First Battle of Kilrah - 2667

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The First Battle of Kilrah - 2667 was a key part of Operation Back Lash conducted by Confederation forces in 2667 during the final years of the Terran-Kilrathi War.

Background

By the mid-2660s the Terran Confederation and Kilrathi Empire had fought each other to a virtual standstill. However, starting in 2665 the Confederation began to suffer heavy losses, particularly in carriers. 2666 proved to be particularly disastrous for the Confederation with nine carriers destroyed and the TCS Austerlitz under repair until 2668. The Confederation was left with seven fleet carriers to cover the entire front. Operation Back Lash was developed in response to the Confederation's desperate situation in carriers. The Confederation needed time to bring more heavy carriers than under construction online. Military commanders had war gamed a scenario that, while risky, could provide huge rewards. Strike Force Valkyrie was an essential part of that plan. The Kilrathi Home Fleet was to be lured into an ambush at Vukar Tag by four Confederation carriers and their escorts. In order to split the Home Fleet Confederation planners incorporated Strike Force Valkyrie into the overall plan. One of the newly constructed Wake-Class Escort Carriers and escorts were to penetrate into the Kilrah System using a jump line that made the trip considerably shorter and would offer the best chance to cause a dilemma for Crown Prince Thrakhath nar Kiranka by exposing itself at a critical moment. By striking at the home system while the Kilrathi Home Fleet went to redeem the honor of Emperor Joor'rad nar Kiranka's mother, Dowager Empress Graknala nar Kiranka by retaking Vukar Tag, Thrakhath would be put in an untenable position and forced to split his fleet. This was the key to Operation Back Lash.

Planning the Battle

Over the course of the year, Confederation High Command arranged for several deep-space strikes against key Kilrathi bases and planets located deep within Kilrathi space. Among these attacks was easily the most dangerous mission any human being dared to accomplish: an attack on the Kilrathi home world of Kilrah. A mission of this magnitude would require some of the finest ships and soldiers the Confederation had to offer, so Admiral Wayne Banbridge commissioned the famed TCS Tarawa to the mission. The Tarawa had already played a key role in securing the Confederation's victory at Vukar Tag, and now was to be assigned to Strike Force Valkyrie. The Tarawa would be accompanied by two escorts, the TCS Kagimasha and the TCS Intrepid, as well as a full complement of marines. Their mission would be to destroy the Kilrathi construction facilities on Largkza, Kilrah's second moon. This would disrupt the assembly of several of their carriers, whose numbers were overwhelming the Confederation's own carrier fleet. Once this was accomplished, Strike Force Valkyrie would stay in the system until Prince Thrakhath recalled parts of the Kilrathi Home Fleet at Vukar Tag to eliminate the humans at Kilrah. The Confederation could then conquer Vukar Tag while Tarawa and her team fled Kilrah. However, they would be on their own due to the risk of committing a fleet to reinforce their withdrawal.

Strike Force Valkyrie set out towards Kilrah on 2667.175 with Commodore Thaddeus O'Brian in command of the Tarawa and famed pilot Jason Bondarevsky as wing commander. The fleet jumped to Kilrah through a newly-discovered jump point straight to the Kilrathi home world, its crews fully aware that they might not come back alive.

Strike Force Valkyrie

Commanders

First to Kilrah!

Strike Force Valkyrie penetrated the Kilrah System on 2667.175 and immediately launched the attack on Largkza, the second moon of Kilrah. Tarawa launched all ten of its landing craft, which deployed the entire First Marine Battalion on Largkza, where they stormed the construction yards and prepared to destroy the facilities with mines. Many marines, including Major Svetlana Ivanova, were killed during the battle. However, the marines were wreaking havoc on the Kilrathi bases. As planned, part of the Kilrathi Home Fleet returned from Vukar Tag and attacked the Tarawa, but unfortunately the ship was severely damaged by Strakha stealth fighters. During the ambush, one Strakha made a kamikaze attack on the carrier's bridge and killed the entire bridge crew, including Commodore O'Brian. Jason Bondarevsky assumed command of the Tarawa and moved quickly to save the marines, most of whom managed to escape while others died when their landing craft were destroyed in Largkza orbit. Before she died of her wounds Major Ivanova detonated the mines in the facility, destroying six carriers and their construction slips, a cruiser construction facility, and killing thousands of Kilrathi personnel, including some of the best Kilrathi minds who were visiting during the raid. Having completed their mission and facing overwhelming odds, Strike Force Valkyrie prepared to evacuate the Kilrah system.

Piercing the Heart

The Tarawa succeeded in its assault on Largkza, but lost nearly 100 crew members. The vessel was critically damaged with its Helm, Combat Information Center, Communications, Weapons Control and Damage Control all put out of commission, so Bondarevsky commanded the vessel from the flight deck. With shields inactive, several air leaks, long-range scanners damaged, and the Inertial Dampening System that cloaked the vessel down, Tarawa was defenceless. Desperate to save the vessel, Bondarevsky piloted the vessel to Kilrah's first moon, Igrathi. There, repairs were carried out and then the strike force launched an attack on Kilrah itself when Prince Thrakhath attacked. Tarawa launched a shuttle and a P-64 Ferret light fighter loaded with nuclear weapons to attack Kilrah, but the attack failed when both craft were shot down. One of Tarawa's escorts, the TCS Kagimasha, was destroyed when a Sartha collided with the vessel, killing the entire crew. The Tarawa and the Intrepid used their tractor beams to slingshot around Kilrah by aiming their respective beams at the planet, and then fled to the nearby Baragh System.

Ambush at Baragh

The Tarawa and the Intrepid finally escaped the Kilrathi Fleet at Kilrah and made it back to the Baragh System in the Vukar Tag Sector, where the Battle of Vukar Tag remained in progress. Unfortunately, Tarawa found no respite in this system as it was tracked down by three enemy carriers, one of which launched a torpedo strike that slaughtered 35 crew members. With their sensory and surveillance hopelessly damaged, the Tarawa was forced to rely on the Intrepid to keep their intelligence updated. The Intrepid was destroyed in an act of self-sacrifice when it and its crew encountered a Kilrathi cruiser. Both vessels engaged each other in an exchange of missiles, killing everybody on both ships. Ultimately, the famed TCS Concordia, under the command of Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn, jumped into the system to assist the Tarawa, disguised as a Kilrathi carrier. The Concordia and her fighter wing succeeded in defeating the Kilrathi pursuers, and the surviving forces from Strike Force Valkyrie fled to human space.

Casualties

Strike Force Valkyrie

  • TCS Tarawa severely damaged
  • Nearly 200 crew members on Tarawa KIA; 30 of 44 pilots KIA.
  • TCS Intrepid Destroyed
  • TCS Kagimasha Destroyed
  • Unknown number of members of First Marine Battalion KIA.

Kilrathi Forces

  • Six Carrier Construction Slips Destroyed
  • Six Carriers Destroyed
  • Cruiser Assembly Facility Destroyed
  • One Orbital Station Destroyed
  • At least one Cruiser Destroyed
  • At least 90 fighters destroyed
  • Over 4,000 Kilrathi Dead

Aftermath

Strike Force Valkyrie suffered significant losses during the attack on Kilrah. Only the TCS Tarawa survived the raid and was so badly damaged that she narrowly avoided decommissioning only by the insistence of Admiral Tolwyn and Jason Bondarevsky. Tarawa also received the unique distinction of having "First to Kilrah" painted on her hull and Bondarevsky was promoted to Captain for his leadership during the raid.

Despite these losses, the devastation to the Kilrathi Home Fleet was far greater. With the loss of six carriers, several construction facilities and over 4,000 naval personnel and soldiers, the First Battle of Kilrah - 2667 was a clear victory for humanity. The attack deprived the Kilrathi Navy of a large amount of irreplaceable equipment and war ships, and it proved to be an enormous humiliation for the Kilrathi as a whole. Humanity regained hope that they would win the war against their enemy, strengthening their resolve and giving humanity an advantage on the battlefield.

The success of the First Battle of Kilrah - 2667 prompted the Terran Confederation to assemble and commission about another dozen Escort Carriers, all of which would participate in deep-space raids on high-profile Kilrathi targets deep within the Kilrathi Empire. Within a year, these strikes effectively rendered the Kilrathi military undermanned and deprived of equipment. By the end of 2668, The Kilrathi Empire was losing the war, forcing its leadership to enact daring plans to destroy humanity before further losses were suffered. This series of events culminated in the return of exiled Baron Jukaga nar Ki'ra, who would turn defeat into victory with the proposal of the 2668 Armistice on 2668.191.

External Links

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