The Battle of Manarram was an engagement between United Earth forces and the Romulan Star Empire during the Earth-Romulan War that resulted in a significant victory for Earth.
History[]
In the late 2150s decade, United Earth Starfleet Admiral Uli Blackwater commanded a five-squadron fleet from his Horizon-class flagship USS Hewlin. His force was made up of volunteer squads on a mission to locate enemy bases within Romulan territory.
Circa 2158, on reference stardate 1/0811.25, the fleet's Cavalry-class point ship USS Machiavelli detected energy signatures, then numerous starships. The fleet came across Manarram, which turned out to be the sector's primary Romulan resupply depot. Fifty transports plus 30 cruisers and gunboats were in orbit. Additionally, two orbiting X-2 Stelai Latasasz-class space stations protected normal approach vectors. The outer system was patrolled by six escorts. None of the vessels were battle-ready. Most were midway through resupply operations, with some planetary outpost personnel piloting shuttles between the planet and the orbiting ships.
Blackwater thought an attack approaching from above the system's ecliptic plane would hide them from the X-2 stations. The tactic worked, completely surprising the Romulans. The X-2 stations were out of position to defend any significant force, but fired missiles anyway, missing all targets. After three hours, all 80 Romulan ships in orbit and both space stations had been destroyed, along with at least six of the resupply shuttles.
During the next three hours, Earth forces assaulted the surface outpost. The facility's turrets launched missile salvos that hit a cruiser and three destroyers, but did not severely damage them. After its shields were damaged, personnel self destructed the base. That explosion destroyed the Machiavelli, a second cruiser, a frigate, and three destroyers, Earth's only losses during the engagement.
Some caches of supplies were destroyed in the system's asteroid belt. (FASA RPG module: The Romulan War)
Earth forces also discovered an abandoned class XIV Romulan battlecruiser prototype starship in the system. For security reasons, its disposition was classified under Operation Golden Pheasant and the ship designated the USS Juggernaut. (FASA RPG module: Old Soldiers Never Die)
Aftermath[]
The decisive victory was a crippling blow to Romulan supply lines, from which they never recovered.
The battle was analyzed in J.G. Tamuchal's reference, Star Fleet Command Official Campaign History of the Romulan War. (FASA RPG module: The Romulan War)
A few years prior to 2285, Terrance Lundbar gave his granddaughter Lila Rannan a gamebox hidden within a hawk statue. When activated, it tested Earth-Romulan War knowledge via a hex-word game. The ninth question asked where a major Earth victory occurred during the war within Romulan territory; the answer was "Manarram". (FASA RPG module: Old Soldiers Never Die)
Appendices[]
Background[]
The Romulan War presented in Spaceflight Chronology and FASA RPG was set some 19 years after the Federation’s founding, and was fought between it and the Romulan Empire. In light of later canonical information, this is assumed to be against the precursor Coalition of Planets instead with forces of United Earth Starfleet, rather than the United Nations Solar Fleet.