Ten days before April 12, 2401 

Standing next to the window in her ready room, Tilana stood there staring out lost in thought. They were scheduled to depart Starbase Bravo in a few hours to make their way to Earth in time for Frontier Day celebrations. Repairs were right on schedule, they were finishing up installing the new fleet formation mode onboard the Gagarin. The last few weeks had put a toll on their ship, the crew, especially her as the new commanding officer of the Gagarin. It was a place where she figured to be a few more years before she was given her first command, not how it happened.

Turning away from the window she let out a more verbal sigh then she realized, walking to her desk she sat down and worked her jaw with the stack of padds that she seemed to be procrastinating to get through. Yet another verbal sigh escaped her lips just as the door chime went off, she almost rolled her eyes at the disruption but caught herself. She contemplated ignoring it hoping that whoever was on the other end would just go away. That didn’t happen when the chime went off again a minute later, “enter.” She replied as she picked up a padd to make it look like she was just sitting there.

Aleish Trol entered with a brief smile before walking up to the chair directly in front of the desk and taking a seat. “Everything alright sir?” Aleish asked, she felt a bit odd to be the new first officer. She thought she’d be content with being chief security & tactical officer. When Than was reassigned the offer came down to her, she was honored and accepted. Though it didn’t make it feel any more strange, an adjustment would take awhile but she was confident in her ability or so she hoped.

Looking at her for a brief moment before turning her attention to the padd with the information about the new fleet formation mode. Tossing it gently across the desk towards Aleish. “I am not sure how I feel about this,” Tilana said looking at her and working her jaw for the zillionth time in the last thirty minutes before clenching it tightly.

Picking up the padd that had slid across the desk she began to read the contents. After a few moments of reading she raised an eyebrow. “What purpose is this supposed to serve?” Aleish asked, “other than to control every ship within the fleet that has this mode installed.” She added as she didn’t quite like the idea of this new mode.

“They are supposed to give a demonstration of it on Frontier Day celebrations,” Tilana added with a sigh. “On another note, repairs are on schedule and we will be able to depart from Starbase Bravo and start to make our way toward Earth to be there in time for Frontier Day,” Tilana added with a sigh as she looked at her.

“That’s good, maybe the festivities of Frontier Day will give our crew some hope for the future Despite all that we have been through,” Aleish replied though she wondered if it would though she wanted to be optimistic that things will get better.

“I hope so as well,” Tilana said in agreement.

Aleish stood up from the chair that she’d been sitting in, “you have been in her for the last few hours how about we head over to Starbase Bravo and grab some lunch?” Aleish asked Tilana trying to get her out and enjoy some relaxation before they are due to depart.

Tilana sat there looking at the padds that were piled on her desk, she blew through her cheeks thinking she should rather finish those reports. “Well I guess these reports can wait a bit longer,” Tilana said after a while of silence before standing. “Why not,” she added as they both headed out of the ready room.

Meanwhile, in engineering things were all going according to plan as Aarven Ashatia who wasn’t who she appeared to be. She continued her work putting things into place for when they arrived at Earth for Frontier Day. While other engineers were enjoying themselves it wasn’t unusual for some or even the chief to remain behind and work even though there were engineers from the station doing repairs. So no one thought anything was out of the ordinary which worked fine for her.

She had convinced the Captain that she made modifications to the transporters to help them be able to identify Changelings. Suggesting that everyone use it to make sure there weren’t any on board, which the captain had thought was a good idea since things had been happening since the start of the war with the Lost Fleet. Though her modifications were anything but that, she made it appear to give a negative to everyone including herself.

“How are things going?” Zhayva asked as she walked up to Aarven.

Looking up at the arrival, “doing fine just making some final updates to the transporters.” She replied giving her a brief look before going back to what she was doing. “Should be able to start sending everyone through here within the hour,” Ashatia added.

“That’s good, do you need any help?” Zhayva asked.

“Nope,” she said quicker than she intended. “I mean I am just about done so I can finish up here,” she added with a smile.

“Very well,” she added as she raised an eyebrow though didn’t think much of it as she was still learning to interact with others. Zhayva walked out of engineering and headed towards the mess hall to grab something to eat as Aarvan continued with her work. In a few short hours, all repairs would be complete and they are on their way to Earth to join in on the Frontier Day events.

Captain’s Log Stardate 2401.4,

 

It has been three days since we left Starbase Bravo shortly after our repairs were complete. We are currently heading to Earth to join in on the Frontier Day celebrations, after everything we have all been through I hope that this will give us all something to look forward to. We are due to arrive in two days, just a few days before the start of the big event. I know several of our crew are looking forward to seeing Earth again, some plan on visiting family or just seeing the sights. I hope Frontier Day will give everyone a sense of why we all joined Starfleet, something to be proud of.

The main lounge onboard the Gagarin had a warm vibe towards it, the lights were dimly lit while soft music was being played in the background. This made the lounge feel relaxing, where someone could spend some time unwinding after a long day. Since they were currently on their way to Earth to join in on the festivities of Frontier Day, officers decided to spend some of their off time relaxing in the lounge.

Llaxia had walked in after finishing her uneventful shift, nothing crazy had happened other than a couple of fights. Walking to the bar she ordered herself some Romulan Ale before she walked over to the table near the back corner. Sitting down she took a sip of her drink before setting it on the table though still in her hands. She looked at the contents of the glass and began to think about what they had been through over the past month.

Zhayva and Nessi walked into the lounge chatting amongst each other as they walked to grab their drinks from the bar. Just as they were going to find a place to sit they noticed that Llaxia was sitting alone. They decided to walk up to her, “mind if we join?” Zhayva asked with a smile as Nessi nodded in agreement to her question.

Looking up from her drink to see both officers standing there, she motioned for the two empty chairs. “Sure,” Llaxia said with a smile as she didn’t mind the company. “I don’t mind, actually would enjoy the company.” She added as she took a drink.

They both took a seat and smile, “so have any plans once we reach Earth before the festivities begin?” Nessi asked looking at the Deltan woman with a soft smile.

“I am not sure yet, I have no family or know anyone on Earth.” Llaxia replied, “though I think I am going to visit San Fransisco again. The last time I was here was when I was at the academy.” She added looking at the two, “what about you two?” She asked.

“I think we are going to go sightseeing on Earth,” Zhayva responded.

“You can join us if you like we wouldn’t mind,” Nessi added as she looked at her girlfriend. Zhayva nodded in agreement with a smile added as they wouldn’t mind her joining them.

“Sure why not,” Llaxia replied.

“Great!” Nessi replied.

They continued to chat amongst themselves until they heard the lounge door open and Aarven Ashatia walked in to grab a drink. She needed to pretend to be the real person even though she didn’t need any of this. “Commander!” Zhayva waved at Aarven, “come join us.” She added with a smile towards her superior officer.

Ashatia looked over to where the voice was located but ignored her and walked back out which caused her to raise an eyebrow. “That was weird,” Zhayva responded as she had noticed that she had been acting strange lately.

“That was strange,” Nessi said.

“I know right,” Zhayva responded. “Maybe she’s just busy,” she added as she brushed it off though it remained in the back of her mind.

“With everything that has happened lately she’s probably just got a lot on her mind,” Llaxia commented though she didn’t know the commander like Zhayva did. Though she did think it was a bit odd that she would ignore them without at least saying something even if she was busy.

“Probably,” Zhayva shrugged as they continued to chat.

The doors to the lounge opened once again this time Commander Aleish Trol walked in, she had been on the bridge the majority of the time they had been on their journey toward Earth. Grabbing herself a drink she looked around the room looking for an empty table.

“Commander,” Zhayva waved at her to join them.

Looking over to where the voice was coming from she smiled as she walked up to the three. “How are you all tonight?” Aleish replied as she looked at Llaxia the one who had taken over as assistant when Zain got promoted to chief.

“We’re doing good, just enjoying the night,” Nessi replied.

“Which is a nice change of pace for once,” Aleish replied.

“You can say that again, the last month has been the worst,” Llaxia replied.

“Indeed, that is now over and we can now we can enjoy the festivities of Frontier Day,” Aleish replied as she also hoped that this would boost everyone’s morale which had been low over the war with the Lost Fleet.

“We’re looking forward to it, I know we are going to Earth to do some sightseeing before the start of the festivities start.” Zhayva replied with a smile, “you got any plans?” She asked which caused Aleish to pause and think for a while before responding.

“I am probably staying onboard to make sure everything is in place before things start,” Aleish replied with a smile. The three nodded as they knew that the job of the command staff was never done, and they continued to chat with each other. They laughed and enjoyed each other company until it was getting late and they all decided to turn in for the night. Zhayva and Nessi left together hand in hand as they went off towards their shared quarters and the other two left in separate directions.

The Gagarin was within formation with other ships that had come to Earth to join in on the Frontier Day celebrations. They had arrived a couple of days before giving some crew time to visit Earth. Frontier Day was finally here though the main celebrations weren’t for a few more hours, the crew was starting to return to prepare for when things start.

Tilana was sitting in her office staring out the window at all the ships that had gathered, she stood there lost in thought. She was trying to wrap her brain around Aarven, or the Changeling Aarven. Shortly before they arrived at Earth the Changeling had screwed up and ended up getting killed, she began to think of what had happened to the real Aarven. She wondered if she was being kept somewhere as a prisoner or if she was killed, those thoughts haunted her thoughts when she should be enjoying the beginning of the festivities.

She was so lost in thought she didn’t even hear the door chime go off several times before the person behind the door gained access. “I hope I am not disturbing you, sir,” Aleish said with a concerned tone in her voice.

Tilana jumped a bit at the voice before she turned around, “oh no.” Tilana waved a hand in dismissal, “I was just lost in thought I guess so much so I didn’t hear the door.” She added with a slight chuckle.

“The party is about to start,” Aleish said looking at her.

“Right, I suppose I should go huh?” Tilana asked with a sarcastic tone to her voice followed by a small laugh.

“I am sure they would like a bit of a speech,” Aleish countered.

“Oh right that,” Tilana replied. “I suppose you’re right, I’ll be down there shortly,” Tilana said with a smile as she wanted to freshen up as she looked a bit of a mess.

“Very well though I must warn you that if you’re not there in twenty minutes I’ll send a search party,” Aleish said with a wide grin and laugh before she turned to leave the ready room.

“I’m sure you will,” Tilana replied just before the doors closed behind her.

Standing there a bit longer she let out a sigh before exiting her ready room and heading towards her quarters to freshen up before she made her way to the gathering. It didn’t take her very long to get cleaned up and changed into a fresh clean uniform before walking out of her quarters and heading to the lounge where the festivities were being held.

Upon entering she saw most of the crew that weren’t on duty talking amongst themselves and having refreshments. She walked in making her way to one of the servers walking around with a tray of different types of drinks and grabbed one for herself before making her way towards the front of the lounge where Aleish was standing waiting.

“Attention!” Aleish called out as everyone quieted down and looked toward the two.

“Thank you all for coming here today to enjoy some festivities,” Tilana began looking at everyone. “I know we have all been through a lot over the last month with the war with the Lost Fleet and Breen,” she continued. “We have lost some good officers along the way, but we did it we came out of it intact. We worked together not only as a crew but as part of the squadron and come out on top.” Tilana replied looking at everyone who listened intently to what she was saying.

“Here we are at Earth to join in on Frontier Day celebrations, the 250th anniversary of the launch of the NX Enterprise,” Tilana said as there were erupts of cheering from those gathered. She raised her glass, “here is to many more years of exploration!” She said as she finished her toast and speech. More cheers were heard as they all raised their glasses and drank as did the Tilana and Aleish.

“Now enjoy the party as the actual celebrations will start in a few hours, which will be the first test of the new fleet formation mode” Tilana added before she walked to the bar again to grab something to drink before making her rounds around the lounge mingling with many officers.

“This is great,” Zain said looking at Zilan who he had been chatting with.

“It is, I am glad that they put this together. It gives everyone a chance to unwind and join in on the celebrations before the real celebration starts.” Zilan said with a smile.

“Agreed,” Zain replied.

Dedre and Kriia were off to the corner of the lounge watching the festivities from afar, they weren’t much of the party type but didn’t want to seem rude for not attending. They both had drinks in their hands though they hadn’t been touched. “What do you think of all of this?” Kriia asked looking at her friend.

“It is nice that the captain and first officer organized something like this to give the crew a bit of relaxation.” Dedre replied, “though I can’t get the changeling out of my mind. I keep wondering how long was it impersonating Aarven,” she added looking at the doctor.

“It’s hard telling,” Kriia responded. “I hope we find the real Aarven and hope she’s still alive,” she added with a heavy sigh.

“Agreed,” Dedre added before finally taking a drink of the champagne. The two continued to chat amongst themselves for a while trying to enjoy the celebrations instead of dwelling on things they couldn’t change.

“You did a good job with organizing this party,” Tilana said as she looked at Aleish for a brief moment before looking back at the rest who seemed to either be talking amongst themselves or dancing to the music that was playing.

“The crew deserves this, a chance to unwind from everything and it seems they are enjoying themselves,” Aleish said before lifting the glass to her mouth and taking a drink.

“Indeed,” Tilana replied.

The party would continue for a couple more hours before some of the senior staff would return to the bridge in time for the real celebrations to start. The others would probably continue throughout the day as there would also be a feed being directed in their of the festivities once it started for the fleet that was assembled at Earth.

Most of the senior officers were still in the lounge celebrating, the feed would also go to the lounge so that they would be able to watch. The junior officers were manning their stations, and Tilana and Aleish were on the bridge. They were a few minutes from the USS Enterprise launching from the Starbase, the viewscreen was on to watch the view. The many ships that were in formation, she was in awe at how many were there to celebrate the 250th Frontier Day. To be able to show how the new fleet formation mode worked.

Silence had filled the bridge as everyone looked out the viewscreen waiting for the celebrations to start. Tilana had noticed a few ships from the Fourth Fleet in formation such as the Odyssey and a couple of ships from her squadron. She had sent a message to Fleet Captain McCallister that Fleet Captain Azras Dex sent her regards and regrets being unable to make it due to repairs.

A short time later the doors to the Starbase began to open as the fireworks display started. “This is it,” Tilana commented as the doors completely opened and a short time later the USS Enterprise began to make its way out. The beauty of the Odyssey-class ship was still a sight to see, especially as the flagship that was well-known throughout history.

Ensign Enja Arime was behind the tactical station, and Lieutenant Savu was sitting at the engineering console though turned to face the viewscreen to watch the spectacular view that was taking place. Lieutenant T’Kiv was focused on his work at the operations station that he wasn’t paying much attention to what was happening. Which wasn’t surprising as he wasn’t into such things. While Lieutenant William Bosan was in deep awe of what was taking place as he sat at the helm.

“That is beautiful,” William commented.

“Indeed,” Tilana replied with a smile as they continue to watch until the Enterprise was in position. A short time later the viewscreen changed to see Admiral Shelby on the bridge of the Enterprise as she began her speech.

Just as the fleet formation mode activated things were about to turn chaotic as the junior officers that were on the bridge began to change. Eyes glazed over black for a brief moment, their skin went to a grayish color and dark-looking veins ran through their skin. They all turned around looking at both Tilana and Aleish.

“We are Borg…eliminate the unassimilated,” came the voice of the officers that were no longer themselves but now Borg. Shots rang out onto the bridge as those who were not assimilated were targeted.

“Shit,” Tilana said as both of them began to run toward the conference room. Dodging phaser fire as they entered and sealing the room using her command codes. Some had tried to get through but soon decided to stop as they now had control of the bridge. Chaos was now filling the ship as the younger officers had now become borg and were going after those who were not assimilated.

They were secure for the time being but glanced out of the window and her eyes were wide as she saw every ship firing on the Starbase. She gasped as they to began firing on the Starbase. Tilana tries to contact others on the ship to warn them and have them get somewhere they can seal themselves in but she was being locked out of the systems.

She felt helpless as she was forced to watch everything unfold, looking at Aleish who could see the terror in her eyes. They were able to access the separate channel that connected the ships, she couldn’t stomach what she was hearing happening on the other ships. She heard that the Excelsior had gained control of the bridge, and no sooner than she looked out of the viewscreen to see the Excelsior being destroyed but the ships within the fleet.

Aleish gasped at witnessing the Excelsior get destroyed, “well looks like it’s not a good idea to try to retake the bridge.” Aleish said finally in horror, Tilana shook her head in agreement. They continued to watch helpless unable to do anything else, this put a pit in her stomach.

Those that were still in the lounge enjoying the celebrations watched as tragedy struck as the ships fired upon the Starbase. Lieutenant Zilan walked to the entrance of the lounge as the doors opened Zilan saw the young officers that had turned into the Borg shooting at officers that were trying to escape. She frantically moved over to the console next to the door and sealed them in.

“What is going on?” Khadija asked as she watched Zilan seal them in.

“Borg has taken over the ship,” Zilan replied.

“How?” Khadija asked confused as she didn’t see any Borg ships.

“I am not sure, but these Borg look different and they are not assimilating they are killing those of us who are not assimilated,” Zilan replied in a panic, as they were all stuck there.

A short time later there was banging on the door as those Borg tried to get into the lounge. “We have to do something,” Zain said looking at the others.

“Probably not a good idea,” Zhayva replied as she accessed the same channel the captain had.

“Why?” Zain asked looking a bit annoyed having to stay there watching their ship commit the worst crime one could imagine. “We have to try to stop this ship,” Zain almost yelled.

“And end up like the Excelsior?” Zhayva replied as she listened to the channel the looked at the screen to watch the Excelsior get destroyed. “That is what will happen if we try to overtake the ship.” Zhayva pointed at the feed.

Zain watched and his eyes looked like they were about to come out of his head, “we just need to stay here and hope things stop or where all dead.” Zhayva replied sounding a bit more scared at the thought. She didn’t want to end like this, the pounding continued as they all stood there helpless.

Things continued as they watched the Starbase lose its shields, now they began targeting Earth. Her heart dropped to her stomach as she was about to become sick, feeling helpless. The chaos continued for what seemed like an eternity, thinking that this was going to be it for Earth and the end of Starfleet as they knew it.

Then just as it all started the firing had stopped, Tilana and Aleish looked at each other as their ship had also taken a beating from the Starbase trying to defend itself. She grabbed a phaser setting it on stun before unsealing themselves. They both carefully walked out onto the bridge, it was different as Tilana didn’t see the Borg anymore but her officers who looked confused.

They had some memory of what had taken place and they looked petrified, “I am so sorry Captain…” Enja Arime replied as tears ran down her face.

Tilana looked at Enja, “It’s alright you were not you.” She said placing a hand on her shoulder trying to reassure her as well as everyone else.

Officers began to return to the bridge after everyone seemed to be back to themselves, compared to what they were just moments ago. Was this over, she began to wonder how this all began and how only the younger members of the crew were the only ones affected. She’d probably find that out in due time but now things were over and hopefully, they would be able to move on from this whole mess.

Sitting down in her chair she looked at the viewscreen to see the damage that was done, placing her face in her hands she rubbed it with a loud sigh. There was so much damage to the Starbase as well as other ships in the formation. A short time she got the damage report and casualty report, reading it she sank in her chair more. They had been through so much in such a short time, she wondered if things would get any better.