had been established. Mostly for the reason that neither on of the races had a solid idea to send them as the homeworlds location were unknown to each other.
A more sisnister product of this leveling of the conflict produced a problem that was unseen by the participants involved. During the time of the de-escalation of the war plans on both sides to reform their armed forces had been given time to have an effect on both logistical structures. The Korlivilar Chief had instituted draconian measure to ensure that his fleet and ground forces had the necessary supplies to prosecute the war. The Veltressai Command had effected their plan to reform the officer cadre of their navy by careful selection and evaluation, the political leadership had put in place a informational campaign raising the awareness of the war to that of racial survival akin to that used by the old Terran Soviet Union during Earths Second World War
Both of these pans in of themselves were entirely proper for both races in order to achieve what they hoped was a final victory over an enemy that neither one truly understood. However the actual effect was that if the combatants were re-engage in accentuated battle again. The losses on both sides would likely have left both races economically, militarily devastated.
Six months after the respective plans were put in place and their effects began to be felt by both the Korlivilar and Veltressai. The Q’naabians had finally made their decision to act. It was felt that a small contingent of Q’naabians would be sent to each side of the conflict with news of just who they were fighting but original files of the first battle between the two races. It was hoped that once the Korlivilar and Veltressai had a clearer understanding of what had actually occurred that their present conflict could be brought to an honorable end for both sides
The final battle between the Korlivilar and the Veltressai occurred approximately 5 months after the respective armed forces had begun their reforms. A great deal of progress had been implemented on both sides. The Veltressai with the technological help of the Rovillian allies had developed a primitive warp powered probe roughly the size of on of the General Wars fast patrol ships. These units although expenisive for their duties were unmanned and by the installation of a single use warp drive were able to achieve warp speeds of 5.5, far faster than anything in either navy’s order of battle. On of these probes was sent on a course that was to maintain surreptitious scans of an asteroid region in the Delta Ophuici area. At the time it was thought that it may be a future forward base for Veltressai operations in order to finally locate the Korlivilar Homeworld.
Immediatley upon arriving the small probe vessel began to send scans back to the Veltressai command and the files it showed made for deep concern. Inside the asteroid It was seen that a large force of Korlivilar civilian units were operating inside the field. It was not the first time that Korlivilr units had been observed but it was the nature of the operations that drew a cloud over the Veltressai. Previously civilian units were seen as part of the scavenging of captured areas and were noticed that they often had a lack of command and control, inappropriate units were tasked to certain tasks with the resulting analysis that the Korlivilar logistics system was in a poor state of control.
However inside the field it was noted that a new level of organization had been brought into the supply side of Korlivilar supply system. Both Advanced mining and freight control seemed to have been brought to a far higher level than thought possible. Quickly realizing this, the command authority on Valtressai looked at this as both a threat and a chance to deal a serious blow the Korlivilar forces. The Veltressai had been given far more time than they believed they would have to begin reforming their own armed forces. A review of command officers was working excellently, Officers and captains who showed a lack of firmness ad confidence in their recent actions were reassigned (It should be said that many of these same officers felt relieved on re-assignment, for them warfare was still a repugnant way of life) and other officers who showed traits of aggressiveness and confidence were promoted in their place and trained incessantly.
With a new ability to prosecute the war, Vletressai Admirals organized a sizable fleet to not only destroy Korlivilar forces. But to achieve a vistory that would finally allow them to come to final grips with their enemy
The Korlivilar themselves had nearly achieved their own pans of reforms. The Chief of Staff instituted hard measure within the military. No longer would family ties and foolish actions be tolerated for simple self-aggrandizement. Perhaps the most far-reaching reform was that to the logistical system. Previously the supply aspect of the war had been relegated to insignificance because of the previous thought that stripping occupied worlds of technology and resources would suffice to support their armed forces. During the initial review it was very easily seen that this method not only didn’t help the Korlivialr but also, in fact hampered their overall efforts. As a result members of the logistical end of the armed forces were granted as much stature as their front line members and strict guidelines were drawn up and forcibly enacted.
Also, new plans were created to not just strip useful material from other races but also to develop independent sources of materials, and the logistical arm of the fleet was given this task and was well carried out. Mining, convoy and repair crews were highly organized and their efficiency rose dramatically. One if its most prized operations was in the Delta Ophuici asteroid field. High concentrations of valuable and easily attained ores were being rapidly processed and transferred to various Korlivialr supply points. Because of this the Korlivilar armed forces laid out a defense plan that would ensure that this mining operation would be well protected and would eventually serve as a perfect forward base for probing missions.
The Kolivilar Command then amassed to then what was it largest fleet to date. Nearly thirty-one vessels of all types were dispatched to the mining field over the course of a week in a slow and steady rate. Which in retrospect simply made the final situation far worse. Four days after the Veltressai probe arrived in the field its unstable warp power source finally fused and it ceased transmitting long before Korlivilar naval units began to arrive at the field
The Veltressai were anxious to bring their new Naval might to bear and strike a serious blow to their enemies and pave the way for a final victory. Twenty-two vessels were gathered and given their operational orders. As with all military orders verbiage made the orders seem much more complex than they actually were. Taken to their essence it became “Destroy everything in sight no execeptions” and the fleet meant to do just that. A few days after the original transmissions the Veltressai fleet left the orbit of their homeworld to finally carry the battle their enemy.
Most asteroid fields are not comfortable places for beings to be, as the majority of starship crews would agree. Delta Ophuici even today would leave most navigators with some anxious moments. Highly saturated with asteroids of all sizes the shifting landscape is a menace to all vessels to enter. Korlivilar units however had with careful work sanitized a section of the field so that their mining operations could work in relative safety. When their naval units arrived it was perfectly sensible for them to take up station inside the area to guard it and to prepare for their own probing missions.
The Veltressai themselves had noted the unusual dense nature of the field as well as the clear center that the Korlivilar had prepared. When the Veltressai task force arrived in methodically made way toward the center area to destroy the Korlivilar units there. Sensors and scanners then are not what they are now and the first clue that things were not as they seemed was when Korlivilar ships began to detect Veltressai units appearing at the edge of the clear area and moving quickly forward. The Korlivilar immediately gave orders for an interception course and to engage the hositle forces. The Vetressai Admiral in charge of his fleet although surprised and shocked at the enemy forces vied against him, for the first time mass panic did not settle upon the Veltressai fleet present, and he meant to offer battle. The reforms instituted by both governments had a telling effect on this battle. Kolivilar forces were better armed and better prepared than ever before , while Veltresai units had achieved a level of discipline and coolness under fire never before seen.
Because the attributes of the asteroid field itself, quickly the nature of the battle took on that of scorpions in a bottle. Neither side was willing to affect a tactical retreat outside the field to organize a counter attack. Both fleets engaged at close quarters with even the Korlivilar freighter units throwing whatever they had into the fray. Forced docking and boarding actions were common and serious hand-to-hand fighting broke out on many vessels. The Veltressai were shocked at the forces arrayed against them, equal shock was felt by the Korlivilar by the sheer ferocity of the Vletressai attack. Units on both sides were destroyed not only by weapons fire by the asteroids themselves when they were forced to the edges of the safe operating area. The battle itself took the better part of twelve hours, however in the end the Veltressai had their victory, yet it may’ve been better for them not to have even tried. Of nearly 65 vessels both civilian and military only 5 Veltresai vessels remained in any sort of operational state. and one Korlivilar ship escaped Approximately 25,000 crewmen on both sides had perished and the core fleets of both sides had been savaged.
The Veltresai Third in command (Both the Admiral and his Commodore had died with the immolation of their respective vessels) ordered one of his vessels to exit the field and transmit the situation report back home, including the cost of the victory they had achieved.
On the Veltressai and Kolivilar homeworlds events had developed that would not only bring an end to the conflict but the genesis of the Interstellar Concordium. The Q’naabian had quietly observed supply and convoy routes and scanning commincations had discovered both homeworlds. Using the masking screens they bypassed the fixed defences and upon orbit revealed themselves to both races. The initial reaction was that their respective enemies had finally located them and launched an attack. However as hard as attempted they were unable to actually get a solid locks on the craft sending tier messages. The Q’naabians well aware of the level of paranoia that they might encounter although they were transmitting requests for discussions wisely maintained their screens. Eventually even tempers prevailed and it was understood that it was not their enemy they had on their hands , but yet another interstellar race.
The Q’naabians brought essentially two messages with them. The first was the actual events that took place on the Veltressai Boot-strapping project and provided files to the effect. The second was that they felt that due to the nature of the war between the two that it might end in destruction for them both. Initially both races were extremely hostile to not only the Q’naabians but raised the level of ire towards their enemies to new heights. The Q’naabians offered to be ambassadors to both sides, this was about to be bluntly refused when the reports of the battle at Delta Ophuici began to filter in to the respective homeworlds. Many conflicts only require a moment of contemplation to be brought to an end, this is what both the Korilivilar and Veltressai were given, looking upon the new losses they seized the chance to return to their normal lives.
Eventually a peace treaty would be signed between the Korlivilar and the Veltressai and within a few years this peace treaty would evolve into a self-defense pact between all of the races. The seeds of the ISC were born of this seemingly poisonous fruit. During this time trade and cultural mission would grow and with it the recognition of the similarities of the ideologies of the races involved. Twenty years later the ISC as we know it would be born. And a new directive became the main philosophical mainstay of ISC forces. New races could be added to the Concordium but only should they be at a lower technology level. They would be incorporated and the new additions would benefit from their entry and the ISC would gain from its access to natural resources.
Over time there would be a few races that wished to have nothing to do with the ISC, the Concordiums plan for this was not to occupy said systems, but to blockade them. If these races wanted access to leave their own systems they would first have to join the Concordium and share its benefits and responsibilities. This would be a system that would serve the ISC well for over a century. Until they Met the Gorn and the Romulan in Y160….
A history of the Interstellar Concordium Part 6
On ongoing historical project presented by AJP Taylor IV
Many members of the Galactic Races of the time expressed extreme shock and worry at the sheer resources of the ISC when they launched their “Pacification” campaign in early Y186. The fact is that at the end of the First General War, after nearly 18 years on unremitting warfare, all of the major races were either bankrupt or near to it, with a variety of consequences resulting from this fact. Most notable was the then Romulan Star Empire that underwent a violent civil war with the end product being the birth of the Romulan Republic. Many other races underwent both political and ideological reexaminations after the armistice of Y185.
The fact is that among the Alpha sector races the ISC were in a unique position to exploit the systems within their own sphere of influence. The ISC to observers of the time would seem to have taken the middle road of all the other Galactic races in terms of how they dealt with new planetary races that they would encounter. Inside the UFP races that had only achieved warp power would be contacted and offered membership and the trade agreements that followed were carefully crafted to have as little possible social impact as possible, thereby slowing the exchange of resources on both sides. In the Klingon Empire any and all races met would be subjugated by force, reports at the time indicated by the Empires’ logistics branch that there was little or no resistance to the efforts to glean as many resources as possible. This was in fact true, however native planetary races under this totalitarian system rarely worked efficiently, and of a comparison of worlds the Federation often achieved better results on a case by case basis.
The ISC after the treaty of Delta Ophuici would begin a process of greater amalgamation than thought possible. With the cultural exchanges that took place over the years following the peace treaty and the formation of the ISC itself it was realized that, although some differences did exist, the main goals of finding newer lower tech races and forming a co-beneficial series of trade agreements with them. A major effort to expand this goal would be launched 10 years after the signing of the treaty. New survey vessels would be sent aggressively to expand their space and identify new avenues on enriching the ISC.
Whether it was a new race to be brought into the ISC itself or simply uninhabited planets or asteroid fields. ISC crews were trained primarily towards of the gaining of strategic materials that would assist the ISC in general. This could take many forms from agrarian worlds or highly valuable minerals. The overriding mission was to raise the standard of living for all ISC members over all. It should be noted that of all the lower tech races met some level of social distortion did take place. And the effects of high-level technology did in some cases have desultory effects on the lower tech races encountered. However these were seen as merely the price to be paid for economic growth an peace inside the ISC..
The leaders of the early ISC were very much aware of the cost of warfare and the need for vigilance. But in the decades that followed the Treaty of Delta Ophuichi the threat from other starfaring races seemed to diminish with each generation. And generally the ISC fleet would feel the encroachment of the desire of the political leaders for lower defense budgets and more efficient manners of accomplishing goals. 50 years after the signing of the treaty the final effects of this desire could be displayed by the ISC fleet. Virtually all the vessels would be best described as critically under armed vessels that if matched against their galactic counterparts would have little chance of surviving the engagement much less leaving victorious. This being said the tools that their fleet possessed were more then adequate for their stated mission
The scars of the terrible war had left the ISC with a resolve to never find themselves in a position of lacking information of the space around them. Every vessel accepted into service with the ISC fleet was required to have both of these technologies installed a standard equipment. One of the keys to understanding the ISC of that time is to fully realize the effect of their first inter-galactic war had on the psyche of its citizens. While new races were always being sought out, he ISC fleet had standing orders to quell violence on any possible member world they encountered, by force if necessary. ISC fleet members were in a general representation, pacifistic, some of them virulently so. Upon the fleet encountering new races an evaluation of the subject race would be done, the goal was to measure the level of inherent pugilistic behavior of the system in question. Upon the introduction of themselves the boot-strapping teams would begin the process of imposing peace on the planet.
This method of growth would serve them well. The economic aspects of the program were not ignored. Although it was felt that the ISC fleet was more than capable of conducting all the necessary operation to complete the amalgamation on new systems within the ISC itself. The majority of the logistical ends of these plans were in fact hired out to private firms to provide the supplies and day-to-day needs of the crews, in fact a select few entire boot-strapping teams were entirely private enterprises.
Even to outsiders the ISC might appear to be a “closed” economy, for it was. The normal effects of a closed economy had little or no effect upon the ISC as a whole. Trade was increased between all member races. It was in fact accelerated artificially because of the boot-strapping mission themselves. The ISC was by chance given almost one hundred years to build their culture into an economic powerhouse. By the end of the time of the first detection of Gorn and Romulan forces in Y160 their economy was equal to the top three Galactic races The lifestyle of the average ISC citizen began to go up and continued to go up right up until the moment the Andromedans launched their terrible strike against the ISC in Y188.
The shining lights of ISC technology that was unmatched by any other Galactic vessels until the advent of First Generation “X” Technology. The designers of the ISC fleet and the desire of the political leaders met together in the further development of Sensor and scanner technology and intense development of the Q’naabians “masking” system. The Federation had always considered themselves to be the masters of sensor technology, at that time they paled in comparison to the abilities of ISC units, the “masking” device was further developed to allow ISC units to approach unknown threats with the greatest of secrecy, unlike the Romluan “Cloaking Device” this apparatus was strategic only. Should another vessel close within tactical distance the ISC ship would appear but only at far shorter tactical ranges than most Galactic vessels.
The first detection of battling Romulan and Gorn forces on the outer rim of their own space marked a point in the change of the ISC outlook. The ghosts of thier previous conflict had left the ISC with the indelible thought that if warring parties could be brought together, the differences could be solved without the need for degenerating into interstellar warfare. The original ISC vessel was little more than a lightly armed police vessel. Better described as a ship designed to guarding against navigational hazards than entering into serous conflict. However its sensors were the best in the known galaxy, and the evaluation from the raw data revealed weapons on both sides of unimaginable magnitude, these would be later determine to be Plasma torpedoes of the “G” variety and type “1” phasers. By way of comparison the ISC vessel in this case possessed nothing more than type “3” phasers and no torpedoes whatsoever. It was theorized by the technical branch that these advanced weapons would easily destroy any planetary ecosphere they were launched upon in sufficient numbers, which wasn’t that much.
The report of the ISC Admiralty to the ISC council presented a daunting one. For the first time in almost one hundred years the ISC has discovered not just one race , but two. And in possession of weapons that could sweep the ISC fleet aside with negligible effort, in short there was nothing that the fleet could do about it at this time. This news caused a split within the ISC leadership. One faction desired that the ISC close it borders and hide it existence from these new races and continue its own internal efforts to improve the infrastructure within their own borders. The other faction harkened back to the days when the Q’naabians had taken the brave move of revealing themselves to bring peace to both the Korlivilar and Veltressai. The Q’naabians themselves finally broke the deadlock within the leadership.
It was clear to any that saw the data that ISC forces were not only incapable of intervening directly, but were unable to prevent the conflict from spreading into ISC space itself. Their proposal that although as distasteful as it was new weapons programs would have to be made as soon as possible. In the meantime a surreptitious program of observation would begin
A small core of vessels would be tasked with the goal of learning as much as possible about the two new races, with the final goal of determining in how to bring the warring parties together for a honorable peace. Q’naabian crews once again volunteered for this mission and it began immediately. It was realized that contacting the Romulans and the Gorns was out of the question in the short term, therefore the smallest of scout ships were sent quietly in what was guessed to be alien space to monitor ship movements and to examine communications as they grandfathers had been doing for hundreds of years. All during this time the information from the original scans would be added to those gleaned from the new missions from the Q’naabian vessels. They would be used not only to measure both of these new races but to help in the weapons development program that was laid down by the High Council.
Bureaucratic resistance would eventually take hold, although the Q’naabian efforts would go on. The new impedance would be dedicated towards a new and powerful defensive fleet and a strong line of base and battlestations would be constructed along the border. Official contact would not be made for another nine years when a Romulan squadron inadvertently strayed into Concordium space. Ambassadors were sent to both the Romulan and Gorn governments to establish official communications. Embassies followed quickly to the other major races. The news that was given back by their Ambassadors provided even more ill news; there was not just two dangerous violently aggressive races, but at least a dozen. No mention of course was made of the fact that the ISC had been spying on these Gorn and Romulans for almost ten years. It was during this time that a general hardening of its own philosophy took place. The ongoing reports generational warfare amongst all the races led the ISC to believe that the best thing to do was to simply let these other races go on with the process of destroying themselves. This at the time was the majority view, however at all times there was a strong minority feeling that the ISC should provide leadership in helping these races come to final accommodation with one another.
The eventual shattering of the idealistic philosophy of the ISC can be properly be ascribed to this point, the process itself would take decades Official contact would bring with it new viewpoints to the cultural outlook of the ISC. With official contact piracy soon followed. The ISC spent considerable effort in eliminating pirate activity in their space and were largely successful. However with the pirates came creeping corruption inside bureaucratic offices and to a much smaller part the Fleet. The perfect isolationism that the ISC had created for themselves was being eroded, much how a mountain can be eroded by a rushing river, the process was slow but inevitable.
By the time the First General War had begun it was felt that although the information provided by their Embassies was valuable. More raw data was desired. The original Q’naabian project had continued throughout this time was expanded. In most cases the races being observed had no knowledge but discovery was a forgone conclusion. A cover story was created to explain why Q’naabian vessels were to be found in far off areas, but it was felt that this would in fact lead to suspicion by the other races. So a version of the actual truth was to be given if needed. By this time the major races were although aware of the ISC, the point that was highlighted by the ISC leadership was that the Q’naabians were simply extremely curious and had a desire to simply record the cultures of as many different species as possible. The only thing kept in confidence was that the Q’naabians were also evaluating the overall military strength of the other major races in light of thier own philosophical goals and outlooks.
To the other major races it was of little concern. The First General War had consumed the minds and hearts of those involved. The presence of unarmed civilian vessels (Which the Q’naabians used) seemed to present them with no threat and they allowed them to continue their historical research, even the Klingons saw little point in resistance, their entire energies were pointed at surviving the ongoing war. The Q’naabians made a point of never proselytizing to those species they encountered, the remaining shreds of their own Prime directive prevented them from doing so. This served two purposes; it allowed the ISC leadership to have a clearer view of the effects that the First General War was having on the races involved, it also allowed them in time to develop plans should it be necessary to protect the ISC itself.
At some point the records are not clear the Q’naabians had their first contact with the Organians along the Federation-Klingon border. The Q’naabian crew, which contacted the Organians, would spend their remaining years in close interaction with the inhabitants and would learn a great deal about them. Primarily the information they learned from the Organians was much that had been given to both the Klingons and the Federation. That the Organians were once corporeal beings like all others and had undergone cataclysmic wars that had brought their society at the time to ruin. Entire species were decimated as a result of these wars and after the fall of their civilization. They had turned towards introspection of their own selves, after millions of years achieved a level of consciousness that allowed them to dispense themselves of the physical shells they once occupied.
When, first contact was made by the U.S.S. Enterprise (NCC-1701) under command of the Federation Captain Kirk. They had entered into their final stage and were in the process of leaving this particular galaxy, the reasons for this never became clear but by the time the Q’naabians contacted them only a handful of Organians were left. The peace treaty imposed on the Klingons and the Federation was only meant to allow these two young races to give them a moment of contemplation in the hopes that a true friendship would grow in its place. However as more and more Organians began to leave the power of remaining to continue to impose that peace began to diminish. The recorded ability of the Organians to immobilize entire fleets of vessels in fact took a great amount of effort to conduct and was limited in scope as shown by their ability to enforce their will only within the narrow demilitarized zone know as the Federation- Klingon Neutral zone. By Y170 events around the galaxy had in fact gone beyond even their own remarkable abilities. In violation of their own Prime Directive the Q’naabians began to relate the experiences of their own race and the development of the ISC as it was now, and over the years the ISC began to have greater and greater contact with the Organians eventually official contact was made. It was the Organians according to records that survive from that date that first proposed the idea of the ISC taking a greater role in the coming conflict. The Organians had expressed deep concern that the ongoing First General War would in the end destroy all the current civilizations, and they deeply hoped that they could avoid this.
The political split that first appeared back in Y160 had generally stayed at the same state over the intervening time, with those favoring isolationism maintaining their power base by steadily proving that they alone were the guardians of a prosperous future for the ISC.When the contact between the ISC leadership and the Organians grew further, the points that the interventionists had been making for years began to have more impact on the leadership. This of course was kept from the general public, for the average ISC citizen the possibility of the current conflagration entering into ISC space was quelled by the comforting thought that the ISC had been constructing a considerable self-defense force. With an economy that had been running at full force for decades with no serious losses or opposition the fact that the ISC fleet was over three times that of any of the galactic races combined gave the ISC as a whole the mentality that of a philosophical high ground. Which were all the more obvious for those of the other galactic that had the rare opportunity to meet a member of the ISC.
By the year Y175 the interventionists had gained power within the ISC and the contacts between the ISC and the Organians began to grow. Within a standard year the stage would be set
Hyperion:
Chapter 7
A history of the ISC part 7
An ongoing historical project by AJP Taylor IV
In Y175 the ISC as a collective group experienced a moment of epiphany. For over a century the leaders of the ISC had been able to maintain a long and unbroken time of unspoiled prosperity inside their own nation. Learning from their own experiences of Interstellar conflict they had imposed upon themselves and their member races an idyllic time of peace and expansion at seemingly no cost to themselves either financially or morally. On an individual level the vast majority of ISC citizens were if not supremely content then at lest they were at lest very content with their lot. From the inside looking out, they observed the other known races constantly at each others throats with the inevitable drain in riches and more importantly, lives.
While the major races of the galaxy were now involved in perhaps the most destructive in the Milky Way, the citizens of the ISC itself were enjoying unmatched by any race anywhere during any point in recorded history. Crime, a major factor in the disintegration of any nation was virtually non-existent within the borders of the ISC itself. Education had been brought to every sentient being within the ISC so that for one of the few times in the Alpha Quadrant literacy to the university level had been brought to one hundred percent. Poverty and disease was a concept that was not understood since it had been eradicated over two centuries ago. Wealth for it owns sake although not unheard of inside the ISC had been given over to the increase of knowledge not only for one’s own sake but also for the ISC itself. Most citizens truly strove for the betterment of the family, their community and their nation
These ideas are accepted as given in our culture today in a more expanded sense that we seek the best possible future now, not only for our respective nations, but the sector as a whole. Perhaps the best way to look upon the ISC is to relate once more to ancient Terran history in the Nation-State of Germany. The racial idea of “Volk” used by the Germans of that time emphasized the improvement of one’s self in order to benefit the state. Although the ISC had never developed a tyranny of Germany’s Third Reich and it’s attendant discrimination and murder of Jews . The general thought inside of the ISC was that there’s was the perfect blend of state and individual, both benefiting and growing.
To this time the ISC had managed to curtail nearly all pirate activity inside their sphere of influence, raids on the level seen in other nations was unheard of inside the ISC. However they did rarely occur and perhaps the most profound examinations of the ISC of that time came from the diaries, personal letters and official logs of the pirates who were able to operate inside the ISC. To be sure they were never many pirates inside the ISC at any one time and often pirates would send “Scouting” missions inside the ISC under the guise of tourists in order glean as much information on possible targets. The impression sent back by these teams is of a nation supremely confident not only in their abilities on both a personal and as a whole, but that of arrogance. It was a calm, gentle arrogance brought forth by the fact that ISC citizens truly thought that they were the supreme example civilization and that all the other races had failed in a critical step of maturity. And that they all could learn a great deal from the ISC and the way it functioned if they only listened.
While these thoughts and ideas formed the basis of ISC ideology a new thread of ISC involvement in Inter-galactic affairs was being woven unbeknownst to most of them.
Y175 would prove to be the turning point in ISC political affairs, the ongoing split within the ISC had come to a head with the extensive contact with the entities know as the Organians. It was through these contacts that a general sea change in the out look of the ISC people began to change, overall they were now beginning to think that merely setting themselves apart from the rest of the Galaxy was not the proper way for the ISC to continue. For decades the ISC had incorporated new races within itself with a mixture of both the carrot and stick approach and had found it in all cases to be supremely beneficial to themselves and the new races that they encountered (to their way of thinking). The philosophy of the interventionist faction began to make a deeper impression upon the average citizen.
Instead of merely standing by and allowing the other known races slaughter themselves, new ideas began to germinate that as opposed to simply watching in horror as hundreds of millions died in what to their minds were senseless bloodshed that they should take a more active role in educating other nations in what to them was a truly civilized to live. When these ideas were put forth before by proponents of the interventionist faction within the ISC government they were often met the gentle smile that one gives when listening to someone with severe mental incapacities. However as more time passed and new information from the Organians were filtered down to the public. A new respect was developing for those who put forth the idea of saving the Galaxy from itself
Knowing that both time and fear were working with them, the leaders of the interventionist faction began a both subtle and effective campaign of convincing the populace that their own way of life was imperiled by continued abstinence from the ongoing First General War. The immediate effect of this was to drive voting citizens away from the interventionist cause. However with patience and carefully crafted “information” campaigns from both politicians and respected members of the intelligentsia. More and more people began to believe that the best possible way to maintain the ISC way of life was to bring an end to conflict everywhere once and for all.
He idea of enforced peace was not a new one to the ISC as witnessed by their own history. However it was the first time anything so grand a project was contemplated. Instead of merely one technologically inferior race being incorporated into the ISC, by intimidation and blockade. The interventionist party proposed imposing the peace on all of the know races. Perhaps with the intention on brining them within the fold of the ISC
To members of the Federation, Klingon Empire or Gorn Confederation ,an idea such as this would be seen as madness. With more than enough problems within their own nations, the thought of conducting a Galactic wide peace keeping mission would be dismissed at once.However to ISC citizens whose culture embraced peace at all costs (including conflict) although daunting seemed entirely attainable.
The battle for the hearts and minds of the people of the ISC would be waged for years. The increasing acceptance of the model of the interventionist faction could be detailed by the larger and larger numbers of members of this party sent to elected office bringing with them the central core of their philosophy. There was no censorship within the ISC, although the news of outside affairs was certainly colored by their own views. News of the General War was brought home to ISC citizens on a daily basis not only but their own news services, but significantly by the respective news and propaganda organizations of the warring races. In general these reports, instead of generating sympathy for the nations in the conflict created an even greater desire for it all to come to an end.
As a result for the first time in Y175 the Interventionist faction gained a majority inside the ISC government. Officials from all the levels of the government began to effect a change on the stated policy of the ISC. Now with a mandate from their own people the ISC began to actively co-operate with the Organians on a plan that would bring about a final peace. The Organians has developed Psycho-History to the highest level and the information related to the Q’nabbians pictured a grim future for the known Galaxy. The current General War would last until the Y185 when all the of races involved would agree to an armistice out of sheer exhaustion, however the underlying causes of the war would remain. Immediately after the signing of the various treaties all of the races would then begin the process of rebuilding their nations. Not, as they hoped with a new outlook of peace, but a driving determination to finish the conflict that they had been forced to cease. Previously non-aggressive races would begin to change their political outlook. The Klingon Empire would raise their drive for conflict until the concept of honor was cast aside in the drive for vengeance, even the Federation would succumb and become perhaps the most tyrannical of them all. Abandoning its open manner the Federation would eventually conquer the rest of the races until the pressure of maintaning too would lead to its own destruction.
An examination of the official records indicate that to begin with the original desire of the ISC was the hope that although the picture of the future given by the Organians was bleak, that the warring nations would realize that continuing the war would only lead to suffering and chaos. The fervently hoped that cooler heads would prevail within the various races, providing them with the opportunity to understand the course that they were taking would destroy them all, and that peace would follow.
Hyperion:
Chapter 8
A History of the ISC part 8
An ongoing project by AJP Taylor IV
Years after the First General War ended and the second Anromedan invasion was defeated there remained some measure of confusion about he role of the Orgranians in the First General War, or lack thereof. A common misunderstanding of the races of the time was that the Organians had lost their interest in the warring races and absolved themselves of the attempt to bring about an enforce peace upon all the parties.
Organia today is little more than an abandoned world on the fringe of both UFP and Klingon space. Even though the world is a prime colonial prospect neither government has entertained any idea of attempting settlers there. Five years ago this author took a sabbatical from his daily professorial duties in order to explore this idea by traveling directly to Orgrania. It was then much as it is today what was once something of a tourist Mecca for peace activists has now died away completely and the entire planet exudes an aura mysteries unsolved. In the year that followed I spent the time researching my latest effort as well as I could with the hope that being on the Planet that was the source for the ISC conflict that some of the essence of those times would fine their way to me.
The Organians themselves had not often been seen in the years since the end of the First Wave of Andromedan Invaders and never since. Serious by most Governments to contact them had been made to no avail. Although the possibility of direct contact with the Organians in my mind of the time had created some amusement for me, the actuality of it occurring didn’t. Nevertheless 18 months after I arrived, Aylebourne did in fact present himself to me. Even with the UFP now nearly twice its original size since First Contact with the Organians, true contact with Omnipotent beings is rather rare outside of the “Q” continuum. Unlike the reports of the “Q” I was surprised by the rather pedestrian way I was introduced to Aylebourne by having him knock upon my door and ask to come in and talk.
The priceless opportunity to have first person Organian views of that conflict had been given to me and I resolved to make the most of it. A prevailing view of the races then was that the Organians were nothing more than interfering, though powerful “snobs” who forced their ideas upon the Federation and Klingons. Then becoming bored with the seemingly unending hostility of those two moved on to other projects. What was unknown then and really not suspected was that the Organians were a race in the final stages of transition. The original reports of the USS Enterprise (NCC 1701) indicated that no more than 3 Organians were present at any one time. Their ability to immobilize the fleets of both nations was certainly something to be respected. And in the end result The Federation-Klingon Neutral Zone was created.
As most will recall the terms the Treaty that either side could colonize within the Zone and they would compete in a non-military matter to prove who could provide the best way of furthering growth within the Zone. Few will recall that some military action did in fact take place within the zone, raids took place and escort actions in response would occur. Not always but enough of these actions took place to create small doubts within the Federation Council and the Klingon Emperor to question the ability of the Organians to police their “Zone”.
This was never proven conclusively but Aylebourne related the truth of the situation, although Organians possessed vast power their ability to control events were stretched to their limits just within their Zone and with other problems that were facing them at the time. As said before no more than 3 Organians were observed at any one time and the truth is the Organians at that time numbered no more than twenty. And the Nuetral Zone that they had created turned out to be only one of the situations they faced at that time. As a race that was on the verge of finally shedding their old lives and move onto the final phase of purest thought and energy, how they decided to effect that change was surprisingly not settled upon by the members of their race.
As some will recall from the Y150 to just after the First General War random disappearances of vessels would take place. The connection was never made at that time that with the lesser involvement of the Organians inside their Zone was immediately preceded by a jump I the number of vessels of all races that vanished without a trace. This likely would never have been discovered but for two factors. The first was the logs of a certain Captain Deth O’kay of the Hamlicar Cartel of the OPC Hammerfield. Apparently his ships and other all of all other known races were being abducted and forced into death matches against one another for the pleasure of a race know only as the “Masters”.
The correlation between the higher vessel loss in far flung sectors and the decrease in Organian activity in their sector was never noticed and has remained an obscure fact till now. The truth is that the “Masters” were in fact Organians who had decided on a different destination for the final evolution. The Organians were faced with two potentially devastating situations. With their Psycho-History they had divined the impending General War, they also realized that with a group or Rouge Organians left unfettered they could cause unlimited harm. Neither one of these situations could be ignored, either one of these situations would require the full attention of the remaining Organians for years to come. In Y175 the Organians to their own admission would be given an opportunity to hopefully deal with both problems. Official contact was made with the ISC. Although the Organians viewed the ISC with something bordering between amusement and alarm they realized that with the ISC they their best hope of eliminating the rouge Organians and containing the First General War.
The Psycho-Historical model they had calculated was still valid, however with the willingness of the of the ISC to act as their proxy in the known galaxy the resolution of the First General War would come out differently. A carefully constructed plan had to be created for the ISC in order to influence the events of the General War in order for the races to come out at the end not to be Tyrannies bent on revenge, but with the honest thought that all the races involved in the war had been fortunate to survive a long, bloody and ultimately useless war where billions had died. The Organians never revealed to the ISC that their idea that they would be the saviour of the known galaxy would be a construct to further the Organian plan
Ravok:
:)Thanks Hyperion that was out standing!!!!! please keep it coming :)
I loved it so much i printed the page for future reference.
el-Karnak:
That was a really good read. Made me proud to fly ISC again. :D
I guess there's no hope to include the Meskeen in these stories?
Can't wait for more. :D