The Battle of Union was a conflict fought on 21 January 2384 between forces of the United Federation of Planets under Vice Admiral Walter Picardo Tenson, non-official Klingon forces under General Long'ta, Pirate forces under Archcaptain Sam Trystin, and a single Borg Cube. The engagement was fought primarily in the space surrounding Union Gateway and F'hoca Gateway. Starfleet and Klingon forces fought to a draw before uniting to win a victory over the Borg and the pirates. As a result of the battle, F'hoca Gateway and Starbase 900 were destroyed, cutting off Task Force 38 from what would soon be known as the Old Theatre for the forseeable future. However, Union Gateway was redirected to Solaria Gateway, opening The Round Table to exploration. It was the final engagement of the Omega Crisis of 2383.

Cause and Prelude

The Battle of Union was the culmination of the Omega Crisis of 2383. After the discovery of a large field of Omega Molecules that had formed near F'hoca Gateway, Task Force 38 quickly moved to contain the particles, discover the cause, and prevent any information from leaking out. To this end, Starfleet Command ordered Union Gateway, which was then linked to F'hoca Gateway, be shut down for the duration of the crisis. A cover story was given that involved plasma storms.

Unfortunately, the Omega Field had been discovered at high cost: a Klingon Task Group, had been assigned in good faith to join the Federation's exploratory mission in the Delta Quadrant (in the region now known as the Old Theatre. The entire Task Group was destroyed when the first set of Omegas detonated in a sector-shaking explosion. The Klingons had never seen Omega before, and were helpless to prevent the explosion. There were no survivors. Starfleet, however, in order to contain the information, reported them as "missing," then closed the Gateways, ignoring Klingon requests to allow the Klingon Empire to assist in the search due to the need to prevent the Klingons from learning about Omega.

As a result, the Klingons evidently decided to take Union Gateway by force. Allying themselves with pirates, an entire Klingon Task Force--the government would later disavow all of them as "rogue elements"--began a campaign of terror against Federation interests in the Raeyan Sector, destroying colonies at New Victoria and Nu Lambda IV and stealing the command codes to New Victoria's planetary defense network. This same network had been diverted by Admiral Tenson less than a week earlier to strengthen defenses at Union. Unfortunately, the theft would not be realized until after the battle.

Finally, General Long'ta considered the ground sufficiently softened, and began his strike into Federation space.

Forces

United Federation of Planets

• U.S.S. Excelsior (flagship)
• U.S.S. Zodiac
• U.S.S. Electra
• U.S.S. Ticonderoga
• U.S.S. Intelligence
• U.S.S. Melbourne (destroyed)
• U.S.S. Liberator (destroyed)
• Starbase 911 (recaptured by Federation mid-battle)
• Starbase 900 (destroyed)
• I.K.S. Renlaar (destroyed)
• U.S.S. Raging Queen
• U.S.S. Euphrates (destroyed)
• U.S.S. Columbus (heavy damage & decompression)
• U.S.S. T'Raya
• U.S.S. Carolina (hundreds dead; heavy damage & decompression)
• U.S.S. von Richthofen (destroyed)
• U.S.S. Bernard C. Webber
• U.S.S. Erickson
• U.S.S. LaCroix (destroyed)
• At least ten additional combat and support vessels (various statuses)

Klingon Empire

• I.K.S. Chiang (flagship under Long'ta; survived)
• Starbase 911 (recaptured by Federation mid-battle)
• At least twenty additional combat and support vessels (various statuses)

Pirate Forces

• I.S.S. Ion Storm (flagship under Trystin; impounded)
• Many other combat and support vessels (various statuses)

Timeline

Battle of Union

Prior to the battle: After diverting Federation forces to rescue the U.S.S. Tornado at New Victoria, Klingons and pirates capture Starbase 911 using command code overrides for the planetary defense net, stolen from New Victoria several weeks earlier.

Infiltration: I.K.S. Renlaar, a Klingon bird-of-prey stolen by the crew of the U.S.S. Excelsior and now under command of Captain Alcar Dovan, infiltrates Klingon lines and deposits an assualt team onboard Starbase 911.

False Start: Due to Klingon electronic countermeasures field, communications between Task Force 38 task groups breaks down. Task Group Anduril accidentally advances on Klingon lines before Task Group Kusanagi is in position.

Opening Volleys: Vice Admiral Tenson, in temporary command of the Excelsior, orders all vessels to engage. Both Klingon and Federation forces take heavy casualties, and, when the Klingons see the necessity of pulling back to a tighter circle around Starbase 911, they detonate an entire defensive minefield, doing serious damage to Federation forces. Both sides are forced into an uneasy stalemate for several minutes.

Union Breakout: Ground forces on Union III attempt to break the Klingon blockade that is preventing their ships from joining the fight. They nearly succeed, and, in retaliation, the Klingons destroy Union III's weather control system. This wreaks havoc over the entire planet, whose climate is, without artificial control, highly unstable. The breakout collapses as Union III's populace is placed at extreme risk.

Pirates Attack: Arch Sam Trystin's forces, which had been keeping out of sensor range, join the fight, making use of New Victoria civilians as human shields. The battle momentarily swings towards the Klingon-Pirate allies.

Starbase Retaken: Lieutenant Commander Asuka Yubari, Petty Officer Nathan Summers, and their special operations team retake Starbase 911, turning its sizable weapons against the Klingons. The Klingons are forced to withdraw to a much wider perimeter, rendering them vulnerable.

Hurricane Season: Ensign Kestra J'naya and her team from the Excelsior beam to Union III to help prevent the chaotic weather from causing mass global carnage. At great risk to life and limb, they succeeed as the battle continues above them.

Rescue Ops: Teams from the U.S.S. Electra, a search-and-rescue support vessel, scramble to save the hulls and crews of the starships Columbus and Carolina. Their efforts are largely successful.

Shadow Destroyed: A distress call from the U.S.S. Shadow, guarding the Omega Field in the Delta Quadrant, warns of an approaching Borg Cube. The Shadow is destroyed minutes later.

Pirates Attacked: The U.S.S. Electra, in a brilliantly tactical showdown with Arch Trystin, disables the Ion Storm. Beaming aboard multiple assault teams, Captain Thornton's crew apprehends Trystin, breaking the back of the pirate assault.

Borg Attack: The Renlaar and a smattering of other Klingon and Federation vessels jump through Union Gateway to arrive at Starbase 900 just as the Cube arrives. It is the most powerful Borg vessel seen since the Battle of Wolf 359. The Liberator and the LaCroix, attached to Starbase 900, are destroyed in seconds.

The Last Full Measure: Faced with the Borg--and, finally, an explanation for what happened to their Task Group--the Klingons agree to join forces with the Federation in holding off the Borg long enough to evacuate Starbase 900. Meanwhile, Commander Yubari plants a trilithium bomb in F'hoca Gateway's power core, with the idea that destroying the Gateway will both destroy the nearby Omega Field and prevent the Borg from using the Gate to invade the Alpha Quadrant.

Mopping Up: As the battle with the Borg rages, Starbase 911 and remaining forces at Union destroy, capture, or drive off the routed pirate forces.

The Big Push: Starbase 900 is evacuated just in time. The Borg destroy it a minute later. The Melbourne is lost in the explosion. The Chiang and the Erickson are the last vessels out of the Delta Quadrant before the Gate is destroyed. As expected, the explosion destroys both the Gate and the Omegas.

Loss of the Delta Quadrant: With the destruction of F'hoca Gateway, Union Gateway goes silent. It appears that Starfleet exploration in the Delta Quadrant is over for good.

Ready To Talk: General Long'ta contacts Admiral Tenson to discuss terms of withdrawal. Whether these acts of mass murder and war against the Federation will stand unanswered--even forgiven--remains to be seen.

The Round Table: Union Gateway reactivates, linking itself to the hitherto unknown Solaria Gateway. The Excelsior is sent through, and discovers the region of the galaxy soon to be known as The Round Table.

Credits

Original information created by the players of the U.S.S. Excelsior-C simm. Permission for its use on the SB900 websites given by Alcar Dovan.