| Battle of Baraka | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Part of Federation-Klingon War (2400s) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date: | 8 December 2406 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location: | Baraka, Hromi 6 system, Beta Quadrant | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Result: | Decisive Federation victory | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| CONFLICT CHRONOLOGY | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The Battle of Baraka took place on and over the planet Baraka on 8 December 2406. Federation Starfleet, Bajoran Militia, and local militia forces decisively defeated the Klingon Empire's attempt to conquer the colony. (The War of the Masters: "For We Should Grow Too Fond of It, Part I")
Prelude
While commanding USS Wilson as lead ship of a squadron of starships in Operation Backblast, Captain Sandra Pickens encountered a running battle between several Klingon Defense Force ships on 6 November: the 19th Heavy Reconnaissance Squadron was in pursuit of the D7-class battlecruiser IKS Koord. Pickens intervened, faking her own ship's destruction by enemy fire, then recovered the flight data recorders from the destroyed Koord and dispatched them back to Deep Space K-7 with a Class IX probe.
Koord's logs showed that the deceased captain (whom, unbeknownst to Pickens, had been replaced by an Undine) had been headed for K-7 to defect, and contained intelligence on a plan by General K'Hugh, son of K'lek to capture Baraka as the next step in the Klingon Third Fleet's advance.
Rear Admiral Stephen Alcott immediately began preparations to set a trap for the Klingons at Baraka, dubbing the plan "Operation Sand Spider". He was inadvertently aided in this by the Moab Secession on 15 November: their subsequent recognition by the Klingon Empire resulted in an effective declaration of martial law in the region by the Federation Council. Alcott used this authority to suspend the defensive limitations clause of the Colonial Act of 2371 and order Starfleet forces to begin raising local defensive militias on all Federation planets within his area of operations.
On 26 November, the Republic of Bajor declared war on the Klingon Empire, officially in response to Klingon occupation forces massacring anti-Klingon demonstrators on New London. On the same day, the 3rd Brigade, 71st Starfleet Ground Forces Division and Bajoran Militia 2nd Kendra Guards Regiment arrived at Baraka, securing Calipha Rashida El-Hashem's permission to begin building up the planet's defenses and training the 1st Baraka Defense Reserve.
On 5 December, a fleet led by General Krall, son of K'Bron was detected headed for Baraka by a makeshift early warning net that had been laid during Operation Backblast, composed of modified Class V probes. To obscure the trap, Alcott dispatched fifteen ships as diversions for any potential Klingon spies, and granted fourteen hours' leave to the crews slated for the operation. Most of the senior officers opted to hold a beach party on Sherman's Planet's Menendez Beach, though Alcott ended up skiing with Melissa Travis on the holodeck.
Battle
Krall's fleet arrived at Baraka on 8 December and challenged the planet, claiming to have arrived to liberate its inhabitants from oppression. The Barakans sent back a text-only message: "لله أكبر" (the Arabic phrase "Allahu akbar", meaning "God is great"), signifying their refusal to surrender.
Bajoran Militia surface-based phaser arrays opened fire on the fleet, destroying the lead bird-of-prey and striking Krall's flagship IKS qa'rol four times, inflicting casualties. Enthused at the prospect of a challenging fight for the planet, Krall ordered the fleet to advance and bombard the surface. The ship's science officer, Lieutenant Colonel B'Gorak, used the gravity well generators to destroy some of the surface defenses and open a landing zone, before being killed by his console exploding.
With troop transports coming in to land, Brigadier General Lem Bardis ordered the ground forces to prepare to defend the artillery batteries.
General Krall ordered the qa'rol to enter the atmosphere, continuing to bombard the planet. Return fire struck the ship's nacelle, seriously damaging the ship. In response, Captain Kaduk challenged his superior for command. Amid the resulting command confusion, two Starfleet formations arrived from K-7, led by Rear Admiral Joseph Mwangi and Lieutenant Commander Kanril Eleya and attacked the rear of the Klingon fleet.
General Lem concentrated his fire on the stricken carrier, destroying it. The shockwave broke half the windows in Tripoli and smashed low-flying Klingon fighters into the ground, and the battle swiftly turned into a rout. The 133rd Klingon Infantry attempted a frontal assault on the entrenchments and was all but obliterated. Command of the remains of Fist Company devolved to Sergeant M'Kevn, son of Kobol, who attempted to lead his surviving men to the spaceport to steal a ship to escape. They came under attack by a force of locals and MACO advisers; a shuttle that attempted to rescue them was shot down by a T-204 Hayes main battle tank. M'Kevn surrendered to Chief Special Warfare Operator Laurie Diehl, before collapsing from his wounds.
Aftermath
The Klingon survivors of the space battle retreated back to Ganalda Space Station, with a small force of light vessels led by Captain Kanril harrying them home and capturing a battlecruiser that fell out due to damage. Admiral Mwangi remained at Baraka to assist in cleanup and medical help to battle casualties.
Admiral Alcott intended to turn the defensive victory at Baraka into a counteroffensive against Third Fleet.