What began as an investigation into the criminal actions of a high-ranking officer has become a desperate search for a way to put the universe right. Commodore Daffyd Johnson sabotaged a secret Starfleet technology depot, stealing a variety of tech—which included a time travel device. The Gorkon chased him down, but not enough time to stop him from using the device.
He travelled to an unknown point in the past, while the Gorkon was in the event horizon of the rift, and protected from the changes to the timeline as they happened. As a result, the crew found themselves in a bold new 2401, where the Borg had conquered the known galaxy... and it was not a fresh conquest. The Gorkon’s initial attempt to discover the extent of the situation and how it had happened was disrupted by a Borg attack.
In the intervening time on Nassau, the crew have done their best to learn about the Borg in this timeline. Research and scavenging have armed them with a great deal of information about the Collective and the situation beyond Ma No Umi. But there is one glaring omission —— what changes Johnson enacted on the timeline. The crew’s various attempts to uncover that information have led to a single conclusion; only the Borg know, and they don’t keep that information aboard their ships.
With no other option, landing parties boarded Unimatrix Seventeen to steal the information they needed. The teams split up with different tasks; stealing the information, stealing a Sphere with a time travel device, sabotaging the Unimatrix to assist in their escape, and distracting the Borg from what all the other teams were up to.
Now they're heading back in time to 2367, to find Johnson and his accomplice and to put the timeline right once and for all.
"But I am going to tell you that you’re not alone. We’re a crew, and we’re a crew who can, and have, achieved the impossible. We will find a way to undo the damage Johnson has done, and we will get home to our families and friends. That’s a promise we make right now, to ourselves, to everyone on this ship, and all those absent who we hold in our hearts." - Quinn Reynolds
The Gorkon is under attack from a Borg Cube, holding her own as best as she can, though she has taken at least one severe blow. In Act 2, the engineers must work together to repair the warp core that has gone offline, as the bridge directs the ships defense with limited options. One team will safeguard civilians, and another prepares for Borg intruders.
Bridge
Grappling with an offline warp core, and quickly adapting Borg, Quinn Reynolds directs the bridge accordingly. Using tactics such as evasive maneuvers, tactfully deployed probes, and considering decoys such as meticulously timed shuttle explosions, the team were up against it. With drones being launched from the Cube, landing onto the hull of the Gorkon in an unprecedented move, Helmsman Cory Stoyer continued to weave and heave the ship, forcing the intertial dampeners to play catch up. With a suggestion by Rahkmar to reverse the polarisation of the hull, later used though with not enough of a result, Reynolds suggested sending an electric current through it instead; Ayiana Sevo zapping into quick work, the majority of drones were shaken off. Eventually, the arrival of four ships, Romulan, Klingon and Cardassian in origin, led by Kael Tam appeared, greeting the ship with a data packet containing crucial EMP information to disable those drones that had intruded the lower decks, the final nail in the coffin for the Borgs initial invasion. - by Doz Finch
Corridors
- Prepare for Borg Intruders.
While handing out melee weapons to security teams on deck eleven, the team of Neathler, Taelon, Finley and Farvor detected signs of nanoprobes that led them to a Borg node on deck ten. Making sure the node was no longer connected to any of the Gorkon’s computer systems, the node was transported to a closed cybernetic lab where the team went in lockdown.
A machine, setup by lieutenant Taelon, dissected the node piece by piece and the team discovered it was constructed from materials mainly coming from species from the Alpha Quadrant. During the ship’s bumpy ride, Borg drones managed to get onboard and lifting the lockdown, the team went to stop them.
Their journey took them to the daycare where they encountered and killed two Borg drones, only to discover they were former crew members. More Borg signs were detected at Sto’vo’kor and just after the team engaged with the Borg, a pulse disabled the drones, leaving the team behind to do the clean up. - by Samira Neathler.
Science Labs
- Get the civilians to safety.
Lieutenant Commander Tahna Meru along with Ensigns Nera Ay, Vesela Pace, and Solkon led the charge in locating civilian scientists and family of crewmembers trapped in the science labs on the lower decks, including Lieutenant Vylaa zh'Tisav's daughter. The group encountered blown conduits and a raging fire on Deck 17, which they successfully put out before locating the civilians in a series of wrecked labs. With the civilians in tow, the group relocated to a storeroom on Deck 18, away from the action, and borrowed a few Bajoran resistance tactics to set defensive traps for the Borg along the way. With no Borg detected on their deck and battles raging overhead, the group used the Gorkon's computers to send out false life signals to lure Borg on the upper decks to less populated areas of the ship. Ultimately four civilian casualties were reported from the science labs, with three others transported to sickbay for treatment. - by Tahna Meru
Main Engineering
With the warp core offline, due to a crack in the intermix chamber established during the fight, as well as damaged dilithium crystals, Lieutenant Gnaxac climbed inside to launch immediate repairs. Lieutenants Vylaa zh'Tisav and Doz Finch arranged his equipment as fires and other mechanical issues raged in their vicinity, leading to at least one fatality. Although tumultuous, the core was fixed, but the reinitialisation delayed as they discovered a second microfracture. To prevent fatigue, Finch and zh'Tisav swapped places with Gnaxac and with use of sealant and a welder, worked quickly to repair it a second time, doing so in difficult heaving conditions as the ships inertial dampeners struggled to keep up with its violent thrust manoeuvres.
Once the core was brought back online, they tracked its progress meticulously, disturbed soon after by the arrival of drones that had infiltrated their deck using unknown micro-transportation technology. A deadly skirmish ensued. With blades, Finch defended Gnaxac from a wandering drone, as zh'Tisav and a security team took on the rest. Once the core was secured and safe again, an EMP reverberated throughout the decks, setting conduits and consoles ablaze in Main Engineering, adding the next stage to their Damage Control: Firefighting. - by Doz Finch
Despite valiant efforts from many, no one had identified the event—or series of events—Johnson had changed. It was the single most important piece of information they needed; without knowing what he had altered, there was no way to undo it. All the research pointed to a single source of truth, the sole well of knowledge: a Borg Unimatrix. And so here they were, trying to pull a data heist in the very heart of the Collective. - From Vice Admiral Quinn Reynolds - As the World Caves In.
Seeing no alternative route, specialised away teams are dispatched to a certain Unimatrix Seventeen, with the goal of uncovering the specific data containing the turning point of the timeline, to enable them to find some way of restoring it. Infiltrating the complex will involve a number of different meticulous tasks — exfiltrating the historical information, sabotaging the unimatrix's systems, creating diversions to distract any active drones in the area, and stealing a half-built sphere as their conduit to the past.
Data Exfiltration: Unimatrix Seventeen
- Recover the historical information required — but the node it’s stored within is physically hard to access, and they’ll need to overcome various obstacles to reach it.
As the Data Exfiltration Team prepared for the task ahead on Unimatrix Seventeen, Lt. Commander Tahna Meru noted the minimal security as strange, to which Lt. Commander Greg Aegam confirmed bringing a number of explosives for their potential use. Moving through the complex, they came upon one of the doors through which the "unusual architecture" as described in their brief was expected, and Pace immediately set to work, forcing the doors into maintenance mode in order to get them open. It was upon opening the doors that intense heat barrelled out and innards of the room revealed in the form of an ever-changing series of platforms at odd distances. Putting their heads together, Tahna pondered whether or not there was a pattern to the moving platforms, whilst Aegam suggested moving over to one — that is until the platform dropped violently and turned upside down, causing all of them to rethink their options on how to get through the obstacle course. Thinking back to the Gorkon's last battle with the Borg, Tahna remembered the drones launching themselves onto the hull, and considered whether or not turning the gravity off in the room in a sort of emulation of that event was a possible solution. The room, perhaps spurred on by their presence, then reacted anyway, prompting all platforms in the room to come to a complete stop. It was Pace then who tested the nearest platform by throwing a tricorder onto it, successfully, until eventually standing on one despite Tahna's panic. Seizing the opportunity, the team all did the same, jumping from one dangerous platform to the next, until all three of them had landed on the other side of the room. Just as soon as the team had arrived to the other side, the platforms behind them reacted again, this time forming a large vertical wall moving slowly in their direction. Thinking on her feet, Pace quickly suggested trying her maintenance trick again or making use of phasers or explosives to get the newest door facing them open, but Aegam had another idea, instead opting to cut a nearby cable with pliers. The action did trigger the doors open, but also simultaneously the speed at which the moving wall was moving in their direction.
They escaped the room without being squished, but now found themselves in another corridor within which the ominous sound of ticking could be heard. Proceeding to the next room, the team came upon the source: a "beautiful" obelisk shaped console surrounded by spinning rings. Analytical and tactical brains hard at work, they each tried to understand the purpose of this next obstacle, with Aegam wondering if pressure plates may have been on the ground underneath it. To test it, Tahna Meru slid her tricorder across the floor with no consequence, confirming that they were at least on safe flooring. Soon after, the team felt the room freezing, stuttering and shifting. In the moments that followed, Vesela Pace approached the obelisk and was immediately thrown backwards into the air by a forcefield, not sustaining any notable injuries. Threading things together, Aegam noticed that the ticking was every twenty seconds, a realisation that spurred Tahna into suggesting the connection of all three tricorders together to amplify their scans of the room and get to the bottom of the countdown. Amidst the ticking and freezing and shifting, Aegam and Pace also noticed display screens shimmering and flickering into existence with every shudder of the room, and so Pace set about overloading the forcefield surrounding the obelisk as a way of shutting down whatever was about to happen.
It was Greg Aegam who volunteered himself to overload the forcefield, giving the scientists the freedom to focus their attention on two of the four flickering displays. Working on their respective tasks succeeded as the last ten seconds came to a finish and the forcefield, along with the incessant ticking, stopped. Borg alphanumeric code appeared then on the consoles, but before they could begin to disseminate it, Aegam found his arm electrocuted, sending him flailing backwards similarly to Vesela Pace’s earlier encounter. Tahna Meru ordered Pace to run a translation matrix on the language, whilst she examined the Tec/Tac Security Chiefs physical state. Pace’s matrix worked and revealed to the team a series of optional doors for them to go through, as well as a map of the area surrounding the data core. They began their expedition, soon followed by a drone, and then discovered that alcoves were stationed within the labyrinth. Following their map, the team arrived at a wall that they weren’t expecting, and began ruminating on how to move beyond it. Pace tried keying in a command in a small grate nearby, to no avail. Realising his injured arm was hindering some of his abilities, Aegam summoned Ensign Kestra Nin to join their away team efforts. Deliberations and contemplations ensued, and the decision was made to attract drones to the area in an attempt to use one of their tubules to access the door. A fight followed with a number of Borg drones, and one particularly violent drone with a saw-like appendage. In the foray, Aegam pressed the drone up against the wall and requested assistance, joined soon after by Nin who aided the man in pinning the drone against the wall. Pace used her rifle and shot at a power pack on the drone's body, causing it to explode. In the moment, two of the drones were thrown to the floor, whilst Tahna was sliced by the last remaining drone with the saw-like appendage. In the aftermath, Aegam guided the team into taking care of the injured first with medkits. Once they were, Pace made use of the inactive tubules from the nearby defeated drone and inserted them into the door, causing its pattern to release and it to finally open.
With his phaser torch raised, Greg Aegam moved in first followed by the team, into a chasmic room with railings protecting them from an engulfing darkness. In front of them were corridors leading to the centre of the labyrinth, all lined with dormant drones sleeping in their alcoves. As they passed through, they noticed that the drones watched their every move, almost like surveillance. They eventually made it inside of the data room within which a floating cube hovered above a central console, their main prize. After a failed attempt at scanning it with a tricorder, the team deliberated next steps, eventually landing on an idea proffered by Vesela Pace to extract nanoprobes from the environment into a tricorder as a means of downloading their prized data. Seeing no other alternative, Tahna Meru wiped all data and connection to the Gorkon from her own and handed it over to the other scientist, as Aegam and Kestra Nin set up pattern enhancers at either side of the door they entered as a means of shielding it, and thereby shocking any drones trying to get inside. A loud bang followed shortly after on the other side. Eventually they opened a door leading out of the heart of the labyrinth and in doing so found themselves greeted by assimilation tubules built into the walls; Nin used her rifle to disintegrate one of them. During this time, Pace managed to download the last of the all important data onto the nanoprobe filled tricorder, noting its large size. On their way out of the central storing place, they came up against one final obstacle: an assimilated Quinn Reynolds in her Borg Queen regalia. Pulling the trigger on her phaser, Tahna reluctantly fired a shot in the Queen’s direction, and just as soon after the team transported out of Unimatrix Seventeen and landed safely back on the USS Gorkon.
Sabotage: Unimatrix Seventeen
- Disrupt the Unimatrix’s systems to cover the various team’s tracks and buy us time afterwards to escape and use the retrieved information.
On Unimatrix Seventeen, team Sabotage began by compiling a mental log of the different items they had brought along with them. Commander Jo Marshall had on her person a series of slim infiltration nodes created by Lt. Commander Erin Reynolds, and Lt. Commander Ayiana Sevo a combat knife, grenades and other tools. Their hopeful plan involved injecting the nodes into a nearby junction, but not before affecting a critical power relay first with the intention of resetting numerous areas of the Unimatrix. Noting that the junction was parked in the middle of a stasis cluster, Sevo took on the role of alcove stasis monitoring, with Marshall on node duty. Vice Admiral Quinn Reynolds meanwhile improvised the idea of constructing a surge modulator to avoid other teams within the Unimatrix setting the cascade off prematurely. Getting on with their tasks, Sevo noticed signs of the alcoves finishing their regeneration cycles and did some mitigating, and wondered if Marshall or Reynolds work was perhaps the reason. Having noticed a power fluctuation caused by damage to the EPS network, Reynolds relayed the information to her team, prompting Marshall to suggest rewriting the relay's error-checking algorithms in such a way that the fluctations would look like simple routines. A shuddering of the deck followed the suggestion shortly after, causing the team to work quicker and move to their next location: a distribution node.
Near the node, Ayiana Sevo conveyed readings confirming that the drones in their alcoves were in a semi-permanent regeneration cycle and that the power within their chambers had been priotised to keep them in stasis mode, adding weight to a developing theory that something wasn't quite right with their area of Unimatrix Seventeen. Spurred on by another rumbling beneath their feet, this time with more severity, Quinn Reynolds suggested slipping a series of subtle changes into the complexes code base, adjusting the operating parameters so that they were out of manufacturing tolerance, then widening the range of variances the monitoring systems would accept before action. Sevo, following a similar train of thought, added that they redefined their priorities or tweaked the power settings, causing overloads and drains in various systems. In the minutes that followed, busied by their work, Reynolds confirmed that the skeleton of a Borg Cube was within the framework of the Unimatrix section they were standing in, asking Sevo to investigate it further with it having been the Trill's own earlier deliberation.
In a bid to give them remote access, and some leeway in the activation of their disrupted nodes, Quinn Reynolds turned to Jo Marshall next to see what was possible, with Marshall suggesting they try to connect the nodes together in a sequence. As Marshall set to work on her task, Ayiana Sevo discovered that their section of the unimatrix was indeed derived from a Borg cube, and that the engines were spread throughout in different areas. Marshall also discovered that the Borg were allocating power resources to analysing, rather than actively targeting the various digital shifts and changes taking place in the Unimatrix complex. Noticing a Kriosian drone regenerating with its singular eye open, Sevo noted that its occipital lobe was extremely active, suggesting it was observing their activities. Seeing a link, they mused over the possibility that Unimatrix Zero was still active in this version of reality, and whether or not trying to contact them through the watchful drones, to gain their assistance and allyship, was a viable option. It was Marshall who sent a signal through the system first, to see if they would get a response.
As they discussed options, Quinn Reynolds reluctantly made clear that she had telepathic capabilities and although she preferred she didn’t, could try to reach Unimatrix Zero that way; Jo Marshall then began filtering through safety precautions and approaches, adding the idea of using a controlled frequency dampener as a means of tracking Reynolds' progress. Using her basic knowledge of tri-axillation from the USS Voyagers encounter with Unimatrix Zero, Ayiana Sevo isolated the necessary frequency. Reynolds visited Unimatrix Zero and noted how nobody else was there in the lush environment, struggling to maintain her composure as a non-practicing telepath. Eventually the unassimilated version of the Kriosian drone she had connected with appeared and pushed her out of his paradise. Reynolds later remarked that there had been an unspoken exchange of information, and requested that her team transport out of Unimatrix Seventeen immediately and back to the USS Gorkon.
Diversion: Unimatrix Seventeen
- Create subtle distractions to pull the Borg’s attention away from the areas the other teams are working in.
Team Diversion, comprised of Lieutenant Vylaa zh'Tisav, Lieutenant JG Taelon and Ensign Russell Standish, began their mission somewhere within Unimatrix Seventeen similarly to other teams: they began by taking mental stock of the items they had brought along with them. Backup weapons such as chain detonators were brought by zh'Tisav, whilst Taelon had on his person disruption-centric devices known as blossomers. The resident doctor, Standish, meanwhile had brought hyperbiplexuric acid in time release containers, a couple of disintegration field generators and ultrabroad band channel disrupters, as well as a self-replicating plasma orb. Quickly jumping into action, Taelon started with the suggestion of finding a nearby datanode and disrupting that first, to zh'Tisav's agreement who added viniculums and power conduits to the list. On their journey, the team found an EPS conduit behind a grate, something instantly exploited by zh'Tisav who carefully planted a detonator for later explosion. A blossomer, also described as a seed by Taelon, was then dispatched through a wall by the El-Aurian, a disruption device capable of covering its own tracks. As the team moved on they found a data node in a larger room surrounded by data storage, consoles and stasis chambers. As part of an intricate plan to depressurise an adjoining archway and release the drones into nearby space, zh'Tisav rigged the exits to the room to explode on their departure, as Taelon with prevention in mind made use of the acid brought by Standish to burn through the clamps that would have normally released the drones from their alcoves. Taelon shortly after dispatched another of his blossomers into the heart of the central datanode itself to cause additonal disruption. Once the work was done, Standish suggested that the team secure themselves inside the alcoves to stay safe from the blast, an idea met with hestitation from both Taelon whose cybernetic enhancements mad have been detected by the alcove, and zh'Tisav whose towering height she felt may have posed another problem. Protected by a shield created by ARIA — Taelon's assistant android — the team blew the archway, sending several drones into space as planned, before moving onto another area.
The team soon arrived to a tall atrium-like room with walkways crossing over their heads, and alcoves within which drones this time began exiting in response to their diversion tactics earlier on. Eager to avoid detection, the team sealed themsleves off into a side-room, an opportunity seized by Taelon who connected to ARIA with a wire to download a map of the area they now occupied. After finding node 432-587-35D on the map, Taelon told the team they would need to go upwards, something they realised would only be possible through a ventilation shaft above them. Vylaa zh'Tisav, after some thought, suggested using the power lines clamped into the walls as a means of climbing there, uncertain that they had the capability of doing it another way. It was Taelon then who, in agreement, adjusted the idea so that they did use the wires but instead as ropes with Russell Standish in the lead.
Vylaa zh'Tisav clamped her hands together and lifted Russell Standish up onto the cables along the wall that the doctor then scaled with difficulty. Taelon proffered ARIA next who using a built-in cutting beam pried the grate to the shaft open, when the sound of Borg drones trying to get into the room sparked his attention. Standish manoeuvred his way up through the vent as the other two ripped the rest of the cables from the wall for ARIA to carry up to jim. The Human secured the rope in place and then Taelon climbed up next, followed by zh'Tisav, as the Borg drones finally forced their way into the room. They released the cable and crawled for five minutes until zh'Tisav realised that the Borg would be able to predict their next location. They made a detour instead into a maintenance room beneath them, and came upon what appeared to be a docking bay for probes, lined with semi-occupied alcoves along the walls. zh'Tisav noticed hydraulic regulators and believed they would turn into battering rams if the room was depressurised. She asked Taelon to ensure the Unimatrix's tractor beams were disabled to prevent the Borg from pulling them back in.
Actioning their new plan, Taelon entered the system and disabled the beams, noticing the alarms caused by other teams. Russell Standish then utilised the cybernetic leg of a nearby drone to assist Vylaa zh'Tisav with shutting off the hydraulic line; they succeeded and Taelon released the shield, allowing the probes to shoot out one by one in a cacophony of debris and sparks, the ultimate distraction for the local Collective in the space between complexes. Seizing the opportunity, the team then headed off in a lift to the floor with their target communications node, zh’Tisav phasering the ceiling between them and the emerging drones to maintain distance. Once the team found their way to the communications deck via the lift, they discovered that a sleeping drone was actively “watching” the environment around it; Taelon requested a connection with the drone to survey its activities, and Standish after having checked the drones visual stimulus response vocalised his concerns with the idea, wondering if ARIA was the better alternative for the proposal. Before long it became clear that the only viable option was to plant explosives around the node to both disrupt it and rip the deck apart in the process, eliminating the chance of a drone incursion.
Once the explosives were planted, new Borg drones appeared and Taelon found himself caught in a scuffle with one. ARIA launched into action, firing cerulean shots in the direction of the assailants, with little effect. Vylaa zh’Tisav fired her phaser in retort, causing the drone to fall down, and directed her team to the nearest archway whilst she left an arc of plasma in her quake. The team rapidly moved on to the next target, a transporter pad. Here at the transporter pad, Russell Standish sent off a plasma orb that showered the room on impact. Once again, another skirmish ensued between the two parties. This time a Klingon tactical drone appeared, with advanced cybernetics, capable of lifting it off the ground with more flexibility than the other drones. The drone identified zh’Tisav as an aberration of One of Four, ordering that she attended bay 138 for reassimilation. Again, a fight ensued, with zh’Tisav landing the most shattering blows. As the drone spun out of control for a moment, it switched to phased pulses, and that became the cue for the team to make their exit.
The team collectively decided to pursue One of Four — Vylaa zh'Tisav’s Borg drone equivalent — despite the risks it posed, though Taelon voiced his concerns about the viability of the rescue attempt. Able to scan for her lifesign thanks to zh’Tisav’s own organic data in the tricorders, they eventually found the drone, who was armed with an energy weapon and a blade. zh’Tisav charged at her assimilated self and although she dodged the weapons fire, found herself impaled by One of Four’s blade. As they transported back to the USS Gorkon, the Borg drone version of zh’Tisav almost materialised in too, but was blocked by the transporter specialist on duty. One of Four was reduced to subatomic fragments. In Sickbay, Russell Standish took the lead in initiating zh'Tisav's immediate surgery, with Taelon assisting.
Grand Theft Sphere: Half-built Borg Sphere
- here is a half-built Sphere with a drive installed for time travel; it’s our way into the past, but first we have to get it functional and liberate it from the Collective.
Donning environmental suits with built-in manoeuvrability thrusters, tethers and a display screen fixed onto their arm sleeves, team Sphere exited through the cloaked threshold of the Gorkon — made invisible thanks to the Romulan vessel it was latched onto — and began their floating expedition through space towards a half-built Borg Sphere, with the intent to steal it. On a backdrop of scintillating stars, the three officers, held together by one large tether, began by discussing the plan in action. Lieutenant Gnaxac confirmed that he had brought a standard engineering toolkit, whilst Ensign Nera Ay had with him the medical equivalent. Using the targeting reticle technology in their helmets, and their individual tethers, they began their descent with Lieutenant Doz Finch the first to make footfall, her landing hard and stabilised by gripping onto a bit of clefted framework, with the other two officers close behind her. Once the team had secured themselves, now parked on the outer edge of the Sphere facing away from the Unimatrix, they searched for and found an entry point, and soon after used their tethers to climb down into what they discovered was a junction that connected two other corridors. Despite minimal power to the junction, they also found that the environmental conditions were not suitable yet to remove their helmets. Finch this time revealed that she had brought on her person a pair of hover-drones capable of three dimensional mapping, and suggested that both she and Gnaxac release them in the separate corridors whilst Nera tracked the information as it fed into his tricorder. Once settled on a corridor, they pressed forward and eventually came to another unfinished corridor with a giant hole in it, fit for an elevator shaft. Despite how far down the hole went, Finch suggested they didn't backtrack due to the time-critical nature of the mission, and that they instead rappelled down.
As team Sphere rappelled down into the dark and murky depths of the barely-powered sphere, Doz Finch found her tether had caught on a jutted beam, unable to continue any further. Gnaxac nimbly made his way back up his tether, and noted that her tether had become frayed, asking that she remained still whilst he used a laser cutter to pry it free. Finch held onto Nera Ay's tether for support as the Ferengi released hers from the beam, only for a piece of it to fall down past them 60ft into the umbrageous unknown. With safety in mind, Finch points out a nearby level as an alternative detour route, having noticed a series of consoles and shield emitters in the walls. Moving quickly but steadily, they angled and positioned themselves onto an extended ledge that led into the new corridor, and once inside Nera began by activating a console with his gloved hand, instantly bringing up the alphanumeric language of the Borg. Perplexed by the language, the team considered what to do next, when Gnaxac had the idea to interface with the console using his tricorder; it was Gnaxac's algorithm that then activated the environmental technology in their corridor, including shields and air, allowing them to finally remove their helmets. Affected by interference deeper inside the Sphere, Finch's hover-drones went offline, and so the team turned to an internal map of the ship instead able then to get a fuller picture for their next move.
After settling into their new environment, breathing in the rather unpleasant tasting and smelling air, they used the Borg console to chart their next steps, deliberating over another two directions provided by the Sphere’s own map. One involved wading through a conglomerate of alcoves, and another traversing more unfinished sections of the ship, costing them time. They pressed onwards to the alcoves and found themselves in the hollow open space of the Sphere this time, with the cylindrical core looming in view ahead of them. At their destination, the team discovered a console with power lines running from it, and indeed the forecasted alcoves that did, unfortunately, contain some sleeping drones. Gnaxac, using his tricorder again, accessed the console and discovered the codes of “holographic defenses” that were similar to his own, but on a more vicious scale. Seeing the potential in that, Doz Finch asked whether or not Gnaxac could use that to their advantage and send force fields to specific locations in the sphere, such as dead zones, as a means of reinforcing it for travel. Nera Ay, meanwhile, ran scans on the Borg drones in the vicinity. The Bajoran suggested the use of Hansen devices that he’d brought along with him, as well as melting the alcove tubes together to “lock” the drones in place and prevent them from exiting. As both Nera and Finch started working on it, the extra power flowing through the waypoint alerted the drones who began waking up; Gnaxac had taken some creative license with his holographic coding and, using projected creatures and characters from his imaginarium, invoked a chaotic scene with one-eyed creatures, birds and a cowboy, among others, to bag them enough of a window to leave the area. Thanks to the combination of Nera and Gnaxac’s tactics used, they quickly ran for the cylindrical core, followed by a couple of Borg drones who had slipped through the bedlam.
The team passed through a door to the cylindrical core, but quickly discovered that the door wasn't functioning correctly. In a hurry, Doz Finch quickly began dismantling the doors primary wiring from the inside out, using her hands and a decoupler. With an electrical whipping shock, she flew backwards into Gnaxac as the doors slammed shut, sealing them in the corridor that would lead them to the propulsion control room. Despite her injury, Finch and her team pressed on again, and once inside the control room found that it was a vast empty space in blackness, with a platform of consoles elevated in the centre. Once inside, as Nera Ay gave first aid to Finch, the old Human noticed more emitters scattered in patterns across the vast space using her torch, and wondered if the room served as a holographic orrery. Once the first aid was completed, Nera went on to touch one of the consoles, activating a series of holographic platforms and walkways that filled up the negative space of the room, and soon after Finch realised that the bulk of the propulsion and time travel technology was stowed in depositories all around them within the cavernous walls. The room itself was highly interactive, serving multiple purposes and uses, designed with incredible intuition and accessibility; before long they began by initiating the sphere’s shields, followed by its main engines.
As the ship thrummed into life, Nera Ay interacted with and browsed a map of the star system they were in, depicting the sphere in relation to Unimatrix Seventeen — but the burgeoning drones outside grew in size and their attention switched to them instead. Using the node network throughout the sphere, and a medical device capable of emitting Thoron particles brought and proffered by Nera, the team created false lifesign signals in key locations, separating the Borg drones in a bid to trap them in precise areas. Once the bulk of the drones congregated in a heavily shielded zone, one suspected to house a Vinculum and/or Central Plexus, a bulkhead was dropped, an action that surprisingly attracted most of the remaining drones to the same location. Ideas stirred amongst the team as they tried to decide the best course of action — such as jettisoning the drones out into space or sending an electromagnetic surge through the deck to separate them from the Hive Mind. Ultimately the latter was decided by Doz Finch, taking Gnaxac’s concerns into consideration, and the order to action that plan was made, with the added task of using the sphere’s own transportation technology to send the severed drones over to the main Unimatrix complex so that they could steal the sphere once and for all.
In the final moments, Gnaxac suggested holding the drones inside the pattern buffer instead; and so, the team combined all of their ideas into one, and after sending a successful electrical surge through the deck in question, transported the offending drones into the pattern buffer, made possible by a suspended materialisation subroutine. Now they were cleared to lift off, they restarted critical take-off procedures, such as disconnecting the Sphere's docking clamps, reinforcing the shields, bringing the engines to full capacity, and checking the inertial dampeners, and using the onboard starchart they set a course for a sector to rendezvous with the Gorkon.
Secondary Teams
- Split in two, one half of the team works to find Johnson amidst the swarm of drones onboard Unimatrix Seventeen, liberating and transporting viable drone candidates along the way, whilst the other half receives them in the Gorkon's sickbay for rehabilitation.
Composed of two objectives and allocated sub-teams, the mission began with scientist Erin Reynolds explaining to their team leader Orson Marshall and the Security/Tactical Officer Xandria Cain that chroniton particles had been detected faintly on the Unimatrix Seventeen complex and that they likely led to Daffyd Johnson. In the Primary Sickbay, Counsellor Ruwon and Diplomatic Officer Miaxdiso Avoi discussed the rehabilitation measures and various possible approaches for the incoming drones, and how to handle those of a particularly violent nature. On the unimatrix, B. Marshall’s team continued through the corridors, with E. Reynolds on plotting duty. They heard the sound of groaning, as if coming from a real person and not an assimilated drone. Upon further investigation what they came upon was a drone slumped in their alcove, stripped of all of their cybernetic components and in visible pain and discomfort. Cain’s quick survey of the area revealed a trail of blood leading from another location, suggesting that the drone’s exterior cybernetics had been removed somewhere else. After some basic first aid treatment from E. Reynolds, they transported the man to Primary Sickbay where he was met by Ruwon, Avoi and Doctor Taeval Sienelis. Taeval immediately whisked to action, identifying the man’s critical condition and some other essential bits of information such as his being an Antosian. Whilst Avoi reluctantly dived deep into his mind, difficult at first due to how much agony the man was in, she discovered key pieces of information. With Ruwon’s guidance, she navigated the telepathic link and discovered within the Antosian man an intense feeling of regret that she couldn’t explain, and later on his actual name and a key location: Keibren Denshar and New Cyndriel. He soon drifted away, and the Betazoid was unable to find out anything more.
After pulling off the impossible, we’re now—ironically—in a race against time. The Borg Cube is on its way to Wolf 359. Unpalatable as it is, we have to ensure that terrible loss of life happens, in order to prevent a much, much greater one. - From Vice Admiral Quinn Reynolds - The Place of Blood and Wrath
Using the time-travel device built into the stolen Sphere, the USS Gorkon and its crew go back to a specific point in time: 2367, a day or two before the Battle of Wolf 359. They separate into four different teams, and in four different locations, ready to tackle four very unique objectives to stop Johnson once and for all.
Capture Commodore Johnson: Unnamed Planet
- We know what planet he’s on, but not exactly where he is—or what countermeasures and defences he may have in play.
Down on the unnamed planet—the location of Commodore Daffyd Johnson’s camp—Lt. Commander Samira Neathler led a team of three, with herself, Lieutenant Vylaa zh'Tisav and Ensign Vesela Pace. They initially stood on the edge of a beach ready to begin their search party in the hopes of finding and capturing the Commodore, at first by following faint trace remnants of Chroniton particles. Neathler's scans pointed to an inland forest, and that’s the direction the team headed in first. After some walking through red moss and foliage, Pace detected a lifesign signal first, noting that it wasn’t humanoid, and a silence and stillness soon followed. zh'Tisav, using her Andorian antennae, declared the stillness infrasound that was likely used by a predator watching them in the area.
More to come…
Aid the civilian freighter: 2367 Shuttlecraft
- The Gorkon’s sensors detected a civilian ship in distress directly in the path of the Cube. Historical records show no civilian ship was lost in this area, so they need to be out of the way before the Borg come through, and we can’t reveal who we really are or what time we’re from.
In an undercover shuttlecraft carefully designed to fit into the 2367 era, and thus the appropriate Starfleet uniform befitting that period of time, Lt. Commander Tahna Meru led a team of four, with Lt. Commander Ayiana Sevo, Ensign Nera Ay and Ensign Russell Standish making up the remaining members. With an objective to protect and safeguard a civilian freighter not known to have historically been destroyed, Tahna asked Sevo to check whether or not the ship was experiencing any technological failures to explain its slow pace and position in the system. For the medical officers, the Bajoran reminded them of the importance of the temporal Prime Directive, before asking for a summary of all they knew regarding the freighter. Sevo revealed that the freighter, known as the Korelath, was Andorian and part of the Andorian Merchant Fleet that was on course to Babel. Nera proposed configuring a false spatial anomaly sign to urge the freighter in another direction, something Tahna agreed with, though the idea was soon subsumed by a red alert on Standish’s console. Although his data initially confirmed a crew complement of 16, it now revealed only 15 present instead, information that he asked Nera to corroborate. Nera’s console however confirmed only 13 lifesigns present, alerting the team to either a discrepancy in the scans or a developing situation on the freighter. Realising interference was the primary cause, Nera adjusted his scans and discovered the missing 3 crew members in the cargo bay of the freighter, a heavily shielded area. Further scanning from Tahna revealed that the crew complement consisted of a myriad of different biolifesigns, including Vulcan, positing the idea that it wasn’t strictly an Andorian ship despite its design origins.
More to come…
Capture the Co-Conspirator: New Cyndriel
- Keibren Denshar is on New Cyndriel, ready to pull the trigger on Johnson’s backup plan if the weapons platform fails. Find him, and get him off planet, without alerting the authorities or revealing we’re from the future.
On the popular tourist planet New Cyndriel, during the vibrant Festival of Yelvala, a team of three led by Lieutenant Doz Finch, with Lieutenant JG Taelon and Lieutenant JG Megan Bendyn, mingled in amongst the celebrating crowds in carefully designed elaborate outfits and masks. Finch explained the benefits and drawbacks of the busy festival, and reiterated the importance of the team sticking together. Using equipment specific to the 2367 era, Taelon noted that they had Denshar’s gene sequencing, but that the technology would struggle with the background noise, something either himself or Finch would have to try to compensate for. Taelon enquired about Bendyn’s telepathy, wondering its potential secondary uses as a back up to any unreliable data they acquired. With that in mind, Finch suggested they began by following the crowd in the general direction it headed in. They landed in a main Yelvala-dressed square surrounded by colourful fabric, flowers, banners, bells, balloons and a central fountain that acted similarly to a ribboned maypole. Taelon suddenly found himself swept away by a conga line of dancers clanging bells and flutes, as a distance rapidly grew between him, Finch and Bendyn. Once freed from the foray, his tricorder beeped, indicating something worth investigating in a nearby side street. He summoned Finch and Bendyn to his location.
More to come…
Destroy the Weapons Platform: USS Kahnrah
- Board a Weapons Platform with stolen technology from Depot 39 and destroy it.
After communicating with the other away teams, Vice Admiral Quinn Reynolds turned her attention back to her own team, composed of Commander Jo Marshall and Lieutenant Gnaxac. In the runabout cockpit of the USS Kahnrah, Reynolds reiterated the objective: using information taken from Depot 39, they were to gain access to Johnson’s weapons platform and then destroy it to component atoms so that it never fires and that no evidence was left behind of its existence. The first suggestion to bypass the firewall of the weapons platform came from Gnaxac who wondered out loud if convincing it that their shuttle was friendly was possible, an idea that Reynolds immediately added to with two possibilities, the spoofing of their runabout to appear like Johnson’s, or convincing the platform into believing they were authorised users. Gnaxac preferred the latter, noting that he had a bevy of older codes he was able to use to get the job done. It was Marshall next who detected a low-powered communications signal emanating from the platform in short repeated bursts.
More to come…
