Terrorists attack Deep Space 10

Posted on 239111.03 by T'Vas in Current Affairs

MENTHAR CORRIDOR — Terrorists calling themselves the Maquis Reborn have launched an attack on Deep Space 10, demanding the release of all remaining Maquis prisoners from Federation penitentiaries.

In a chilling message to the station’s residents and the Federation, Maquis leader Nikael Kalre announced the apparent revival of the terrorist organization, although what formal connection to the original Maquis of the 2370s—if any—is unknown at this time. With a sinister smile, Kalre seemed to be enjoying his taunting of the joint Starfleet and Cardassian crew of Deep Space 10.

“I hold in my hand, the key to your destruction. Whether not it truly is, however, is all up to Starfleet. As some of your engineers may have found, we have a variety of devices spread throughout your space station that will cause a – well, a nasty little surprise if our demands are not met,” said Kalre.

“What are those demands you may ask? Very little, I promise. In six hours, the Federation will release all of our Maquis brothers and sisters that have been left to rot away in prison – and my brothers and I here will be allowed to leave without harm or hinderance.”

To prove their seriousness, Kalre detonated a chain of explosions on the station, killing the station’s Cardassian commanding officer Gul Tolas Dajhul live on air.

An emergency meeting of the Federation Security Council has been called into session. Starfleet Command has not made any official announcement regarding the attack, but anonymous sources report that the nearest Starfleet vessel, the USS Garuda had been docked at the station earlier for much needed shore leave as the crew enjoyed their time relaxing and recovering from the previous mission. However, their time to recuperate was cut short when without warning alarms blasted, and quarantine containment doors sealed across the station. The crew were cut off in small groups throughout the station and needed to deal with the rising panic among the civilians on the station.

After initial thoughts that the crisis was just a malfunction, a number of the Cardassians on the station started becoming sick and showing symptoms such as bleeding from the mouth and nose, accompanied with violent coughing. Some of them even needed emergency resuscitation. To make matters worse, the Garuda and her commanding officer Captain Cassandra Egan Manno had been summoned away just minutes after the crisis began on an urgent mission for Starfleet, leaving the remaining crew under acting CO Lt. Cmdr. Nia Calderan to find a solution to the pathogen.

Things seemed to have stabilised with Doctor Chythar Skyfire working on a cure, and a team under Lt. Cmdr. Msafiri Bakari trying to get the station’s systems back online, but this was ended when the video message from Kalre was broadcast across all monitors in the station.

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About T'Vas

T'Vas is a correspondent for the Federation News Service. In addition to her own stories, she frequently contributes additional reporting to the articles of her FNS colleagues. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and two cats.