Story:Star Trek: Federation Legacy/Line in the Sand

"Acting captain's log, stardate 83165.2. The Klingons have captured Captain Taggart, and regrettably, I am forced to report him as M.I.A. Commander Fuller has died of wounds inflicted by the Klingons, and I, being the next-highest ranking officer, have assumed command. Repairs are still underway after the Klingons' attack, and we are accompanying the U.S.S. Renown to the Pollux system to assist the U.S.S. Khitomer."

Jason Fredricks rests his chin on his hand while staring at the viewscreen. Charlie Morgan enters the bridge, accompanied by a female Andorian officer.

"Sir," he speaks up. "This is our new tactical officer, from the U.S.S. Renown."

"Tala Jones, reporting for duty, sir," she says, standing at attention.

Fredricks stands and looks her over.

"At ease," he chuckles. "I'm not a senior officer."

"Well, technically..." Lucas Wells begins.

Fredricks glances over at Wells.

"Technically, I am, but I'm still an ensign, like the rest of you. All I require is your dedication to your duty."

"You've got it, sir," Jones answers.

"Good," Fredricks smiles.

Jones takes her place at tactical. Wells walks over to her.

"Weren't you at graduation last year?" he asks.

"Mhm..." she says, a bit puzzled. "Why do you want to know?"

"Oh, I just never really got to know many people at the Academy, but I recognized your name when you said it."

"Okay. What's your name?"

"Lucas Wells the Magnificent; or Lucas for short."

This elicits a grin from her.

"Well, I know I've never met you before, Lucas. I would certainly remember you by your... Interesting personality."

"Sir, we are entering the Pollux system," Morgan reports.

"Drop out of warp," Fredricks orders.

"Reducing speed to impulse," Ernie Hauser replies.

"The Khitomer is twenty kilometers dead ahead, sir," Morgan adds.

"They are hailing us, sir," Hannah Freeman reports from her station.

"On-screen."

Captain Jay Yim appears on the viewscreen.

"Captain...er, ensign? Where's... Taggart?" he asks, puzzled at why this young ensign is sitting in the captain's chair.

"I'm Ensign Jason Fredricks. Captain Taggart was captured by the Klingons, and Commander Fuller is dead."

"I see." Yim raises an eyebrow. "Well, we've been caught in a subspace rift, and our engines are down. Can you assist us?"

"We'll do what we can, sir."

"Hail coming in from the Renown, sir," Freeman says.

"On-screen."

Captain Vo'Lok appears on the screen.

"Ensign, we have run a preliminary scan of the rifts, but I would like you investigate more thoroughly while we assist the Khitomer."

"Yes, sir," Fredricks answers.

"Vo'Lok out."

"Scan the first anomaly," Fredricks orders, gesturing at the anomaly with his hand.

"Scan complete. It's definitely a rift in space... But how it got here..." Wells shakes his head.

"I don't want speculations, Lucas. I want answers."

Wells sighs. "Well, I'll certainly try to get you some... Sir."

"Sir, we're being hailed by the Renown again," Freeman speaks up.

"On-screen."

Vo'Lok apears on the viewscreen.

"Have you found anything, ensign?" he asks.

"No, sir. All we did is confirm your previous sensor scans."

Vo'Lok strokes his chin.

"I do not understand what could be causing..."

"Sir! I'm detecting several unidentified vessels exiting the anomalies. It looks like..." the Renown's tactical officer interrupts.

"Looks like what, lieutenant?"

"Borg, sir."

Vo'Lok raises an eyebrow.

"Are you positive?"

The tactical officer nods. "Confirmed, sir. Five Borg signatures emerging from the two nearest anomalies. At least ten more from the others."

"My god, it's an invasion!" Wells blurts out.

Vo'Lok's face becomes very serious.

"Ensign, we must be very careful in handling this situation. We have had almost no contact with the Borg for nearly thirty years, and this sudden appearance by them will most certainly spell trouble for the Alpha Quadrant."

"What are your orders, sir?" Fredricks asks.

"Captain... Several of the Borg ships are warping out of the system!" Morgan interrupts.

"Where are they heading?" Fredricks inquires.

"Long range scans indicate they are heading for the Vega system."

Fredricks nods. "The Vega colony. A Federation settlement."

"You must take the Leviathan to the Vega system, ensign. I will contact the fleet and have them meet you there," Vo'Lok says.

"What about you?"

"We are still assisting the Khitomer with repairs. We will join you as soon as possible. It would be unwise for any of us to remain here much longer."

"Understood, sir. Leviathan out."

The channel closes.

"Helm, set course for the..."

"Sir! One of the Borg spheres is breaking off from the others. It's attacking the Renown," Jones reports from her station.

"Open fire on the sphere."

The Leviathan's phaser banks light up as energy beams shoot out toward the Borg ship. The Renown also opens fire on the sphere. Both ships continue pummeling the sphere, and the Renown finishes it off with a volley of torpedoes.

"Hail coming in from the Renown again, sir," Freeman says.

"Put it through."

"Fredricks, what are you doing?" Vo'Lok asks.

"We saw the sphere attack you. We were..."

Vo'Lok shakes his head. "Do not worry about us, ensign. Your main concern must be the Vega colony. The Borg must not be allowed to accomplish what they set out to do there. Go, now."

"Aye, sir," Fredricks replies.

The channel closes.

"Ernie, lay in a course for the Vega system, Warp 3."

The Leviathan enters warp.

"How long until we reach the Vega system?" Fredricks asks.

"Two minutes, sir," Hauser replies.

"This doesn't make sense... Why would the Borg attack us out of the blue like this?" Freeman comments.

"The Borg aren't known for knocking before barging through the door," Jones replies.

"But what drove them to suddenly show their ugly faces?" Wells asks.

"Who knows," Fredricks sighs.

"Entering the Vega system now, captain," Hauser reports.

"How many Borg ships are in the system?"

"Almost twenty..." Jones' eyes grow wide at this startling revelation.

"How many in a direct line to the planet?"

"Three, sir," Jones tells him.

"Alright, let's get to work. We have to assume that the Borg have already sent forces down to the planet. We'll need to go down there and coordinate an evacuation."

The ship accelerates to impulse and goes into a small debris field. Two probes lie directly ahead of the Leviathan, with a sphere trailing them.

"Lock phasers, standby on photons."

"Aye," Jones responds.

She targets the first probe.

"Fire!" Fredricks orders.

The phaser banks glow orange, shooting out at the probe.

"Its shields are at 56%."

"Continue firing," Fredricks says. "Lock weapons on the next probe and fire torpedoes."

The photon torpedo tube lights up as several torpedoes are expelled from it at high-speed, headed toward the second probe. It explodes in a brilliant display of smoke and light. The first probe explodes as well.

"Not much of a challenge, is it?" Wells muses.

Fredricks nods his head in agreement.

The sphere makes its move toward them. It opens fire with its powerful plasma beams and torpedoes. The Leviathan shakes from the torpedo impacts on the shields.

"Shields are down to 61%, sir," Jones reports.

"Initiate attack pattern alpha. Full torpedo spread."

"Aye, captain."

The Leviathan sustains a direct hit to the port warp nacelle. One of the wall panels on the bridge explodes.

"The Borg's shields are dropping sir."

"Torpedoes!" Fredricks shouts.

The Leviathan spews one last volley of photon torpedoes at the sphere. It explodes violently, leaving only dust and debris.

"Scan the surface of the planet for Borg."

"Scanning... I'm detecting large numbers of Borg drones on the planet, sir," Wells reports.

"Alright. Tala, Ernie, you're with me," Fredricks says, standing up and heading for the turbolift.

"Sir, may I remind you of the Starfleet policy regarding away teams sent into dangerous environments? It is highly recommended that the captain remain..." Jones begins.

"We don't have time for this, Tala. The Borg are busy assimilating our people while we are arguing about who gets to go on the away team. The people of Vega need us. Come on."

"Yes, sir."

The three of them enter the turbolift.

The away team materializes on the planet.

"What is that?" Hauser asks, pointing to a giant Borg ship that has landed on the planet.

"It looks like one of those probes we destroyed earlier," Fredricks replies.

"I didn't realize they could land on a planet..." Hauser trails off.

"Sir, this is not good. The Borg appear to be mounting a full invasion of the colony," Jones states worriedly.

"We have to find the colony administrator," Fredricks says, walking toward the settlement ahead of them.

They reach the outer limits of the town, where several Borg are waiting to greet them. They quickly shoot them down and move ahead. Wells calls them from the ship.

"Captain, come in!"

"What is it Lucas?" Fredricks asks.

"Jason, I've got some bad news."

"What?"

"The Borg have already assimilated more than half of the planet's inhabitants."

Fredricks turns to Jones and Hauser. "We've gotta hurry."

They reach another group of Borg that are surrounding several colonists.

"Help us!" a colonist shouts frantically.

Fredricks shoots one of the Borg, and the rest turn their attention to the away team. They kill the Borg fairly easily and move on.

"These Borg are much different than the ones I've heard about," Hauser comments.

"Yeah, why aren't they adapting to our weapons?" Jones asks.

"I don't know, but I'm grateful for any tactical advantage we are given," Fredricks replies.

They come to a building where a Starfleet ensign and a civilian woman are standing. The ensign is holding a phaser rifle and pointing it in their direction.

"Stay away, Borg! I-I'll shoot!" he shouts.

"Don't worry, we're friends!" Fredricks replies, approaching cautiously.

"Lower your weapon," the woman tells the frightened ensign.

Fredricks, Jones and Hauser walk up to them. "I'm Ensign Jason Fredricks, of the U.S.S. Leviathan."

"Thank you for assisting us, ensign. I am Willa Post, administrator of the Vega colony," the woman says, introducing herself. "This is Ensign Kolez." She points at the still nervous officer next to her.

"We have to transport the remaining colonists to the Leviathan."

"I will round up as many as I can here," she says, nodding at Fredricks.

Fredricks taps his combadge. "Fredricks to Leviathan, prepare to beam up survivors."

"Sir, we can't get a lock on anybody down there," Morgan responds. "Something is inhibiting the use of transporters."

"Understood," Fredricks responds.

The channel closes.

"It looks like we're gonna have to find what's jamming the transporter signal."

"Sir, I'm detecting a large power signature a few kilometers south of here," Hauser reports.

"That sounds like what we're looking for."

"Oh, ensign, before you go, take these phaser rifles. They do more damage than standard phasers," Kolez says, handing them all phaser rifles.

He also gives Fredricks a satchel equipped with photon grenades.

"Be careful with those," he warns Fredricks. "They are small, but powerful."

"Thanks," Fredricks replies. "Come on, guys, it's time to finish this," he says, addressing Jones and Hauser.

"Right behind you, sir," Hauser replies.

...

On the Leviathan, the crew continues trying to cut through the Borg's transport inhibitor.

"Sir, I'm receiving a hail from Captain Vo'Lok," Freeman reports.

"On-screen," Wells replies.

"Ensign, where is Mr. Fredricks?" Vo'Lok inquires.

"He's taken an away team to the planet, sir. I'm in temporary command."

"I see. Well, ensign, we have successfully warded off the Borg ships here, and are preparing to rendezvous with the fleet in the Vega system. They should arrive there in less than thirty minutes."

"Understood," Wells replies. "Leviathan out."

Back on Vega, the away team heads for the other side of the colony.

"There, sir. Look!" Jones points at a fortified structure several hundred yards ahead of them.

The trio picks up their pace, ducking behind some rocks when they get near enough to see the structure clearly.

"This is a sniper rifle, isn't it?" Fredricks asks.

Jones examines his rifle. "If it has a scope..."

"Ah, yes."

Fredricks switches the rifle to sniper mode, and aims at a tactical drone standing next to a control panel. He shoots it down, but not without attracting the attention of several more Borg.

"Damn. There's a force field protecting the main controls for this thing," he says, noting the force field around the structure.

"Don't worry sir, we'll take care of the other Borg while you disable it," Jones replies.

"Alright, let's go."

Jones and Hauser shoot down several Borg with their rifles as Fredricks makes his way for the control panel. Suddenly, a Borg turret shoots in his direction.

"Whoa," he yells, as the blast barely misses him.

Hauser turns to look as another turret shoots at him.

"Watch out for the turrets!" he calls to Jones.

She ducks to miss the fire of the turret. Fredricks shoots the first one down and then runs to the control panel. Hauser manages to shoot the second turret while dodging another round of fire from it. Fredricks types frantically at the console as more Borg approach from the south.

"Jason, hurry!" Jones shouts. "I don't know how much longer we can hold them off."

"Okay, give me a second..." Fredricks continues working on the console as Hauser swings around behind him to take out several more Borg.

The console beeps and the force field lowers.

"I did it! It's down."

Fredricks walks over to another console that was behind the force field. He tries to access it, but a heavy tactical drone, standing in an alcove next to him, activates.

"Uh, sir..." Hauser's voice trails off.

Fredricks picks up his phaser rifle. Jones spins around and shoots the Borg, but her shot barely even affects it.

"This one's shielded, sir!" she yells.

Fredricks suddenly remembers the grenade satchel kit that Ensign Kolez gave him and replicates a grenade.

"Watch out!" he calls to them.

Hauser jumps out of the way as Fredricks throws the grenade at the Borg.

It explodes in a red glow, but the Borg remains standing.

"Damn!" Fredricks shouts in frustration, seeing that the Borg is still alive.

Hauser shoots at the Borg, causing its arm to spark, revealing that the grenade did more damage than they thought it did. Jones, realizing this, opens fire at the Borg, Fredricks following suit. The drone collapses in a heap in front of them.

"That outta do it," Fredricks says with a half grin.

He walks back over to the console, and begins typing.

"If I send a feedback pulse through the system, it should destabilize the whole network," he tells them.

"That would certainly save us from having to deactivate each array manually," Hauser responds.

Fredricks continues typing. "That should do it. I suggest we clear out though; this console's likely to explode."

They run away from the Borg array as the console overloads, exploding with a bright flash.

"Haha, we did it!" Fredricks cheers.

The three of them form a brief group hug.

Fredricks' combadge chirps.

"Captain, can you hear me?" Freeman's voice comes over the comm.

"Yes, Hannah, go ahead," Fredricks replies.

"You did it, sir. Transporters are now operational."

"Acknowledged. Transporter room, beam us up."

They begin to dematerialize.

...

On the bridge, Wells is staring out the viewscreen. He lets out a large sigh.

"What's keeping them?" he says impatiently.

Just then, the turbolift door opens, and Fredricks, Jones and Hauser walk onto the bridge.

"Oh, there you are. I was starting to wor... I mean, I was about to give the administrator a call—see what was keeping you guys," Wells says to Fredricks.

"Good to see you missed me, Lucas," Fredricks chuckles.

"Well, I hope you didn't have too much fun without me. What did you guys do, buy a summer cottage?"

Fredricks puts his face in his palm. Freeman lets out a soft laugh.

"Is he always this much of a..." Jones begins.

"Yes," Fredricks interrupts her.

Wells narrows his eyes at Fredricks, to which Fredricks replies with a glare, telling him to get out of his chair. Wells stands up and walks over to the science station.

"Sir, we're being hailed by Admiral Quinn of Starfleet Command," Freeman says.

"On-screen."

Admiral Jorel Quinn appears on the viewscreen.

"Captain Taggart... Oh... Jason. Where is Captain Taggart?" Quinn asks with a bemused look on his face.

"He was killed by the Klingons, sir," Fredricks tells him.

"The Klingons? That is unfortunate. He was a fine officer, and will be missed. But that is not the matter at hand right now. Our fleet is moving into an offensive position to push the remaining Borg ships out of the area. We need the Leviathan to join the fleet."

"Understood sir," Fredricks replies.

"Good luck, Jason. Quinn out."

"Admiral Quinn knows your name?" Morgan questions.

"Yes. He was my mentor at the Academy," Fredricks replies. "Ernie, set course to meet up with the fleet."

"Aye, captain," Hauser replies.

The Leviathan rendezvous with the fleet and takes formation.

"There are several Borg cubes still in the system," Wells reports.

"Helm, move us in range of the nearest cube," Fredricks orders.

Hauser acknowledges and engages the impulse engines.

"Range?" Fredricks asks.

"Fifteen kilometers and closing," Morgan replies.

"Ready weapons."

"Twelve kilometers."

"Weapons locked on target, sir," Jones says.

"Ten kilometers."

"Fire!" Fredricks says, standing as he gives the order.

The Leviathan opens fire on the cube. The other Federation ships follow suit, firing a massive broadside at the cube.

"Coordinate our attack with the other vessels," Fredricks says.

"Adjusting attack trajectory with the other ships, sir," Jones replies.

Several volleys of torpedoes are launched at the cube.

"Status of the cube?"

"It's hull is at 77%."

"Continue attack vector."

"Aye, captain," Jones responds.

The cube begins to show signs of damage, as multiple explosions can be seen from within it.

"The cube's hull is at 34%!"

The cube manages to destroy two of the Starfleet ships before it is finally vanquished. It explodes in a large display of light. The shockwave of the explosion can be felt on the Leviathan. Wells lets out a happy shout and Jones breaths a sigh of relief. The remaining cubes are all either destroyed or heavily damaged.

"The last of the Borg forces are retreating, sir," Morgan says, smiling from ear to ear.

"Sir, we're being hailed by Admiral Quinn again," Freeman reports.

"Put him on-screen," Fredricks replies.

Admiral Quinn once again is seen on the viewscreen.

"Well done, Leviathan. The remaining Borg vessels are retreating to their own space. Please report to Earth Spacedock so you can be debriefed for your next mission. Quinn out."

The channel closes.

"Helm, set course for Sol system, Warp 5."

"Aye, captain. Course plotted," Hauser replies.

"Engage."

The Leviathan enters warp.

...

The Leviathan drops out of warp in the Sol system. Several ships are being brought into drydock for repairs; the Khitomer being one of them.

"Sir, we are getting a hail from the U.S.S. Khitomer," Freeman reports.

"On-screen."

"We just heard about what happened on Vega. Well done, ensign," Captain Yim says.

"Thank you," Fredricks replies.

"With some time and training, I believe you'll make a good commander. Good luck, ensign. Khitomer out."

The Leviathan moves into a docking position with Earth Spacedock.

...

Fredricks materializes in the transporter room of Earth Spacedock.

"Welcome to ESD, ensign Fredricks. Admiral Quinn's office is through that door, to the right, and then a left," the transporter officer tells him.

"Thank you," Fredricks replies.

Fredricks enters Quinn's office.

"Please, sit down, Jason."

Quinn motions for Fredricks to take a seat, and then pauses before continuing.

"How would you like to be in command of your own ship?"

Fredricks looks surprised at this proposition. "I-I don't know... I mean, I'm only an ensign."

"Starfleet has authorized me to promote you to lieutenant immediately. And, if you are willing, they have agreed to give you command of the Leviathan."

"Wow, that's certainly a very tempting offer, sir," Fredricks ponders what Quinn has said.

"Jason, what you showed today is that you are more than capable of handling yourself out there. You obviously have a knack for command, and if you ask me, it would be foolish to turn this down."

Fredricks nods. "This is what I always wanted, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't have recommended you for this command had I thought you weren't ready."

Fredricks looks up at him as he continues to speak.

"So, what do you say?"

Fredricks grins.

On Earth, a memorial service is held in honor of Captain Taggart, Commander Fuller, and all the other officers who died during the attack on Vega.

"It is now that we lay to rest our fallen comrades. Let us not, however, forget their sacrifices today. Let us all remember that they died so that the rest of us may go on living in peace," the minister says.

Wells and Hauser hang their heads. Fredricks kneels at the grave of Captain Taggart.

"I—I'm sorry, sir. I wasn't fast enough to save you..." he trails off.

Jones kneels beside him, and puts her arm around his shoulder.

"Jason, you did everything you could to save him, and then you went and saved hundreds of lives on Vega. The captain would be proud."

Fredricks looks into her eyes and nods slowly. He puts his head in his hand.

After a few moments of silence, the minister begins speaking again.

"I will now read the names of the deceased. Captain Masc Taggart, Commander Henry Fuller, Lieutenant Mars Lionel, Ensign Marvolo Piers..."

Admiral Quinn is also among the throng of people attending the memorial service. His gaze falls upon Fredricks, who is still kneeling at the grave of Captain Taggart.

"He had great respect for his captain," Vo'Lok notes.

"...Lt. Commander Gregory Yates, Ensign..."

"He did indeed," Quinn replies. "He chose Jason to be his tactical officer over a list of more experienced officers. He told me he saw something very special about the boy. I told him that he had not made a mistake by choosing him. He would have made Masc quite proud."

Vo'Lok nods.

"...Commander Crista Vlædos, Captain Rhet Dioni..."

...

After the service, the crew of the Leviathan returns to the ship. Fredricks exits the turbolift and steps onto the bridge.

"Captain on the bridge!" Jones shouts.

All of the bridge officers stand at attention. Fredricks looks around the room at all of them and lets out a small grin.

"At ease," he replies.

He walks over to the captain's chair and sits down.

"I think it's time we got underway. What do all of you think?"

"Depends. Where are we headed... Captain?" Wells inquires.

Fredricks pauses for a moment.

"I don't know. Let's see what's out there."

Fredricks rests his chin on his hand as Hauser plots a destination on the helm. The Leviathan warps out of the system.