The Fate of the Vanquished

[Sorehl 0]

“In determining the fate of Aegis,” Commissioner Sorehl began, “it is important to consider a third, unacknowledged role – a mission which, if left undisputed, could demand an Allied presence in perpetuity.” He paused. “I refer to the desire to prevent Cardassia from rising to threaten peace again.”

 

There were no dramatic outbursts from those seated at the huge, circular table of the Security Council. If anything, the faces were as impassive as his own. Still, he caught the eye of the Daemon delegate briefly. Having been subjected to questions regarding his report and its recommendations, Sorehl had been granted time for a closing argument. Informal tradition dictated this statement could be made without interruption.

 

“It has always been the way with vanquished enemies,” the Vulcan continued, glancing at the notes he didn't need. “Even peace-loving societies have grappled with the choice of crushing or eliminating their opposition. Short of this, they have salted enemy fields, enslaved survivors, or exported whole populations by forcible diaspora. Setting aside base emotional drives for vengeance, the underlying logical goal has been to reduce the possibility of visiting the horrors of war on their children. It has been so on Vulcan,” he admitted, “it has been so on many of our worlds.”

 

He shifted points. “It is the legacy of Federation values that we do not seek to conquer. We do not annex unwilling governments. Rather than expand by seizing, plundering, or subjugating, we invite members to join us in a relationship of peaceful coexistence, shared learning, and mutual defense. Participation in this great experiment has lasted nearly a quarter-millenium.”

 

“But we face a unique test,” he explained. “History has demonstrated the value of extending honor to our rivals, in distress or in defeat. Few have seen defeat as harshly at our hands as Cardassia. As such, this is not simply a debate on the location of a space station. It is broader than military considerations. Sky Harbor has met its stated goals – it has defended them from exploitation and prepared them to rejoin the community of nations. The fate of Aegis is now a referendum on the question: What is to be done with Cardassia?”

 

“They surrendered,” the Ixarian delegate challenged aloud. “We have a right to make sure they meet their obligations under treaty.”

 

“Quite correct,” Sorehl concurred, ignoring the slight in decorum. “Treaty-monitoring has been a provision of the Aegis charter. Indeed, nearly half of the respondants to my inquiry cited the station’s primary mission as ‘keeping an eye’ on Cardassia. But is it? A full starbase sitting above their homeworld? As the current commanding officer noted we’ve been on their back door long enough. Such overkill suggests its intent is rather a ‘boot to the neck’.”

 

There was a murmur at that.

 

“So you think we’re done?” the Tellarite delegate scoffed. “Mission accomplished?”

 

Sorehl pressed on. “It is my opinion that, if the Allies persist on retaining Aegis in its current location, the Cardassian government will see this as evidence they are being purposely held back.”

 

“Are you attempting to ascribe motivations to this Council ahead of its decisions?” the delegate from Vulcan challenged.

 

“What I ascribe is irrelevant,” Sorehl admitted. “What is inferred by the Cardassian people is significant. And what they will infer is that they made a mistake.”

 

It was the Andorian delegate that made the most visible face of confusion. “I admit I don’t follow your logic, captain,” he ventured, his antenna dipping.

 

Sorehl found himself sitting up, placing his forearms against the table. “The Allies did not conquer Cardassia.” He paused briefly, letting them pose their internal questions. “We invaded their space, pressed in on their defensive perimeter. But the fact remains that the Cardassian people turned against the Dominion at the crucial hour. I know. I was there,” he asserted, making an unusual reference to his own role in the war. “Lest we dismiss this move as simply acceding to the shifting winds, it should be noted that the Cardassians rallied to Damar and rose up against a far more brutal, entrenched force than the invading Allied fleet. It exacted a much heavier toll than they might have expected at our hands. It cost them 800 million civilian deaths on their homeworld alone, obliterated from orbit by the Dominion.”

 

“At a cost of their own lives, they spared many of us that final fight. Had the 12th Order at Sarpedion not defected and struck the Breen and Jem’Hadar, they would have smashed against our Third Fleet. I have no doubt I sit alive before this council because the Cardassians picked that moment to throw off the shackles of tyranny.”

 

“Is it our intent to simply replace one tyranny with a more subtle one?”

[Sorehl 0]

In case it got lost in the span of four logs, I wanted to summarize what Commissioner Sorehl has and has not recommended to the Security Council.

 

Sorehl has advised the Security Council that Sky Harbor Aegis has completed its stated goals. He further suggested that, contrary to its mission, its continued presence is starting to have a negative affect on Cardassian development. His report recommends it be withdrawn from its position near Cardassia Prime. It recommends future diplomatic and/or military activity at the homeworld be limited to planet-side embassies.

 

The report does not make recommendations on the policy for future Allied-Cardassian relations, but it does assert that keeping Sky Harbor in place will be interpretted as a signal that the Allies intend to "keep Cardassia down" - something already rumored among their people after the recent planet-wide illness.

 

Although it presents interviews from Klingon, Romulan, Ferengi, Gorn, and Cardassian representatives, it does not claim to know the reaction of these Allies, or if the Aegis partners will concur with this recommendation. It does not address the future of the physical station itself, whether it should be turned over to Cardassia, offered to another partner, or moved to another location in or out of Cardassian space. It has also been criticized for not addressing the financial / economic impacts of such a withdrawal.

 

Sorehl assumes, perhaps incorrectly, that these recommendations will engender lengthy debate before any action is resolved.

Edited July 24, 2008 by Sorehl