The Battle of Draconis 427 was an armed confrontation between two newly formed alliances, the Planetary Union and the Kaylon against the Krill and the Moclans.
Prelude[]
Following the Kaylon invasion of Earth, the Planetary Union, along with the Moclans (as members of the Union), and the Krill had initially maintained a united front against the Kaylon threat. In the year following that conflict, however, that alliance would ultimately break.
First, newly-elected Supreme Chancellor Teleya would withdraw Krill from its alliance with the Union. Further, after increased tensions with other Union members over the Battle of the Sanctuary and the Union's protection of female Moclans, the issue finally reached a breaking point over the discovery of a Moclan black site, where Topa a young Moclan girl had been tortured for information. When Topa was brought before the Union council, her injuries on display for all to see, the outrage led to Moclus being expelled from the Union.
Suddenly lacking both the Krill's fleet, and the Moclans' supply of weapons, the Union found itself at a great disadvantage against the Kaylon. Conversely, the Moclans promptly proposed a Moclan-Krill alliance to Chancellor Teleya. Though Teleya insisted on shared leadership, something that incensed the Moclans, who abhored the idea of taking orders from a female, the Moclans ultimately relented, making way for the alliance.
The Union, meanwhile, had devised a new weapon against the Kaylon. After extensive studies of Timmis, a pacifist Kaylon, USS Orville crew members Ensign Charly Burke and Kaylon outcast Isaac devised a new weapon, powered by the Quantum reactor aboard the Orville. The weapon was designed to disrupt the synchronization matrix which connected both the Kaylon ships and the Kaylon themselves, and create a feedback loop, destroying both Kaylon ships and their crews.
The development of the weapon proved timely, as the Kaylon launched an invasion of the Union planet Xeleya, which the Union dispatched a fleet of ships to defend.. Despite being significantly outnumbered by 61 Kaylon ships, the weapon was successfully employed, destroying all 61 Kaylon ships and ending the battle in a matter of minutes.
After confirming with Isaac and Burke that a more powerful reactor could greatly increase the range of the weapon, a debate ensued over the morality of such an act. Captain Ed Mercer of the Orville was deeply troubled over the idea of the weapon being employed on a wide scale, regarding this as genocide. Admirals Perry and Ozawa, on the other hand, argued that employing the weapon was justified to prevent the Kaylon from wiping out other species themselves.
Some Union officers remained dubious about not using the weapon, however. Perhaps most notable was Admiral Perry, who orchestrated the theft of the weapon from its facility on Earth, and personally delivered it by shuttle to the Teleya and Captain Kodon, knowing full well that the Krill and Moclans would be willing to use it. Perry intended to return to Earth to turn himself in, but Teleya ordered his shuttle destroyed to prevent him from informing the Union of the new Alliance.
The Orville tracked Perry's heading to the rendezvous point, where energy signatures confirmed the presence of both the Krill and Moclans. The crew speculated that, lacking Burke and and Isaac to operate it, the Krill and Moclans would take the weapon to the Moclan outpost on Draconis 427, where noted Moclan scientist Dr. Kalba would likely be able to reverse-engineer it. A brief reconnaisance of the outpost, while remaining hidden, confirmed a massive quantum reactor on the planet, large enough to extend the weapons range by several light years.
With no alternative, Mercer informed the Kaylon of the weapon's theft, and its current whereabouts. A fleet of Union ships was dispatched, but given the Krill and Moclans superior numbers and firepower, Mercer proposed an alliance with the Kaylon. Given the threat posed, the Kaylon had no choice but to agree, although they insisted that their alliance with the Union was a temporary one.
It was determined that an emergency access corridor on the surface would provide access to the weapon. Commander Kelly Grayson, Lt. Commander Talla Keyali, Ensign Burke, and Isaac were assigned to infiltrate the facility to retrieve the weapon, if possible, or destroy it, if necessary. Skeptical of the Union's ability to secure the weapon, Kaylon Primary insisted on accompanying the ground team, leaving Kaylon Secondary to command the Kaylon fleet.