The McAuliffe Ambush was the first major offensive of the Kilrathi Empire against the Terran Confederation, starting the Terran-Kilrathi War. It was orchestrated by Crown Prince Gilkarg nar Kiranka.
Prelude
In order to make the Kilrathi stop their raids, humans declared a limited scale war. Task Force 23 was sent to Facin Sector to retaliate and push them back.[1] During the earliest stage, the Kilrathi lost 6 bases and 4 systems. They offered no resistance, suffering to lose only the most antiquated equipment, lulling them to overconfidence. However Gilkarg nar Kiranka's main target was the main fleet at McAuliffe, which so far remained there with no reason to move out.[2]
Gilkarg devised a revolutionary plot that reversed combat doctrine. He gave weight to the usage of faster carriers, with the fighters' accumulated speed; the battleships were slower, would alert the humans and were unable to fire the experimental torpedoes on which the Prince based his plans, able to penetrate shields. The assault was scheduled to coincide during the Confederation Day when most of the crews were expected to be asleep or drunk.[3]
The Sixth Fleet of the Claw, as it was further into the Empire, departed early to line up on the flank of the Landreich.[2]
Kilrathi volunteers in 2 light smuggler-type would simulate a hot pursuit luring the Confed frigate guarding the jump point into McAuliffe. Once boarded for inspection, the Kamikazes would detonate the warhead destroying the frigate. 6 carriers of the Second Fleet of the Claw under Nargth will be already underway at hightest speed and freely race to the jump point; once there they would launch their full complement against Alexandria. Less than an hour after the jump, fighters and bombers, armed with the experimental torpedoes would destroy the base. The bombers had to achieve a full stop before locking the target, but they would be supported by fighter escorts who also would assault the base directly, or defend the bombers.[3]
A first wave will hit the power reactors on the surface of the planet with the new torpedoes thus knocking down their shields allowing the Kilrathi to slaughter them. To be able to slow down in time, the craft were equipped with booster engines that would be jettisoned after their use.[3]
With the destruction of McAuliffe and the opening of the frontier, the Fifth and Sixth Fleets would penetrate the zones Etruria and Landreich, forcing the reserve fleet near Earth to sortie, and then combine the fleets straight there and annihilate what is left of them.[3]
The Prince then dismisses the attendees ordering the fleet to practive their maneuvers until the last moment. Individual plans, missions and analyses will be loaded to each ship computers as they will maintain communications silence.