4-Day War

The 4-Day War was a border conflict between the forces of the United Federation of Planets, against the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Star Empire taking place over the course of a Terran Week in the June of 2266. The war was caused essentially by colonial frictions that had built up for the previous 20 years, and ultimately ended in a stalemate caused by the enigmatic Organians.

## Prelude

The Federation and the Klingon Empire, after their disastrous first contact in 2218 (see: The Triton Incident), had suffered much border friction, including undeclared border wars and abortive invasions (on the part of the Klingon Empire). In 2249, the two powers signed the Treaty of Korvat. This treaty was at best a temporary measure to try and save face (for the Klingon Empire ) and to buy time to prepare defences and enact fleet reforms, although was outwardly lauded as the first step towards lasting peace and understanding between the two powers.

The Klingon Empire used the time granted by the treaty to strengthen their own position and signed a treaty with the Romulan Star Empire, initiating a technology exchange in the process. Far from containing the Empires colonial ambitions, the treaty emboldened the Klingon Empire to expand further toward the Federation, especially as their new Alliance had secured their border with their traditional enemy.

By 2265, this expansion had brought them into collision course with the Federation over the resource rich (and seemingly) primitive fourth world of the Organia System. This system was also important as the only Class M Planet in the sector, vital as a resupply port for either side should they seek to expand their colonies in the area further. Despite diplomatic overtures to try and defuse the situation, these faux pas' only made the situation worse, and by the beginning of 2266, the Klingon Empire had begun a clandestine invasion of Organia.

## Outbreak of Hostilities

In early June 2266, with negotiations failing, the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) was dispatched to Organia to prevent the Klingon Empire from using the disputed world as a staging area for attacks on the Federation in the event of war. On route to the system, the ship was attacked by a D7B qItI'tinga' (Great Powerful Conqueror) Class, which the Enterprise soon destroyed, marking the first shots of the war.

Whilst the crew of the Enterprise carried out their mission on Organia, attempting to undermine the occupying Klingon forces under the orders of Klingon Commander Kor, a Klingon Defence Force Strike Fleet was heading for the Organia System under the command of Brigadier Chang, with an advance fleet heading through the Paris System. Opposing these forces were the meagre forces of the Federation 88th Destroyer Flotilla and a few local Surya Class Light Cruisers in the section on routine patrols. Starfleet were aware of Klingon fleet movements but had few ships able to respond in time, rushing two further Constitution Class Heavy Cruisers, the USS Excalibur (NCC-1644) and the USS Intrepid (NCC-1631), but these two would be little match for two strike fleets. Also sent to the sector were the USS Organisation (NCC-2111) and USS Alliance (NCC-2113), two of the newly commissioned Federation Class Battleships, although these were not expected to arrive in theatre for five days.

## Delaying Actions

Whilst Starfleet desperately attempted to bring some Capital Ships in sector in response to the incoming Klingon Strike Fleets, local sector commanders were left to their own devices to attempt to formulate a response to the crisis. Fortunately, a clear head emerged from the chaos. Captain James Alexander Wightherst‏‎, an otherwise inexperienced commander leading the 88th Destroyer Flotilla, rather than simply idly wait for reinforcements, opted to harass the numerically superior Klingon advance strike fleet heading towards the Paris System. In a number of stunning lightning strikes, his Saladin Class and Akula Class Destroyers caused significant damage to the Klingon fleet before it could reach Federation territory, and whilst not outright destroying any of the Capital Ships present, caused enough damage to their warp drives and auxiliary systems, as well as crippling their crucial supply ships, that the fleet was required to stop and make repairs for three days before continuing, buying the system defences in the Paris System time.

## The Battle of Paris

The actions of Captain Wightherst‏‎ delayed the Klingon advance fleet long enough bring the antiquated defences in the Paris System online and to ready a rudimentary defence. The fiercely independent colonists at Camp Peters (Paris I) were not members of the Federation and possessed only primitive defence satellites and an old Gagarin Class Light Cruiser (the S.S Pierre. ex-USS Oberth (NCC-528)). Regardless as to their neutrality, the Klingon fleet would bombard and occupy their world as surely as any Federation colony.

The delay also gave Starfleet time to marshal a small response fleet, with the Excalibur and Intrepid meeting up with the 88th Flotilla and the Surya Class Light Cruisers USS Peshawar (NCC-311) and the USS Bombay (NCC-316), along with several Saladin Class Destroyers that had been sent to reinforce the 88th.

Despite this not inconsiderable fleet, the odds were stacked against Starfleet. Realising this, Commodore GjarosGar th'Jhas fought another delaying action, hoping to stall the Klingon fleet until he could rendezvous with the Enterprise and the two Federation Class Battleships en route. The 88th under Captain Wightherst‏‎ successfully engaged several lead Klingon warships, disabling two D5B Qa'HoS (Relentless) Class Light Cruisers and destroying a number of F5A pIH (Suspicious) Class Frigates, slowly grinding down the invasion fleet. The Cruiser group, led by Commodore GjarosGar th'Jhas aboard the Excalibur, managed to inflict an operational losses on several D7B qItI'tinga' (Great Powerful Conqueror) Class Heavy Cruisers, although the Peshawar was also disabled and was only saved through being tractored out of the area by the Intrepid. Three Saladin Class Destroyers were lost, along with the capitulation of the S.S Pierre. The battle was an embarrassing loss for Starfleet, although she had withdrawn with the majority of her fighting force intact. GjarosGar th'Jhas took his battered forces to Organia, to rendezvous with additional reinforcements expected to arrive there. The Paris System and Camp Peters would lie under Klingon occupation, for now.

## Romulan Actions

Shortly after the withdrawal from the Paris System, Starfleet received worrying transmissions from automated monitoring satellites in the otherwise uninhabited Albert System, also in the Organia Sector. Romulan Capsize Class Cruisers had been sighted attacking unmanned mining outposts. The presence of Romulan Warships so far from their home territory was alarming for two reasons. Firstly it indicated that they too had entered into this war, and secondly that they were being supported by (and in turn supporting) their Klingon allies. The Alliance was no mere diplomatic ruse. Their intentions were to draw away Federation forces from the Paris System and Organia, but their old fusion powered drives had proven too slow to synchronise their attacks properly with their allies and force Starfleet into panic. Never the less, Romulan harassing actions during the war did continue to cause alarm, especially when a squadron of Cricket Class Destroyers destroyed civilian shipping in the Arras System.

## Stand-off at Organia

By June 15th, Federation forces had rallied in the Organia System and the combined fleet stood ready to engage the main Klingon Strike Fleet above Organia itself. Whichever fleet was victorious would also lay claim to Organia, the entire system and the entire sector, and would likely be able to dictate whatever terms they saw fit on colonial policy for the foreseeable future. Amongst the two fleets were the prides of their respective armadas, the Federation Class Battleship and the C8 Ber'Taa (Bird of Blood) Class "Supercruiser", both as yet untested in battle.

What occurred next, neither side could have predicted.

As Captain James T. Kirk‏‎ and his First Officer, Lieutenant-Commander Spock attempted to free Organian hostages on the surface, and the two fleets charged their weapons capacitors to fire, all combatants suddenly found their hand weapons and ship-board weapons consoles too hot too touch. At that moment, Ayelborne, Chairman of the Organian Council of Elders, instantly appeared onboard the bridges of the two warring fleets command ships (reportedly, aboard the nearby Romulan Command ship too), and in the Office of the Federation President Kenneth Wescott and the Chambers of Klingon Chancellor‏‎ Lorak. He revealed that the Organians are not simple agrarian people as they appeared but a race of non-corporeal beings with immense powers, and that by the actions of both the Federation and the Klingon Empire, they were forced to reveal their true nature and intervene to "put an end to the violence".

## Treaty and Aftermath

The immediate effect of the stunning ceasefire was to bring a sudden end to the conflict at a white peace. All Klingon forces were to withdraw to their territory, as were those of the Federation. The Organia System, as indeed the entire Organia Sector was to form part of an enormous, quadrant long Neutral Zone between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire. The worlds within this zone were to be strictly neutral, although their favour (and resources) could be vied for diplomatically. The Klingons argued that this favoured the Federation, although in reality they were not as prepared for total war with Starfleet as they appeared, and a solidification of their border with the Federation served their purposes as much as it did Starfleet, loathed as they were to admit it.

This formed the core tenets of the Organian Peace Treaty, ratified in 2267, another 23rd Century Treaty that was doomed from the start and loathed by all who were forced to sign it. Far from easing tensions, although it did somewhat relax border issues now that both sides believed war was impossible, and they had the issues of border posts, probes nets and other fixed defences to concern themselves with, the treaty merely built lasting resentment that was to boil over 20 years later.

However, there were some good portents to the war and the treaty. Whilst it may not have been widely accepted at the time, the Organian Peace Treaty also curtailed aggressive Federation colonialism, forcing Starfleet back into diplomatic overtures rather than 'gunboat diplomacy'. It also saw new avenues of exploration being sought in the galactic West and North East, leading to first contact between the Federation and the Gorn Confederacy, (eventually) leading to a long lasting an profitable Alliance. Ayelborne also stated that, in the future, the two warring powers would become allies, correctly predicting the Khitomer Accords‏‎ of 2293 and subsequent treaties in the 24th Century.

## See Also

Organian Peace Treaty

Organian Conflict