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[[Image:Maquis insignia.png|right|Maquis Insignia]]
:''You may also be looking for [[Maques]], the leader of a Cairn delegation aboard the USS ''Enterprise''-D.''
The '''Maquis''' (mah-KEE) were an organization of [[United Federation of Planets|Federation]]-born [[colonist]]s colonists who organized against the [[Cardassian]] occupation of their homes in the [[Demilitarized Zone]] after their colonies were ceded to the [[Cardassian Union]] by the [[Federation-Cardassian Treaty|Treaty of 2370]]. :''The term ''maquis'' comes from a name for groups of the French Resistance that fought the [[German]] occupation during the [[Second World War]]. Star Fleet Command considers members of the Maquis to be traitors, while [[Cardassia]] considers the Maquis to be a terrorist organization.''
== 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]] [[planet]]s 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, including [[Minos Korva]] and [[Setlik III]].
Despite the risks of settling on worlds close to the Cardassian border, many Federation citizens, especially [[Human]]sHumans, chose to settle on the fertile worlds in the region. Colonies including [[Volan II]], [[Volan III]], [[Soltok IV]], [[Umoth VII]], and others 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.
=== Civil Unrest ===
[[Image:Cal hudson.jpg|thumb|Calvin "Cal" Hudson, the first of many Star Fleet officers to lead the Maquis]]
However, the resolution of the dispute did not prove to be a practical solution. Although Star Fleet assigned an attaché, [[Lieutenant Commander|Lt. Commander]] [[Calvin Hudson]], to the Demilitarized Zone, 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 at practically the same time. Food [[replicator]]s replicators were poisoned, mobs were organized, and general harassment of the Federation colonists made life difficult at best.
At the same time, the Central Command secretly began arming their own colonists on the Demilitarized Zone. By shipping the weapons through intermediaries such as the [[Lissepian]]s, they managed to avoid the attention of Star Fleet. The Cardassian colonists mounted the weapons – including {{ShipClass|Galor}} heavy [[disruptor]]s – onto [[shuttlecraft]]-sized vessels and used them to attack Federation interests.
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 Gul Evek's flagship, the ''[[Vetar]]'', crippling it before being driven off by the ''Enterprise''-D.
As critical as the Maquis' offensives were, even more embarrassing were the 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. In addition to [[Calvin Hudson]], other Star Fleet officers such as [[Ro Laren]], [[Chakotay]], and [[Thomas Riker]] also resigned or deserted their posts to fight "the good fight". 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, such as [[Tom Paris]] and [[B'Elanna Torres]]. Others were simply seeking an outlet for violent tendencies, like [[Lon Suder]]. 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. Thanks to sympathizers, they also managed to evade almost every trap that Star Fleet laid for them outside the Demilitarized Zone. And thanks to the treaty, both Star Fleet and the Cardassians were unable to send in sufficient armaments to eradicate them. They developed new techniques and tactics to evade pursuit, such as using [[thoron]] particles to render [[tricorder]]s useless. Another advantage was their familiarity with the [[Badlands]], which was used to contain munition bases and to outrun enemy vessels. In [[2370]], they captured a defective Cardassian weapon called [[Cardassian ATR-4107|Dreadnought]], then reprogrammed it to attack the Cardassian fuel depot on [[Aschelan V]], although Dreadnought disappeared in the Badlands under mysterious circumstances before it reached its target.
In June of [[2373]], the Maquis attacked two [[Bolian freighter]]s carrying [[selenium]] and [[rhodium nitrite]]. Using the materials from those captured cargos, the Maquis created a large cache of [[cobalt diselenide]] – a [[biogenic weapon|biogenic agent]] deadly to Cardassians. Eddington attacked the Cardassian colonies on [[Veloz Prime]] and [[Quatal Prime]], poisoning the biospheres and making the planets uninhabitable for Cardassians. The Maquis announced their intention to "reclaim" those planets for themselves, and to launch similar attacks against all other Cardassian colonies inside the Demilitarized Zone.
At the same time, Star Fleet was vigilantly but fruitlessly pursuing Eddington, seeking to bring him to justice for his [[treason]]. Eddington attacked and disabled both the USS ''Defiant'' and the {{USS|Malinche}} in separate engagements. Thus provoked, Captain Sisko launched his own offensive inside the DMZ, in an attempt to capture Eddington. Sisko attacked the Maquis colony on [[Solosos III]], using [[trilithium]] resin to poison the planet's [[atmosphere]] and make it uninhabitable for Humans for the next fifty years. Sisko then announced his intention to poison every single Maquis colony in order to end the Maquis threat. Horrified, Eddington turned over the remaining biogenic weapons and surrendered himself to Star Fleet in order to prevent such an attack.
== Sudden Death ==
