Welcome!

This section is the Headquarters for TF17, and is an open playground for fiction that is:

• Written by or in consultation with TF staff to advance the Task Force plotline

• Written by members who are junior officers (those holding the ranks of Ensign, Lieutenant Junior Grade, or Lieutenant) about their primary characters’ adventures

Or some combination of the above!

Any member of the Task Force is welcome to start a thread if it falls into one of the above categories. This can be for their personal and exclusive use, or the open or invited participation of other members - if it’s the latter, please make that clear!

The main purpose of this section is to house and support the writing of junior officers about their primary character. This usually takes two broad forms:

• Stories about the history of your primary character, before they have become a ship commander

• Stories about these primary characters assigned to the Task Force HQ in 2399, as officers expected to soon become starship commanders and in the meantime given missions in the region

Once you reach the rank of Lieutenant Commander, you can request your own ship and write those stories in your ship’s thread.

Please make sure your thread follows the forum rules, and bear in mind the following for writing in this section:

• There is no plot you are required to adhere to. You are encouraged to come up with your own missions and storylines.

• These stories should be fairly self-contained, episodic adventures that do not massively change the canon of the regions.

• You are free to write on your own or collaborate with others. Reach out to members of your TF on Discord if you want a writing buddy!

• Junior officers’ stories can be set on any of the ships in the expeditionary force, or about a lone officer deployed somewhere in the region, or with a team dispatched on a specific mission from the station by runabout

• You don’t need to worry about length; posts and stories can be as long or short as you want. We encourage good spelling and grammar so your writing can be easily enjoyed, but nobody will be enforcing this!

• If possible, keep your own writing in one thread. But if a story is completely separate, don’t be afraid to start another.

• Make sure to keep a tally of your wordcount and record it in BFMS!

Task Force 17 Lead Expeditionary Group

PREMISE

To support its efforts to be a complete mobile group working on deep space exploration assignments, Starfleet decided to move the command structure of the 4th Fleet’s Task Force 17 to a mobile flagship group.

The group would consist of a small fleet of ships that would support one another as they explored one of the regions that Starfleet felt, in 2399 especially, needed to be explored and re-chartered: the Delta Quadrant. After the USS Voyager had returned home and through the efforts of the Delta Quadrant Exploration Initiative, it was felt that more was needed to be done to monitor the possible long-range threats from such hostile species like the Borg and Voth. As such in 2399, Starfleet ordered Captain Zack Marshall-Bennet to assume command of Task Force 17 and lead Starfleet’s efforts in the Delta Quadrant. Plans were put in place to monitor the Gamma Quadrant, but for now the Delta Quadrant was the priority.

Bennet was given the task of assembling Starfleet’s finest ships that could undergo deep space exploration and tactical assignments. The benefits of exploring this region of space was available to Starfleet thanks to the access of the Barzan Wormhole. However there were many races in the area that could be seen as a threat due to their encounters with the USS Voyager. It was important that these ships presented the Federation at its finest and created a good reputation in the hopes of developing trade and peace talks with them. Bennet went on to pick the following ships:

• USS Discovery (NCC-82006) – Century class
• USS Nobel (NCC-76990) – Galaxy class
• USS Triton (NCC-80106) – Luna class
• USS Shackleton (NCC-72721) – Rhode Island class
• USS Tereshkova (NCC-89894) – Inquiry class

Each vessel was handpicked by Captain Bennet for specific reasons and brought what he felt was a piece to the expeditionary force that would make a difference to their efforts in the Delta Quadrant.

THE LEAD EXPEDITIONARY FORCE IN PLAY

Overall, each ship in the group has some form of uniqueness that contributes to it being an effective mobile command base. For a majority of the team the ships work either in pairs or groups of three. Players who are new and join Task Force 17 can write their character as already being assigned to one of the ships. The expeditionary force has been assigned to the Gradin Belt of the Delta Quadrant with it being assigned on a similar path that Voyager took aiming towards the Swallow Nebula. Once it arrives at this border the fleet will cross the nebula and aim to meet up with other Starfleet assets from the Nacene Reach. 

USS DISCOVERY (NCC-82006) – CENTURY CLASS

The brand-new Century-class ship would serve as the flagship for the expeditionary force. Bennet assumed command of the Discovery shortly after he left his previous ship, the USS Vesta (NCC-82601), and had picked the Discovery down to the fact Starfleet would not allow the Vesta to travel to the DQ. Being one of the most advanced ships in the fleet, they were concerned that if the Vesta was captured, many of Starfleet’s secretive technology would fall into the wrong hands. As such, Bennet agreed to take the Discovery instead.

THE DISCOVERY IN PLAY

When players write about their adventures on the Discovery, they may find themselves dealing with a range of diplomatic or exploration missions due to the fact it is the flagship in the expeditionary force. Players can also write joint entries with the TFCO on the ship too.

USS NOBEL (NCC-76990) – GALAXY CLASS

A blast from the post, the Nobel is one of Starfleet’s oldest ships assigned to the Delta Quadrant. Though the ship may be old, she is still quite formidable in all areas. The Nobel has specialist teams from the Starfleet Corps of Engineers assigned to her to assist in the maintenance of the expeditionary force as well as deal with any other engineering matter that arises during its time in the Delta Quadrant. With her industrial replicators and large cargo bays dedicated to storage for important parts, components and resources, the Nobel can extend the lifeline the expeditionary force requires while they are so far away from Starfleet. Alongside this she boasts an impressive sickbay that can provide state of the art medical assistance to anyone in the fleet if required or deal with mass triage.

 THE NOBEL IN PLAY

Players can enjoy writing for a more specialised character, be it engineering, medical or operations. Characters created for the Nobel may find themselves delivering needed supplies to one of the other ships or providing technical assistance. The Nobel is the only other vessel to boast civilians and families on it too.

USS TRITON (NCC-80106) – LUNA CLASS

The key explorer in the expeditionary force, the Triton has served Starfleet’s fourth fleet for many years now. Being a Luna-class, the ship has the most diverse crew in the force, with only one third of the crew being humanoid base. The ship is primarily assigned to scientific missions.

THE TRITON IN PLAY

Wanting to write for a non-humanoid character is no easy feat, but the opportunity to do it on a ship that is built for an infinite combination in diversity is certainly appealing. Players are encouraged to use their imagination and write for such fascinating creatures including the Aurelian, Horta, Edosians, Phylosian or Xindi.

USS SHACKLETON (NCC-79321) – RHODE ISLAND CLASS

Assigned as the primary scout of the expeditionary force, the Shackleton is the smallest ship in the fleet. She may be small, but size does not stop her in supporting ships like the Triton or Discovery undertaking their exploration efforts. Alongside this, if the force separates in any way, the Shackleton will assist the Nobel with supply runs and providing tactical support to the much larger vessels. Due to it requiring more re-supplying than the others, the Shackleton is not that far from the Nobel.

THE SHACKLETON IN PLAY

Being the smallest ship, players have an opportunity to develop a more intimate environment with fellow players. A quarter of the Shackleton’s crew are seasoned officers and provide further training to more junior crew.

USS TERESHKOVA (NCC-89894) – INQUIRY CLASS

Placed in the fleet for one simple reason: to defend it. The Tereshkova is a brand-new Inquiry-class that has been equipped to handle most tactical engagements. Starfleet decided to arm the Tereshkova by installing its pulse cannons and micro torpedo launchers into the various hard points around the body of the ship as it was feared that those weapons may be needed. Alongside this, the Tereshkova has two experienced and well-equipped hazard teams assigned to it. They are the best of the best in the expeditionary force.

THE TERESHKOVA IN PLAY

The more tactical orientated ship in the fleet, the Tereshkova (like the Shackleton) is normally found close by to the Nobel. However when it is required the ship can be quickly deployed and has the quickest abilities in deploying its advanced hazard teams when required. Players will be able to write as a member of these teams, engaging hostile forces in the Delta Quadrant.