Chin'toka

From FEInfobase

Chin'toka was a strategically important Cardassian star system near the Federation border and contained two habitable planets. It was the scene of two major confrontations in the Dominion War and numerous smaller conflicts also took place here. At the end of 2374, the Allies invaded the system marking their first advancement into Cardassian space since the outbreak of hostilities. Though the system's only defending ships were five squadrons of Jem'Hadar fighters, Cardassian made orbital weapons platforms proved to be deadly effective against the attacking force and almost held the system until their weakness: a dependance upon a solitary power source; was exploited by the USS Defiant. The system was subsequently taken by the Allies however the Dominion continued to attack it, as one of the planets, AR-558 was home to a Dominion communication array which Starfleet were working hard to break into, hoping to monitor enemy transmissions. Starfleet ground teams on AR-558 were often left without support for longer than regulations permitted, though were successful in holding the array until Starfleet's withdrawal.

Starfleet was successful in holding the system for the majority of the following year, until shortly after the Breen entered the conflict alongside the Dominion. The Breen utilised an energy dampening weapon that rendered almost every starship it was fired upon completely inoperable, causing the Allies to quickly lose the system and hold back until a counter to the weapon was developed.

Alongside Operation: Return which saw Starfleet regain control of Deep Space Nine and the final assault on Cardassia Prime, the two major engagements at Chin'toka were some of the largest and most costly battles of the entire war.