Bravo Fleet
This Fleet Action has been a hell of a ride. It wasn’t the fast-paced, constant action of The Lost Fleet, but I’ve watched with delight as Bravo Fleet has produced some of its tightest, cagiest, most atmospheric writing, especially for a major event where we’re racing to get the words out. Every writer who’s got their teeth stuck in has shown something new, and it’s an absolute pleasure to see the group push into new frontiers of creativity. The dust is settling, we’re putting down our pens, and so it is my absolute pleasure to present to you an overview of the final phase of We Are the Borg.
Phase 3
Bravo Fleet Senior Staff
USS Constellation
By rescuing the wayward away team from an ancient fungal life form, Constellation’s crew discovered the fungus was infected with nanoprobes that had become old and decayed. The nanoprobes heightened the fungus’ natural ability to trade RNA to the point it was able to impair the immune system of an away team member. Back on the ship, the Constellation’s crew descended into conflict, debating the morality of further interfering with the planet by wiping out all of the nanoprobes. Ultimately, Captain Taes decided the nanoprobes must be destroyed.
USS Endeavour
The away team shuts down a black market cybernetics lab with the help of the USS Tempest, ending its illicit trade of Borg cybernetics and murder of xBs. With new data in hand, Endeavour returns to the Alpha Wreck, where they send a team aboard the Cube’s disabled probe with the hope of accessing its navicom and, with everything they have learnt, finally uncovering the Cube’s original mission. Instead, the probe turns unexpectedly active, coming to life and escaping through a transwarp conduit before it can be stopped – with Cortez, Logan, and Thawn still aboard. Desperately, the crew of Endeavour figure how to pursue as the stranded away team uncovers the truth as they reach their destination: the Cube was coming to rescue a disabled Diamond, the long-dead corpse of its Queen still aboard. As Endeavour manages a one-time feat of opening a transwarp conduit to stage a rescue, they find the Diamond waking up as the probe tries to reconnect it with the Collective. To disable the Diamond, Commander Logan interfaces with the system, confronting his past as a drone and forcing the Diamond to destroy itself, but is critically wounded by the effort. Only through the desperate brilliance of a runabout rescue team, the tenacity of Endeavour’s bridge crew drawing the Diamond’s fire, and the courage of the away team does everyone make it out alive, and the Diamond is destroyed. Learning they are now on the far side of old Romulan territory, weeks away from Federation space even at top speed, Endeavour begins the journey home – not at speed, but with the intent to uncover the unknown that lies before them.
USS Odyssey
As the dust settles after the destruction of the Borg Transwarp Hub, the Odyssey breathes a sigh of relief as they narrowly escape the wrath of both the Borg and the Malon. With their mission of exploration back on track, the crew is eager to pick up where they left off. However, for Commander Gray, the journey ahead seems much more difficult. Despite his physical recovery from the away mission, he finds himself plagued by nightmares of being reconnected to the Collective; his mind tormented by the memories of the Borg’s invasive assimilation process. Gray is left pending the final thought: Is Resistance futile? And will a night out with his colleagues be enough to suppress those thoughts?
Task Force 47
USS Atlantis
Back aboard Atlantis, Kendris once more questions Tikva about the situation at hand, less concerned about Tikva’s possible decision-making and more about the Borg being aboard the relay station. They’re interrupted by Camargo, Rrr and Michaels who have a working hypothesis on the Borg’s intent aboard the station and a possible plan to interrupt or delay the plan as best as possible. Meanwhile, Silver Team are once more assaulted by the station’s EMH before breaching Engineering, their plan to try and shut the station down to force the Borg drone after them a bust as while they’ve been busying themselves fighting service bots and holograms, Atlantis has moved away from the station to go and provoke the nearby star into a solar flare aimed right at CR-718, all in the hope of interfering with subspace comms for awhile.
With things coming to a head, Silver Team finish their preparations in Engineering, knowing a confrontation with the Borg drone is inevitable. Cutting their way into the station’s computer core, Silver Team engage the Borg Drone, suffering casualties in the process but coming out victorious in their struggle. As things begin to settle down, Atlantis finally manages to dock with CR-718 and rescue their wayward away team.
Polaris Squadron
An away team from the USS Ingenuity has successfully located and destroyed the Borg vinculum that had been influencing the colonists of Beta Serpentis III for decades. However, even with the voice of the Collective silenced, the colonists seem undeterred. They disable the USS Ingenuity with Borg energy-dampening missiles, rendering it unable to assist, and they blow up the away team’s shuttle, trapping them on the surface. Only then do Admiral Reyes and her team finally figure out the colony’s master plan. The colonists are building a transwarp gate and planning to use a Borg homing beacon to lure the Collective to them, and even more problematic, they’ve got everything they need to put their plan in action by morning.
By the time the dust settles, the transwarp gate concealed within the accretion disk of the binary star has been destroyed, the homing beacon from Wolf 359 has been neutralized, the salvage depot in the troposphere of Beta Serpentis IV has been cleansed of Borg subroutines, the vinculum hidden on Beta Serpentis III has been silenced, and the Andorian colony is now firmly under Federation control. As Starfleet Security ferries away the key perpetrators to stand trial for their crimes, and as Polaris Squadron returns to the stars, the remaining colonists on Beta Serpentis III will now have to learn how to live without the voice of the vinculum that has guided them for decades.
Task Force 72
USS Daedalus
Whilst Theta Squad attempts to secure the sphere before it can become a threat, the crew aboard Daedalus attempt to delve deeper into Aramook’s claims of a renewed Borg threat. Unfortunately Brynn’s deceits are revealed and he steals away the Sphere, with Rana and Theta Squad still aboard. Daedalus leaps into hot pursuit as it comes to light that Brynn had been lying to the Unimatrix as well. Unfortunately, their investigation is brought to a sudden halt when they detect a massive subspace explosion. As they sift through the wreckage, desperate to find any trace of their crewmates they instead find the barely working Unimatrix Beacon, filled with the memories of lost xBs. Daedalus has been recalled to Starbase 72 along with the newly indebted survivors of Unimatrix Zero.
Mackenzie Squadron
The USS Mackenzie is victorious in giving the Borg Sphere incorrect information after a twelve hour undercover operation. The Sphere returns to Borg Space without a system to assimilate. The loss of Chief Katsumi is an unintended consequence of the mission.
The USS Olympic discovers a plot by a section of the Orion Syndicate to co-opt Borg Drones for their own nefarious plans. Their plan is disrupted by one of their experiments. Niner becomes part of the Olympic crew after a twelve hour surgery to restore his life and personality.
USS Seattle
After regaining power and continuing on their chase, luring the Borg Cube away from Federation space, the USS Seattle finally found a world (moon) where they could set down the Borg transponders. Deciding to take them aboard the shuttle craft Sound Garden, the First Officer and Captain argued about who would be leading the mission, with the CO deciding that he would. The Borg arrived quickly, and the shuttle was trapped on the moon’s surface, while the Seattle hid in a radiation field, which created the physiological sensation of being drunk. Eventually the Borg departed, allowing the shuttle to return to the ship with all aboard, ending the mission. Now begins the long trek home.
Task Force 86
USS Tokyo
The Tokyo is tasked with the impossible, to test the old pathogen that was used in 2378 in a modern Borg ship. A target was set, and a Borg Sphere was boarded by the away team with the goal of setting the weapon up and getting out. But things went south as the Borg detected their presence, and their safety protocol kicked in by injecting the infected area into space and destroying it. The Borg successfully hunted down their invaders, as Tokyo left the scene with a failed mission and lost seven crew members.
Task Force 93
USS Triumph
Commander Chon’al who is currently aboard the IRW Aldore contacts the Triumph with orders from Captain Tilana to mask their warp signature and head to Freecloud. With the Triumph on its way and the auction due to begin in a few hours, Tilana speaks with the others about the game plan. Once everyone is prepared they head to Starlight Bar where the auction is taking place. Upon arrival they take their seats as the auction begins, things start out good until their cover was almost revealed. Tilana gets word that the Triumph had arrived and she sends a signal for them to beam down to secure the area. Only than did Tilana reveal herself and her team. They were able to secure and take down the operation without much issue which could have gone a totally different way. It probably would have if they didn’t request the assistance of the Triumph. They secure the Borg technology as well as freeing captured xBs who will now have a chance at life. Both Aldore and Triumph depart Freecloud heading to their separate destinations.