Athos IV

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File:Athosiv.jpg
Athos IV
Astronomical Location
Quadrant Alpha
System Athos
Physical Characteristic
Classification M
Surface Gravity 0.98g
Moons One
Additional Information
Affiliation Formerly Maquis
  [Source]



One a major Maquis outpost, Athos IV became the last refuge of Maquis prisoners fleeing from Jem'Hadar forces... and the last battleground for Starfleet turncoat Michael Eddington.

Athos System

Athos IV is the fourth planet orbiting the orange star Athos located in the Demilitarized Zone between Federation and Cardassian space. It is located near the fringes of the Badlands, and as such was ideally placed for a Maquis outpost. Its ideal location made it a logical target when Dominion forces, following the Dominion/Cardassian alliance, began systematically eliminating the Maquis.

Climate

Athos IV is enshrouded in fog over most of its surface. Its vegetation therefore needs little direct sunlight to survive, and many beautiful creeping vines rise along all surfaces without detailed root structures, sustaining themselves on surface minerals and ambient water similarly to controlled airponics gardens. The human habitations were mostly in temperate zones that were quite warm, yielding an almost tropical rain forest like environment. However, the Maquis kept their fallback base far to the north, in a colder temperate rain forest area, well shielded from detection.

The fog cover is almost ubiquitous, and visibility is generally limited to between two and five meters. The fog makes thing indistinct, and especially makes ranged combat difficult without sensor support.

Geography

Athos IV is a hilly world, largely given over to rainforests in the rich moisture environment. While not particularly well suited to traditional agriculture, Athos IV was easily adapted to provide for its colonists. The major settlement was in the lush Southam Valley, as it yielded the best combination of Athos' unique flora and more standard agricultural methods. The Starfleet base - later to become a Maquis outpost - was established some two hundred kilometers away in Mount Denton Valley.

The Maquis had a fallback base, only minimally occupied, to be used in case of large scale disasters. This base, atypically, was in a mountainous region with comparatively little vegetation nearby. Because it used ore bearing mountains as shelter and had minimal power, it was nearly invisible to orbital sensors. This allowed the fallback base to go undetected when the main Maquis outpost was destroyed by the Jem'Hadar.

Colony and Starfleet Base

In many ways, Athos IV was a typical 24th century Federation colony world - particularly in the shadow of the Cardassian War. During the early years of colonization, Athos IV kept relatively up to date in Federation technology and techniques, and colonists, while isolated from Federation society, stayed within the norm for Federation citizens.

When the Cardassian War broke out, the Federation reinforced Athos IV, paradoxically improving the technology of the colony as Starfleet's best and brightest were regularly a part of colony life. This changed in 2370, when the Demilitarized Zone was established. Suddenly, all Federation and Starfleet support was withdrawn from Athos IV. As Starfleet technology was removed from their base on the planet, spare parts for what technology remained became scarce, and the embittered populace learned to do for themselves. From this point forward, their technology in some areas - such as their warp capable starships and communications net - remained at Federation normal levels, while their use of "combat" technologies like replicators almost entirely disappeared. As with many colonists in the Demilitarized Zone, they took pride in growing their own food and making their own homes, without the advanced technologies or techniques of a Federation that had abandoned them.

The remains of Starfleet's base became that basis of the Maquis Outpost on Athos IV, turning what little remained there to good use as a resupply depot and safe haven for Maquis ships that fought the Cardassians at every turn.

History

Athos IV was first mapped in 2263 by the U.S.S. Palomar, a long-range survey vessel on the usual Starfleet mission of penetrating ever more deeply into unknown space. The Palomar mapped the distant Class M planet via long range probes, never approaching the system.

The initial colonization of Athos took place 2352, when settlers from the colony ship S.S. Landfall established the Athos Settlement in Southam Valley, named for the colony leader who had organized the trip. The colony took root quickly, growing at a good rate.

The onset of hostilities with Cardassia led to the establishment of fairly well stocked Starfleet base in Mount Denton Valley. It was less than an hour to the Southam Valley by shuttlecraft, and much less by transporter, so Starfleet personnel became regular sights in the settlement. More than one Starfleet officer grew to love the fog-shrouded world, and several marriages and less formal emigrations to Athos IV took place.

With the formal treaty between the Federation and Cardassia, Starfleet was required to remove all personnel, goods, equipment and support from the colony. Several Starfleet officers at Mount Denton Valley base, outraged at the treaty, resigned from Starfleet in protest, formally joining the Athos IV colony. These officers helped form the growing Maquis, and were invaluable in both establishing the Maquis Outpost in Mount Denton Valley and constructing the secret fallback base thousands of kilometers to the north.

As the Maquis prepared to announce their own political autonomy as a galactic power, their Cardassian enemies allied with the Dominion. This new alliance saw the Maquis as the most obvious threat to their own peace, and Jem'Hadar forces swept through the Demilitarized Zone, decimating Maquis bases down to nothing. The Jem'Hadar struck Athos IV hard, not only destroying the Southam Valley settlement and the Mount Denton Valley base, but razing the land between the two, leaving parched soil and lifeless rock in their wake. A very few survivors managed to transport undetected to the fallback base, however, and waited for any other pockets of surviving Maquis to reach them.

When the Maquis had gathered, a message was sent to their leader, turncoat Starfleet officer Michael Eddington, who had been imprisoned by the Federation. The message claimed that a wave of cloaked missiles had been launched towards Cardassia. In an effort to avoid war with Cardassia and the Dominion, Starfleet Captain Benjamin Sisko, the officer who had taken Michael Eddington into custody, brought Eddington to Athos IV to abort the attack. Upon arriving, Sisko discovered the dozen or so surviving Maquis refugees were waiting. There never had been a missile attack - instead, the message had been sent by Eddington's wife Rebecca, to let the Maquis leader know they had made it to the fallback base. Sisko agreed to evacuate the surviving Maquis, though Eddington died battling Jem'Hadar while covering their escape.

Places of Interest

Prior to the Jem'Hadar assault on Athos IV, the most interesting place on Athos IV was the Southam Vallet settlement. Most notable was Fae Waters - a waterfall near the midpoint of the Southam River which, in the perpetual fog and mists from the waterfall, surrounded by climbing vines and vegetation, looked positively magical. Following the Dominion War, a small delegation of former Maquis returned to Athos IV to raise a monument to Michael Eddington and those Maquis who died to keep the Demilitarized Zone free.

After the Dominion War, Athos IV is a shell of its former self, right up until its few remaining Maquis settlers evacuated. Nevertheless, it's likely that some Maquis information, technology, or corpses are left behind. Interested parties might discover that some bit of Maquis information, or a fugitive with important clues, were holed up on Athos IV.

Reference(s)

  • Burns, Eric, Kenneth A. Hite & Doug Sun. Star Trek Roleplaying Game Book 7: Worlds, Decipher, 2005. ISBN: 1582369097.