“On this day We, the Free and Independent Citizens of Humanity, declare our intention to carry out Operation Pitchfork, a coordinated strike against the Vanduul menace that has taken root along our border and which even now threatens to spread like a plague towards the very heart of Humankind: Our Homeworld, Earth. Fellow Humans, we must accept the truth: war with the Vanduul has already come. The first strike has already been made… and they are the ones who made it, at Orion! The goal of Operation Pitchfork is not genocide; let no one deceive you otherwise. What we intend to do is no more and no less than what the UEE in all its supposed might should have done: liberate Orion and avenge our dead. This is not a wanton act of senseless slaughter, it is a counterattack, and it will be carried out at the earliest possible opportunity.

The Vanduul have never made a single effort to negotiate with humanity; we have made several attempts to communicate with them peacefully and they slaughtered our envoys in reply. That they have established peaceful relations with the Banu is no evidence that they can be reasoned with. Indeed, all this fact proves is that there is no hope for diplomacy; if the Vanduul wished to coexist peacefully with us then they could have taken the peace that was offered, as they have with the Banu. Instead they chose war, and war we shall give them. The Vanduul are no different from the Tevarin in ages past, they are a threat which must be eliminated at any cost. If the destruction of a handful of Vanduul clans, those which have chosen to invade and occupy human territories and to slaughter human innocents, is all that it takes to secure peace then there need be no further bloodshed. If the remaining Vanduul choose instead the same course as the Tevarin before them, then we must be prepared to systematically eliminate their ability to do us harm by destroying or capturing every last spacefaring vessel they control. If the subjugation or eradication of the Vanduul race is the only way to secure peace, then that is a fate they choose for themselves.

We will not pretend to be motivated by any nobler cause than vengeance, but even if vengeance is not a noble cause, it is a just cause. Even if it is the blood of our slain families and friends that drives us to war, it is a war that must be fought. Even if the UEE refuses to act, action must be taken. Our symbol is the Pitchfork- it is not a spear, but we must use it as one. We will fight with whatever weapons we have, with whatever weapons we must, until we lie dead or Orion is free. If the government that claims to defend us will not do so, then we will defend ourselves. We have been pushed; we will push back. They have made us bleed; we will make them bleed. Should we fail, we hope that the UEE will take up our cause… else they will be forced to in due time. We must strike back at the Vanduul before they strike again.

The UEE claims that the cost of liberating the systems overrun by the Vanduul is not worth the gain- we say that the UEE is complacent and foolhardy. If Operation Pitchfork leads to all-out war, then all we have done is to accelerate the inevitable. The longer we delay, the bloodier the war will be. Let us not forget that the nearest Vanduul-held system is a mere two jumps from our very homeworld. Billions of human lives are at stake. We will not stand idly by while our enemies gather strength; we will not allow the Vanduul to reach Earth unless they go through each and every one of us first.

Join our cause and we will welcome you, no matter who you are or where you hail from, but be warned: make no attempt to get in our way. No mercy will be given to any who impede Operation Pitchfork, be they deluded fools who would appease the enemy, or be they the UEE Navy itself come to halt our vengeance in a misguided attempt to prevent the war we all know has already begun. If we must kill our own kind to reach the enemy, then so be it- the lives lost will be mourned, but should we back down then many more will surely perish in the next system the Vanduul invade. We will fight, and we will prevail, or we will die- and our children and our grandchildren will remember that we did what was necessary when no one else would, at the cost of our lives, at the cost of our honour, or at the cost of our very souls.”

-Anonymous 17 October 2943.

Operation Pitchfork – Suggested SOP¹.

Rule 1: No mushroom management (i.e. Kept in the dark and fed excrement). Everyone knows what we are doing and why.

Rule 2: Don’t feed the trolls! If someone’s trolling, call it and flag it for the mods. You guys have made the PF thread the most positive I have ever read. So now let’s do the same with our Orgs.

Rule 3: Execute Commander’s intent: If you see something that needs doing, do it, don’t wait on us. We have suggested the basic goals of the operation and have had no disagreement thus far. (Hint go back to page 37 and read them if you get an opportunity and comment :-)). Our strategy should be based on our goals

Rule 4: We are doing this for the bloody fun of it so don’t make it hard work.

Rule 5: Vanduul taste like Bacon ;)

¹ Paraphrased from page 43 the Operation Pitchfork thread by Sailor67