[Galaxy] [Earth] 2158 April 25, Earth President Alberto Garcia

[Suzanna Batenburg]

/////////// President's offices - Paris /////////////

With the help of the transporter of the Republic, Suzanna had been beamed
from the Starfleet Command HQ to the President's offices in Paris. It was
now forty five minutes since Cmdr Gallagher of SFI had interrupted their
meeting and many wheels had been set in motion. It would take time to gather
steam and speed, but at least the initial broad orders had been sent out.

And now, she had been requested to be present as the President was about to
make a major speech from his press room and if need be help to answer
questions. As soon as she'd informed him of the video and shown it to him,
it had been clear that they should make the true version of events public.
Even if those events will fall upon deaf ears.  The Romulans seem to know
politics well, and the first version is the one that goes down in the
history books -- everyone else is just playing catch-up.  Still, the Earth
Government's account *has* to be made public record.

Commodore Stirling and RAdm Palmer were putting the last touches on the
presentation material that would accompany the President's speech and she
was double checking the material as it arrived.

"It's time." Earth's President Alberto Garcia said as he gathered his notes
and nodded to Suzanna. She nodded in return and together they walked the
short distance to the press room, which was full given that the press corps
had been told there was a 'not to be missed' speech for which the President
had been given air time on all the major networks.

Suzanna stood to the right, but several steps behind the President as he
stood at lectern.

"Ladies and Gentlemen... we are a people at war.  And it is a war based on
lies." He paused a moment as a view screen set up next to the lectern showed
a list of names. "As you may remember, over the last year or two we've
suffered attacks on our starships and colonies. We thought they were purely
Nausicaan actions at the time, as all evidence seemed to blatantly identify.
But all lies eventually fall to truth, and we discovered a people called the
Romulans were behind these attacks.  They hired and bribed Nausicaans,
amongst others, and utilized various other cloak-and-dagger methods to
instigated trouble in several sectors of space, causing death and
destruction to not just us, but also our trusted allies.

Garcia paused again. "Recently, after our intelligence services had gathered
some key information on which the security council and I decided to take
action. We identified, on what we think is the border of Romulan space, an
installation that was used for strategic planning and operations.  Key
Romulan figures have been coordinating anti-Coalition activities from this
base, and the majority of recent activity has been traced there.  It was our
belief that confronting this installation would be in the best interests of
national, international, and interstellar security. Thus, I ordered
Starfleet Command to embark upon what we knew would be a tough mission.  We
did it to secure some measure of peace for ourselves and those who lay their
trust in us.

"One of our NX-class ships, the Meridian, was sent to lead a small fleet of
ships to confront the facility.  A team of MACOs would board the facility to
gather information, and based on that decide what to do with it. We only
just heard the outcome of the mission from Meridian's captain. The facility
was a trap. The fleet was ambushed, and before any information could be
gathered from the computer, a self-destructed sequence was inadvertently
triggered.

"Despite valiant efforts by the crews involved, twenty four brave men and
women sacrificed their lives for the success of the mission. My heart and
thoughts go out to their families.

"But this is not the first time you have heard of these events.  No doubt
you've seen the story through the tainted eyes of our newfound enemies.  The
Romulans recorded footage of the mission was edited it to look like *they*
are the victims.  They are trying to sow dissention and mistrust into the
alliance of planets that Earth and her colleagues have been working so hard
on to establish and maintain.  We are a threat that they will combat the
only way they know how: with lies.

"Through their deceptions, the Romulans have declared war on the people of
Earth.  Ladies and Gentlemen... we do not want war. We do not want war
because the people of Earth are well versed in the horrors war brings. We do
not want war because it will undo so much of what has been peaceably
achieved within the Coalition of Planets.  We do not want war because it is
costly of precious life which we hold so dear.  But the Romulans want war.
And they want war for exactly the same reasons.  If there were any other
options we would gladly peruse them.  But the Romulans have left none.  And
so we will fight. There will be dark times ahead, but we will stand up and
fight those that know only lies and war.  We will wage their war, and we
will finish it - not with shadows and lies, but with strength and courage.

"All I ask from you now is that you remember the events that brought us to
this, and consider our evidence that gives a true account of those events. I
have asked Starfleet Command to mobilize its resources -- starships, space
stations, and personnel -- and become our protectors. Our Earth based
defense systems have been put on the highest alert status, as have our
civilian colonies. Through vigilance, we will prevail."

President Garcia nodded once and then they left the podium.

<<with special thanks to Rob, aka Thomas Garroway for his help>>
-- 
RAdm Suzanna Batenburg
Fleet Commander
Starfleet: The First Era
"Everything fits, otherwise we will make it fit."
http://www.firstera.net