Bravo Fleet
Sensitive Data
The Deneb sector, once a vibrant expanse of stars and celestial wonders, was now a haunting testament to the savagery of conflict on an astronomical scale. Even though the conflict between the Federation and its enemies had been significantly smaller in both length and scale than the Dominion War, the Deneb region had still been reduced to a bleak and desolate battlefield, marred by the wreckage of countless battles and the remnants of shattered civilisations.
But even in the wake of such devastation, there were still countless wonders to explore and scientific discoveries to be had. Natives, including those from worlds formally in dispute, were banding together to bring hope to the region after months of uncertainty. Rebuilding civilisations would take time, but as always Starfleet was there to support them in their endeavours. On the leading edge of the relief efforts, the Odyssey-class USS Discovery had been in orbit of Arriana Prime for several days, deploying relief teams consisting of members from almost every department on the ship, in order to aid with various issues that had arisen since the conflict with the Breen/Dominion alliance had ended.
From the bridge, the command center of all things, Discovery’s Denobulan mistress, Captain Zephra, was overseeing things on the ship whilst her Strategic Operations Officer, Commander Dalgleish oversaw developments on the surface. Thankfully, it was business as usual for now, allowing the Captain some time to kick back and relax in the comfort of her command chair. It had been a long few weeks since Discovery’s launch under the auspices of the Fourth Fleet’s Task Force 17, and until they had arrived at Arriana, the crew felt like they hadn’t even had time to breathe, let alone time to recover from the trau…
A shrill beeping from the nearby science console caused the Denobulan’s left brow to rise, a sense of curiosity casually filling her as she used her planted left leg to turn her chair to port. The beeping occurred a second time, causing her great consternation.
“Are you really going to make me ask, Lieutenant?” the Captain frowned, eyes boring a hole into the back of the poor Andorian’s head.
Flustered, having hoped the Captain had been distracted enough not to hear the beeping, Lieutenant th’Shiren’s shoulders dropped at the question from the Captain. “We appear to be receiving some intriguing sensor data Captain, but I’m struggling to make sense of it,” he revealed, eventually turning to make eye contact with the Denobulan.
Propelling herself to her feet, the Captain was mid-stride towards the science terminal when a second voice from starboard distracted her.
“I think I know why the Lieutenant is struggling,” a yellow-clad officer stated, his glance at the Captain suggesting she should divert course to his station instead.
Once the Denobulan reached the operations station, a quick scout over the display caused her to stand bolt-upright and fold her arms across her chest. “Intriguing indeed,” she smirked.
After some contemplation, she nodded slowly and tapped the top edge of the console. “Download it to the ship’s database,” she instructed as she began to stride towards the aft turbo lift. “Contact Romaes and let him know I’m on my way to speak with him…”
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Greetings! It is a privilege to be able to share with you my first report since taking on the role of TFCO some two months ago now. It’s been a while since the last update from Task Force 17, and there has been a great deal that has happened since, including our Fleet Action entitled ‘The Lost Fleet’. We’ve had an influx of new members since the last report, so please forgive me for its length as we share all the amazing successes we have had since January.
Task Force Updates
As previously mentioned, it was my great pleasure to be asked to step up and take on the reins as Task Force Commander back in June when our fearless leader, Brendan, assumed the mantle of Academy Commandant. I want to officially go on record congratulating Brendan on his promotion to the BFSS, and to thank him for his fantastic leadership during his time at the helm of the task force. But as one member moved on, it was wonderful to see our very own Commander Khim Samnang (Z on Discord) step up to assist me in leading this wonderful group into its next chapter. Although it’s been a little while since their appointment, I want to congratulate Z on their appointment, and I hope this is the start of a long and fruitful partnership.
Now, earlier in the year, the fleet was involved in the wildly successful ‘Lost Fleet’ fleet action, the first of two this year (more on that at a later date). During six weeks of epic story writing, competition, and gaming, the members of Task Force 17 put in a monumental effort, resulting in a highly respectable second place among the five task forces. Collectively, we wrote over 115,000 words of fiction, earned 480 duty and service ribbons, and earned nearly 140 challenge coins for competition entries. It really was a fantastic collective effort, so congratulations to all involved! As I mentioned earlier, if you are new to the task force (and the fleet), there will be an opportunity to participate in another fleet action event before the end of 2023, so watch this space!
At the present moment, the TFXO and I are working on some exciting updates, including developing the role our flagship, the USS Discovery, will play in the new fleetwide Priority Mission that was released this week by the Intel Office. Titled ‘Ashes of Deneb’ this new, entirely voluntary mission is focused on the aftermath of the recent Frontier Day debacle that many of our members wrote about and saw in season 3 of Star Trek: Picard. In a move from previous priority missions, Ashes of Deneb is fleetwide, meaning that you can engage with stories from other task forces, come up with your own entirely or work with the prompts provided.
Before we move on to other updates, I want to take a moment to remind everyone that our task force has one of the most traditional Star Trek mandates out of all of them; deep space exploration. This, much more than the area we appear to have become glued to around Deep Space 17, should be our priority moving forward. Bravo Fleet’s mandate is galaxy-wide, after all, so we encourage you to go far beyond the Typhon sector and Deep Space 17 in your storytelling. Go where your imagination takes you; no one will be upset should your command pop up in the Thomar expanse and start telling stories there, for example. Our fleet wiki has a wealth of information about locations all across the known galaxy – I urge our members to read these articles carefully, and wherever you feel able, contribute to their ongoing development.
Fiction Updates
USS Arimathea – After escorting the Hathaway to Avalon Fleet Yards after the events of Frontier Day, the Arimathea set out for its first mission under its new captain. At the request of the Cardassian Union, and with one of their scientists on board, the ship made its way to the outer edges of the Deneb Sector to investigate a nebula with unusual properties. A conflict between the Chief Science Officer and the Executive Officer (also a scientist) may yet complicate the mission.
USS Ahwahnee – The Ahwahnee were forced to leave their work at Alendon III in haste when news of the Lost Fleet came through. They had just completed their mission to deploy sensor buoys near the Black Cluster when a Jem’Hadar attack ship approached, only to bypass the ship on a trajectory that would lead them to the USS Astoria in the depths of the Black Cluster. The Ahwahnee set off in pursuit.
USS Babylon – In the midst of the Lost Fleet crisis, the new crew of the Babylon were ordered to investigate a rare, powerful lifeform attacking Dominion ships. Working to rescue the lifeform before the Dominion could kill it, communication with the creature, identified as Gomthree, proved difficult until a telepathic crewmember was able to successfully make contact. During an epic battle with the Jem’Hadar across subspace and beyond, the powerful creature saved not only itself but the crew of the Babylon before finding sanctuary thanks to its Starfleet allies.
USS Blythe – In the weeks following Frontier Day, the USS Blythe made ready for its new voyage with its new personnel. They set out from Earth Spacedock to the Mellstoxx system, picking up the rest of their motley crew, each reminiscing on the path that brought them to the ship as they settle into their roles. As they departed for deeper space, a call came through with details of their first mission…
USS Gilroy – The crew of the Gilroy was ordered to go to the Delta Quadrant to do a resupply drop-off at Markonian Outpost there and continue second contact with worlds that the USS Voyager and other federation ships had made contact with since their time here.
USS Hathaway – During the onslaught of the Lost Fleet, the Hathaway was commanded to hunt down the ruthless Thot Rodyn while trying to locate the changeling infiltrators that were incapacitating their crew. Using sensor decoys to lure him out of hiding, they engaged and boarded his warship, but one of the changelings got to him first. With one objective accomplished, they were next ordered to liberate the Ungeat colony of Uviri, home to dilithium refineries and a Starfleet listening post. Upon re-taking the listening post, they discovered that the Dominion fleet was converging on Farpoint. Hathaway joined the Fourth Fleet in their final stand and helped win the day but at great cost.
Later, after weeks of repairs, the crew of the Hathaway received shocking news: Captain sh’Elas–previously assumed KIA–was replaced with a changeling, and the real sh’Elas was still alive. They tracked her to an abandoned colony and rescued her, but they were powerless to stop the greater plan the changelings put in motion. An explosive installed by the changelings soon disabled the ship, just before the crew was torn apart by the Borg signal on Frontier Day. Though many crewmembers were killed, the Hathaway held out until the threat was eliminated, and the Arimathea arrived to escort them to the Avalon Fleet Yards.
USS Kison – En route to Starbase 514 to deliver supplies, the Kison picked up a distress signal from a civilian freighter. They arrived in time to rescue survivors but had to be rescued from three Jem’Hadar ships by the USS Serenity at the cost of the life of the Serenity’s captain. Two weeks later, the Kison was fully repaired and set out once more on a new search and rescue operation before the crew was transferred to the USS Paramount.
USS Nighthawk – Following the events surrounding the Lost Fleet, the Nighthawk became embroiled in the tragic events of the day after completing her refit to take on a new role before the crew attended the festivities. As the assimilated crewmembers took over the ship, they relentlessly murdered all but one of the crewmembers over the age of 25.
USS Reliant – An eventful period for the Reliant started with a Pakled boarding party attempting to steal from Reliant, all while the Starfleet crew tried to assist the USS Sarek with transporting gormaganders to safety. A mystery soon followed when the crew discovered the wreckage of a freighter containing two Angosians in stasis. Later, memories of the past resurfaced when the Dominion invaded the Deneb sector and Reliant went on the hunt for sources of ketracel white, only to get entangled with Klingons, both dead and alive. No sooner had the crew survived the conflict were they dragged into the dangerous events of Frontier Day. During a bitter fight for survival, the crew were faced with the devastating loss of one of their crewmates.
Task Force Recognition
Awards
- Ensign Silas Crowe – Medal of Achievement
- Commander Khim Samnang – Medal of Achievement
- Lieutenant Commander Baq’no Remis – Medal of Achievement
- Commander Kelvin Walker – Meritorious Service Cross and Star for Distinguished Service
- Fleet Captain Romaes Anjin – Silver Palm
Promotions
- Romaes Anjin – Fleet Captain
- Silas Crowe – Cadet Sophomore Grade, Cadet Junior Grade, Cadet Senior Grade, Midshipman, and Ensign
- Khim Samnang – Cadet Junior Grade, Cadet Senior Grade, Midshipman, Ensign, Lieutenant Junior Grade, Lieutenant, Lieutenant Commander, Commander
- Salek – Cadet Sophomore Grade
- Kelvin Walker – Commander
- Nitus – Cadet Sophomore Grade, Cadet Junior Grade, Cadet Senior Grade, Midshipman, Ensign, Lieutenant Junior Grade, and Lieutenant
- Baq’no Remis – Cadet Sophomore Grade, Cadet Junior Grade, Cadet Senior Grade, Midshipman, Ensign, Lieutenant Junior Grade, Lieutenant, and Lieutenant Commander
- Jabir – Cadet Sophomore Grade, Cadet Junior Grade, Cadet Senior Grade, Midshipman, and Ensign
- Pundus – Cadet Sophomore Grade
- Teutoburger – Cadet Sophomore Grade
- Vivian Ghotti – Cadet Sophomore Grade
- Sebastian Cooper – Cadet Sophomore Grade
Conclusion
It’s been an exciting few months, with activity booming, and that is a testament to the hard work of you all. Don’t forget, we’re currently in the midst of an exciting Priority Mission should you wish to get involved. You can also get involved with fleet activities in all the usual ways – competitions, gaming (STO, WoW and others), sandboxes (Avalon Fleet Yards, SBB, Columbia) and independent writing. Keep up the excellent work everyone, and keep your eyes peeled in the coming weeks for news of 2023’s second fleet action.