Description of DS13 AO
======================


Introduction
------------

DS13 AO is a complex, tight packed region of space with a relatively
big number of astronomical and sociopolitical elements that provide a
very unstable equilibrium to the whole region.

The following table states distances and travel times at Warp 6 and
9.6 to the most relevant objects in the AO.


Table of distances
------------------

Object		Distance (l-y)		Time (W6)		Time(W9.6)
------		--------------		---------		----------
Goliath			0.9					23 h			4.14 h
David			1.0					24 h			4.60 h
Ravanne			4.7				   4.7 d		   21.62 h
Iotia			5.9				   6.  d		   27.14 h
Velse		   10.9				  10.3 d			2.1  d
OP574		   13.3				  12.6 d		    2.5  d
Ghanda		   13.8				  13.1 d			2.6  d
101C		   14.2				  13.5 d			2.7  d
Donara		   16.1				  15.3 d			3.1  d
OP576		   17.4				  16.5 d		    3.3  d
Aracne		   17.8				  16.9 d			3.4  d
Scorpio		   18.0				  17.1 d			3.5  d
OP571		   19.9				  18.9 d		    3.8  d
Tybiiran	   23.7				  22.5 d		    4.5  d

Gorns		   16.1				  15.3 d			3.1  d
Tholians	   20.0				  19.  d			3.8  d
Rihannsu	   21.8				  20.7 d			4.2  d
DS12		  132.8				   4.2 m		   25.   d
SB BETA		  308.3				   9.7 m		   59.1  d


Keys: h - hours; d - days; m - months


History of the first Operational Cycle year
-------------------------------------------

The sociopolitical map of the AO is complex by necessity. After
several years of routine, light patrol duty of some selected cruisers,
while most GOLD resources were moved to other fleets, the appearance
of the Gorn Hegemony with great resources needs between the Rihannsu
Empire and the Tholian Holdfast provocked a series of crisis that lead
to a short, cruent war between the Gorns and the Tholians.

This short war changed the shape of the political forces territories a
great deal. The Gorns were unable to take over the Tholians, as it
seemed their original intention. However, part of the Holdfast
territory was cannibalized with terrifying efficiency. The Rihannsu,
maybe due to their internal political problems, the duty patrols in
their outermost Beta Quadrant boundaries in constant watch for a new
arrival of the Borg, providing support for their own colonies or maybe
lack of interest for the region, very poor in resources, just put a
strong defense the Gorns were unable to trespass. The Rihannsu had
tried for years to overcome the defenses of the Tholian Holdfast, and
almost succeeded, but a second load of Tholians from their home land,
with shipyards and bigger warships, proved to be something too
expensive for the Rihannsu interests.

While the escaped Gorns managed to secure a small territory for their
purposes, their quick grow, coordinated by the collaboration of the
some 30 rebel clans, proved to be too greedy for their somewhat
resource poor territory.

In SD 101000 the USS AURORA, from GREEN Fleet, was sent to play as
mediator for peace conversations to end the hostilities between Gorns
and Tholians by petition of both goverments. The mission of the AURORA
was sabotaged from the start and the peace conversations failed
miserably. Both powers retired to their territories and while open
hostilities were discontinued, problems kept happening fairly often.

With this instability in a sensitive region and the raising threat
fron the Echen F'Don in the galactiv northern part of the Tholian
territory, too far from INDIGO Fleet AO, Starfleet Command decided to
reactivate GOLD Fleet.

The Krima Expeditionary Force is the Task Force assigned to watch the
Krima Region, which covers 7 sectors in the Tholians/Gorns/Rihannsu
boundaried shared with the Federation, while other Task Forces were
assigned to defend the Federation border with the Echen F'Don and to
protect the paths towards the core worlds of the Federation.

SB BETA, orbiting Andor, was reactivated, patrols reinforced and ships
reassigned or commissioned.

GOLD Command was well aware that the Krima Region was too sensitive
and problem prone to be protectd by just regular patrols. The region
had been raided for years with smugglers and pirates, which used the
relatively poorly known region for an effective black market with the
other powers. The risk of the Gorns gaining too much modern technology
was too high, and the volume of space too big to cover by a still
highly underdtaffed fleet.

The Krima Region had been scattered with Outposts to provide deep
space listening posts and early alarm systems in case of attacks, but
most of those outposts were understaffed or driven by automation.

One of the bigger outposts, which had served as a deep space station
in the early years of GOLD FLeet before her disbanding. Frantic
activity to restore all the stations in the area, DS13 was designated
as the HQ of the KRIMAXFOR. The modular station was enhanced with new
modules and a detachemnt of crew and ships was assigned to them.
Considering the big distances from SB BETA and her shipyards, DS13 was
assigned two small docks that provided repair capability of all
ships up to some cruiser sizes.

When DS13 was officially recommissioned, her crew had already had to
deal with renegade Marines, pirates, a group of refugees which had
occupied the empty station for years and perfomed a difficult rescue
mission of prisoners held in a Gorn work camp in Iotia. Besides, an
unknown party had poisoned COMKRIMAXFOR, taking him out of the KRIMA
scenary for almost a whole year.

Shortly after this incident, the Rihannsu, that has sent an Embassy to
the station as a prove of their good will, were discovered to be
involved in an illegal traffic network of restricted technologies.

The USS LEVIATHAN, performing a regular patrol in the Tybiiran
Asteroids Belt, appropriately reclassified Tybiiran Complex, in the
'Triple Point' whre Federation, Tholians and Gorns meet. One of the
boundaries of the Voira Tundra, which is an emtpy region of space
which enters into Gorn territory, the Tybiiran system has proved to be
a scientific mistery and a rich source of minerals for the Gorns.

The LEVIATHAN aborted a big Gorn operation in the Tybiiran Complex
which would have provided them with enough energy, resources and
penetration into Federation territory as to restart an open war action
against the Tholians.

In the mean time, DS13 sent exploration missions to the closer
nebulae, Goliath and David, which proved to be boxes full with
surprised. As a result of a region of semi-stable wormholes in the
Goliath nebula that lead to a powerful, hostile, extradimensional
potency, all traffic in Goliath has been forbidden. David nebula,
which is energetically bery active, has a planetary system inside with
sentient, space flight, non-Warp capable civilization. The resulting
sociocultural impact on the Kalarian is still to be seen, but the
Federation intervention avoided a genocide and studies are being
conducted to make the kalarians as a Federation protectorate.


Description
-----------

Close to DS13 there are two nebulae, David and Goliath, which hide
the Kaliaran homeworlds and some dangerous semi-stable wormholes
respectively.

Iotia was the planet were a Gorn prisonners' work camp was recovered.
All the survivors have been successfully reallocated in other GOLD
Fleet planet. Iotia is a beautiful world with a high potential and
colonization plans are being studied by the Federation.

Ravanne is a small world where the Vali, a barely unknown energetic
sentient species where accidentally found by a routine charting
mission by the SPITFIRE.

OP576 is one of the southest outpost that can effectively listen to
the Gorns. The original DS13 OPS was posted to OP576 as her XO. OP576
was deployed near the Donara system.

Donara is a solar system closer to the Gorn and Rihannsu territories.
Despite of not having any inhabitable planets, Donara has a huge
spacial mining colony, exceeding 7,000 beings, and important
economical value for its unusual high amount of dilithium mining
sites.

OP574 is the Starfleet facility that is closer to the Gorns. It's main
purpose is watching the Cluster 101-C, a small, tightly packed stellar
irregular cluster of 10 stars which partly lies into Gorn territory.
At least two stars have M-class systems, but nothing more is known.

OP571 is the outpost which closely watches the corridor formed by the
nebulae Scorpio and Aracne, providing due assistance to DS13 sensors
in case of a stealth advance of Gorn forces through the corridor.

The Aracne nebula is the result of the supernova classified NFC-2389D.
A pulsar classified NFC-9017A lies within its core, and is the most
important natural navigational beacon of the whole Krima Region and
its magnetic fields are the cause of the peculiar shape of this
nebula.

Scorpio Nebula has its peculiar shape due to NFC-2389D and lies close
to the 'Triple Point' with two close stellar systems.

Velse is one of the most important mining colonies in the AO, with a
population exceeding 29 millions. Due to its high population and
important economic value, Velse is one of the most busy civilian
traffic and, therefore, one of the most valuable targets for
smugglers, pirates and the Orion Syndicate. Velse only inhabitable
world was rendered almost dead by NFC-2389D and most population lives
underground. As an effect of the supernova, Velse also mines extremely
rare minerals and metals product of the stellar death.

Ghanda lies closer to the Scorpio and is an important agriculture
colony, despite the strong mutagenic potential of its biosphere,
severaly damaged by NFC-2389D, an another important merchant world,
with a population exceeding 2 millions beings.

Trianguli 217, 218 and 219 form a tightly packed figure when viewed
from Earth, but only 218 and 219 form a binary system. 219 has one
M-class planet and holds a colony with population exceeding 25,000.

OP573 and OP574 lie to the north of the immediate DS13 AO and protect
the northern part of the Aracne/Scorpio corridor, while performing
regular listening duty of the Tholian boundary.


Risk assesment
--------------

The Gorns are proving to be very desperate and very able to look for
new resources, using a fair amount of power and military forces for
it.

According to the data gathered by our patrols, specially USS LEVIATHAN
and USS STARFIRE, the Tybiiran Complex is to be considered an Extreme
Risk area.

High risk areas are Ghanda and Vesel, for their high value, and 101C
for its proximity and jump point into Federation territory. 101C is
close to the Rihannsu territory, as well. The Rihannsu could try to
retake their old territories and part of what used to be Tholian space
with the excuse of the old thief.

The Tholians are showing an unusual amount of tolerance and xenophilia
to their new neighbours, just limiting themselves to protect their
space and not reallocating forces for a retake of their old
territories.

However, the Gorns have been raiding and harassing the Tholians with
increasing frequency and violence, and that could result in an
exaggerated reaction and war again.


Respectfully submitted.


SD: 120720
by CDR S'Tveck
CO DS13
KRIMAXFOR HQ GOLD Fleet

David S de Lis 

    Source: geocities.com/excaliborus/ds13

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