Operation Seleyan Sun ExplainedBy Phara Jemke, StaffIt's been several weeks since the conclusion of Operation Seleyan Sun, Starfleet's latest offensive against the separatist True Federation, but we're still getting a full accounting of what the operation entailed. Despite lasting just over a week, the offensive was a massive undertaking involving more than 8500 ships and more than 2,000,000 personnel when you include civilian, logistical, and Marine support. Broadly successful, the reality of Seleyan Sun is less clear than the paradoxically poetic name suggests.
This explainer is designed to help explain the salient facts that we know to you, our readers, both to provide clarity on the data and to give as full an accounting of Starfleet's actions as possible at this point.
Without further ado, here is Operation Seleyan Sun, Explained.
SUMMARYOperation Seleyan Sun was a large-scale, multi-phase offensive against separatist 'True Federation' facilities and worlds, taking place from November 14 to November 22 EY2397. The stated goal of the operation was 'to capture or destroy key points of infrastructure within separatist-held territory.' This was largely true, but the operation ended up having a more specific goal: to capture Weytahn, and prevent Section 31 from producing so-called 'Phantom' vessels.
By the end of the operation, the True Federation's ability to threaten Federation space was crippled, and the worlds of Deneva and Weytahn are back under Federation control, securing the Federation core. All told, around 8000 ships were destroyed with 800,000 casualties.
THE BELLIGERENTSSTARFLEETThe science, exploration, and military arm of the United Federaton of Planets, an interstellar organization of worlds dedicated to peaceful cooperation. In total, 8547 ships crewed by 997,824 Starfleet officers and crew took part in battles at various points within Separatist-held space. These forces were divided into five taskforces:
Taskforce Alpha, launching from Alpha Centauri, was comprised of 1024 ships, the majority of which were fast and agile escorts.
Taskforce Vulcan, launching from Calanara, was the largest taskforce, consisting of 3003 ships. This was largely a cruiser fleet designed for a protracted battle, and was the largest single taskforce assembled since the Second Tzenkethi War.
Taskforce Paradise, launching from Risa, consisted of 1989 vessels. The taskforce was composed of a mix of older vessels, and largely acted as a relief force.
Taskforce Ulysses, launching from Odyssey Station, had 1504 ships led by the USS Axiom, the first Guardian-class battlecruiser put into service.
Taskforce Uzevah's Hammer launched from Axanar as a surprise addition near the end of the conflict. It consisted of 1027 ships, the majority of which belonged to the Andorian Defense Force, supplemented by Starfleet escorts and support vessels.
SECTION 31Starfleet's former quasiofficial blackops branch, which was responsible for the fracturing of Starfleet and the establishment of the separatist True Federation. As you might expect, the True Federation still calls their military organization Starfleet, but the UFP uses a few different terms, the most popular of which are 'True Federation,' 'Section 31,' and the colloquial 'Teffie.'
We don't have exact numbers for the ships and personnel that the True Federation had for defense, but we do have ballpark figures. In total, Starfleet engaged or destroyed 7000-7500 enemy vessels, the majority of which were at Deneva and Weytahn, the two largest conflicts of the operation.
THE OPERATIONThe operation was divided into four stages. We've attached a map for reference:
Map KeyRed - Launch Points: Alpha Centauri (Taskforce Alpha), Calanara (Taskforce Vulcan), Risa (Taskforce Paradise), Odyssey Station/Aldebaran (Taskforce Ulysses)
Green - Stage 1 Targets: Starbase 39-Sierra, Starbase 12, Starbase 82, Deep Space K-7
Yellow - Stage 2 Targets: Research Station 75, Deneva, Starbase 67, Starbase 118
Orange - Stage 3 Targets: Babel, Deneva (continued), Celes, Regulus
Pink - Stage 4 Target: Weytahn
STAGE ONE - November 14, 1149 HoursStage One focused on hitting key logistical and defense facilities held by separatist forces. The aim was to cripple Section 31's ability to coordinate and concentrate their forces, and to force them to choose which important targets they would defend.
Taskforces Alpha, Vulcan, Paradise, and Ulysses all launched simultaneously against four different targets.
Alpha was tasked with capturing or destroying Starbase 39-Sierra near the Romulan Neutral Zone. The station suffered significant damage, but was captured intact after a day of fighting.
Vulcan was sent to engage the enemy fleet at Starbase 12, consisting of nearly 2000 ships. The fight didn't last long, less than six hours, before Section 31 withdrew to nearby Deneva, rightly believing it to be a target of the offensive.
Paradise assaulted Starbase 82, a key logistics point for the center of the separatist front. The fighting lasted nearly a day, and the station was ultimately destroyed. The taskforce lost roughly a quarter of its forces, 494 ships, in the battle.
Ulysses took Deep Space K-7, a key facility near the Klingon border, in about five hours, suffering minimal losses.
STAGE TWO - November 16Stage Two focused more on neutralizing support facilities, making it harder for Section 31 to recover after the operation, and Deneva, a key anchor point along the separatist border.
Alpha moved on to ultimately destroy Research Station 75, also near the RNZ.
Vulcan moved on to engage the enemy fleet at Deneva, which consisted of around 2200 ships, most of which had been recalled from Starbase 12. The Battle of Deneva lasted three days, and saw the fiercest, most devastating combat of the operation.
Paradise advanced to Starbase 67, which had been a supporting station for Starbase 82. With its capture, Section 31's ability to resupply their fleets in two key sectors was severely diminished.
Ulysses destroyed Starbase 118, further sending the Qu'vat and Xarantine sectors into disarray.
STAGE THREE - November 18Stage Three was largely about positioning for stage four, and saw three of the taskforces hit targets of opportunity as they waited for the battle at Deneva to finish.
Alpha bounced back near the Separatist border with a surprise assault on the enemy relief fleet at Babel. This was a surprising move to many in FNN's tactical analysis division, and was the first hint at the true goal of the operation.
Vulcan was still fighting at Deneva, ultimately establishing orbital superiority and setting up for an eventual ground battle. By the time the planet was secured, Taskforce Vulcan had lost exactly 1500 ships, mostly escort and support vessels. Notably, and horrifically, Section 31 took to attacking hospital ships behind the Starfleet line in an attempt to break morale and force a withdrawl.
Paradise raided the repair facilities in orbit of Celes, destroying a number of drydocks before eventually having to withdraw.
Ulysses destroyed the listening post in orbit of Regulus, as well was the orbital station and dry dock facilities.
STAGE FOUR - November 19By the end of Stage Three, the four taskforces were all within one QSD jump of the true target of Operation Seleyan Sun: Weytahn. The enemy fleet at Weytahn has been a direct threat against the Federation core since the start of the conflict, less than 10 lightyears from Andoria and Vulcan. The enemy fleet has varied in size from 3000-4000 ships over the last few months, and it's believed that the overall goal of Stages One through Three was to try and draw ships away from Weytahn.
Unfortuantely, the fleet didn't budge, although this allowed the Operation to be largely successful to that point. If they had dispatched ships from Weytahn to defend their other facilities, they might have been able to keep their outer regions more secure. On the other hand, that might only have hastened the assault on Weytahn.
Ultimately, with Starfleet's manufacturing and recruitment advantage, the number of ships they threw at the True Federation left Section 31 with few good options, so the fleet stayed put and waited for the multi-pronged assault.
They Battle of Weytahn was every bit as fierce as the fight at Deneva, though mercifully shorter, largely because of the introduction of Taskforce Uzevah's Hammer. The combined Andorian/Starfleet force was enough to turn the tide, but the enemy force continued to fight even though the outcome was assured. In the end, 90% of the enemy fleet was destroyed. Of those remaining, only 24 ships surrendered, they rest fleeing into the darkness.
RESULTSIt took some time for the true catalyst of Operation Seleyan Sun to come to light. Over the last six months, there have been whispers and rumors about a new kind of ship in Section 31's arsenal, one more resistant to scans and target locks. It's been rumored that it was one such ship that ultimately crippled the USS Bremen earlier this year, in fact.
As it turns out, there was truth to the rumor. Section 31 was building ships with hulls infused with the mineral kelbonite, a refractory substance that most sensors can't penetrate. Kelbonite, however, is nowhere near as durable as the duranium and tritanium used in conventional Federation ship construction, so the kelbonite-infused hull was reinforced by a lattice of neutronium, a substance impervious to most conventional weapons.
A fleet of invisible, nigh-indestructible vessels could have turned the tide of the conflict in Section 31's favor, so Starfleet decided to destroy Section 31's neutronium mining operations. The heart of those operations was a trio of neutron stars near Weytahn.
In nearly every metric, Operation Seleyan Sun was a success. Weytahn and Deneva have been liberated. Separatist space near the Klingon border is in disarray, and ripe for liberation, and key facilities throughout occupied territory have been neutralized. The enemy's two largest fleets have been broken and scattered, and the end, it seems, is assured - it's extremely unlikely that the True Federation will ever produce enough ships to threaten the Federation again.
The cost, however, was high on both sides. The True Federation lost somewhere around 5000 ships, with an estimated 450,000 casualties. Even though they might be our enemy, that's a staggering number of dead and injured.
Starfleet lost 3,221 vessels, with 127,671 confirmed dead, another 5,204 Missing In Action, and a further 202,197 injured, for a total of 335,072 casualties.
Nearly 800,000 casualties. In one week.
CONCLUSIONIt is axiomatic that war is a horrible thing. The threat that Section 31 and the True Federation pose has been very real, and with the revelation of their phantom ship design, it can be argued that Operation Seleyan Sun was a necessity. It is a good thing that it was successful - it hastens the end of the war (and this is a
war), which is indisputably good.
For the families of those 800,000 people, however, the end is already too late, and we're all left questioning how it is that we got to this point. And that, too, is a good thing. It's important to remember the compromises that led to Section 31's existence. It's important to recognize the failings of an increasingly militaristic Starfleet, and the corruption of a complacent United Federation of Planets.
We owe as much to those 800,000 and all the others who've been scarred by this conflict.