Back Story

Romulus Explodes

In the year 2387 a supernova in the Hobus system threatened the Romulan home world and capital of the Romulan Empire. After learning of the threat, in a special session, the Federation Council approved immediate emergency humanitarian (Romutarian?) assistance to the Romulan Star Empire.

Faced with imminent destruction, the always tenuous political landscape of the Romulan Empire begins to fragment. Consensus is lost as various factions vie for power. Deals are made and broken in the same breath. Little holds the Empire together in this time of strife. In the confusion, the Federation is asked for assistance. All available Federation starships are diverted to the Romulan system. Those that make it in time evacuate as many Romulans as possible. Those that come later provide emergency medical, food, engineering, and logistical support for the scattered people and their new colonies.

After the supernova and destruction of Romulus and Remus, the Romulan Star Empire falls into ever greater levels of turmoil. The leadership, namely the Praetor and most of the Senate were killed, whether by the star itself, assassination, or accident, it is not clear. With no apparent next in line of leadership, a scattered people, and a massive loss, confusion and fracturing of the empire continues. Who will lead the empire?

Some Senators survived and call for unity behind their own banners. New leaders have risen to replace those fallen. For the most part, the military itself has no clear allegiance to any of these, only unto itself. The Tal'Shiar see a clear and present opportunity to re-make the Empire in their image. The Remans seek their revenge for atrocities both old and new. Member races of the Empire, long under subjugation see a chance for freedom. Some voice hope for reunification with Vulcan, and perhaps even Federation membership. A new figure arises, the Praetor’s daughter Larentia, with clear bloodlines to the Praetor - will she lead?

In this time of uncertainty within the Empire, the Federation acts to provide stability in the region. In its commitment to maintaining a balance of power in the region, the Federation asserts its commitment to maintaining a stable and functional Romulan government. To that end, the Federation openly and publicly acknowledges its support for the Romulan Senate as the legitimate governing body of the Romulan Star Empire and officially recognizes and affirms pre-destruction borders of the Romulan Star Empire and all bordering territories. To support stability, the Federation offers any assistance the Romulans may need.

Over the subsequent months, the Federation continues it relocation and settlement assistance for Romulan citizens displaced by the disaster. Starfleet is ordered to provide logistical support for the Romulan government to ensure it has the resources to rebuild and attempt “normal” operations. All does not go as planned, however, as factions within the Empire vie for Federation aid. It is not always clear who the “official” government might be. As factions compete against one another for Federation aid, it becomes clear that the Federation may be supporting multiple sides of what seems to be a developing Romulan civil war.

To make matters worse, some elements within the Federation openly take an anti-interventionist stance. Whether this is due to long-smouldering disagreements with the Romulan Star Empire or an admittedly understandable desire not to risk the lives of Federation citizens in what could very well be a doomed attempt to aid a potential foe that had been teetering on the brink of implosion for several years, the results are the same – Starfleet must ensure the peace between internal Federation and Romulan factions.

In the mean time, Starfleet sends starships in a peacekeeping capacity to uphold and strengthen Romulan borders. As with all peacekeeping missions, these ships are under sever restrictions regarding when and how they can engage with opposing forces. The Starfleet vessels will not open fire on any ship without being fired upon first, or in clear cases of self-defense. Even with such strict rules of engagement, Starfleet finds itself in a growing number of conflicts with various external and internal powers, as there are those on the outside, that see the weakness of the Romulan Star Empire as an opportunity and seek to exploit the confusion.

Even for the cautious Chancellor Martok of the Klingon High Council, the destruction of Romulus is too good an opportunity to ignore – the old foe has been crippled, its leaders lost and its regional governments bickering for dominance. Only its military poses a problem, and that is notoriously political and susceptible to machinations. Although not officially sanctioned by the High Council, due to diplomatic entanglements with the Federation, the Klingon-Romulan border, sees an exponential increase in Klingon raids against Romulan holdings, ships and facilities, heavily backed by the noble Klingon Houses. A number of Houses make bold attempts to annex Romulan border worlds. Some are successful, others are not. Some Houses and ambitious Klingon commanders encounter Starfleet resistance, but only after provoking the Federation’s humanitarian flotillas into action. These encounters are not supported by the Klingon High Council, as the alliance is still in effect. The main bulk of “official” Klingon forces remain on their side of the border, but are reinforced during increasingly aggressive posturing.

Upon losing a fleet of warships to Nero’s Narada, criticism of Chancellor Martok coerces him into sanctioning a limited series of incursions into Romulan space following the dissolution of all diplomatic agreements between the two empires. Although some individual Houses already engaged in small-scale actions against Romulan territories call for support, Martok and the High Council choose not to split and weaken their forces, opting instead for a concerted, strong attack while those Houses distract the Romulan military along the flanks of the incursion’s route. The Klingons’ main incursion forces move against and attempt to overrun three sectors, but Romulan resistance is intense and the space in question remains a constant battleground for both sides. Individual Houses and commanders continue their raids and military actions against other targets. The areas surrounding Lambda Hydrae in the Romulan Neutral Zone and Tranome Sar and D’Deridex inside the Romulan Star Empire are hotly contested by marauding Klingon commanders. The Klingons are censured by the Federation for attacking Lambda Hydrae, a Neutral Zone star system, but the Klingons persist. The main Klingon incursion takes two routes – the first seizes the Dewa system near the border while the second attacks Nequencia and then Zeta Pictoris. The two prongs continue operating in those sectors, but control over them remains beyond the Klingons’ grasp.

The Breen, always antagonistic towards the Romulan Star Empire, use the opportunity presented by the destruction of Romulus and Remus to gain territory and resources at the expense of their old foe. The Breen wait for the Romulans’ backs to be turned before making thier move. The marauding and invading Klingons and the untrusted Federation humanitarian relief and assistance efforts present the opportunity. Once assured that the attentions of the Romulan military are elsewhere, Breen privateers begin making inroads in out-of-the-way territories previously held by the Star Empire. They set up mining operations on non-strategic worlds and increase the frequency of their raids against Romulan protectorates. They avoid direct military confrontation with the Romulan military, but begin moving additional forces into position for easy deployment against the Star Empire.

Following the stalled Klingon incursion into Romulan space, the Breen begin sending warships on raiding operations against lightly defended Romulan border worlds. Where there is a risk of resistance or ship-to-ship combat, strike wings comprising as many as four warships are utilised to overpower the Romulans. The Breen are unwilling, however, to become embroiled in protracted or large-scale engagements and do not attack or defend against concerted efforts by the Romulan military to repel them.

Nakbal, a world inside Romulan space but inhabited primarily by humans who colonised it prior to the Romulan War and the creation of the Romulan Neutral Zone, becomes a target for Breen privateers, as do several other small worlds. Bidding for independence, Nakbal and other worlds seek to ally themselves with the Breen. The diplomatic talks are condemned by the Romulan Star Empire and viewed with unease by the Federation, which had previously proven unwilling to aid the humans of Nakbal, but neither power is able or willing to intervene. Soon, however, Nakbal and its cohort find themselves invaded and subjugated by the opportunistic Breen, their peoples used for slave labour and their resources stripped. By the time the Romulans, still fractured and fighting against the Klingon incursion, can mount a counterattack, the Breen military machine has moved fully into action and the prospect of recapturing the occupied world is deemed to costly an endeavour.

The Cardassian Union, now allied with the Federation and following treaties stipulating the decommissioning of most of its military, officially respond to the destruction of Romulus with an extremely limited offer of aid. Cardassian Prime and many of its other worlds have yet to recover from the atrocities perpetrated during the Dominion War, and therefore have little to offer by way of assistance. Unofficially, and despite a considerable level of satisfaction with the way in which the Union is now progressing towards a peaceful future, a number of guls and other individuals of interest retain visions of empire and seek to increase Cardassia’s stake in the Alpha Quadrant by asserting itself militarily. This view is debated and rejected by the Union’s political leadership, but openly rogue guls and others who hope to keep their endeavours a secret formulate and follow a hard-line policy against the Romulans – intimidate Romulan transports, colonies or, where friendly numbers permit, Warbirds and starbases; seize Romulan trade goods; seize Romulan transports. In time, some guls begin demanding tributary payments from outlying Romulan worlds.

Other guls, not so much with empire in mind as their own political influence, engage in many of the same activities or, conversely, attempt to rein in the rogues and rebels, often assisting Federation and Romulan starship captains in doing so. The Cardassian Intelligence Bureau, the successor to the Obsidian Order, sees the destruction of Romulus as an opportunity to assert its domination over the galaxy’s covert organisations and, by extension, pave the way for the Cardassian Union to either return to the old ways or continue along its new path. Operatives are dispatched to locate and neutralise their Tal Shiar counterparts. A silent war ensues, but which is the victor is as enigmatic a question as are the participants.

In a bid to have former territories restored to them, the Cardassians enter into a series of agreements with the Breen to reduce the number of ships along their shared border, freeing Breen patrolling ships to move into Romulan space. Although the Federation rebukes Cardassia for this decision, both it and the Union realise that, for a peaceful Cardassia to endure, the resource-rich worlds lost to the Breen during the Dominion War must be returned to Cardassian control.

According to the Ferengi Rule of Acquisition No. 34: “War is god for business.” On behalf of the Ferengi Alliance, the Grand Nagus signs agreements with all of the major competing factions within the Romulan Star Empire. Sole operators seek to make their fortunes in both similar and different manners. At a time when economic certainty is thrown into disarray due to the destruction of Romulus and Remus and the main Klingon incursion, worlds and systems struggle to ensure supply lines remain open. Many traders enter into commercial agreements with a variety of worlds, descending upon their populations and business centres like a rain of latinum. Vast fortunes are made, but competition is fierce and a number of Ferengi DaiMons must resort to acts of piracy and theft to break even. Romulan, Federation, Breen, neutral and even Klingon ships fall foul of Ferengi pirates and recent acquisitions or trade agreements are often forcibly defended from encroachment.

Although impromptu alliances between Ferengi DaiMons and Klingon or neutral leaders crop up from time to time, the Ferengi Alliance refuses an invitation to become embroiled in the Klingon-Romulan war. While there would be considerable profit to be made on short-selling Romulan goods and bonds, thereby undermining the Romulan war effort, the Grand Nagus views it as an act of war and is unwilling to lead his people into an economic war. As with all things Ferengi, however, sole operators are free to do as they please. The Ferengi are the first to identify and attempt to disrupt Breen efforts to occupy former Romulan worlds, but only because they view those worlds as being extremely lucrative. Several DaiMons and traders are successful in their attempts, but others are not and instead must consign themselves to doing business on less-than-favourable terms with the Breen occupiers. Of course there are many other small-scale responses to the destruction of Romulus. Some local powers take the opportunity presented by a critically injured Romulan Star Empire to assert themselves more assertively in regional politics. Some break their treaties with the Romulans, which are sometimes noticed, sometimes not. Some races have or will quickly construct the military capability to expand into territories previously contested or governed by the Romulans. These will be small-scale interventions, and often go unnoticed in light of larger issues. Some races will see an advantage in pooling their resources to present a stronger front to the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, but most notably to the Romulan Star Empire to deter military responses to their actions.

And of course, as with all times of confusion, what seems “normal” might turn out to be anything but…

Rough timeline of events following destruction of Romulus:

0-4 months after Romulus’ destruction:

Klingon raids – small star systems contested, others taken Breen raids – small, out-of-the-way star systems taken Some Cardassian hostilities, including covert actions by the Cardassian Intelligence Bureau against Tal Shiar and other Romulan targets Cardassia sends limited assistance to aid the Romulans Calls for independence from subjugated Romulan worlds like Nakbal Ferengi Alliance signs trade agreements with all major Romulan players; independent Ferengi traders begin making contracts with individual Romulans and worlds; other Ferengi traders make arrangements with Klingons Some smaller worlds and governments ally together to increase their territories at the expense of the Romulans, to ensure their security in the face of Romulan and Klingon aggression and/or to achieve a better position at the Alpha Quadrant’s diplomatic tables Some smaller worlds and governments being expanding independently

5-9 months after Romulus’ destruction:

Main Klingon incursion – Nequencia attacked, followed a few days later by Zeta Pictoris; Dewa taken a week after that Klingon raids – continue along the entire border, particularly around Tranome Sar, D’Deridex and Lambda Hydrae in the Romulan Neutral Zone Breen raids – increase in frequency and scale, often resulting in lightly defended worlds being attacked and some Romulan military targets attacked Breen enter into talks with Nakbal and other worlds seeking independence from the Romulan Star Empire Cardassian hostilities plateau, with individual guls seeking to increase their personal power or to restore the Union to its former glory; Cardassia signs a treaty with the Breen Confederacy to have some of its former worlds restored in exchange for reducing the Union’s presence along their shared border Some smaller alliances make inroads against the Romulans, but most are held at bay; a number of worlds and governments choose to ally themselves with the Klingons while others continue making calls on the Federation to accept their membership applications The interests of Ferengi DaiMons and traders begin running foul of Breen pirates and military, with the analysis conducted by some Ferengi indicating a significant threat to their future earning potential due to Breen initiatives among “Romulan” worlds seeking independence Ferengi piracy rates increase near and just within Romulan space

10-15 months after Romulus’ destruction

The Klingons’ main action against the Romulans becomes more of a massive harassing engagement than an actual invasion, as Chancellor Martok is unwilling to commit to a full invasion until after the mounting political warfare within the Star Empire and its military dilutes the Romulans’ ability to fend off a concerted Klingon push Klingon raids around Lambda Hydrae, Tranome Sar, Nequencia, D’Deridex and Dewa continue unabated, albeit heavily contested, while several Klingon noble Houses and commanders come to blows over disputed conquests Breen raids – maintain their frequency and scale, but meet with greater success in the face of diminished Romulan military capacity Breen betray Nakbal and the other worlds with which they were in discussions and occupy those worlds, using their peoples and resources harshly Ferengi DaiMons and traders make a concerted effort to disrupt Breen activities among the occupied worlds The Ferengi Alliance takes an official stance by condemning the Breen system of enslaving others while simultaneously engaging in trade negotiations with the Confederacy, a move mimicked by many individual Ferengi who have consigned themselves to accepting poorer terms from their Breen trading partners Ferengi piracy levels near and within Romulan territory soar Several smaller worlds and alliances achieve notable, if limited, military and political victories against the Romulans, while others are beaten into submission or absorbed, usually willingly, by the Klingon Empire