"What Will Come Next?"

[FredM 0]

ORIGIN: Task Foce BSA QP0 Flagship Tjan

DATE: 11293 48 Eunj

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The GS94832 Battle Carrier was one of the oldest active ship designs within the Andorian fleet. It was a design almost seventy-five years in age, though during that time only a total of eight of the massive vessels had been constructed with the last several decades ago. Given it’s pure weight, it took almost seven years to complete construction on one of the behemoths. Twenty-five years ago, it had been decided to instead use the same time and resources to build smaller vessels. For it was true that given the same time and resources, the Andorian shipyards could construct almost twenty other ships instead of a single carrier.

 

But for the four carriers that still remained in service, they’re power and strength were something even the Vulcan High Command attempted to avoid. Towering over fifty decks and holding a crew of over two thousand, the Tjan was the seventh of her class. The vessel contained the most lethal combination of armaments ever conceived, holding the ability to annihilate all life on a planet within five days. Yet, even given the ship’s numerous upgrades and refits, the fifty year old Tjan was showing her age.

 

The once mighty vessel now found herself slow in a day and age of newer sublight propulsion systems. Full impulse aboard the carrier was now comparable to half sublight on newer vessels, a ratio which held true for eighty percent of the Andorian fleet and the entire Vulcan fleet. In addition, after completion of a warp jump, the mighty Tjan and her sister ships had to wait a full two days before attempting to enter warp again. It took at least that long for the ship’s energy reserves to once again recharge, allowing enough power to maintain reactor containment and feed the warp coils.

 

From a human perspective, the ship looked more like a Twentieth Century battleship than anything else. While not holding long barreled weapons, the GS94832 Battle Carrier did feature five turrets of four launchers throughout her ventral hull. These allowed the ship to remain on a set course with its limited maneuverability yet maintain a full three hundred and sixty degree firing capability. Numerous disruptor batteries lined the hull, as did a unique torpedo lock jamming mechanism, one that seven years later Terran engineers would attempt to integrate into their own ships after learning of the system’s effectiveness against Romulan weapons.

 

The dorsal hull of the ship featured four launchers which over a mere one hundred and eighty degrees of fire. Finally, the massive vessel also had over six deployments bays whereby the members of the elite Andorian First Guard could be sent on their way. These bays were in addition to the numerous cargo and transport craft ports that completed the overall exterior look of the ship.

 

For the last twenty years, the four remaining carriers served as command and control centers for the fleet’s three Battle Attack Groups. These task forces normally consisted of one carrier, but four heavy cruisers, two torpedo cruisers, ten destroyer class vessels, two scout ships and several other support ships. The last of her class built, the a'Lorao, served as the Supreme Flagship for the entire fleet. Her whereabouts at any given moment was a classified secret know only to the Prime Minister himself.

 

In seventy-five years, only two of the ships had ever been destroyed.

 

As Fleet Admiral Werin stood in the central planning and control room of the Tjan, he glanced up at the others assembled in the room. “It is not tactically sound. We are in the prime position to eliminate the threat now!,” barked one individual standing in the corner. Most of the room groaned or grunted in agreement, causing Werin to smile. “I am well aware of that, Captain. Yet, we have our orders and we shall abide by them…unless of course you’d like to do differently?,” he replied in a casual tone. The person in the corner coughed, the question catching him completely be surprise.

 

“I know you are only being humorous...which is fine. However, our immediate goal remains the same. The Terran military buildup cannot be allowed to continue. From a species which was barely building anything to one which will have six long range vessels operational within a five year timeframe is concerning. The Vulcan High Command is certain to be feeding these pink skins false or corrupt information, using the situation to better suit their purposes. Such an event cannot be allowed to continue…,” said the Andorian calmly stated.

 

Werin had been in the military since being hold enough to join. As historians would later determine, at this point he was as old as the ship he commanded. It had been an assignment given to him directly by Fleet Admiral Morval upon his promotion to Chief of Military Operations six years ago. Friends for almost their entire lives, the two trusted each other without question and could often be found finishing one another’s sentences if standing in the same room or on the same communications channel.

 

For this reason, Morval had placed Werin in command of the largest Battle Attack Group within the fleet. The Fleet Captain had fallen out of favor with many due to his tendency to speak his mind at the most improper times. Yet, Morval had always seen this as a strength and always valued his friend’s insight. “Sometimes the truth hurts…,” he had once said to his friend.

 

Werin glanced around the room again, his antenna straight up, “I shall make this clear one final time. Anyone who fires on a Vulcan ship without my expressed authorization will be so harmed there will not be anything left for your relatives to mourn.” Shortly after this inspirational speech, the Captains and Commanders assembled within the room dispersed for their numerous transport craft. Only one man remained, standing with his back to Werin, reviewing a large diagram on the wall.

 

“You know as well as I do they are coming…,” the man said. At this, the commander of the Tjan and the entire Battle Attack Group sighed, “Yes, Fleet Captain Tervain, I am well aware…” Tervain, commander of Detailed Scout Battery Group JM4/7, was a well-respected Andorian within the entire fleet. He had been running DSB JM4/7 for over ten years, refusing at least two promotions to remain where he was. The eight ships under his command were tasked with interception and scouting an enemy’s defenses. While they did not have the brunt force of a BAG, the heavy cruiser that served as the task force’s flagship mixed with the five modified destroyers and two support ships that served to boost sensor radius were quite capable of defending themselves.

 

It was true…the Vulcan’s would be coming. They’re arrogant and lack of real intellect would prevent them from reaching any other conclusion than to blame the Andorian people for the destruction of their ship. Werin nor Tervain wanted another full scale conflict with the Vulcans, experienced had taught them better than that. The last one had cost two much.

 

It was no longer a question of if…but when. The two Fleet Captains stood silent as both contemplated the question no one had an answer to. What was next?