Cestus 3

Cestus III is a planet near the border between the United Federation of Planets and the annexed terrGorn Hegemony
Cestus III was first discovered in 2258 when it was charted by the USS Coronado. In 2267, the Federation formally established the Cestus III outpost, unaware at the time of Gorn claims in that region of space.
Later in the year however, A Gorn Alliance starship, the Gress'sril assaulted the planet in what became known as the Cestus III Massacre, after which the vessel was pursued by the USS Enterprise. The outpost was destroyed by the Gorn, and nearly all of it's personnel were lost. Thankfully, as medical personnel tended to the outpost's survivors, the Enterprise's captain James Kirk, after engaging in personal combat with the Gorn's ship's captain in a fight enforced by the mysterious being known as the Metrons, would establish the first diplomatic overtures with the Gorn when he spared the Gorn captain after besting him, an act that would be seen as an impressive display of prowess by the strength-minded Gorn political Heirarchy. As a result the Gorn, now believing that they grudingly owed the Federation a debt for their victory, would cede Cestus 3 and end raids against Federation territories. While there would still be some Gorn raids conducted illegally in the future, these were far less frequent and destructive in scale, with both sides chasing down those who broke the new accord. As such, the Federation would rebuild the Cestus 3 outpost and continue the development of the colony there.
Over the next century, the planet thrived with several cities springing up across the world, including Pike City (the capital), Johnson City, Lakeside, New Chicago, Palombo, Port Shangri-La, and Prairieview, and eventually was elevated above its colony status to become a member world of the Federation in its own right.
Throughout the 23rd century, colonists experimented with crossbreeding fruits from Earth with some of the local plants that led to the production of wines, liquors and other agricultural products which were unique to Cestus III. Attempts to trade with the Gorn or exploit the planet's mineral wealth met with limited success, however the economy was sufficiently diverse and productive for the colonists to produce all of their essential needs. In the 2370s the planet experienced a large population boom when, following the formal end of the Federation-Cardassian War, Cestus III accepted a quarter-million people displaced by the establishment of the Demilitarized Zone.
Another key part of Cestus 3's history and culture that would spread throughout the Federation and even beyond was the revival of the old Earth sport baseballin 2371, with the establishment of the Cestus Baseball League along with Pike City Pioneers. Over time, the sport would attract many to see the game on Cestus 3, including the Dominion War hero Captain Benjamin Sisko and would be spread back to the worlds of those who had become fans of the sport. Eventually, Baseball would see a full revival across the whole of the Federation with teams formed across every major planet and even among some non Federation groups such as the Ferengi, while a new National League was formed. In recognition of its service to the sport, Cestus 3 became the site of the headquarters of the Federation's Major League for Baseball, located at Pike City and which it remains to this day, with a museum to the sport and Sports Academy also located there. The sport of marathon running also played an important role here.
In 2374, as the DOminion War raged across the Alpha Quadrant, the Gorn Hegemony faced a coup d'etat, and a rebellious warrior caste launched a surprise invasion of Cestus seeking to reclaim it from what they saw as it's unrightful ceding. Fortunately, the rebellion was short-lived thanks to the efforts of the crew of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-E, and Gorn forces withdrew back to their own territory.
In 2389, the Treaty of Cestus III brought about a unique way to settle the growing conflict between the Gorn Hegemony and the Klingon Empire - a baseball game between the Gorn and the Pike City Pioneers. The Gorn's team, the genetically-enhanced S'Yahazah City Talons, proved to be more than a match for the Pioneers until the eighth inning, when a Gorn pitcher, succumbing to the effects of Meridor-drugged water, drunkenly revealed himself as an Undine infiltrator, who was promptly killed by the Gorn team who had smuggled in disruptor weapons into the game. Despite the Talons' large lead, the game was given to the Pioneers and the Gorn Hegemony was forced to back down.
Federation President Aennik Okeg visited Cestus III on his first state trip, occurring in 2392. The planet also hosted a Federation diplomatic team led by Ambassador Alexander Rozhenko, son of Ambassador Worf, who attempted to negotiate a cease fire between the Gorn Hegemony and Klingon Empire. Sadly, these attempts were not able to prevent the upcoming war between both species and Rozhenko would return to Klingon space along with his father at the outbreak of the 3rd Federation-Klingon War that followed shortly afterwards.
In 2399, President Okeg used Cestus III as an example of a location reachable using the Federation's newly opened transwarp network. This new marvel of transportation would prove vital later on when the world was invaded by the Klingon and Gorn in 2408. Despite Starfleet protests, the residents refused to leave, taking up arms and setting up a Militia and planetary defenses. Cestus would see siginificant fighting between Federation and Klingon-Gorn forces with a siege of the planet lasting several months that ended in a Federation victory, thanks in large part to Starfeet's ability to quickly reinforce the planet via the transwarp gateway. While attempts to raid the planet would continue up to 2410, Cestus 3 was able to repel all of these and the war would soon end in a ceasefire and eventual restablishment of an alliance between the Federation and Klingon Empire, leaving Cestus 3 back in a state of peace.

Type

Planet