Battle of the Northland Relay

The Battle of Northland Relay was a major naval battle fought between New Xindus Cooperative and pre-Coalition powers during the yet unnamed Xindi Conflict and first military offensive action by the latter.

Prelude
On 6 August 2153, the Xindi had moved over 78 warships and 200,000 military personnel through the Nortland Mass Relay, the largest single movement of Xindi units in the entire war to date. Hoping to move quickly and catch the victimized worlds off-guard, Commandant Dalop took the Xindi Fourth Destroyer Flotilla, Fourth and Fifth Xindi Fleet, the Eighty-First Frigate Squadron and the Twenty-Third Xindi Combat Group and departed the Northland Relay on 8 August 2153, taking with them the majority of the Xindi ground troops.

Because of the lengthy journey from New Xindus, those ships that had made the longest trips were left behind by Commandant Minagi Dalop, intended to act as the Northland Relay's defense picket until he could return or the Xindi home territories could send assistance.

The Xindi defense fleet was in relatively poor condition for battle. Apart from the three newest Roboni-class Xindi-Reptilian battleships and one Myyan-class Xindi-Aquatic battleship, Admiral Ga’tov Ne fleet consisted of older and poorly-maintained warships. The long voyage, combined with a lack of opportunity for maintenance, meant Xindi ships were heavily underfueled, significantly reducing their speed.

Order of Battle
United Earth First Fleet Andorian Empire Second Frigate Squadron Vulcan Confederacy Ninth Destroyer Group Kriosian Sovereign Dynasty Twelve Colonies of Kobol Principality of Denobula Vissian Association Suliban Federacy of Tribes United Planets of Tellar Second Hiigaran Empire Cylon Imperium New Xindus Cooperative
 * UES Enterprise - Captain Jonathan Archer (Fleet CO)
 * UES Kimbe
 * UES Indiana
 * UES Alaska
 * UES Franklin Roosevelt
 * UES Georgia
 * UES Heinlein
 * UES Kavieng
 * UES Madrid
 * UES Maine
 * IAG Wali
 * IAG Sankhu
 * IAG Dashara
 * IAG Dharan
 * IAG Gorkh
 * IAG Ilam
 * IAG Mahottari
 * IAG Ramgram
 * IAG Tikapu
 * VCS Haw'Amoreen
 * VCS S'fah
 * VCS Suf'feh
 * VCS Se'tennos
 * VCS M'harde
 * RKS Qadmus
 * RKS Khan'Shaykhun
 * RKS Fairouz
 * RKS Bloudan
 * BSG Hermes
 * BSG Horae
 * BSG Eos
 * BSG Ceres
 * HMDS Hega
 * VAS Cartorr
 * SFS Mirrew
 * UPT Nashell
 * HF Kokhav
 * HF Nirit
 * HF Ein HaEmek
 * HF Shilo
 * HF Tal El
 * HF Rakefet
 * HF Alon
 * HF Hermesh
 * HF Yuvalim
 * CAS Gamma-1745
 * CAS Gamma-1764
 * CAS Gamma-1954
 * CAS Delta-4929
 * XSS Finn’ran - Admiral Ga'tov Ne (Fleet CO)
 * XSS Alekator
 * XSS Roboni
 * XSS Ondira
 * XSS Abyaly
 * XSS Kilixy
 * XSS Navarin
 * XSS Nakhad
 * XSS Imada
 * XSS Monam
 * XSS Ondira (Hospital Ship)

First Contact
Because the Allied fleets desired to slip undetected into Northlands, they steered outside regular shipping channels to reduce the chance of detection. On the night of 8/9 August, the fleet approached Northland Mass Relay. A thick ion storm blanketed the surrounding region, giving the approaching fleet the advantage since no one inside the storm could see outside.

At 02:45, the Vulcan corvette VCS S’fah observed what appeared to be a vessel approaching and closed in to investigate. This was the Xindi hospital ship XSS Ondira, who not expecting intruders and unable to determine the S’fah was not a Xindi vessel, continued on its cruise towards the Relay. At 04:30, VCS S’fah approached the vessel, noting that the vessel carried no guns and appeared carrying no discernible armor. The XSS Ondira mistook the S’fah for another Xindi vessel and did not attempt to notify the defense fleet. Instead, she signaled a navigational warning to inform the Vulcan ship that there were other Xindi vessels nearby. The S’fah then sighted the shapes of ten other Xindi vessels in the ion storm.

The Xindi fleet had been discovered, and the fleet was notified of their positions. Cylon FTL-communication played an important role from the start. At 04:55, Captain Na’taun of the S’fah sent a message to Captain Archer reading "Lizards leap in the north. Quad-273". By 05:10, intercepted wireless signals informed the Xindi that they had been discovered and that allied scouting cruisers were shadowing them. Captain Archer received his message at 05:05, and immediately began to prepare his battle fleet for a sortie.

Beginning
At 06:34, Captain Archer began into the thick of the ion storm, leading forty vessels to meet the Xindi. Meanwhile, the shadowing Vulcan and Andorian scouting vessels sent wireless reports every few minutes as to the formation and course of the Xindi fleet. There was ion discharges which reduced visibility and the gravity eddies made holding fleet positions difficult. FTL communications, however gave the Allies an advantage.

At around 09:40, both fleets sighted each other and prepared to engage. The Xindi, unaware that scouting ships were providing flanking fire solutions and scans in real-time, were unprepared when Archer crossed the Xindi 'T', enabling him to fire torpedo salvos with almost certain accuracy, while the Xindi could only reply with with estimated and out-dated positions. The Xindi rounded from port in order to avoid another enemy salvo; but able to see the movement in real-time, the Allied fleet continued to a point of intersection which allowed only their bow guns to bear; enabling them to throw most of the Xindi batteries successively out of bearing. Captain Archer ordered the fleet to turn in sequence, which enabled his ships to take the same course as the Xindi, though risking each battleship in turn. This U-turn was successful.

Ga’tov Ne quickly determined that the enemy fleet must have up to date information on his movements and quickly deduced scouts could be hiding in the ion storm. He had only two choices, continue a direct assault on Archer's units, or remove the possible scouts and even the playing field. He chose the latter, and at 10:08, the Xindi fleet fired torpedoes in scattered salvos with proximity charges set.

While nearly 60% of the salvos failed to strike targets, 40% struck the trailing end of the scout ships. Superior Xindi firepower then took its toll, destroying five ships outright, the IAS Wali, IAG Sankhu, UES Kimbe and VCS Haw'Amoreen  and severly damaging the UES Indiana (the ship suffered a warp core breach 3-minutes later, killing all hands save 13 beamed to the UES Enterprise and VCS M'harde ).

Archer attempted to defend his scout units while ordering them to scatter, however the fleet flagship UES Enterprise was hit with a direct broadside, heavily damaging one of her warp nacelles.

Reinforcements
Archer prepared to order a direct engagement with his remaining units, an action that was projected as costing him nearly 70% of his forces to achieve, when friendly transponders began to appear in the ion storm.

25 warships, respectively hailing from the Second Hiigaran Empire, Cylon Imperium, United Planets of Tellar, Suliban Federacy of Tribes, Vissian Association, Principality of Denobula, Twelve Colonies of Kobol and the Kriosian Sovereign Dynasty opened fire with a full broadside of phasers, kinetic cannons, torpedoes and ion beams.

A direct hit on the XSS Roboni's engine room by the Hiigaran heavy-cruiser HF Nirit caused her to explode, which completely obliterated the vessel and all hands. The newly arrived Allied ships suffered only light damage. Admiral Ga’tov Ne was knocked out of action by a debris fragment that struck his skull. In the evening, Rear Admiral Man'tuol took over command of the Xindi fleet. The Xindi lost the battleships XSS Finn’ran, Abyaly, Alekator and Roboni (first of the Roboni-class ever launched).

Fighter Push​
Convening with the newly arrived captains, Captain Arhcer quickly assumed control over the additional units and at 12:08, 37 Cylon Raiders and 21 Vipers were thrown against the Xindi. The Vipers attacked from the vanguard while the Raiders attacked from the port and aft of the Xindi fleet.

The Cylons were aggressive, continuing their attacks for three hours without intermission, and as a result there were a number of collisions between the small craft and Xindi warships. The Xindi were now dispersed in small groups trying to break for the Relay.

The old battleship XSS Navarin struck a piece of debris and was compelled to stop, and consequently was torpedoed four times and destroyed. Out of a crew of 622, only three survived to be rescued by Colonial Search & Rescue Raptors.

The battleship XSS Kilixy was heavily damaged by a torpedo in the stern, but managed to escape to warp. Two old light-cruisers — Nakhad and Monam — were heavily damaged, the former by a torpedo hit to the bow, and the latter by colliding with a Cylon Raider. They were both scuttled by their crews, the Monam off the Northland Relay, where she headed while venting atmosphere.

The attacks had put a great strain on the Xindi, as they had lost two battleships and two armoured cruisers, while the Allies only lost three Raiders.

Ga'tov Surrender​
Captain Archer's battleships proceeded to surround Ga’tov Ne's remaining squadron near the Northland Relay. At 16:34, realizing that his situation was hopeless, Admiral Ga’tov Ne ordered the six ships remaining under his command to surrender. The signal of surrender, was broadcasted; at 16:53 the Allies agreed to accept the surrender. Realizing the battle had become futile, Ga’tov Ne was unwilling to sacrifice the lives of his crews simply to save his own honor. He decided instead to accept the shame of surrender, knowing full well he might be shot when he returned to New Xindus.

Aftermath
Until the evening of 10 August, single Xindi ships were pursued by the Allies until almost all were destroyed or captured. the Kilixy managed to escape the area unmolested and reached Commandant Dalop's ships hiding in the Calor Pulsar. The battleship XSS Imada, which escaped from the Allies despite being included in Ga’tov Ne's surrender, was scuttled by her crew near Terra Nova. The crew assumed the planet was uninhabitated but were captured by the local United Earth colonial government and returned to Earth to stand trial with Ga'tov Ne's other officers.

Refusing to allow his ships to be captured or their technology discrened by enemy intelligence, Ga'tov Ne evacuated then scuttled all his remaining forces, landing abroad the hospital ship XSS Ondira where he proceeded to purge all computer databanks on the vessel and jettison then scuttle the ships Mass Effect-drive for Relay travel.

Allied forces then escorted the Ondira to Vulcan, where interrogations of the crew began.

In the interim, out of both the spirit of cooperation and fears that the Xindi could launch another attack through the Northland Relay, which many scientists could still not figure out how to de-activate, the Vulcan Confederacy, Andorian Empire, United Earth, Hiigaran Empire, United Planets of Tellar, Principality of Denobula, Association of Vissa, the Twelve Colonies of Kobol and the Sovereign Kingdom of Krios, agreed to sign an emergency alliance, the Coalition Naval Accords, to patrol the Relay for the time being. Diplomats on all sides began to reach out to secure assistance from any other power that had also suffered Xindi attacks.

Losses & Casualties
Andorian Empire Second Hiigaran Empire United Earth Vulcan Confederacy Twelve Colonies of Kobol Cylon Imperium New Xindus Cooperative
 * IAG Wali
 * IAG Sankhu
 * HF Kokhav
 * UES Kimbe
 * UES Indiana
 * VCS Haw'Amoreen
 * BSG Ceres
 * CAS Gamma-1745
 * XSS Finn’ran
 * XSS Alekator
 * XSS Roboni
 * XSS Ondira
 * XSS Abyaly
 * XSS Navarin
 * XSS Nakhad
 * XSS Imada
 * XSS Monam

Resolution
The Northland Relay would be kept under heavy guard until mid-September 2153, when Coalition combat engineers managed to perturb the element zero core of the artifact just enough to ensure that no ship could jump between the Northland and its still unknown terminus and ripping itself apart. This not only ensured a nearly fool-proof method to secure the instantaneous transport devices but in a matter of hours of its activation three Xindi ships fell prey to this action before catching on.