THE STATE OF EMPIRE, 2387
STAR TREK: THE NEW ORDER
Peace reigns in the Quadrant. A triumphant Federation has destroyed the mortal enemy of Freedom, the Dominion, and sent it back across the wormhole from where it came, and now stands as the predominant power in the region. Their century-long enemy, the hardfought foe of Cardassia, has been brought to heel and, with an allied - cynics might say puppet - government, they are no longer a thorn on the side of Starfleet. Relations with the Klingon Empire, disregarding the usual border disputes and brazen acts of individual privateers, have never been higher. Even the Romulan Empire, shrouded behind the veil of the Neutral Zone, has been making overtures of peace and reconciliation. Optimistic scholars say that reunification with Vulcan is possible within a generation. And all of this is to the direct benefit of the Federation, which in the wake of the Dominion War has swelled to a size never seen before. In other words, the Federation stands unchallenged in its corner of the Galaxy. It seems that the Eternal Peace, which billions of men and women gave their lives for in dozens of star systems and fleet actions, was a dream that was worth fighting for. It is now not only a dream, but a reality made possible by their sacrifice. Post-War prosperity rings in good times throughout the Federation, as Starfleet returns to its normal mission of exploration after being on war footing for almost ten years. It seems that life, after such chaos and destruction, is finally returning to normal.
But it is soon all about to change.
Disjointed and oft contradictory reports begin flooding the listening posts along the Neutral Zone, the officers manning the post not used to such activity from the usually secretive and paranoid Empire. Not much is able to be made out of the chaotic transmissions, except visions of an Apocalypse drawing near. As more reports fly in, the picture comes into focus. The worst fears of Starfleet are confirmed when a Romulan Warbird decloaks on the Federation side of the Neutral Zone, asking for asylum for their crew:
Romulus has been destroyed, and the Romulan Empire is disintegrating by the minute.
The various client states and slave races once kept in check by the military might of the Emperor are unleashed upon the dying Empire. The Remans, not having tasted independence since Man discovered fire on Earth, raise up the standards of their ancient Kingdom. But there are many claimants to the Obsidian Throne, each with their own men to draw upon. The Nausicaans, the Vronnuks, the Troknai, and the thousand other slave races once subject to oppressive Romulan rule too raise their banners in rebellion, but only time will tell if their struggle for independence will succeed.
The Romulan Government, having been decapitated by the loss of Romulus, scrambles to find itself in the swirling mess of the Empire. A Provisional Council, set up along Federation ideals of representative democracy - or at least a Romulan conception of it - is formed and quickly finds itself in contact with the Federation, seeking aid in the coming civil strife. Elsewhere, warlords with their squadrons roam the Empire, a headless army without a leader or a mission. They tear through star systems, looking for purpose but finding only loot and bloodshed. Rumors roll throughout the remnants of the Romulan Star Navy that, somewhere deep in Imperial space, the Empire continues on with a relative of the last Emperor on the throne, and is preparing itself for the restoration of the Empire.
It is clear to all the powers in the region that the vacuum caused by the destabilization of the Empire can only mean one thing. War is coming. The Klingons mobilize their military forces and begin sending punitive expeditions into the fractured and weakened Imperium, exacting revenge for crimes done onto their people. Squadrons of birds-of-prey and cruisers fly from their bases, bloodlust in their eyes as they descend upon the defenseless Romulan colonies.
Frantically, Starfleet Command mobilizes a task force - comprised of all available ships no matter the age or quality - and sends it to the Neutral Zone to deal with the incoming refugee crisis and, ostensibly, to keep the peace. One of these ships, practically rushed out to join the force, is the USS Vigilance, an aged Ambassador-class heavy cruiser in drydock for decommissioning. The crew is picked from those on temporary duty assignment and those awaiting transfer orders and, with a brief shakedown cruise to the Neutral Zone the only thing to prepare them, are sent out to enforce the Federation's ideals of Freedom, Democracy, and Liberty.
Or, at least, that is what they believe. For the dawn of a New Galactic Order is peaking over the Milky Way Horizon, and it can be stopped by no man.
Setting the Stage
This roleplay begins roughly a few weeks after the destruction of Romulus, as depicted in the first reboot Star Trek movie. The Federation is the dominant power, by a significant margin, in the wake of its dual victory over the Dominion and Cardassia. Much has changed in the culture of Starfleet and the Federation due to the wars of chaotic war and strife, but things are beginning to look bright until this terrible tragedy occurs that, for better and for worse, totally reorients the balance of power in this troubled region of space.
This roleplay will follow the Command Staff - the Ship's Company - of the USS Vigilance. She is an older class ship, rushed out of the drydocks to take part in this operation. This will be the first time these characters will have served together, and it will be the first time they are ever aboard this vessel. The Vigilance is being deployed on a peacekeeping mission in Romulan space closest to the Federation and Klingon border zones. Most of this region of space is uncharted by the Federation and thus this story will feature both the exploration part of Star Trek, and greater political overtones as well.
With this roleplay, it will be a little "unique" in regards to character formation. In this case, I already have character sheets written for the Command Staff, and it would be up to our players to decide on who they would like to play as. Depending on the interest shown, I think we would need to double up. I've attempted this roleplay before with limited results, but perhaps third time is a charm! I will be playing the Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, and Command Master Chief - essentially the Command Triad - but I'll allow the rest of the players to pick who they like the best.
If this gets off the ground, I have a series of "fact files" to depict the true change in the galactic order post-Dominion War in this universe. It's far darker than anyone would like to see. In any case, this completely ignores Picard-canon. I wrote this RP before it came out, and since I wasn't pleased with what they did with it, we'll just pretend like it did not happen.
2x Like
