Operation Flintlock Act 2

Operation Flintlock’s Act 1 by Solas Tempus focused on evacuating Romulus before a supernova, involving strategic planning and the formation of an evacuation fleet. Act 2 faces new challenges: the STV Bonhomme Richard intercepted a remotely piloted Romulan Warbird, achieving tactical engagement without destruction for intelligence. Meanwhile, the STV Insane Prince encountered a damaged Romulan craft within a space-time anomaly. Additionally, the NVV Duzitzapa dealt with an infestation of Aloftex Arachnid species, raising concerns about biosecurity.

We have completed Act 1 of Operation Flintlock, this is the plot that has Solas Tempus attempting to evacuate Romulus before the Super Nova occurs which starts off the 2009 Star Trek movie’s alternate timeline. Act 1 was mostly scouting and preparation. Now we are into Act 2, and the convoy is headed to their 2nd stop now. Here is a summary of Act 1 and the beginning of Act 2.


Act 1: Preparation Phase

Operation Flintlock was initiated by Solas Tempus in response to the critical threat posed by the impending supernova of the Romulan star. The preparation phase involved extensive logistical and strategic planning, including the deployment of scouting missions to secure viable planets for the establishment of Hermod Outposts. These outposts were intended to serve as logistical support points along the evacuation route. The operation also faced challenges related to the use of AI by Solas Tempus, which required careful navigation given the Romulans’ historical apprehension towards artificial intelligence. The phase concluded with the assembly of a substantial evacuation fleet, led by the flagship STV Basilisk, supported by a diverse array of escort vessels, prepared for the complex task ahead.

With meticulous coordination, the fleet embarked from Solas Tempus space, marking the operational phase of Flintlock. Under Admiral D’Amico’s leadership, the fleet, notable for its size and armament, surpassed historical precedents such as the Federation’s engagement at Wolf 359, indicating the scale and importance of the mission at hand.

Act 2: Conflict

First Stop: Gamma Ovalos Terminal

The fleet’s arrival at the Gamma Ovalos Terminal on the moon of Gamma Ovalos 2 facilitated a critical check-in process, ensuring all vessels, including the newly identified STV Bonhomme Richard, were present and fully operational. This juncture allowed for a strategic reassessment and logistical evaluation before advancing into less secure regions.

STV Bonhomme Richard Scouting

The STV Bonhomme Richard, under the command of Captain Tal Ravis, detected an anomalous signal during its mission in support of Operation Flintlock. Preliminary analysis indicated the presence of a Romulan T’Liss class Warbird, displaying unusual behavior consistent with remote piloting rather than manned operation.

Upon closer inspection, the Bonhomme Richard’s crew observed that the Warbird’s warp signature and power output were inconsistent with standard Romulan military vessels, suggesting potential modifications or sabotage. Captain Tal, adhering to protocol, initiated communication with Admiral D’Amico on the STV Basilisk, requesting guidance on engagement rules given the suspicious nature of the Warbird.

Admiral D’Amico’s directives emphasized caution, advising against direct confrontation and instead recommending surveillance and intelligence gathering. Captain Tal ordered the Bonhomme Richard to shadow the Warbird discreetly, aiming to intercept communications and ascertain its intentions without revealing their position.

The Bonhomme Richard’s attempts to decrypt the Warbird’s transmissions revealed that the vessel was not transmitting standard communication signals but rather telemetry and control data, confirming suspicions of remote operation. This unusual finding prompted a reassessment of the threat level and potential strategies.

As the situation developed, it became clear that the Warbird was on a course that would intersect with the convoy’s trajectory, posing a direct threat to the fleet’s safety. Captain Tal, with approval from Admiral D’Amico, made the decision to prepare for a tactical engagement, aiming to disable the Warbird without causing its destruction, thereby preserving the opportunity for intelligence recovery.

The engagement resulted in the successful neutralization of the Warbird’s operational capabilities, allowing a specialized team from the Bonhomme Richard to board and secure the vessel. The operation yielded valuable intelligence, including the recovery of the Warbird’s AI core, which was subsequently analyzed for information regarding its origins, controllers, and objectives.

The incident resulted in minor injuries among the boarding team and superficial damage to the Bonhomme Richard due to unexpected defensive measures activated by the Warbird in its final moments of operation. These casualties were treated promptly, and the ship’s systems were restored to full functionality with minimal impact on the ongoing mission.

STV Insane Prince Scouting

The STV Insane Prince, under the command of Vladimir Zima and Oscar Masing  was dispatched by the Basilisk to investigate sporadic energy readings approaching the convoy at a distance of approximately 1,580 AU’s from the convoy’s path.. Upon arrival, the vessel encountered an anomalous space-time distortion, displaying chaotic energy patterns and a sizable spherical disturbance in space-time, approximately 50,000 km in diameter.

Upon closer inspection, the anomaly exhibited intense distortions in space-time, with light bending and reflecting in unusual ways. The crew identified the source as a T’Liss class Romulan craft at the heart of the disturbance, presumably causing the chaotic space. Attempts to communicate were met with static, prompting a decision to engage. Initial attempts to penetrate the anomaly were unsuccessful, leading to a series of recalculations and maneuvers to breach the event horizon and approach the Romulan craft.

After several attempts, the Insane Prince successfully penetrated the anomaly, revealing the Romulan craft with a significant portion of its structure obliterated. It was concluded that the craft was not mined but instead, the chaotic distortion was a result of an unusual energy field generated by the vessel. The field, once stabilized, revealed the craft’s damaged state, with the central bridge and upper decks destroyed, indicative of a catastrophic internal failure rather than external munitions.

Infestation Aboard the NVV Duzitzapa

The NVV Duzitzapa experienced an unexpected shutdown of monitoring systems in one of its cargo bays, leading to the discovery of a significant infestation by unknown arachnid-like entities. The situation escalated rapidly, requiring immediate containment and eradication efforts. The malfunction of cargo bay sensors prompted an investigation by Engineer Itza, who discovered the cargo doors unresponsive and the monitoring systems offline. Upon manual override and entry, she encountered numerous head-sized spiders with red-glowing teeth, seemingly consuming ship materials.

Itza immediately requested security assistance while attempting to stun the entities with modified phaser settings. The creatures dispersed, utilizing the ship’s ventilation system and access corridors to spread throughout the vessel. A coordinated effort between engineering and security personnel ensued, focusing on containment and eradication.

Investigations revealed the source of the infestation to be contaminated food crates, likely harboring eggs of the Aloftex Arachnid species, known for their potential to infest and damage spacecraft if unchecked. Efforts to seal off ventilation and access points were partially successful, with some entities evading capture.

The use of electro-static fields and targeted pesticide applications, combined with manual eradication efforts, significantly reduced the threat. However, the incident highlighted vulnerabilities in cargo inspection protocols and the need for enhanced biosecurity measures. The ship sustained minor structural and system damages due to the infestation and subsequent containment efforts.

Commander of the Stellar Horizon Chosen

From the very beginning the crew of the Stellar Horizon was a difficult one to choose, such a historic mission for the young government – to reach out into the stars and not rely just on the efforts of Starfleet and other organizations to explore, but to set their sights themselves on what the organization needed and wanted to know. The crew is crafted carefully to be eclectic, with many skills and many backgrounds.

A former Borg engineer, a Spartan security chief, a tried and tested warrior as chief medical officer, and now the commander of the vessel has been selected to be Vladimir Zima. This selection has brought into focus something more than simply the idea that the Serenity Concord would like to reach out into the stars but a symbol of belonging and acceptance for the new arrivals to this reality. A concept that, not that many years ago, would have been the work of fiction has become a fact of life. There are other realities and every possible kind of being exists and every possible kind of history likewise exists. The Stellar Horizon has become more than just a ship or a project, but proof that the new arrivals to this universe are welcome and can not only contribute but excel here.

The rest of the command crew has also been selected.

Lilith Returns Home

After months away the victorious USS Lilith returns home. Nimbus Station quickly launched low-yeild torpedoes into space around the vessel to create an effective light show as 9th Gemini Wing launched an honor guard for the vessel to escort it to the Umbral Shipyards for repair. Reporters were on hand for the docking of the vessel at the ship yards where her command crew disembarked. Everyone was in high spirits and responded stoically when asked about the mission and how it felt to have completed such an important mission.

The crew of the Lilith was also treated to a banquette in their honor, where Fleet Admiral Lance Thomas personally congratulated each member of the command crew and the team of Operatives which lead to the resolution of the Infinity Wave. In the following days the command crew is slated to obtain Distinguished Service Medal while the actual infiltration team that boarded the enemy vessel and cleared the anomaly will receive the Solas Tempus Cross. Other awards to the vessel’s crew will be handled by the Commanding Officer, Neo Akazuli.

Lance Thomas, when reporters spoke to him briefly during the reception had this to say;

They went into an unknown situation and knew they could not fail, that we were all counting on them and they didn’t let anyone down. It is gratifying to know that the faith we put into them was not misplaced. It isn’t an easy thing to repair the timeline and keep the fabric of what we know from unraveling, but that is what my Operatives do. It’s like running into a burning building with a war zone inside, you have no idea what you’ll find inside, you know the longer you’re in there the closer you come to catastrophe, but you don’t have much of a choice. Someone has to deal with it. They did exceedingly well and I’m very proud of them.

The Commanding Officer, Captain Akazuli, commented;

To put it simply, failure was not an option. When failure isn’t an option, there is only one option that remains, period. We had our orders and we saw it through.

Vladimir Zima, who served not only on board the vessel but on the actual team who boarded the enemy ship, is quoted as saying;

Not bad for a coal miner, I’d say. I need a drink.

Tal Ravis, who also served on the actual team that went aboard the enemy vessel had something far more colorful to say;

These fuckers need to learn that im a lot scarier than they are.

One thing is abundantly clear, whatever can be said about Solas Tempus and the leadership of Admiral Thomas, he picked a team that came through from a very difficult and unpredictable situation.