U.S.S. AVALON
Flight recorder visual
STARDATE 51462 - 2374 • 5 min read • PROJECT PATHFINDER
Flight Recorder Visual
Twelve vessels can be seen moving slowly through space. Nine of them are standard Federation transports. On each flank, a Defiant class can be seen. In the center of the formation sits the U.S.S. Avalon. An Akira class. The viewer enters the ship through one of its expansive shuttle bays, where the crew can be observed maintaining a fleet of attack craft. They then move rapidly through a series of decks. Settling in the Captains ready room as he finishes a conversation with Starfleet Command.
“… Theta-9” finishes the voice from the Captains desk terminal.
“Understood Admiral, but what about the convoy? I know we’re not exactly on the front lines here, but we would be leaving it completely undefended.”
“This is your top priority” comes the reply.
As the Starfleet Delta fills the screen, indicating that the communication has been terminated from the other end, Captain Edmunds stands and straightens her uniform jacket. She takes a breath and composes herself before moving around her desk and striding out the door onto the bridge.
“There’s been a change of plan, helm. I’m sending a new course directly to your console.” She sits in her command chair, and taps the new course and heading into the armrest panel.
“Ops, signal Captain Flanigan on the Warspite and Kingston on the Victory. Tell them to break formation, fall in behind us and match our course and speed.”
“Captain” a call of concern comes from the helm. “This course will take us over the neutral zone”.
“I’m well aware of that” Edmunds replies, before seeking to reassure her crew “Hopefully, it won’t come to that. But we have been authorised to cross if necessary to complete our mission.”
She pauses, and the bridge hangs in silence for her explanation.
“To intercept a Starfleet prototype and disable its engines. Before it crosses the zone”
As the Avalon powers its engines, the Warspite and Victory fall into formation. Each covering one of the larger ships aft quarters. In practiced precision, the Avalon engages her engines. Seconds later, the two Defiant classes jump to warp in unison. Maintaining their positioning as they cross the threshold separating normal space from warp.
Minutes pass into hours as the three ships rush towards the neutral zone. The bridge is tense, focused. Convoy duty always carried a risk of engagement, but being ordered away from your convoy. To intercept a Starfleet vessel no less? This wasn’t a milk run. The crew knew something must have gone horribly wrong, but dared not to voice their theories. For fear of attracting the ire of the Captain.
As the three ships gained on their target, the silence is interrupted by the young Benzite Lieutenant at Tactical.
“I’m detecting the Starfleet vessel Captain, and three Romulan warbirds. D’Deridex class”
Silence again, punctuated by the clear sounds of the Captain using her command chair interface. Within a few moments two other Starfleet officers appear on the ship’s viewscreen. The captains of the Warspite and Victory.
Edmunds stands and walks toward the front of the bridge. “Gentlemen, I trust your sensors are seeing that same thing as ours?”
“Three warbirds surrounding one Starfleet vessel?” comes the reply from Flanigan. “Yeah, we see it”
“Has Starfleet given us any indication of what’s going on here?” Interrupts Kingston. “I know that we’ve ‘live and let live’ a couple of times when a Romulan ship or even two has ended up on our side of the border. But this is three warbirds, clearly trying to capture a Federation starship. Is there any way of interpreting this other than a clear sign that the Romulans are planning to ally with the Dominion?”
All three bridges sit with the weight of his words. Edmunds had feared as much when she first spoke with Command, but had dared not voice it for fear of bringing the idea into the world. Faced with it now, she knew the only thing that they could do was take things as they were. Not as they feared they might be. Any larger ramifications of the actions they were about to take could be dealt with on another day.
“We can theorise when this is over. For now, we’re due to intercept in two minutes. Our top priority is to deal with the prototype. When we drop out of warp, Flanigan. The Warspite will take point. Kingston, you follow with Victory. The Avalon will engage the Romulans and cover you.”
“You’re going to take on three Warbirds?!” Flanigan replies, shocked at the seemingly reckless nature of Edmunds plan.
“Our mission isn’t to destroy the Romulan ships here. It’s just to buy you enough time to handle the ship they’ve captured. We’ll do our job, so you can do yours. You have your orders. Edmunds, out.”
As the comm channel closes, the viewscreen returns briefly to the view of stars streaking by before the familiar site of a warp bubble disengaging replaces them.
As all three ships emerge into normal space, the comm channel opens for a few short seconds. Just enough for the Warspite and Victory to hear the order: “Edmunds to all ships, go go go”.
On the bridge of the Avalon she turns to Tactical.
“You heard the plan, engage the warbirds”
The Avalon surges forward. Orange phaser fire streaking from her saucer towards the Warbird best positioned to threaten her escorts. The smaller and more nimble Defiant classes quickly pass underneath her navigational deflector, pulse phasers roaring, hammering Prometheus as she sits stationary in the lion’s den.
PROJECT PATHFINDER