ALPHA ISLES — Combat roiled around and within Deep Space 33, as the crews of the USS Khitomer and USS Ronin faced increasingly tall odds against a well-organized foe.
Casualties continue to rise among personnel from both the Khitomer and Ronin, with Starfleet officers and civilians counted among the still-unnumbered dead. Teams from each ship, left behind to serve as a garrison, were originally positioned to mitigate a worst-case scenario. However, they quickly became the Federation’s last line of defense against an overwhelming Lattice Alliance force.
The day began with troubling reports of Lattice Alliance movements detected in signals from the J-0922A system. Suspecting a massing invasion force, Captains Randal Shayne of the Khitomer and Karrod Niac of the Ronin opted for a preemptive strike. Their objective: cripple the enemy before it could launch a full-scale assault. Commodore Kalianna Nicholotti, commanding the USS Excalibur at the Tholian border and responsible for the new intelligence, ordered her ship to rendezvous with the pair at maximum speed. After extensive discussions with command staff aboard the three ships and the station, a decision was made to concentrate the bulk of their resources on the attack, leaving a smaller force behind. This group, under the leadership of Commanders Agatha Stergis and Toryn Raga, and Lt Commander Nolen Hobart, would hold the station.
“If the joint strike fails, a delaying action here could make a lot of sense,” Khitomer’s Executive Officer, Lt. Commander Hobart, stated. “Buy some time to evacuate and scuttle the station.” At that time, there was little indication of how gravely mistaken their plan would prove to be.
The initial attack proceeded smoothly. The Khitomer and Ronin made quick work of the token force at the J-0922A system. However, it soon became clear that they had been deceived. At the moment the two Starfleet ships engaged, a well-prepared Lattice Alliance force launched a surprise assault on the station. With only minor damage, the Khitomer turned back at high warp, followed closely by the Ronin, which had deployed a team to investigate Lattice infrastructure. Despite their speed, they would not reach the station for several hours—too long for the garrison to hold without significant losses.
On the station, Hobart’s team began evacuating personnel and residents with the help of Ferengi therapist Dr. Gott. While rumors circulated that Gott had been drugged, they could not be immediately confirmed. Gott, accused of extortion, nonetheless volunteered his personal yacht to assist with evacuation efforts. Meanwhile, Commander Raga’s team fortified positions around the unshielded docking ports, which were the most vulnerable to a boarding assault. Despite fierce resistance, they were soon forced to retreat deeper into the station.
By the time the Khitomer and Ronin returned, Deep Space 33 had not yet fallen, but was in dire straits. Lattice forces had infiltrated the station, with defensive lines repeatedly breached and reformed. Lieutenant Zenno, the Khitomer’s security chief, led a series of guerilla actions, strategically targeting enemy flanks. Yet the arrival of a massive Lattice Alliance warship—equipped with a superweapon capable of destroying the station—signaled a grim escalation. In a desperate, coordinated attack, the Khitomer and Ronin managed to destroy the ship, but both vessels, along with the station, were left severely damaged.
Recent reports indicate that the Lattice Alliance forces are regrouping, and despite the valiant efforts of Starfleet, defeat now seems inevitable.
Written by: Nolen Hobart
