Storyline: Background: Cromwell has sent an away team disguised as local Azarans to locate and bring back Dr Graham, a preeminent researcher who disappeared while doing research on the rapid technology advancements of the Azarans. The Azarans, a rodent like sentient species has rapidly evolved into the industrial age over a very short time period. Looking back, it was Borg activity, brought on by Cromwell's actions in the past. Ripples in the pond. Last month: The Short Answer: Lots of hand to hand fighting with borg, Ship to Ship fighting with Borg, and a Heroic Klingon Death. Long answer:
In terms of combat, this month has been extremely active. The Crew of Cromwell has seen action on the planet Azara, as borg attempted to assimilate key members of the away team. After a narrow escape to Cromwell, they found the borg in pursuit. First, the Azarans who had been slowly assimilated, were building a borg sphere, the size of a standard borg cube. And secondly, they boarded Cromwell in an attempt to assimilate the ship first, and then the crew.
The Long history: Cromwell was being over run by borg. But first, a brief history is in order. Under the ships previous commander, Borg attacked and nearly destroyed Cromwell-B. This included the standard borg, and a new tech ‘Fast’ Borg. Narrowly escaping defeat there, the science department kept pieces of borg for projects and experimentation. After the borg were defeated, a young ensign Sesgaard was sent with emergency supplies to rebuild and repair lifesupport, and and get Cromwell underway again. He stayed with the ship, rising through the command ranks to reach captain. Crew came and went, and history was forgotten, and during a cadet cruise, one of the cadets found some of the still active borg tech; A cyborneteic organism the crew came call ‘The claw’.
This borg prosthesis was a communications unit. Its primary designation was for communications and the acquisition of intelligence data. The Claw had the mission to aquire data and communicate it with collective for determination of assimilation or destruction. It escaped the crews confines, and was able to search Cromwell’s data banks and learned significant amounts of updates in Cromwell’s defenses since it had been locked in a storage locker. Impulse and warp technology. Strategy and tactics. And very importantly, Holotechnology and its uses. The claw attempted to take Cromwell, and failed. The crew was confident they dropped it into the star systems sun, but it had attached itself to an experimental torpedo. The torpedoes designer had also tried to assimilate the borg device itself. This crossover taught the borg, resistance is not futile, and that fighting for ones own life was valuable. These concepts it had learned would prove dangerous to Cromwell’s crew. One they had to destroy before it spread to the collective.
The Cromwell crew left the borg device (*** information redacted, although rumors revolve around several trips to a sinking Titanic in 1912 **). The Borg device attempted to make its way back to the Delta Quadrant, and nearly made it back to the unimatrix when it used the last of its resources to crashland on a technologically primitive planet of Azara. The Claw used the time it had, well over 200 years, as well as a culture derived from a pack community to share among themselves, but to survive at all cost, to it’s advantage. The claw was able to use the Azaran’s own culture, and its knowledge of technology to create a warp culture in the span of two hundred years.
The borg lacked one key commodity though. There were no resources on Azara to upgrade from rocket to warp capability. But a greedy Trader, and a fortuitous meeting for resource lacking Klingons allowed the Claw to trade Dilithium for an abundant, but key weapons component to the Klingons who encountered the Greedy trader.
Cromwell encountered the Azarans because of the missing researcher, who had noted the unusual tech advances of these people. Dr Graham looked closer into this dramatic change, as the claw had begun looking for contact with the outside star races, and captured Dr Graham, finding him through his advanced knowledge and tricorder use. Instead of capturing an intersteller ship for the claws next move to return to the unimatrix, It decided to wait for the resources to be brought to it so the Borg Sphere could be completed. But with the ripple effects, it also precipitated a Cromwell rescue mission looking for Dr Graham. When the Claw realized that it had captured Cromwell away team members, the claw, with 400 years experiance, now armed, and just receiving Klingon Dilithium, the borg 'Claw', with its personal knowledge of Cromwell and its defenses, and advanced tactics was able to anticipate, counter and utilize every trick Cromwell crew had considered or utilized in the past against the the borg, and specifically 'the claw'.
Cromwell was disabled as an effective combat ship, the crew held prisoner while it utilized Borg Holograms to avoid injury to itself, but decimate any resistance that could occur. And Cromwell could not fathom the depth of control the claw had over them. They were only just beginning to figure out how the borg was doing this, not even understanding the why. Cromwell was about to be completely assimilated.
BortaS, The fleet flagship Klingon ship, looking for it’s missing dilithium traders, and alerted to their location by the Klingon spy Oma, arrive at the climax of the battle. Instead of one prize, the Borg now had two. But one of the few things the Borg had not absorbed, was the close alliance the DFA had with the Klingon Colonial expedition through their respective commanders, Ssathas and Carson Sesgaard. While the Borg turned its weapons on Bortas, Cromwell was able to turn it’s scientific knowledge and interdepartmental cooperation to problem solving. Cromwell figured out what and how the Claw was doing, but it was too late for Cromwell to save BortaS. BortaS was falling to the Borg incursion holograms even more rapidly than Cromwell. Because of the measures it had in place, Cromwell could slow, but could not stop the Borg Claw. BortaS also would be rapidly overun using Holotechnology it built aboard BortaS, and used the Klingons own nightmare training programs against them. BortaS, as the claw found out from assimilated Klingons from the Klingons traders Crew, also held a Dahar Battle Master, it’s new target for assimilation. But the Gorn Commander was quicker in assessment, and stronger in will. Rather than allow Klingon tech and knowledge fall into borg hands, and in order to save Crowmell from assimilation, (and by using the Intelligence provided by Cromwell to complete the operation), BortaS sacrificed herself to crash and destroy the Core borg Sphere ship, at the center of a holographic Borg Sphere.
Notable events of individuals during this month:
Lt Commander Banor MarQ: several hand to hand combat operations including Borg High Priests, Azaran and Holoborg aboard Cromwell. Leading a counter attack against the Borg on Cromwell, Returing Lifesupport to Cromwell, playing a key role in coordinating and disabling Holoemittors aboard Cromwell with Klingon Boarding Allies.
Major Michael Reynolds: Developing the 'Drill' strategy with the Borg Sphere, causing what little damage that could occur to the core Borg Sphere ship, and thus allowing BortaS an entry point to its Crash assault. Placing himself between a Borg Drone and the first officer. Receiving, evaluating and acting on Hologram intel, effectively shutting down all of Cromwells systems* (* A board of Inquiry into this action finished, recommending an award, not a punishment.)
Lt Martis: Taking up the Tactical position from Major Reyonolds during combat, while AWOL from Sickbay
Lt Jinx: Putting the pieces of Borg tactics and technology together to Identify the Borg Claw, it's tactics, and providing means to disrupt Borg Holograms, Borg Toy Spheres used to tag and teleport crewmen out of battle, and for providing this information to BortaS.
Set'na: the senior most Klingon survivor, leading the Klingon attacks against borg positions in Cromwell.
JAG Maria: For her assistance with the Prime Directive, and the Board of Inquiry
NRPG: In a long awaited, and sadly final posting, IKS BortaS went down fighting in a glorious and honorable warrior fashion. With this months loss of the Klingon ship and her commander, we have transferred the remaining active player from BortaS to Cromwell. As the CO of Cromwell, breveting BortaS, I sadly have to report officially and declare the BortaS closed for play. Barry and I left some key story elements in place. The Klingons own a world, Kahless'to which is defensible, but are not in a position for expansion. Should Borderlands ever want to re-energize the Klingons in DQ, we would be happy to participate. Qa'Pla!
Player(s) of the month: (3) key players. Randy, Piper and Barry, who have kept this DS alive. And such a jump in posting numbers! Well done ALL Cromwell Crew!
Upcoming: Cromwell is relaxing, and assessing her place in the galaxy. Within a week we will begin a completely new adventure for Cromwell and her crew.