Bravo Fleet
The past two weeks have been, perhaps, the greatest two weeks of writing in the history of Bravo Fleet.
I’m not exaggerating. The opening phase of this fleet action depicting the merciless invasion of the mysterious and dangerous Vaadwaur, a staggering threat to the whole of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, has seen stories, single and joint, from no less than 48 individual members for a total over 410,000 words. It’s gobsmacking, frankly, and a true credit to every writer out there who’s so much as tapped some words on a keyboard, because the hardest thing is getting started. I don’t think there’s anything elsewhere in our little hobby quite like it.
That’s a lot of words. Which means we really, really could do with a nice, quick summary on what actually happened in all of those stories, huh? So, without further ado, the Phase 1 update of the story so far for Nightfall…
Phase 1
Bravo Fleet Senior Staff
USS Aldrin
The USS Aldrin has been at high-impulse for several weeks, having been caught in the wake of a Blackout enroute to Risa. As the crew finally arrives at Risa, they are provided leave on the planet and are also grateful to say goodbye to a rude Ambassador who had been with them much longer than initially planned.
Atlantis Squadron
Trapped by the Blackout anomaly in the Betazed system for a month now, shortly after what was hoped to be a short visit, the crew of the starship Atlantis are battling boredom and bureaucratic running around. Their first reprieve comes in the form of the starship Tizona, joining them after having been caught by the anomaly while on patrol and opting to head for the nearest Federation world at impulse speed, a mere four-week trip luckily. While attempting to make more sense of the anomaly an unknown collection of ships is detected with a combination of unique sensors and a quirk of the Blackout itself. Combined with a garbled message from Command, the only part able to be made out being ‘Code Forty-seven’ puts the crew of both ships on alert. When one of the unknown ships arrives at the edge of the anomaly hours earlier then expected, there to deliver an ultimatum, the Starfleet crews in system learn of who they facing – the Vaadwaur Supremacy.
Constellation Squadron
Ordered to seek allies who might repel the Vaadwaur invasion of the Federation, Constellation Squadron became embroiled in political intrigue across the Nacene Reach. The Kazon-Relora were attacked by starship wrecks unleashed from Underspace, and the Pralor Automated Personnel Units were provided false intelligence that prompted their attack on a Trabe flotilla. A tense stand-off descended into all-out conflict while Starfleet peacemaking away teams were stranded on Kazon and Trabe vessels alike. The arrival of Odyssey Squadron turned the tide of battle, despite their last known location being in another corner of the Delta Quadrant.
Odyssey Squadron
Stranded in the Nacene Reach, Odyssey squadron discovers a rare source of benamite crystals. Able to build quantum slipstream drives for everyone, the squadron prepares to head back home, but after a diplomatic exchange with the Rakosans and saving a Talaxian convoy, Odyssey Squadron soon discovers that the Vaadwaur have started a campaign against those that live in this part of the galaxy as well. After helping those around them, including the Haakonians, Talaxians and the Vidiians, the squadron eventually discovers they’re not alone and their comrades in the Constellation Squadron have dealt with similar matters. The only thing left to do is to join forces and thwart the Vaadwaur’s Delta Quadrant plans in a hope to save the Alpha and Beta Quadrants.
Polaris Squadron
The K’t’inga fleet yard, the beating heart of the Klingon military-industrial complex, comes under attack in the opening minutes of the Vaadwaur invasion. Polaris Squadron, on a diplomatic mission deep within Klingon space, responds to the attack, and ultimately the Vaadwaur withdraw, but not before leaving the system in shambles, nearly every drydock, station and colony either damaged or destroyed. As Polaris Squadron races to save what they can, ASTRA and Klingon scientists from Mempa V work to unlock the secrets of the Blackout, and Fleet Admiral Reyes navigates a tense geopolitical situation between and among surviving generals, word reaches them from the long-lost USS Serenity and USS Ingenuity of a way to strike back.
Meanwhile, back at home, soon after sending its squadron out on relief missions for areas hit by the Vaadwaur, Archanis Station itself comes under attack. It’s defenses are quickly overwhelmed, boarding parties run rampant across the station, and following a take over of the computer core and the execution of several members of the senior staff, Vice Admiral Grayson has no choice by to surrender the station to the Vaadwaur.
Sirius Squadron
With the squadron assigned to liberate the Alpha Centauri system from the Vaadwaur, the scout ship Blackbird is launched through the graviton catapult constructed at Gateway Station as an advance party ahead of the main force. There, Blackbird’s crew operate under stealth, where they plan the initial assault and observe the oppressive cruelty of the Vaadwaur occupation, particularly that of the Vaadwaur overseer of Proxima, Commander Drehm. In a prelude to open conflict, Blackbird’s special operations unit, the Rooks, infiltrate the capital of Proxima to sabotage Vaadwaur communications infrastructure, but their mission ends in a direct confrontation with Drehm when they fight back against a public execution. Sirius Squadron’s arrival erupts in the Battle of Proxima, a hard-fought Starfleet victory that drives the Vaadwaur back to the stars of Toliman and Rigil Kentaurus. The Rooks, however, are forced to let Drehm escape as they redeploy to save the USS Liberty, and the escaping Vaadwaur commander has one last order for his fleets as they leave the system: bombard the habitation domes of Proxima IX, and slaughter thousands.
Task Force 17
USS Babylon
The Babylon crew has been tasked with pathfinding via a pre-existing Borg transwarp conduit, if they can find one. A local government has offered to help, but not without strings attached.
USS Burbank
The USS Burbank has only received one communication from a local ship since the blackout, the USS Sheffield along with an unusual request: help flush out a Vaadwaur ship near to its location. The Captain and its crew start to formulate a plan to accommodate; the Captain has been blunt and the XO is starting to question the choices made, tensions are rising between the departments, will the plan work or are they throwing themselves into further unknown danger?
Hecate Station & USS Eclipse
Wave after wave of civilian ships begin arriving at Hecate Station, refugees fleeing the advance of the Vaadwaur war machine. The station, never designed to handle such numbers, finds itself with limited resources and mounting pressure to offer hope amid chaos.
Meanwhile, the cadets of Pilgrim Flight aboard the USS Eclipse are caught off-guard by the sudden emergence of an Underspace aperture. After a violent collision during transit, the Eclipse takes refuge among wreckage in deep space, undergoing repairs. While surveying the nearby region, the cadets discover they’ve arrived near Lebria, a labor world under Vaadwaur control.
USS Himalaya
While the USS Himalaya initially failed to locate any trace of the missing USS Eclipse, it was reassigned to a new mission, one with potentially vital impact for the region between Hecate Space and the Archanis Sector. From Hecate Station, the Himalaya will begin deploying communication satellites, while the USS Pacific Palisades will do the same from the Archanis side. Their efforts aim to meet in the middle, re-establishing a crucial link across the Blackout zone.
USS Sirona
Stuck on Risa ever since the Blackout first hit the system, a small portion of the Sirona’s crew has been granted shore leave to attend one of the “Blackout Parties” being hosted to keep the population and tourists at ease. But the weather isn’t cooperating – highly unusual, given the planet’s weather control grids that normally make it such a reliable tourist destination. The away team begins to investigate. Meanwhile, the Sirona picks up a distressing development: the luxury passenger liner Celeste has been hijacked and is headed for Risa, on a descent vector that all but guarantees a crash into Atheta, one of the planet’s most populated cities. Weighing the lives of the people aboard the Celeste against those on the surface, the Captain gives the order to fire.
Task Force 21
USS Brawley
Above the freshly planted meadows of Vaabanth IV, the USS Brawley stands as a sentinel in the wake of calamity. She’s tasked with escorting the renowned terraformer Reesshard Dvor near the protected cradle of a pre-warp civilization on neighboring Vaabanth III. The crew soon find themselves drawn into a volatile web of diplomacy and disaster. The Brawley begins the high-profile mission flanked by Orion Space Navy vessels and the imposing IKS Votaragh. Things unfold into a crucible of survival when a Vaadwaur task force suddenly detours off the path towards a neighboring Breen star-system and attacks the convoy.
Montana Station
Montana Station is attacked and deploys its fighter squadrons and the USS Zephyr’s fledgling West Wing. A group of children is trapped on an old listening post in a nearby colonial system, and The West Wing arrives and begins a rescue plan.
USS Morro Bay
The USS Morro Bay has found itself damaged and unresponsive, with it’s crew having to take drastic measures to survive. Currently, it is boarded and invaded with a Vaadwaur ship and its crew, with both Captains wagering a gamble for the others safety: Whichever crew has the most standing by the end of four hours has to follow by the others rules.
Task Force 47
Britannia Division
The junior staff of Britannia think it’s their moment to shine, when their research into the Blackout reveals another hand at work, though one hand is quickly turning into a legion. Across the quadrant, Daedalus believes that luck is on their side when they discover an underspace aperture that may give them a path back to the safety of K-74. Unfortunately, neither ship will find their fortunes rising as the enemy reveals the deck is already stacked against them.
USS Century
The 40 Eridani A shipyards and the planet Vulcan came under sudden assault by a Vaadwaur fleet, emerging shortly after a subspace interference anomaly was detected in the region. The USS Century and USS Pulsar, along with several incomplete vessels still in dock, were mobilized to defend the system. The Vaadwaur launched coordinated boarding actions across multiple ships and facilities, inflicting heavy casualties and widespread damage. Despite the ferocity of the attack, Starfleet forces managed to repel the intruders. The Vaadwaur then executed a strategic withdrawal through Underspace, leaving Starfleet reeling… and scrambling to regroup and prepare a counteroffensive.
USS Oakland
Having taken refuge in a civilian starport from the Blackout, Oakland responds to a distress call from the Klingon world of Narendra III. Despite having no support from Starfleet and with KDF reinforcements in doubt, they come to the world’s defense and interrupt their bombardment of the world. The vastly superior Vaadwaur force hit Oakland hard in return, wounding her captain and leaving her XO, Charlotte MacColgan, in command.
USS Vallejo
The USS Vallejo was dispatched to Nerathis IV after a Starfleet archaeological team missed multiple check-ins. Upon arrival, the crew discovered a dormant Vaadwaur vessel in orbit and no signs of life from the site below. As away teams investigated the planet and the derelict ship, they encountered severe interference, distorted sensor data, and evidence of an unknown force that had consumed both the Vaadwaur and likely the researchers. With communication failing and reality itself shifting around them, the Vallejo is beginning to realize that something has awakened.
Task Force 72
USS Akira
The crew of the USS Akira have arrived a few days prior to the “Blackout” Event. Vax takes some time away from the crew to pay her respects to Trance, her former lover and friend who is deceased. Meanwhile deep inside the Underspace two Vaadwaur, Thalos Dorak and Dranik Vesh, are headed to a Blackout Outpost. As the two Vaadwaur approach the central spire discharges a dark wave of energy into the Underspace and into the beta sector
USS Carlsbad
The USS Carlsbad, on its first mission under Captain Kirok Skyrunner, encounters a strange comet that, after conducting routine scans, pulled them into a subspace tunnel that flung them almost 560 light years away and into an unexplored system. When they exited the tunnel, they discovered the wreckage of a missing Federation starship on an unexplored Class M planet. An away team was sent down to gather supplies for ship repairs, when they stumbled upon a large colony, of 25,000 exBorg drones, that managed to regain their individuality and freedom from the Collective. Captain Skyrunner managed to retrieve his semi-captured away team and met Karlara, the leader of the exBorg drones, who call themselves the Kyrennei. The Kyrennei also heard the galaxy wide Vaadwaur message and offered their assistance to Captain Skyrunner in defeating the Vaadwaur station, that is creating this ‘Blackout’ effect, in that area.
USS Fresno
The USS Fresno gets pulled into an Underspace aperture to be spat out in the Pieris system. Their foray does not go unnoticed. Already licking wounds dealt by a violent if unintentional incursion into the Underspace, they suffer even more of a beating as a Manasa-class escort emerges to chase them into a nearby asteroid field.
USS Hikaru Sulu
Cut off from the rest of Starfleet by the Blackout enveloping the territory around the former Demilitarized Zone, Captain Raveen Shavda and her crew find themselves with the ultimate Command & Control asset, with no other ships to coordinate. Facing the prospect of certain defeat by the Vaaduwar Supremacy, the crew of the USS Hikaru Sulu liberate the Cardassian colony of New Providence from planetary assault. With the fragile cargo of survivors aboard, now they must seek the help & support of Terran Miners with a strong separatist sentiment & possible New Maquis sympathies and seek to overcome deep – rooted hatreds to unite people with no love for the other before the invaders return – to rage Against the Dying of the Light…
Task Force 86
Andromeda Division
The USS Falcon arrives at a peace conference in the Triangle being hosted by the USS Andromeda to resupply the vessel. During this time the ships discover they can no longer travel faster than warp three or contact anyone outside the solar system. The Falcon returns to Federation space to find out what’s going on. Meanwhile the Andromeda builds a slipstream drive. On the edge of Federation space the Falcon counters a Vaadwuar assault on a Starfleet base. Meanwhile the Andromeda fights off one Vaadwuar assault and then, using its slipstream drive, rushes into another in Romulan space. Now it is trying to free a Romulan colony with the help of a heavily damaged Romulan warbird.
Da Vinci Division
As the crew of the USS da Vinci make their way from one wrecked vessel to the next in an attempt to gather any clues about the Vaadwaur Supremacy and their plans: her sister ship the USS Grus in an attempt to catch up and join her, has found a novel way of navigating the complete anomaly that forms the Blackout. Along the way, they encounter an old adversary, Navaar Orci; Orion Pirate, smuggler, thief and murderer. What was hidden on the cargo ship she’s come looking for; the Toby Crackit and how dangerous is it? The Supremacy has launched its attack on Simson III a remote farming community and holiday resort; the question is, why have they picked such a seemingly unimportant planet, and are the two Saber-Class scouts heading into a trap?
Starbase 415 Division
Starbase 415 is under siege while Tokyo is looking to gather allies to help in its defense. Meanwhile, Echelon and Decker are trying to fend off an invasion in the Chin’toka system. During the moment, the orbital weapons platforms were shut down and the everyone is afraid they’ll get reprogrammed and turned against them. Echelon must hurry and get to the generator to stop that from happening!
Task Force 93
Eos Squadron
After an ion storm cripples Eos Station’s systems, the crew scrambles to repairs, unaware that Vaadwaur operatives have infiltrated the station. Using the damages as cover, the Vaadwaur seize control of key systems and launch a takeover of the Promenade. Soon several Vaadwaur warships appear through underspace apertures, surround Eos Station, and demand the it’s surrender.
USS Paramount
After detecting a gravitational anomaly near the Iconia System. The USS Paramount has discovered an Underspace aperture, which could possibly lead to the D’Deridex system.
