Ambush

Starfleet Public Affairs office has informed us that on Stardate 2.80518, the USS Fletcher, USS Abatan, and the USS Ute were destroyed by an unknown assailant while on a transport Run From Deep Space Station 1, through Deep Space Station 9, then onto Starbase 9 near the Bajoran Wormhole. Preliminary accounts state that a fleet of 5 Transports including the three destroyed as well as USS Kidd and USS Kiawa were being escorted by USS Vanguard, one of Starfleets most advanced ships, when they were attacked without provocation by unknown assailants.

The small fleet were skirting Cardassian territory when the Vanguard was attacked without warning. While the Vanguard tried to recover, the assailants destroyed the Fletcher an the Abatan, by this time, Kidd and Kiawa had dropped their Cargo containers by order of Vanguard's Chief Engineer, and withdrew with all haste from the combat area. The Ute was severely damaged by the attacker before being forced off by the Ute's crew who had commandeered the Starfleet Fighters they were carrying to Gateway Outpost.

Fleet Captain Janet Vesuezhe reported in her after action report that once Carrier Group 2 responded to the distress call, the fighters, still manned by the Ute's crew were circling the wounded Vanguard protecting the ship in case the enemy returned.

USS Vanguard lost roughly 20% of her crew in the attack, and had a total casualty rate of 65%. The ship will be repaired and returned to service as soon as the repairs are complete and the ship is restaffed.

Starfleet Inquiries have cleared the Vanguard and Transport crews in any wrongdoing, however the investigation is still continuing.

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