Chapter 7: On the Offensive
Written by Dan Carlson
Image 7.1: Two Torsk-class escorts sweep a nebula following a UE offensive.
© Mike MoreauChanges are now in place– the UE has greatly improved its combat capability.
It’s time to take the war to the enemy. Summer 2158.
"Delenda est Romulo"
Secretary-General Christopher Thorpe calls for offensive action. How far they will go, no one is certain. But it is time to stop reacting and start acting.
Starship construction is gearing up, not just warships but all kinds. Go further into the mobilization and the "NET" that they begin to cast across space.
The Joint Chiefs propose the "Three-Stage Plan"
Know Your Enemy
An intelligence operation that ran throughout the entire war, trying to gather any information on the Romulans. Although this effort began back in 2155, there was little solid material to work with until Hell’s Gate. Even then, there wasn’t much to go on. They worked on translating intercepted communications, sifted the wreckage of destroyed ships, colonies, and outposts, even sent a few reconaissance missions into Romulan space. (But none of those ever returned.)
Talk a little about those intelligence-gathering missions. They could never, ever get close enough to get sufficient data.
And so the Romulans remained a faceless enemy.
Stage One: The Minotaur Campaign
Soften up the enemy with a series of raids. The Minotaur/Yorktown system works great in launching attacks on various planetary targets.
A Typical Minotaur/Yorktown Attack
Map 7.1: A Yorktown mission.
Image 7.2: UES St. Petersburg covers the withdrawal of three Minotaur fighters.
© Thomas PembertonThe
August 21, 2158, attack by the Yorktown-class carrier UES Saratoga (CVM-27)
and the four other ships of the 3rd Fleet’s 14th Carrier Assault Group against
targets along the Romulan frontier was typical of strike missions carried out
by the Minotaur/Yorktown system. The goal of this mission was to destroy active
subspace sensor arrays in preparation for a planned large-scale advance into
Romulan space (Like early subspace radio transmitters, active subspace sensors
of that time were too large to mount on ships). Saratoga, accompanied
by the Powhatan-class escorts UES Cyane (CEM-22) and UES Choctaw (CEM-31),
left Starbase 10 at her cruising speed of warp 2.65. After the final "go code" was
received by subspace radio from 3rd Fleet Central Command, Saratoga and
her escorts accelerated to their top speed of warp 3.6 for the 9-ly, 18-day journey
to the Minotaur launch point in Romulan space. Several hours before Saratoga reached
the launch point, the M/AM modules, deuterium, and warp missiles were loaded
onto the Minotaurs, and the flight crews entered the cockpits. When
the three ships reached the Minotaur launch point 98 AU southeast (galactic
coordinates) and below the targets they cruised at high sublight speed while
the five Minotaurs were undocked and exited through Saratoga’s
ventral bay doors, a procedure taking approximately 30 minutes. Using their M/AM
power modules, the five Minotaurs made the first of their jumps to their
targets.
Once the fighters were safely away, Saratoga and Cyane headed for the rendezvous site, while Choctaw took up silent station along the planned return route to discourage any pursuit attempts.Two of the Minotaurs, Gwendoline (814) and Thumper (922), made jumps of 62 AU (8.1 minutes), 41 AU (5.3 minutes), and 55 AU (7.2 minutes), easily outrunning Romulan defensive missiles and point-defense cruisers. When 9.4 AU away and still travelling at warp 4, each Minotaur fired 6 missiles at the targets; 30 seconds later, the missiles’ warheads detonated and the sensor arrays were destroyed. Gwendoline and Thumper veered away from the targets, then travelled by separate indirect routes to the rendezvous site. After all five Minotaurs had safely redocked, Saratoga and her escorts returned at warp 3.6 to UE space.
Source: The Starfleet Museum
Success
Image 7.3: Minotaur fighter Laser Bait.
© Fabio PassaroThe success of
the Minotaur system– account the number of successful raids (328). With only
7 carriers and 40 fighters lost. More than 120 Romulan cruisers destroyed, 18
planetary targets attacked, 3 subspace transmitter arrays silenced.
The Joint Chiefs propose the "Three-Stage Plan"
The Gamma Hydra Campaign: Operation "Sidestep"
A drive to the southeast to prevent a Romulan grab there. It’s a sideline battle really, but draws Romulan forces away from the main lines, because they think that the UE is trying to out-flank them. Which they are...
Map 7.2: The Gamma Hydra CampaignLaunches early 2159, first battle
JUNE
Battles start in advance towards Gamma Hydra – battles in the outlying regions in June/July, a repulse or setback in August/September, and a final push that takes Gamma Hydra in November.
Campaign lasts until late 2159 - and then there’s the ion storm.
The Andorian Counteroffensive
Image 7.4: Romulan CLAVICLE-class cruisers in orbit.
© Thomas PembertonFocus on how Andor takes the war to the enemy, and the counteroffensive
from Andor to Gamma Virginis to Devron.
Scorched Earth
These guys are in a bad mood. When it’s time to get out of the sandbox, they take their toys with them, and tip the sandbox over too. Nelvana III, Devron XII, several others. Mention Thierrull? (Or is that coming later?)
Stage Two: Operation "Pigeon Shoot"
Image 7.5: Two CLAVICLE-class cruisers are destroyed by a missile barrage.
© Thomas PembertonWipe
out the Romulan fleet. PIGEON was the code-name for Romulan patrol cruisers,
just want to clear them out to get ready for an outright invasion.
By now, the Romulans have seen the light and turned this into a war of attrition. Send all the ships they can – there are even a few attempts at kamikaze attacks, but unsuccessful. The Rommies are gettin their asses kicked. And they know it.
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