In the months that followed their victory at Deep Space Nine, the Dominion began to
surge through Federation Space, winning victory after victory, and recovering from their losses
at Torros III far quicker than their enemies had hoped.
By May of 2374 the Federation had been pushed to breaking point, their fleets were battered
and disorganised, and they had received intelligence suggesting the Wormhole Minefield would soon
be disabled by the Dominion.
Faced with the possibility of unlimited Dominion reinforcements and certain defeat, Captain
Benjamin Sisko, now senior Adjutant of the Seventh Tactical Wing, formulated a last-ditch
plan to retake Deep Space Nine, and wrest control of the Bajoran Wormhole back from
the Dominion.
In preparation for the attack, Sisko and Admiral Ross began to assemble a large force at Starbase
375, as a foundation they used what remained of the Second and Seventh Fleets, whose casualties
in the early war had reduced them to less than one third strength.
They supplemented this force by reassigning the far larger Fifth Fleet, who had previously
been tasked with defending Vulcan and its surrounding worlds.
Sisko also dispatched emissaries to the Klingon Empire to request additional forces, as well
as summoning the Ninth Fleet from the Bolian Front, but after new intelligence revealed
that the Dominion was less than one week from disabling the minefield, Sisko was forced
to launch the attack prematurely before the Ninth Fleet or any Klingon Warships could
arrive.
Upon arriving in-system, the Federation armada was organised into an elaborate formation,
built around powerful battlegroups known as Galaxy Wings.
These wings were each commanded by a wartime refit of the federation Galaxy Class, and
included a number of support vessels and fighter squadrons.
The fleet’s arrival at the edge of the Bajor System was quickly detected by the Dominion,
and an opposing force of 1254 ships was deployed in their path.
Thankfully the federation’s objective was not to destroy the Dominion Fleet, but rather
to fight their way to Deep Space Nine and disable the station’s deflector before it
could be used to destroy the minefield.
Nevertheless, the Federation was outnumbered two-to-one, and it was obvious that victory
would not be achieved without heavy casualties.
In an attempt to break a significant enough force through Dominion opposition, Captain
Sisko ordered skirmishing forces of Federation Attack Fighters to probe and engage the enemy,
but only to focus fire on Cardassian ships.
Knowing that Jem’Hadar element of the dominion fleet would hold their position, and that
due to the rushed nature of the attack the combined efforts of federation forces would
ultimately not succeed in defeating the enemy outright, Sisko had hoped that by focusing
on exclusively Cardassian ships that he could lure them into breaking formation and in doing
so, provide a gap in the opposition for a force of federation ships to break through
and reach deep space nine.
Gul Dukat regognised this ploy however, but instead of merely ensuring that Cardassian
ships were to hold position, he ordered that an opening was to be feigned, with the intention
of closing it and stranding any federation ships that did somehow manage to break through.
Sisko, whilst captaining the Defiant and accompanied by Federation Miranda Class ships Majestic
and Sitak, took advantage of this opening as it arose but was quickly overwhelmed and
left without proper support.
When all seemed lost, a force of Klingon ships made up of Vorch’cha class attack cruisers
and Klingon birds of prey lead by General Martok and Lieutenant Commander Worf arrived
to provide assistance, opening fire on pursuing Dominion ships and giving the Defiant the
support it needed to break through the engagement, and make haste to deep space nine.
In this success however, the Defiant stood alone.
Deciding that Deep Space Nine’s defences are ample enough to deal with a single Federation
Ship, along with the incoming fleet of Dominion reinforcements through the wormhole, Gul Dukat
deemed that ordering pursuit of the Defiant was unnecessary.
Moments away from being prepared to disable the minefield, a sabotage attempt was conducted
by Rom and Major Kira Nerys in order to disable Deep Space Nine’s weapons.
And whilst they were unsuccessful in achieving this prior to the destruction of the Minefield,
the sabotage did leave the station defenceless against the Defiant.
Alone and in the face of the imminent arrival of a Dominion fleet consisting of thousands
of Jem’Hadar ships, the Defiant entered the Wormhole in a last ditch effort to face
the oncoming threat.
Ultimately it was thanks to the prophets, who deemed that Sisko still had a role to
play in forthcoming events, that Dominion fleet was repelled.
Using their celestial powers, they removed the fleet, allowing the safe return of the
Defiant to the Alpha quadrant where it began it’s attack on Deep Space Nine.
The Defiant would not remain alone for long however, as word was received that over 200
additional Federation and Klingon ships had broken through the Dominion line and were
en-route to the Station.
It was at this point that a full evacuation of Dominion and Cardasian personal from the
station was conducted allowing Federation forces to once again reclaim control of the
Deep Space Nine.
With the station back in hands of the Federation, and the removal of Dominion reinforcements
into the Alpha quadrant, this did indeed represent a huge victory for the Federation, however
with significant opposition still lying in wait within Cardassian territory still under
the careful yet ruthless leadership of the founders, this war was far
from over.