First Battle of Chin'toka

The First Battle of Chin'toka was one of the first major battles of the Dominion War and the first decisive victory for the Federation Alliance. While the momentum of this victory quickly dissipated, it provided a much-needed morale boost.

Setting

The battle took place in the Chin'toka system, a strategically important, inhabited star system controlled by Cardassia. Following the entry of the Romulan Star Empire into the war, much of the fleet defending the system was diverted to this new front; the automated defences intended to replace them were believed to be incomplete and inactive.

The Battle

Initially the battle went in favour of the Alliance, as many of the inactive orbital defence platforms were destroyed without resistance. The outnumbered Dominion vessels resorted to kamikaze attacks, but despite severe losses among the Klingon fleet the Alliance advanced through the deactivated platforms.

The initial easy advance was revealed to be a trap when the weapons platforms unexpectedly activated, damaging and destroying many Alliance vessels who now found themselves surrounded. While the now-shielded platforms proved to be difficult to damage, they possessed a significant weakness, as their power was provided remotely from a nearby asteroid. Exploiting a weakness in the platforms' IFF system, the Alliance tricked them into destroying their own power source.

With all spaceborne resistance nullified, the fleet began landing ground troops which captured the systems' planets without much further incident.

Aftermath

While the battle did not lead to a continued advance into Cardassian space, it did provide the Alliance with access to captured Dominion and Cardassian technology.

The system was lost to the Dominion in the disastrous Chin'toka Retreat.