Maquis
The Maquis (mah-KEE) were an organization of Federation-born colonists who organized against the Cardassian occupation of their homes
in the Cardassian Demilitarized Zone after their colonies were ceded to the Cardassian Union by the Treaty of 2370.
Contents
Background
The roots of the Maquis insurrection can be traced back to the 2350s during the Cardassian wars. The Federation and the Cardassians settled a large number of Class M planets in close proximity to each other, and the issue of ownership of these colonies – as well as their security – became the causes of war. Although the Federation relinquished claims to all planets occupied by Cardassian colonies, the Cardassians sought to annex several crucial worlds along the border.
Despite the risks of settling on worlds close to the Cardassian border, many Federation citizens, especially Humans, chose to settle on the fertile worlds in the region. Colonies became thriving outposts of Federation civilization, but also became targets for the Cardassian military. By the mid-2360s, the wars had settled into an effective stalemate, with neither side gaining advantage in terms of firepower or territory. Finally, in 2367, a truce was established that enforced an end to active hostilities, but left many of the major questions of the conflict unresolved.
Seeds of Resistance
It took an additional three years for a final peace treaty to be negotiated, and although the questions of territory were finally settled, neither side was entirely happy with the solution. The Treaty of 2370 established a new Demilitarized Zone (also known as the DMZ), from which all large warships belonging to either side were excluded. Much more controversial, however, was the exchange of colonies which was to take place. The treaty stipulated that each side would transfer ownership of certain worlds. The inhabitants of those worlds would be resettled elsewhere beforehand. Despite the vehement protests of many colony leaders, the Federation Council signed the treaty. Star Fleet was given the task of evacuating the colonists from their homes and transporting them to other worlds.
Ultimately, an agreement was made whereby some colonists were permitted to remain in their colony under Cardassian jurisdiction. Following the first agreement, colonists on many other worlds also refused to abandon their homes and demanded to be permitted to stay on their colonies. Both the Federation Council and the Cardassian Central Command acquiesced.
Civil Unrest
Resentment began to fester as hardships mounted. Although the Cardassian government had officially pledged to leave the Federation colonists alone, a wide campaign of oppression began the same time. Food replicators were poisoned, mobs were organized, and general harassment of the Federation colonists made life difficult at best. Cardassian Central Command secretly began arming their own colonists on the Demilitarized Zone. By shipping the weapons through intermediaries, they managed to avoid the attention of Star Fleet. The Cardassian colonists mounted the weapons – including heavy disruptors – onto shuttlecraft-sized vessels and used them to attack Federation interests.
The Federation colonists did not accept these attacks passively. While Star Fleet conducted "official" investigations into the situation, the colonists banded together into underground paramilitary cells, and began acquiring weapons of their own through the black market. These weapons were mounted on Federation-designed shuttles, and couriers and used to defend against the Cardassian colonists' attacks. The "Demilitarized" Zone was becoming very militarized.
Open Conflict
The first open attack by the Maquis, as the Federation paramilitary groups came to be known, was against a Cardassian freighter at outpost Deep Space 9. The freighter in question was suspected of running weapons to the Cardassian colonists in the DMZ. Maquis sympathizers planted an implosive protomatter device on the hull of the Cardassian ship, causing a catastrophic overload in the fusion reactor, destroying the ship.
After the shipments of weapons to the Cardassian colonies were exposed, the Central Command officially denied all involvement in the matter. Although full-scale war was avoided, the Demilitarized Zone was quickly becoming a hotbed of conflict. Now that both sides' civilian colonists possessed advanced weaponry, an underground war broke out without any direct involvement from either the Cardassian or the Federation fleets.
Growing Problem
In the following weeks and months, tensions continued to mount as both sides continued arming themselves for their underground war. Despite the best efforts of both Star Fleet and the Central Command, the rival paramilitary groups continued to obtain weaponry through backdoor channels. Although both the Cardassians and the Federation accused the other of secretly lending official sanction to their respective colonists, these allegations were never conclusively proven.
In 2370, Cardassians attempted to portray the Maquis as "savage, Federation-born killers" who were operating with secret but official sanction from Star Fleet Command. By the end of the year, a precarious stalemate had developed inside the Demilitarized Zone. However, the Maquis continued to gain strength, and continued to launch attacks against Cardassian and neutral shipping in the region. In one of their boldest offensives, a Maquis cell launched a massive attack against a Cardassian flagship, crippling it before being driven off by the Enterprise-D.
There was also a continued stream of Star Fleet officers who resigned their commissions in the Federation to join the Maquis in their fight against the Cardassians. The Maquis managed to portray themselves as the innocent victims, with their homes under attack and carelessly given away by the Federation authorities. The advanced tactical knowledge of those officers often gave the Maquis a distinct advantage in combat against Star Fleet opponents. The Maquis also served as a haven for those disgraced from Star Fleet and the Federation. Eventually, the Maquis included members of the Human, Vulcan, Bajoran, Betazoid, Bolian, and Klingon species.
However, the Maquis were not satisfied with the delicate and armed stalemate that had developed. Thanks to the influx of personnel and unofficial support, the Maquis began expanding their operations to include larger targets.They also managed to evade almost every trap that Star Fleet laid for them outside the Demilitarized Zone, developing new techniques and tactics to evade pursuit.
Consolidating Strength
Back in the Alpha Quadrant, the Maquis managed to not only survive, but to expand their influence, and consolidate their position inside the Demilitarized Zone. The Maquis' good fortune came in large part thanks to massive upheavals inside the Cardassian empire.
The situation in the Demilitarized Zone changed drastically with the sudden onset of the Klingon-Cardassian War in early 2372. The Klingon Empire launched a major assault against the Cardassian Union, acting under the belief that the recent revolution had been engineered by the Dominion. The Klingon invasion led to the occupation of more than a dozen outlying colonies, the destruction of a large portion of the Cardassian fleet, and massive damage to the Union's industrial infrastructure.
With the Cardassians' eye turned inward and their military reduced to a third-rate power, the Maquis had nearly free reign of the DMZ. Additionally, the Klingons formed a secret, informal alliance with the Maquis. Aside from providing material assistance, the Klingons also provided the Maquis with thirty cloaking devices to mount on their ships.
Sudden Death
With the startling announcement that the Cardassian Union hadd agreed to become a part of the Dominion, the Cardassian military was immediately augmented by a large fleet of Jem'Hadar warships that entered the Alpha Quadrant through the Bajoran wormhole.
A grand offensive was announced against all of Cardassia's enemies, primarily the Klingons and the Maquis. They vowed not only to drive the Klingons out of Cardassian territory, but also to eliminate every last Maquis colony inside Cardassian territory within the space of three days. With the Jem'Hadar as allies, the Cardassians made good on that threat. Ignoring the treaty's restrictions, they launched a massive invasion of the Demilitarized Zone, rapidly and efficiently wiping out every Maquis colony. The Maquis attempted to put up a valiant fight, but the small raiders and fighters they possessed were hardly a match for the fearsome Jem'Hadar attack ships.
In the aftermath of the Cardassian and Dominion offensive, only small pockets of Maquis remained, completely isolated and ineffective. The only large group of Maquis remaining were aboard the USS Voyager, who learned of the Maquis fate when Seven of Nine learned how to use an ancient communications network to contact the Alpha Quadrant in 2374. The news was met with mixed emotions.
Some former rebels in the Alpha Quadrant escaped capture. Only several hundred Maquis remained, whether in scattered groups, Chakotay's cell on Voyager, or in prison. All of them were pardoned and joined Starfleet's efforts to fight the Dominion. After the Dominion War, it is presumed the Maquis group was officially disbanded.
