Task Force 72: Part One: Current State of Affairs and Region One

As Julius walked down the hallway with his adjutant in tow a couple of steps behind him, Julius felt the weight of each one of his footsteps upon the floor of the Starbase. This had been a very interesting conference so to speak, and it was very interesting to see and hear all the details going on with the other Task Forces in the Fourth Fleet. However it was his turn at bat, and considering how much ground he had to cover with the entire Alpha Quadrant; he figured that these segments would have to be broken down in what he would like to call various regions.

“Everything is ready for you Admiral,” replied Rachel as the two of them walked down the hallway. “I have laid everything out for you on this padd the way that we discussed it last week,” she stated as they walked. “Everything is also written for it to allow enough dialogue for questions if need be,” she added as they both walked into the room which was filled with Starfleet Captains, and various flag officers and what appeared to be a few representatives from the Federation Council as well.

Julius stood back as Rachel took his various data padds and laid them out in order for them to be read; she also included a breakdown of slides in the order to coordinate with the different regions.Once everything was set up she pressed a button that rang a light bell to bring the room to order. “Ladies and Gentlemen the Commander of Task Force 72, Rear Admiral Julius H. Woodard,” she stated as she stepped back and away from the podium.

“Good Morning,” replied Julius in his booming voice as he mounted the podium. Rachel appeared again beside him, sitting down a pitcher of iced tea with freshly squeezed lemon in it; most people used water, Julius found that lemon and tea worked just as well when the throat got dry. “I will endeavour not to be before you too long, however; we do have a lot of ground to cover and it is a lot of information that I will be giving to you,” replied Julius as he cleared his throat.

“Because Task Force 72 is so large, I have decided to break down this briefing in regional status. Each region will deal with a group of specific governments that border Federation territory, and I figured that will condense the briefing and presenting it in a way that would be easier for us all,” he stated. “The first thing I would like to discuss is the Current State of Affairs of the Task Force and then I will talk about the various regions.” Julius turned towards the direction of the massive screen behind him which displayed the current Starfleet and Federation Symbols. As he reached out and pressed a button he pulled up the current map of the Alpha Quadrant.

“As of right now Task Force 72 is made up of 11 different space installations, of various classes and functions. Each one of those installations has a minimum of 10 to the most 60 starships assigned to them; and those are predicated on the various threat levels that each particular government borders on Federation territory. As of right now, I can say that after the loss of Utopia Planitia the Copernicus ShipYards at Luna and the San Francisco Fleet Yards have been operating at one hundred percent capacity; and with Starfleet Command we have expanded both of those yards to handle refits, repairs, and construction. Each one of the yards also has been expanded to help with Starship research and development and I am happy to say that those projects have been successful as well,” he said as he clicked and brought up the various images of what had just been discussed.

“Our supply lines to the various bases have been strong and consistent, as we have had to rely on both Starfleet and Merchant vessels to deliver cargo. Starfleet cargo vessels deliver cargo strictly to the starbases deemed most important and critical, and those of lesser importance we use contracted merchant vessels to deliver cargo and personal to those as well. We have also been able to build up a excellent surplus of supplies that are not stock piled in one area; but are spread through the quadrant to be able to assist any area within a matter of days.” Julius poured himself a glass of tea and took a sip of it as his eyes scanned out upon the crowd. “We have also constructed three regional hospitals in various points along the border which are all connected to Starfleet Medical, and those regional hospitals have two to four smaller hospitals attached to them in various systems as well.” Julius took a deep breath as he flicked through the various images of what the regional hospitals looked like; with a combination of planetary and orbital installations. “I am also proud to say that we have 8 new colonies that are in the core of the Alpha Quadrant, along with 10 smaller settlements on the fringes. However since the destruction of UP, the Federation Council has pulled back our activities along the borders; and with that being the case piracy has risen throughout the Alpha quadrant. Therefore I have had to order that all supply and medical convoys are escorted by no more than two or three Starfleet vessels which has somewhat curtailed pirate raids; but also has weakened our border security, “he said as he flipped through pictures.

“Starbase 72 has also undergone some modifications and we are now fully equipped to repair and also refit any Starfleet vessel in the Task Force within two to six weeks. We have also attached four dry-docks in the Minos Kova system for repair and refit only. Also because of the lack of Starfleet ships, those Federation colonies that border high priority governments are protected by weapons platforms and also various numbers of fighter craft; it is just enough to delay any offensive action long enough for the Task Force to counter any threat. Yet what concerns me andI can say that the fringe settlements and colonies have a limited number of those defensive platforms since the Federation Council does not want it to appear to be aggressive actions on the Federations part.” he said as he narrowed his eyes at what he knew were the Federation representatives. In truth they had restricted his Task Force and had become very timid once the UP was destroyed and took on an active pacifist mode.

“That is just a brief update on the current state of Affairs for the Task Force,” he said as he put that padd to the side and pulled up the one that was labelled Region One. “Region One: Consists of the Cardassian Union, the Tzenkethi Coalition, and the Romulan Star Empire, but my reporting is nowhere as extensive as Task Force 93 on the Romulans,” Julius said. “The Romulan Star Empire only comes into focus in the Alpha Quadrant because of the Gavarian Corridor, but they are included in region one and I will only talk about them when I get ready to talk about the Gavarian Corridor.” Julius clicked on the control in his hand and switched it to a slide that displayed the Cardassians, The Tzenkethi, and the Romulan symbols.

“The Cardassian Union has for all intents and purposes has returned to the ways of expansion and aggression that we saw Pre-Dominion War. The Detapa Council is still the supreme ruling body of Cardassia, but Starfleet Intelligence reports that many council members over the past ten years have been replaced with more Hawkish representatives. Even though there are restrictions imposed on the Cardassian Union since the peace treaty signed with the end of the Dominion War; they have basically ignored them and even though the Federation Council has placed convoy restrictions upon them, it has not helped slow their progress down. Frankly, the Cardassian Union has basically healed from the ravages of the Dominion War; and even though they are not openly pushing expansion along the Cardassian/Federation border, they are expanding in other directions,” replied Julius as he pulled up the Cardassian Union on the screen and highlighted areas of the North, South, and Western areas of the Union. “In ten years time the Union has expanded by eight percent; and it is possible that those expansions are from the Cardassian Military. Intelligence sources says that the Cardassian Union has discovered new sources of dilithium and other minerals for ship building and expansion. Therefore I have made several petitions to Starfleet Command that all supply convoys going to Cardassia end as it appears they no longer need our aid in remaining stable.”

Julius sipped from his tea, and allowed the lemon juice to soothe his vocal cords. “Sensor scans from outposts in the area have picked up fleet movements along the badlands, and it wouldn’t surprise me that they have constructed a military installation in the badlands as well. As of right now the Cardassian intentions along the Federation border are peaceful; however they are not peaceful in the Gavarian Corridor. Which I will explain at the end of this briefing for Region One.”

“The Tzenkethi Coalition,” replied Julius as he flipped the screen to them. “Since the dissolve of the Alrakis Pact,” said Julius as he flipped the monitor to what the Alrakis Pact consisted of. “The Tzenkethi still remain an aggressive threat to Federation Security. Granted we have not seen any outward expansion of their borders, but it does appear that the Tzenkethi have a new goal in mind; especially with the change in leadership of their government. The new Autarch is Tzen-Karth, and let’s just say that she is ruthless and will stop at nothing to accomplish her goals and aspirations for the Tzenkethi people. In recent years, the Tzenkethi have launched numerous probes beyond their borders; and our Deep Space Science Vessels have come in contact with a few of their Deep Space Vessels as well. I can say that a few skirmishes have broken out between the Federation and Tzenkethi in neutral space; but it appears that whatever the Tzenkethi are looking for, they are willing to attacking any ship that comes into their area of ‘claimed space.’”

“What I mean by ‘claimed space’ is the area or system that particular Tzenkethi vessel is operating in. Reports have come in from skirmishes with Ferengi trading and scout ships,” he said as he showed a recent attack on a Ferengi merchant vessel which sustained heavy damage. “Federation starship has also been attacked and damaged, the USS LaGrange was recently heavily damaged while they were scouting a nebula beyond our borders; and they returned to Starbase 72 for extensive repairs. However the sensor reports from the LaGrange show that the Tzenkethi appear to be searching for old technology or artifacts from what appears to be earlier in their evolutionary lifetime. I cannot say what these specific artifacts are and why the sudden change in policy to search for them; but for now I have ordered an increase of patrols along the Tzenkethi border which are being headed up by the USS Elena.”

“Autarch Tzen-Karth, from what our intelligence reports have discovered is a highly religious leader of the Tzenkethi Coalition; and some would say that she is a borderline zealot, which makes her dangerous to any government that would stand in her way of their religious beliefs; and those beliefs very well could include the artifacts that she is looking for. As of right now all Tzenkethi ships in neutral territory should be given a wide berth.”

Julius took another sip of tea and moved on to the last few slides on Region One. “The Gavarian Corridor,” he said as he pulled up the corridor information. “ As you can see from this picture the Opening of the Gavarian Corridor is still much in the Alpha Quadrant; however the corridor is situated at the bottom of the 3D plane on the edge of Cardassian and Romulan Space.” Julius pulled up the old map that they were using and showed the two images of what they currently have now.
“
The current map that we are using shows the top portion from a 2D plane; however the previous map that we thought was the 2D plane was actually the bottom of the 3D plane. However since the destruction of the Utopia Planitia shipyards, Starfleet has also de-scaled in this area. According to Intelligence reports the Cardassians have increased their aggression in this area; while the Romulans have also pulled back due to the Hobus event. However with the recent shrinkage of the Star Empire’s Territory, it is also likely that the Romulans are shifting forces to challenge renewed Cardassian aggression that I mentioned earlier.”

“The grave concern that I have is for those areas that have already been colonized and settled by Federation citizens. So far the colonists and territories in the area that have been settled by Federation citizens have restricted access to them; as the Romulans and the Cardassians challenge for power. However the Breen Confederacy has also been sighted in the corridor as well, which it appears to be now a four way challenge for access. The Federation is still wanting a path through the corridor to access open space. The Cardassians and the Romulans are wanting to further expand their borders, and have direct access to the few mineral rich worlds in that area. Also the Breen have spotted a few ice planets in specific systems in which to set up mining and harvesting equipment to the minerals in that area as well.”

“In summarization the Gavarian Corridor is an explosive place to be right now, and it will only be a matter of time before any of those three governments begin open hostilities with one another,” said Julius. “That is my brief report on Region one, are their any questions,” he inquired.