LCDR V'Nille: Report on the Current State of the Valcarian Civil War
V'Nille
(( OOC: V’Nille would have written this for Serala while on the Chin’toka IC, but it’s a useful way to update everyone about what’s the deal with the Valcarian Civil War going on here. You’re free to interpret how much of what’s going on that your character knows about IC. ))
From: Lieutenant Commander V’Nille
To: Captain Isara Aleron
Subject: Report on the Current State of the Valcarian Civil War
Captain, here’s the copy of the report I wrote for Captain Serala on the Chin’toka, as I promised. This should catch you up with what’s going on in the VIR right now, at least so far as Starfleet knows.
Background:
The Valcarian Imperial Republic (VIR), sometimes called the Valcarian Empire, is a nation-state populated and headed primarily by Valcarians, a humanoid species native to the world of Valcaria in the Par’the Expanse. It is a centuries old civilization that was once a thriving republic governed by a representative body called the Directory. Over time, corruption became an issue to the point that one military leader named Altharra plotted a successful coup of the Directory and installed himself as the sole leader. Under his direction, the VIR has become a centralized expansionist power with a highly trained and developed military. Its reach extended over much of the Par’tha Expanse as a whole through a combination of outright military conquest and the establishment of de facto client states such as the Corporate Sector Authority and the Caraadian Noble Houses of the Expanse Sector. Their primary intent with the expansion further into the Par’tha Expanse appears to be the acquisition of additional raw materials to fund military campaigns at other parts of the Valcarian border.
On stardate 239701.28, Starfleet received a report of Altharra’s death during a War Council meeting in sometime late 2396. The USS Atlantis was assigned to meet Grand Admiral Lorrein Dels’an of the Valcarian Imperial Republic at Tibro and escort her to Deep Space 26, during which other Valcarian forces launched an ambush intended to assassinate Dels’an. The USS Atlantis successfully protected Dels’an and escorted her to the station. This marks the known beginning of a war between factions vying for control of the Valcarian throne.
Who is Involved:
Grand Admiral Dels’an of the VIR Navy: Views Starfleet in a semi-positive light, willing to open diplomatic ties to the Federation and others in the region. She is openly working with the Romulan Free State.
General Rotork Asil of the VIR Army: Disposition towards Starfleet assumed to be hostile, based on actions carried out against the USS Atlantis, USS Chin’toka, and the USS Astraeus. Dels’an’s reports indicate him to be her primary rival and he is known or suspected to be behind several attempts to assassinate Dels’an and sabotage the Federation’s presence within the sector. Reports indicate clandestine assistance from the Tal Shiar.
Field Marshal Gatol of the VIR Army: Supporting Asil in his claim on the throne.
The Caraadian Noble Houses: The Noble Houses are split between supporting one of the claimants and declaring independence from the VIR altogether. No open warfare has been reported between the Houses along these lines but there are reports of some, like House Larokon, that are seeking to maintain positive ties with the VIR in some form. With VIR forces evacuated from the area in favor of fighting the civil war, the Expanse Sector is essentially independent pending the resolution of the civil war.
The Romulan Free State: Openly supporting Dels’an with the Tal Shiar providing clandestine support to Asil.
The United Federation of Planets: While we are not officially supporting one side or another, as this is an internal matter of the VIR, Starfleet ships in the area have found themselves at odds against Asil and his supporters while protecting Dels’an at Tibro and Deep Space 26, as well as other locations within the region. Deep Space 26 was ultimately destroyed by VIR forces supported by Tal Shiar combatants on stardate 240111.03.
Current Affairs:
Details are scarce on what’s going on within the borders of the Valcarian Imperial Republic. We do know that while it started as a shadow war between Asil and Dels’an, it has devolved into open warfare between the two of them as reported by intercepted transmissions and third parties witnessing the conflict. Grand Admiral Dels’an’s control of the Navy has given her the advantage of mobility and space supremacy in much of the VIR’s core regions and outlying territories while General Asil maintains ground control in many of the same areas. Third party reports indicate a recent series of victories by Dels’an’s forces that could indicate that she is gaining the upper hand.
The Romulan Free State seems to be playing both sides. There is a reasonable assumption to be made that the Romulans are seeking to maintain the fighting for as long as possible, keeping the region unstable. Their presence at Miralon III and the actions taken to gain the Waleth as an ally in the Par’tha Expanse indicates a renewed interest in the region. Whether they seek to regain dominance or are simply seeking new avenues of materials for their recovery is currently unknown.
There are likely a variety of smaller factions involved that are taking advantage of the civil war to implement their own agendas but VIR state media suppresses news considered unfavorable to the state and third party reports cannot be considered fully reliable. These reports do indicate increasing instability within the VIR with client states becoming de facto independent and some evidence of civil unrest.
Recommendations:
Maintain watch of VIR state media and other local media sources in case a resolution is announced.
Maintain open diplomatic ties to Grand Admiral Dels’an and other Starfleet-favorable actors in the region.
Starfleet assets in the region should stay alert for potential hostile actions from VIR factions.
Investigate the Romulan Free State’s involvement and ascertain their strategic aims.