Vincent looked at Colonel Belvedere Brown, "The Vice President must be kept clean in the process. The Office of the Phoenix Federation must be seen as unaware of the incident. The decision must be a military one and a military one alone. Nicole Branson and in particular, President William Hunt must be seen as totally independent of this process. Do I make myself clear?"
The Colonel looked at Vincent, "Nicole is my friend. Hell, she is practically raising my kid. I will not enter the Omega Sands territory without her approval."
Vincent looked at the Colonel, "Nicole cannot make that decision, Bell. She cannot risk her status. I will make that decision. This is a military matter."
Economic warfare
According to Brigadier General William Russo, the JAG interrogator who questioned Colonel Brown after his invasion, The Vulcans tried paying its debts by raising the credits and trade allowances for Omega Sands Dilithium. However, the Romulans, a member of the Phoenix Federation, prevented a regional decrease in Omega Sands by limiting its own uses, thus preventing recovery of the independence-crippled Vulcan economy. This was seen by many in the Villa and on Vulcan as an act of aggression, further distancing the powers.
The Vulcan Council described it as a form of 'economic warfare,' which it claimed was aggravated by the Phoenix Colony's alleged slant mining across the border into Vulcan's Omega Sands Desert. Both Phoenix Federation and United Federation of Planets firms working on the Omega Sands also dismissed Vulcan's slant-mining claims as a "smokescreen to disguise Vulcan's more ambitious intentions".
The Omega Sand's lucrative economy
After the Vulcan–Federation War, the Vulcan economy was struggling to recover. Vulcan's civil and intellectual debt was higher than its state budget. Most of its ports were destroyed, fields mined, and traditional customers lost. The Vulcan Council clearly realized that by seizing the Omega Sands, it would be able to solve most of its financial problems and consolidate its regional authority. Due to its relatively small size, The Omega Sands was seen as an easy target as well as a historically integral part of the original Vulcan Typhon Expanse Colonization separated by the United Federation of Planets.
Alleged international conspiracy
Commander T'tan's decision partly came as a reaction towards the alleged international conspiracy against Vulcan, which, in her view, was meant to weaken and destabilize the regime. Subtle shifts in the Phoenix Federation policy together with the United Federation of Planets and Phoenix Colony efforts to block the export of technology to Vulcan, a consequence of its Empire of V'Ros, were seen by T'tan as part of a concerted effort to build a case against Vulcan. In this conspiracy theory, The Omega Sands were at the core of the conspiracy.
“The Phoenix Federation is coordinating with Vorta'Romulus and the United Federation of Planets and Phoenix Colony in a conspiracy against us. They are trying to reduce the control of Omega to affect our military industries and our scientific research, to force us to reduce the size of our armed forces....You must expect from another direction an Caitain military air strike, or more than one, to destroy some of our important targets as part of this conspiracy”, Commander T'tan warned.
The invasion
On January 17, 2389 at 66654.23, Stardate, The Phoenix Defence League launched an invasion of the Omega Sands with four elite Antican Defense League divisions and Phoenix Army special forces units equivalent to a full division. The main thrust was conducted by the commandos deployed by shuttles and armoured cars to attack the complex, while the other divisions seized the space ports and factories.
In support of these units, the Phoenix Defence League deployed the USS Archangel as well as the USS Wrath of Prometheus. The main task of the Phoenix Fleet was to establish air superiority through limited counter-air strikes against two main air bases, to provide close air support and reconnaissance as necessary.
In spite of days of Viceroy sabre-rattling, The Vulcans did not have its forces on alert and was caught unaware. The first indication of the Phoenix Defence League ground advance was from a main viewer image taken from the Prometheus that detected a Caitain armour column moving south.
Vulcan air, ground, and naval forces resisted, but were vastly outnumbered.
Aftermath
Vulcan factories were set on fire by the Phoenix Defence League causing massive environmental and economic damage to the Villa. After the decisive Phoenix victory, Commodore Viceroy installed Lindsay Viceroy, Mayor of Wells City as the Economic Minister The United Federation of Planets Security Council passed 12 resolutions demanding immediate withdrawal of Phoenix Defence League forces from the Omega Sands, but to no avail.
The image of Colonel Belvedere Brown, Commodore Vincent Viceroy and Commander Lindsay Viceroy in the projects were broadcast across the known worlds. Nicole was woke up by Commander Elora Vasa who informed the Vice President that she better get ready for a barrage of questions. The United Federation is not pleased that the Office of the Phoenix Federation made a formal agreement with the independent Vulcan and then retook the territory by force. Nicole stood up, "Vincent, what have you done?"
Posted by:
Commodore Vincent Viceroy
Star Fleet Commanding Officer
Phoenix Colony
Phoenix Federation
Nicole President
Vice President
Phoenix Colony
Phoenix Federation
