Admiral's Log 201202.01

[CNova]

Admiral’s Log
Stardate 201202.01

The U.S.S. Peacemaker was damaged beyond functional use. The ship had to be abandoned. The crew managed to get to the escape pods. I stayed to make sure the crew was away safely before I boarded my own pod and left the Peacemaker behind. The ship was not destroyed, but left derelict in the Vorn system. To my knowledge as to what happened after I left the ship, it was towed back to a shipyard for repair by Captain Suvok and the U.S.S. Seleya.
What happened immediately after I abandoned the ship comes back to me in blurred visions. I do not know how much distance my escape pod reached away from the battle before it was captured. I banged my head pretty hard during the assault on the Peacemaker and memories are fuzzy. I do not even remember being caught in the tractor beam, nor do I remember being apprehended once aboard the Borg Cube. I remember pain, anger, frustration, and confusion veil over me in waves. I remember fighting off Borg with my bare hands, my only weapon being adapted to, before I was finally overrun.
I can not describe the experience as anything other than something of a nightmare. I lost sense of reality, time, space. I slipped in and out of consciousness. If I was any less of a war veteran, I may have chalked it up to being a bad dream. However, I managed to retain some cognition of what was going on. I was being assimilated into the Borg Collective. I am unaware of how much time passed, and how thorough the Assimilation process had been before I sensed the riot going on around me. Borg Drones that in my immediate area were headed toward what sounded like a fire fight. I remember not being able to move, but having an impulse to head in the same direction. I am not sure if I was physically attached to something or a part of my formal self was fighting the urge to fight along side the other Drones.
I remember seeing faces then. Faces I knew. Suvok, Grognack, Grevix, Darius, Alberto, Neido, Steel. Names were floating into my consciousness. I wanted to fully recognize them, but something was blocking me. Then, the one that my independent mind recognized as Suvok, looked in my direction. Two thoughts went through my head at that moment. The call for assistance, and to shoot to kill. I could not raise my arms to do either, and my voice seemed to be locked in my throat. Suvok’s face was unreadable, as stoic and deadpanned as any Vulcan. With quiet and deadly efficiency, Suvok carved his way through the Borg stood in between us. The others followed behind, covering his flanks. Once the raiding team was within reaching distance, my world went black, as if I was shut down.
When I regained consciousness, I was aboard the Seleya. Medical staff was all around me, and I remember having shooting pains in my forehead and arms. Borg medical specialists Ark, Yhoct, and Zero seemed to be leading the medical team in what I now assume to be the removal of cybernetic parts that were implanted in my body.
Captain Suvok came to my bedside and debriefed me on what happened following the raid on the Vorn system, the incapacitation of my ship, my time spent on the Borg Cube, and The Hammerfist Fleet’s raid on the Cube to sever me from the Borg Collective.
If we were not in a time of war, I most likely would have been given time off, that I most likely would have declined anyway. Instead, I was temporarily commissioned to the U.S.S. Baldr. An Exploration class starship, which recently lost its Commanding Officer. I am to take the Baldr back to the front lines and rendezvous with the rest of The Hammerfist Fleet. I have been given an approximate time frame for the repair of the Peacemaker, as well as the option to command one of the new Odyssey class starships currently in the final phases of production. I am scheduled to return to Earth Space Dock in order to give my opinion and impression on the new line of starships when they are released for testing. I will make my decision then.
As for my close experience with the Borg; it did not waiver my resolve. I am still fit to fight and command. If anything, being a part of the Collective, even for a short while, has increased my ability to battle the Borg. I feel… enhanced… somehow. I am not too sure how to describe it. It is almost as if my knowledge of engineering and mechanics has increased. I doubt all of the cybernetic implants have been removed. I do not doubt the skill of the Hammerfist Fleet’s medical staff and Borg specialists, however, I still do not feel wholly my previous self. Not completely organic. And there is also this scar. A deep reminder. I am still plagued with visions of the Collective, but I will use these visions as strategies to better understand and combat the Borg.

[Zeroshoot]

Fleet Ambassador's Log
Stardate 201202.01


I was in the middle of a conference concerning peace talks with the Klingon Empire when I received the news from Captain Suvok. Fleet Admiral Midnight had lost his ship, the U.S.S. Peacemaker, in a skirmish with Borg forces at the Vorn System. While the Peacemaker had been recovered and towed for repairs, Suvok made it clear that the Admiral himself had not been found, and ordered me to the Gamma Orionis Sector to assist in emergency search and rescue operations. You didn't have to be a Betazoid to feel "dark clouds" hovering over everyone. Curiously, Suvok had gathered medical experts Yhoct and Ark, whom I had only met through subspace communiques. It was then the XO revealed his reasoning. The Admiral had, without doubt, been taken by the Borg.


I don't know much about the rescue operation. Suvok had ordered that Ark, Yhoct, and myself stay aboard the Seleya and prepare Sickbay to receive the Admiral. This was, admittedly, a relief for me, as the Borg have always unsettled me.


<-- AUDIO RECORDING FROM U.S.S. SELEYA -->
>Seleya, emergency beam to Sickbay, we have the Admiral and casualties.
>I have you Sir! Energizing!
>Quickly Suvok, get him on the bed.
>Bridge, send this message to the fleet. "This is Suvok to all ships. We have the Admiral. Disengage and retreat."
>Condition?
>He's out, but stable.
>Let's keep it that way. 25 CC's Melorazine. And keep a spare ready.
>Alright. One piece at a time. Let's take this slow.
<-- END AUDIO RECORDING -->


Judging from his condition, and the amount of Borg tech already on his person, the Admiral was already past the halfway point in his assimilation. We were lucky to have recovered him when we did. As I'm sure he is aware, we were unable to remove all of the Borg tech. There's still much to learn about the Borg, but hopefully these pieces can shed a little more light. Perhaps Hammerfist will arrange to have them sent to the Omega group I've been hearing about lately. The Admiral seemed distant during his debriefing, but that is to be expected. I'm not worried about him. While I've refrained from listening to his thoughts during our conversations, I've sensed nothing but resolve and dedication from him. I'm sure he's eager to get back in his chair.

[Steelspawn18]

Vice Admirals Log
Stardate 201202.03


The events of the raid on the Borg Cube near the Vorn system still brings nightmares to my dreams. We were lucky to have all been in relativly close distant to the Peacemaker when we recieved the distress call on our encrypted fleet channel. The U.S.S. Devastation had just scraped out of an engagement with the Borg as well, a smaller attack force consisting mostly of Spheres and Probes. It is still amazing at how much punishment they can deal out even with their smaller ships. This is why these Defiant class ships were created however. My ship held steadfast in the face of the Borg. We were too quick, too manueveable. Our cannons coming to bear on the enemy with unrelenting power.

We were the furthest from Admiral Midnight when we recieved the distress signal. I ordered us to the Vorn system using our Quantum Sliptream Drive. It was sketchy, not much room to move once in the slipstream but there was no time to waste. We had to save the Admiral. Upon arriving the rest of the fleet at already arrived, they had picked off the few smaller Borg ships along the outskirts of the area and were moving in on the Borg Cube.

Activating our cloak and power up all of our offensive capabilties we accelerated at full impulse to the battle. The Cube put up a massive fight, our ship took heavy damage, even as quick as she is, the Devastation could not dodge and outrun the massive Cube's seemingly endless array of weapons.

Captain Suvok was leading the attack, his ship leading with a thoughtful and methodical attack in contrast to my more aggressive and wild attack patterns. As we were coming along for another pass we were blindsided by a gigantic plasma torpedo. It breached our weak port shields easily and plasma fire erupted across the hull splashing over the top of the bridge. I was blown out of my chair, dust and debris falling. A forcefield held the atmosphere in as I could see the Borg vessel through the colossal hole in the ceiling. I dragged myself into a console. Trying to pilot my crumbling vessel away from the Borg. The shipped rocked with explosions, I ordered the rest of the crew to beam over to the Seleya, she had passed in front of us, using herself to shield our escape.

I set the Devastation into auto-pilot, on a course out of the system where she would hold position until we could tow her back, assuming we made it out of this alive. I looked back, examining the wreckage of what used to be my bridge and my ship as the transporter beam ripped me away from her.

On board the Seleya, Captain Suvok and a team of my fellow fleetmates were already gathered in the transporter room, geared up for combat. Suvok handed me a rifle, and a phaser, both with remodulating attack modes. I didn't even take another breath before I rematerialized inside the Borg vessel. Drones coming at us from all directions as we fought our way towards Midnight. I was nearly assimilated myself during the raid. If it had not been for our personal shields the Borg would have gotten me. I need to be better. Years ago I would never have allowed an enemy to get so close without me realizing it! Stupid!

Suvok lead us towards the Admiral, a brief fight in that chamber and we had him. We rushed back to the rendevous, whatever Suvok had done to disable the Borg vessel was starting to be undone, we could feel the ship coming to life and knew we only had moments before we could all be trapped aboard. We made it back to the rendevous to a sight that will haunt me for as long as I live.

An undine. Species 8472. It had been assimilated. This was a battle unlike anything in my life. Death brushed at us all countless times. Luckily we were all prepared with our combat kits. My medical generators and cover shields proved very useful. It was an incredibly strong drone but it was only one drone, big and powerful as it may be we were able to flank it and after an intense battle took it down.

Beaming back to the ship, we took Midnight to sick bay. I was treated for a nasty plasma burn as well. I hadn't even noticed it. I thanked Captain Suvok. His intervention saved my ship from certain destruction. My crew was dispersed throughout the fleet as they escorted my broken ship back to Earth Space Dock. Upon arrival I was offered a chance to test a new prototype starship. It was the largest cruiser I had ever seen. I saw two being built. I asked about the other and was hurried away but before they ushered me away I could have sworn I saw the registery numbers 1701. Whoever is asked to command that ship, I hope they can handle the glory.