IRW Gauntlet

The IRW Gauntlet (Rihan: ch'R Maens) was a Romulan D'dhael Aish'anh-class dreadnought-type warbird active in the late 23rd century. (TOS novel: The Empty Chair, Dwellers in the Crucible)

History

Along with eight other Romulan Star Navy vessels, including her sister ship ch'R Esemar, the Gauntlet was deployed to quell a rebellion in the Artaleirh system in 2276. They were greeted by Free Rihannsu rebels, along with the USS Enterprise and the renegade Romulan vessel IRW Bloodwing, in a conflict that became known as the Battle of Artaleirh. Gauntlet and Esemar emerged from warp cloaked at the head of the fleet and stood by as the others attempted and failed to destroy cities on Artaleirh with orbital strikes, blocked by city-sized deflector shields employing hexicyclic waves. With Plan A having failed, the Imperial fleet attacked the defenders. Gauntlet pursued Bloodwing into the system's asteroid belt and lost a warp nacelle to an asteroid thrown by the smaller vessel's tractor beam, then was set upon by a swarm of civilian ships modified to carry weapons. (TOS novel: The Empty Chair)

In 2281, Centurion Delar of the Gauntlet was chosen by Admiral-Superlative Meru'th to kidnap Federation Warrantors of Peace from Vulcan. (TOS novel: Dwellers in the Crucible)

By the 25th century, Gauntlet had been retired from service and was a museum ship in orbit of Artaleirh, but faced with a severely depleted inventory, the Empire hurriedly retrofitted her with parts from two irreparably damaged Mogai-class warbirds and pressed her into service as a patrol vessel. While patrolling in the Alpha Onias system in 2410, she came under attack by a pair of Dhelan-class warbirds commanded by the Tal Shiar in a false flag operation. This attack intended to frame the Romulan Republic for breaking the truce with the Empire and thereby derail the negotiations on the Treaty of Khitomer; however the attempt failed when Lieutenant Commander Jaleh Khoroushi noticed that one of the purported Republic ships bore the name of a warbird that had been destroyed by the Undine earlier that year. (Bait and Switch: "Saith Daepahr hrrafv Llaiirevha, Part I")

Crew

Commanding officer

• Commander t'Khellian (2410)

Tactical officer

• Subcommander Alhari t'Ihaimehn (2410)