Bravo Fleet
We are through the first fortnight of the 2025 campaign ‘New Frontiers’! The Shackleton Expanse has called, and the Fourth Fleet has answered. Over the last two weeks, Bravo Fleet has delved into the new region’s mysteries, challenges, and opportunities. To help you keep up with the many stories, every fortnight the Intelligence Office will release a series of updates of a selection of BF commands (that is, anyone who submitted an update!). Together, we can keep track of the story so far, and resolve the enigmas of the Shackleton Expanse…
ACT 1: October 15th – November 7th
Bravo Fleet Senior Staff
USS Atlas
The Atlas, Bravo Fleet’s newest Andromeda-class starship, has launched from Avalon and has been sent deep into the Shackleton Expanse to open up formal relations with a potential new ally in the region. On their way to meet with the Ivalan Union, the crew of the Corbin pick up a distress call from an Ivalan ship. After discovering the crew is dead, the captain has a nightmare linked to the same chanting the dead crew are discovered to have said before their deaths. Arriving at Ivalis Prime, the Atlas crew must share the sad news of the Ivalan crew while trying to engage with first contact procedures, a diplomatic soirée and trying to find answers to the captain’s sleepless nights.
Challenger Squadron
An away team from the Challenger explores the ruins of an ancient city on an uninhabited planet. While investigating a pedestal in the middle of the ruins, energy begins coursing through it and it sends a beam of light into the sky. On the Challenger, the crew detects a storm forming directly above the away team. It only lasts a few minutes and when it’s gone, there is no trace of the away team.
Constellation Squadron
Diverted from their survey expedition into the Shackleton Expanse by a distress call, Constellation Squadron made first contact with test pilots from the planet Dabar, who had achieved warp three after centuries of speed restriction caused by the Shroud. When the Dabari questioned if the Starfleet explorers of Constellation were truly the “starbeasts” they’d been warned about, their keeper of prophecy, the Ascendant, was called upon to test Starfleet’s true intentions.
USS Endeavour
Ordered to trace the source of the fissure that became the transwarp conduit to the Expanse, Endeavour follows a subspace trail to an abandoned asteroid base, its primitive structure hiding an advanced tri-quantum array that created the breach. The arrival of Lord Torkath, an ally of Chancellor Toral, complicates the mission as Klingon and Starfleet interests collide; a core overload kills his advisor, and Captain Valance barely prevents further bloodshed. The disaster worsens when Commander Logan, presumed injured, proves to be possessed by a Vezda – the entity once bound in the power core – before it escapes. With few answers and rising stakes, Endeavour heads to rendezvous with Sirius Squadron.
Polaris Squadron
While exploring in the Shackleton Expanse, Polaris Squadron intercepts multiple distress calls, each identical in timestamp, origin, and quantum signature, but varying in content. Intrigued, Fleet Admiral Reyes takes the USS Polaris to investigate. In the Chorad system, they are confronted by a local defense force that accuses them of causing a spacetime anomaly, coinciding with the Shroud’s collapse, that has caused catastrophe on their most important lunar mining colony. The Advanced Science, Technology and Research Activity turns its attention towards the moon: scans reveal severe chronometric fragmentation across the surface; sensor feeds return jumbled sequences; and probes are observed both launching and impacting the surface in overlapping frames. With the anomaly creating conditions beyond the limits of observation, Fleet Admiral Reyes travels to the capital city on Chorad III to seek access to the only man to ever escape the moon, a pilot believed possessed by his people who since his return has spoken only fragmented, out-of-sequence phrases, the last coherent thing he ever said being: “They’re still down there. All of them. Over and over again.”
USS Yorktown & RRW Devoras
The USS Yorktown and the RRW Devoras have arrived in the Quorath System to help the Quorathi, a civilization descended from Romulans stranded there centuries ago, decide their own future while building ties between the Federation and the Romulan Republic. As Captain Jerok and Admiral Tolak work to earn the Quorathi’s trust through diplomatic overtures, the Romulan Free State moves to undermine their efforts. A hidden listening post and falsified transmissions uncovered by the Yorktown and Devoras suggest the Free State may already be manipulating events behind the scenes. Tensions are rising as diplomacy gives way to suspicion and the threat of conflict at the arrival of a Free State warbird high above the Quorathi capital city.
Task Force 17
USS San Clemente & IKS Y’tem
The aging Klingon bird of prey IKS Y’tem, under the command of L’rena daughter of Beltor, is sent from Framheim station as the first Klingon vessel to explore the Caelari System after the fall of the Shroud. There they discover a Tri-World civilisation, bound together by faith in the ‘Radiance’. When a convoy of pilgrims is caught in a dangerous situation the Y’tem and the Federation Starship USS San Clemente are forced to work together in rescuing them. Invited to the capital city of Varanesh, both crews have begun to uncover that the great spire at the cities centre is an ancient resonant amplifier. Now as the truth is slowly uncovered, Klingon Honour and Starfleet curiosity must walk a delicate line between revealing too much and protecting a civilisation built around faith
Task Force 21
USS Morro Bay
Between black market schemes that have ended in blood being spilt, plans to save a whole alien race from the inevitable destruction of their system, and rescue missions alike, the USS Morro Bay is swamped and awaiting with baited breath on what’s next.
Task Force 47
Atlantis Squadron
With the triumphant return of Commander Camargo to the Atlantis, ship and crew head off to the Shackleton Expanse with the USS Republic to investigate the planet Leytan III as part of the big survey mission. Republic finds itself delayed upon arrival in the Expanse due a medical emergency, but catches up with Atlantis shortly after it’s arrival in system. The discovery of an impossible monolith on Leytan III invites investigation of a more primitive sort thanks to an interference field. Seizing the chance for a proper expedition, Commander Camargo heads up a mixed away team from both crews and discovering they just might have found a hidden passage under the monolith in short order.
USS Fox
The USS Fox had days, safely in orbit, investigating the pre-warp planet of Brynar. The planet was producing periodic energy signatures un-befitting of its Iron Age inhabitants. Further study determined several megastructures that were embedded into the planet’s lithosphere, which predated the planet itself by over 10,000 years! Determining more information was needed, an away team was sent down to the planet to try and get to the bottom of these mysterious signals. But ancient secrets seldom like to be disturbed, as the away team is soon to uncover.
USS Hart
After a long journey across the Shackleton Expanse, Hart has finally arrived in the Velantri system, where the promise of enough dilithium to fuel the fleet for a century is held in the golden clutches of the Concord. It quickly becomes apparent that they are not the only interested party, and as they journey to the mine itself, the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Republic have both made it clear they want a piece of the pie. Unfortunately, Hart is already on the back foot.
USS Wasp & Hypatia Division
Hypatia Division, Wasp, and Mok’tal survey a strange structure down on a desolate planet’s surface. However, shortly after an away team arrives to study it, a force of Draxan ships arrives in-system. They destroy a probe from Hypatia and chase off Wasp when she goes to investigate, and the group prepares for a tense contact with the Imperium.
Task Force 72
USS Blythe & IKS Slivin
The Blythe and the Slivin have arrived at the Duwalla system and begun their dual ‘second contact’ mission. They have discovered a group of dissident Ferengi traditionalists have been there for roughly 5 years already. The Formicans, a large ant-like species, are preparing for a new interstellar colonization mission. The Dergans are a pre-warp culture that vaguely resemble bipedal pigs, and have suffered some harmful effects of the Ferengi’s cultural contamination.
USS Farragut
The USS Farragut shepherds a ragtag fleet of battered freighters through the treacherous trade lanes of the Shackleton Expanse, hounded by the Pilgrims of the Veil, a fanatic sect of death-worshipping marauders. The Farragut and its fighter pilots fly to the edge of collapse fending off the Pilgrims’ relentless tests, their raids growing sharper and more coordinated by the day. A swaggering Klingon pirate-king warns Captain Ayres that a storm is coming, offering a single lead: Orantei, an old station said to be quietly arming the Pilgrim cause. When the convoy reaches it, they find an impossibly pristine haven run by the elegant Administrator Mara Kell, who welcomes them with open arms and uncanny efficiency. But beneath Orantei’s gleaming calm lies the unmistakable scent of danger, and the uneasy sense that the Pilgrims’ shadow stretches much further than anyone imagined.
USS Kirk
Assigned to patrol duty around Framheim Station, the crew of the Shran-class escort USS Kirk are reassigned to join joint-fleet elements in the search for a missing Romulan Republic science vessel. What Lt Commander Lane Hanley and her crew uncover in the Hecate system, will defy the expectation and herald a desperate race for dominance between shattered peoples of both past and present.
USS Thunderchild
While deploying comm relays across the Expanse, the USS Thunderchild catches a garbled distress call from the Paldor System and diverts to investigate, only to find Captain K’Rath’s IKS Mavek’du already in orbit. First Overseer Seren Athell slips the crew a data crystal that unmasks K’Rath’s staged pirate raid and his true aim… to occupy the Secundi refineries and extract tribute for the Empire. The Thunderchild readies an urgent report for Framheim Station. At the same moment, the refit IKS T’Ong, mapping border sectors, intercepts news of the betrayal. Captain K’trok engages the cloak and races for Paldor, eager to purge the dishonor and settle House Varek’s old score with K’Rath.
Task Force 86
Andromeda Squadron
The USS Andromeda and its support ship the RRW Tomal head into the unknown on a exploratory mission for the Federation. Upon arriving in a populated star system, they discover that they’re in the Tyrena System. They establish first contact with one of the populated planets, the Hespar who are eager to greet the visitors and ensure that they deal first with them and not the other two species in the system.
Canterbury Division
The Canterbury is joined by the IKS Korinar, sparking tensions among the crews as the division receives orders to head to the Shackleton Expanse.
Da Vinci Division
Both the crews of the USS da Vinci & USS Grus have been issued with devices to monitor neural activity and potential protect against the planet Harha’kuv’s supposed powerful psionic field; a planet which they are both currently searching for. Yet despite these precautions, unknown forces have attempted to manipulate the minds of the da Vinci’s crew through Trazan, a Betazed onboard. Doctor Sunny the CMO is now working on stopping it. Meanwhile the Grus has apparently stumbled across a planet inhabited by people speaking in only Portuguese; which the Universal Translator seems unable to convert to English. They look human, but how could they have ended up in the far reaches of the Shackleton Expanse, so many light years from Earth?
USS Leif Erikson
The Leif Erikson made it to the Palrilles system. After scanning the system’s planets, the crew discovered that Palrilles IV, which sits just inside the system’s habitable zone, contained a large and complex network of seemingly empty subterranean tunnels and caverns. An away team was sent to study the tunnels, where after a day of mapping and cataloging, they have discovered an inhabitant.
USS Sovereign
Sovereign has arrived in orbit of the planet K’Shar, only to rapidly deploy the away team in a shuttle to try and gather as many clues of the ruined city before the storm arrives. While one half of the team ventures outside the city, the other half entered the temple. Elidia and Riov who entered the temple, discovered glyphs that depict some history of a civilization that once existed on this world. They also discovered how the civilization may have perished, since they were visited by the Vezda.
Task Force 93
Deep Space 12 Division
Both the USS Galileo and the RRW T’Seran entered the same ion storm from opposite sides of the expanse; one answering a faint distress call, the other investigating an anomaly for the Romulan Free State. Each captain believed they were alone until an unknown signal revealed something else.
USS Fairfax & USS Neptune
Neptune and Fairfax have arrived in the Vraekton system to investigate Starfleet’s suspicions of a Romulan outpost in the system that has gone dark. While completing a system survey to locate evidence of the Romulans, U.S.S. Neptune has discovered a unique anomaly concerning the 6th planet in the system, which is gravitationally tied to two gas giants; slowly tearing the body apart.
Meanwhile U.S.S. Fairfax has established orbit of the 4th planet which appears a viable candidate for the location of a possible Romulan presence.”
USS Sacagawea
The Sacagawea is enroute to the assigned Zone. The ship and crew are getting used to each other.
USS Typhoon
Journeying to the volatile nebula, the Trialen Patch. Typhoon has entered a three-way battle for supremacy of the Valora Reach: the Aurali Republic, Grand Republic of Valen, and the Confederacy of Alligned Systems are all vying for control. The Valen government is facing mounting corruption, with 12 trade conglomerates holding power in parliament, but it has a plan to find out how deep this corruption goes. Or do they?
