The Yaku

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Excerpt from APD (Above the Prime Directive) info feed

The Yaku

The accepted history of the Federation focuses on the 4-year Earth-Romulan war in the late 2150's. Many still believe the coalition that defeated the Romulans (Terran, Andorian, Vulcan and Tellarite) decided that there was a benefit in maintaining this mutual pact and they formalized this decision a year after the war ended on what is now referred to as Federation Day, October 11, 2161. APD does not dispute the date of Federation Day, or the groups that started the coalition on that day. The true reason for forming this alliance, however, has been discovered. It was in response to the genocide perpetrated by and, later, on the race known as the Yaku.

The Earth-Romulan war was winding down in early 2160; all sides were tired of waging and paying the price of war. Unknown to the other, each side of the conflict was planning one, final, desperate offensive. They were both planning on using almost all of their reserve resources and do their best to make it look like it was a simple plan that could be repeated at will - the truth was that these last attacks would take the full effort of each combatant in all-or-nothing gambles. Just before these last great battles were to commence, alarring news was spreading through the galaxy. The neutral and defenseless homeworld of the Haiweh was under attack. The Haiwehese were a race of simple collectors. They focused on collecting data from all and sharing it with all. Neither the Terrans, Vulcans, Tellarites, Andorians or Romulans felt that Haiweh were a threat and the record of these different races' cultures was in the best possible hands (more flippers, in truth) by allowing the Haiwehese to remain neutral and unmolested. This is why the reports of their planet being bombarded brought both sides of the war to their homeworld immediately.

When the warships arrived at Haiweh, they found a new threat. There was a fleet of very small ships encircling the planet and using mass drivers to rain down asteroids on the surface. As the weary combatants watched, the fleet of one or two-person ships was turning the peaceful planet of Haiweh into a wasteland. Soon, the old adversaries found themselves as allies in this strange new conflict. As these small ships were attacked and destroyed, it never really made a dent in the planetary bombardment, it was as if the aliens had an inexhaustible supply of vessels and crew. Within 3 day and in spite of the best efforts to stop them, the Haiwehese homeworld and race were destroyed. Near the end of this set of days, it finally looked like the attack on the alien fleet was starting to impact their strength, especially as they started to leave the sector after they wiped out an innocent and helpless race.

The warships from the Earth-Romulan conflict gave pursuit, totally abandoning their earlier plans to attack their old enemy. They had enough honor and duty that they decided to find out where these aliens came from and "teach them a lesson they won't forget," a quote from Admiral Potemkin of the Terran fleet. The alien fleet did not try to evade or fight their pursuers and simply led them all back to their own homeworld, Yaku. What followed is obscured by shoddy record-keeping and shrouded in each race's personal shame. It was known that the conflict took 8 months; that there were massive ground assaults, after the Yaku fleet of small craft was destroyed in the second month; that the Yaku were a strange race of mouthless creatures that could speak telepathically with any non-telepaths and would often turn the attackers on their own people - causing massive casualties with their deceptions. Some accounts say that the Yaku never stopped being aggressive and fighting against their enemies, even when they were on the verge of total annihilation. Some accounts said that they laid down their weapons and stopped trying to control peoples' minds, but their attackers were crazed with revenge for the Yaku's unprovoked initial transgressions. Some accounts even postulated that it was the Yaku-controlled enemies that led the charge for the total destruction of Yaku. All that these histories could agree upon is that, at the end of the 8-month struggle, Yaku became more of a smoldering ember than Haiweh ever was.

These reliable, but unverified, reports all show this battle concluding less than two weeks before the peace treaty was signed by Romulus and her old enemies. Many believe that the old combatants were physically, psychically and resource depleted and there was nothing left to do, but make peace. At the same time, there were reports that the Yaku problem was discussed at the armistice table and all decided it was for the best if that chapter of our collective histories was kept secret and shut away from the light of media scrutiny.

This portrays Federation Day and the end of Earth-Romulan aggression in a very different light than the "story" we've all been told. When you look at it, including this new perspective, which reality makes the most sense? Terra and her allies overwhelmed the Romulan Star Empire, who simply signed a peace treaty and put down their arms? Or that both sides lost their way and performed dishonorably, draining the last of their war chests and the last shred of good will of their peoples at home, so they bowed to the inevitable and simply stopped fighting. Has anyone ever gotten a veteran of the end of the war to speak about their experiences? It is never a topic for reminiscing or pride, don't you wonder why?