[MSNPC] General Byu'I'Vera - Empty Words
EmpressKitsune
(( Briefing Room, Zumaris High Command ))
Byu'I'Vera: We are aware that the space around us is not friendly. It was decided that the safest option was to avoid faster than light travel, to not become a target. However contingencies were made to try to keep our defenses comparable. However the UAW showed that we were still far behind. We have also had contingencies, aware this was a possibility, but they did not prove effective as we would have hoped. So we developed a new weapon to disable their ships through exploiting their bio gel packs. Our goal when it comes to these conflicts is to try to make ourselves too much trouble to bother. I hope you can understand.
Aitas: Quite. But in this case, I fear that you have made yourself too much trouble not to bother.
Byu’I’Vera nodded, it was a possibility to consider, however that didn’t change their current circumstance regardless.
Moore: Explains the design of your city’s defenses. It is a CQC maze from hell for any invaders, where ambushes could come from any direction. Cause enough casualties that it makes an attacker think twice. Good in theory until you have something they’re willing to pay the price for, at least until you hit them with something bigger.
Or until they dealt with species with transporter capabilities and complete orbital support. The design is from an antiquated age, and not their main source of defense, but she was not going to point that out. She already did not trust these Starfleet officers.
Byu’I’Vera: It was not our intention for the pathogen to infect their crew, but I cannot say that I find it regrettable. Testing of the weapon was rushed. They had already invaded several of our settlements and had begun taking our people. We had little other choice. Do you understand?
With that stated Byu’I’Vera hoped they could move the conversation to be more productive to the current situation. She was not interested in a moral debate, the UAW or UFOP could be damned, as long as her people kept their homes.
Aitas: Yes. The past cannot be changed. But a disease that spreads far more widely than intended, the anger that such can evoke…it is my place to understand those as well.
Zakrem: It is something inspired though. A good way to think through a situation.
Moore: Right, why don’t we move on to your defenses. I’ve run simulations with the information that I was able to gather, but I would like to hear your biggest defensive concern.
Byu’I’Vera: With the UAW fleet closing in, our biggest issues are their transporters and their phaser weapons. We have bomb shelters for their torpedoes, but our technology when it comes to transporter inhibitors are limited and are only able to to place them at strategically defensible locations. Our shielding is not enough, compared to their weapons. We have not been able to achieve a stable planetary shield, and can only cover certain civilian areas and military bases. Even then, based on past conflicts, we’ve only been able to make them last half an hour, maybe 45 minutes. Do you understand the situation now?
Aitas: I understand more than I did. Thank you for your candor, General. We should be hearing back from our science teams soon; their research may provide us with further options.
Byu’I’Vera briefly glanced at Aitas, she was aware of their scientist team, and she was not supportive of the High Council's decision to continue to work with the Federation. At this point Byu’I’Vera has heard nothing that would improve their situation.
Moore: ::Looking at Aitas:: Maybe we could get a few engineering teams down to modify the shielding near the bomb shelters. ::Looking at Byu’l’Vera:: Assuming they’re coming back to relocate your people. Digging in for a siege might be a better option.
Aitas: What would you consider the best-case solution for this situation? Or the most likely one?
Byu’I’Vera: The best case scenario would be no fighting all together, they return our people that they have kidnapped, and leave us alone. What I believe is likely going to happen is that we will be forced into underground bunkers and forced to use guerilla tactics and turn this into a long war of attrition. We hope you understand.
Byu’I’Vera had been in long meetings, ordering the evacuations, establishing an order of command when the UAW would take out their communications. This was going to be a long hard fight. She would prefer to avoid it, but it seems the Federation was not planning to stop the UAW.
Aitas: The United Alliance of Worlds started to make declarations about your indiscriminate biological warfare some time ago; the messages did not move at the same speed as their vessels. We are already seeing indications that this pathogen may not fully restrict itself to those species that make up the majority of UAW; it may not ultimately restrict itself by species at all.
Moore: And given that they are broadcasting this message openly, it’s painting you in quite a negative light. I don’t doubt the truth will come out, it always does, ::Glancing between Aitas and Zakrem:: I know we won’t stay quiet, ::Looking back at Byu’l’Vera:: But that might come too little too late.
Byu’I’Vera shrugged, perhaps if circumstances were different Byu’I’Vera would care more about the collateral of using such a weapon. But she did not have that luxury at the moment. Her people were facing annihilation and mass death, she had larger concerns at the moment.
Zakrem: I find our parts in this interesting.
Byu’I’Vera: ::To Moore and Aitas:: I do not care what light it paints us in, so long as I protect my people. ::to Zakrem:: I am starting to find your part in this questionable as well. That is something I am not understanding.
Aitas: My part, for now, is to consider how we might make the UAW hesitate long enough to speak. Given how they have troubled you, your people likely know more both of what they desire and what they fear.
Byu’I’Vera knew what they feared, and Byu’I’Vera was planning to use it so long as the UAW was threatening her people.
Zakrem: There will be a long night before the morning.
Moore: ::Looking at his PADD:: Not long enough. More so if we’re not willing to make a few concessions.
She gave Moore an annoyed look. They did not understand.
Byu’I’Vera: What concessions do we have left? As I have been saying, my only goal is to protect my people and keep our planet? Do you not understand?
Zakrem: A thought occurs to me. If they are not coming to attack…at least directly. But to just take what they want. This infection erased any thought they had of protecting the Zumardi…do they know about your weapon protections?
Byu’I’Vera doubted that they were interested in protecting the Zumardi or the other two. If they were, they would have never invaded their planet.
Byu’l’Vera: We have already been in a few minor skirmishes, so they are aware we are not totally defenseless. Do you understand?
Zakrem: Mister Moore can vouch that it isn’t a good use of strategy but in anger it is possible they just carve up the surface and start trying to pull the dilithium out. It makes their fleet more like a pirate armada than what they are mocking up.
Moore: Pirate armada or not, they might not be here for dilithium. That might be a secondary prize to retribution. ::sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose.:: I don’t think a military solution is going to fix this. Even if we fight on your side, it would be at best two advanced vessels with your ships and orbital defenses. While our ships easily outclass a UAW vessel any day of the week. Not seventeen of them. Not at once. The best we could do is hit and run, but that leaves your planet open. Unless you’ve got a secret weapon you’re holding out on us, diplomacy and concessions are how you win this battle. You might even have to offer up a cure.
Byu’I’Vera did have a new weapon in development, kinetic weapons that had capsules of the pathogen inside. So they could infect the UAW ships without boarding. But they had not earned her trust where she would share this. So far their ‘help’ was just empty words.
Byu’I’Vera: Either way we are at risk of losing our planet. We understand.
It was as simple as that. She grew more frustrated that these Starfleet officials did not seem to understand. They did not have a stake in this, and despite their statements of wanting peace, Byu’I’Vera took no action to back that up.
Aitas/Zakrem: Response
Moore: ::Calmly:: General, with all due respect, we’re not stupid. We’re being realistic. You’re facing Armageddon. You released a biological attack, in defense or not, that’s spreading like wildfire, and no matter what your intentions were, it is infecting everyone. Innocent civilians, non-combatants, children, it doesn’t matter, and it is a multispecies plague. There is a very high chance the UAW are coming to level your cities from orbit if you don’t surrender the cure. They might bomb your shelters, most likely sealed up by phaser fire and photon torpedoes, and your people left to suffocate. Then a high chance they strip-mine the planet, survivors alive or not, and the whole time claiming victory over an aggressive plague-releasing species. ::He paused for a moment.:: With the exception of us, there won’t be anyone to mourn. I apologize for being blunt, but we need to be realistic about this. We need to make sure we know the consequences if we fail. Which is losing everything. Based on my simulations, and the high chance we will fight alongside you… That includes us too, and everyone on the Indy. ::Quietly:: One hell of a Kobayashi Maru.
Byu’I’Vera: Then let's be blunt. I am well aware of what we face and the capabilities of the UAW. I am not under any assumptions that we can hold control over our own orbit, more than likely we will need to use mobile transport inhibitors to keep them from taking our people and forcing them to ground combat where our numbers are more favorable to theirs using guerilla tactics and minimize the opportunities for orbital support. You do not seem to understand.
Aitas/Zakrem: Response
Moore: ::suddenly:: What about the Corbomite Cannon? ::Glancing up, and looking around.:: What if we threaten to use the Photonic Corbomite Cannon if they don’t back down?
When Byu’I’Vera saw the one known as Moore smile, her face dropped it’s neutral expression and her mouth formed a frown that hid a much more simmering anger at the ridiculousness of what the officer was suggesting.
Byu’I’Vera: You imply that I am not being realistic, and yet you want to gamble the fate of my species on a bluff of a made up weapon, in hopes they go away. I do not know how you do things in the Federation, but I do not gamble the lives of three planets and over 2 trillion lives on a bluff, and I do not appreciate you treating this situation as a joke. At this point, if we are talking about being realist, why am I to trust any of your insights on this. What benefit do you all add to this? You have already admitted you cannot provide any assistance to space combat, you are offering no protection and yet you are criticizing and demanding we cease use and neuter our use of biological weapons, due to moral issues, while we face having families ripped from their homes and losing our home planets then offer nothing but empty promises of ‘maybe they will talk’. I know you are already working on a cure to render useless our one weapon that is causing the UAW to hesitate. Who is to say you discover the cure, give it to the UAW and now we have lost our only piece of leverage. How am I to trust you are neutral, and have not already sided with the UAW, trying to render us defenseless for their invasion. How can I trust your assurances, when a month later the UAW can try to invade again after you all have forgotten about us. You do not understand.
This time her tone was short and tense at the end. She was running out of patience. This meeting was starting to feel like a waste of time.
Aitas/Zakrem/More: Response
Byu’I’Vera: I ask you this, what concession do we have left to give? Are we to surrender and abandon our homes next as the UAW drills into our planet to destroy it and then Golva in the aftermath. You are correct we face Armageddon, So when we are backed into a wall, facing the end to our way of life either through the destruction of planets, or through a quiet death of three species forced to live on one planet where we will more than likely face billions of death from starvation, disease, exposure to the elements due to mass homelessness, and probably infighting due to a lack of resources. You want me to concede the biological weapon, fine, but then I need something of equal value from you or them. I need something concrete and certain that guarantees the safety of our people and our planet. I do not think that is unreasonable. Do you understand now?
Aitas/Zakrem/More: Response
Byu’I’Vera: If the Federation does care, it should be known that your involvement has caused the Vaadwaur to make us an offer recently. They offer the protection of their fleet for our loyalty and data on our new weapon. I am not keen on trading one occupier for another. But at least they are not demanding we abandon our homes. They seem to understand.
Byu’I’Vera was not in favor of accepting the Vaadwaur’s offer, but they were running out of choices, and she was still waiting to hear what the Federation was offering. Maybe now they would be more keen to help.
Aitas/Zakrem/More: Response
General Byu’I’Vera
High Council General
Zumardi
C240202SK1
As written byLieutenant Seleya of Khanda
Intel Officer
Amity Station
C240202SK1