Bravo Fleet
It’s done. At 884,803 words of individual fiction and plenty more through joint fiction by over 50 members, the stories of the Fleet Action: Nightfall have come to an end. This is the biggest storytelling event in Bravo Fleet history. I could not be more intensely proud of everyone, from the most prolific writers to those who dug deep to get a single story published.
First: give yourselves a pat on the back. A cup of tea, or whatever’s your celebratory drink of choice. Breathe and be pleased with yourself.
If and when you want to think about what’s next in Bravo Fleet… well, there’s a whole aftermath to deal with. This story was legendary, and legends shouldn’t be forgotten. Consider taking a moment to update the wiki articles for your starships with their feats of heroism against what characters are starting to call the Nightfall Incursion, the fall of the Blackout and the invasion of the Vaadwaur. For those of you whose stories hit canon locations with their own articles, consider updating those articles with what information’s relevant to invaded worlds and homes (remember that events your ships did should go on your ship’s articles, while content on location articles should focus on what happened to those locations). The galaxy moves fast, and heroes should be remembered, now that it’s over.
In-universe, of course, it’s not quite an end. The board is clean, but the galaxy keeps moving, and the aftermath of the Vaadwaur invasion will be felt for some time. The Intelligence Officer has already published the latest update for the 2402 BFMS Mission, outlining the state of affairs as the Vaadwaur withdraw. That content is, as always, there for you to enjoy if you want it. Some of you will want to write adventures unrelated to the Vaadwaur for a bit of fresh air. Others might want a break completely.
Worth highlighting, however, is what’s next from the Intelligence Officer. In July 2025, the next major event hits us: Shore Leave. This event will be shorter, more casual in tone and pacing, with lots of space for collaboration as the ships of the Fourth Fleet get a chance for a breather. It’s also a perfect time to explore the emotional aftermath for crews haunted by the Vaadwaur, and revisit places liberated from occupation. That isn’t required, of course. You could have a dozen adventures between now and then. A deep-dive of your crew exploring and resolving their trauma. And come Shore Leave… well, write as you desire! The choice is yours.
But that’s what comes next. First, let’s cycle back. Have a cuppa. And reflect on what we’ve just achieved: the final arcs of Phase 3 of Nightfall.
PHASE 3
Bravo Fleet Senior Staff
USS Aldrin
The Aldrin and its skeleton crew works hand in hand with the crew of the USS Britannia. Together the crews pull off an impressive piggy-back maneuver through the Vaadwaur forces and unleash a direct assault of the largest carrier sized enemy vessel in the Risa vicinity. Both vessels withstand significant damage but manage to disable the largest naval threat in the immediate area, helping to secure the Federation hold on Risa.
Atlantis Squadron
The Vaadwaur make a final push on Betazed. A short battle later sees Atlantis disabled and boarded, rescued only by the unexpected arrival of fresh reinforcements in the form of Republic, Sundiver and Argonaut, followed shortly after by fresh Starfleet forces that had been waiting for the Blackout to fall in order to make their way to Betazed.
Constellation Squadron
As Constellation Squadron galvanized the Delta Coalition to search out the Vaadwaur Supremacy’s home base, the Pralor betrayed the coalition. A control signal was identified as turning the Pralor against their allies, and Constellation Squadron devised a counter-signal to sever the Vaadwaur’s control over the Pralor. Following the control signal through Underspace to the Vaadwaur’s colony world in the Nekrit Expanse, Constellation & Odyssey Squadrons led the Delta Coalition in battle against the waiting battle fleet. Between the Vaadwaur’s Delta Quadrant neighbors turning on them, and their defeats in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, the Vaadwaur agreed to a ceasefire to end hostilities with the Delta Coalition.
Deep Space 2
Deep Space 2 became the focal point of a surprise assault by the Vaadwaur Supremacy during an Alpha Quadrant trade summit, exploiting the chaos of the Federation-wide communications blackout. Fleet Admiral Ramar and Rear Admiral Viran coordinated a desperate defense alongside allies from the trade summit like Admiral Tolak of the Romulan Republic and Ambassador S’Rath of the Gorn Hegemony. Despite being outnumbered, the defenders leverage the station’s advanced defenses and the formidable USS Dreadnought to repel the initial wave. The Vaadwaur escalated by boarding the station after using a previously unknown weapon on the station’s shields, leading to intense close quarters combat on the Promenade, where Gorn crew of Ambassador S’Rath’s ship assisted in the station’s defense. As the battle raged on, allied reinforcements arrived from the Romulan Republic, turning the tide and pushing back the Vaadwaur, though the station sustained significant damage in the process.
Odyssey Squadron
Locating the Vaadwaur’s new homeworld near to the Nekrit Expanse, the Odyssey and Constellation Squadrons lead the Delta Coalition to force the Vaadwaur to end the conflict. After a significant battle with the Vaadwaur, the coalition is able to offer a solution to the Vaadwaur to end the conflict once and for all. After tough negotiations, the two squadrons are able to successful bring the Vaadwaur’s invasion to an end and help their alllies come to terms with the impact of the Vaadwaur.
Polaris Squadron
Following the loss of the USS Serenity during an assault against Vaadwaur infrastructure, word reaches Polaris Squadron that Archanis Station has been captured and is being used by the Vaadwaur as a base of operations to strike exert their will across the Archanis Sector. An advanced team is sent ahead to infiltrate the station using the civilian-flagged SS Lucre, while Fleet Admiral Allison Reyes rallies additional ships for an assault to retake the station. When all is ready, a coordinated strike is launched. The USS Polaris leads the attack against the system, while the advanced team foments the station’s residents to rise up against their oppressors and retakes the station’s computer core and command center so it can’t be used by the Vaadwaur against the incoming armada. Unable to combat both the insurgency on the station and the ships beyond its walls, the Vaadwaur are defeated, and Archanis Station is returned to Federation control.
Sirius Squadron
Sirius Squadron launches its final assault on the heart of Alpha Centauri, an all-out attack against entrenched Vaadwaur forces they have no hope of defeating through brute strength. The strike, however, provides vital cover for the primary objective: the USS Blackbird’s bypassing of these defenders to enter Underspace and infiltrate the Blackout Outpost. Primed with key intelligence, Blackbird’s special operations team, the Rooks, locate, board, and destroy the outpost, nearly losing their lives in the process. In the Battle for Alpha Centauri itself, Sirius Squadron are nearly slaughtered by the Vaadwaur, unable to flee and forced to keep fighting as the Vaadwaur threaten to level Alpha Centauri City in retribution for their defiance. Only the collapse of the Blackout and the arrival of Starfleet’s First Fleet turns the tide. The Vaadwaur withdraw and Alpha Centauri is liberated, though the scars on the Federation heartland will be felt for some time.
Task Force 17
Columbia Division
With the Vaadwaur closing in on the stricken Columbia, the rest of the division came to the rescue and cleared the way for the mighty Galaxy-class to get into the fight. Once free and able, the division fought against impossible odds, regrouping above Andoria for one final enemy push. In the battle that raged, Columbia suffered catastrophic damage and, despite the best efforts of her crew, the ship descended into the atmosphere. With the call to abandon ship given, those lucky enough to survive watched in horror as their home crashed into the arctic peninsula and, finally, came to rest at the bottom of the ocean. With the eventual Vaadwaur retreat comes a rising death toll, and salvage operations get underway; those who survived are left counting the cost of a successful, but deadly defence of the system.
Hecate Squadron
Himalaya and Pacific Palisades have successfully created their communication grid only to find out the horrible truth of the galaxy beyond the black curtains. Eclipse manages to escape the slave labor world of Lebria behind, but at the cost of two cadets’ lives. Gemini made an emergency exit on the breaking point of Vaadwaur losing control, they manage to rescue the Horseheads crew, but left the civilians behind.
Task Force 21
USS Brawley
The mixed convoy pursued the Vaadwaur element into an aperture after the IKS Votaragh destroyed the lead ship’s bridge. The resulting battle destroyed the Blackout Outpost and triggered a massive trans-planar warp eddy that hurled the convoy from near Izar towards the border with Kzinti space. The Brawley intercepted a fragmented signal that lead them out of Underspace to the Morro Bay, where a recovery mission was launched.
USS Leif Erikson
The Leif Erikson, using a recovered Vaadwaur navigation core, made it to Deep Space 12 in time to repel a Vaadwaur attack. After the Fenris Rangers reported the location of the Vaadwaur outpost, the Erikson, along with the USS Battle and two Rangers traveled to the outpost. The Battle, having sustained critical damage during the assault, set its warp core to detonate and crashed itself into the outpost, destroying them both.
Montana Squadron
The starships of the Montana Squadron are reunited and launch an attack on the station projecting the blackout effect. Science and Security teams beam aboard to get as much data as they can. In the process, they work on a way to blow the station. In the process of evacuation, Captain Walton and Commander Park escape with their lives. A service to remember the dead is held and the rimward areas begin the process of recovery.
USS Morro Bay
After the capture of the invading Vaadwaur, the USS Morro Bay discovered that the ship that had invaded them was actually a rogue crew, marked to be executed by their empire for their crimes. Yuven, the Captain, shot the Morro Bay’s warp core in an attempt to kill everyone on the Morro Bay as a way to avoid impending death. The warp core did not fully obliterate the ship, and thanks to the fast acting crew, it was able to be saved by the USS Brawley, and is currently in the recovery phase.
Task Force 47
Britannia Division
As a terrifying threat emerges over the battleground of the once-perfect shores of Risa, the crew of Britannia is faced with seemingly overwhelming odds. Unwilling to allow the pleasure planet to fall to the enemy, Captain Harrison makes a choice. Taking Aldrin under its wing, Britannia dives headlong towards the final foe. Whilst aboard K-74, the advance team of Daedalus finds themselves locked in a fight for the wounded station’s very existence. After creeping through the battle-torn halls, they finally have their target in sight, till one breath threatens to bring it all crashing down.
USS Century
The crew of the USS Pulsar, facing overwhelming odds, infiltrate Underspace and discover the cause of the Blackout. They escape, though the ship was too heavily damaged to participate in the subsequent battle. A combined task force of Starfleet and Vulcan High Command vessels was hastily assembled. The small Federation armada, led by the USS Century, invaded the Underspace corridors and engaged in a costly battle that saw the station destroyed and the Vaadwaur in full retreat deeper into the Underspace network. With the Vulcan system secured once more, the Federation begins the arduous process of repairing those ships that survived, and sending off those who did not see the end of hostilities.
USS Oakland
Having been disabled, but not destroyed, by the two remaining Vaadwaur ships, Oakland’s crew manages to restore some power, at least temporarily, to the torpedo launchers. With their final torpedoes, they buffet the escort into the cruiser, destroying them both. However, Oakland continues to drain power, and soon life support is almost gone… before a Klingon cruiser arrives to the rescue, taking off her crew and towing the utility cruiser to safety.
USS Vallejo
The USS Vallejo was dispatched to Nerathis IV to investigate a communications blackout at a remote archaeological dig. Upon arrival, the crew discovered a derelict Vaadwaur scout ship in orbit and evidence of an attack on the surface. As away teams explored both the ruins and the vessel, they encountered escalating subspace instability and intense psychological distress, revealing the presence of an ancient psionic predator that had been sealed away long ago. With no survivors on the planet or aboard the Vaadwaur ship, the entity began to feed on the away teams, inducing terrifying hallucinations and physical trauma. Through extraordinary resilience and teamwork, the Vallejo crew managed to reseal the entity and escape the system with the Vaadwaur vessel in tow.
Task Force 72
USS Carlsbad
Captain Skyrunner and the Carlsbad, in alliance with Kaelara and the Kyrenni of Nexarion, succeed in reactivating a dormant Borg battle group. With these new forces, Skyrunner hatches a two-prong plan to locate and capture a Blackout Outpost. Skyrunner leads an infiltration team aboard a captured Vaadwaur ship, while the Carlsbad leads the liberated Borg forces in battle against the Vaadwaur and ultimately emerge victorious.
USS Fresno
Captain Michael Dart took the USS Fresno and fled away from Pieris IV, Vaadwaur pursuit hot on his heels. Thalissa and her away team were left behind. Extending slightly into Cardassian territory, the Fresno fled and was intercepted by a Galor-class vessel similarly trapped. While they worked together to enter the Underspace and dispatch the station causing the blackout effect in the region, Thalissa and her team encounter the research colony’s chief engineer, Montana Colburn. He and his team work with Thalissa to retake the research colony. When Michael returns with the Fresno to retrieve his away team, he discovers that Thalissa had been resourceful enough to handle the situation planetside without the Fresno’s support. Between both groups, the Pieris system was liberated.
USS Hikaru Sulu
Lieutenant Savak overpowers his captors and kidnaps Gul Ghallir to enlist the True Way’s assistance in guerrilla warfare against the Vaadwaur Supremacy, tricking them into pursuing the Hikaru Sulu to draw them into the fight. Luring the pursuing Vaadwaur forces into the asteroid field, Captain Shavda takes clever steps to level the field of engagement. The Hazard Team boards the Blackout Outpost and destroys it, finally allowing the Hikaru Sulu to rejoin the rest of Task Force 72 and take the fight to the Vaadwaur.
Task Force 86
Andromeda Division
The USS Falcon arrived at a Starfleet monitoring base just inside Federation space that was under assault by the Vaadwaur forces. A brief battle later and despite being heavily damaged the Falcon was able to defeat the invaders, but unable to complete repairs in time to engage in further combat. Meanwhile the USS Andromeda went into Romulan space to attempt to protect a Romulan colony, their first battle with the Vaadwaur ended poorly, but they were able to escape using a slipstream drive and recoup with an injured Romulan warbird. Discovering that the planet had a disabled protective shield the Andromeda and warbird returned, landing an invasion force and attempting to hold off the superior Vaadwaur forces until the defence grid was restarted. It did not work, leaving both ships rendered immobile and awaiting destruction when the Blackout ended and a large Romulan force arrived to defeat the Vaadwaur.
Canterbury Division
The USS Resolute gains access to Underspace, and meets heavy resistance. Help comes from an unexpected source as they take on an unusual facility just within Underspace.
Starbase 415 Division
The Vaadwaur invasion fleet of Starbase 415 and Chin’toka have been eliminated and are secured. On Starbase 415, the Tokyo was successful in recruiting Tholian and Talarian vessels to assist in the defense and security of the Starbase. The Sovereign arrived in the Chin’toka system and was able to mount a serious blow to the enemy forces in orbit of the Chin’toka colonies, until the ship was forced to retreat to Rentak Nor. After some persuasion from Captain Maxwell, the Vaadwaur vessels were eliminated by a small fleet of Keldon Class warships and the colonies were reinforced with more Cardassian troops to fend off the Vaadwaur soldiers. While the Sovereign Division are en route to a yard for repairs, the repairs to Starbase 415 will take time.
USS da Vinci
Several officers and crew from both the USS da Vinci and USS Grus were sent down to engage the Vaadwaur soldiers of Samson III and rescue several hundred people being held prisoner. After discovering the buildings had been booby-trapped; plans were made to capture the Vaadwaur and take the deactivation code. This failed, resulting in significant loss of life. Meanwhile Commander Anacostia-Bolling managed to convince the rest of the Vaadwaur Fleet that her two ships had superior weaponry, avoiding a major battle. The recovery of dead and injured on Samson III, is ongoing.
Task Force 93
Eos Squadron
In the aftermath of the Vaadwaur assault, Eos Squadron officers fight a brutal battle to reclaim the station. With communications slowly restored and resistance efforts coordinated, the crew turn the tide, forcing the Vaadwaur into retreat. In a final act of sacrifice, Gab Harris ensures the enemy’s defeat at the cost of his life. With the station now secure, the survivors begin the task of rebuilding their home.
