Why was our station comm system damaged, you may ask? Well, before our system went down, I wrote a post about the intense civil conflict brewing on Bajor. The Bajorans have become impatient with the Provisional Government, and political factions have formed among the populace to protest the inaction of the weak planetary government. The largest of these factions calls itself, “The Alliance for Global Unity” (also known as “The Circle”).
“The Circle” advocates for the removal of all non-Bajorans from Bajor, and that includes our Federation presence in the Bajor System. The faction believes that Bajorans should be left alone, to grow and recover from the Cardassian Occupation, independent of any foreign assistance. “The Circle” is (mysteriously) gaining support among the populace, and their emblem has been popping up all over Bajor. It has been appearing as graffiti aboard DS9 (in orbit of Bajor) as well.
Graffiti is the least of Starfleet’s problems, though. In the past three weeks, non-Bajorans have been attacked aboard DS9, the Federation Embassy on Bajor has been evacuated, Starfleet shuttles and auxiliary craft have been vandalized, threats have been received, loud protests have been reported, electronic infiltration was repelled, and, in our case, a Bajoran freighter was intentionally blown up, inside Enterprise Station’s defense perimeter, causing damage to our communications system. No graffiti or internal damage has been seen aboard Enterprise Station, though, primarily because we are a Starfleet-owned starbase, with strict security protocols.
Unfortunately, this Bajoran civil conflict is escalating rapidly, and there are rumors that the Provisional Government may be on the brink of calling in military reserves to quell the unrest. There are even contingency plans in the works to evacuate all non-Bajoran personnel from DS9, if things get any worse. A few months ago, we were welcomed into Bajoran space with open arms. Today, the tables have turned, and we are the target of “The Circle”, and their rising influence on Bajor.
The last place we want to be is in the center of a civil conflict. Unfortunately, that is where we now rest, parked, right here, at the mouth of Bajor’s Celestial Temple. Add to that the fact that we also have over two hundred alternate universe personnel living aboard Enterprise Station, all of whom cannot exist apart from these wormhole coordinates. We cannot abandon our location at the wormhole, without causing the deaths of 15% of our station population.
Things are going to be a challenge over the coming days and weeks. Now that we have our channel back online, I’ll do my best to keep everyone informed. Let’s hope our mission to assist the Bajorans does not become a case of all-out hostility. I'm praying that cooler heads prevail.
-Lieutenant Commander Sam Archer
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September 30, 2369 – (Devron Timeline 3.0)