The Meeting at Wolf 359 (Part 2)
Posted on Mon May 5th, 2025 @ 3:22pm by Captain M'Raz & Lieutenant Commander Jason Reeves & Lieutenant Elias McEntyre & Lieutenant H'iri & Lieutenant Richard Pierce MD
2,661 words; about a 13 minute read
Mission:
Resistance is Necessary
Location: Captain's Ready Room | Deck 1 | USS Jane Addams
Timeline: MD002 - 1430
Raz resisted the urge to pace as one by one, the captains came online; instead, he sat at his desk, tail twitching back and forth out of their view while he gathered himself to speak. "I'll get right to the point," he said. His natural voice was something of a deep rumble in his chest, on the edge of a growl that never appeared. "You should be receiving a packet that contains everything we have on the attack by the aliens calling themselves Borg from the perspective of the Jane Addams as well as survivor testimony from those we currently have on board."
"Keep in mind that the data is incomplete and in many cases inconsistent," Raz continued. "Their technology is vastly superior to ours. Phaser fire and torpedo barrages had no discernible effect. After the initial attack failed, three ships, badly damaged, gave cover so that the rest of us could rescue personnel. The USS Graham Greene and the USS Royal Oak, engaged the enemy, drawing fire, and gave the USS Achilles a clear path toward the Borg vessel where it self-destructed taking out all three ships." He paused for a moment as the weight of the memory held the words back. "There was no discernible effect on the Borg vessel."
"Starfleet headquarters was eliminated in the first minutes of the attack and we believe that the Council members are dead," Raz continued. "Sol system is lost. There are a number of things that have to happen and we'll get to that in a minute. Right now, we are what's available and there are a lot of questions that remain unanswered."
Within a few moments, H'iri had transmitted all of the data to every Captain. It gave complete known information that she could obtain from cross checking databases. The killed in action numbers were relatively small compared to those MIA, which was in the billions. There were some notations of people that were presumably captured by the Borg, status unknown.
Captain Hanoh Usall of the USS Ahwahee was silent as he and his XO looked over the data that was sent over to them. The look on the Bolians face didn't hide the horror that was going through his head. "Seems like our options are quite obvious. We fall back and preserve what we have the Federation. Consider the Sol system a complete loss. Perhaps these Borg simply came to take that system."
The screen flickered with the glow of incoming data, lines of casualty reports, sensor logs, and fragmented audio scrolling silently in the corner of Captain Harold Drummond’s screen. His jaw was tight, but not clenched. His hands were steepled in front of him, fingertips touching, the picture of restrained control.
When Captain Usall spoke—his voice tinged with justified fear—Drummond gave it the respect of silence, waiting until the Bolian finished. Then, deliberately, he leaned slightly forward into view.
“Captain Usall,” Drummond began, voice calm and resonant, his refined Scottish cadence wrapping itself around every word, “I appreciate your candor. I suspect many are thinking precisely what you just said.” He let that rest a beat, then continued, eyes sweeping to the full panel of captains present.
“But we must be very, very careful about what we accept as ‘obvious.’” Drummond tapped the data packet with two fingers, gesturing toward the chaos on their screens. “Yes, the Sol system is lost—for now. And yes, Starfleet Headquarters and the Council have been all but annihilated. But gentlemen,” he said, voice tightening just slightly, “this is not a time for retreat—it is a time for alignment. The Borg did not defeat the Federation. They shattered one system. One critical system, yes—but not the totality of our strength, our ideals, or our reach. That distinction must guide everything we do next.”
“If we speak of withdrawal, of ceding ground before we’ve even mounted a response, then we are doing their work for them. We are scattering ourselves before the next attack comes—and make no mistake, there will be a next one.” Drummond allowed the weight of his words to settle, then leaned back slightly, shoulders squared. “Our duty is twofold: First, to reestablish the framework of Starfleet command. This panel—this call—may very well be the highest coordinated authority left within range. That is not a burden to shrink from. It is a responsibility we must claim.”
“Second,” Drummond continued, “we must determine where to consolidate our strength and begin formulating a response—not merely militarily, but logistically, diplomatically, and symbolically.”
He looked to Raz now, steady and respectful. “Captain, I would like your permission to begin drafting a provisional charter—temporary, but binding—that outlines chain of command, relief coordination, and emergency mobilization protocol. Until such time as a new Council can be confirmed, we must act as stewards of the Federation's core.” Then he returned his gaze to the group. “This is not a retreat. It is a reformation. If the Sol system was the heart, then it is up to the rest of us to keep the Federation breathing.” He paused one final time. “If we are what remains… then we must decide what remains of us.”
"Well said, Captain Drummond," Raz said into the quiet that settled on them, "although possibly a bit premature. The reality is that we don't know." He shrugged slightly. "We just don't know. Did these Borg show up everywhere all at once? Or only in the Sol System? We don't know. We do know that the member worlds need to be informed of what's happened so that they can elect new representatives, meet as a Council."
"We know that safe harbor needs to be found for the refugees," Raz continued, "and if possible, more of them rescued. We need to find out what's left, of our own fleet, of the member worlds, and yes, how we proceed going forward. Before we can formulate a plan of attack, we need information about the Borg. Who are they? We've seen their strengths, but do they have weaknesses? Can they be beaten? Do they have a plan? Do they stop there? Or is the entire Federation their goal?"
"We don't know," Raz repeated. "There's so much we don't know. And what I'm suggesting, rather than rewriting the charter that already exists, is to find out and to meet again. Our job is to fix things. It's what we all do. We go in, we assess, and we act. So, I'm suggesting to you all that we each take a piece of this, work on it, and keep in touch."
"Toward that end, myself and the Jane Addams will take on the task of figuring out these Borg. Who they are and more importantly, how we can defeat them. Now as I see it, there are other pieces that need a Captain to resolve them. But there are other things that need to be done such as taking the news back to each of the Council members' home worlds so that they can elect a new representative and form a new council. Volunteer?"
Captain Marissa Istrate of the USS Broker spoke up, "I think that we are still jumping to conclusions. These Borg did attack us and have taken over the Sol system. However, perhaps we did something, unknowingly to the Borg, that they have taken out there aggression on us. Or, perhaps they do not see us for who we are. I think that while it is a good idea to go to each homeworld and get people informed that we need to be talking to the Borg themselves. We need answers from them and maybe broker peace."
"And while we're talking about what needs to be done," Raz said, "there's also the matter of resources and coordination of our remaining assets. What's left of Starfleet? Are we 'it' or are there other ships left? We need to protect the other Fleet Yards."
Captain Istrate answered, "I admit that I do not know that information. Has anyone contacted any other ships? How many made it back to the Sol system?"
"Though it's not my home, " Raz continued, "I cannot accept that the Sol System is lost. Someone needs to set up monitoring, try to get a handle on what they're doing, where they are going. Try to set up a secure communication system with anyone that's left."
"I refused to accept that as well," Commander Dante Mendez spoke up. Before he could be interrupted by his Captain, he quickly continued. "We heard no other reports of Borg ships from anyone. Earth sent out a warning for others to stay away, so odds are that the other worlds are simply standing by waiting to hear what happened. I'm willing to bet that there is a Task Force heading for the Sol system to determine what happened."
Captain Usall turned his attention to his first officer. "That's enough Commander. "With all due respect Sir. Running won't help. We should go back with more ships and destroy those damn things."
"That's enough Mendez," the Bolian shouted. "If you can't control yourself and remember your place, then you should leave. Understood?"
Dante thought about his next words carefully. "My apologies." With that said, he took a step back from the viewer.
"Again, I think we should try peace first. That's what the Federation is about. This could be a complete and horrible misunderstanding," Istrate insisted.
Thames had had his hand raised to speak, but it seemed the rules of decorum had gone out the window as the other voices rose, drowning him out.
Raz leaned back in his seat and let the argument flow around him. He hadn't expected this to be easy or, frankly, even possible. "How about then," Raz said when the discussion had quieted for a moment, "that you, Captain Istrate attempt to contact the Borg and open negotiations though I would suggest that before you do so, you speak with leaders from the founder worlds at a minimum before doing so."
Jason Reeves thought about what Raz had just suggested. Starfleet Command likely tried to doing the talking when these Borgs showed up. Which led to the obvious slaughter of Starfleet. But if Istrate wanted to risk his life and that of his crew, then that was his prerogative.
Drummond remained silent for a moment after Raz finished, his hands once again steepled lightly before him, the epitome of composed authority.
When he spoke, it was with a voice that cut cleanly through the lingering tension, even without raising its volume.
"I believe Captain Raz has spoken with both the wisdom of caution and the clarity this situation demands," Drummond said, his Scottish accent lending the words a deliberate, weighty cadence. "I agree information must come before structure, just as foundation must come before the roof." He shifted slightly, glancing at the assembled faces before continuing. "It is not premature to think of preserving Starfleet’s core, but it would be reckless to act without understanding the true scale of what has occurred. We must gather—data, ships, worlds, allies—and we must see before we command. I will, therefore, suspend my proposal to establish provisional frameworks—for now—and lend my full support to Captain Raz's approach."
Drummond's gaze shifted briefly to Captain Istrate. "As for negotiating with the Borg..." He let the thought hang a moment. "I would urge extreme caution. Starfleet's attempts at dialogue, if they were made, were answered with annihilation. That is not conjecture—that is observable fact."
"Still," Drummond allowed smoothly, "it is within the Federation's principles to attempt communication. I would only insist that such efforts be coordinated with what remains of our leadership and undertaken with full understanding of the risks." His voice hardened subtly, the steel beneath his diplomatic exterior flashing through. "We cannot afford another tragedy born of naiveté."
Drummond leaned back slightly, folding his arms, voice settling into a tone of deliberate finality. "As for myself and the Resolute, I will volunteer to act as liaison between surviving member worlds and what remains of Starfleet. I will coordinate the delivery of reports to Earth’s founder worlds—Vulcan, Andor, Tellar, Alpha Centauri—and begin encouraging the rapid appointment of new provisional Council members. Without political leadership, military action becomes merely reaction. We must have both wings—if we are to fly again."
Drummond paused, then added gravely, "Furthermore, I will direct my intelligence division to begin collating survivor reports, escape pod logs, and subspace traffic between Sol and the neighboring sectors. Even in ruin, there are traces. And those traces may tell us more about the Borg's next move."
Finally, Drummond met Raz’s gaze directly across the connection. "You are correct, Captain Raz. This is what we do. We assess; we act. And we endure." He gave a short, respectful nod toward the others, signaling his statement was complete.
"The Jane Addams is going hunting," Raz said. "Given the nature of the attack, I believe the enemy could very well have all of our information. So, I'm going to change the name of the ship as well as Transponder Code so that we'll appear as a long-haul freighter, unless of course, you're flying right alongside."
"If I may speak," Jason Reeves spoke up. "These Borg didn't just appear out of nowhere. Long- or short-range satellites must have images and have to had detected a ship of that size from somewhere. From witness reports they were turning our people into one of them. That attack was way too perfect, which leads me to believe that they have done this and perfected it quite a bit. Which means that there are likely more of these Borg out there somewhere."
Thames had tried to speak up, raising his hand before he was interrupted once more by the XO of the Addams.
Captain Usall nodded in agreement. "The Commander is likely right. Which is why we should count or losses, then double down and see what their next move is. Planning to go the offensive isn't a good idea."
Thames had tried to get a word in for the entire briefing but was talked over by the other, more senior captains in the gather. His face forlorn, as he sat there like a child, seen but not heard. He slumped in his chair as the others talked.
Istrate spoke up, "Captain M'Raz, I appreciate that you are taking action and that you brought us all together, but that does not put you in charge. As you say, we need to get the political folks involved. Our job is to take orders and we do not know what the policy of our Federation, such as it is, will be. I will take on your task of going to the home worlds, though. Just be careful in your ambitions."
Raz maintained composure though it wasn't easy, biting back the snarl that threatened, glad (and not for the first time) that body language among the Cait wasn't so easy to read among humans. "And you in your assumptions," Raz said. "Nevertheless, I've given you want I have and told you what my crew and I will be doing. We're changing our 'call sign' to USS Normandy, a freighter out of Alpha Centauri, and we'll contact you on a secure, encrypted channel once we have more to impart. Captain Thames, if you could remain on the line, my Chief of Security wanted a personal word. For the rest of you, safe travels and good hunting."
TAG To sign off
OOC/Raz > Thames - we'll handle this in a separate JP
Captain M'Raz
Commanding Officer
USS Jane Addams
Lt. Commander Jason Reeves
Executive Officer
USS Jane Addams
Captain Alexander "Xander" Thames
Commanding Officer
USS Unicorn NCC-1234-A
Captain Harold Drummond
USS Resolute
Lieutenant H'iri
Chief Operations Officer
USS Jane Addams
Captain Marissa Istrate
USS Broker
Captain Hanoh Usall
Commanding Officer
USS Ahwahee
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