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Written by Charles Carmen on
Saturday, 31 May 2008
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 Denobula Attacked
Charles Carmen - Earth News Network
February 2, 2157
Late last night, at approximately 25:30 hours local time, a series of explosions ripped through the Denobulan capitol city, Dwassan. At this time the Denobulan Internal Security Ministry has not issued a statement of findings on the explosions, but according to sources inside the DSA, the explosions were powered by powerful dicobalt explosives. The explosions, which appear to have been pre-placed bombs, were detonated in locations throughout the city, including the Denobulan Exterior Security Ministry (DESM) and the popular Kaybin nightclub district, which was filled with an estimated 90,000 revelers at the time of the attack.
Minutes after the explosions, a fleet of Romulan vessels decloaked in orbit of Denobula. They proceeded to attack and destroy Kintosk Two, a platform in orbit of Denobula used for research, commerce, and defense. The Romulan vessels then began orbital bombardment of the capitol city.
The size of the Romulan fleet is currently unknown. Reports range from three to nine large battleships.
Given the destruction of the DESM headquarters and the widespread damage dealt by the surface bombings, many of the ships in orbit of Denobula were in the process of dispatching emergency teams to the detonation sites when the Romulan vessels began their attack. Responding to the incursion of the Romulan vessels, the Challenger NX-03 took command of the contingent of CoP and Denobula Defense Fleet vessels and engaged the Romulans. According to unconfirmed first-hand reports from the Challenger, at least one Romulan vessel was disabled and appeared to self-destruct, and at least two DDF ships were destroyed, with one loss attributed to friendly fire amongst the initial chaos of the attack.
None of the Coalition governments involved in the incident (Denobulan, Earth, and Tellarite ships were stationed at the planet) have released any official information on how many, if any, Coalition ships were lost in the battle.
As of this writing, the casualty count on Denobula stands at over 78,000, with 52,000 wounded and at least another 358,000 reported missing. Due to of the crowded nature of Denobulan cities and the timing and accuracy of the strikes, the death count is expected to rise much higher. “There may have been over a million people killed,” Janish, Denobulan Ambassador to Earth, said in a press conference this afternoon. All Coalition worlds have dispatched ships to aid in the recovery effort. “We are extremely grateful for the assistance of our allies in this time of crisis,” the ambassador stated.
In addition to the Denobulan casualties, several hundred representatives of other worlds are believed to have been killed, including at least eighty humans. Kintosk Two is known to have housed both temporary and permanent residents from numerous worlds, including some outside the CoP. Additionally, the Interspecies Medical Exchange’s head office on Denobula--home to twelve humans and a number of Andorians, Coridanites, Vulcans, and Tellarites-- and the Vulcan embassy were completely destroyed as part of the orbital bombardment. The staffs of both these institutions are missing and presumed dead. A delegation from the Vulcan Security Ministry had been temporarily stationed at the DESM at the time of the attack; they were working with Denobulan officials to improve the planet’s surface and orbital defenses and are presumed to have been killed in the attack. It is not known if the DESM was targeted, as many civilian areas of Dwassan were also struck.
Even thought significant damage was dealt to the Dwassan offices of the Denobulan federal government, President Larsha is reported to have survived the attacks and is now being held in an undisclosed secure location. Larsha issued a written statement calling for assistance from Coalition members in “Denobula’s time of need.” She reiterated points made after the attack on Salem One, firstly that the Denobulan government is still fully functional due to redundancies and regional offices for primary-level federal offices being distributed around the planet, as well as stating that “Denobula has not and never will back down in the face of adversity.”
Unconfirmed rumors state that the Romulans fired something into Lake Dodyu, the primary water source for Dwassan. While Dwassan borders Lake Dodyu and may have been hit by a wayward shot, speculation is rampant that the Romulans dropped something into the lake for the purpose of contaminating it and Dwassan’s water supply. Ambassador Janish refused to confirm or deny this, saying “We are in the process of determining whether or not this is the case. Right now, the recovery of survivors from the rubble is our top priority.”
Planetary leaders across the CoP have issued statements on this attack, presenting a unified front to what is admittedly still an unclear enemy. Prime Minister Samuels has offered as much support for Denobula as Earth can muster, saying, “This is an attack that boggles the mind and shocks the conscience. We will do whatever we can to alleviate the suffering of those affected.” On Andoria, Chancellor Tson called the strike “heinous.” Tson declared that, “All of Andoria stands with you.”
The disturbingly destructive timing and accuracy of this attack has led defense analysts and politicians throughout the CoP - most notably the leader of Vulcan’s opposition party, Minister Sanek - to suggest that the it was the result of infiltration by Romulan agents, and that it was a reaction to the planet’s support for the war. ENN’s own military analysts call the statements unfounded, as it is well known where and when the nightly festivities take place in Dwassan, former Starfleet Admiral Markson Kelley decried the postulation, “It’s not like anybody would have to draw the Romulans a map.” Vulcan Minister of Colonial Affairs Soluk has publically hypothesized that the Denobulan government was spared so that they would be able to order a withdrawal from the war, should they choose to. When confronted with this information, Ambassador Janish said, “We are exploring all possibilities. I will not comment on specific theories at this time.”
This Dispatches from the Romulan War report was contributed by Ensign Edwards.
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