Briefing Document

LadyBlue · January 2021

Commander Ackhurst watched as the report on his PADD kept scrolling. And scrolling, and scrolling. He cleared his throat, but his voice still came out faint. ‘How many casualties?’

‘Tusom IV has yet to confirm,’ came his Vulcan XO’s level response. ‘Estimations suggest it may be as high as one hundred and fifty deaths. This does not include the loss of life elsewhere in the system.’

Ackhurst tossed the report onto his desk and leaned back to rub his temples. ‘Four Birds-of-Prey. Bombarding the surface, beaming down to kill people, taking anything. Out of nowhere.’ He’d served in the Archanis Sector for ten years, and only known it as a sleepy border with the allied Klingon Empire. Now the world below had been devastated. ‘Did some pirates pick up new ships? Even the worst Mo’Kai reports don’t include slaughtering civilians like this.’

‘We’ve been informed a nav buoy at the system’s edge intercepted a transmission. Interference from the Tusom Belt prevented anyone else from receiving it. The attackers did identify themselves.’

Ackhurst opened his eyes to stare at his XO. ‘You should lead with that next time.’

Lieutenant Commander T’Von gave him an inscrutable look. ‘You requested a casualty and damage report.’

‘Yes, but – just go on.’

‘We have limited information on the ships themselves,’ said T’Von, apparently committed to burying the lede. ‘But they spoke of fighting for the glory of someone named Kuskir, of whom we have no records.’

‘That’s not much -’

‘And identified themselves as Hunters of D’Ghor.’

Ackhurst drew a slow, tense breath. ‘They don’t attack in forces this large. This far from their usual territory. But with that trade convoy going dark two days ago…’ He looked around the ready room of his small, unassuming California-class ship. ‘I think Starfleet better send help.’

A surge of incursions from Klingon renegades into Federation space has plunged the Archanis Sector into chaos, and the Fourth Fleet has been dispatched to restore stability.

Near the Klingon-Federation border, the fallen house now known as the Hunters of D’Ghor has launched a series of attacks upon largely undefended colonies and unprepared Starfleet defences. What was once a quiet region close to allied space has become a war zone.

The Hunters of D’Ghor are not standing their ground. Lone or small groups of ships strike from nowhere and disappear as quickly. In between, they seize resources, pick fights with foes they deem worthy, and there are unconfirmed reports they have seized slaves. It is unknown what has triggered these raids: a scrabble for resources, the sabre-rattling of hungry warriors, or some other mystery. It is unknown how many ships and warriors the Hunters have brought to bear on the Archanis Sector. It is unknown what it will take them to stop.

Starfleet has limited answers. They know the Hunters are likely launching operations from the Archanis Nebula, nearby in Klingon territory. But the Hunters have prowled there for decades, and know its secrets and hiding places better than anyone. Starfleet knows who leads these Hunters, for Kuskir, son of D’Ghor has either proclaimed himself at any attack, or been the name howled by his loyal warriors in honour. A younger son of the head of the fallen house, all Starfleet Intelligence can say for sure is that he is an emerging face among the Hunters, likely hungry to establish himself.

Starfleet has charged the Fourth Fleet with resolving the situation. Their orders are as follow:

To assess the operations of the Hunters of D’Ghor, from the strength of their forces to identifying their goals
To provide relief to colony worlds attacked by the Hunters
To protect settlements and trade ships from attack
To reinforce the border with patrols, repairs of border protection facilities, and establishment of new surveillance outposts
To eliminate the threat posed by Kuskir and his Hunters of D’Ghor

Factions

The key factions in the Archanis Campaign are as follow:

Starfleet

Command of the Archanis Campaign has fallen to Rear Admiral Beckett, with Fourth Fleet operations based from Starbase 27, the closest major Starfleet outpost to the sector. From there, starships of the Fourth Fleet are given their assignments, primarily those of single starships or teams to spread Starfleet’s reach over the affected region.

Task Group 27 is the permanent Starfleet border defence of the region. It consists mostly of smaller or older vessels. While they are not formally part of the Archanis Campaign, they continue their regular duties along the border and Admiral Beckett is prepared to recruit them into operations.

In Play:

Most of the Starfleet ships in the Archanis Campaign are Bravo Fleet ships written by Bravo Fleet writers. See the Writing section for more guidance.
If you need an NPC Starfleet ship, consider one of the smaller and/or older vessels of Task Group 27, the regular local patrol force. They have been outclassed by the Hunters and are largely struggling to maintain their regular duties.
Starbase 27 is at the fringe of the sector and where Operational Command is based. It is where Starfleet ships go for supplies, orders, or downtime. While close enough for crews to have these breaks, it is too far to be considered under serious threat - or to be able to launch swift reinforcements in a crisis.

The Hunters of D'Ghor

The Hunters of D’Ghor are a fallen house who have lost their honour and turned renegade against the Empire. For the last twenty years they have been raiders, stealing what they need and revelling in battle. An organised and dedicated series of attacks on a region such as this is unprecedented, and Starfleet is concerned by the motivation behind this unusual scale of aggression.So far they have attacked worlds for equipment and resources, or picked fights with worthy foes. Starfleet has concerns that dispatching a more serious force with the Fourth Fleet may provoke them, as they have expressed some disappointment with Task Group 27. They have successfully devastated most of the border protection and surveillance in the region; largely automated emplacements that gave early warning. This has allowed them to strike with impunity since.

It is unclear from where they are launching their operations, though the need to supply and maintain their ships suggests a semi-permanent outpost in the vicinity. Suspicions that they are hiding in the Archanis Nebula are a double-edged sword, for the nebula is a complex anomaly that Starfleet does not know well and requires delicate navigation. The Klingon Empire has freely offered survey data, but their scientific understanding is inferior to Starfleet’s. The Hunters, conversely, are very familiar with the nebula, and will know how to hide or how to harry anyone who enters. More intelligence is needed before Starfleet will approach the nebula.

In Play:

For more information on the Hunters in general, and how to portray them, consult their wiki page.
Kuskir’s forces are largely mysterious at present. Starfleet doesn’t know much about their numbers or strength, where they’re based, or what they want. Learning more is key; contact the Lore Office if you write an intelligence-gathering mission and want to know what you might find!
The Hunters have raided civilian targets for resources, leaving behind devastated settlements and worlds. Starfleet operations will often deal with helping survivors of these attacks, protecting planets and shipments from strikes, or maybe preparing them to potentially defend themselves.
The Hunters’ ships rarely move in groups larger than three, and lone ships have fled on the few occasions Task Group 27 could confront them in force. They use their cloaking technology, the gaps they’ve made in Starfleet’s surveillance systems, and all their vicious guile for hit and run attacks.
Warriors seem highly loyal to Kuskir himself, as well as the fallen House of D’Ghor. They do not fear death, and if cornered will fight to the end.
Feel free at this point to invent ships and captains who serve Kuskir. These could be recurring enemies for your ships, or can be defeated at this early stage. Capturing officers and especially captains for information, however, should ideally be the product of a prolonged story and serious effort by your characters; contact the Lore Office if you’re thinking about doing this.

Civilians

The Federation established colonies in the Archanis Sector in its earliest decades. But they have known only peace with the Klingon Empire for twenty-five years, and largely for over a century. They are unaccustomed to the sudden danger in which they find themselves.

All these colony worlds are potential targets for the Hunters. Planets struck have seen significant loss of life to Klingon landing parties, and some settlements have been truly devastated as the Hunters seized resources and picked fights. Untouched worlds live in terror of being next, which has led to reports of local strife. The full number of afflicted worlds is unknown.

This close to the border, there are many traders who do business among colony worlds or with the Empire. Personal ships, corporate freighters, and some government vessels travel the sector for commerce or diplomacy. These ships have also been targeted by the Hunters, and expect to receive protection from their governments.

Starfleet has largely not invested resources in the region over the last decade. This absence has been felt by the people of the Archanis Sector, now largely self-reliant and often with more loyalty to local concerns than the Federation at large. With the Hunters attacking, many people feel abandoned by Starfleet. This may make them uncooperative or resentful. Starfleet ships are instructed to restore confidence in the organisation and the Federation as a secondary objective.

In Play:

The colonies that have been attacked need aid: helping injured, rebuilding, protecting themselves. The ones which haven’t, fear it and need help with their defences.
Faith in Starfleet is at an all-time low. Many people of the sector have little sense of belonging to the Federation; they are a backwater, they know it, and prefer to be self-sufficient. While they won’t interfere with Starfleet, they may not receive help graciously or cooperate happily.
Traders and companies in the sector are likely more receptive to help, but are vulnerable targets.
Feel free to invent colony worlds, companies, traders, and other interests. They may have been attacked already and need help, or require protection.

Klingon Empire

The Empire’s forces and concerns are largely on internal business and scuffles with the Gorn at present, and they are unable to dispatch any significant support. They have no sympathy for the Hunters of D’Ghor, but Kuskir’s raids are not, for now, their problem.

The nearest ruling House is the House of Rahtekk, a minor House sworn to the House of Lorkoth. They are in no position to send ships into Federation space to help Starfleet. Rahtekk himself has asserted he will help if the fight is brought into Klingon territory, but he is an old man on what has become a sleepy border, and many warriors feel he has lost his edge.

In Play:

The Klingon Empire is of little use in this fight against the Hunters, but they will not get in Starfleet’s way.
Crossing the border into the Empire will require a very good reason, such as immediate pursuit of Hunters. Otherwise permission must be sought from the House of Rahtekk.
The House of Rahtekk has a few ships and captains, none of whom have been given strict orders by their lord. Feel free to invent some as potential allies - or obstructions.

The Orions

The Archanis Sector is close to the old Orion Borderlands and its colonies. This has been a largely peaceful relationship over recent years, but Starfleet Intelligence has concerns at what trouble the Hunters might stir up. There are suspicions the Orion Syndicate involved itself in local affairs and operated a successful black market in the region and across the border to the Empire. The Free Traders do their legitimate business in the sector and in the Empire, but have yet to extend the protection their ships enjoy to anyone but themselves. Neither has historically had any interest in working with Starfleet.

In Play:

The Orions are not a major part of the campaign, but their presence can add some colour and variety to a story, as they care far more about getting through the crisis with their own necks intact than helping anyone.
The Orion Free Traders are well-defended, legitimate business operators - but they have no love for Starfleet, and if they know anything it will come at a price.
The Syndicate may have immersed itself in the local criminal enterprises of any world or region, and has certainly run a black market through the sector and over the border. They view Starfleet as more of a threat than the Hunters - after all, if they’re outmatched, dumping their cargo and running deters the Hunters more than the Federation.

Writing

The Archanis Campaign is a series of independent stories all contributing to the greater narrative. Writers will write the stories of their ships and crews pursuing the plot threads above, and the Lore Office will respond to these as they advance and develop the campaign’s events.

Any member is welcome to participate in the Archanis Campaign. If you have an avatar ship, you can write the story of your starship and crew on a mission in the sector. If you are still a junior officer, Starbase 27 can still launch runabout missions with small teams, still perfectly capable of performing key tasks like aid runs to beleaguered colonies or repairing critical defence platforms. Either way, you can start a thread on the forum in the campaign section for your writing.

If you want to write with another member, you can do so! Your ships or runabouts or characters can work together on missions. Either have a thread for your joint writing or hop into each other’s threads; all we ask is that you communicate with each other first.

There are options for more traditional, open play-by-post writing, though this is not the campaign’s primary focus. A section of the forums will be dedicated to Starbase 27 for characters and crews to encounter each other as their ships stop by for orders, maintenance, and brief R&R before and after missions. Anyone can opt in on these interactions.

If you want to write something other than Starfleet operations, please consult the Lore Office. The focus of campaigns is the Fourth Fleet and its adventures, so we want to be sure anything else makes a useful contribution to the narrative.

Otherwise, please just bear in mind the following guidelines:

Follow the facts laid out by the Lore Office in OOC releases and IC fiction. If the campaign scenario changes, we will make it clear.
Do not write stories which change the campaign scenario in any significant way without the Lore Office’s permission, such as hunting down and killing Kuskir immediately.
Feel free to create colony worlds, key lieutenants of Kuskir, Orion pirates, trade companies, or any of the everyday features of the Arcanis Sector.
Do not assume other writers have closely followed everything you’ve written. Cooperation and communication is great, but accept it’s a big playground where everyone can share.

Starbase 27

A section will be opened on the forums for more traditional play-by-post roleplay writing, focused on specific characters interacting with each other and the scenario. It will be focused on Starbase 27 as the campaign’s Operational Command Headquarters. A spacedock-class starbase just at the outskirts of the Archanis Sector, it is outside the area considered under threat from the Hunters. From here Rear Admiral Beckett directs the Fourth Fleet’s operations, assigning missions to ships and teams. Starships may stop at Starbase 27 before, after, and in between assignments to receive orders, conduct repairs, and enjoy some R&R.

Writing on the starbase will fall into two broad categories: formal business between team leaders, captains, and operational command; and downtime. Please note that a direct scene with Rear Admiral Beckett is not necessary every time a team or ship begins a mission; he’s perfectly capable of sending a recorded briefing or an NPC staff member. There will be a thread for Starbase 27’s main bar, The Last Line, where officers can meet and interact. Otherwise, members are welcome to start threads for specific scenes, places, etc.

Starbase 27 is a safe, distant, and well-defended location and will not be attacked by the Hunters of D’Ghor. Writing here is entirely about the social or administrative lives of characters.

Story Suggestions

The following are a few prompts for the sorts of stories you can tell during the campaign. They are fairly simple and generic, so that different people can take their own spin on each, and could apply to either avatar ships or runabout teams. Ideas that don’t fall into these categories are perfectly welcome, but feel free to ask the Lore Office if you’re unsure.

A colony has sent a distress call, saying they are under attack by the Hunters. Starfleet must deal with enemy ships in orbit and their landing parties on the surface to protect civilians.
Federation supply shipments need escorting to affected worlds. They may be a prime target for the Hunters or even other, desperate locals.
A world recently attacked by the Hunters needs help. Starfleet must provide disaster relief, tending to the wounded and rebuilding infrastructure, even though the Hunters are long-gone.
The border must be protected. Starfleet have sent ships to conduct patrols that can ward off potential attacks, warn of the Hunters’ arrival, or engage and drive off their ships.
The sector’s defensive infrastructure is overwhelmed. Starfleet can assist by upgrading and maintaining defensive platforms that may be armed for protection, offer surveillance for early warning, or gather intelligence on local movements. More than just a technical challenge, these platforms may be a target for the Hunters.

And many possible more! Remember there are locals who distrust Starfleet, nearby Orions who may exploit the situation to their own advantage, and a Klingon Empire who may offer information but little practical help. Civilians may have competing needs where Starfleet can’t help everyone at once, and the Hunters are cunning adversaries who will use any low trick to bring their enemy to battle.

As ever, please consult the Lore Office if you have any questions.