Four Years War (FASA)

The Four Years War, as it later came to be known, was a mid-23rd century conflict between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire. The war began with the Battle of Axanar on Stardate 2251.241 (29 August 2251), and lasted until the Treaty of Axanar was signed on Stardate 2255.164 (13 June 2255), for a span of nearly 46 months.

Background

Following the Romulan War and the founding of the Federation, the new nation's early years were characterized by consistent territorial expansion, as well as technological and cultural growth as warp-driven ships traveling among the Federation's member worlds. Peace again became paramount within the Federation. Resultingly, on Stardate 2193.12 (December 2193), the Federation Council rejected appropriations for a new generation of starships, believing that the existing designs would continue to suit them well into the future. Coupled with the monumental failure of a later ship design, resulted in an obsolete, 46-year-old destroyer class serving as the Federation's first line of defense during an incident with the Klingons in 2208.

Federation relations with the Klingons were strained from the start, owing in no small measure to their many rough early contacts with the United Earth Starfleet in the mid-22nd century. On Stardate 2208.122 (02 May 2208), the U.S.S. Sentry made contact with a personal, warp-capable shuttle near Gamma Demetrius. When the pilot of the shuttle was granted temporary political asylum, the Klingon warship Devisor exchanged fire with the Sentry before departing, vowing to return and wreak havoc on the Federation. On Stardate 2217.063 (04 March 2217), a Klingon vessel, which was modified to transmit a Federation scout identification signal, seized the U.S.S. Flying Fortress, a slow but heavily-armed prototype transport. The tactic allowed for a sneak attack that destroyed the Flying Fortress bridge, killing all command personnel and rendering weapons systems inoperative. A Federation anti-piracy task force soon forced the Klingons to release their tractor beam, however, and the Flying Fortress—and its experimental new deflector systems—was returned to Federation control. Notably, there was a period of remarkable inactivity along the border between the two powers from 2239 to 2244; this was believed by Starfleet strategists to be a result of another war being fought by the Klingons on their borders furthest from Federation space.

In Massed Fleets, Admiral Samuel Shepherd, the commanding admiral of Starfleet prior to the Four Years War, wrote that, following the Romulan War, "high officials in the Federation felt certain that another war would not occur quickly. Once installations were complete along the Romulan border, the future role of [Starfleet] seemed limited to navigational and simple law enforcement duties. As a result, appropriations ... were cut sharply. Funds for research and development permitted only modest technological improvements. Funds for new construction allowed only for the replacement of vessels no longer safe for use." This policy continued until Stardate 2205.051 (20 February 2205), when the expensive and ill-fated Tritium class entered service. The first starship designed with three warp nacelles, the design sought to disprove Zefram Cochrane's original warp theories, which held that no more than two warp nacelles could be used on a single ship, as imbalances in the warp fields generated would nullify the drive's effect. The engineers responsible—and several flag-rank officers in Starfleet Engineering Command—disagreed with Cochrane, and believed that the third nacelle would dramatically increase maximum operating performance. A total of six Tritium class ships were constructed before the project was terminated. It would be several decades before a three-nacelled starship design could be made to work successfully.

In Stardate 2214.08 (August 2214), the Terra-Return League was formed on Benecia Colony. The group's goal, as described in their Proclamation, was to end the Federation's policy of expansion and have all Humans return to the Sol System. Believing that mankind had gone deep into space and still had not solved many of humanity's basic problems, the group felt that resources were being exploited and abused on an interstellar level, and that there was room enough in the Sol System, now that several planets and moons had been terraformed. Further, the group called for the disbanding of the Federation, and a strictly isolationist view for humanity. By the time of the Babel Conference of Stardate 2234.01 (January 2234), the Terra-Return League represented a respectable and vocal minority, and officially raised the question of dissolving the Federation. When the question failed to pass, the League was disbanded.

Adding to the dissatisfaction with the Federation Council was the Scandal of Archimedes. In Stardate 2227.09 (September 2227), Th'allt, an Andorian colony world very close to several Tellarite trading worlds, claimed harassment by particularly exploitative Tellarite traders. The situation, code-named "Archimedes" by Starfleet, was ignored at first and later badly mismanaged by the Bureau of Interstellar Commerce. The situation became critical in Stardate 2229.01 (January 2229), when a substantial task force of Starfleet vessels under the command of Andorian Admiral Hathari conducted "fleet maneuvers" near Th'allt, encircling the system with a protective blockade, firing on Tellarite-registered trading ships. The crisis illustrated the shortcomings of the Federation's complex and occasionally ineffective bureaucracy.

By all accounts, the Four Years War began when several members of the High Council were pressured by more militant factions to initiate open hostilities against the Federation. This pressure, combined with the need for territorial expansion and conquest of additional resources, led to open warfare. Although an expansionist Federation was seen as a looming threat to the Empire, war was frequently postponed by a policy of aggressive expansion in areas of the Empire not near the Federation. As those campaigns dwindled, however, more militant Houses began to express their displeasure at the Chancellor's apparent cowardice. The chancellor planned a bold offensive against the Federation, in the hope of mollifying those Houses and remaining in power. The goal was to seize and annex a large region of space controlled by the Federation, and then to turn the Empire's energies toward the Romulan Star Empire. The plan assumed that the Federation would surrender control over the disputed area, rather than enter a prolonged conflict, and that the war would be over in a matter of months with minimal casualties.

Preliminary Skirmishes

Archanis IV

Starfleet maintained a medium-sized research outpost on Archanis IV, an otherwise uninhabited Class K planet. The outpost had no extensive offensive or defensive weapons systems, aside from various personal sidearms, and patrols in the area were generally limited to an occasional Hale or Bode class scout. On Stardate 2249.355 (21 December 2249), the U.S.S. Bohr, while on standard patrol near the Archanis system, reported observing a Klingon task force consisting of three of the fairly new D-7 class ships in the area of unclaimed space between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Not expecting deliberate hostilities, the Bohr intercepted and tracked the Klingon group. This was a lure, as a second group of 20 ships moved into the Archanis system and attacked the research station. After knocking out the station's deflector shield with their shipboard disruptors, two companies of Klingon marines transported down, killing all 112 personnel with hand weapons.

Buildup on the Border

From Stardate 2250.025 (25 January 2250) through 2250.055 (24 February 2250), Klingon forces began to build in the unclaimed territories between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. On Stardate 2250.025, the U.S.S. Rutherford detected a Klingon battle fleet of more than 100 ships in the neutral area. Moving just spinward of the Rigel system, the Klingon fleet was apparently heading into Federation space. The fleet, code-named "R" by Starfleet, was commanded by Admiral epetai Kazu, an officer with a reputation for making quick, violent decisions. On Stardate 2250.055, the U.S.S. Irwin detected a nearly identical force; code-named "U" and commanded by Admiral zantai Kone, this fleet was moving spinward of Starbase 22 with the same heading into Federation space. Starfleet Intelligence was aware of a massive shipbuilding program within the Empire, and had attributed it to a war on the Empire's borders away from the Federation; given that conflict, they did not expect these new forces to be used against the Federation, but instead to be deployed elsewhere.

In preparation for a Klingon assault, however, all Starfleet vessels capable of combat were transferred from Starbases 21, 14, and 15 toward the border sectors. Then, in Stardate 2250.05 (May 2250), both fleets changed course and reduced speed, stopping short of the Federation border. This left the Federation Council confused and unwilling to commit to hostilities with the Klingons, despite the attack on Archanis. Nothing further happened for several months, and the Klingon fleets eventually split up into a number of smaller squadrons, while the enormous new shipbuilding facilities at Starbase 15—as well as other shipyards throughout the Federation—began to go into immediate, full-scale production. Meanwhile, distracted by the overt moves of these Klingon forces, a smaller, 9-ship task force left the Klingon base at Ruwan, moved past Starbase 14, and through the heart of Federation space to occupy Axanar.

The Battle of Axanar

On Stardate 2251.149 (29 May 2251), a single D-4E class cruiser traveling at warp 5 was spotted eight parsecs from Axanar by the U.S.S. Xenophon, a Marklin class destroyer under the command of Captain Kelvar Garth (aka "Garth of Izar"). Garth observed the Klingon vessel for several days, precisely plotting the ship's course: the Klingon ship's only possible destination was Axanar.

The Sawyer class U.S.S. Gulliver had received orders in Stardate 2251.03 (March 2251) to make a routine visit to Axanar as a follow-up to an earlier visit conducted by the U.S.S. Yardley. The Gulliver wasn't heard from again after that, and although the ship had not yet been officially listed as missing, Captain Garth concluded that something had gone wrong, and that this Klingon vessel was somehow involved. Garth engaged the D-4, ordering its commander to surrender. When the D-4 attempted to raise shields and bring its weapons on line, Garth used superior tactics to disable the Klingon ship's warp drive.

On Stardate 2251.156 (05 June 2251), the U.S.S. Bonhomme Richard recovered the Gulliver's recorder buoy, and learned of the task force that had occupied the system and destroyed the Gulliver when it came out of warp there on Stardate 2251.091 (01 April 2251). The Bonhomme Richard immediately set course for Axanar, transmitting both its log and the Gulliver's to Starfleet Command, which in turn informed the Federation Council. By this time, Garth and the Xenophon were already on their way to Axanar.

The Klingon task force at Axanar was immediately contacted. The Klingon commander was given a choice between withdrawing his entire force to the Klingon border under a Starfleet escort and outright surrender. Perhaps generously, he was given four months in which to contact the High Council and receive their instructions. Arriving at Axanar on Stardate 2251.160 (09 July 2251), several hours before the Bonhomme Richard, Captain Garth was given overall command of a squadron whose orders were to maintain complete surveillance of the Axanar system and contain the Klingon warships. On Stardate 2251.241 (29 August 2251), Garth's scouts detected a second Klingon task force, consisting of two squadrons of D-4E cruisers and numerous cargo freighters and assault ships, moving toward Axanar.

Garth split his squadron into three groups. One remained at Axanar, while the other two left the system at high warp. The new Klingon task force moved in, pinning the first group and crippling several of the scouts. Meanwhile, the second group conducted a massive communications counterintelligence operation, simulating the subspace radio traffic of several large Federation fleets moving to encircle the Klingons, who broke off their initial attacks and reformed for a second attack. The third group then moved into covert attack positions, and directed their fire into the unshielded aft sections of more than half the Klingon force.

Three Starfleet scouts were destroyed, and four destroyers (including the Xenophon) and the cruiser Bonhomme Richard were badly damaged. Six D-4E cruisers were destroyed and nearly all the other Klingon warships were damaged before the Klingon task force commander surrendered to Captain Garth, who was also wounded when his ship was hit. The Klingon reinforcements never reached Axanar and no supply line was established.

War Begins

On Stardate 2251.272 (29 September 2251), Klingon Admiral Kkorhetza finally replied to the Federation's demands, unaware of the destruction of his reinforcing task force. He declared, "An alliance now exists between the powerful Klingon Empire and its honorable servitor, the natives of the world of Axanar. By the insulting condition in the terms of your own weakness-infested Council's 'ultimatum,' a state of war is now in effect between the Klingon Empire and the United Federation of Planets." Following the declaration of war, and having received additional reinforcements of his own, Garth's task force moved into the Axanar system on Stardate 2251.273 (30 September 2251). Garth soundly defeated the seven-warship invasion fleet in what came to be known as the Second Battle of Axanar.

From Stardate 2251.10 (October 2251) through 2252.04 (April 2252), several Klingon squadrons passed into Federation space, attacking any ships they encountered. During this time, the Battles of Andromeda, Genmarx, Lea, and Lyclydun were fought, and Janni IV was subjugated by regiments of Klingon soldiers in the first ground action of the war. Commodore Sven van Anling recalled in a Contemporary Federation Military History lecture given to Starfleet Academy graduate students shortly after the war that "our forces did slow the Klingons' progress, but losses were high."

On Stardate 2252.01 (January 2252), Captain Robert April, commander of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 and one of Starfleet's most respected captains, retired. Unhappy with Starfleet's handling of the Archanis Incident and unsatisfied with the strategic withdrawal of Federation forces in the face of the Klingon onslaught, he felt a more aggressive approach could, and should, have been taken to repel the Klingons.

On Stardate 2252.041 (10 February 2252), a zone-intrusion detection satellite along the Romulan Neutral Zone tracked a Graceful Flyer class scout ship. Senior Starfleet officers believed it to be a prelude to military intervention by the Romulan Empire, and Starfleet hoped that their old animosity toward the Klingons would be sufficient to get them on the Federation's side. Until the Romulans' intentions could be determined, however, forces were diverted to the Romulan border as a precaution, seriously hindering the war effort against the Klingons.

III. War Begins
F. Laxala Incident: 2252.04 (Apr)
G. Battle of GR-1 & Assault of Nozseca: 2252.05 (May)
H. Attack of Convoy Y-16Z: 2252.07 (Jul)
I. Constitution class reassigned: 2253.03 (Mar)

IV. Taking the Offensive
A. Defense of Rudgur III: 2253.03 (Mar)
B. Battle of Kesse: 2253.10 (Oct)
C. Attack on Zal Vhros occurs, highlighting Klingon frustration in fighting UFP: 2254.02 (Feb)
D. Battle of Thranstor: 2254.04 (Apr)
E. Engagement for Argelian Approaches: 2254.05 (May)

V. War's End
A. Capture of Admiral Komex: 2254.340 (06 Dec)
B. Operation Argus Redoubt: 2255.079 (20 Mar)

VI. Axanar Peace Mission & Aftermath
A. Convened Stardate 2255.132 (12 May)
B. Treaty signed Stardate 2255.164 (13 Jun)
C. Borders redefined
D. Starfleet drawdown: many classes decommissioned/destroyed
E. Starbases 12 & 27 completed

Sidebar: ship classes in service during war