"Anatomy of a War" - Alt-Trekverse Fic

[CJvR]

Also, why do the Cardassians have APCs but no tanks? Seeing as an APC already violates the whole Trektard Paradigm of beaming underequipped infantry everywhere why not give the xeno scum a sporting chance?

Until you run into MBTs and serious anti-tank weapons APCs will do the job quite nicely.

[Zed Snardbody]

Its probably just a simple agent, mustard or clorine, something that wont linger long, so its not a hazard to bajorans.

You start playing with stuff thats to nasty and you have to start decontaminating things.

[Sea Skimmer]

Don't you need a full NBC suit to protect from most modern nerve and blister agents?

Yeah you do, but the gas in question is likely just the fumes from the shell exploding, rather then an actual chemical weapon. Against those fumes, which can be very intense, especially when a shell explodes inside a building, a gas mask is all you need.

Also, why do the Cardassians have APCs but no tanks? Seeing as an APC already violates the whole Trektard Paradigm of beaming underequipped infantry everywhere why not give the xeno scum a sporting chance?

An APC is rather simpler then a tank, and against an enemy who has no tanks or heavy equipment of his own tanks are of limited utility. Against the VC in Vietnam for example the US and ARVN often used M113s without any tank support and did just fine. Mobility was more important then armor protection, and a couple machine guns with shields made for ample firepower.

[Steve]

DNS Okinawa CVP-1, In Orbit Over Bajor
03:19 GST


The Okinawa was the first of her class, a design meant for overseeing and supporting planetary assaults (in many ways, the successor of the American Wasp-class LHD "Gator Navy" carriers of the late 20th Century). It could carry two Marine PARs and had an even larger fighter wing than the Enterprise and her sisters (though unlike Enterprise and other "main" carriers, the Okinawa could not support warp-capable fighter craft, possessing mostly aerospace fighters for supporting planetary assaults with a small complement of four squadrons of sublight starfighters and fighter-bombers for defense against starships). Currently she was in the middle of the invasion armada, consisting of her PABG (Planetary Assault Battle Group) and three battle carrier squadrons (centered around three battle carriers; the Kestrel, the John F. Kennedy, and the Foch), not to mention dozens of smaller transports that were preparing to land or were beaming down supplies for the invasion force as planet-side depots were thrown up.
The ship had a large command center within it's keel, not just for naval operations but for an invasion commander to oversee everything while he awaited the selection of an appropriate HQ site and it's establishment, which could take hours. That commander was an Army officer, General Pauline Lecroix from Noveaux Bourgogne, who was marching about the command center getting updates while her naval and Marine counterparts, Vice Admiral Travis McKinsey and Colonel Larry Crawfield, oversaw the naval and Marine air elements of the invasion.
"The 13th PAR is assaulting Mount Tevis near Salmio," one of Lecroix's aides reported. "General Whitman reports that Ikila is out of danger."
"All divisions are either fully deployed or in the final stages of disembarkment. Supply transfer to the surface has begun...."
Lecroix nodded. A moment later a voice came from the other side of the CIC. "Sirs, we have enemy contacts inbound at high warp. Reading no less than four hundred and eighty contacts, probably about five hundred. They'll be entering range in ten or so minutes."
"This must be the fleet from Kurvak that we were warned about." McKinsey looked to Lecroix. "We'll have to draw the enemy away from the planet. Have all ships go to full combat alert and have the carriers launch all fighters. Someone get a signal out to Darane before they begin jamming..."



DNS Pearl Harbor, En Route to Bajor
03:24 GST


Kentworth listened to the report from General Lecroix and Admiral McKinsey carefully. "I'm en route with everything I could get. But we're still fifty minutes out."
"We'll try to delay them as much as we can," McKinsey said. "Our carriers might be enough to blunt them."
"If not, do everything in your power to preserve the support vessels for our invasion and to ensure the troops deploy their anti-starship artillery as quickly as possible. Good luck and Godspeed, Admiral." Kentworth cut the comm. "Status on ships in formation?"
"Division 5.1.3.3 reports that the Iowa is still suffering drive difficulties and cannot raise speed. At least forty-four vessels are incapable of higher warp."
Kentworth nodded in reply. As he thought hard on the situation, his comm officer made a report. "Sir, signal from the Ronald Reagan. It's Vice Admiral O'Bannon."
"Put him on."
A moment later an American-accented voice from New England spoke. "Admiral, at this rate we won't get to Bajor before the Cardassians blow the invasion force to pieces. I respectfully request permission to go to full speed."
"Permission denied, Admiral O'Bannon. I want to maintain the fleet as a whole force. We've taken enough losses in this war already and I will not risk 9th Fleet getting chewed up as well."
"So we'll sacrifice all of those troops instead?"
"No. We will simply trust Admiral McKinsey to do what is necessary to delay the Cardassians until we arrive."
"Sir, with all due respect, five hundred ships will make short work of four carriers and their escort screens. It's not a matter of skill. It's a matter of sheer weight. Please, sir, let's take all the ships that can go to flank speed and get there quickly. Otherwise, we'll be wasting all of our troops' lives!"
Kentworth shook his head, thinking. There was so little time left, and the lives of millions of people would be saved or doomed on the next decision....



CDS Leverat, Entering Bajor
03:31 GST



As one cohesive unit the Cardassian Third Fleet came out of warp in a wide formation. The fleet moved en masse toward Bajor, coming "down" on the invasion fleet from the zenith point of the system. "We have dozens of enemy contacts spread out about the system, Gul," Ivirak's sensorman reported. "Going by power signature and mass, I'd consider about ninety to one hundred of them to be combat vessels."
"Any major vessels?"
"Detecting a number of ships matching the general profile of their carriers, Gul. Including a very large one."
"One of their carriers." Ivirak's expression changed into a smile. "Very good. Have all squadrons form attack formation with tight spacing."
"Sir, standing fleet orders mandate wide formation to disperse enemy fire," one of Ivirak's aides reminded him.
"I know that, Glin, but we are not facing an Alliance battle fleet. We are facing a collection of light warships with their carriers, and the primary threat is their fighters. In tight formation, we can more easily fill the space ahead of us with fire and nullify that threat."



DNS Okinawa CVP-1



McKinsey was now in full control of the invasion's covering forces and the fighter wings. Okinawa's defensive starfighters added eighty to the one hundred from the older John Kennedy and Foch and the one hundred and fourty on the Kestrel. "Transports are landing as quickly as they can, sir," one of his officers reported. "The others will try to keep the planet between them and the fleet."
"They can only do that so long as the Cardassians don't split up. I doubt they're going to send all five hundred of those ships after us." McKinsey directed his attention to the officer at the Fighter Command station. "Direct all fighter squadrons to launch an immediate attack on the Cardassian fleet. The rest of the fleet is to break orbit. Set course on an outer angle away from the Cardassians."
"Aye sir."



CDS Leverat


"Enemy fighters inbound!"
"All ships open fire when ready. Detail half of our squadrons to reply specifically to enemy missile fire!"
The Cardassian fleet advanced onward, one great horde heading toward the swarm of Alliance fighters racing to challenge them. A mass of missiles came from the hardpoints on the Alliance fighters and were immediately answered by compressor beam fire from the Cardassian fleet. The Cardassians had set their weapons to their widest, most effective setting at range, and the result was a relative blanket of energy that took out virtually every missile before they could hit; a couple managed to hit and do shield damage to some of the big ships.
When the range was right, the other half of the Cardassian fleet opened up with similar fire against the fighters themselves. The pilots nimbly dodged and weaved as best they could but still took hits, many of them fatal from the sheer power of the enemy weapons.
With the enemy's fighter screen dispersing, Ivirak was open to begin the pursuit of the enemy carriers. "All ships, pursue and destroy the enemy carriers and their escorts."
"Sir, shouldn't we detail ships to destroy their invasion's support vessels?"
"We'll get them after we get those carriers. I don't want them to escape, not like they did at Darane."



DNS Okinawa CVP-1


McKinsey watched the Cardassians pursue him with all of their force. It made sense to him that the Cardassian commander would want to take out the Okinawa and the other carriers. He, in turn, was determined to do what was necessary to keep the Cardassians from either destroying the carriers or annihilating the support vessels for the invasion. That the Cardassians were deadset on destroying him and ignored the support vessels was a small blessing in of itself.
Needing time, McKinsey put his ships on course to round a rogue moon that was in a rough orbit around Bajor. The translation of the moon's Bajoran name was simply "The Prodigal". They were running out of time rapidly, with the Cardassian fleet closing with it's superior sublight speed compared to the massive Okinawa. He would have to squeeze every second out if they had a hope of surviving.



CDS Leverat


Ivirak watched the Alliance force attempt to take refuge around the Prodigal and smirked. To think such a small moon could cover them from five hundred Cardassian ships? The Alliance commander was clearly trying to buy time. "Send out light warships to engage the enemy on the other side of the moon. All squadrons, round the moon and engage."
The Cardassians closed quickly, their lead formations swiftly rounding the moon and exchanging fire with the Alliance units. Ivirak expected them to take a hammering from the heavier Alliance escorts, but their purpose was to delay while his hammerblow moved up.
"Sir, the enemy fighters are coming at our rear."
"Detail half of our squadrons to maintain fire from their aft weapons."
Energy fire from the Cardassian fleet was like a wake to mark their passing, the result of their attempt to lay down another barrage to dissuade fighter attack. Some of the squadrons fired their missiles once more before breaking, the others not wanting to take the risk and preferring to wait for a better opening. At this rate, so long as the Cardassians' attention was not diverted it would be simply impossible to maneuver without the Cardassian squadrons being able to thwart their approach.
Even as the rear squadrons kept firing on the fighters to keep them from trying again, the Cardassian fleet began to round the moon. The Alliance force on the other side was hotly engaged with the squadrons of light ships Ivirak had sent ahead, though those squadrons were taking hard hits of their own and would soon need support.
"Sir, detecting subspace disruption. I didn't see it before due to the radiation."
"What kind of disruption?"
"Consistant with Alliance jamming, sir. It's large enough that I think it's masking an enemy fleet."
"Where are they?"
"Twenty minutes away."
"Good. We'll have time to deal with these ships first."
"Sir, squadrons beginning to move around the moon. Forward Galor and Keldon divisions will be in firing position in 10..... 9..... 8..... 7.... 6...."
"Sir! Radiation spike! Ships coming out of warp!"
Ivirak began to shout orders. He was dead ten seconds later.



DNS Pearl Harbor


Kentworth couldn't believe the opportunity.
En route, he had ordered the fleet's jammers to hang back and continue to project a broad jamming field, hoping that the Cardassians might think the entire fleet was at the center of the resulting distortion. It had been a slight gamble, but a decent one, and it was now going to pay off handsomely.
The order to fire was given. Not that it had been necessary, as every skipper in the fleet had been ready to engage. Three hundred and forty-two warships had exited warp in various positions to effectively pin, with the cooperation of McKinsey's force, the entire Cardassian fleet against the Prodigal.
The positions of his fleet and the Cardassians were fortuitous for more than one reason. The Cardassian fleet was now in a confined space, more tightly formed than they'd been at Zygola. In this confined space, the general superior maneuverability of the lighter Cardassian ships over the Alliance battle line was nullified. Also, they had been orientated to face McKinsey's force, meaning that for these critical initial seconds, most of Kentworth's fleet was free to fire without reprisal from the powerful bow arcs of the Cardassian fleet.
The sphere of space between the Prodigal and the Alliance fleet was filled with fire now. The Alliance ships opened up with a devastating initial barrage. The effectiveness was compounded by the initiative of squadron gunnery officers across the fleet. Reading their instruments, they identified in many cases the ships for the Cardassians' squadron commanders - the Cardassians had not yet found a way to mask the comm traffic and resulting electronic emissions that maintained the tight command links they favored for fleet operations - and accordingly assigned targets to the vessels in their squadrons to optimize the bombardment. Gul Ivirak would join many of his twenty-five squadron commanders in death, the Leverat being blasted apart by the 290mm particle guns of the Ronald Reagan and one of the 460mm mass drivers on the Texan-built Bexar-class heavy cruiser Abilene.
Command confusion now compounded to the chaos of the Cardassian fleet, trapped as it was. Some ships continued forward, attempting to attack the carriers. Others turned toward the Alliance fleet to return fire and attempt to break out. Surviving squadron commanders tried to assert control over the fleet, but there were none with sufficient seniority and the chaos was so great that there was no chance to enforce any kind of uniformity. Returned fire from weapons mounted on the flanks and sterns of the fleet did do some damage when properly targeted, but it lacked the coordination that was devastating the Cardassian fleet.
As seconds passed, more Cardassian ships were taking crippling hits. There was nowhere to run. Fire from the omnipresent Alliance fleet was everywhere and hitting everything. To add to the carnage, the carrier fighters joined the fray, torpedoing a Cardassian fleet now robbed of the cohesion needed to effectively lay down the fire that had kept the fighters suppressed before. Vessels exploded or simply died from lack of power, some due to the Alliance attacks and some from their own skippers performing their duties and refusing to have their ships fall into enemy hands.
Finally some ships began to escape. This was easiest for the light ships sent to attack the carriers at first; ironically they, the ships Ivirak had been willing to see destroyed to delay McKinsey, would be the ones to escape in the greatest numbers and with the best order. The other ships were not to be so lucky, facing the full wrath of the Alliance battle line, composed both of ships from the 9th Fleet that were untried in the war and 5th Fleet vessels like Pearl Harbor and Karol Wojtyla, the veterans of the brutal fleet collisions at Zygola and Second Darane. Here and there, the faster warships with the best helmsmen managed to break out of the killing zone, but they had no thoughts of trying to counterattack on the enemy's sides. Rather they would jump to warp as soon as they could, determined to flee and survive where so many comrades had not.
The killing did not continue for long. A few Cardassian commanders chose to flash their surrender to spare their crews. Most, however, refused to do even this, ordering only the abandonment of their ships and choosing to stay and die rather than risk a charge of cowardice that might spell disaster for their families. After about ten minutes the firing ended. The space around the Prodigal was filled with the shattered husks and debris of the Cardassian Third Fleet.
Kentworth had a bemused smile on his face as the shooting stopped. Reports on damage were coming in; McKinsey's force had lost three destroyers with damage spread through the rest of his force. Kentworth's relief fleet had only some minor damage, with only one destroyer and one light cruiser lost from Cardassian suicide attacks (or simply helmsman that lost control of their fleeing ships and plowed into the unfortunate Alliance vessels - there was no way of knowing just yet). The enemy fleet was gone, with losses that his aides were now estimating to be at least 450 and perhaps as many as 480.
The Cardassian Third Fleet had not simply been driven off with heavy loss - it had been wiped out utterly and completely by an enemy it had not hurt in any meaningful way. The timing of Kentworth's arrival and the disposition of the Cardassian fleet had ensured the greatest tactical effect Kentworth could have hoped for, rendering the five hundred Cardassian vessels and it's quarter of a million Cardassian sailors as helpless and doomed as Admiral Nishimura's Southern Force had been when it blundered into Oldendorf's waiting battle line in the Surigao Strait during the great Battle of Leyte Gulf during the Second World War.



VKFS Pobeda, Near Bajor
04:39 GS


Yefim was on the bridge when the petty officer at sensors reported contacts fleeing from Bajor. "Several of them appear damaged, given the power readings and plasma trails they're giving off," the young man reported.
"Mister Yuburov, plot intercept course!" As Yuburov did so, Yefim turned to Skobelova, and spoke to her even as Yuburov gave course heading and speed orders to the helm. "Mister Skobelova, give me firing solutions. All hands to battle stations!"
Alerts filled the Pobeda as the silent hunter turned to hunt the prey that was showing up. "Some of the ships are fast enough that we will only get one shot, Captain. The others seem to have damage that has reduced their speed."
"Then we can pick them off at our leisure. Excellent. Assign first shots to the fastest vessels. Load all torpedo tubes."
"Yes sir, loading all torpedo tubes."
Yefim returned to his seat and looked back into his personal command display. The contacts were there now, fleeing from Bajor. Had the enemy been defeated? Yefim thought so, given that the Alliance fleet that entered the system had not left in retreat and had not broadcast distress signals. "Any other ships in the area?"
"The British Upholder and Stellar Navy Olivia Patterson, sir. Both have reported their intention to attack the retreating enemy force."
"Excellent. This will be like shooting milk cows."




Command Center, Cardassia Prime, Cardassian Union
06:50 GST


Yatar entered the empty conference room where Relim Torcet was eating a meal and reading reports. Relim looked up and saw Yatar's expression. He could see the fear in his eyes, and he already knew why. "Gul Ivirak failed," he said simply, not waiting for Yatar to give him the news.
"Yes." Yatar's voice sounded a little shaky. "The Third Fleet.... has been annihilated."
"How many?"
"We are uncertain, some ships reported engine trouble and have yet to get to base. But so far, only ten vessels have returned to Kurvak and there are no more than twelve more en route."
Relim merely sat for a moment. Then he picked up his padd. "What happened?"
"The surviving Guls say Ivirak was pursuing the enemy carriers covering the enemy invasion of Bajor when the Alliance fleet ambushed him at one of Bajor's moons. His formation was tight to deal with the enemy fighters and was pressed against the moon. The enemy barrage was...."
"Fool."
"Ivirak thought he had their carriers in his sights! Didn't you agree that they had to be destroyed."
"He should have been more careful. Besides, those carriers weren't the enemy's main carriers." Relim tossed a PADD to Yatar, who picked it up off the table. "The shipyards at Korpet 5, Ulkara, and Pekivar. The orbital factory complexes in the Torvur System. Gone, destroyed by enemy carrier attacks."
"But... we had ships covering them."
"You mean damaged vessels from the prior battles." Relim scoffed. "The lucky ones escaped. The unlucky ones are debris. Between the ships that were being built or repaired in those shipyards and the ships lost in the system, we've lost another 300 ships and heavy interceptors. The damage to our industrial capacity from the loss of the complexes in Torvur is another blow."
"We have other factories..."
"Face facts, Yatar!" Relim pounded his fist on the table, rattling his plate of food. "The war is lost! We have suffered too much, lost too many ships, to continue this fight. Go to Kelataza! Tell him to sue for peace, it's the only way to save Cardassia! Do it now, before the Alliance can consolidate it's hold on Bajor and we can no longer use the planet as a bargaining chip!"
Yatar scowled and walked out. Relim slid back into his chair. It hurt him to think he had given a son to Cardassia, a son who's life had been squandered with millions of other Cardassians for the pride of his leaders.
A pride that would now doom him.
Relim returned to his office silently. At his desk, he began calling out to make arrangements, for he knew his time was short.

[fgalkin]

Shooting mik cows? Why in the world would I say something like that?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[Zed Snardbody]

Some of us don't say it enough. This story kicks ass, and its hard to come up with new ways to praise it with each instalment, But I think I speak for a lot of people when I say seeing an update to this is high on our list of things we want to see.

This is really great.

[Steve]

Shooting mik cows? Why in the world would I say something like that?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

*smacks Fima on head*

"Milk cow" = fuel transport. Duh. I even had one of Pobeda's crew use the term "milk cow" when referring to the 100 megaton transport that was destroyed in the first day of the war.

[CJvR]

That should seal the deal on Bajor, no escape now for the Cardies and with the new infrastructure strikes and the destruction of Third fleet the entire frontier should be wide open for invasion without the need for full fleet covering forces, that should speed up things a bit. The Cardies should have lost about their entire operative fleet in these battles, over 2000 ships leaving them with a few frontier forces and the Home fleet.

[Steve]

That should seal the deal on Bajor, no escape now for the Cardies and with the new infrastructure strikes and the destruction of Third fleet the entire frontier should be wide open for invasion without the need for full fleet covering forces, that should speed up things a bit. The Cardies should have lost about their entire operative fleet in these battles, over 2000 ships leaving them with a few frontier forces and the Home fleet.

According to a source for DS9 - I think it's the DS9 Technical Manual - the Cardassians should have a fleet of about 8,000 ships at this point in time (the Dominion War total of the UFP according to Sternbach, but keep in mind that the Cardassians have what appears to be a command economy geared toward military production, meaning their fleet could be understandably huge, if technologically inferior). In fact, the stated number was 8,600, but I'm not sure of the time frame the tech manual was referring to (and even if it meant 1st Season DS9, that's a year away and thus with an extra year of industrial production, so 8,000 is a good estimate with perhaps 800 or so ships in mothballs).

This means they have about 6,000 left, of which, probably 1,000 or so are specifically in dock from damage taken during the various battles (there have probably been a number of minor naval skirmishes not mentioned in the story, like during the ADN's initial border offensive) and you can probably consider another 2,000 to be laid up for routine maintainance (Which happens even in war-time). That means that the Cardies only have 3,000 ships active, and many of them would be on various frontiers (for instance, I've already confirmed they've been fighting the Talarians, plus the Cardies have borders with the Tsen'kethi, the Breen, the Romulans, the Ferengi, and a frontier facing the Klingon frontier that all have to be defended). Considering also the need to convoy to minimize the risk of ADN stealth ship attack, the Cardassian tactical reserve is probably down to Home Fleet itself with about 500 ships, maybe 1,000-1,500 by the end of December with ships rushed out of the shipyards - new ships and those damaged in prior battles and repaired - or out of mothballs.

They're not in the most enviable of strategic situations.

But the ADN's isn't the best either. Remember that at this time the ADN is recovering from a state of relative naval disarmament due to the demobilization of it's constituent nations after the last great war in the 2130s. It's still early in it's long-term re-armament plan, bolstered by an increase in defense spending in the aftermath of the Borg Invasion and the Battle of Wolf 359. I figured that the ADN Stellar Navy has a force of about 6,000 or so combat starships at this time (not counting as much as another 4,000 or so ships from national navies, including those in mothballs). The ADN's losses haven't been horrible yet - not like the Cardassians' - but, their list of defense requirements is even longer than that of the Cardassians, with multiple potential threats (though not likely threats for a variety of strategic and economic reasons) in several universes. And their losses to the battleline are particularly troubling - in the budgeting for the 2153 Fiscal Year, the Navy acquired funds for a force of only 200 capital warships (battleships, dreadnoughts, superdreads, and fleet carriers plus the Okinawa). That's why you have ships like the Sam Houston in the fighting - national navy capital ships are needed.

Still, the ADN has the upper hand, and a second advantage - it's defeated the Cardassians four times now (though First Darane can be argued as a strategic draw) and shattered a quarter of their operational fleet. Defeats in brutal, hard-fought fleet collisions are bad enough; the utter annihilation of an offensive Cardassian fleet at the Battle of the Prodigal by an ADN force that emerged virtually unscathed is going to horribly demoralize the Cardassian military. And demoralized militaries in military-run states are very dangerous to the people in charge....

Why, I can hear knives being scraped and sharpened against grindstones right now.....

[Zed Snardbody]

Oh, is that what that noise is.

[darthdavid]

At this point I wouldn't be suprised if the cardassian empire dissolved due to a lack of assets to quell uprisings, a destroyed mask of invincibility and the threat of alliance aid to any rebelling systems. In short, they're fucked sideways with a radioactive chainsaw who's blade is lubed with boiling mercury and the blood of the innocent.

[CJvR]

the Cardassians should have a fleet of about 8,000 ships at this point in time

It sounds a bit large to me but then the Cardie-fleet have many tasks that the ADN & UPF fleets have not. Running a facist dictatorship is a costly affair.

keep in mind that the Cardassians have what appears to be a command economy geared toward military production, meaning their fleet could be understandably huge, if technologically inferior

If we compare it to the command economy of the Soviet Union then that number could be very hollow. The inflated size of that nation's military was achived mainly by never scrapping, and rarely upgrading, obsolete weapons since they were able enough against internal troublemakers and low threat areas. Most of the ships on internal patrol and calm frontiers would likely be old barely refitted units that is dangerous only because their numbers or if their enemy lack proper defences.
If we divide the Cardassian military into three about equally large categories, A, B & C then the main operating force, the three numbered fleets along with the core of the home fleet and elements of frontier fleets engaged in active combat would have been cat-A formations, the best and most modern stuff and crews. This part of the fleet have been crippled now.
The more powerful frontier fleets would likely be cat-B as would internal security forces covering vital assets, they are not the most modern stuff but servicable if you don't mind the butcher's bill. The Federation & Bajoran frontier fleets would probably have been of this level and most likely the forces on Talarian front.
The remaining stuff, serving until scrapped, cat-C formations are probably not worth the effort of bringing into a serious battle. These formations are only meant for low threat regions and even the Cardassians would think twice about throwing them away for the minimal damage they are likely to inlict. Peaceful borders and internal security in pacified systems where the only battle they are likely to see is customs and police duty.
Although "only" 25% of the Cardie numbers have been destroyed the drop in actual fighting power would be much greater. Perhaps 30-35% and the Cardie effort to raise a fourth fleet will either have to gut the home fleet or rely on cat-B formations.

the Cardassian tactical reserve is probably down to Home Fleet itself with about 500 ships, maybe 1,000-1,500 by the end of December with ships rushed out of the shipyards

Yes, but home fleet is not a reserve anymore. The wolf is at the door howling, growling & scratching at it wanting in, the Cardies can't chip to much wood off that door... If they want to raise more forces they need to whip the yard workers harder and strip the frontier forces to the bone, most of those remaining 6000 ships will not be equal to those lost. (Unless GOD so decrees, author's privilege ) Given the current ongoing chrisis I also doubt regular maintanence cycles will be maintained, ships will serve far longer with all the trouble that will cause in wear and sub-optimal preformance.

They're not in the most enviable of strategic situations.

But the ADN's isn't the best either.

No but their's is vastly superior. They have solidly the initiative and their core systems are untouchable to the Cardies, even if the Cardies had had a force to send after them. The option to go for the throat or not is the ADN's, the Cardies can only hope for time to rebuild.

And demoralized militaries in military-run states are very dangerous to the people in charge....

Yes, the Second Reich comes to mind but as long as the military have some confidence in the leadership it will remain loyal. Launching a coup is dangerous not just for themselves but for the state, a failed coup or worse a partial success would be like handing the enemies the keys to the capital.

Why, I can hear knives being scraped and sharpened against grindstones right now.....

Particulary if the Cardies raid the security and frontier forces for firepower.

[Junghalli]

Poor Cardassians. Have they even won a single battle in this unholy beatdown?

[Steve]

Poor Cardassians. Have they even won a single battle in this unholy beatdown?

First Darane could be considered a strategic and tactical draw. They inflicted comparitively heavier losses on the ADN fleet at Darane and took out the carrier Kaga, though they in the end withdrew and did not force the Alliance out of Darane.

[Junghalli]

First Darane could be considered a strategic and tactical draw. They inflicted comparitively heavier losses on the ADN fleet at Darane and took out the carrier Kaga, though they in the end withdrew and did not force the Alliance out of Darane.

In other words this war is going about as well as the Earth Alliance vs. the Minbari (albeit this time with the humans administering the mighty smackdown). You can't even bring yourself to give them token victories to heighten the tension (and appease the Trekkies), can you?

[Steve]

First Darane could be considered a strategic and tactical draw. They inflicted comparitively heavier losses on the ADN fleet at Darane and took out the carrier Kaga, though they in the end withdrew and did not force the Alliance out of Darane.

In other words this war is going about as well as the Earth Alliance vs. the Minbari (albeit this time with the humans administering the mighty smackdown). You can't even bring yourself to give them token victories to heighten the tension (and appease the Trekkies), can you?

Eh, I've had most of the war laid out for a bit now. I couldn't really find room to give the Cardies a naval victory of any significance at this phase, because the outcome I have in mind has rather specific requirements.

That's not to say they might not manage something later in the war.... On top of that, I do plan for them to have a rather successful post-war rebound, and I'm going to show Dukat as the intelligent commander and leader that the DS9 writers were trying to demonstrate so often.

[Steve]

Cardassian Western Detachment HW, Outside Salmio, Bajor
07:01 GST


Gul Teve'el was a large man of middle age who had risen through the ranks due to both his connections and his abilities as a leader. He was now in charge of over 75,000 Cardassian combat troops, not counting their support personnel, besieging the Bajoran city of Salmio. On top of the three Orders of professional mechanized troops he had another 30,000 Cardassian combat troops in two Provisional Orders, plus the shattered remnant of two Provisional Orders that had suffered heavy casualties.
As soon as they had confirmed enemy landings Teve'el had been forced to make a choice: attempt a dangerous escape west to his Detachment's bases or break through and force his way into Salmio. He had tried the latter, with only some luck. The enemy had landed troops in Salmio itself, making the offensive a very difficult thing. They had also forced landings on Mount Tevis on the ridges and faces where Teve'el had placed his artillery.
Now the worst came to pass, as he could see through enhanced imaging binoculars that a massive Alliance flag had been raised on the summit of Tevis. The four-colored flame circled by stars flittered in the stiff Bajoran wind, clearly visible for miles around and probably in the city itself.
It was now that Teve'el made his decision, and he began to order the withdrawal from their siege positions to the west. Salmio was a valley city, after all, flanked by massive mountains and with only two ways in and out of the city - valleys to the west and northeast that were carved out over eons by the River Salgo. The Northeast approach was barely passable and easily-defended for it's narrowness - at times it was so narrow that the river was in a canyon and did not have banks - and the siege had relied totally on the western valley and positions there, which was the reason it had been so unsuccessful.
As Teve'el made his withdrawal, the Bajorans in Salmio actually counter-attacked in several combat sectors. Platoon-sized groups of spirited Bajorans would harrass the retreating Cardassians well into the next day. To make matters worse, even as Teve'el was getting into an HQ vehicle to follow his mechanized troops toward the river town of Idiv at the opening of the valley, he learned that enemy troops that had landed outside the valley were racing to cut his units off before they could escape to the Dakhur Plains.
Deep down, Teve'el knew that no matter what he did, he was doomed.




Ithol Communications Base, Bajor
07:24 GST


The Cardassian base had been assaulted by Shakaar and his cell roughly five and a half hours ago, in perfect timing to the beginning of the Alliance landings. Now they were holed up in the base with about fifteen Cardassians for every remaining fighter outside.
Near the ground level, Kira Nerys and Pedro Nimenez were guarding one of the entry corridors on the west quadrant of the building. The building entrance itself on that quadrant had been lost to a heavy assault, in which Kira had sustained a wound to her left hip that left her almost immobile. They were in excellent position, however, too far away for the Cardassians to remove with a grenade attack and in position to mow down any Cardassian who came through, at least until the Cardassians again had the sheer numbers to put enough people into the hall that one might get a shot.
Their AK-90s came to life again and again whenever Cardassians tried to peak around the side. Occasionally Pedro would look at Kira, who was sweating from the pain in her hip. "You should go," he said. "Get medical attention."
"No, you need me to help keep-" Kira stopped talking long enough to pull her trigger, killing another Cardassian who came around the corner, and thus finishing the clip in her gun "-to keep them back." She reached into her belt, grimacing from her wound, and brought out a clip which she then placed into the AK. She pulled back on the chamber rod to put a round in the chamber. "We have to hold them here."
Korolev's voice began to crackle over their radios. "We have friendly troops coming in from the French 8th Air Cavalry. Hold them back just a little longer."
It was almost as if Korolev's revelation prompted the Cardassians to try a heavy attack. One after another came around the corner and toward the duo, who opened up with their guns. Their rounds ripped through the Cardassians' "armor" and bodies alike, sending them down for good one after the other....
But the last one managed to toss a grenade just before Kira put a bullet in his forehead.
The grenade flew through the air and rolled a bit toward them. Before Kira could even hope to move with her injured hip, Nimenez jumped and landed on the grenade. "Pedro, no!" would be the last thing he would hear. The grenade exploded and the resulting discharge of energy went right through his armor and incinerated his torso and the organs within. A brief discharge of energy erupted from out of his back, but did nothing more than heat Kira up.
Some tears began to gather on her dirt-streaked face. Kira liked Nimenez a great deal; he was another good young man cut down by the hated Cardassians. She quickly changed the clips on her AK and pulled out her phaser sidearm, determined to resist to the last. "Shakaar, can you hear me? This is Nerys," she said into the radio. "Nimenez is dead. I've been hit and I can't move very good. I'm going to hold out here as long as I can."
"Nerys, I can send someone..."
"No! Get someone to hold the next door down from me. Tell them that I'll fill this entire hall with Cardassians before I die." The grin on Kira's face was fierce and full of fatal determination. "I hope you have a good life, friend."
And so she kept fighting. More Cardassians would come and she would kill them, until she had no more clips with which to fire. The pain in her hip kept her mind focused, not allowing her to wander off mentally as she kept to her grim and self-appointed task. When she no longer had ammo Kira turned to a reliance on her sidearm, until finally a Cardassian soldier got a shot off that hit her upper right arm. Pain flared up it and made her drop her gun long enough for three more shots to hit her; one in the right side, to her left shoulder, and to her right breast. The latter hit scorched flesh and damaged Kira's lung and diaphragm. Her breathing became labored as she slumped over and looked up at an angry-looking Cardassian man who lowered his gun and..... there was nothing.


Within minutes a vast swarm of French-built Laurent Anti-Grav flyers had landed in and around the comm base at Ithol, depositing a battalion of French troops to help drive off the Cardassian forces attempting to retake the base. The Laurents themselves added to the firepower of the attacking forces, laying down heavy machine gun fire that tore apart Cardassian troops with direct hits while the soldiers jumped out and spread about to pinch off the Cardassian troops already inside.
Leading one squad was Caporel Malenfant, who went about with his Comeau-Sainte-Martin assault rifle and in full battle dress. They entered the west quadrant of the base, shooting and killing several Cardassians while stepping over fallen bodies from the prior encounter. Going to the end of the main entry corridor, Malenfant turned away from the corridor to the maintainance rooms and saw the back of a Cardassian soldier raising his weapon to shoot a fallen Bajoran. Malenfant squeezed the trigger on his CSM and 7.72mm rounds ripped through the Cardassian's back and chest, killing him quickly.
Malenfant stepped over a great deal of fallen Cardassian bodies and what looked like one Alliance soldier under three, reaching the fallen Bajoran. The red-haired woman - who was in civilian dress but with a Bajoran insignia on an armband, had five clear wounds from nuclear-disruption weapons, but her chest was still rising and proving she was alive. Malenfant kneeled down beside her and activated his radio. Speaking in French, he said, "We need a medic in the base west entrance immediately. We have one wounded Bajoran fighter, female, with at least five hits from a nuclear-disruptor."
"A medic is being sent now."

[Coalition]

I finally got to the end. Excellent story. Kept me up when I should have gone to sleep (currently on 33 hrs awake thanks to this story).

[darthdavid]

So the french finally do something useful.

[Steve]

Idiv, Bajor
08:25 GST


Even with the fighting to the east in Salmio, the twenty thousand Bajorans living in Idiv had not evacuated, staying and continuing to scrape a living off the depleted fisheries of the river and the land so polluted by the industries the Cardassians had built in Salmio. They weren't even considering trying to leave even as some news trickled in that the Cardassians were fleeing from Salmio to prevent Alliance forces from boxing them into the valley. The general idea was that the Cardassians wouldn't bother harming them - though observant of the Bajoran religion, they weren't mad or fanatical enough to attack armed Cardassian troops en masse, and those who wanted to attack were unwilling to risk Cardassian reprisal.
In the end, none of it mattered.
Even as their forward columns moved toward the city, the mobile Cardassian artillery opened up on the small town. Individual Cardassian platoons added to the fire with their mortars when they were in range, toppling buildings and generally seeking to sweep all Bajoran life out of their line of retreat so that the Bajorans could not interfere, a precaution that seemed advisable given some of the Bajoran actions elsewhere on the planet.
By the time the first Cardassian Revarat APCs were entering Idiv, it was a smouldering ruin. There were still fires here and there being put out by the town's overextended firefighters and civilians aiding them, but for those in the path of the APCs, the fires were soon a secondary concern. The Cardassian troops refused to give the slightest spoken warning; they simply opened fire. Soon one could tell the roads taken by the Cardassian mechanized columns by the random Bajoran dead on or beside the roads.
At the lead of one column, 2nd Rank Glin Ruket was seated outside the hatch with his rifle raised. Every time he saw the slightest appearance of Bajoran skin he opened fire, regardless of the size of the target. As a man Ruket wasn't exactly a murderous hater of Bajorans, but rather he was simply brutal-minded in protecting the troops under his command. As far as he was concerned, every breathing Bajoran was a threat and had to be eliminated lest they manage an attack on his troops.
Unlike him, however, was the 2nd Rank Glin to a column down the next road. Tovel had a long-standing hatred of Bajorans and delighted in finally being given the chance to kill them without restraint. Like Ruket he shot dead every Bajoran he saw.
Or almost every Bajoran. As the vehicle moved along he noticed ahead of them a Bajoran father trying to pull an unconscious or dead child out of a flipped, burning aircar. Hearing the rumble, the father motioned for them to stop and begin pleading. Tovel acted like he wasn't there and merely told his driver to go onward, and his driver knew well enough not to question him. The father responded to their refusal to stop by desperately trying to extract his child through the window. He got the head out... the torso... the waist....
Tovel actually made a low laugh as his vehicle simply rolled right over the man and the half-removed child. The Revarat was heavy and powerful enough that it easily rolled over the aircar and completely crushed father and child together. There was no scream, a mild disappointment for Tovel, simply a sickening sound from the crushing of flesh and bone under 25 tons of hard metals and composites.
He noticed movement a distance away and saw a young Bajoran, probably a teenager, hiding in rubble nearby. He lifted his weapon and opened fire, striking the boy in the upper shoulder. Satisfied the shot was sufficient to kill, Tovel continued sweeping for more enemies to shoot.


Yave Pero watched his uncle and cousin get crushed under the Revarat as it rumbled on and felt his heart sink. His own parents were long dead, his family had been killing in the shelling, and his two surviving family members had now been ruthlessly crushed before his eyes.
Pero's heartache was such that he shifted slightly to cover his eyes to cry. The Cardassian who had murdered them turned to Pero and shot him in the shoulder through the rubble that he had been hiding in. Pero gasped and fell back. He already had a number of burns, cuts, and bruises on his body. His shoulder now flared with almost unimaginable pain. He cried out, tears in his eyes, and began slipping in and out of consciousness in a tomb made from his uncle's destroyed home.
An eternity of agony passed before he saw light again. He could see a figure standing over him, wearing a helmet that had a clear faceplate. There was a dark-skinned person inside with a face that made Pero think it was a woman - the figure's high voice seemed to confirm that when it shouted in a language Pero did not understand. He thought he could hear footsteps as his eyes closed and could swear he was being lifted as he drifted into unconsciousness.
Yes, he was being lifted.... to be with his family again.... He was ready to die now. And it would only been ten hours before his eyes would open again and he would find himself still among the living, in a military field hospital of the Alliance military.

[darthdavid]

You're making us hate the cardies again. Good job.

[CJvR]

Well that is even more reason for PAPAL to hate the Alliance. Bajor was a wonder of peace and prosperity and enlightenment of the Bajorian savages, until the Alliance came along that is. The Federation's reaction to the fall of Bajor will be amusing. The Fed reaction to the atrocious behavior of the Cardies even more so...

[Steve]

Dakhur Plains, Bajor
10:26 GST



The Cardassian Western Detachment was nearly clear. It had escaped through the ruins of Idiv and was now crossing the rolling plains of Dakhur. Few Bajorans dared cross the unit's path, and almost all who did were killed as the APCs and artillery vehicles rumbled on.
As they neared the town of Okal, the roar of jet engines deafened the Cardassians. Marine Corps F/A-37 Corsairs from Okinawa swooped down from above and began bombing the retreating Cardassians. Here and there an APC or three would be blown apart by cluster munitions. During strafing runs by the Marines Cardassian soldiers within their APCs were wounded or killed from railgun fire on the Corsairs ripping through the Revarat's thin armor.
Desperately the Cardassians returned fire. Their APC guns and heavy phaser cannon artillery proved the most effective at trying to force the Corsairs to stop their attacks.
But now the attack came from the front. Waiting ahead on the roads to and around Okal were two battalions of the 3rd Cavalry Division. Anti-grav tanks with heavy phaser cannons and trained heavy infantry that had dismounted from their IFVs opened fire on the Cardassian mechanized columns as they approached.
The Cardassian forces surged ahead to try and simply force their way through the Alliance troops with sheer numbers. Their artillery opened fire and in some cases successfully hit and knocked out or damaged the Alliance tanks, not to mention the wounding and killing of dismounted infantry. The artillery fire lessened though as the Corsairs continued their vicious pounding of the Cardassian force.
Realizing what was happening, Gul Teve'el ordered the force to turn around and head back to Idiv and it's surroundings. His reasoning was clear within minutes, as the 5th Armored Division's battalions of HBT-1s and other vehicles rolled in from the north to strike the Cardassian right flank. Teve'el and some of the rear columns of mechanized troops got away, but the rest of the Cardassian force began to simply disintegrate as it was hammered on two sides and from the air with overwhelming firepower.


Tovel led his men in dismounting from their APC just before an enemy fighter blew it apart with a bomb. The Cardassian soldiers hugged the ground and brought their weapons up to fight back against any enemy infantry that appeared.
But it was not enemy infantry that would confront them. Tovel heard rumbling and looked up to see massive armored vehicles with large guns on their turrets rumble forth. From a cupola on the turrets' tops, grenades were being fired in all directions. Tovel screamed for his troops to attack the enemy tanks. They rose and started shooting, their fire sometimes missing or sometimes connecting and being absorbed by armor. Fire erupted from the railguns on the tanks' cupolas and tore through one soldier, then another, then another.
Tovel was momentarily lucky, in that he dived to the ground just as a spray of dirt erupted before him. The railgun rounds still ripped through his right leg and literally ripped it up, sending sprays of blood and flesh and muscle everywhere. Tovel howled in pain, tossing his rifle to the side in the same movement he used to grip the bloodied remnants of his leg. He heard the rumbling growing even louder and looked up just in time to see he was in the path of one of the Alliance behemoths. He raised his hands and screamed, as it was too late for him to do anything else. The caterpillar tread pressed down on his head first, crushing his skull like a fruit and splattering brain matter and blood about. It continued down his body, turning his spine into powder as it crushed his body, causing more blood and flesh splatter from the weight of 80 tons pressing down on Tovel's body.
As the tank passed by, there was nothing left of Tovel's body but an organic smear in the dirt that was mixed in with what had been his uniform.


Teve'el rode up with his troops to the portion of Idiv they held. The enemy had taken some of the outskirts and was pressing hard on them. Teve'el continued speaking with his staff as they set up an HQ in a ruined Bajoran Temple, carefully avoiding a couple of bodies shot by their forces that had passed through just hours ago.
Those same forces were now gone, crushed on the Dakhur Plain by an enemy hammerblow from the north. The rest of the Alliance 3rd Cavalry Division had moved up from the south, providing the anvil that kept the Cardassians from fleeing and dooming them to be utterly smashed by the enemy ground and air forces. Fifty thousand of Cardassia's best mechanized troops had been crushed in a swift, brutal stroke.
Now nearly thirty thousand Cardassian soldiers were gathered in and around Idiv. At least in this urban environment, the enemy range advantage was reduced, and the Cardassians had actually managed to hold off three infantry probes by the enemy. Here, Gul Teve'el would have to make his last stand on Bajor.

[Andras]

So does the ADN have any MOABs?

[dragon]

With there tech moab 's might be to much. When you consider the strength of some of there explosives. Like the small explosive that was planted in the kilingon arm that killed several people. Or the explosive ear ring the Kira had that blew up a fair sive room and into the corridor. So if a few grams of these can do that much imagine a few kilos of it.