Memory Alpha
Memory Alpha
m (reconfirmed)
No edit summary
Tags: VE: Source Mobile edit Mobile web edit
 
(45 intermediate revisions by 24 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
 
{{Sidebar military conflict
 
{{Sidebar military conflict
| conflict_name = Second Battle of Deep Space 9
+
| conflict name = Second Battle of Deep Space 9
| part_of = the [[Dominion War]]
+
| part of = the [[Dominion War]]
 
| image = Dominion fires.jpg
 
| image = Dominion fires.jpg
| image_size = 200px
+
| size = 200px
| imagecap = The Dominion War begins
+
| caption = Dominion ships open fire on Deep Space 9
 
| date = [[2373]]
 
| date = [[2373]]
| location = [[Deep Space 9]]
+
| location = [[Deep Space 9]], [[Bajoran sector]]
| result = [[Dominion]] victory;<br />Withdrawal of [[Federation]] forces from Deep Space 9 and [[Bajoran space]]
+
| result = [[Dominion]] tactical victory; [[United Federation of Planets]] strategic victory
  +
:[[Minefield]] established around the [[Bajoran wormhole]]
  +
:Beginning of the [[Dominion War]]
 
<!-- combatant 1 -->
 
<!-- combatant 1 -->
| combatant1 = [[Federation Alliance]]
+
| combatant1 = [[File:United Federation of Planets logo.svg|22px]] [[United Federation of Planets]]<br />[[File:Klingon Empire logo.png|22px]] [[Klingon Empire]]
:[[United Federation of Planets]]<br />[[Klingon Empire]]
+
| commander1 = [[File:United Federation of Planets logo.svg|22px]]
| commander1 = [[Benjamin Sisko]]<br />[[Martok]]
+
[[Captain]] [[Benjamin Sisko]]<br />[[File:Klingon Empire logo.png|22px]] [[General]] [[Martok]]
| strength1 = 1 Space station<br />1 {{ShipClass|Defiant}} starship<br />1 [[Klingon Bird-of-Prey]]
+
| strength1 = [[Deep Space 9]]<br />{{dis|USS Defiant|2370}}<br />{{IKS|Rotarran}}
 
| losses1 = Deep Space 9 captured
 
| losses1 = Deep Space 9 captured
 
<!-- combatant 2 -->
 
<!-- combatant 2 -->
| combatant2 = [[Dominion|Dominion forces]]
+
| combatant2 = [[File:Dominion logo.png|22px]] [[Dominion]]<br />[[File:Cardassian Union logo.png|18px]] [[Cardassian Union]]
:[[Dominion]]<br />[[Cardassian Union]]
+
| commander2 = [[File:Dominion logo.png|22px]] [[Weyoun 5|Weyoun]]<br/>[[File:Cardassian Union logo.png|22px]] [[Legate]] [[Dukat]]
 
| strength2 = [[Jem'Hadar battle cruiser]]s<br />[[Jem'Hadar fighter]]s<br />[[Galor class|''Galor'' class]] [[destroyer]]s<br />[[Hideki class|''Hideki'' class]] [[fighter]]s
| commander2 = [[Dukat]]<br />[[Weyoun]]
 
 
| losses2 = 50+ ships destroyed
| strength2 = 28+ [[Jem'Hadar fighter]]<br />6+ [[Jem'Hadar battle cruiser]]s<br />3+ {{ShipClass|Galor}} destroyers<br/>2+ {{ShipClass|Hideki}} fighters
 
  +
}}
| losses2 = over 50 ships
 
}}{{Disambiguate|the Klingon assault of 2372|First Battle of Deep Space 9}}
+
{{disambiguation|the Klingon assault of 2372|First Battle of Deep Space 9}}
  +
{{aquote|I've been waiting for this moment for five years.|Dukat|2373|Call to Arms}}
----
 
The '''Second Battle of Deep Space 9''' was the opening battle of the [[Dominion War]], in which the combined forces of the [[Dominion]] and the [[Cardassian Union]], led by [[Gul]] [[Dukat]], launched an assault on the [[Federation]]-held [[starbase]] [[Deep Space 9]]. Although the station was captured by the Dominion, the battle was a strategic victory for the Federation due to their mining of the [[Bajoran wormhole]], preventing the Dominion from sending reinforcements to join the battle from the [[Gamma Quadrant]]. Also, the commitment of forces necessary to attack the station enabled a joint Federation-[[Klingon]] task force to destroy vital Dominion shipyards. ({{DS9|Call to Arms}})
+
The '''Second Battle of Deep Space 9''' was the opening engagement of the [[Dominion War]] between the [[United Federation of Planets]] and [[Klingon Empire]] against the combined forces of the [[Dominion]] and [[Cardassian Union]] under the nominal command of [[Gul]] [[Dukat]], were able to capture [[Federation]] [[starbase]] [[Deep Space 9]].
  +
  +
Fought in [[2373]], the assault was launched by the Dominion and Cardassian Union to prevent the mining of the [[Bajoran wormhole]], which would effectively sever supply lines from the [[Gamma Quadrant]]. Two days after [[Captain]] [[Benjamin Sisko]] rejected [[Weyoun 5|Weyoun]]'s [[ultimatum]] to remove the [[minefield]], a large fleet of Jem'Hadar and [[Cardassian]] [[warship]]s launched an assault on the station, intending to capture it before the {{USS|Defiant|2370}} could complete the minefield.
  +
  +
Although the Dominion successfully captured the station from the Federation and drove Federation-[[Klingon]] forces from [[Bajoran space]], the losses they incurred were severe; fifty ships were destroyed in the battle, and the Dominion was unable to prevent the activation of the minefield.
   
 
== Prelude ==
 
== Prelude ==
Following their annexation of the Cardassian Union around stardate 50560, the Dominion began fortifying their foothold in the [[Alpha Quadrant]] with weekly convoys of warships and troops through the wormhole. As time went on, [[Cardassian]] space became a veritable fortress, teeming with [[Jem'Hadar]] soldiers and their [[Vorta]] overseers. ({{DS9|By Inferno's Light}})
+
Following their [[annexation]] of the Cardassian Union around [[Stardate]] 50560, the Dominion began fortifying their foothold in the [[Alpha Quadrant]] with weekly [[convoy]]s of warships and troops through the [[wormhole]]. As time went on, [[Cardassian space]] became a veritable fortress, teeming with Jem'Hadar soldiers and their [[Vorta]] overseers. ({{DS9|By Inferno's Light}})
   
Although a technical state of war did not exist, and neither side had fully committed to immediate combat, numerous skirmishes took place along the border during this period. Aside from the Dominion's attempt to destroy the [[Bajoran system]] using a [[trilithium]] bomb, the Jem'Hadar and the Cardassians attacked and destroyed numerous Federation and [[Klingon]] patrol ships in a sustained campaign across the border sectors. Casualties of these attacks included the {{USS|Tian An Men}} and the {{IKS|B'Moth}}. ({{DS9|Soldiers of the Empire|In the Cards}})
+
Although a technical state of war did not exist, and neither side had fully committed to immediate combat, numerous skirmishes took place along the [[Federation-Cardassian border|border]] during this period. Aside from the Dominion's attempt to destroy the [[Bajoran system]] using a [[trilithium]] [[bomb]], the Jem'Hadar and the Cardassians attacked and destroyed numerous Federation and [[Klingon]] patrol ships in a sustained campaign across the border sectors. Casualties of these attacks included the {{USS|Tian An Men}} and the {{IKS|B'Moth}}. ({{DS9|Soldiers of the Empire|In the Cards}})
   
In addition to the military advances, the Dominion made major inroads into the Alpha Quadrant politically as well, signing nonaggression pacts with several regional powers, including the [[Miradorn]] and the [[Tholian Assembly]], and offering similar pacts to [[Bajor]] and other independent worlds in the area. The Dominion's greatest diplomatic achievement, however, was the signing of a [[nonaggression pact]] with the [[Romulan Star Empire]], the third major power in the region. The Dominion's goal seemed clear: to isolate the Federation politically and militarily. Its classic strategy of divide-and-conquer seemed to be succeeding admirably. Only the [[Klingon Empire]] stood with the Federation against the Dominion. With peaceful means failing to slow the Dominion's advance, Deep Space 9 [[Captain]] [[Benjamin Sisko]] observed, "''...a war may be our only hope.''" ({{DS9|In the Cards|Call to Arms}})
+
In addition to the military advances, the Dominion made major inroads into the Alpha Quadrant politically as well, signing [[nonaggression pact]]s with several regional powers, including the [[Miradorn]] and the [[Tholian Assembly]], and offering similar pacts to [[Bajor]] and other independent worlds in the area. The Dominion's greatest diplomatic achievement, however, was the signing of a [[nonaggression pact]] with the [[Romulan Star Empire]], the third major power in the region. The Dominion's goal seemed clear: to isolate the Federation politically and militarily. Its classic strategy of divide-and-conquer seemed to be succeeding admirably. Only the [[Klingon Empire]] stood with the Federation against the Dominion. With peaceful means failing to slow the Dominion's advance, Benjamin Sisko observed, "''&hellip;a war may be our only hope.''" ({{DS9|In the Cards|Call to Arms}})
   
 
== Provocation ==
 
== Provocation ==
[[File:USS Defiant deploying mines.jpg|thumb|''Defiant'' lays the minefield]]
+
[[File:USS Defiant deploying mines.jpg|thumb|The ''Defiant'' lays the minefield]]
With its strategic position rapidly deteriorating, the Federation resolved to prevent the Dominion from sending further reinforcements into the Alpha Quadrant by mining the entrance to the Bajoran wormhole. Maintenance [[engineer]] [[Rom]] suggested using [[self-replicating mine]]s equipped with [[cloaking device]]s for the blockade; not only would such a minefield be undetectable to approaching ships, but it would also be virtually indestructible, as each mine destroyed would be replaced by another mine in the vicinity. [[Senior chief petty officer|Chief]] [[Miles O'Brien]] and [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Jadzia Dax]] quickly developed a working model, and the {{USS|Defiant|2370}} immediately began laying down the minefield.
+
With its strategic position rapidly deteriorating, the Federation resolved to prevent the Dominion from sending further reinforcements into the Alpha Quadrant by mining the entrance to the Bajoran wormhole. Maintenance [[engineer]] [[Rom]] suggested using [[self-replicating mine]]s equipped with [[cloaking device]]s for the blockade; not only would such a minefield be undetectable to approaching ships, but it would also be virtually indestructible, as each mine destroyed would be replaced by another mine in the vicinity. [[Senior chief petty officer|Chief]] [[Miles O'Brien]] and [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Jadzia Dax]] quickly developed a working model, and the ''Defiant'' began laying down the minefield.
   
This action could be seen as nothing less than a provocation for war, however, and the Dominion's primary overseer, [[Weyoun]], promptly demanded that the mining of the wormhole be halted immediately. Captain Sisko flatly refused.
+
This action could be seen as nothing less than a major provocation, however, and the Dominion's primary representative Weyoun arrived at Deep Space 9 and promptly demanded that the mining of the wormhole be halted immediately. Captain Sisko flatly refused.
   
An intricate dance of lies and intimations began: Weyoun claimed that the Cardassians, having suffered terrible damage during the [[Klingon-Cardassian War]], required massive assistance in rebuilding their infrastructure and defenses following the Klingon invasion. Sisko played along, claiming to have had no idea of the Cardassians' dire humanitarian situation. The two representatives arranged a deal, in which the Federation would remove the minefield, and the Dominion would restrict further convoys to nonmilitary personnel and materials. However, both sides recognized this repartee as nothing more than a ruse to buy time &ndash; Weyoun to prepare the Dominion fleet for the attack, and Sisko to complete the minefield.
+
An intricate dance of lies and intimations began: Weyoun claimed that the Cardassians, having suffered terrible damage during the [[Klingon-Cardassian War]], required massive assistance in rebuilding their infrastructure and defenses following the Klingon invasion. Sisko played along, claiming to have had no idea of the Cardassians' dire humanitarian situation. The two representatives arranged a deal, in which the Federation would remove the minefield, and the Dominion would restrict further convoys to nonmilitary personnel and materials. However, both sides recognized this repartee as nothing more than a ruse to buy time and lull the other side into a false sense of security &ndash; Weyoun to prepare the Dominion fleet for the attack, and Sisko to complete the minefield.
   
With war imminent, Sisko, speaking both as a [[Starfleet]] [[captain]] and the [[Emissary of the Prophets]], advised that the [[Bajoran Provisional Government]] sign the nonaggression pact offered to them by the Dominion, thus ensuring that the planet and its people were kept out of the now-inevitable conflict. The pact was passed, and [[First Minister]] [[Shakaar Edon]] ordered the evacuation of all Bajoran personnel from the station. ({{DS9|Call to Arms}})
+
With war imminent, Sisko, speaking both as a [[Starfleet]] captain and the [[Emissary of the Prophets]], advised that the [[Bajoran government]] sign the nonaggression pact offered to them by the Dominion, thus ensuring that the planet and its people were kept out of the now-inevitable conflict. The pact was signed, and [[First Minister]] [[Shakaar Edon]] ordered the evacuation of all Bajoran personnel from the station. ({{DS9|Call to Arms}})
   
 
== The Battle ==
 
== The Battle ==
 
[[File:DS9 under attack 2.jpg|thumb|left|The docking ring under attack]]
 
[[File:DS9 under attack 2.jpg|thumb|left|The docking ring under attack]]
Intent on preventing its lifeline to the Gamma Quadrant from being blocked, the Dominion launched a massive assault fleet towards Deep Space 9, with Gul Dukat himself in command. For reasons then unknown, the Federation had not reinforced its position at Deep Space 9, leaving only the USS ''Defiant'' and the {{IKS|Rotarran}} to supplement the station's defenses. Anticipating the enemy attack, Sisko ordered the ''Rotarran'' to patrol the border and provide advance warning when the Dominion fleet approached.
+
Intent on preventing its lifeline to the Gamma Quadrant from being blocked, the Dominion and Cardassian Union launched a massive assault fleet towards Deep Space 9, with Gul Dukat himself in command. For reasons not yet publicly known, the Federation had not reinforced its position at Deep Space 9, leaving only the USS ''Defiant'' and the {{IKS|Rotarran}} to supplement the station's defenses. Anticipating the enemy attack, Sisko ordered the ''Rotarran'' to patrol the border and provide advance warning when the Dominion fleet approached.
   
 
Captain Sisko confidently rejected Dukat's offer to surrender, and both sides prepared for the onslaught. Dukat ordered five Jem'Hadar attack wings to intercept the ''Defiant'', while his remaining ships targeted the station.
 
Captain Sisko confidently rejected Dukat's offer to surrender, and both sides prepared for the onslaught. Dukat ordered five Jem'Hadar attack wings to intercept the ''Defiant'', while his remaining ships targeted the station.
   
As the Dominion fleet opened fire, Weyoun and Dukat were unpleasantly surprised to find Deep Space 9's [[shields]] holding up under the barrage &ndash; Federation deflector shields had previously been impotent in defending against the Jem'Hadar's [[phased polaron beam]] weaponry. Dukat ordered more ships to open fire on the station.
+
As the Dominion and Cardassian fleets opened fire, Weyoun and Dukat were unpleasantly surprised to find Deep Space 9's [[shields]] holding up under the barrage &ndash; Federation deflector shields had previously been impotent in defending against the Jem'Hadar's [[phased polaron beam]] weaponry. Dukat ordered more ships to open fire on the station.
   
 
Meanwhile, the ''Defiant'' herself was coming under fire as she was laying the minefield. The ''Rotarran'' provided interference and covering fire, giving the ''Defiant'' enough time to complete and activate the minefield, sealing off the wormhole.
 
Meanwhile, the ''Defiant'' herself was coming under fire as she was laying the minefield. The ''Rotarran'' provided interference and covering fire, giving the ''Defiant'' enough time to complete and activate the minefield, sealing off the wormhole.
   
[[File:IKS Rotarran and USS Defiant retreat from DS9, Call to Arms.jpg|thumb|The ''Rotarran'' and the ''Defiant'' depart Deep Space 9]]
+
[[File:IKS Rotarran and USS Defiant retreat from DS9.jpg|thumb|The ''Rotarran'' and the ''Defiant'' depart Deep Space 9]]
Using his knowledge as the station's former commanding officer, Dukat was able to cut main power to Deep Space 9's shields by directing all Dominion firepower into section 17 of the outer [[Deep Space 9#Docking Ring|docking ring]]. With the wormhole now blocked, and the station becoming an impossible position to hold, Captain Sisko ordered all Starfleet personnel to evacuate Deep Space 9. As Dukat ordered his reserve units to enter the battle, the station's Starfleet crew boarded the ''Defiant'' and the ''Rotarran'', taking all sensitive equipment with them and leaving the station in the hands of the [[Bajoran Militia]].
+
Using his knowledge as the station's former commanding officer, Dukat was able to cut main power to Deep Space 9's shields by directing all Dominion and Cardassian firepower into Section 17 of the outer [[Deep Space 9#Docking Ring|docking ring]]. With the wormhole now blocked, and the station becoming an impossible position to hold, Captain Sisko ordered all Starfleet personnel to evacuate Deep Space 9. As Dukat ordered his reserve units to enter the battle, the station's Starfleet crew boarded the ''Defiant'' and the ''Rotarran'', taking all sensitive equipment with them and leaving the station in the hands of the [[Bajoran Militia]].
   
 
As the evacuation neared completion, Sisko addressed the remaining station residents on the [[Promenade]], promising, "''I will not rest until I stand with you again, here, in this place where I belong.''" {{audio|file=Battle_of_DS9_1.ogg}}
 
As the evacuation neared completion, Sisko addressed the remaining station residents on the [[Promenade]], promising, "''I will not rest until I stand with you again, here, in this place where I belong.''" {{audio|file=Battle_of_DS9_1.ogg}}
   
Once the ''Defiant'' and the ''Rotarran'' had safely departed the station, [[Major]] [[Kira Nerys]], now the Bajorans' representative to the Dominion, activated [[Program Sisko 197]]. The program completely [[sabotage]]d the station's computer and power systems, leaving the station a nearly lifeless hulk. The Dominion and Cardassian troops boarded the station without resistance, officially reclaiming [[Terok Nor]], the station they had abandoned in orbit of Bajor five years before. ({{DS9|Call to Arms}})
+
Once the ''Defiant'' and the ''Rotarran'' had safely departed the station, [[Major]] [[Kira Nerys]], now the Bajorans' representative to the Dominion, activated [[Program Sisko 197]]. The program completely [[sabotage]]d the station's computer and power systems, leaving the station a nearly lifeless hulk. The Dominion and Cardassian troops boarded the station without resistance, officially reclaiming [[Terok Nor]], the station they had abandoned in orbit of Bajor [[2369|five years]] before. ({{DS9|Call to Arms}})
   
== Immediate aftermath ==
+
== Aftermath ==
[[File:Dominion boards DS9.jpg|thumb|left|Dominion forces board Deep Space 9]]
+
[[File:Dominion boards DS9.jpg|thumb|left|Dominion and Cardassian forces board Deep Space 9]]
Dukat and the Dominion might have captured Deep Space 9 from the Federation, but the price they paid of more than fifty Dominion ships destroyed ultimately won them nothing more than a Pyrrhic victory. The minefield operated independently from the station and proved resistant to all initial attempts to dismantle it. Likewise, the sabotage of the station itself meant that in the short term it would serve little function other than as a command and supply outpost behind the front lines.
+
Dukat and the Dominion captured Deep Space 9 from the Federation, but the more than fifty Dominion ships destroyed were a major price to be paid for that victory. The minefield operated independently from the station and proved resistant to all initial attempts to dismantle it. Likewise, the [[sabotage]] of the station itself meant that in the short term it would serve little function other than as a command and supply outpost behind the front lines.
   
In addition, while the Dominion had thrown its full force towards capturing the station, a combined Starfleet-Klingon taskforce crossed the border into Cardassian territory and destroyed the [[shipyard|shipyards]] at [[Torros III]] nearly unopposed. This victory had much greater impact in the short- and mid-term course of the war, as the Dominion's shipbuilding capabilities were seriously affected by the loss of that major facility. ({{DS9|Call to Arms}})
+
In addition, while the Dominion and Cardassian Union had thrown its full force towards capturing the station, a combined Starfleet-Klingon [[task force]] had crossed the border into Cardassian territory and destroyed the [[shipyard]]s at [[Torros III]], which in the eyes of [[Starfleet Command]] outweighed the loss of DS9. ({{DS9|Call to Arms}})
   
 
{{Dominion War battles}}
 
{{Dominion War battles}}
   
{{featured|date=May 2004|id=23211}}
+
{{featured|date=May 2004|id=23211|re-date=April 2012|re-id=1383851}}
   
  +
[[bg:Втора битка за Дълбок космос 9]]
 
[[cs:Druhá bitva o Deep Space 9]]
 
[[cs:Druhá bitva o Deep Space 9]]
 
[[de:Schlacht von Deep Space 9 (2373)]]
 
[[de:Schlacht von Deep Space 9 (2373)]]

Latest revision as of 20:29, 1 April 2024

For the Klingon assault of 2372, please see First Battle of Deep Space 9.
"I've been waiting for this moment for five years."
– Dukat, 2373 ("Call to Arms")

The Second Battle of Deep Space 9 was the opening engagement of the Dominion War between the United Federation of Planets and Klingon Empire against the combined forces of the Dominion and Cardassian Union under the nominal command of Gul Dukat, were able to capture Federation starbase Deep Space 9.

Fought in 2373, the assault was launched by the Dominion and Cardassian Union to prevent the mining of the Bajoran wormhole, which would effectively sever supply lines from the Gamma Quadrant. Two days after Captain Benjamin Sisko rejected Weyoun's ultimatum to remove the minefield, a large fleet of Jem'Hadar and Cardassian warships launched an assault on the station, intending to capture it before the USS Defiant could complete the minefield.

Although the Dominion successfully captured the station from the Federation and drove Federation-Klingon forces from Bajoran space, the losses they incurred were severe; fifty ships were destroyed in the battle, and the Dominion was unable to prevent the activation of the minefield.

Prelude

Following their annexation of the Cardassian Union around Stardate 50560, the Dominion began fortifying their foothold in the Alpha Quadrant with weekly convoys of warships and troops through the wormhole. As time went on, Cardassian space became a veritable fortress, teeming with Jem'Hadar soldiers and their Vorta overseers. (DS9: "By Inferno's Light")

Although a technical state of war did not exist, and neither side had fully committed to immediate combat, numerous skirmishes took place along the border during this period. Aside from the Dominion's attempt to destroy the Bajoran system using a trilithium bomb, the Jem'Hadar and the Cardassians attacked and destroyed numerous Federation and Klingon patrol ships in a sustained campaign across the border sectors. Casualties of these attacks included the USS Tian An Men and the IKS B'Moth. (DS9: "Soldiers of the Empire", "In the Cards")

In addition to the military advances, the Dominion made major inroads into the Alpha Quadrant politically as well, signing nonaggression pacts with several regional powers, including the Miradorn and the Tholian Assembly, and offering similar pacts to Bajor and other independent worlds in the area. The Dominion's greatest diplomatic achievement, however, was the signing of a nonaggression pact with the Romulan Star Empire, the third major power in the region. The Dominion's goal seemed clear: to isolate the Federation politically and militarily. Its classic strategy of divide-and-conquer seemed to be succeeding admirably. Only the Klingon Empire stood with the Federation against the Dominion. With peaceful means failing to slow the Dominion's advance, Benjamin Sisko observed, "…a war may be our only hope." (DS9: "In the Cards", "Call to Arms")

Provocation

USS Defiant deploying mines

The Defiant lays the minefield

With its strategic position rapidly deteriorating, the Federation resolved to prevent the Dominion from sending further reinforcements into the Alpha Quadrant by mining the entrance to the Bajoran wormhole. Maintenance engineer Rom suggested using self-replicating mines equipped with cloaking devices for the blockade; not only would such a minefield be undetectable to approaching ships, but it would also be virtually indestructible, as each mine destroyed would be replaced by another mine in the vicinity. Chief Miles O'Brien and Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax quickly developed a working model, and the Defiant began laying down the minefield.

This action could be seen as nothing less than a major provocation, however, and the Dominion's primary representative Weyoun arrived at Deep Space 9 and promptly demanded that the mining of the wormhole be halted immediately. Captain Sisko flatly refused.

An intricate dance of lies and intimations began: Weyoun claimed that the Cardassians, having suffered terrible damage during the Klingon-Cardassian War, required massive assistance in rebuilding their infrastructure and defenses following the Klingon invasion. Sisko played along, claiming to have had no idea of the Cardassians' dire humanitarian situation. The two representatives arranged a deal, in which the Federation would remove the minefield, and the Dominion would restrict further convoys to nonmilitary personnel and materials. However, both sides recognized this repartee as nothing more than a ruse to buy time and lull the other side into a false sense of security – Weyoun to prepare the Dominion fleet for the attack, and Sisko to complete the minefield.

With war imminent, Sisko, speaking both as a Starfleet captain and the Emissary of the Prophets, advised that the Bajoran government sign the nonaggression pact offered to them by the Dominion, thus ensuring that the planet and its people were kept out of the now-inevitable conflict. The pact was signed, and First Minister Shakaar Edon ordered the evacuation of all Bajoran personnel from the station. (DS9: "Call to Arms")

The Battle

DS9 under attack 2

The docking ring under attack

Intent on preventing its lifeline to the Gamma Quadrant from being blocked, the Dominion and Cardassian Union launched a massive assault fleet towards Deep Space 9, with Gul Dukat himself in command. For reasons not yet publicly known, the Federation had not reinforced its position at Deep Space 9, leaving only the USS Defiant and the IKS Rotarran to supplement the station's defenses. Anticipating the enemy attack, Sisko ordered the Rotarran to patrol the border and provide advance warning when the Dominion fleet approached.

Captain Sisko confidently rejected Dukat's offer to surrender, and both sides prepared for the onslaught. Dukat ordered five Jem'Hadar attack wings to intercept the Defiant, while his remaining ships targeted the station.

As the Dominion and Cardassian fleets opened fire, Weyoun and Dukat were unpleasantly surprised to find Deep Space 9's shields holding up under the barrage – Federation deflector shields had previously been impotent in defending against the Jem'Hadar's phased polaron beam weaponry. Dukat ordered more ships to open fire on the station.

Meanwhile, the Defiant herself was coming under fire as she was laying the minefield. The Rotarran provided interference and covering fire, giving the Defiant enough time to complete and activate the minefield, sealing off the wormhole.

IKS Rotarran and USS Defiant retreat from DS9

The Rotarran and the Defiant depart Deep Space 9

Using his knowledge as the station's former commanding officer, Dukat was able to cut main power to Deep Space 9's shields by directing all Dominion and Cardassian firepower into Section 17 of the outer docking ring. With the wormhole now blocked, and the station becoming an impossible position to hold, Captain Sisko ordered all Starfleet personnel to evacuate Deep Space 9. As Dukat ordered his reserve units to enter the battle, the station's Starfleet crew boarded the Defiant and the Rotarran, taking all sensitive equipment with them and leaving the station in the hands of the Bajoran Militia.

As the evacuation neared completion, Sisko addressed the remaining station residents on the Promenade, promising, "I will not rest until I stand with you again, here, in this place where I belong." Listen file info

Once the Defiant and the Rotarran had safely departed the station, Major Kira Nerys, now the Bajorans' representative to the Dominion, activated Program Sisko 197. The program completely sabotaged the station's computer and power systems, leaving the station a nearly lifeless hulk. The Dominion and Cardassian troops boarded the station without resistance, officially reclaiming Terok Nor, the station they had abandoned in orbit of Bajor five years before. (DS9: "Call to Arms")

Aftermath

Dominion boards DS9

Dominion and Cardassian forces board Deep Space 9

Dukat and the Dominion captured Deep Space 9 from the Federation, but the more than fifty Dominion ships destroyed were a major price to be paid for that victory. The minefield operated independently from the station and proved resistant to all initial attempts to dismantle it. Likewise, the sabotage of the station itself meant that in the short term it would serve little function other than as a command and supply outpost behind the front lines.

In addition, while the Dominion and Cardassian Union had thrown its full force towards capturing the station, a combined Starfleet-Klingon task force had crossed the border into Cardassian territory and destroyed the shipyards at Torros III, which in the eyes of Starfleet Command outweighed the loss of DS9. (DS9: "Call to Arms")

This is a featured article. At the time it was last featured (April 2012), it was considered one of the best examples of the Memory Alpha community's work. This article was last featured more than five years ago though, and its status should be reviewed. You can use the links below to see how the article has changed since it was last featured.
Original featured revision (23211)Diff to currentLast featured revision (1383851)Diff to currentBlurb