McAuliffe Ambush - 2634

The McAuliffe Ambush was a 2634 battle between the Terran Confederation and the Empire of Kilrah, the first large-scale engagement of the Terran-Kilrathi War. On 2634.228, Ches M. Penney partially decoded the current Kilrathi cipher. An intercepted message indicated that a fleet is preparing to attack McAuliffe and Alexandria. Terran Confederation High Command dispatched an ambush fleet twice as large as the reported invasion force. On 2634.235, the Kilrathi fleet arrived at McAuliffe. It was four times the expected size, an intelligence failure resulting from an incomplete translation. The battle raged for several days, ending with a sizable number of Kilrathi survivors retreating to regroup and repair. The Terran Confederation fleet was nearly destroyed, but has demonstrated an unexpected ferocity to the invading enemy.