OFFICIAL BRIEFING PAPERS

One hundred ninety years ago, several hundred humans—pioneers of space exploration—left Earth in a deep space sleeper ship. The majority of the settlers were convicts who volunteered for the expedition instead of serving prison time. Others signed up for the challenge of leaving modern society and building a new world. Their final destination was a newly discovered Earth like planet in a distant corner of explored space. The journey lasted eight years. They named the planet New Earth. The first settlement was built on the northern continent at the foot of a small range of evergreen covered hills beside a fresh water lake. The settlement was named Jamestown.

Word of this new planet spread quickly throughout known space. Every year, more ships arrived bringing humans and aliens from all parts of the known galaxy. New Earth was open to anyone with an adventurous spirit and a willingness to tame a new frontier. The population of New Earth reached one million just 40 years after the first settlers arrived.
The people of New Earth wanted to be independent of Earth. They created a constitution guaranteeing freedom and equality for all. New Earth founded a democratically elected parliament. The head of the government was called the Chancellor and was elected by the Parliament.

  The people of New Earth started many political parties. The largest political party was called the Democratic Union (DU). The DU was especially popular with the aliens that lived on the planet. The DU believed that New Earth should have strong ties with Earth. The Parliament was under DU control for over 150 years.
    Over time, a small minority of humans became concerned about the number of aliens living on the planet. The alien population was growing fast. Soon there would be more alien life forms living on New Earth than humans. This group of humans banded together and created a new political party called the National Front (NF). The NF demanded that alien immigration be stopped. They wanted new laws to force their alien neighbors to speak approved languages. They wanted alien religions banned. They wanted aliens forcefully separated from humans and sent to live in special districts known as the Outlands.
    National Front recruiting posters were printed and distributed. The posters encouraged humans to join the NF, rise up against the Outlanders (the name used by the NF for all the non-humans that lived on New Earth), and support the laws the NF was pushing through Parliament. The National Front grew in numbers but never became large enough to take control of the government.

The population of New Earth exploded when dilithium was discovered in the planet’s mountain ranges. Dilithium is a rare and very valuable crystal used to power the engines of ships using warp speed.
Humans and aliens moved to the planet hoping to get rich working in the dilithium mines. Others came to take advantage of the planet’s new wealth and built businesses that thrived off the miners and their families. New Earth became wealthy by selling dilithium to the Earth Federation also the Klingon and Romulan Empires.
Over time, all the galactic nations grew larger. New Earth became a tiny country squeezed between the Earth Federation and the Klingon Empire. The Federation and the Empire were often at war. New Earth stayed neutral. Neutrality was good for business. They could sell their dilithium to both countries.

Twenty years ago, war broke out between the Earth Federation and the Klingon Empire over mining rights in several disputed solar systems scattered along the frontier. The war was long and bloody. New Earth stayed out of the war and sold dilithium to both sides. During the second year of war, the Klingons started losing territory to the Federation. Earth appeared to be winning.
New Earth’s government, under the control of the Democratic Union, saw an opportunity to join the Federation as an ally and reap the rewards of victory over the Klingons. The Democratic Union changed New Earth’s policy of neutrality and sided with the Federation. The government gave Earth permission to build a military base on one of New Earth’s moons.

    The members of Parliament belonging to the National Front resigned in protest of what they considered an illegal action by the Democratic Union. The NF warned that helping the Federation would bring destruction to New Earth.
    Six months later, the Klingon Empire pushed back, driving Earth’s forces to the border. New Earth was on the front line. The Democratic Union realized their mistake. The Klingons were moving toward New Earth for revenge. The population was in panic.
    The Klingons attacked New Earth. The battle for the planet lasted two days. The Federation base was destroyed. Many of New Earth’s cities were bombarded. Thousands were killed. The government surrendered New Earth to the Empire to put a stop to the death and destruction. The Klingons took control of the planet and its rich dilithium supply.

The Klingons banned the Democratic Union and arrested its leaders. They rewarded the National Front for opposing the Democratic Union by giving them control of New Earth’s government while the war continued. The Klingons took control of the destroyed Federation base and began to rebuild it as a Klingon Outpost.

The leader of the National Front, named Alexander, was appointed Chancellor. The Klingons made him a dictator. He was allowed to rule the planet the way he wanted; his word was law. Chancellor Alexander did many things in the first three weeks he ruled:

The surviving members of the Democratic Union, many of whom were Outlanders, went underground—doing what they could to overthrow the new dictatorship. This involved strikes, rioting, and acts of aggression against Klingon and government targets. To stop the uprising, Alexander gave the police permission to shoot and kill anyone found opposing the government. Peace was restored, even though it was at gunpoint. Hundreds were killed, and even more died in the many concentration camps created for the National Front’s enemies—mostly Outlanders.
The National Front used propaganda as another tool to keep the people under control. The Chancellor controlled television, radio, film, and the internet. He used the media to twist facts and tell outright lies about the role the Outlanders played in the war. It was their fault the Democratic Union broke neutrality. It was their fault the Federation was allowed to build a starbase on New Earth’s moon. It was their fault New Earth was attacked. The Outlanders forced Alexander to declare martial law. The deaths were their fault.

   Many people believed the lies and blamed the DU and the Outlanders for their situation. Chancellor Alexander used the people’s anger to strike against his enemies. Outlanders, along with members of the Democratic Union, were arrested by the thousands. “For their own safety,” were the words the Chancellor used to justify his actions. Some Outlanders were lucky enough to escape New Earth by starship. Others, trusting the goodwill of their neighbors, went into hiding.
   The war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire ended. A treaty was signed; both sides made compromises to establish a shaky peace. The treaty said the Klingons must leave New Earth and called for new elections and a new post-war government. The Klingons allowed the elections despite the Chancellor’s objections. The Democratic Union was allowed to reform and put candidates up for office.
   The DU promised to restore the people’s freedoms and constitution. They apologized for taking the planet into war and asked for forgiveness.
The National Front’s candidates, led by Alexander, reminded the people that the war, and the devastation that followed, was caused by the Democratic Union. The NF pledged that New Earth would remain free and independent. A promise was made to continue to fight against the Outlanders. The National Front assured free land to humans and a generous yearly check to every family from the sale of dilithium.
   New Earth’s television network’s pre-election polls showed the DU would win by a landslide. It seemed the people of New Earth were tired of absolute rule and wanted their freedoms back. They did not trust the National Front.
The results of the election surprised the Federation. The National Front received over 90% of the vote. It took control of New Earth’s government. The DU accused the NF of cheating. Some say the ballots in the towns with strong DU support were missing or destroyed. The Federation claimed the National Front stole the election and demanded a new election be held with independent observers. The National Front, backed by the Klingon Empire, refused and claimed victory.
   Chancellor Alexander quickly received Klingon support for his new government by giving them ownership of the base on the planet’s moon. In return, the Klingon Empire sold New Earth some of its older military equipment including starships, weapons, and border defenses.

   The television and radio stations, along with newspapers and the planet’s internet, were placed under government control. Nothing could be printed or publicly spoken without Alexander’s permission. All other political parties were outlawed. The Outlanders were stripped of their citizenship and arrested by the thousands for treason and rebellion.
    The Earth Federation has a large embassy on New Earth. The embassy sits on 20 acres of land in the center of the capital city of Jamestown. A 10-foot high fence surrounds the grounds. There are 300 Earth citizens and 43 New Earthers that staff the embassy. John Niles is the current ambassador and a defender of the Outlanders. He has become a loud, strong voice advocating for their rights. He criticized the NF for its treatment of the alien minority and visited the Chancellor on many occasions trying to obtain their freedom.
    The Federation’s embassy secretly hides between 1,000 and 2,000 Outlanders and members of the Democratic Union in the basements of the many buildings that make up the compound. If this was discovered, the Chancellor could order the embassy closed. The staff would be forced to return to Earth.

   Ambassador Niles has become a pain in the Chancellor’s neck. He has promised that he will hound Alexander until the people’s lost freedoms are restored and the arrests and executions are stopped. His words and activities anger the Chancellor. The Chancellor sees Ambassador Niles as a threat but can’t take action because the Ambassador is protected by international law. The law says that foreign embassy employees are protected by diplomatic immunity and cannot be arrested. Embassies are the private property of the nation that owns them and no one, including police, can enter them without permission. The Klingons respect international law and therefore so must the Chancellor if he wishes to keep their support.
    Ambassador Niles wants to find proof that the National Front stole the election. He wants evidence to prove that Outlanders and other enemies of the Chancellor are being tortured and killed in the NF’s concentration camps. The Ambassador is using several methods to get this information, including bribing government employees to steal information and spy on Alexander. These activities are dangerous. If the spying was discovered, the Chancellor could order the embassy closed.
    The Federation President supports the Ambassador. He wants freedoms and rights restored to the people of New Earth. The President is pressuring the Klingons to support him and stop helping the Chancellor. With Klingon support, the Federation could send in a multinational force to take control of New Earth. The people in the concentration camps would be freed and new, fair elections would be held.
    The President and Ambassador Niles have a plan. They want to bribe the Klingons with mining rights to Federation-controlled asteroid fields and moons inside the Neutral Zone in return for their support. However, the Klingons would loose face and honor if it were discovered they accepted a bribe; therefore the President must give the Klingons a good reason to withdraw their support from the Chancellor.
Then our spies on New Earth made a discovery. Federation agents broke into New Earth’s Central Government Complex two weeks ago with the help of a National Front double agent. Several important documents bearing the official seal of the Chancellor’s office were found.
    The papers contained the Chancellor’s personal bank account numbers and the amounts deposited into each account from the secret sale of dilithium to the Romulan Empire. The Romulan Empire is an enemy of the Klingon Empire and the Federation. If the Klingons discovered Alexander, their friend, was selling crystals to their enemies, they would arrest him and allow Federation forces to take control of New Earth and restore democracy.
    The documents were stolen and taken to the embassy. Niles called the President with the good news. The President was delighted and sent an urgent message to the Klingon Emperor requesting an immediate meeting on a neutral planet. The Emperor agreed to the meeting after he had a chance to review the papers. He wanted them delivered to one of his ships patrolling the New Earth border. His ship would transport the papers to the Klingon capital.
Two days after the documents were stolen, large anti-Federation crowds gathered around the fences of the embassy. The crowds were brought to the embassy by government buses. Each day the crowds grew larger and bolder with shouts and threats against the embassy and its staff.
    Ambassador Niles called the Chancellor to ask for police protection. The Chancellor assured him that everything possible was being done to protect the Federation’s embassy. He said he had to give the people the opportunity to express their anger over the Federation’s interference with New Earth’s government. He said that he would do his best to protect the embassy but couldn’t guarantee its safety or the safety of its employees. He urged the Ambassador to close the embassy and go home until order could be restored. The Ambassador refused. He feared for the safety of the Outlanders and DU leaders hiding in the embassy’s basement. The embassy had to stay open to protect them and look after the people of New Earth. If the embassy closed, the Chancellor would be free to do whatever he wanted without anyone knowing.
    Niles knew Alexander was behind the mobs. He knew this was the Chancellor’s way of getting rid of him once and for all. The Ambassador couldn’t let him win.
    The crowds surrounding the embassy began throwing rocks, bottles, and gasoline bombs when it was announced the embassy would not close. The Ambassador ordered the embassy’s marines to move to the fences, gates, and observation towers. They were given orders not to shoot. The marines were told to use tear gas only if the crowds attempted to break through the gates.

That day, the crowd stormed the embassy’s gates. The marines fired tear gas pushing the crowds back away from the fence. Weapons were spotted in the crowd. Shots were fired at the marines. Two marines were injured. The Chancellor’s police moved in and dispersed the crowd with water cannons.

That day the crowd stormed the embassy’s gates. The marines fired tear gas pushing the crowds back away from the fence. Weapons were spotted in the crowd. Shots were fired at the marines. Two marines were injured. The Chancellor’s police moved in and dispersed the crowd with water cannons.

New Earth’s television announcement of
the closing of the Federation's embassy

The population of New Earth was told of the Chancellor’s decision to close the Federation embassy in a planet-wide television broadcast. The majority of New Earth’s citizens realized the consequences. Without Ambassador Niles, Alexander could do whatever he wanted, and no one would find out. The Outlanders panicked. Everyone began looking for a way off the planet. The next day something surprising happened. A new decree was announced from the Chancellor’s office and read to the people during the evening news.

    This message is from our glorious leader, Chancellor Alexander, to all the citizens of New Earth. “I realize some of you are unhappy with my decision to close the Federation’s embassy in Jamestown. Please realize I had no choice. They were attempting to overthrow my government and replace it with an Outlander friendly government that would take your money and property and give it to the Outlanders. I will not allow it. The National Front will look after your interests. Humans first! Federation interference is over.
    On the other hand, I am an understanding man and know some of you disagree with me. You would like to leave New Earth. I have thought about this a great deal and decided to allow it.
I’m giving the Federation President permission to send a fleet of starships to New Earth to evacuate all Outlanders and humans that would like to leave.
    If you would like to leave New Earth, gather your belongings and come to the embassy in Jamestown. My army will meet you at the gates and give you safe passage into the embassy’s grounds.
Outlanders, this is your last chance to leave New Earth. I urge all those who question my authority to take advantage of this opportunity.
May your trip to the Federation be safe.”

    The Federation President was horrified after reading the Chancellor’s words. The Chancellor told him to send one ship, not a fleet. Alexander was lying to his people. It was his way of discovering his enemies. Once out in the open they could be arrested, imprisoned, and shot.
Thousands of men, women, and children, believing the Chancellor’s words, are moving toward the Federation embassy hoping for transportation off the planet. The embassy cannot find a way to get the people off the planet. Ambassador Niles ordered the gates closed. Using the embassy’s loudspeakers, he ordered the people to return home. He told them the Chancellor had lied and that only one ship was coming—not a fleet. He told them to return home quickly before they were identified and arrested. Some listened and left, but most stayed, pushing closer and closer to the gates.
    The Ambassador knows the army will arrive and arrest the people. The crowd will panic and surge forward, climbing the fences and walls to reach safety within the embassy compound. To cause maximum panic, Niles thinks the army will start shooting. It could be a massacre.
To protect the secret papers about dilithium sales to the Romulans, Ambassador Niles placed them in a locked black briefcase. The briefcase was handcuffed to the assistant ambassador’s wrist. The assistant, accompanied by several marines, boarded a diplomatic shuttle and launched from the embassy’s hanger. The shuttle will be safe from search or attack because it flies the Federation’s flag and is therefore protected by international law. The shuttle will travel at maximum speed toward the border to meet a Federation starship. The papers will be taken by the Federation ship and given to the Klingons.
    Ambassador Niles is hoping to avoid bloodshed. The situation is worsening. Orders are given for the immediate evacuation of the embassy and the movement of several starships to the New Earth border.