USS Artemis, EX-11000 Mission 2

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Attack on the Borg Megasphere
Ship:
USS Artemis, EX-11000
Commanding Officer:
Captain Tyra Crawford
Stardate:
242001.01 - 242003.15
Mission Timeline
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Mission 1
Mission 3


Mission Logs for the second mission of the USS Artemis, entitled "Attack on the Borg Megasphere".

Mission Summary

Mission dates: 242001.01 through 242003.15

Captain's Log

Captain Tyra Crawford

Stardate 21912.23

I have recorded and deleted this log more times than I can count while I struggle with how honest to be about the aftermath of the Rogue Planet crisis. However, a very wise woman once told me that our wounds are where the light shines through and it makes it very difficult to hide what ails us... with that in mind, maybe being brutally honest will help me in the future or maybe, someone else will stumble upon it and find a kindred soul in a dark place.

Since the moment we stepped off that wretched "planet", I have struggled in ways both expected and unexpected.

The nightmares were no surprise. I have been plagued by nightmares of one form or another since before I became an officer but these have been incredibly brutal and realistic. Sometimes, I wake up as my finger pulls the trigger, the faces of those poor officers in mid-assimilation etched into the back of my eyelids and following me into consciousness. Sometimes, I wake up as the nanoprobes start flowing through my veins with an overwhelming urge to claw my skin off to reach them. Sometimes, I'm not the one suffering through the assimilation and instead, I'm watching those closest to me suffer the fate. And sometimes, I find myself reliving the same nightmares that plagued me as a child during the last Borg conflict.

That was a struggle I anticipated and one I tried to mitigate by visiting Doctor Rivera once more. A younger me would likely scoff at the assistance of a psychologist but with age comes the wisdom to understand that not all battles can or should be fought alone. I can't say it's caused the nightmares to lessen or disappear but I can say that my coping consists of more than a shot of whiskey at 0200, not that the shot doesn't help sometimes.

The struggle I hadn't anticipated involves my crew and my own future. I know I hold my crew to high standards, maybe impossibly high at times, and I know that they won't always reach those standards, especially in situations that cannot be trained for, like the accidental discovery of a Borg cluster. However, I can't help the disappointment I have felt and struggled with in the wake of this incident. Rationally, I understand it might not be fair to feel that but on the other hand, their actions could have and likely, did, result in avoidable deaths, one of them being Jamie. If Jamie had died due to their actions, not only would I not be able to forgive them but I don't think I could forgive myself either because their failure will always rest on my shoulders.

And that has led to my biggest struggle. If their failure is my fault, am I where I am suppose to be? Am I capable of commanding them in a way that brings them to the standards needed to be a successful operation? Am I the right fit for this crew of what some might call misfits? No, they aren't the misfits the Avenger crew was but that feeling and attitude is still very present. I can't ignore that we are often given difficult cases and officers on their last leg -- maybe, that's due to the Avenger's reputation following us or maybe, because I'm known to take a personal interest in those cases, like Ramius, or maybe someone at HQ just really likes giving me a headache. Speaking of Ramius, it seems he has struggled as much as I have but hopefully, I was able to set him at ease, a little at least.

I hadn't felt this lost since the end of the Romulan War. I saw out the end of that war as the Romulan Tactics Expert assigned to the ground forces fighting for the hearts and souls of the colonists near the DMZ and when that was done, I was left to find my own way. Fortunately, I found my home with the combat search and rescue unit and remained there happily until Derrick came calling once more. However, this wasn't so simple -- it took a lot of soul searching to realize that I will never be capable of sitting on the sidelines when I can tell a storm is brewing on the horizon. I don't know what that storm is -- maybe, it's the Borg or maybe, it's another angry neighbor with a bone to pick with us -- but the sheepdog is always there for the flock, watching the wood line for movement, and I'm no different.

I don't know if I will always be a commanding officer, or if eventually security will call me back, but right now, I have come to decide that I'm where I'm suppose to be. I'll try my hardest to bring my crew up to where I feel they need to be for this coming storm and if it turns out that I'm incapable of doing so, than I feel I will have my answer about whether command is where I'm needed or not. However, I'm not one to quit without giving it the best swing I've got so for now, I will remain the Artemis' commanding officer with all the headaches that comes with.

We're back on Pioneer now and I guess we shall see what the Fleet wants us to do now. There's a weird tension in the air that I don't like but that might partially be my own fault as I haven't exactly been the support that my crew has needed in these past weeks. However, I have never advertised myself as infallible or unshakable so I hope that they can forgive me for that.

Hopefully, they can forgive me for a lot of things, particularly the increase in strictness that they're likely going to have to endure. They deserve it but still, it may be quite the change for them.

Personal Log

While professionally I have felt like I'm struggling, I haven't felt this content personally in sometime. Thomas and I have found a rhythm of sorts with our current arrangement and we probably haven't been this in sync since we were living together aboard the Nova. Thomas is currently attempting to get all of his projects to a place where he could work on them from either Pioneer or the Artemis itself, if he felt the need to accompany Evie and I at any point. He misses Evie but we work hard to include him on all of her milestones and makes sure that she gets to see and talk to him nearly daily. She's growing fast and I do wish he was actually present for most of those special little moments.

I think fatherhood has mellowed Thomas significantly, to the point that I'm not worried that he would meddle if he came aboard the Artemis. The time away from the Fleet has lessened his need to control how things go or to constantly prod me about what's going on, which has benefited out marriage significantly. I actually hope that it becomes a possibility in the near future as I do miss those fleeting moments that we get to have as a family. We recently began building a house on the property that we bought near Jackson Hole and maybe in the future, it'll truly be used as a base of operations for our family. Right now though, it just represents a dream of ours for the future.

I'm set to meet Sierra tonight for dinner. I'm a little curious about what brings her to Pioneer, especially since she came aboard the Enterprise of all vessels, but she can be particularly tight lipped about RRT operations so we shall see if I get an answer at all. However, it will be nice to talk to a like minded person for a little bit -- I love Kata but she and I couldn't be more different sometimes. Sie... Sie and I basically grew up together in the service, which is likely why we think similarly on a lot of things. Maybe, she can offer some insight into how to deal with my circus, though she might just suggest throwing them all out and starting over. That does seem like the marine answer, doesn't it?

It's not the worst idea ever...

End Log.

Stardate 242001.15

Well, that storm came a lot faster than I had anticipated. I know I could feel it, the tense and the dreaded anticipation, but I figured it would lurk in the shadows, torturing those of us aware of it. It's certainly been torturing Jenny, though unlike me, she seemed very certain that the storm would take the form of the Borg and she was right. Then again, one could say that she might not have summoned the storm but she certainly brought it off the horizon a little early.

Since our return, Jenny has been bouncing assault plans off of me as if it was a very real possibility that the Megasphere might show up on our doorstep any given day. And honestly, that was a concern I could understand given the Borg Queen's threat while we were stuck in those blasted caves. This wasn't the Borg of old -- maybe their loss to us years ago made them more aggressive and more vindictive or maybe, the Borg had been infected, so to speak, with something a little more nefarious. The Borg of old were scary but a Borg set on building an Empire should be the nightmare of the masses.

I guess Jenny, being ever the predator, had requested Starfleet send out long range reconnaissance probes and miracles of miracles, someone at HQ had the good sense to grant the request. Even with that, I don't think anyone imagined that the probes would find the Megasphere hiding in a star system, seemingly recharging, only a short time after the initial encounter. For me though, I think I'm even more surprised that Starfleet decided to

act on the threat pre-emptively, even if it was with much gnashing of teeth. Even when faced with a threat of this magnitude, Starfleet can't help but argue with itself, pitting its military responsibilities against its desire to be an organization of exploration. I'm just amazed that, for once, the Fleet isn't willing to just sit by and wait for the first blow to come.

The briefing on Pioneer was contentious, at best. I should have anticipated that there were would be COs that would selfishly rather wait for the Borg to strike first, potentially allowing them to avoid having to face the Borg head-on and giving them the moral peace of mind that came with responding to an attack. I suspect those COs have never truly seen war and don't realize exactly what would be lost if that Megasphere just slipstreamed into Sol without any warning, without an opportunity to rally a true defense fleet. Sol would be decimated before half of the Fleet's forces could even make a turn for home unless the Borg had waited long enough for the Fleet to be refitted with the new designs that included slipstream and somehow, I doubt the Borg would wait that long. But hey, some people value their own peace of mind over the lives of others... kind of like the fool that suggested attacking the Borg first made us no better than them. It makes me think that most of these COs have no concept of what the Borg were capable of, much less what they're capable of now.

Jenny's plan, which was what the Fleet adopted for this operation, involves two taskforces. Admiral Thrawn, leading from the Enterprise, will be the operation commander and will be personally leading what amounts to a perimeter taskforce. I have been tasked with leading the assault factor, which consists of the Artemis, Ozaki, Philadelphia, Sheridan and Copernicus. We also have the Magellan and Yeager, who will scout ahead and insert two infiltration teams into the Megasphere. The teams, one of them being led by Sierra Dawson, are tasked with disrupting the power supply of the Megasphere and opening the hatches. The hatches are so that the strike force, led by Jenny on the Voltaire, can rip the Sphere apart from the inside.

I'll be honest, I'm not necessarily thrilled that Starfleet is sending all of its old toys to this playdate but I also understand that they've been deemed reliable, whereas the newest ships off the line have not been tested at all. I'm also a little confused about why some of the heaviest fire power is being placed on the perimeter while a science vessel of all things is a part of the assault element. I don't care how good a CO is -- a science vessel is a liabilty in battle and should be on perimeter scanning **** or something. If I had had my way, I would have traded Copernicus for Dauntless or Chin'toka, giving the assault element two heavy hitters to cover the more maneuverable ships but Thrawn is adamant that it needs to remain as is.

We'll make it work. We don't have a choice but to. The whole point of this operations is to use the element of surprise to our advantage and if we fail, I have no doubt that the Borg will storm Sol. Short of a miracle and the sacrifices of many retired men and women pulled to service, they won't stand a chance. For better or worse, this needs to be treated as a last stand and while many may not understand what that demands of people, those that fought the Krynar or the Romulans at SB 157 know that when a confrontation reaches that point, there are no punches pulled. Any and everything matters in the most crucial way.

I think we can only hope that Fate smiles on us.

Personal Log

I have ordered all civilians off of the Artemis immediately. I know that is going to be difficult for numerous families but war is no place for children or civilians. I've handed Evie over to Bryan, who will be remaining on Pioneer for now. Bryan also took custody of my dogs, Jenny's wolf, and I think, Cera's cat so he basically has a zoo and a nursery on his hands.

I've spoken to Thomas and while he's not even remotely happy and is considering heading to Pioneer to get Evie, he isn't arguing with me either. The man is one of the best tacticians in the quadrant, even if he is retired and maybe a bit rusty, and he understands the necessity of a pre-emptive strike. No, he has lamented how that shouldn't be something Starfleet does but he also has admitted that it makes sense in this instance. I just think he wishes I had taken a desk job before this but he knows that would simply mean they would have drafted me to command one of the older ships, one of the ships most likely to be destroyed in combat.

I have all of my affairs in order. Messages are recorded and will be sent out if needed.

I will say war is a lot harder with a family but I have remember that everything I do, I do for Evie. She deserves to live in a world where she isn't constantly looking for storms on the horizon or wolves in treeline. Maybe, I can't do that but I can damn well try.

Stardate 242003.10

I've waited three days to write this and I had hoped that it would make this easier but it hasn't. In fact, I think it made it harder because I've had a chance to look over who the Artemis lost, to begin the letters to their families and to really think about what exactly we lost. I've also had the unpleasant joy of seeing and dealing with the overall operation casualty report. We lost so many people and for what? The Borg escaped annihilation and we lost so many people. Yes, we likely put a damper on the Borg's long term plan but for how long? How much time did we buy ourselves? Will we have managed to refit the fleet with modern vessels capable of fighting the Borg? Will the Fleet remember the threat for long enough to enact contingencies? Probably not... the Brass has short memories and we are always the ones that will pay the price for their short sightedness. Some things never change.

For all of my frustration with my crew lately, I couldn't be more proud of how they handled this. They were willing to give everything to eliminate the Borg and we pushed that ship to its limits. Ramius volunteered for the infiltration team, Jenny and Elias volunteered for the Strike team aboard Voltaire, and everyone else did their damnedest to hold the ship together. The Artemis took a beating but she proved loyal and true. We fought like it was our last stand and it was.

The plan, as most plans do, fell apart as soon as we started really. The Megasphere possessed a weapon capable of cutting through a starship like a warm knife through butter. It demolished the Enterprise as if it was nothing more than a toy. And that wasn't the last victim to fall to that damn weapon. It decimated most of the fleet, either through direct contact OR draining the antimatter. With the Enterprise demolished, Thrawn unaccounted for, and the Republic's communication array destroyed, I became the defacto operation commander, a role I never wanted.

We rallied the surviving vessels, minus Copernicus, into an attack formation. We tasked Copernicus with rescue operations as they had proven to be useless in combat, needing a two frigate escort to even stay standing and that sort of allocation of resources was not prudent. We didn't even make it into full attack range before the Megasphere cut through the formation as if we were ants fit to be fried by a magnify glass. All that was left standing was Artemis, Ozaki, Philly and Sheridan with Magellan on the other side of the Sphere. Sheridan proved to be entirely useless as they lost control of their vessel to the Borg shortly after -- I found out that the CO didn't even have the good sense to remain on the bridge OR get his FO onto the bridge. He left his damn bridge to a JG in the middle of battle, no wonder the ship got eaten alive. The ineptitude of some ships has been impressive and not in a way I ever wanted to witness....

Nonetheless, we made the most of what we had. We had no other choice at that point. Retreat was never an option and if we were going to be destroyed, we were going to do as much damage as we could in the process.

We had a line of Borg probes blocking our path to the Sphere. The Artemis managed to punch through, bringing the Philadelphia with it. Around that time, one of the teams inside the Sphere, the one led by Sierra, managed to blow the power supply and created a huge, gaping hole in the side of the monstrosity. I ordered the Philly, Ozaki and what was left of the fighters to start attack runs on the Megasphere while Artemis attempted to gain the attention of all of the probes. We managed to get their attention and we held their attention until Magellan swept in, almost creating a friendly fire situation with Ozaki and Philadelphia. I now know that Magellan came in to try to retrieve the second infiltration team and while I absolutely do not agree with putting the lives of four officers, who knew the risks, above the rest of the fleet, I can't fault Commander Zan for letting her emotions get the better of her. I hope, in the future, that she more carefully considers the risk versus reward of such a decision but even so, I can hardly call that the worst command decision of this battle.

I think we all thought we were going to die at that point. Ozaki and Philadelphia were focused on hammering the Sphere while we tried our damnedest to hold the probes off them, despite multiple hull breaches and a lost warp core. We ended up charging after a set probes that broke loose towards the Ozaki and Philadelphia, and I suspect if things hadn't developed as they did, we were probably only a few minutes away from using the ship as a ram. I hate considering the possibility but I know I would have been willing to do it if it meant that Sphere didn't survive to attack Sol or some other unsuspecting system.

It wouldn't have mattered anyway. Under our fire and likely some internal mechanisms as well, the Megasphere broke apart like an egg and unleashed a sight even more terrifying than the massive sphere itself. Three vessels emerged from the husk that had been the Megasphere. One was diamond shaped, a variant that had been seen before, and the other two were horrific looking vessels, almost shaped like a tree root. Gregg had informed me, after completing some research, these vessels have been encountered before and were nicknamed Doomsday Machines. As if their appearance wasn't unsettling enough, their reputation is far more concerning. However, all three vessels disappeared into slipstream before we could discover their exact capabilities.

In short, we didn't destroy the Borg. Maybe, we delayed their overall plan of conquest but their message promised a return and an annihilation.

I have spent three days, in between trying to piece my ship back together and keep my crew in one piece, wondering if we could have done something differently. If we had waited for more new vessels to be on the line, would the results have been any different? Could we ever have had enough vessels to break open the Sphere and take on the vessels within? I feel confident that if we had waited for the Borg to show up on our doorstep, knowing what we know now, it would have been our destruction but that doesn't mean we couldn't have done better, that we can't learn from this for next time. Because I am confident that there will be a next time. And next time, we need to be prepared. We can't afford to tear this many families apart and break that many hearts, not to mention the damage done to the survivors of the battle, for a mere delay of the inevitable. These people deserved so much better than the fate they got -- we saved as many as we could but how many slowly suffocated during the battle? How many prayed for a savior and none came? I've been that person praying before and I wouldn't wish such helpless fate to anyone.

We need to do better, be better for next time. We can only hope that command doesn't forget that another storm is brewing and it might take years before it shows itself fully because those bastards tend to have a painfully short memory.

End Log.


Crew Logs

Commander Jennifer Braggins, First Officer