Hemmoian Civil War
The Hemmoian Civil War (3,171 - 3,178) was a revolutionary conflict fought by the forces of "the Rebellion" against the Hemmoian Federation. The war eventually led to the foundation of the Democratic Hemmoian Republic, initially composed mostly of worlds that defected from the Hemmoian Federation.
Contents
Background
At the end of the Peace Station Era, the rigidly bureaucratic Hemmoian Federation had assumed control over nearly every civilized world of the Delta Quadrant and outlying regions. Operating with strict collectivist policies, the Federation's stated goal was to achieve Grand Unification between peoples of the Galaxy through the use of a highly advanced subspace communications network linking the minds of every citizen in the Federation into one Collective.
There were some, however, who were troubled by the Federation's policies and the character of its leadership, as well as the functionality of the Infinite Pyramid model its governing structures were based on. Some saw the Collective organization as not an instrument of people's power but rather a tool used by the Great Council, which had by now solicited all power in the Federation, to control and force the will of the people into their own, uniform mold.
Revolution
In early 3,171 a wild rumor started spreading over infofeeds and comm networks that a group of hackers, using backdoors into the Collective protocols, were planning to overthrow the HFed government. These claims were initially discredited by official government sources in public, while behind the scenes the Great Council frantically ordered searches for members of the group.
Soon after, an official statement from the hackers, now identifying themselves as "the Rebellion", was broadcasted into the Collective Network without authorization. Immediately following the statement, several HFed colony worlds declared their independence from the Collective. This marked the beginning of the Civil War.
Blockades and the Damogran Incident
The Federation soon responded by setting up massive IHSF blockade fleets around all rebelling colonies, preventing all space traffic. So far, no shots had been fired by either side, but the situation was growing more tense daily.
The situation changed in 3,172 when the civilian transport vessel Damogran attempted to get through the blockade of Tooled Hemmo III, ignoring warnings. The crew of the vessel consisted of Rebellion loyalists headed by Ommir Deloot, former HFed ambassador. The blockade fleet started powering up weapons to fire upon and destroy the transport when at the last minute, the planetary defense grid of Tooled Hemmo III opened fire on the blockade fleet instead. The transport was able to get through unharmed, although the news story was covered up by HFed news sources. HCNF reported the vessel had been "hijacked" and "rammed one of the support ships" in desperation.
The fraud was exposed in a historical speech from the leader of the Rebellion, for the first time identifying himself as Asmar Karellen. In his unauthorized broadcast over the Collective, he outlined the goals of the Rebellion:
As many of you know, several systems have joined our noble cause, to renew the corrupted government, to introduce you to a wonderful new philosophy... democracy. Democracy is nothing to be feared; It will give the people a chance to control their own lives again, to tell their goverment what to do for a change and not the other way around. This is what we are fighting for.
Karellen then used the Damogran incident as a prime example of the "lies and treachery" routinely used by the Federation's government against its people. The speech ended in the statement:
They should be punished for their crimes against us, the people. We encourage all colonies to break away from the corrupted Federation and join the Revolution. You will be provided with military support.
Following this, several more star systems including RSA-957 and Alfanidon joined the Rebellion, to be followed by a steady stream of new defections every day. The Revolution was now in full swing.
Conflict and escalation
A week after the Damogran incident, three entire star systems had joined the Rebellion, with one system in a state of total war between revolutionary and counter-revolutionary forces under the command of opposing planetary governors. The Great Council in an official statement ensured the citizens of the Federation the situation would soon be taken care of; it was not mentioned how. IHSF sub-fleets were moved to stand watch over HFed colony worlds all across the Delta Quadrant, acting as military police units. The media speculated the Clone Army would enter the defected worlds.
Tensions also heightened in the neighboring Gigerdi Alliance as members of the Gigerdian Democratic League voiced their support for Karellen in his attempt to overthrow the HFed government. Heated debates followed in the GA senate, eventually resulting in the arrests of several senate members. Member of the senate Cerel Ulwenius was somehow able to access the local comm-networks from his custody, officially requesting help from the Rebellion.
Later that year, revolutionary forces hijacked one of the massive Collective Backup Unit space stations, equipped with nano-replicator shipyards and other various facilities that proved immensely useful. The station was renamed Liberator Station and began full production of starships for the rebels. These included standard HFed Aikon Mk.III class cruisers as well as the Rebellion's own design, the Ksamak class dreadnought.
Meanwhile, independently from the rebels, the Rilet system broke free from the Collective, declaring independence from the Federation but also their neutrality in the conflict. Under the leadership of Telir 44 Kestine the system of Rilet became the Republic of Rilet.
A few rotations after the 3,172 Celebration of the Thinkers, the first Ksamak class dreadnoughts were finished, and the Rebellion finally had in its possession a force powerful enough to rival the Federation's vast fleets.
State of chaos
In 3,173, the Daglian Assembly of Clans, following the example of the Riletians tried to break free from the Federation. At this point, an emergency session of the Great Council ordered drastic measures to be taken against every further defecting colony. New Daglius was made into a warning example as their attempt was crushed by constant orbital bombing from IHSF blockade fleets, resulting in massive civilian casualties. The Daglian secessionists soon declared their unconditional surrender.
In the coming rotations, the events of New Daglius repeated all over the Federation as IHSF blockade fleets were ordered to bomb the Rebellion's planets with neutron beams, heavy particle disruptors and neutronium bombs. The Rebellion was forced to retaliate and the conflict turned into unlimited warfare.
Later that year, the Daglian system state was liberated by Rebellion forces who disabled the IHSF blockade fleets in orbit of New Daglius. In gratitude, the Daglian Assembly of Clans joined the revolution as an autonomous state.
By 3,176 the Federation was in a complete state of chaos. According to various statements from local data networks over 20 000 000 000 people, mostly civilians, died in the planetary bombings alone. Further casualties were suffered by both sides in massive space battles; it was estimated the Federation lost 500 capital ships to the Rebellion during a single battle. One entire IHSF fleet destroyed itself over Tooled Hemmo I, when some of the commanding officers wanted to defect and others remained loyal to the Federation. Many major colonies on Inner Rim planets were in ruins due to brutal ground warfare. A large number of civilian transports went missing.
The Rebellion, still operating against overwhelming odds, mostly used hit and run tactics with their new ship type. Collective subspace comm relays were often targeted and destroyed, creating havoc and disarray around the Delta Quadrant as interplanetary communications failed. The Collective was also repeatedly infiltrated by the rebels, who inserted false information and directives into MilNET.
The Darkening
- Main article: The Darkening
The final stage of the war was reached in 3,177 when a radical faction within the Rebellion, exhausted by the brutality and pointlessness of the war, launched an unauthorized strike of their own against Aldaain, the command world of the Federation. The radicals hoped to send a message to the Federation, possibly causing them to reconsider further attacks and to turn the tide of the war. Before this, the Rebellion had not attacked civilian targets, but this time a large number of civilian casualties were to be expected.
The plan was finally put in motion in secret from Karellen or Rashaverak, the leaders of the Rebellion. Using a battle group of Ksamak class dreadnoughts, the radical faction managed to momentarily disable Aldaain's security systems and drop high-intensity EMP bombs and plasmic charges to the surface. A fractal cryptographic parallel processing virus was simultaneously released into The One And Prime PWN, scrambling the monstrous planetary data network for weeks. Vast infrastructural collapses, civilian deaths and the complete collapse of Aldaain's subspace communications, felt throughout the Collective and referred to as "the Darkening", were the result.
The act of terrorism displayed the true potential of the Rebellion for causing catastrophic damage to the heavily Collective-based infrastructure of the Federation. Initially the Great Council was furious and plans for substantial counter-attacks were once again prepared, but as reports of the damages kept coming in the full extent of the Rebellion's knowledge of the Collective became apparent. The Great Council realized further retalitory strikes would simply result in even greater damage to the Collective, causing further defections and chaos and - quite possibly - the destabilization and eventual overthrow of the government. The prospect of losing power over the Collective was too much to bear for the Council.
When the leaders of the Rebellion heard of the terrorism carried out in their name they were initially horrified, but also recognized the fact the radicals had been successful. Realizing the time was right, a cease-fire offer and a possible draft for a non-aggression treaty were immediately transmitted to the Federation by the rebels. The Great Council grudgingly accepted the proposal and a ceasefire went into effect in late 3,177. In the coming rotations remaining IHSF blockade fleets were called off, signaling a de facto recognition of the rebellion's legitimacy. The Great Council assumed a line of concessions, according to their rhetoric hyperbole, "in the name of peace in the galaxy and the well-being of all our peoples," although it was little more than a form of political damage control.
Foundation of the Republic and the aftermath
The Rebellion officially announced the founding of the Democratic Hemmoian Republic in early 3,178, finally marking the end of the Civil War. The Free Republic of Hephaestus and the Daglian Assembly of Clans declared their autonomous membership.
The Federation and the Republic, far from establishing cordial relations, entered a period of prolonged cold war which even today is in full effect. The wounds of the civil war can still be seen on many worlds around the Galaxy, some of which have been left entirely uninhabitable. Shortly after the war the Hemmoian Federation officially "buried" some of the colony worlds that were crushed by IHSF planet killers in a series of pompous ceremonies, turning them into memorial sites. These include RSA-2881-3, a major former population colony reduced to an atmosphereless, cratered rock.
See also
- Hemmoian Civil War, list of related articles.
- Hephaestus War of Independence, a simultaneous but largely separate war of rebellion that took place in the Gigerdi Alliance.
- Democratic Hemmoian Republic master list, a series of DHR related articles.
External links
- Open Letter to All Citizens of the Federation, published by Ommir Deloot
