‘Attention all hands, this is Admiral Liam Dahlgren speaking to you on behalf of Fleet Admiral Ramar,’ Dahlgren said on the viewscreen, appearing from the dedicated flag bridge aboard the Susan B. Anthony. 

The Anthony was front and centre in their formation, serving as a symbol to inspire the gathered armada. Dahlgren could have given his speech from the bunker under Farpoint Station, but he’d chosen to remain in the thick of the action, his own strike group made up of Arcturus and Challenger along with their squadrons, the two massive Odyssey-class vessels standing shoulder-to-shoulder on either side of the Anthony.

‘It’s not often that this much of the Fourth Fleet gathers together in one place with a singular mission, but today our duty is clear: we must hold the line and keep the combined Dominon and Breen fleet from taking Farpoint Station. They have committed the bulk of their forces to this assault, so if we defeat them here, the conflict is over. We have one more battle. One more hill to take. This is a desperate assault on our enemy’s part, as we have superior numbers, better training and the heart to come out on the other side. We can and we must stem the tide here and now,’ the Admiral continued.

The admiral’s words rolled across the bridge of the Caliburn, and Captain Hargreaves watched as the younger of his bridge crew sat spellbound. It was not that he was unmoved, but Hargreaves had been a starship commander for over a decade now. He knew the power of inspiring words and had listened to Dahlgren not as an audience member caught up in the magic but as a craftsman appreciating a colleague’s work.

As such a pragmatist, he was thus more impressed by the truth he could see than the song he could hear. That truth was spread across the tactical display shining on the viewscreen, with its countless blips of the arrayed defences of Starfleet. The weapons emplacements of and around Farpoint Station. The gathered forces of Task Group 514 rallied to protect their territory. And the assembled starships of the Fourth Fleet.

Their mandate took them across the galaxy to wherever there were strange new worlds – literal or metaphorical. Never before had Hargreaves seen so many formed up in one location. Never before had the might of the fleet come together like this. And if they failed, they would never do so again. For in the distance, far beyond the naked eye, at the edge even of the tactical map, came the combined forces of the Lost Fleet and their Breen allies.

‘More important than anything else, we have each other. We will hold the line together. All units have their orders. Squadron and Strike Group Commanders are authorized to engage at their discretion. Dahlgren out.’

Hargreaves squared his shoulders. ‘You heard the admiral,’ he said to his crew in a cool, collected voice. ‘Red alert. We -’

But the lights had barely dimmed to blood-red before the turbolift doors slid open and in stalked Vice Admiral Beckett. To the central command dais he stepped, giving Commander Vorin’s, ‘Admiral on deck!’ a dismissive wave of the hand.

‘As you were,’ Beckett snapped. ‘Focus on the bloody enemy.’ But he stopped beside Hargreaves and leaned in to drop his voice. ‘I’ve had reports from long-range telescopes and recon operations beyond the border. It looks like half of the Lost Fleet is standing down.’

Hargreaves stared at his mentor momentarily before returning to the viewscreen. His brow furrowed. ‘Not this half.’

‘Some have surrendered to local Starfleet forces. They say they’ve received new orders from the Founders, that they were misled. I dare say the recent missive from the Dominion has made them realise they’re twenty-five years too late for this war.’ But Beckett’s nostrils flared. ‘This is mostly among forces that have already tasted defeat, you understand.’

‘They’re a little less zealous when they’ve been kicked around,’ Hargreaves sighed. ‘That doesn’t do us any good unless this is a massive surrender.’

‘It’s not,’ Beckett said simply. ‘If the Lost Fleet has fractured, if some are swayed by the Dominion’s message, and some aren’t, this attack might be the result. Their forces have been decimated by defeat and now surrender. They’re facing annihilation if they try to hold Deneb. But… victory is life, after all.’ But his cold eyes met Hargreaves’, and the wiry admiral gave a tight smirk. ‘What I’m saying, Captain, is that if we win this, it’s over.’

It made sense. But Kehinde Hargreaves was, again, an eminently practical man. He extended a hand to invite Beckett to the tertiary command seat, and assumed the captain’s chair. His crew had watched as he consulted with the admiral, and for a moment, he considered giving them the news. But it was not his to share, and in this moment, it was just a distraction.

No, he thought as he watched the gathered forces of the Breen and the last vestiges of the Lost Fleet approaching on the tactical map. Regardless of Dahlgren’s rhetoric, he was not convinced they did have numerical or tactical superiority here at Farpoint. Anything else happening in Deneb might as well have been in another galaxy. The only thing that mattered was here and now.

‘Strike force is in formation, Admiral,’ he told Beckett coolly. ‘We have Pegasus, Endeavour, August, Farragut, and Excalibur formed up.’

Beckett nodded, his armrest already providing a holographic projection of his tactical map for the ships immediately under his command. As Dahlgren focused on the entire engagement and Beckett focused on this strike force, Hargreaves would focus on his ship.

‘We hold until the flagship’s signal,’ he called to his bridge crew, Caliburn’s officers coiled tight and ready to be unleashed in a heartbeat. ‘Then, we give them hell.’ 

In Play

• Members may indicate by whatever means they wish that their ship is present at the Battle of Farpoint. It may be mentioned in stories or ship wiki articles, but the Intelligence Office will not keep track.
• The battle may stretch across the system. There is room for smaller skirmishes at the edges, around moons or phenomena, as well as the main pitched battle.
• Stories must exclusively focus on the specific engagements of one ship/squadron. Victories are only the victories of those individual engagements – members’ starships or squadrons are not turning the tide of the battle.
• At the resolution of the FA, the Intel Office will write the battle’s conclusion. Reinforcements (as per USS: Atlantis: What Price for Peace – 20) will not arrive before this point.