Ktarn Fleet

Formed initially as a tactical response unit by Fleet Admiral Gustan Flaze, Ktarn Fleet eventually expanded its operations to include the standard breadth of Starfleet operations.

Formation of the Fleet
Ktarn Fleet was formally founded Christmas Day of 2373 (Stardate 50982.077) by Fleet Admiral Gustan Flaze as a response to a Dominion attack on Deep Space 9 that had occurred three days earlier.

Admiral Flaze had earlier recognized the need for a dedicated combat force capable of large scale deployment in late 2372 after the withdrawal of the Klingon Empire from the Khitomer Accords. After a year of intensive organization and training, he presented Federation President Jaresh-Inyo with a comprehensive plan, given the randomly generated codename "KTARN", to defend Federation territory, interests, and ultimately lives with a highly coordinated and dedicated military force. Although the president voiced concerns over the reallocation of Starfleet vessels and personnel from their mission of peaceful exploration, the fleet admiral made the case that tomorrow’s peaceful future could only be secured by today’s active vigilance.

Early Engagements
Ktarn Fleet’s first successful operation took place at the outbreak of the Dominion War when it spearheaded the joint Federation-Klingon assault on Torros III. The attack was considered a major success since all of the shipyards in orbit were destroyed.

Immediately following the battle, Admiral Flaze reassigned Ktarn Fleet to the interior of the Federation, predicting that while the so-called "numbered" fleets were assigned to the front lines, there would be attempts at a deep incursion into Federation territory. Though the forecasted event did not take place for several months, Ktarn Fleet was ready to hold the line at Bolarus IX when the Dominion finally arrived. The Bolian Operation, centered around the Ktarn Fleet’s defense of the Bolian homeworld, was a ray of hope in the darkness that enveloped the Federation during mid-2374. Towards the end of that year, after the Romulans had agreed to join the Federation Alliance, Ktarn Fleet was deployed to the Chin’toka system to screen for the Federation-Klingon-Romulan invasion force. Fleet starships were instrumental in breaking through the orbital defenses and landing the first waves of troops on the planets, suffering relatively few casualties compared with other units in the battle; a fact that Admiral Flaze attributed to the high level of combat training and the streamlined command structure of the fleet.

Ktarn Fleet spent most of 2375 defending the Chin’toka system against Dominion counter attacks. Using lessons and tactics perfected over Bolarus IX, the fleet prevented the enemy from regaining a foothold in the system through aggressive targeting of command ships and troop transports. Intelligence estimates reported that the senior Vorta commanders in the theater had no less than eight clone replacements each in a six month period. On stardate 52668.5, Admiral Flaze pulled Ktarn Fleet off the front line for extended repairs at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards. During this time, Flaze took his flagship, the Intrepid-class USS Risik, to investigate a distress beacon in the direction of the Romulan Neutral Zone. In his absence, command of the fleet was transferred to Captain James Rectorvos, commanding officer of the Galaxy-class USS Galar. Two months into the overhaul efforts, Ktarn Fleet was suddenly scrambled to intercept a large Breen force assaulting Starbase 45.

Battle of Starbase 45
The Breen force consisted of two Rezreth-class siege destroyers, five Sarr Theln-class battleships, twelve Chel Grett-class cruisers, including one specially modified for electronic counter measure warfare, and thirty Plesh Brek-class frigates all under the command of Thot Gor. Ktarn Fleet’s forces included the USS Risik, USS Galar, Steamrunner-class USS Appalachia, Iwo Jima-class USS Saratoga, Nebula-class USS Endeavor, and the Akira-class USS Wildfire, in addition to several supporting vessels.

Several hours before the attack, an initial Breen probing force was destroyed by the USS Risik and the USS Osprey, a Nebula-class starship under the command of Captain Jan-ji Parks that was at the starbase for resupply. Fleet Admiral Flaze was hesitant to call for the fleet as it would interrupt the much needed repairs and balked at the issue for an hour before deciding to mobilize Ktarn Fleet. Thot Gor, who had his fleet masking their energy signatures, decided to engage and destroy Starbase 45 to prevent any warning from reaching his intended target: Earth. After reviewing the reports of the ships destroyed in the screening force, Thot Gor dispatched six Chel Grett cruisers and nineteen Plesh Brek frigates in the initial assault wave, hoping to keep most of his larger vessels in reserve. The Risik and Osprey were joined by the Excelsior-class USS Impala, under the command of Captain Rachel Jackson, which had been on patrol in the area. The three vessels, along with Starbase 45’s formidable defenses, were able to stall the Breen attack force until Ktarn Fleet arrived. Many attempts were made to send a warning to Starfleet Command, but the Breens’ ECM cruiser prevented any messages from being broadcast through the subspace network.

Thot Gor, realizing that the element of surprise was quickly being lost, committed the rest of his force to the battle. Moving at high warp and no longer masking their energy signatures, the incoming Breen fleet was quickly picked up by Starbase 45’s long range sensors. After a brief discussion between Admiral Flaze and starbase commander Rear Admiral Blake Forhetz, the decision was made to evacuate the starbase and retreat towards Earth in the hope of outranging the jamming cruiser and warning Starfleet Command. Ktarn Fleet took on all of Starbase 45’s personnel except for Admiral Forhetz, who remained behind to activate the station’s self destruct. The resulting explosion destroyed one of the two Rezreth-class siege destroyers, four Sarr Theln-class battleships, and one Chel Grett-class cruiser. The remaining Breen vessels pursued the retreating Ktarn Fleet, which was only able to move at warp six due to engine damage sustained by several of the fleet’s starships.

Admiral Flaze, realizing that the Breen would catch his retreating starships before they would be able to warn Starfleet Command, made a last ditch effort to halt the approaching enemy. Using gravity wells scattered in the path of the predicted Breen advance, Admiral Flaze forced the Breen out of warp and Ktarn Fleet managed to destroy several frigates in the resulting confusion. The Breen, however, had kept in reserve a final piece of technology: energy dampening weapons capable of completely draining ships of their power. Thot Gor quickly rallied his forces and disabled the USS Saratoga. Realizing a dangerous unknown element was at play, Admiral Flaze scattered Ktarn Fleet in an attempt to envelop the enemy force. But it was of little use when faced with a weapon against which the starships had no defense, and the Breen continued to disable and destroy starships.

After suffering nearly fifty percent casualties in thirty minutes of fighting, a turning point came when the chief engineer of the USS Galar, Lieutenant Commander Tval, discovered a weakness in the Breen jamming protocols. After a quick modification to the ship's sensors, he enabled Ktarn Fleet to redirect the interference to the Breens’ targeting systems. While the Breen could still operate their weapons manually, it significantly increased the amount of time estimated for a complete victory. Thot Gor decided to disable and ignore the remaining Ktarn Fleet vessels and ordered his ships to press the attack on Earth, while he retreated back to Dominion-controlled space in the last remaining siege destroyer.

Aftermath and Recovery
Though the Breen attack on Earth succeeded, killing over two thousand people and dealing massive damage to Starfleet Headquarters and San Francisco in general, the efforts of Ktarn Fleet greatly contributed to reducing the scale of destruction; so few Breen vessels made it past Admiral Flaze’s forces that Earth’s defense grid was able to destroy the Breen ships before a more devastating attack could occur. While the Breen would later publicly claim that they considered the attack a success, sensitive documents recovered from the Breen Confederacy indicated that the leadership was very disappointed that more damage had not been inflicted. Thot Gor was later replaced by Thot Pran, possibly due to this incident.

The Battle of Starbase 45 would also mark the last of Ktarn Fleet’s active involvement in the Dominion War. The surviving ships were towed back to the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards to complete their repairs. Captain Rectorvos was promoted to rear admiral and was given probationary command of Ktarn Fleet. One of his first acts was to promote his chief engineer, Tval, to commander and make him the executive officer aboard the Galar, replacing the previous executive officer killed in the battle. Fleet Admiral Gustan Flaze was awarded the Starfleet Medal of Honor, and begrudgingly took a desk job at Starfleet Command till the end of the war in December 2375.

Divisions
Ktarn Fleet was commanded by Fleet Admiral Gustan Flaze and comprised of the three main Starfleet divisions: Operations, Military, and Sciences. Vice Admiral ... was the Director of Operations Division, which comprised the Engineering, Development, and Recruitment Departments, as well as the Colonial and Trade Agencies. The Director of Military Division, Vice Admiral Sysary, oversaw the Security, Tactical, and Intelligence Departments, including all MACO personnel. The Science, Medical, and Exploration Departments were under Vice Admiral Rekindle, Director of Sciences Division.

Task Forces
Task forces within the Ktarn Fleet organizational structure were formed around specific roles such as exploration, defense, or diplomacy. While the number of ships in each task force varied widely, they were all commanded by flag officers; usually of vice admiral rank. Due to the need for flexibility, the further breakdown of task force organization was left to the discretion of the task force commander, but, generally speaking, subdivisions of task forces into wings and squadrons was standard.

Task Force 200
Task Force 200, commanded by Admiral Tval, was assigned to command operations and defense. The group operated out of Vershina Station.

Task Force 201
Vice Admiral Rekindle oversaw Task Force 201, which dealt with exploration operations and technological development. The task force operated from the Noonian Soong Spire and Delta Foundry.

Task Force 202
Combat and defensive operations were handled by Task Force 202, commanded by Vice Admiral Sysary. The task force operated out of Starbase 234 during the Undine and Iconian Wars until the destruction of the station by Herald forces. That battle, combined with the defense of New Romulus, left the group in shambles. After the Iconian War, the task force was temporarily suspended until starships and personnel could be replaced.

Task Force 203
Task Force 203 was assigned to intelligence gathering under the command of Rear Admiral (Lower Half) Hayden C. Thorpe. Vershina Station served as the main operations center for the group, but they were stationed throughout Federation territory.