Tarik returned to his command post on Dalcor after completing his inspection tour of one of the concentration camps run by the Mullurans. His stomach, already suffering from the effects of the virus that was slowly killing him, almost couldn't contain itself.
His people, the Romulans, even at their worst had never treated their enemies this badly. Nor would the Klingons. Suffering for a purpose was one thing...this was something else.
Old people and children lay in their own filth, starving to death and covered with vermin. The pitiful inmates shivered against the cold, even though it was a slightly warm 20 degrees Celsius outside. Babies with sticks for limbs and bloated bellies put Tarik in mind of ancient videos of famine victims on Earth. The mass graves and execution chambers put him in mind of other film even more sinister...
People need to know about this. Reports are one thing. Staff officers and senators read reports. People needed to know.
Did the Mulluran people even know what was being done in their name?
Tarik activated his comm unit. "Tarik to Patton..." and was promptly distracted by a stray thought. The Patton was named for General George Patton, of Earth's European Civil War (Phase 2). It was Patton who'd instituted the practice of forcing German civilians from surrounding towns to tour liberated concentration camps.
[This is the Patton. Go ahead, General.]
"Beam crews of yeomen with recording equipment down to the camp sites. Have them feed their recordings to the broadcast station at Dalcor City."
An engineering assessment of the Dalcor City broadcast station indicated that it had an effective range covering most of the Empire. The recording studio itself appeared to have been used by the Order Police for propaganda broadcasts, and thanks to Starfleet Intelligence Tarik now knew their broadcast frequencies. It would be a simple manner to hijack the public nets throughout the Empire for an impromptu broadcast. Francona and the OP's did it all the time.
A yeoman operating the camera equipment cued him. Throughout the Mulluran Empire, public viewscreens cut out from scheduled programming with the UFP emblem. Tarik appeared shortly thereafter.
"People of Mullura, you do not know me, and I don't know most of you. I am Brigadier General Tarik, overall commander of the forces now besetting your empire.
"We do not desire to make war upon you. This war was brought to us after your government attacked and attempted to invade the Ferengi Alliance. The Ferengi are a fundamentally peaceful people who desire nothing more than commerce. A peaceful relationship with the Ferengi would ultimately have provided enormous benefits to both Mullurans and Ferengi. Though we have had our differences with the Ferengi in the past, it is the Federation's sincere belief that all races should be able to maintain their own borders and culture without outside interference. And many times over the past two centuries we've put that belief to the test.
"Even to this day we would have accepted reasonable terms of surrender from your government. Again, it is not our desire to destroy your cities and your families. But what you are about to see demands a response from any civilized people. Look upon your works, and despair!" Scenes from the concentration camps were broadcast throughout the Empire.
"Is this what the Mulluran Empire stands for? Is this what your bravery is being spent to defend? There is no honor in victimizing innocent people -- there is no glory in starving old men and women and children to death!" A closeup of a particularly malnourished camp inmate flashed onto the screen.
"What threat did this child pose to the Empire?" Tarik asked angrily. "What crime did she commit to deserve this? Her blood -- and the blood of uncounted millions -- is on your hands unless you do something now to end this reign of terror! The sooner Francona's regime is out of power, the better it shall be for you, people of Mullura. This is your time to show that you are truly brave! Rise up, and take your lives out of the hands of these fiends!"
"Mr. Francona, my comments are directed to you personally. You say that empires are forged of blood and iron -- whose blood? You have built an empire of unspeakable evil, and you and all of your leadership will be held responsible. Forces designed to persecute widows and orphans are no match for the beings of valor arrayed against you -- humans, Vulcans, Bajorans, Betazoids, Andorians, G'kra, Swarvans, Nausicaans, even Mullurans whose conscience couldn't stomach what is happening here. And as a Romulan -- as a Starfleet officer -- I shall take great pride in destroying this foul thing.
"We come for justice. We come for vengeance for those who cannot speak for themselves. We are coming to kick down the whole rotten structure of your empire, to crush your iron to rust and to wash its stain from the universe with your blood. We come in the name of Surak, of Kahless, of La'kon, of Mohammed and Buddha and Christ and all the Prophets whom you so recently mocked. You stand condemned by all that is good in this universe. We are coming for you, Francona! Pray we show you more mercy than you've shown these people, for you shall beg for the fires of hell to ease the torment we shall inflict upon you for what has occurred here!
"There is a human scripture: 'you shall sow to the wind, and reap the whirlwind.' The whirlwind is coming. Upon that you can depend. Surrender now, while you still have something worth surrendering."
[I heard your speech,] Kassia said. [I don't blame you one bit, but I do worry for you. You're treading too close to the side of darkness.]
"If you'd been there personally, you would have understood. It took all I had just to make it through today," Tarik explained.
[I know. I've seen it all too. But you need to watch your own soul. There is a major juncture coming for you, and what happens next depends upon your decisions.]
"You keep talking about this major juncture, and what's going to happen next? Is there something I need to know? How will I decide?"
[If you're the man I fell in love with, and married, and with whom I planned on spending however much time fate decreed for us, you will know. But you're starting to come dangerously close to no longer being that man.]
"However much time... is there something you're not telling me?"
[It's a prophecy. If I reveal it to you it could unduly influence your actions. You must decide on your own, or else the prophecy itself fails.]
Tarik took a deep breath. "Wallace is taking over leadership of the task force. I'll only have to focus on ground forces. That'll help some. And the medication keeps me glued together most of the time."
[It won't be long now. Just mind your own soul carefully over the next few days. And know that I shall always love you.]
"I love you too..." With that, the comm screen switched off.
Tarik's executive officer, Colonel Jackson, entered the command post shortly after Kassia's call. "Loved the speech, sir. Everyone did. Not the politicians, of course -- they're backpedaling as usual, but from what I've been hearing the people in the streets are cheering!"
"I just hope in killing the dragon, we're not becoming dragons ourselves."
"You need to quit reading so goddamn much. You're freaking St. George right now if you want to talk about killing dragons! Sometimes we have to get our hands dirty to do a dirty job. Take your meds and get something to eat. Wallace will be on station in about 12 hours. Then you only have to fight half the war."
"Thanks."
"And don't be too hard on yourself -- you may be a son of a bitch, but you're our son of a bitch for sure!"
back to TOC