Chapter 61

12/25

New Forest City, North Carolina

North American Continent, Earth, United Federation of Planets

December 25, 2377

12 noon

Admiral Walter Graham was not a happy man, having been awakened the day before with the news that San Francisco, the home of Starfleet Command, Starfleet Academy, and the Federation government, had been nuked so throughly that even Oakland and San Jose were wiped out. Millions were dead, and others were in a panic. Not since the Breen sneak attack during the last year of the Dominion War had people on Earth been so scared. This was Paradise now, and people expected Starfleet to protect Earth from harm.

He had managed to cobble together a makeshift government to stablize things, and had put Earth under a state of emergency. Federation troops were scanning the planet to find any other nuclear devices, and were shocked to find hundreds of bombs all over the planet. New Forest City, the former capital of the Atlantic Alliance and second-largest city on the North American continent, had as many bombs as were exploded in San Francisco. Graham was pissed that all those bombs had gotten by his security forces, and he was headed to a meeting of his security staff with steam boiling out of his ears.

He stormed into the room, wasting a moment thinking it would be so satisfying to slam an old fashioned door right at that moment. The sliding doors shut back behind him and he yanked out a seat at the head of the conference table and plowed his hind quarters into the seat.

"So, care to tell me just how in the hell we got the most important city in the galaxy NUKED? My God, people! Do you realize how many ambassadors, Starfleet personnel, officers, and other talented people we lost because we didn't do our jobs?"

The members of his staff leaned forward and fidgetted, staying silent. Graham knew that they didn't have the answers, because he knew that they were the best he had and even they didn't know how it had happened.

He walked up and went to the window, taking in the view of the Appalachian mountains in the background of the New Forest City skyline. Centuries ago, this was just another small town in a series of rural communities. Then the third World War came, and many of the major cities in the southeast were devastated, and the refugees from the destruction found their way into the foothills of western North Carolina. In the nearly three hundred years since the founding of New Forest City, the small town had become a city that dwarfed New York City.

As he turned around, the communication screen came on. Commodore Hashimoto came on, and her face looked as if she'd just lost a loved one. "Admiral, I have some very bad news...Tokyo...has been nuked," she said with tears in her eyes, and she missed the cutoff button as she put her head down on her desk and broke down in her office in Okinawa.

"Damn," he raged. "All right, I want any kind of massive explosive material found and beamed out into space ASAP. Scan Earth with a fine tooth comb as many times as necessary, because if we get another city nuked, and it's not this one, I'll skin the lot of you! Dismissed!"

Walking into the room as the others were leaving were ISA President John Sheridan and Michael Garibaldi, and their faces were downcast as well. "Admiral, we came as fast as we could get here when we heard the news.," Sheridan said.

Graham nodded his head and gestured the two to be seated, then got up and walked around the room. "So you're read the readings we picked up from the explosions?"

Garibaldi spoke up. "We ran it through our scanners and it's confirmed: these were fusion bombs that were used. The kilotonnage looks like standard Earth issue."

"So they came from your Earth," grumbled Graham.

"It appears so. I've sent a message to President Hollifield and asked him to look into matters. It may be a while, because we received word that Vice President Fabiana Santos was assassinated, and other ministers were targetted, but luckily security forces were able to protect them with only minimal loss of life. President Hollifield is in EarthDome under heavy security, last we heard.," replied Sheridan, who was clearly taken aback by this development.

"I've known Hollifield for a long time, and when he finds out that these were Earthforce nukes that were used...," Garibaldi added.

Graham sighed and said, "Look, I've got a world full of people who are used to feeling safe and secure, and they are panicking about these nuke attacks! I need some answers and I needed them a half hour ago! Whatever you guys can do to help us out, I'd be more than grateful to you for."

"We'll do whatever we can, Admiral. If I had to guess, this is an attempt by the Ragendora and their allies to splinter us. We cannot allow that.," Sheridan replied.

Later, as the two of them left Starfleet's emergency headquarters, they walked down towards the old town. They were passing Smith's Drug Store when Garibaldi caught sight of someone he knew. He elbowed Sheridan and pointed to a man looking into the window of Butler's Olde Pawn Shop. "Is that who I think it is," said Sheridan.

"Yeah, and I'm gonna kick that son of a bitch's ass!." Garibaldi said as he took off running down the street towards the person. The person smiled as he hit something on his watch and beamed out. Garibaldi skidded to a stop, and Sheridan bumped into him as he came to a stop.

"Dammit! I thought Morden was dead," yelled Sheridan.

"Yeah, I thought Londo Mollari had him beheaded, but I guess somehow the fraggin' Ragendora can bring back the dead as well.," Garibaldi replied.

On board a cloaked Cardassian destroyer, Morden walked back to Gul Dukat's office, entering to see the leader of the new government lighting up a thoroughly Earthlike cigar.

"A little too early to light a victory cigar, don't you think," Morden dryly said.

Dukat laughed and said, "Maybe, but it's best to enjoy the little victories, because it can help you plan for the really big celebration when you win the war!"

Morden smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess seeing San Francisco and Tokyo vaporized had a certain satisfaction for you, I take it?"

"Indeed. But what I want is to enslave that damned world and turn their putrid paradise into a planetary slave labor camp that would make what we did on Bajor look like...what was that cute Human phrase?...small potatoes?"

Morden's grin was toothy as he said, "You may just get your wish, Dukat. You may just get your wish."