Romulan Free State/History/Post-Hobus Era

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United Federation of Planets Klingon Empire Romulan Star Empire Romulan Republic Cardassian Union Tholian Assembly Kathesis Pact Other Powers: Breen Confederacy • Dominion • Saurian Empire • Talarian Republic • Rigelian Assembly Romulan Star Empire History Overview Post-Hobus Era Species Profiles ILI: Romulan species ILI: Reman species Military Fleet Ranks Diplomatic Guide SFI Assessment See also: Romulan Republic Edit this nav The following report was prepared by Brayden Jorey, originally published by the Federation News Service. 2387: Catastrophe Hits In 2387, the Hobus Supernova threatened the galaxy. Ambassador Spock stopped the supernova by using red matter to create a black hole, which consumed the supernova. Before he could, however, the Hobus Supernova destroyed Romulus and Remus. "Imagine losing your home. Forever. Once you have that, imagine that not only your home but all of the places you remember growing up. Every plant, every creature, gone, never to be seen again. Then imagine that the great majority of your people are also gone… Now, imagine that your entire way of life, every institution, every tradition, your place in the universe, all of it, was broken into pieces. Imagine the unity you once enjoyed shattered. Imagine that all this was lost, not to time which can be endured, or to an enemy which can be attacked, but in a terrible fire, the betrayal of the same sun that nurtured it all. Now imagine this all happening at the same time. If you can somehow imagine that all at once, then imagine never being able to stop imagining it." — Senator Vreeya, Romulan Star Empire The Romulan Star Empire, a once formidable power, was brought to its knees with the loss of its home world, Senate and the resulting vacuum of a unifying leadership. The federation jumped into action offering aid and assisting any Romulan who would accept their help. However, the Klingon Empire refused to join the relief convoys. 2388: The Year of Internal Struggles Throughout 2388, the Federation, the Klingons, and the Romulans each found themselves forced to deal with internal struggles of varying degrees. The Federation was focused on smoothing relations between Vulcan and other Federation worlds after it was discovered that the Vulcans may have had prior knowledge regarding the Hobus Supernova and did nothing. The Vulcan Science Academy was also criticized for creating and manipulating red matter without consulting or informing Federation authorities. A schism split the Klingon High Council into two camps. Councilor J’mpok led one camp of hardliners who insisted that both the Romulans and the Federation should be made to pay for the destruction of a fleet led into Romulan space by Ambassador Worf. They argue that Worf, a Federation official, led hundreds of Klingon warriors to their deaths and that the whole affair may have been a trick. Chancellor Martok led others who rejected J’mpok’s arguments, and ultimately the Chancellor refused calls to retaliate against the Federation. However, Klingon response to the Romulans was more severe. "The Klingons will offer no treaty, no aid, and no hand that is not holding a blade." — Chancellor Martok The devastation of the Hobus Supernova on the Romulan Star Empire will likely be felt for generations. Infighting among the leaders of Romulan colony worlds continued to divide the empire. Basic needs were being met; however, without a stable government, the chain of command and the remnants of the Romulan military remained in chaos. Federation attempts to help the Romulans establish a new government failed due to numerous disagreements between Romulan colony worlds. 2389: The Klingon Invasion of Romulan Space The Klingon Empire takes advantage of the confusion with lightning strikes into Romulan space. The empire takes control of the Tranome Sar and Nequencia systems in a matter of days, and is poised to strike deeper into Romulan territory. The Klingons temporarily halt their advance when Starfleet sends a fleet to protect the Romulan/Klingon border, but tensions remain high and there are reports of minor skirmishes between Federation and Klingon starships. "We have no ‘relations’ with the Klingons. They see us as prey, now that tragedy has made us vulnerable. We see them as the brutish beasts they have shown themselves to be, time and again. We wonder how many more of us will die, and how many neutral planets will be attacked before you see that, too." — Senator Vreeya, Romulan Star Empire All diplomatic talks with the Klingons have failed. The Federation is told to “stay out of Klingon internal affairs”. The Klingons continue their assault on Romulan held territories. With marginal approval, the Federation Council has authorized the use of military intervention. StarFleet Command has been directed to begin sending ships into Romulan space to aid with the wounded and protect civilian populations. Klingon Invasion of Duronis II Klingon forces, allied with the Orion Syndicate and the Scarlet Brotherhood, attempted to invade and take control of Duronis II. The Klingons employed several ships, the Scarlet Brotherhood and Orion Syndicate also sent several ships – including the Defiant Class vessel the Orion Syndicate and the Scarlet Brotherhood had managed to build from stolen Federation technical information. "My role in the invasion was as part of the fleet that retook the system. I was actually off planet on my honeymoon when Starfleet figured out that something had gone wrong on Duronis II and assembled the fleet. I was put in charge of the USS Rodimus which was due to be decommissioned but was put back in duty for the mission." — Lt Cmdr Alucard Vess Starfleet initially was unaware of the invasion due to jamming of all signals around Duronis II, leaving Starfleet with only one ship, the USS Thunder, and the complement of Starfleet and Marine personnel at the Duronis Embassy to fend off the attack. Once the jamming was neutralized, the USS Rodimus and Rodimus Prime were dispatched to assist. The Romulans also sent ships led by a Romulan Ambassador and likely Tai Shiar operative. "What I remember the most was the sheer overwhelming odds. We were vastly outnumbered and if it weren’t for the creativity of the crew we wouldn’t have made it. Losing the Rodimus’ stardrive section also stands out vividly in my memory. It was near the end of the second battle, the Romulans had just shown up and we got hit with a kamikaze attack from the Scarlett Brotherhood. Luckily we we able to separate the saucer section, but the explosion knocked out it’s power systems." — Lt Cmdr Alucard Vess In the end, Duronis II was successfully defended at high cots. The USS Thunder and USS Rodimus Prime were neutralized, the embassy was badly damaged, and many Starfleet personnel and marines lost their lives. "I think we are going to have some strained relationships with the Klingons for a while. Even though it was a few rogue Klingons, we beat them, which no Klingon will like. They would likely see it as dishonouring their brothers in arms. As far as the Romulans, it’s improved relations, although there is still a level of mistrust between the two Embassies on Duronis II. Without them, we wouldn’t have beaten the Scarlett Brotherhood." — Lt Cmdr Alucard Vess The Kaleh Incident While Federation forces struggled desperately to keep the fragile peace between the Federation and Klingon Empire alive, a small but powerful faction of the Romulan government had their own ideas. Calling themselves the Kaleh (Romulan for “dagger”), this splinter faction believes that the only way to secure Romulan survival is to eradicate both the Federation and Klingon homeworlds. "The Discovery was ordered to investigate Gurab II, a planet run by a Romulan splinter faction called the “Kaleh”, we were not told much about them other than the fact that they were a threat. Starfleet had told us they had Subspace torpedos and so we were to ‘disarm’ them whatever the cost." — Lt. Jorus Cogud The faction also includes a large chunk of the research and development wing of the Romulan military. Starfleet Command learned of the Kaleh and their secret weapon: A subspace quantum torpedo launcher that has the potential to destroy a planet. The USS Discovery is sent to destroy the weapon “at all costs”. Since the exact location of the weapon on the planet is unknown and time is short, Starfleet authorizes the unthinkable-an orbital bombardment that will kill over 200,000 innocent civilians. "This is were things got sticky, much of the crew were not ready to wipe out 200,000 innocent civilians to save the Federation. I however agreed with the Captain in his decision to follow Starfleet’s orders. Unfortunately the divided crew saw the Captain overthrown by Commander Blueheart." — Lt. Jorus Cogud After scarcely defeating intercepting Kaleh forces, the Disovery reached the planet. However, the crew was split on whether or not to follow orders and eradicate the surface of the planet or not. The first officer and the ship’s captain were on either sides. Although the chain of command broke down, the ship’s science department developed a way to counter the weapon and eventually the weapon was located and destroyed. "The resolution really came when we reached earth for the trial. Although the Captain was the only one who was on trial, we all attended, all of us ready to take the blame for what had happened. The trial itself saw Captain Waltas to attempt to give in his resignation, to try and stop him Commander Blueheart attempted to hand in his resignation also. Fleet Captain Turner, who was presiding over the trial, rejected their resignation and told us that we completed our mission admirably, as we did stop the subspace torpedoes." — Lt. Jorus Cogud Battle of Gateway Station The USS Drake came under Klingon attack while assisting with repairs on Gateway Station. The USS Avandar, receiving the emergency distress call, arrived and the Klingon ship withdrew. However, it left a series of gravimetric mines behind that targeted both fleet ships and the station. The Klingons eventually returned with reinforcements. The Avandar focused on stopping the swarm of gravametric mines while the Drake focused on the Klingon ships. Things looked grim until a second group of KDF vessels arrived on scene and engaged the attacking Klingon forces. The Avandar and Drake evacuated the station population and withdrew to safety. "The tension level was high. The size of the Klingon fleet was unknown, we had no idea how many ships were out there. The Klingon’s battle tactics were very unusual, they seemed content to sit and stare at us rather then engage in fighting, and when they did decide to act it was so surprising, the hit and run maneuver, that we all seemed rather confused." — 1st Lt. Joseph Dubeau Though the reasons for the Klingon attack on Gateway station remain relatively unclear, valuable intelligence data on a potential new threat was obtained – cloaked boarding pods. Steps were also taken to develop a new sensor network that would be able to provide high definition observation of the border area and the conflict was prevented from spreading any further into Federation space. The Klingon Invasion of Thracian Space General Ma’Tag, operating outside of the Klingon High Command, organized a fleet to invade and occupy the Thracian System. The USS Victory, USS Achilles, the USS Apollo, and the Thracian Irregular Fleet engaged with the Klingon fleet. Neither side would directly fire at each other. In the end, the Klingons blinked and set off an explosion outside of their warp bubble, creating a massive shockwave. "Far be it for me to judge the entirety of a race, but we’ve seen it before in Earth history and in the history of a hundred different worlds. There is always someone ready and willing to step in where a vacuum exists. In this case, the aftermath of the Hobus supernova presented a prime target to one who might take advantage of a bad situation. The fact that the Klingons don’t recognize the Thracian Alliance, and consider them Romulans as well, only helped to catch the fledgling Alliance in the middle of an already nasty situation." — Captain Kalianna Nicholotti A new Federation protectorate is spread throughout the sector. Though the Klingons are not happy with the new protectorate, and still refuse to recognize the neutral zone alliance, they avoid further attacks in the area in order to maintain whatever strained relations they have with the Federation. "As for the Federation and our relations with the invaders, I personally am wary. For now, there exists a fragile peace, but with little word coming from either Romulan or Klingon space, I am concerned that by the time we hear of what is to happen next, it will be far more problematic than we’d imagine." — Captain Kalianna Nicholotti Intelligent Lifeform Index • Federation Diplomatic Corps • Academy Library

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