The Klingon Dilemna

The problem is that full-scale engagement with our neighbors the Klingons will weaken Starfleet which should be readying for the next inevitable BORG invasion. Logic dictates that the strength of our long camaraderie with the Klingons, as much in jeopardy as it now stands, is worth more to us than a war with this race of born warriors.

We must be aware of provoking a war.......It is my recollection that the Klingons have been both the best of a friends and foes at one time or another. Logic dictates me must work for peace. There are enemies enough that have no reason to ally with us, this is not true of the Klingons. They know the value of the Federation as a friend and it is our job as Starfleet officers to remind them of this. Would they dishonor the memory of Martok?

Quin Draco

Excuse my presumption Admiral, but your logic is flawed.

The Klingon empire may well have been an excellent ally at one point but their recent actions against the Romulan Empire and the Federation bring up the question "Were they allies at all?"

Well yes they fought alongside us in the Dominion war but this was solely to save themselves from defeat. As soon as the threat was extinguished they re-built their fleet and fortified their borders.

They are a warrior race, however their government suffers from acute corruption and shows the signs of a dying empire. Their recent attacks against multiple members of the Alpha and Beta quadrants seems to show a change to the old ways and this poses a problem for the Federation.

The Klingon Empire will continue to lash out at any it sees as being a threat to them and we must be ready for them.

My recommendation is that we actively fortify the border, move heavier resources into place and extend our cloak detection grids as far as is needed to cover every square inch of the border.

At the first sign of a full scale assault we should be ready and on the frontline ready to give them what they want, a fight.

I think even logic dictates that the best defence is a good offence.

As for the Borg.

Well they do pose a significant threat but I believe that they are a trivial matter. Our tactics have shown time and time again that they can be beaten and I have no doubt they will wait till the opportune moment to strike.

I think it would be better to deal with the Klingon threat and keep our ear to the ground for any Borg movements. Handle them as they crop up.

Lion.

Being part-Vulcan, logic has its merits for me, it is not perfect. Yes we should prepare for all-out war between the Federation and the Klingons. But while we take these logical steps so outlined by Captain Lion, we should also attempt to make certain that the use of these weapons is rendered unnecessary. The Federation has always sought peace first, and without our traditions, we would be adrift in an endless sea of wild and dark times. And the best defense is not a good offense, it is the right offense.

As per my recommendation on this matter, I propose that instead of being overt in our offense, we should begin by working to destabilize the Empire. If we break them up into smaller chunks, we can have peace with those factions that are agreeable, and be prepared for war with those that are not. This has the added benefit of lifting the burden of war from the Romulans, as each House will be withdrawing their ships to protect their local interests.

I must also agree with Tiberius. The Empire has always suffering from difficulty with internal tensions between houses and these houses regularly provoked each other’s during peacetime. It is therefore more likely that in the present dilemma houses are more likely to be bartering for control and power of new territories. If Starfleet can persuade some of these factions of factions of the benefits (gains) to their house from a peace with the federation were are going to be in a stronger position. Knowing Klingons if one house were to side with us the likelihood triggering an internal conflict in the Empire is greatly increased.

Lion wrote:Excuse my presumption Admiral, but your logic is flawed.

You mean "was" flawed. This post was made before we had a clue of the history we now have...there were only "rumors" of war and as a Starfleet Officer I must of course always allow my logic to favor peace. That is one of the sacrifices we make when we we follow this path...alas tho' things have changed.......Starfleet is nearly a thing of the past......"Warfleet" may be a better term. Nevertheless I will due my duty to defend the lives of the citizens of the Federation and Red Squadron was formed on the sound strategic principle that the best defense is the best offense.

Defeating the Borg threat "time and time again...." I simply can't agree with this statement, because it undermine's how close to the brink the Federation was brought by the Borg menace with each incursion into the Alpha Quadrant. The Klingons will continue to create problems in the borderands, yes, but they should be considered a conventional threat and dealt with as diplomatically as possible. One thing is true about a renewed Borg threat; every race and species in our Galaxy will fear them. There is nothing trivial about their single-minded wish to completely assimilate every living being. A threat like the Klingons or Romulans even, could escalate into a conventional war involving battles over planets and systems. The Borg threaten everything with a pulse merely by being in the same quadrant; there is far more to fear there. I believe our mission must be one to keep tabs on the Klingons and Romulans, but primarily we must engage and defeat the Borg before any headway can be made with the others.

It would be even better if we could somehow show the Borg that we humans are their "makers." But until that time, yes, resisting the Borg should be our first priority whenever they rear their ugly robo-heads. Otherwise, I too shudder to think what would happen to us all.

Fighting a "more perfect" Borg as the developers seem to have created will be a new test. In game, I predict they will be available in episodic content at much later stages. How we function as an organization against the Borg is something to ponder, as we've been doing. Are we only going to be able to use high-skill/ability ships, BOs, and captains in cooperative anti-Borg task forces because of their advanced capabilities, leaving lesser forces to deal with NZ patrols or defending against Klingons and Romulan survivors? At some point, it may be productive to take a look at the weapons of the enemy, and then determine the minimum required fleet strength for dealing with each enemy ship.

For example, "nothing less than a task force comprised with the equivalent strength of least 2 heavy cruisers or 4 escorts should be involved in direct confrontation with a Negh'var class battleship."

Strength ratings would be easy guidelines to follow, and determine how many squads/ships should cooperate on a given mission, given what information we have about a coming engagement and the enemy forces.

agreed. But squads are multi-purpose units, for specialized missions, temp task forces should be used instead. This allows us a balance between having enough strength to deal with specific threats and flexibility to tackle anything.

Tiberius Worthing wrote:agreed. But squads are multi-purpose units, for specialized missions, temp task forces should be used instead. This allows us a balance between having enough strength to deal with specific threats and flexibility to tackle anything.

yea plus we will ba able to switch ships...so even if a tac members uses a sience ships the player will be able to do sience things for the group...i plan on makeing a crew of BOFs for diffrent things.

If I may sirs I'd like to give my opinion on this matter. War with the Klingons has and always will be inevitable. As we all know in the events before the Dominion War we also had a small war with the Klingons. They are as previously stated a warrior race and with that comes a chance for war for no other reason then say they wish to test thier mettle against ours. I believe this war will happen regardless and we should have a quick and decisive way to end it since we could face war at two fronts and if that happens I fear we may not survive it.

For the Borg I am almost sure that they are perfectly aware of what is happening. They may see it as a way to take over both Alpha and Beta quadrants. We have foiled them in the past but could things have changed? Could The Collective now see us as better off irradicated and if they luanch a full scale attack could even the combined forces of the Alpha and Beta quadrants be enough to stop them? Voyager's expierience in the Delta quadrant showed us that the damage they did was not enough to defeat them utterly. They adapt, they regenerate, they are relentless. we could be facing something worse then assimilation: annihilation

I think this statement quite nicely sums yup our war with the klingons.

"Quite frankly sir, we can clean there chronomiters"