A Prolog By Thunderfoot
"And so it begins"
Jarred was angry. And he no longer cared whether or not the StarFleet officer saw his anger.
"We work hard out here on the frontier! Building a life. Starting a world. Making things work. We pay our taxes, too. Unlike so many who sit and wait for the Federation to give them everything. And for what? The Orions come and take what they want and then Starfleet shows up a week later and says, 'Sorry. We'll get them next time for sure.' We send people to the Council to speak on our behalf and they get passed around from this bureaucrat to that aide to the other office until they run out of money or they give up and come home. The week after, the Nausicaans land and take all our livestock. Did I mention they shot and killed a seven year old boy because one of the animals wasn't livestock but his pet and he tried to keep it? Oh yeah, before I forget, someone told them Starfleet was enroute. The Nausicaans nearly died from laughter. Bet that didn't make it into the report to Starfleet HQ, did it? You 'Fleeters live a life of ease and comfort and minimal responsibility aboard your ships. Someone else builds them. Someone else pays for them. And you do nothing at all to earn your keep!
Well, it's past time someone else learned from the past as well. Remember when the Federation gave Federation planets, and their citizens, to the Cardassians? To 'keep the peace because war is a bad thing?' How'd that work out for Y'all, 'Fleeter?. Not very well at all as I recall. Y'all ran around like your butts were on fire and your heads were catching. Meanwhile, the Maquis made a stand. Bloodied the Spoonheads' noses too. And for what? So Starfleet could brand them terrorists and criminals! If anyone had been bothered to really listen to what the Maquis were saying, Starfleet might have had enough time to wake up before the war started. Instead, while those on the frontier starved and died, the Federation gave aid to the Cardassians!"
"Mr. Jarred, it wasn't quite like that. You don't underst-"
"Too bloody right, I don't understand, Boy! I don't understand why we ever thought the Federation would ever lift a finger to help us. After all, there's the Klingons and the Romulans to appease as well. Paid for with the taxes you squeeze out of us! Past time someone did something about this, it is. And we're going to. If the Federation cannot help us defend what is ours then it is time to run the Federation off this planet! Here, this is a document, signed by nearly two thirds of the population of Beta Arians VI, declaring ourselves independent of the Federation from this moment forward! From now on, we'll be the ones making the decisions about ourselves. From now on, we'll be the ones deciding who gets what from our hard work! From now on, we'll be free of the leeches and apologists and weak minded who are afraid of their own shadows!"
"Mr. Jarred, that document is why I am here. Secession from the Federation is illegal. I am hearby placing you under arrest for violation of Federation Code Twelve A."
" I don't think so, 'Fleeter. Not today. I'm no longer part of your Federation so your laws no longer apply to me!"
Jarred pulled a comm link from his belt and spoke.
"Mike, Jarred. All done up there?"
"Jarred, this is Mike. The ship is ours. We have three dead and about a dozen wounded."
"D*&m! Who are they?"
"Asa, Janet, and that Bolian guy, Paguili."
"Alright, Mike. Where are the 'Fleeters?"
"Not but about eight or so left, Jarred. They put up a helluva fight when they finally figured out we weren't hauling quadrotriticale up to them. But by the time we had control of Engineering, they just gave up. Same as they always do."
"Okay, Mike bring them back down to the surface and we'll figure out what to do with them and this one later. Can Serena get into the mainframes?"
"Yeah. Says her 'starfish' program bored right through the security protocols and lockouts with nary a hitch. When I said, 'The ship is ours.', I really meant it."
"Mr. Jarred, stop this now. Before it really is too late."
"Already too late, 'Fleeter. Y'all have been eating lotus blossoms while the whole galaxy goes off the rails. We're gonna go do something about it."