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History of the Eminiar Star System
The star cluster NGC 321 is a trinary system on the edge of a zone
containing 75 percent of the Federation's member systems, and as such has had
some effect on several adjacent societies. The largest star, about the same
size as Sol, is Atos ('a' is the second letter of the Eminian common
alphabet). The second largest star, of similar character but 20% smaller, is
Retos ('re' or 'R' is the first letter of the alphabet). A tiny orange-red
star is Notos ('no' or 'n' being the third letter), orbiting at a
considerable distance. Retos and Atos are of sufficient distance apart that
each commands a stable family of planets, one of each being Class M. 'Tos' is
an Eminian word meaning 'source of light'.
Eminiar is a word that in the Eminian language means what Earth or Terra
means to Terrans. Vendikar is the ancient god of the sea in @ Eminiar's
Storaian mythology; when viewed through a telescope, Vendikar showed a blue
disk to early Eminian astronomers.
Atos, which shows as a bright star in Eminiar's sky, has five planets he
third of which is Vendikar. Retos, dominating the daylight of Eminiar, has
four planets, the second being Eminiar. Although the names of the stars date
from antiquity, astronomers decided it was logical to number the planets
starting with the most prominent star of the system, therefore Eminiar is
known in scientific circles as Eminiar VII. In actual fact, the sciences
would prefer the name Tos over Eminiar, but the government passed an edict
(revoked after the war ended) that the whole trinary system is the Eminian
Union, and all planets named respectively.
For the moment, let us speak of the Eminian union in terms of nomenclature
before the achievement of peace.
Eminians refer to the whole trinary system as the Eminian Union; Vendikar
considers the Atos group to be separate, the Democratic Union of Atos. Both
Eminiar and Vendikar lay claim to the single planet of Notos, Eminiar X. This
tenth planet is Class K, but so far uninhabited, and rich in valuable
industrial minerals.
Eminiar has a revolution period about its sun of .69 Solar years. What to
the Eminians is 500 years is actually 345 solar years. The war started 342
Solar years, or 495 1/2 Em-years before the U.S.S. Enterprise visited. That
was in Earth year 2269 (15 years later, a year-old bottle of Romulan ale was
shared by McCoy and Kirk.)
The Valiant visited 45 Solar years before that (65 Em-years). The actual
date of the Valiant visit was hushed up for a few years, so few young Eminians
are sure of the date except that it was more than 50 yeare before.
Vendikar was first settled by Eminians about 700 Em-years ago, and after
about 80 Em years, immigration picked up quickly. Some of those migrants were
people with new political ideas who felt very restricted by a lethargic, if
not rigid, political system on Eminiar. Eminiar, with this same resistance to
great social and political change, remained dominant and resisted suggestions
to transfer trusteeship to Vendikar of colonies in the Atos system. Some
local affairs, such as transportation regulation and currency regulation, was
let to Vendikar about 520 Em-years ago, but it was to prove to be too little,
too late. General dissatisfaction in the Atos system with the distant and
incompetent bureaucrats on Eminiar resulted in the Vendikan declaration of
independence 518 Em-years before the Enterprise visit in Eminian year N+3474.
That declaration of independence was therefore in N+2956.
(Eminian year numbers are dated from a nova observed by and recorded in the
writings of many ancient civilizations. Eminiar, unlike Earth and many other
cultures, did not have a deital event such as the birth of Christ on Earth.)
Vendikans established the very democratic system of government its people
had grown to dream of founding, but, in the belief it was needed to guarantee
that freedom, established a large military force. Vendikar freed the various
colonies in the Atos system, granting them the choice of independence or
association with Vendikar. Most chose to ally with Vendikar; those that
remained independent have remained carefully removed from war zones, with
necessary trade being carried out at neutral stations which Eminiar has
tacitly respected.
About N+2978, a brief and ultimately disastrous switch to dictatorship
occurred on Vendikar. The Vendikan dictator, Artan Hafan, sought to end
Eminiar's hegemony, as he termed it, of the trinary system. Great military
forces were sent to attack Eminiar, and so First Councilman Mahan 8, a direct
blood ancestor of Anan 7, mobilized Eminian forces to attack Vendikar. Both
home planets suffered great devastation in three Em-years of violent warfare.
An unarranged ceasefire occurred as both sides licked their wounds and tried
to treat their populations of the miseries of the war.
For two decans (a decan being 1/10 of a year), no fighting occurred, but
each side used its computers to run attack simulations. Taking into account
the defensive abilities of the other side, they sought a plan for a decisive
attack to vanquish the opposition. As this was carried out, skirmishes began
breaking out. The computers could find no way of breaking the other side's
defences, but Mahan 8's war minister, Paral 4, saw the possibilities of the
computer system. He is the father of modern Eminian warfare, and he
formulated his proposal to take before Mahan 8 and the High Council.
Mahan 8 had been swayed by opinions that the war might have to continue in
some controlled manner as the people had a lust for blood and demanded
vengeance upon Artan Hafan. Mahan heard out Paral 4's plan, and proposed it
to Artan that war be waged in this controlled sanitary manner, sparing their
people the horrors of violence. Full scale war was being averted only on a
daily basis by now, and Artan agreed.
The necessary protocols and treaties were established, and scientists
developed the interconnection software, engineers built the facilities and
used the most advanced technology of the day, and the system was inaugurated
on the first day of N+2982. Vendikar launched the first small attack a week
later, and then new problems arose.
To 'cancel out' the 'casualties' of a simulated attack, the original
methods were crude and inhumane. It proved somewhat difficult to round up
more than about 95 percent of the casualties and herd them into homicide
camps. The form of death varied from lasers to disruptors, all very painful
and slow. Sometimes the last casualty was not located and 'dispatched' until
a decan after the attack, and special squads were needed to hunt people down,
sometimes 'terminating' them in a very undignified way.
The Vendikans invented the disintegrator around N+3075, while the Eminians
developed a more efficient casualty recording system. In the interests of
humanity and fair play in this 'game', the exchange of technology was made.
Each also exchanged propaganda hints to indoctrinate the young to the idea
that it was the civic duty to report for disintegration. Although the 30 Em-
year dictatorship of Artan was long over and Vendikar had returned to
democracy, the same sort of propaganda was used.
By N+3130, neither planet was having problems with its casualties. An
adult would learn of his casualty status either at home, work, or by a
personal comm terminal carried on-person, and put his or her affairs in order
before reporting, on time, to casualty centres. An interesting note of the
war treaty is that children and pregnant women were spared, but the women had
to report within a year of giving birth. Nevertheless, the growing
consciousness of duty led to no noticeable abuse.
Over the 492 Em-years of war, each side improved its own systems, and
every 50 or so years, both sides called a brief cessation to improve the
interconnection and test it; the war would resume in earnest soon after.
Notable is the fact that both sides made frequent 'audits' of the other
side's casualty lists to make sure the casualty determination was not biased
to reduce losses.
Vendikar, as noted, returned to democracy after 30 Em-years, but the war
went on as both planets rebuilt their demolished civilizations. There was no
pressing reason to stop this 'clean and sanitary' war, since it saved the
culture and technology. In fact, Vendikar let the war management slip into
the hands of bureaucrats to wake, although done in the name of the cabinet.
Attacks by Vendikar occurred about ten times a year, roughly equal to the
capacity it had 495 years ago for actual attack. Also, the next attack never
used to come until all casualties from the other side's retaliation had been
processed.
When, on Stardate (2.8)3192.1, the Federation starship U.S.S. Enterprise
commanded by Capt. James T. Kirk, visited and became entangled (see G.
Roddenberry's excellent video dramatizations of that starship's remarkable
journey), the war would be ended, finally.
Faced with the slaughter of his crew, and possibly the destruction of his
starship, Kirk destroyed Eminiar's war computers, hoping also that the
Eminians and Vendikans would both revile the thought of real war again.
Kirk's gamble worked and the idea of losing 500 years of technological and
social progress seemed to be insane to both sides. Ambassador Robert Fox, who
ordered the Enterprise to Eminiar against that planet's advisories to stay
away, offered his services as negotiator and contact was opened with Vendikar.
The Vendikan bureaucrats, at the moment Kirk destroyed Eminiar's war
setup, had been running another warfare simulation program, a 'spy satellite'.
It was used to select targets and meant to simulate real spy drones. Kirk's
first officer, Commander Spock, had skillfully tied together not only the
main computers but the backup installation 4000 terrestrial kilometres away,
and both destructed at the same moment. Losing contact with Eminiar, the
Vendikans called their War Minister in alarm. Cabinet happened to be meeting,
and all wondered why Eminiar suddenly wanted real war after all those years,
and feared the worst. Barely seven minutes had passed since contact was lost,
when the direct line chimed, startling all of them. Desperate to communicate,
they answered the call from Fox and Anan 7.
Fox explained, all in the most diplomatic of terms, that the Federation
visitors had deactivated the system to force a better solution, but Anan 7 was
now ready to cut through the niceties and admit the very humble things Kirk
had told him about fighting the 'killer instinct' by deciding they weren't
'going to kill... today'.
The Vendikan leader, Ripoma, was agreeable to the seeking of final peace.
A gentle pacifist movement on Vendikar sought an end to the war so that both
planets could work together and become part of the galactic community that had
developed in their isolation.
The Vendikans sought recognition of the right of all citizens for self-
determination and freedom of movement; an equal planetary union to share the
resources of the Retos-Atos-Notos system. The Eminians wanted military forces
abolished (as they had been 100 years before Vendikar was first probed), for
the system to join the Federation in whatever united form was agreed on,
cooperate with interstellar peaceful pursuits, and nullify its incomplete
casualty lists.
Ambassador Fox transmitted news of success two solar weeks later. By
Stardate 3563.8, diplomatic relations with the Federation were formalized, and
Fox set up a Federation diplomatic mission on Eminiar to serve as the first
embassy and as the common embassy for any planet which cdid not establish a
separate embassy. The new Eol-Tos (All Stars of Tos) Union was established
about the same time n largely Vendikan terms, and the system opened to
Federation vessels for leave and commerce.
(Kirk eventually took up Anan's 'voice-concealed' offer to Cmdr. Scott to
take shore leave on Eminiar.)
On Stardate 3850.2, on a follow-up of the secret Babel conference, both
Coridan and Eol-Tos Union were among eleven planetary systems voted into the
United Federation of Planets by the Supreme Assembly. The Coridan admission
passed 496 to 34, and the Eol-Tos Union admission passed by 516 to 1, with 13
abstentions. (The lone objector was the Unity of Tellar, as the Tellarites
had an unsettled claim with Vendikar, which the late Gav was loathe to
settle.)
The planets now bear the names Eol-Tos I through Eol-Tos X, with Vendikar
called Eol-Tos III and Eminiar Eol-Tos VII. Anan 7 retired in N+3476, and was
later invited by Eol-Tos Union chairman Mea 3 to serve as a member of the
diplomatic team to the Federation; he declined.
After four years, Robert Fox is still ambassador to the Eol-Tos Union,
although he has been offered the job of helping improve relations with the
Melkotians.
Kirk, who was the catalyst to end the interminable war, has just brought
the Enterprise home from its mission and has been promoted to the Admiralty.
As of this date, the population of the Eol-Tos Union is roughly stable at
13 thousand 700 million people (13 700 000 000), just over half on Eminiar,
and all but about 10 percent of the rest of Vendikar.
G. Capp, Stardate 6797.2 (A.D. 2273 November 9)
(By some quirky warp of space, I found this on my computer one morning
after some sort of Earthly ion storm that occurred during my attempt to place
a call with my modem. I should have suspected something when the operator
transmitted 'That will be 12 Credits a solar minute, sir'.)
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