[Tactical Labs – SB 234: UNITY]
Captain Chisulo, Lieutenant Colonel Pont Brillant, Commodore Guzman, and Admiral LeGrand watching the incoming data in horror as the happenings at V'Tar III were reported. The colony had fallen, and the Romulans were ruthless in their assault. They broke the promise they made after Shinzon's demise more than two decades before and resumed research into weaponized thalaron particles. They used their new weapon to necrotize the key centers of the colony, and deployed their special Rihansu troops to secure and pacify the remaining populations.
Despite the atrocities, it was a ruthlessly efficient assault of tactical brilliance on the Romulan's side. It clearly displayed how the Federation underestimated the capabilities of the Romulans. Just when the Federation was beginning to think it odd that the D'Deridex class warbird was still their top ship, new scouts, fighters, and now thalaron cruisers were popping up all across the front lines.
Guzman ordered Pont Brillant to bolster the frontlines around the colony, and with LeGrand's approval he began dictating fleet movements into the neighboring systems from the Operation Center's command dias. Guzman and LeGrand decided they needed to contact Bragg and Starfleet Command, but before they retired back to Guzman's office the Commodore ordered Chisulo to begin planning a counter-attack.
That was what Chisulo had been doing ever since. He poured over the sensor data from the last buoy update from the V'Tar system for at least 6 hours, before it was wiped out by the incoming Romulan fleet. They appeared to begin the interplanetary strike with fighters from the asteroid belt in the system, using it as cover to take-out the planetary defense and sensor networks. Then the cruisers warped in to take down the small contingent of Starfleet and planter security vessels that put up a resistance. Then the Thalaron Cruisers entered the atmosphere and prepped the key population centers for invasion. It ran like clock-work.
Chisulo's reaction had to run in a similar manner, if it was to have any success at all. And with a deadly weapon like a thalaron cannon was to be used, Starfleet needed to defer from its usual tactics in order to be successful. Chisulo decided that any counter-attack would have to rely heavily upon the Federation's fighter capabilities and an element of surprise for success. He found inspiration from the historical records about the Battle of Coral Sea during World War II.
The Battle of Coral Sea was the first naval battle in Earth history in which the opposing fleets never actually laid eyes on each other. The fighter craft of each sides' carriers were the weapons which fought the battle, with the US ending victorious over the Japanese navy. Chisulo modeled Operation Coral Sea after this battle.
The Captain put in the request for the following Task Group:
1) The newly commissioned USS Detector, fresh out of space dock. Its excellent sensor system would make it the perfect command ship for Chisulo to run the operation.
2) The Typhon Class USS Hindenburg and its compliment of fighter's would provide the bread and butter for the operation.
3) USS Yamato, a sovereign class cruiser would provide the back-up firepower to take down the thalaron cruisers once the fighters provide the intelligence.
4) The Prometheus class USS Darkstrom would do the same as the Yamato above, but in greater force with its multi-vectral assault mode.
5) The destroyers USS Exeter (Katana-B) and,
6) USS Akira to deploy the marine contingents planet side, to retake the colony.
It was a small task group, but it would have to be in order to maintain the stealth required for operational integrity. A large force would to easily show up on sensors and would be too broad of a target for the thalaron cannon. The number of losses would be off the scale, more so than they were already.
Tedros spent the next morning polishing off his proposal, planning the movements to come in cloaked along the neutral zone and entering the system from the Romulan side before taking refuge in the sensor shadow of the asteroid belt. When he was done, he signed a copy and forwarded it to Commodre Guzman, Admiral LeGrand, and SSF Command. He hoped to hear from them soon.
[End Log]
Captain Tedros Chisulo
Tactical Advisor
SSF First Taskforce
