Task Force 86 – Report #2

January 28, 2024

Back to business

Starbase 86 was less busy than usual. The ships were slowly returning from their sudden operation to find out what the Borg were up to when they appeared to be crossing their comfort zone. It created wide panic, as no one really knew what they were up to or the sudden interest. Overlooking the inner dry docks of the starbase, Lieutenant Commander Oanom Areva, the base shipyard chief, looked from the operational deck at a recent Grissom class ship being repaired after barely escaping their encounter with a Sphere. 

“The horrors of the unknown darkness are all-consuming,” Oanom muttered as his arms crossed over each other. He honestly didn’t know how to react to all this, and the Borg’s sudden appearance right after the Frontier Day incident, the Lost Fleet invasion, so much was happening. Taking a deep breath, wondering what they can expect next. 

Flipping between several documents on his PADD Captain Nathan Hawthorne looked around for his Commanding Officer. He’d been relegated to Vulcan working in a Starfleet office doing menial clerical work, and then, thankfully, he’d gotten this transfer as the Task Force Executive Officer for TF86. It was undoubtedly more important and interesting than his exile on Vulcan.

First up was his report on the USS Tokyo, which had failed in its assignment of the pathogen deployment, losing seven people. The Tokyo is currently in the Delta Quadrant and en route to Markonian Outpost to regroup with the USS Mariner.

He nodded at Lieutenant Commander Areva, “How’s things going? Many ships coming in this week?” 

His black Betazoid eyes looked over his shoulder toward the new arrival. “Captain, I didn’t expect your arrival here for another week. Did Starfleet rush up your schedule also, sir?” Oanom shrugged and turned sideways to him as he pointed toward the Grissom. “Much like this, smaller ships are coming in for repairs the whole week. The USS Girga was unlucky and will be stuck in docks for a while.” 

Oanom lowered his hand and shrugged, “We got the USS Los Angeles en route to us for highly required repairs.” He placed his hands over each other. “Any status on USS Jaxartes ETA? That little ship has quite the history, but it still needs that checkup after everything that has happened.”

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Task Force Updates

What a closure of the year 2023! We were part of the We Are The Borg Fleet Action event, where we achieved third place! Congratulations, everyone, on this achievement, and thank you for participating in this event. We are slowly climbing the ladder, and at the next Fleet Action event, we surely will get that first place!

In the We Are The Borg event, we had an impressive 127 total entries! As a Task Force, we got a final score of 926.5. This is a team effort, as everyone who posted in the sandboxes (Starbase Bravo or USS Columbia) or fiction, participated in competitions, or maybe got those gaming ribbons got us to this final score! A special shoutout to Commodore Keith Anderson (who was also second place overall in the FA event!) and Lieutenant Grigor Eisenberg-Sloane, who brought in the prizes for our task force!

Everything is calming down after we had to deal with the Borg, so everyone can have a good R&R or resume their exploration mission. Are you stuck on what you want to write about, or do you need a brainstorming session? Do poke me and/or Noun in #tf86-lounge on Discord, and we will gladly think with you! Check our Task Force fiction post to get a general idea of the situation for Task Force 86. It might help as a source of inspiration. 

That brings us to the final update for Task Force 86. We had a staff change; sadly, Commodore Keith Anderson stepped down from his duties as Task Force 86 Executive Officer due to personal reasons. Again, I would like to thank him for his dedication, positive energy, and help in Task Force 86. But this leaves a gap in our staff. I welcome Captain Nathan Hawthorne as the new Task Force 86 Executive Officer. We both look forward to another fantastic year with you all!

Fiction Updates

  • USS Tokyo – The USS Tokyo, while on duty in the Deneb region, is called back for a crucial retrieval mission. They face a challenging situation as they enter a hazardous area filled with disconnected Borg affected by a neurolytic pathogen, making them unpredictable. While at Starbase 38, the crew focuses on medical prevention of Borg assimilation and security training. Upon arriving at Delta-405, they discover a graveyard of Borg ships impacted by the pathogen. Upon retrieving the broken cube, the away team encounters hostile defective drones, resulting in a sacrifice with one team member and the Captain severely injured. The Tokyo crew, having barely escaped, learns that their journey is not over. Now tasked with field-testing the pathogen on an active Borg ship, they board a Borg Sphere. However, the mission fails as the Borg detects their presence, triggering safety protocols that destroy the infected area in space. The Borg successfully hunts down the invaders, and Tokyo is forced to depart after failing their mission and losing seven crew members.
  • USS Lafayette – In an encounter with a Borg Sphere, Commanding Officer Peter Cromwell and his crew are thrown about their bridge by a pocket of methane gas. They then use the methane in the area to beam a part of a Borg cube and a methane pocket into the Sphere’s path, then explode it with a torpedo. The USS Lafayette can cripple the Borg Sphere. They are then contacted by Candera Prime with a distress call and leave the area and the Borg Sphere as they race to respond.
  • USS Jaxartes –  The USS Jaxartes swiftly responds to a distress call under suspicion of Borg involvement. Discovering the damaged USS Adriatic, the crew faces unexpected challenges, including a Borg-infected crewman and finding a drone in distress that is captured by Jaxartes’ away team. Simultaneously, Lieutenant Jefferson, now a drone, assumes control of Borg Cube 4738 with a mission to find resources and repair it. Captain Devron talks with a cooperative drone, only to receive vital information that plots a course toward Tartarus II to investigate a potential Borg threat. The Jaxartes observe chaotic scenes as the Borg attacks the planet, prompting a daring maneuver to disrupt the Borg’s communication. Lieutenant Devron, responding to numeric patterns, intercepts a sad transmission from a renegade drone that sacrifices itself to prevent Borg interference. As the USS Jaxartes navigates the aftermath of a Borg attack on a mining planet, addressing casualties and encountering, Lieutenant Devron contemplates the complexities of past wounds and remains hopeful for a brighter future.
  • USS Neptune – Captain Michael Rider briefed his crew about their latest mission. Heading to deal with the Devore, a potentially hostile race. Tasked with finding the blood dilithium, the Vesta-class ship heads into what appears on the surface to be an easy retrieval mission, but there are worries that it could be much more than that.
  • Starbase 416 – Upon the USS Gemini’s arrival at Starbase 415, Captain Maxwell is confronted with a dire situation— the starbase is on lockdown, nearby ships are powerless, the Talarian forces are prepared for defense, and long-range communication arrays are offline. Diplomatically persuading the Talarian forces to stand down, Captain Maxwell takes charge of the investigation. Successfully deactivating the lockdown upon reaching the starbase, he learns of Captain Hunt’s incapacitation in sickbay due to an injury sustained during the Frontier Day event. Struggling to reverse the lockdown, the absence of a Tholian ambassador adds complexity to the situation. In the absence of Captain Hunt, Captain Maxwell assumes command of Starbase 415 as they embark on a mission to locate the missing Tholian ambassador.
  • USS Seattle – After a repair at Starbase 72 the USS Seattle is bordered by a team from Starfleet Intelligence who have a mission they won’t tell the crew about. While Captain Adriana Cruz is butting heads with the secretive Jake Dornall, the ship receives a distress call from a Romulan crew in the old Cardassian neutral zone that had crashed back in the days of Kirk and now was on its second generation lost. Unable to retrieve the lost colony, Doctor T’Rala remains behind to help them, and the ship carries on into Cardassian space on their secret mission.
  • SS Warden – After a drink or two, the crew of the Warden gets ready to ship out the finest manure in the galaxy. But there is more to this “dung” than meets the eye. 
  • USS Solvang –  Cadet T’Pree is given command of the USS Solvang, a California-class ship. Leaving Starbase Bravo on a shakedown cruise in an unsecured area of space where pirates are anticipated and near an unstable nebula that may pose a threat to the ship, things are not as easy as they may seem at first blush.  
  • USS Los Angeles – In a restless night aboard the USS Los Angeles, Captain Oteng reminisces about a holodeck routine to cope with past encounters and awaits his next mission, only to be unexpectedly recalled to Starbase 86 due to a Code 47 message. After a classified briefing on the Borg’s return and the Pakleds’ growing threat, Captain Oteng is assigned to patrol critical space lanes. Responding to a distress signal from the SS Partheous, the USS Los Angeles faces a heightened Borg threat. Despite initial confusion in a battle against Pakled clumpships, the crew successfully evacuates the damaged Partheous with help from the Sputnik. The USS Los Angeles battered but triumphant, heads to Starbase 86 for extensive repairs.

Task Force Recognition

Awards

Promotions

  • Lieutenant Commander Jason Devron: Lieutenant Commander
  • Cadet Freshman Grade Yvonne Zinovia: Cadet Freshman Grade
  • Cadet Sophomore Grade Gertrude: Cadet Freshman Grade, Cadet Sophomore Grade
  • Cadet Sophomore Grade  Marie: Cadet Freshman Grade, Cadet Sophomore Grade
  • Midshipman Alaris Jinn: Cadet Freshman Grade, Cadet Sophomore Grade, Cadet Junior Grade, Cadet Senior Grade, Midshipman
  • Lieutenant Tiberius Rain: Lieutenant
  • Lieutenant Logan Walker: Lieutenant
  • Cadet Junior Grade Andre Falke: Cadet Freshman Grade, Cadet Sophomore Grade, Cadet Junior Grade
  • Cadet Freshman Grade Rosa: Cadet Freshman Grade
  • Ensign T’Pree: Cadet Freshman Grade, Cadet Sophomore Grade, Cadet Junior Grade, Cadet Senior Grade, Midshipman, Ensign

Conclusion

It is great to see the activity of Task Force 86 growing over the past year! Our members created some fantastic stories during the Fleet Action of We Are The Borg that were thrilling and fun to read! There will be enough to do throughout the year, from competitions to gaming with your fellow Bravo Fleet members! You can always participate in stories of Avalon Fleet Yards, USS Columbia, or Starbase Bravo. Starbase Bravo has a notable Discord RP feature now, an excellent interaction for a quick RP between member’s characters! The Task Force Staff looks forward to this new year and what it brings with your new stories and achievements! 

Ryoko Takato Deputy Security Officer
Task Force 86