You're the Admiral Now! Secure the Sector!

[+ Nadeshiko]

 
As part of a new series in the Poll of the Week;, we're bringing you into the centre chair, but this time, of an entire sector. When presented with a situation, how would you react? What would you do?
 

The Eta and Theta sectors have been busy lately. As tensions rise between the three Romulan factions, Starfleet Command has informed you it would prefer you to minimise the resources and ships in your region. While the diplomatic summit held by the USS  u Cơ, and one of the ambassadors, has successfully resolved the ongoing low level issues onboard Ferinoat IV, there are many other issues facing you.
 
Evidence of a growing pirate issue as well as an unknown—likely hostile—power of a kind you can no longer afford to send the majority of your fleet out on single-ship missions. Although Command can spare one ship-of-the line and five Dakota-classes for escorts, you know that will not be enough to solve all of the problems at once.
 
Calling a meeting of all of the ship commanding officers, as well as the stations throughout the sector, you come to the following conclusions:
 
- There are thirty colonies scattered throughout the Enrothian region, many with no defenses of any kind.
 
- The Cardassians have claimed several systems on the galactic southern edge of the region, but are as of now, too busy setting up Kerok Nor—a Nor-class starbase. Intelligence suggests they are more interested in maintaining peace with the Federation than causing trouble.
 
- Pirate attacks on shipping are up 450% compared to a standard year ago.
 
- While no one has heard of any aggressors like those who attacked the Gardner system, there are outposts and ships which have gone silent in the galactic northwest of the region.
 
- Your ships, the Ambassador-class USS Æthelflæd, the Akira-class USS Penda, the Nebula class USS Æthelwulf, the Steamrunner-class USS  u Cơ, the Dakota-class USS Kh'shia, the Ambassador-class USS Harald Hardrada urgently all need time in a drydock for minor refits or repairs. The USS Harald Hardrada is the most damaged, with the USS  u Cơ least damaged.
 
- Svann points out if you delay maintenance cycles too long, critical repair time will grow exponentially, where you will have very few combat-capable ships.
 
In the meeting, you decide you can rotate a ship into drydock while leaving the other five on patrol routes designed to keep almost every colony within a day at high warp. Three of the reinforcing Dakota-classes will start convoys throughout space, while the ship of the line — the Sovereign-class USS Ngô Quyền — will investigate the pirates tasked with locating and destroying any of their bases. The other two Dakota-class ships can examine the "silent zone".
 
At this moment, Command would rather you did not start any initiatives with your Cardassian counterpart, Gul Kerit, who has risen through the ranks due to her shrewdness and focus on strategy. For her part, she has limited her involvement to courtesy calls back and forth as both of you worked out a memorandum of understanding for zones of control.
 
The next day, however, you are told you are no longer getting any of the Dakota-classes, and must transfer one of your existing ships out of the sector to receive the USS Ngô Quyền. Command needs the ships elsewhere to deal with rising troubles in the Romulan Badlands, and has decided your sector cannot exceed a certain quota of ships in the near future.
 
What do you do? How do you protect all of the colonies and secure shipping?

 

 

Edited February 4, 2021 by Zhanyt Lafizatar
img fix

[+ Hutch]

Interesting!

[Minxing Shimisi]

I'll agree with the request for outposts or even a starbase being built if not in all, at least a few of them to provide support to the assigned ships on the zone. But until then, the USS Harald Hardrada will be sent out of the zone to serve the Starfleet needs, where they'll have better installations to repair it more quickly. This way we could use our installations to fix the rest of the ships that will need less time, starting with the USS u Cơ. With that ship undergoing repairs, the USS Ngô Quyền will go for the pirates and their bases. The USS Æthelwulf will look for the silenced ships and outposts, being assisted by the USS Kh’shia as both ships had proven to have good scientific equipments and being able to hold themselves if a surprise attack happens.

The escort duty will be held by USS Penda, a ship proven in combat, able to defend itself and others with its tactical capabilities, until the USS u Co is repaired and take its place for escort duty so the Penda can undergo refit and repairs.

Finally the USS Æthelflæd, the other Ambassador class ship will perform patrol duty. All ships will be instructed to be ready to assist any distress call from any other ship, and I'll coordinate their progress and change their duties as the situation evolves. If things get too difficult, I'll assume the responsibility to contact the Cardassians and seek out the possibility of a joint operation, at least along their borders.

If possible, after the u Co, and the Penda, the order for repairs will be, the Penda, Kh’shia, USS Æthelwulf and USS Æthelflæd.