Azure Massacre

The Azure Massacre was a historic and tragic event in Federation history that involved the deaths of, at least, 10,569 Starfleet officers, men, and women in the Azure Nebula.

### Prelude

Following intelligence operations and recon, the Admiralty received intel of a Romulan - Space Al-Qaeda alliance.

Knowing that such a powerful alliance would threaten the very fabric and sovereignty of the Federation, Admiral John Sheridan made the decision to divert all available Starfleet vessels to the Azure Nebula. The Admiral's order was a demonstration of force in hopes of opening a channel for negotiations with the armed militia inhabiting the system.

The plan was to mount a large-scale attack on the critical Space Al-Qaeda station in the Azure Nebula; the station was code-named Syria.

### The battle begins

The fleet arrived at the Azure Nebula and ran routine scans while maintaining a good distance.

Shortly thereafter, Admiral John Sheridan was made aware of a large fleet of Romulan D'Deridex-class Warbirds that were stationed within the nebula.

The alliance appeared to be underway, and Admiral John Sheridan gave the order to sound a fleet-wide *red alert* and to engage the target.

An intense and bloody battle ensued that went on for a very long 1 hour and 32 minutes.

During the battle, numerous mechanical issues were discovered aboard several Starfleet ships, which, most notably, practically dismantled the USS Inquisitor's targeting systems. The USS Inquisitor's targeting systems would continually and exclusively lock onto *friendly* vessels only and not hostile vessels. The mechanical issues quickly placed the USS Inquisitor out of service for the battle, which placed the fleet at a severe disadvantage.

The battle was rapidly tipped in favor of the Romulan - Space Al-Qaeda alliance as a result of the severe lack of communication and coordination coming from Admiral John Sheridan.

Later on, in nearly 6 minutes, the hostile alliance obliterated eight Federation starships, and critically damaged several more.

   Upon witnessing the destruction of numerous friendly ships, Admiral John Sheridan gave the unilateral order to retreat and to pull out of the battle; however, it was too late. The fleet had already suffered great casualties, and not many ships were left.

### Controversy

A great deal of controversy surrounds the Azure Massacre, specifically two aspects of the event.

##### Admiral John Sheridan

Admiral John Sheridan came under extreme scrutiny after his controversial decision to engage a very high-risk target without the necessary intel.

In an interview with SNN, Sheridan said, "the alliance was too close to happening, and I had to do what any competent admiral would do in my position: act."

Critics of the admiral have called for his immediate suspension and a court-martial. Some have even called for his imprisonment, citing that his actions cost the Federation 10,569 lives.

Others say that Sheridan made the right call and that it was an unfortunate and tragic 'accident' that led to the great number of deaths.

##### The USS Pegasus

The USS Pegasus, like Admiral Sheridan, came under extreme scrutiny after previously unknown information was revealed.

During the **Azure Massacre**, Captain Miles O'Brien had ordered his ship, the USS Pegasus, to *cloak* and *escape*, leaving the fleet vulnerable at a crucial point. After expert analysis and re-creation of the scenario, it has been determined that if the USS Pegasus had remained and continued to fight, the battle would have easily been won by the Federation side.

Captain Miles O'Brien refused to comment on the situation.

A formal investigation has **not** been opened by the Admiralty, and Federation citizens are calling for immediate action against the captain.

In an interview with SNN, Captain Jean-Luc Picard said, "Captain Miles O'Brien's actions were despicable and I believe that I'm not the only one who wants something to be done about it. The Federation stands for justice, and there is no room in Starfleet for captains who abandon their post and sacrifice the lives of their fellow officers."