In the end, Ares fought valiantly but was finally overwhelmed. Ares and the battlecruiser battered each other until Ares' shields were flickering on the verge of failure, while Gr'oth's defences were severely weakened, but holding. Though the Ares maintained an advantage in manoeverability, the Gr'oth held a definite advantage in firepower. The two ships greeted each other with a furious exchange of phaser and disruptor fire.

Detecting a lone battlecruiser, the D-7 IKS Gr'oth, heading for the Yridia system, Ares moved to intercept. It was almost fate that the USS Ares and the D-7 should meet. The USS Ares and her sister ships had spearheaded Starfleet's advance, outclassing any warship the Klingons had been capable of fielding.

Though improved weapons and defences had allowed Starfleet to rival the Imperial fleet, Starfleet's greatest advantage had continued to lie with their advanced Ares-class cruisers.

That advantage, however, would not last long. So far only three separate D-7s had been sighted. There was some reassurance, however, in the knowledge that because the D-7 was a new, large and advanced Klingon design, these battleships were thus far few in number. In its first official engagement a single D-7 had destroyed two starships and crippled a third. If the Klingons became capable of smashing the Federation's forces as they had at the beginning of the war, Starfleet would not be able to stop them a second time. The introduction of the D-7 indicated that the Klingons were on the verge of seizing back the advantage that had at first allowed them to dominate the battlefied and come within sight of victory. It had taken two long, perilous years for Starfleet to develop the means to match the Klingon fleet in battle. The D-7 represented a frightening paradigm shift for the Federation. Glory to the Empire! Qa'Pla! Reply Good karma Bad karma +17 votes It was an honor to fight them, and when my time comes, my only wish is that I may die with the same honor that they showed today. It is perhaps fitting that Starfleet named the Ares after a human god of war, for she died a warrior's death, and I am certain that her crew now resides in the halls of Sto-vo-kor. The Federation, instead of collapsing under the might of our fleet, fought back with a passion and discipline I have not seen in most opponents over my years of service to the Empire, and for that they have my respect. But now, almost three years later, things have changed. When this war began, it was seen as no more than a simple campaign against an opponent barely able to defend themselves, a chance for young warriors to taste blood for the first time, and allow the old one last chance at glory. They have truly brought honor to both the Fleet and Empire.Īnd even as we celebrate our victory today, my eyes turn to the war tomorrow. This marks just the latest in the Gr'oth's already impressive list of victories, and today the bloodwine runs freely through the mess, and the halls echo the songs of victory.

Today we engaged and destroyed one of Starfleet's finest vessels, the accursed Ares.

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