"Anatomy of a War" - Alt-Trekverse Fic

[darthdavid]

Muy bueno.

[Steve]

DNS Musashi, Near Darane 4
14:40 GST


Admiral Smith, her staff, and the CIC operators were all buckled into their safety harnesses and ready when the Cardassians began to enter range. They'd learned their mistakes from Zygola, warping in with just one light second between their fleet and Smith's force, which had positioned itself about one quarter of an AU away from Darane 4. The two battle carriers were a bit further off, protected by their four escorts apiece and their fighters. The forty sublight-only F-29 Wildcats fielded by the carriers for close support were nevertheless superior in maneuverability to the incoming Cardassian fighters and were equipped with enough anti-fighter missiles to devastate them if they tried a direct attack on the carriers. The other two hundred and forty fighters of the fleet included eighty sublight F/A-35 Dragons, laden with anti-starship missiles, and a mix of F-30 StarRaptors, A-12 Marauders, and FB-34 Avengers. They were all tasked to supporting the fleet as a whole.
The 120 ships of Task Force 14.3 had formed into a rough Wall of Battle, the heavy cruisers of the component squadrons joining the nineteen battleships and the dreadnought Musashi as the center of the Wall. However, Smith had organized the divisions and squadrons of her force so that the light cruisers and destroyers could more easily intercept Cardassian ships attempting the suicide attacks that had been so deadly to Admiral Kentworth's force at Zygola. As a result, the unit was a little more spread out than a usual Wall formation and more flexible in potential maneuver.
The Cardassians came in with a "loose" formation, each ship spaced out by about fifty kilometers between them (by ADN comparisons this was actually a rather dense formation). They opened fire immediately with their torpedoes, countered by the weapons of the Alliance fleet. The Alliance fleet's point-defense weapons filled space with fire, shooting down every torpedo it could before they could make impact. When they did, the damage from the pure volume of Cardassian fire was considerable. Musashi rocked hard as two of her port deflector screens were simply overwhelmed. Near her, the Iranian (FHI-8) battleship Prince Amir lost all of her deflectors and had a Cardassian photon torpedo detonate in her stern section, blowing out one of her warp field generators. Prince Amir's main battery of gamma ray lasers sliced open a Galor in response and proceeded to kill four other ships in the following ten seconds. Musashi's mighty 290mm Particle Cannons were even deadlier, killing most of the ships they hit.
This was the key element for Smith's plan of survival. The Cardassians had the numbers, but their technology was inferior and their ships - like most of the locals - were horribly thin-skinned by Alliance standards. Puncture the shields and an Alpha Quadrant ship was easily destroyed, while Alliance vessels tended to be built with thick multi-layered armor plate made of various high-quality "superalloys" and ceramics. As a result, her battle line was capable of inflicting stupendous losses on the Cardassian fleet.
The British (SE-1) battleship Revenge, first of her class of new Royal Navy line ships, had a new weapon system that had never been fired in anger before. Her eighteen 400mm Enhanced Railguns (Gauss Cannons) thundered in battle for the first time and produced results; one Galor was hit straight on by an AP round that wrenched her shield generators out of their moorings and produced a sufficient explosion to damage her bow. A Keldon disappeared when an AP round passed through non-existant deflectors and literally tore through much of the ship and hit her fuel bunkers; a second Keldon took severe damage to a wing from an AP round while an HE round fired from the Revenge's dorsal guns damaged her shields. In all, ten out of eighteen rounds had managed to hit targets in some way (HE rounds were more successful, as their fuses were set for proximity detonations).
Within twenty seconds of the first exchange of fire, Smith had outright lost ten ships and had another twenty-six damaged, including all of her battle line. The battleship New Jersey was the only battleship to have really suffered, losing two gun turrets and a warp field generator to a mass torpedo strike. Enemy losses were heavier; each ADN ship had targeted at least one enemy and in some cases several, and roughly twenty Cardassian ships had either been destroyed or crippled, with dozens more damaged in varying ways.
"Have the New Jersey and Prince Amir pull away a bit and present strong sides to the enemy. Order Destroyer Divisions Two One and Two Three to adjust position to cover their maneuver." Smith looked to another monitor. Twenty minutes until the first three carriers would be in position for a carrier strike.
"Sir, Shokaku and Kestrel are asking permission to engage with their Wings."
"Tell them to wait until the enemy comes to within one hundred fifty kilo-klicks. And for God's sake, keep the b-carriers as far away as you can."



Command Center, Cardassia Prime, Cardassian Union


Relim's jaw clenched at the loss figures appearing. His squadron commanders weren't being as careful as he'd hoped, and he didn't want to take too many losses with this distraction force.
"Order Gul Pekel to break off from the main fleet and bombard enemy positions on the planet," Relim said. "Even if they have defenses, the Alliance admiral will have to maneuver to engage them and present a weakness we can exploit." Relim was determined to do as much damage as he could, as he did not have much faith that his meager reserves would be as effective as they would've been if given the time for 2nd Fleet to arrive. "Any sign of the Alliance's large carriers yet?"
"No, Gul Torcet," an aide replied from his station.
Relim bit into a lip and clenched on the rail at his command station. He used his controls to alter the view on the main monitor, watching as his fleet closed with the outnumbered Alliance force. Twenty ships broke off and headed toward Darane 4. "Concentrate fire on their battle line. Gul Upar and Gul Tarel need to loosen their wing formations and try to get their fleet squadrons to the opposite end of the Alliance formation. Commit our fighters to screening attempts by the enemy's fighters to engage."



DNS Musashi, Near Darane 4


Admiral Smith noticed the detachment of enemy ships withdrawing from the Cardassian fleet's main body and heading to the planet. "Warn the Army. Have their defenses and orbital artillery batteries ready. And have our fighters engage those fleet wings trying to come around us."
With that order given, the fighter wings of the two battle carriers went into action. The two carriers' CAGs had already given the order for careful use of weaponry; there would be no "overkill" leading to wasted shots. Each Cardassian target only had one or two attacking fighters depending on their sizes.
Gul Upar's left wing was better prepared. Upar's ships met the fighters' torpedo and missile attack with their bow weapons set to low power and wide fire. Spurts of compressor energy caused the projectiles to explode and served decent purpose as rudimentary PD, attritting the salvo. The missiles and torpedoes that get through damaged shields everywhere. One Ikvak exploded from it's shields collapsing from a proximity explosion and allowing a torpedo through, the only loss on that wing.
Gul Tarel failed to do so and died for his mistake. Three Mark XIV torpedoes hit his flagship Cevelik. The first two blew out a portion of the ship's shield grid and the third hit the exposed bridge of the Cevelik. The rest of his wing fared badly. Twelve ships were destroyed or disabled and a number took damage.
Some of the fighters of the Cardassian fleet now attempted to strike Kestrel and Shokaku, being met partway by the smaller, nimbler Wildcats. Their intermediate-range anti-fighter missiles twisted and turned with the slower Cardassian fighters, especially their "heavy penetrator" gunboats. Nearly every shot hit and three-quarters were immediately fatal to their targets. The pilots of the Wildcats fired another group of short-range missiles when the time came before moving head-on to engage the attackers in a direct dogfight. Cardassian fighters proved they had the firepower to kill the F-29s, blowing the tail off of one and blowing apart another as they continued on with dogged determination to hit the carriers. But the F-29s had the advantage in sublight acceleration and manevuerability, and many Cardassians would be lost in the ensuing dogfight, unused to fighting such nimble yet powerful foes.
In the end, only twenty fighters of the detachment actually attempted to torpedo the Shokaku. The Block III Guardian-class destroyers Ashikage and Ashley Thompkins maneuvered to block their line of fire and opened up with their Stark-McNeal PP-10 and PP-11 batteries, designated Type 1 and Type 2 Pulse Phaser Batteries respectively in ship schematics. Thick pulses of nuclear-disruption energy met the approaching Cardassian fighters, punching through what they had for shielding and damaging or destroying them. Similar-capability weapons on the Shokaku opened up on the four fighters that managed to make it past, joined by light particle interceptor batteries. Fighter after fighter was picked off, until only the final one survived long enough to fire a torpedo that failed to punch through the Shokaku's shields.
Smith had other concerns on her hand now, though. Gul Upar's wing was "enveloping" the front line of her fleet. Upar had delegated several of his destroyers to be "point-defense" for his wing, using their weapons to attrit attempts by the fighters at bombardment. It would be possible now for Upar's wing and the main body of the Cardassian fleet to pummel her front ships on all sides.
Taking a gamble, Smith exploited the damage to the Cardassian right wing and ordered those squadrons to move closer to the center. She then commanded the other battle squadron in her task force to break from the Wall and "cross the T" of the Cardassian left wing.



Command Center, Cardassia Prime, Cardassian Union


"What is that fool doing?!"
Relim's angry shout echoed in Central Command as he watched the left wing's fighters head for the Alliance carriers. "Order them to stop at once and return to holding their screen!"
A Glin at one of the stations shook his head. "Sir, our data link slowed a bit. We're getting time lag of thirty seconds now."
"Dammit, Glin, get it back to real-time!" Relim pounded a fist on his chair. This was the last thing he needed. And he had no doubt that Upar and the others were behind this. Field commanders didn't appreciate someone sitting over seven hundred light years away telling them what to do.
His worst fears were confirmed when the data caught up and, indeed, that portion of fighters had been lost or were about to be. But immediately Relim's attention turned to the developing situation on the board. The Alliance admiral was adjusting his center, detaching twenty ships, including nine of his battle line, to put their flanks to the two enveloping wings of the Cardassian fleet. "Clever. Have Gul Upar come about and back toward the main body of the approaching fleet. Gul Yetek's squadron must move to hold the enspherement intact." He could see a rough half-sphere of Cardassian ships that, if he were successful, would become a full sphere that could then direct their firepower to wipe out a quarter or so of the Alliance task force while their battle line was tied down fighting other elements of the Cardassian fleet.
Still, some doubt gnawed at Relim. Why hadn't the Alliance commander moved to intercept the ships he was sending to Darane 4? Clearly the Alliance couldn't allow Cardassian forces to retake it, or even worse, to bomb it to rubble.
"The Alliance's right is moving ahead to link with their center. Tighten the right wing up and put as much firepower as you can against those ships trying to get in the way of Upar's wing. Perhaps we can make this a complete enspherement after all."



DNS Musashi, Near Darane 4


Admiral Smith was finding herself trapped upon the horns of a dilemma. The larger Cardassian fleet was clearly better led than what she'd been led to expect from their performance at Zygola. They were going to try and squeeze Squadrons 1 and 3 into a sphere while the rest of their fleet concentrated on the center line.
To deal with the right, Smith signaled for the carrier craft to focus on that portion of the Cardassian fleet. Squadrons 1 and 3 were ordered to prepare to move ahead and break out of an enspherement, perhaps joining with Squadron 4 to cut off the Cardassian left wing.
Smith looked nervously at the clock. Reinforcements were coming, but would they come in time for her force?



CDS Hokarav, Approaching Orbit of Darane 4


The older Model 5 Galor-class ship was leading twenty vessels - all of them decades-old veterans of the fleet - into formation over the planet. On his bridge, Gul Pekel was ready to begin punishing the insolent Bajorans of Darane for their treason. "Enemy forces on-planet have raised some kind of regional shields," one of his officers reported. "Reading four distinct energy fields over the concentrations of enemy troops and planetary settlements."
"It makes no difference. Open fire."
The twenty ships had four targets, and five ships each fired upon them. "All enemy shields are holding, Sir, and..... we're getting weapons fire from the surface!"
At that moment a blue particle beam struck the shields of a Neterok-class cruiser beside Hokarav. The cruiser's shields flicked for a moment, at which time a second beam struck the shields and enlarged the flicker. Just as the beams disappeared, a third and fourth beam appeared, one missing and the other breaking right through the shields and scouring the ship's thin hull. The cruiser began venting atmosphere through it's wounds for a moment. At that same moment, Pekel's bridge shook as three beams converged on it's own ventral shields.



Umiral, Darane, Alliance Liberation Zone


Seated in the belly of an OAG-3SP, Rusty still found himself thinking about Valys even as he directed his full attention to his work. Cardassian ships were overheard now, and outside one could've seen the bright flickering in mid-air as their compressor beams were stopped by the theater shields deployed with the divisions that had landed to liberate Darane. But those shields wouldn't last forever, and it was up to Rusty and his comrades to drive their attackers off.
Rusty's job was primarily making sure all of the sophisticated computers were running right. There was a gunner responsible for actually firing and a commander - Staff Sergeant Rick Flagman - responsible for the order.
Right now they were battering a couple of nice targets in orbit. Rusty had an eye on the "scope" that actually provided the visual data for the gunner while crunching the hard data on the orbiting ships' movements versus that of the planet's rotation itself. They were now leaving geosynchronous orbit, clearly not wanting to remain in position to be battered by arty fire.
The scope showed a brilliant series of trails. SOMs had been fired by one of the other anti-orbit artillery batteries. He watched a ship explode spectacularly from a SOM hitting it's reactor plant, tearing the vessel in half. Rusty hoped to Hell that those things didn't do much damage if they made planetfall. Darane was mostly uninhabited, fortunately.
"Charge back to seventy percent!" shouted Specialist Alex Higginbotham, the man responsible for monitoring the power intake from the battery's central fusion reactor. Soon the gun's capacitators would be fully recharged and they could fire again.
"Keep it going, men! We'll send these Cardies straight to Hell!" was Flagman's reply.



CDS Hokarav, Approaching Orbit of Darane 4


Feedback caused one of the control consoles to explode with a shower of sparks. Gul Pekel watched with impotent rage as monitors went red, indicating hull damage from the relentless surface-based barrage of fire. A missile had blown an impulse engine out before the ship could begin rotating. Damage to the power distribution system by a direct particle cannon hit on the Hokarav's main body was now reducing shield effectiveness, as evidenced by the damage they were taking despite their intact dorsal shields.
"Sir, receiving directive from Central Command. We are to break off orbital attack and commence attack on the two enemy carriers in-system."
Pekel growled. He'd effectively lost four ships now, three outright destroyed and one which was nothing more than an orbiting hulk waiting to be torpedoed. "Very well. Direct us to our new targets."



DNS Musashi, Near Darane 4


The enemy squadron had broken off it's attack on Darane with light losses and was heading to engage the battle carriers. Smith contemplated how to respond and decided to trust that the battle carriers' defenses could last. For the moment had arrived, and on her board the clock showed that the carriers were in position and launching strikes that would be attacking in the coming minutes.
Squadron 1 was down to only twelve ships capable of movement when it finally broke through the Cardassian left wing, and all of them had been damaged. A newer Ramage-class destroyer blinked off of Smith's screens from a torpedo hit to it's torpedo magazine; most of the crew of one hundred and thirty officers and sailors were killed instantly by the shattering of the destroyer's central keel and the flood of radiation and energy through the ship.
It seemed like the Cardies were everywhere. She was down to just over a hundred combat effective ships, including the two carriers, and each ship had taken some kind of damage. The Cardassians were still holding with about four hundred and sixty-four ships. Their tighter formation was enough to more easily direct firepower, while looser than it had been at Zygola to facilitate tight maneuvering to evade shots and to disperse Smith's fire.
Squadron 2 fared little better than Squadron 1, losing six ships outright and having the squadron flagship lose a warp field generator as they fought their way out through the attempted enspherement. Squadron 4 was hammering the Cardassian left wing for all they were worth.
Smith was suddenly forced against her restraints as the entire ship seemed to lurch more violently than it had before. Power blinked for a moment before going out completely, the emergency batteries kicking in within seconds. "What the hell?!"
One of Smith's officers replied immediately. "Deflectors just went down completely. Our MAM reactor was damaged and has been SCRAMed. The ship's taken heavy damage to the port side from mass enemy torpedo strikes."
Smith did not respond to that. Her attention remained on the screen as she ordered her fleet's tail to link with Squadron 4 while Squadrons 1 and 3 came about and compressed the Cardassian left against Squadron 4.



Command Center, Cardassia Prime, Cardassian Union


Relim was considering how to respond to the successful, if costly, breakout of the Alliance fleet's left when confirmation came in. "A mass of contacts has appeared on sensors, Gul. At least seven hundred enemy spacecraft are inbound and will be in weapons range in eight minutes."
"Track their courses and relay them to our reserve fleets. Tell Upar and the others to disengage before those Alliance fighters get there."
"Sending orders, Gul." About ten seconds later, he said, "Getting a signal from the Surbalar. It's Gul Jekacet."
Relim nodded and looked to a secondary screen, where the thin-faced woman appeared. "Gul Torcet, I do not understand why you want us to withdraw. We have the enemy at our mercy. They have lost nearly a third of their force while we have not yet lost a tenth." Jekacet stopped speaking for a moment while her ship shook. "Should we not press our attack?"
"Gul Jekacet, there are seven hundred Alliance fighters bound for your fleet. All of them are undoubtedly carrying full war lords, enough to destroy half of your fleet or more within the first two salvos. I cannot risk the loss of your forces. Attempt to inflict as much damage as you can upon the enemy and withdraw before those fighters reach firing range."
Jekacet nodded. She was a good fleet commander in Relim's opinion, if prone to moments of bull-headedness like that fighter debacle earlier, and she'd heard enough from the blow to 1st Fleet and the losses at Zygola to know the danger of Alliance fighters to their ships. Relim was very pleased to see her fleet pulling back, firing as they went. An Alliance battleship disappeared from Relim's screen, as did a few other contacts. By the time the Cardassian fleet went to warp, just ten seconds before the fighters reached firing range, they had destroyed forty-three of one hundred and thirty Alliance ships in the Darane system. The ADN fighter losses were about thirty damaged and twelve outright destroyed. The Cardassian fleet left behind the wreckage or crippled hulks of just fifty-one of their own ships, plus sixty fighters. So ended the main phase of the First Battle of Darane.


I'll post the Cardassian strikes on the carriers later. Wanted to get an update up.

I also wrote the battle differently from the last one - Zygola - to see if people preferred the more direct viewpoints over the distant, analytical third person description. Opinions will be appreciated.

[Zed Snardbody]

sleep becons I' shall review tomorrow.

[CJvR]

I also wrote the battle differently from the last one - Zygola - to see if people preferred the more direct viewpoints over the distant, analytical third person description. Opinions will be appreciated.

I think this one was better. The Cardies did manage a reasonably favorable exchange rate but only because they brought so much more firepower to the party. Carriers minus most of their fighters, that can be quite painful.

[Zed Snardbody]

I prefered this style better. It was easier for me to follow the action and I didn't become bored with it and start scrolling down.

[darthdavid]

I liked it.

[Zed Snardbody]

I liked it.

You would.....oh wait...so did I, never mind.

[Steve]

CDS Ducelik, Outer Band of the Badlands


Sitting silent, amongst one hundred of her number, the Dorkarak-class cruiser Ducelik powered up as soon as the order came and joined a part of the fleet in heading toward the suspected location of ADN carriers. The sleek warship didn't have as much of a hammerhead shape as other Cardassian ships; the older design moved the "wings" and their warp generators back further along the hull to the extent that some called them "Cardassian Warbirds".
The entire fleet cruised at max warp to get to their targets before they could begin escaping. Examination of the enemy fighter fleet descending on Darane showed that there were likely three carriers in the region, so the fleet split almost evenly into four squadrons of twenty-five ships, with one squadron to act as a mobile reserve for encountering the enemy.
It took about ten minutes to find the Alliance carriers, awaiting the return of their fighters after the main fleet had retreated from Darane. And the attack began.



DNS Kaga CVF-7, Near Darane


Line Captain Eric Weathers was in the CIC when the screen lit up with new contacts. The man operating the sensor station made a full report. "Enemy fleet inbound, speed varies between the ships, but the lead formations seem to be going at about twenty-three point four lyphs."
The speed of the enemy fleet precluded escape, since the Kaga could only manage twenty-three lyphs as a maximum. "Then it looks like we're going to have a fight. Launch our remaining defensive fighters and close the blast doors on the armory lifts."



CDS Ducelik


Ducelik and twenty-four other Cardassian ships came upon one of the Alliance carriers, designated the Kaga according to their information. The lighter ships slowed a bit as they approached the carriers' escorts' weapon range, allowing the slower cruisers and one Galor to join them.
They were immediately hit by a hail of missile and torpedo fire. Ducelik's bow shields were dropped by half from a direct torpedo hit. The Ikvak-class destroyer on her left wing exploded from one of the 180mm particle cannons on an Alliance cruiser striking her hull. Three Cardassian ships died in the hail of fire.
They returned fire immediately, focusing initially on the escorts while the Galor's extra spread capability allowed them to strike at the Kaga. The Alliance fleet's point-defense responded, filling space with particle and phaser fire. Torpedoes exploded harmlessly everywhere, but some got through. One Alliance destroyer lost shields, to be gored a moment later by the Galor's main compressor beam. The Kaga took no torpedo strikes thanks to her own point-defense.
The defensive fighters the Kaga had held back joined the fray, firing short-range anti-ship missiles as the Cardassians came in.
On the bridge of the Ducelik, sparks flew as direct missile hits tore through the ship's shields and hull. Damage reports flooded in from everywhere to the station held by 6th Rank Gul Ikir Dukat (no relation to the Dukat who until recently was Prefect of Bajor). His ship operations officer, 2nd Rank Glin Olcet, listed out the damage to their ship over the crescendo of other reports on the battle. The loss of warp drive, the loss of weapons, shields down to one third power, hull breaches here and there with so many casualties, oh so many...
With his teeth gritted together, Gul Dukat did the only thing a Cardassian officer of his rank could do in such a situation.
He gave the order.
"Ramming speed!"
The engines on the Ducelik were pushed to their limits as the wounded cruiser suddenly sprinted ahead of her comrades and toward the Kaga. The Gul shared final goodbyes with his professional crew, each convinced that they were acting to keep Cardassia Prime from suffering the same fate of Felvar and the other border systems.



DNS Kaga CVF-7


"Cardassian ship on collision course, Captain!"
The shout filled Weathers with a sense of dread. His eyes were nervously intent upon the approaching Cardassian cruiser, intent on slamming into his ship. "Evasive maneuvers! Keep it from hitting anything vital!" Weathers shouted, knowing full well it'd probably be for naught given the relative size and mass of the two ships; the cruiser was simply too fast and maneuverable compared to Kaga.
Kaga's escorts had noticed the danger and were directing weapons fire at the cruiser. The ship's tail was blown off by the particle cannons of DNS Krakow (a Dorsetshire-class cruiser) and a pair of torpedoes savaged it's right side, knocking it partially off course.
But in the end it wasn't enough. The fires and debris streaming from the hull of Ducelik made it look all the more haunting as it continued on course. It slammed into the deflectors and transferred energy of the collision tore the shield generators right out of their moorings, unable to withstand a speeding mass of a quarter million tons. Having been slowed by the deflectors, the Ducelik still slammed hard into the top hull of the Kaga. The mass and speed of the cruiser easily crushed the launch deck, killing the crew assigned there, and slammed straight through to the hanger deck. There were no combat fighters to be destroyed, but the hanger crew still had munitions there for reloading, some of which exploded when crushed.
The Ducelik's mass and speed provided enough energy for it to penetrate through the armored hanger deck and into the outer areas of the ship. Bulkheads collapsed and more crew died while the cruiser continued it's "descent", until finally it's bow impacted the keel, the melon-shaped armored core of the ship in which the reactors, armories, and command facilities of the ship were placed. Enough momentum had been lost that the keel stopped Ducelik immediately.
Then Ducelik's anti-matter reactor exploded, as did it's torpedo magazine. The explosion threw crew across the entire ship off their feet. Those on the upper end of the ship didn't survive long enough to hit the ground. The explosion ripped through the outer hull area with terrifying speed, a wall of radiation and flame from combusted atmosphere engulfing vac-suit-covered bodies everywhere and consuming flesh and metal alike. Kaga's upper decks were blown away from the force of the explosion, sending thousands of tons of debris into nearby space. The armored keel cracked under the strain of the impact and following explosion, exposing deck compartments to vacuum, but it did not break.
The CIC was a mess. Seat harnesses had kept the command crew from being tossed about, but a number felt sick from the violent rocking of the ship. "MAM Reactor SCRAMed!" was the only thing immediately heard.
Weathers looked to the damage monitor for the ship. The entire upper hull was covered in red and yellow, indicating areas effectively destroyed or severely damaged. On the life sign indicator, where half of the ship's crew had once been now only scattered groups of blinking dots were showing.
Nor was the attack over. The vessel rocked again as the Cardassian squadron pressed home it's attack against the wounded Kaga. Compressor beams sliced through the weakened upper hull, scorched armor on the ventral hull, and further weakened the ship's vital armored keel. A trio of photon torpedoes tore apart the warp field generator housing on the starboard side.
The ship's escorts now fell back toward Kaga to protect her. Cruisers Krakow and Townsville and the destroyer Thaddeus Storms took up positions to shield Kaga's weakened sides from fire. Their weapons fired time and time again, trying to drive off the Cardassians or at least stop torpedoes from getting through. The Cardassians responded by focusing fire on the Kaga's bodyguards. After a series of compressor beam impacts weakened her deflectors, Storms took four torpedoes to her rear hull and was reduced to a drifting hulk of debris from the detonation of her fuel reserves. The French frigate Olivier Sainte-Martin moved to replace Storms, her 155mm particle cannons punching through the hull of a Cardassian Ikvak and detonating her reactor.
On the Kaga, Weathers continued to direct the escorts, watching the battle see-saw a bit. Townsville lost a dual particle cannon turret after her deflector failed. A Cardassian Dorkarak was destroyed by a salvo of torpedoes from the destroyer Lillian MacCallister. An Ikvak trying to hit the ventral hull of the Kaga was sliced in half by the 250mm particle cannons on the heavy cruiser Shiloh.
The battle came to an abrupt end with the return of Kaga's strike contingent. None of the Cardassian ships retreated, all of them determined to try and finish off the Kaga. The squadrons of Avengers, Marauders, and Thunderbolts came in like avenging angels, launching a mass salvo that simply devastated the Cardassian squadron. Torpedos and missiles made multiple impacts without resistance, tearing the collection of squadrons and cruisers apart. Four Mark XIV anti-matter torpedoes impacted on the single Galor in the formation and tore it's wing off, allowing the Shiloh to finish it off with a particle cannon broadside.
On the Kaga, the damage assessments were still coming in. Weathers was waiting when the ship's chief engineer, Lieutenant Commander Israel Williams, stepped into the CIC. "Sir, warp is impossible, and the ship couldn't survive the structural stresses from going to warp anyway. The keel's taken too much damage."
Just to hear the answer, Weathers asked, "How long would it take to restore warp and to repair the keel to survive warp flight?"
"It'd take hundreds, maybe thousands of man-hours of work to repair every stress fracture and crack and to rebuild enough of the hull, sir, not to mention the work needed to restore warp capability." Commander Williams sighed. "As Chief Engineer, I have to tell you this ship is not spaceworthy and we should abandon ship as soon as possible."
Weathers nodded solemnly. "Very well." He looked to another station. "Give the order for all hands to abandon ship. Signal the escorts that we are abandoning ship. Commander Williams..." Weathers gave him a solemn look. "Set the scuttling charges."
"Aye sir."



DNS Shiloh CH-106
19:09 GST


Line Captain Weathers was sitting on the navigation bridge located at the bow of the Vicksburg-class heavy cruiser DNS Shiloh. The Shiloh was the fifth of the Vicksburg-class ships, the class of heavy cruiser that had been chosen to be the first original heavy cruiser design for the Alliance fleet. It had actually been designed under the auspices of the short-lived Alliance Space Force, President Plotinikov's bad joke of a navy force that was renamed and reorganized as the Alliance Stellar Navy following the election of the 2nd Alliance Council in 2147.
Weathers had used the time needed for evacuation to learn the fates of the other carriers. Enterprise had avoided attack entirely, having changed position after launching fighters. Intrepid had suffered some damage, but was still combat capable, along with twelve of her escorts. Audacious had arrived in time to drive the Cardassians out of the area and was now alongside the Kaga's escorts, most of the ship's survivors and fighters having been ferried to Audacious.
In the ship's command center in the armored keel, Lieutenant Captain Tricia Renault was overseeing the Shiloh's part in the picking up of the survivors from the Kaga. Out of 5,340 crewmembers on the Kaga's duty roster, 2,994 were dead, killing by the Ducelik's suicide ram or by the following enemy attacks that hit the hull. There were over a thousand wounded, ranging from various bruises and broken bones from being thrown around during the impact to severe radiation poisoning and burns or lung trauma from exposure to vacuum when their vac-suits were damaged. A hospital ship was being called to a rendezvous so they could help process all of the wounded and the dead bodies that had been recovered during the evacuation.
Now only one thing remained. Lifeless and abandoned, Kaga nevertheless could not just be left here. The Cardassians would certainly try to search the ship and examine it's construction and leftover technology in any way they could, and with the Cardassian fleet having left Darane intact, their arrival could come at any time.
Weathers nodded his head and the communications man on the nav bridge sent the signal. Simultaneous explosions ripped through the Kaga's hulk along the lines of the outer hull and keel. The ship came apart immediately, and despite the power of the explosions there were still millions of tons of debris from the lost ship. A sad farewell to a young ship and to the crew who had died with her.
Still. there would be no trophy for a Cardassian Gul to return home with. The Kaga had been given the proper end to her short life, and her comrades were still here to avenge her death in future battles. The war was not over yet. Not at all.

[Burak Gazan]

Well, the Cardies got their Carrier, but any more "victories" like that will end up castrating what's left of their fleet!

Excellent stuff, catching up on all the bits missed last few weeks

[darthdavid]

A phyrric victory if there ever was one. Especially what with the rage this will generate in the alliance.

[Steve]

Not quite so phyrric. They did manage a better kill ratio than at Zygola.

And both sides have ships coming in. Next up (after some other material): the Second Battle of Darane.

[Steve]

Command Center, Cardassia Prime, Cardassian Union
19:49 GST


"You... you incompetent coward! You worthless excuse for a 1st Gul!"
Yatar Hergata's face had changed color to an impressive red and he was nearly blubbering as he continued to vent and scream obscenities at Relim, the two men standing with Kelataza in a conference room near the Central Command. Kelataza finally calmed his subordinate with a raised palm, having decided the verbal abuse on Relim was enough. "Gul Torcet, please, explain to me why you deemed it necessary to withdraw our fleet at their moment of triumph?"
"There was not going to be any triumph, Legate," Relim replied. "There were over seven hundred Alliance fighters inbound, carrying enough munitions to devastate the fleet at Darane. A withdrawal was the reasonable thing to do."
"Do you understand how badly this makes the Union look, Torcet?! We were winning and we retreated! We're the laughing stock of the Alpha Quadrant! We would have been better off detailing those one hundred ships to joining the assault on Darane!"
"Yes, and then we wouldn't have even managed to get one of the Alliance's carriers. What you should have done, you fool, was wait until 2nd Fleet came so we could guarantee we would have the necessary force to overwhelm both the ships at Darane and the carriers. But instead you forced me to attack early, and now the Alliance knows we want Darane back and the Alliance knows we'll be coming after their carriers, so they'll keep moving them. You have squandered our one chance to stave off the Alliance onslaught!"
"I would shoot you for cowardice right now if only I had my pistol!" Yatar stuck a finger in Relim's face. "As it is, I'll have you tried, convicted, and executed in the public square! Your family will be deported and that bitch Bajoran housekeeper you keep sent to a labor camp!"
"Gul Hergata, calm yourself." Kelataza intervened once more. "Gul Torcet's actions were justifiable. He preserved our fleet." Kelataza sighed. "Still, the fact remains that our forces were winning at Darane when they withdrew. To maintain the reputation of Cardassia's military, Gul Torcet, I have no choice but to hereby strip you of all command authority over our military forces. You may continue in your current capacity as the government's senior military strategist."
Relim clenched his jaw before nodding. "Yes, Legate. You must do as you see fit, for the good of Cardassia."
Kelataza smiled and nodded back. "You're dismissed, Gul Torcet."
After Relim left, Yatar looked to Kelataza. "The Operations Commission is going to want more. We're going to have to try him for incompetence, Legate."
"After the war, yes", Kelataza replied. "Before then, we dare not. The last thing we need is to inspire more dissension in the ranks. If enough of the field military turns against us, we could very well suffer a coup."
"The field personnel would never dare move against us in this time of war!"
"If they feel that we're going to send them and their soldiers to death and defeat from incompetent leadership, there are millions of idealistic Glins who would gladly shoot us and then submit themselves for execution if it meant preserving their troops' lives and giving Cardassia better leadership. You underestimate the dissension already in the field ranks, Gul Hergata. You do not understand their impatience with the upper levels of governments, their contempt for our leadership. We must tread carefully. Work with Gul Torcet. Begin drawing up a plan for another assault on the Alliance forces in Darane. And it must be soon, before the Alliance can resume fortifying their position."

[Falkenhorst]

Kickass installment.

[Trogdor]

Exactly how much power has Torcet just lost? Is he little more than an advisor now?

[Steve]

Exactly how much power has Torcet just lost? Is he little more than an advisor now?

He still has access to intel and other classified material. Basically, he's only allowed to form strategies for Cardassia; he can no longer issue commands to forces in the field.

[Trogdor]

Ah, I see. In that case, I'd say the Cardassian Union is now one step closer to being soundly defeated.

[CJvR]

Exactly how much power has Torcet just lost? Is he little more than an advisor now?

If I read it correct he have just been demoted from Commander in chief to Chief of staff. He is still in charge of planning operations but he has no longer direct command responsibility and limited authority to draft strategy. Now all the Cardies need to complete their fiasco is to promote a Bohemian Corporal to CIC.

[Laudon]

Now all the Cardies need to complete their fiasco is to promote a Bohemian Corporal to CIC.

If you mean "gil Adolf" good sir, he was austrian. We dont want him. You know, pitiful european rivality concerning famous persons and all.

Sorry for completely off topic nitpick, I see cardassian future in bright light of instant sunrise too.

[Duken]

Now all the Cardies need to complete their fiasco is to promote a Bohemian Corporal to CIC.

If you mean "gil Adolf" good sir, he was austrian. We dont want him. You know, pitiful european rivality concerning famous persons and all.

Sorry for completely off topic nitpick, I see cardassian future in bright light of instant sunrise too.

<nitpick>nothing is instant</nitpick> Yes the cardassian future is a bright one. So bright it blinds you if you look too close.

[Steve]

Karlsburg, New Styria, United Federation of Planets
29 November 2153 AST
05:29 GST


Zandra's was a "gentleman's club" of some ill repute to the locals. An exotic nude dancing club, the proprieter - herself a former dancer and prostitute - maintained backrooms for drug use, prostitution, and various perverted activities in between. Of course, though the locals had a love/hate relationship with Zandra's, foreign shiphands found it a great place to come and view the finer specimens of native womenfolk, and sexual promiscuity was a vice that spanned universes.
The seductive gyrations of a topless Trill dancer, with short brown hair and possessing "natural" hormonal breast augmentation, drew hollers and wolf whistles from a crowd of "spacemen" from the Federated Commonwealth, crew on board the JumpShip Shackleton. The Shackleton and the four DropShips attached to it were stopping at New Styria to pick up about eighty college upperclassman and teachers - including the three young men at another table enjoying the sight of a naked Orion girl leaning her back against a pole - before making their way back to New Liberty and the Interuniversal Jump Gate Assembly there.
As the Trill danced closed to them, meeting their eyes often to ensure she was keeping their attention, they nevertheless spoke to one another. "I can't wait to get home. Seein' lots of different aliens and all is interestin', but not somethin' I wanna do for long, y'know?"
"Yeah, yeah..."
A third man, their DropShip's First Mate Alex Richmond, laughed at that. He invited the Trill dancer into his lap, slipping her several kroner coins "Ah yeah, got lots of aliens. And some of those Bajoran ladies on the Reston would be cute if they weren't, y'know, starved and all. Though there is that one weirdo Bajoran with the scar who's staying on the Rasmussen..."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Saw 'im at the last port when I had to go over and help move around some cargo. Don't ask me why the SOB wants to stay on a cargo hauler." At that point, First Mate Richmond concentrated on the Trill girl in his lap and said nothing more.
After giving Richmond his lap dance, the Trill girl finished her routine. She returned to the back, where she was met by a human and usual client. She told him in hushed tones what Richmond had said. He nodded and left.
About an hour later, a message was being sent to the local Obsidian Order handler about this newly-gleaned intelligence.



06:40 GST


First Mate Richmond was right on time to the offices of Universal Transport in Karlsburg. A company founded from investors from the Federated Commonwealth, Universal Transport was a growing business that was working tirelessly to expand the Commonwealth's trade links through the known multi-verse.
Once he arrived, he left a note to a Mr. Curtis that was immediately delivered to the branch manager's office. After reading the note in the security of the office, Mr. Curtis took out a small noteputer and typed a simple message to be relayed back home.
"Mr. Secretary, I have given your request all the consideration it was due. Sincerely, Mr. Curtis."
When he was done, Mr. Curtis made a call. "This is Curaitis. Ready the transport. We've done our work here."




Ikithra System, Disputed Territory (Joint UFP-Cardassian Control)
30 November 2153 AST
18:29 GST


The Ikithra System, marked as Sydonis on Federation charts, was one of the systems that had been disputed when the ceasefire between the Federation and Cardassia was made. Colonized by the Federation first, in the 2330s, the Cardassians nevertheless claimed prior control and had seized two of the three habitable planets in the system, deporting the non-Cardassian population to labor camps deep within Cardassian space. A quarter of the Sydonians taken as such had never returned home and some remained imprisoned after all these years, more victims of Cardassian perfidy and the Federation's spinelessness. Of course, the Cardassians claimed that all living Sydonians were indeed returned, a claim not entirely untrue as many Sydonians had died from brutal conditions in various Cardassian labor camps. As such, only one planet remained inhabited by Federation citizens, the other two home to Cardassians now.
It was in this system that the JumpShip Shackleton and it's two escorts - the Fox-class corvette FCS Swiftsure and the British-built Type 298 frigate FCS Upholder - had arrived, to pick up a DropShip that had dropped off a load of grain for the Federation colonists on Sydonis 6.
They were halfway to Sydonis 6, on full impulse, when the interception squadron of ten Cardassian ships - led by a Dorkarak-class cruiser - made contact. The order was made to allow immediate inspection for Bajoran terrorists. The Shackleton refused and barely succeeded in sending out a distress call before jamming began.
On the bridge of the CDS Gorecet, Gul Makel was uncomfortable. The intel was supposedly good - the Bajoran terrorist leader Opel Nevis was on board the Rasmussen - but finding his location seemed too good to be true.
"Glin Ikim, I want to be sure we get Opel. Order all ships to target any of the outsiders' ships that have Bajoran life signs. We'll take a couple of ships and deal with those escorts."
"Yes, Glin, right away."



Avalon City, New Avalon, Federated Commonwealth
Universe Designate MWB-32
23:45 GST


The new Assembly Building for the Estates General of the Federated Commonwealth was one of the newest and most beautiful additions to the great metropolis of Avalon City. Built close to the Palace and the Davion Peace Park, the Assembly Building was just eighteen months old, placed so that the Estates General could meet on either capitol of the Commonwealth as part of Hanse Davion's steps toward a "more democratic" form of government. Along with the limitations on the nobility to seek seats - no noble higher than a Baron was permitted - the democratic voting process insured that the Estates were seen as the voice of the people in the government. A number of planetary, regional, and Commonwealth-wide political parties had seats. Royalist "Loyalist" factions controlled the Estates General with about thirty-three percent of the seats, but another fifth of the seats were taken up by the growing Coalition for Democratic Reform, a group of democratic parties from different regions and even of different specific interests that represented the growing pro-democracy sentiment of the Commonwealth, with the Alliance's existance and stability disproving the centuries-old notion that democracy was unsustainable on the interstellar scale.
In the end, though, the Estates General were more form than function. Seen as necessary to mollify certain groups from the ADN that were uncomfortable with the heavy-handed rule of Inner Sphere nobility, the Estates General still had very little real power to enforce legislation and continued to act mostly as an advisory body.
Of course, such a body still had it's uses, and Hanse Davion intended to have unquestioned support from them if he were to pursue war in another universe. The debate was now raging late into the day on whether the attack on the Hermocrates was sufficient provocation. Emotions were running high among some, as the confirmed Cardassian atrocities were being used as arguments for the moral necessity of war. Hanse had returned to the session to observe how the proceedings were going.
Currently the floor was being held Representive Annabelle Grassi of Kentares. A woman of Mediterrenean complexion and appearance, she was into her early fifties and a prominent lawyer from Kentares who was considered a "loyalist" to the Davion family while giving support for some democratic schemes. Of course, she was also a vicious anti-Combine speaker and something of a crusader for the downtrodden - during a visit to the New Liberty Zone she'd met Bajorans and had made them her personal raison d'guerre when it came to any issue concerning the Alpha Quadrant. As a result she was the "odd woman out" when it came to most of the Draconis March's representatives, as they were generally isolationist when it came to extrauniversal affairs, preferring to focus upon local issues and especially upon the Draconis Combine.
"The pure barbarism of the Cardassian State and it's disregard for the rules of civilized conduct are a matter of the public record. There is only one way to deal with beings of such cruelty, and that is to meet them in battle and rout them! I need not remind this assembly that Cardassia committed the most grave and barbarous of acts, the use of a nuclear weapon upon an innocent and unarmed civilian population, and has consistently violated the rights of neutral vessels to innocent passage through space."
"Mark my words!" Grassi lifted her right hand into the air, her index finger raised. "If you think we are immune to this war, that we can stand aside, remember that one day we will all be judged for our actions at this time! When History points it's finger toward us and asks us what we did while Cardassia was committing genocide upon the Bajoran race, what will we have to say? Will we use the excuse of Thomas Marik and his ilk, babbling weakly about 'chivalry' and 'peace' to hide our cowardice? Will we sneer and ignore the issue like the autocrats on Sian and Luthien, confident that History's judgement can be kept from their own people whom they also butcher at their discretion? No!" Grassi slammed her right fist down upon her desk so hard it thundered throughout the chamber. "No, I want us to be able to look History straight in the eye! I want us to stand and say that we, the loyal subjects and retainers of the Great Houses of Steiner and Davion, drew our swords and fought as Knights of all that is good and noble in Mankind! Let History recognize us as honoring that which we claim to serve and believe in! Let it not be said that we cowered in the corner as innocent children were butchered by Cardassia!"
A roar of agreement came from various parts of the Estates General. Ironically, the loudest roar was not from Hanse's pro-military loyalists but from the democrats, who usually opposed Hanse's military policies but were currently viciously anti-Cardassian and pro-war. Some political attacks had been mounted against them, accusing them of being puppets of the Alliance, but Hanse had used his influence to keep them low key. Right now, he preferred that support.
After order was restored the debate continued as usual. As Hanse watched the Representative from Freedom voice opposition to war, he was handed a note by an aide. He read it and began to actually look sickened. He waited for the Representative to finish his comments before standing and boldly asking the Speaker to let him address the Estates General. His face looked paler than his usual color, filling the Estates General with dread.
"Representatives of the Commonwealth Estates General, I have just learned of another attack upon a Commonwealth ship by Cardassian forces. It is currently being reported on by a number of news services. With the agreement of the Speaker, I would like it if we could all observe."
There was a nod from the Speaker, and all eyes looked behind and above Hanse to the massive plasma digital screen built into the Assembly Chambers wall. The screen turned on and presented the live video channel of the Inter-Universal News Service and caught a reporter in mid-report, standing in a concourse somewhere on New Liberty. "...spoken to a Captain Edgar Matheson of the JumpShip Shackleton. They're still counting the casualties from the attack, but it appears that there are no survivors aboard the DropShips Rasmussen, Eckhardt, and Bountiful Harvest. The only ship not directly fired upon by Cardassian forces was the passenger liner Galax Eagle, which also suffered damage and casualties. The current count of dead is in excess of 1,500, including about four hundred Bajorans who were scattered around the three DropShips, most of them women and children."
A female voice - presumably from the studio anchor - asked, "So it was a Cardassian attack?"
"Yes, Maggie. It has been confirmed from numerous sources, including the Federation colony on Sydonis 6 and the Federation Starfleet vessel USS Hawk, which responded to the distress signal of the Shackleton and her escorts. The attack happened about six hours ago as Shackleton was awaiting the DropShip Bountiful Harvest on it's return flight from Sydonis 6. After being refused inspection, Cardassian ships engaged the Shackleton's military escorts and destroyed one while others opened fire on the ships attached to Shackleton. They retreated after destroying three DropShips which all were reported as having Bajorans aboard as passengers or crew. Again, the final death toll is 1,500, with about four hundred Bajorans amongst them."
"Do we know who these people were, Greg?"
"No, names have not been officially released. The authorities are compiling a casualty list now to officially notify the families of the deceased and the injured, but we do know that there were several groups from the Inner Sphere traveling aboard the three ships, including a tourist group from Saint Ives and three groups of college teachers and students from the New Avalon Institute of Science, the University of Tharkad, and the University of Donegal. They were on an extended field trip in the Federation that was commissioned by the Commonwealth Ministry of Education and the Elaine Welford Foundation." There was a sudden wail from someone in the Assembly, one woman closer to the back burying her face in her hands in an attempt to suppress agonized sobs. "I'm told that the Commonwealth Consul-General on New Liberty is in the process of authorizing a preliminary press release, which we will have soon hopefully...."
The signal was turned off. Hanse looked to the Assembly, his jaw locked tightly. "As we can see, even as they are being pushed back in war, Cardassia retains all of it's cruel arrogance and disregard for the laws of civilization. They have attacked our ships and murdered citizens of the Federated Commonwealth in neutral space. I... I can no longer remain silent on this issue."
"What we have seen here is further proof of the insidious mindset of Cardassia. To them, other races fall under two categories. They are either slaves to Cardassia or they are enemies that are to be exterminated or enslaved in the future. Cardassia... holds no regard for any laws, any morals, any kind of restraint or code that contradicts their desires for conquest and power."
"The Federated Commonwealth cannot allow it's rights to be so easily taken. We cannot allow the murder of our citizens to go unpunished. I now back Ambassador Grassi's call to arms. I call upon the people of this Commonwealth to draw their swords and fight this menace to the security and freedom of all nations, Human and Non-Human alike! The call to battle has been made and we shall answer it, in our ships, in our 'Mechs, in our tanks, and in our hearts! If this Assembly desires it, if it wishes to see proof that I believe this war is necessary, I will go get into my 'Mech and fight Cardassia myself!" A thunderous roar erupted from the Assembly, silencing itself when Hanse continued to speak. "I now ask for you to vote on whether the Federated Commonwealth should declare war upon Cardassia or should remain neutral."
As the Speaker came back to the podium to call for the official vote, the chanting began. The chant consisted of only one word: "WAR!" It erupted first amongst the Democrats and a split second later amongst the Loyalists, their numbers ensuring that "WAR!" echoed throughout the Assembly Chambers. Everyone else began to join in, swept up in their emotions, their anger for the crimes of Cardassia and their pride for their homeland, overriding any of their prior opinions on the matter. The chanting alone was deafening, but many of the assembled now added to the noise by slamming their fists upon their desks. The Speaker was not even heard at first, unable to quiet the Assembly for nearly a minute before finally gaining their attention with repeated hand gestures. "The vote shall be held by acclaimation!"
And the chanting immediately continued.

[Burak Gazan]

Oh-oh

Sometimes, the Cardies are painfully predictable...... this time though, it will cost them

[Steve]

For your convenience, this is a list of the ADN's capital carrier fleet as of the beginning of the war:



DNS Enterprise CVF-1
DNS Suffren CVF-2
DNS Akagi CVF-3
DNS Lexington CVF-4
DNS Ticonderoga CVF-5
DNS Kuznetsov CVF-6
DNS Kaga CVF-7
DNS Audacious CVF-8
DNS Intrepid CVF-9
DNS Formidable CVF-10
DNS Eagle CVF-11
DNS Yorktown CVF-12
DNS Okinawa CVA-1

And this is a list of the craft that have so far been mentioned or will be mentioned in the near future:

F-29 Wildcat (Sublight Fighters)
F-30 StarRaptor (Sublight Heavy Fighters)
F-31 Hellcat (Fighter)
F/A-32 Thunderbolt (Fighter-Bomber - has three 20mm particle cannons)
F-33 Spitfire (Aerospace warp-capable Escort Fighter)
FB-34 Avenger (Fleet Bomber)
F/A-35 Dragon (Sublight Fighter-Bomber)
F-42 Excalibur (Fighter)
FB-43 Starfire (Fleet Bomber)


A-12 Marauder (Fleet Attack)


E-106 Watchman (E-Warfare/AWACS)


Harris Mk. 1 (B-201 ADN Designation - Aerospace warp-capable strategic bomber)
B-202 (Aerospace warp-capable strategic bomber)
Tu-310s (Aerospace warp-capable anti-navy bomber)

WTC-3 (Aerospace warp-capable transport)

[Steve]

DNS Lexington CVF-4, Near Rekfeth System, Cardassian Union (Occupied)
Universe Designate ST-3
1 December 2153 AST
08:15 GST


Even in wartime, the crew of a warship still had to get off-duty time when not in combat, and fighter pilots were no different. This was the time when pilots sent messages home, played cards, watched movies, worked out, and the like.
Thanks to the movies, there was a persistant misconception about the average fighter pilot. Naval aviators would often laugh at viewing any such movies and seeing "pretty boy" actors and "super model" actresses flying fighters with seeming ease. The truth was, muscle power was necessary for good flying, and so pilots kept in shape with weight-lifting and other exercises.
On a bench in the gymnasium weight room, Lieutenant Anahita Razmara grunted with a bit of effort and lifted the bar and weights as high as she could. Her wingmate, Lieutenant (J.G) Linda Mackey, took the bar with her hands and brought it to rest on the hooks. They were clad in the usual combination of white sports bra and gym shorts, the white contrasting more with Anahita's bronze skin than Linda's fair complexion. Anahita was the senior pilot in their squadron, WFS-28, and unlike Linda had seen far more combat, being a veteran of the Tenth Euro-Iranian War (Universe FHI-8) ten years ago. Anahita was thirty-five years old, though with anti-aging treatments she still looked twenty, with a fit and muscled body like that of trained athlete, not at all the kind of beautiful body the media would have preferred. The crescent moon brand on her right thigh and the scar that ran from her right temple to her right heel were leftover reminders of her time as a POW in the Euro-Iranian War - the fact that she had survived the mandatory execution that the Eurofascists of her universe ordered for all Muslims was in of itself a tale of luck that seemed to be a gift of Providence. Anahita had been transferred from the Shah's Royal Navy to the Stellar Navy when her homeland, the Kingdom of Iran, officially joined the Alliance in 2150 AST.
On the other hand, Linda was a young pilot of twenty-three, only fifteen months out of the McNicholson Naval Aviator Training Academy in orbit over Monroe (Universe PA-6). Her violet purple hair was a result of exotic gene-engineering that had caught on as a short-term fad in PA-6 near the start of the "Interuniversal Era" in 2028 AST, Linda's maternal grandmother being the source of her strange hair color. Linda was not as muscled as Anahita, with a lithe body figure that was strong enough to do the job required of her. She was a runner and had been an important member of the Training Academy's swimming and track-and-field teams. "Anyone you knew on the Kaga?" Linda asked Anahita as the older woman sat up on the bench.
"No. Did you?"
"A pilot with a Marauder squadron was one of my classmates. I hear she's okay."
Anahita nodded. "I am quite sure that a number of admirals were not happy to hear about Kaga. But such are the risks of war, and I suppose we allowed ourselves to get overconfident after the opening attack on the Cardassians. As they get more desperate, they'll try things like that even more."
"My friend who works in the CIC says we might be heading to Darane soon." Linda noticed someone changing the channel on the TV screen on the far wall. "Captain looked over an intel report and even told everyone that we'd be seeing action if the Cardie fleet moved again. And.... hey, what's this?"
Noticing something on the screen she was interested in, Linda went to the closer one and changed the channel to IUNS. The screen flashed to show the studio, where a male anchor was speaking. "So far, no official comment has been issued by the President on the Commonwealth's declaration of war on Cardassia. Sources close to the White House say that the President has been in contact with First Prince Hanse Davion on the matter of Commonwealth troops deploying from Alliance territory. Now we will be going live to Tian-tan and our Saint Ives correspondent Zhu Xiao-Mei."
The screen changed once again to an open street in the capitol city of the Saint Ives Compact. A small Chinese woman was on the screen and began to speak in the majority Han dialect, which the channel auto-translated into English. "Here in Tian-tan the mood is one of outrage and anxiety. There were approximately three hundred citizens of the Compact killed on board the liner Reston when it was struck and damaged by Cardassian weapons fire during the attack at Sydonis. But even the pro-Alliance rallies held outside the Alliance Embassy have not been able to cover up the deeper concerns of the people here, namely, if they too will be going to war with Cardassia. Many Compact citizens still fear the power of the Capellan Confederation and the continued rhetoric by Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao at his intentions to push for reunifying the Compact to the Confederation. The sentiment is mostly one that if the Compact joins the war, it should contribute money and advisor roles, not troops, which would be used instead to free up some of the estimated two hundred thousand Alliance troops that are currently stationed in the Compact. However, there are some sources close to Duchess Liao that say a declaration of war is imminent and will be announced within the hour. We will keep you posted. Live from Tian-tan, Saint Ives, this is Zhu Xiao-Mei, InterUniversal News Service. Back to you, Richard."
Back in the studio, the male anchor began speaking again. "Our final note from Universe MWB-32 comes from Terra. The Military Governor's Office announced that two dozen Blakist insurgents were killed or captured in a home near Lakeland in the Florida Peninsula by Alliance occupation forces and local authorities. This was the terrorist cell apparently responsible for the rash of car bombings and ambushes that have killed three hundred people and wounded over a thousand in the Orlando-Tampa Bay corridor in the past month. On the other side of the world, one Alliance soldier was killed and three injured last night when Blakist insurgents in Fallujah opened fire on a foot patrol, bringing a total of ten thousand soldiers killed on Terra MWB-32 since the President officially announced in April that all ComStar military forces had been eliminated. Now we go on to news from Universe SE-1..."
Linda turned the TV off and looked back to Anahita. "Looks like the Cardassians shot themselves in the foot again."
"Given the quality of Humanity in this universe, it's easy to see why they think they can push us around and get away with it. So, off to the showers?"

[Zed Snardbody]

So....Giant robots comming?

[dragon]

I would assume that the mechs, dropships and warships have been upgraded with the new tech they have access to. Imagine the damage a mech could do with alliance tech