Weekly Updates
LadyBlue
Member, Administrator, Moderator, Admiralty
This thread provides week-by-week updates from the Lore Office, summarising the stories of the Archanis Campaign and highlighting key points of story progression.
The Lore Office also takes the opportunity to make special mention of a story that has stood out that week for ingenuity, productivity, good writing, or otherwise contributing positively to campaign activity.
The Lore Office also takes the opportunity to make special mention of a story that has stood out that week for ingenuity, productivity, good writing, or otherwise contributing positively to campaign activity.
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Week 1 (13-19th February)
The Archanis Campaign has got off to a roaring start with its first week! Admiral Beckett has issued summons to face the unchecked aggression of the Hunters of D’Ghor, and the Fourth Fleet has answered. Not only has every Task Force rallied to meet the challenge with their own expertise, but captains and officers from across the fleet embark on missions to face the D’Ghor menace.
Task Forces
Task Force 17 commits to the construction of a new sensor detection grid to anticipate the D’Ghor’s future strikes.
Task Force 72 assembles to provide mediation and support for afflicted worlds.
Task Force 86 rallies to assist the defence of Federation colonies.
Task Force 93 responds to a unique humanitarian crisis in the sector.
Campaign Operations
Diverted from its mission to the Delta Quadrant, the USS Odyssey scrambles to the Archanis Sector to provide assistance.
The USS Ahwahnee is similarly forced to separate from a diplomatic conference, their mission transformed from one of peace to one of security.
Patrol operations in the Meronia Cluster begin for the USS Vesta, providing a watchful eye over the endangered region.
The runabout Mare Imbricum, crewed by officers of the USS Arcturus, embark on discreet scouting operations to identify D’Ghor holdings.
The USS Argonaut, flagship of Task Force 72, commits to diplomatic operations to stricken worlds and groups.
The USS Endeavour is dispatched to hunt the powerful ship of a D’Ghor lieutenant already making bold raids deep in the sector.
Hundreds of light-years from Archanis, the USS Yorktown lends assistance deploying a deep space array to observe activity in the sector, provoking aggression from a mysterious Klingon battlecruiser.
And the Lore Office’s Special Mention of the Week goes to the Vondem Thorn, a gang of ne’er do wells and self-styled privateers of the Archanis Sector, who slowly realise the threat descending on the region might mean trouble for more than Starfleet. Credit to McGig not just for committing to an original concept, but - more importantly! - quickly putting out solid and engaging chapters with an interesting cast of characters.
This Week:
Task Forces have issued their missions, rallying a portion of their forces to a specific problem in the sector
Multiple Starfleet ships have gathered to learn of the threat, receive orders, and a few have embarked on their operations in the region
The campaign remains in its initial phase, ships and officers still largely assembling and receiving assignments.
Week 2 (20th-26th February)
As we settle into the campaign’s second week, stories all over the Archanis Sector begin to heat up!
The Vondem Thorn has seen their first action against the Hunters of D’Ghor, fending off a raid on a civilian freighter - and claiming a tidy sum in ‘recompense’ at gunpoint.
Arriving in the sector, the Ahwahnee is assigned to protect a vital convoy bringing badly-needed supplies to the Meronia Cluster.
With a new commander and crew assigned, the Orpheus has been ordered to support the re-establishment of local trade and infrastructure.
Following their quarry to the Talmiru System, Endeavour has assisted relief efforts for this stricken colony as they hunt their next lead.
Racing to lend assistance, the Devastator brings badly-needed relief vessels to Archanis - but upon arriving at the sector, stumbles across the debris of some unknown calamity.
Reaching the Meronia Cluster, the Vesta prepares to lend assistance, dispatching teams by shuttles as her departments prepare for all possibilities - including the very real risk of facing the D'Ghor hand-to-hand.
And the Lore Office’s Special Mention of the Week goes to the USS Arcturus’s team on the Mare Imbricum, whose investigations of possible D’Ghor activities have led instead to an Orion ship of civilians in distress. David continues to blend intrigue with strong storytelling and clear characterising of this diverse band of officers, and is well-deserving of the acclaim!
This Week:
Starfleet ships arrive at stricken regions of the sector, seeing the impact of the D’Ghor raids for themselves.
Fourth Fleet ships have yet to directly confront the Hunters of D’Ghor.
The campaign enters its deployment phase as ships and officers get to work in the Archanis Sector.
Week 3 (27th February - 5th March)
It’s our third week of the campaign, and it’s been a doozy! Tensions rise as, at last, starships of the Fourth Fleet confront D’Ghor forces. The Rubicon has been crossed. Alae Jacta Est!
Reaching the Haydorian system, the Odyssey has already been met with opposition, forcing a pair of D’Ghor ships to decloak - and into battle.
The Vesta races to stricken worlds - and contends with the magnitude of the task ahead, and the toll it will take on resources and crew.
The Yorktown has prevailed against her D’Ghor attackers - leaving the crew to solve the mystery of its presence so far from Archanis.
Picking through a debris field, the Devastator finds no survivors of a D’Ghor attack, and continues its escort mission at a wary pace.
Scrambling to the Archanis Sector to lend assistance, the Heracles answers a distress signal to find the ruined aftermath of what they presume is a D’Ghor raid.
Eager to get underway, the crew of the Orpheus finds the obstacles may be each other as much as the ship’s systems.
The Vondem Thorn reaches the Kemron colony days after an attack, and as the crew struggle with the aftermath, Captain Sidda decides to take the fight to the D’Ghor.
In hot pursuit of an enemy ship, Endeavour is knocked dead in the water by a tricobalt mine, the crew scrambling to recover control of the ship before the D’Ghor can follow through on an ambush.
Upon reaching Starbase 27, the Ahwahnee is given her mission to escort a vital convoy to the Meronia Cluster, heading an escort already fatigued by the D’Ghor’s attacks.
As ever saving the best for last, the Lore Office’s Special Mention of the Week goes to the hottest new arrival to the Archanis Sector, the USS Fearless! A grand old lady of the fleet, her usual duties provide new Academy graduates with essential, if inauspicious, hands-on experience. Instead, these young officers, under the seasoned eyes of their commanders, may find a baptism of fire waiting for them in Archanis. Already, twd777 has effortlessly introduced an engaging and varied cast of characters, and the Lore Office is eager to see their further adventures!
This Week:
The vicious aftermath of multiple attacks have been witnessed. Crews, Starfleet and otherwise, begin to wrestle with the viciousness of the D'Ghor.
Several Fourth Fleet ships have finally made contact with the enemy, a series of combats breaking out.
Action in the campaign heats up as Bravo Fleet begins to confront the D'Ghor and their atrocities directly.
Week 4 (6th - 12th March)
It’s the fourth week, and we’re properly into the action now! Missions are underway, battles have been met, and we’re finally granted insights into the true darkness at the heart of the D’Ghor. No stopping this train!
The Fearless, racing to bring her bold young crew to assist in the crisis, arrives at the Archanis Sector.
The runabout USS Orwell receives her new team and assignment to join the supply convoy led by the USS Ahwahnee.
The Vesta races against time to bring essential supplies and support to the stricken Meronia Cluster.
The D’Ghor show themselves to the Heracles, leaving an away team forced to fend for themselves against the Hunters and protecting the locals of a devastated colony.
Pausing to take stock of supplies and equipment, the Vondem Thorn spots an opportunity for answers - or a strike against their enemies - as they monitor nearby starship movements.
Reeling from the damage and losses caused by a D’Ghor mine, Endeavour reaches the Elgatis Belt in a desperate bid to protect civilians, and finally confront the Kut'luch, their elusive enemy.
And the Lore Office’s Special Mention of the Week goes to the USS Ahwahnee! With the short story ‘Honour Among Targ’ giving hugely atmospheric and impactful insights into life on a D’Ghor ship (you could really taste the targ), and Woozamagoo’s enthusiastic support of new arrivals keen to participate in the event, the acclaim is truly earned.
This week:
As Starfleet lines up to protect civilian worlds and ships, confrontations with the D’Ghor heat up.
Essential supply convoys and support missions get underway on their dangerous and necessary journeys.
Week 5 (13th - 19th March)
Ships battling, Klingons boarding, races against time, and deals in the dark... the Archanis Campaign continues apace!
While there’s no end-date carved in stone for Archanis, with the end of Week 5 we’ve roughly hit the halfway mark on the campaign. We’re committed to giving everyone the space to finish and tell their story, then come together for a grand finale. So on that note, consider these ‘soft’ numbers on our next step:
The Lore Office intends to commit at least 2 weeks to the finale arc - the final battle against Kuskir’s forces/base/who knows??
This arc will have opportunities for every participant to be involved and make an impact.
This finale will begin at the start of Week 9 at the earliest.
Details for those who want to plan and prepare will come soon, but those who want to participate in the finale should look to have their stories in a position to do so in approximately three weeks (but that number will go up, rather than down!). If you’re at a loss, this is reasonable time for even just one rough and ready encounter with a D’Ghor ship - an ambush, protecting a civilian freighter, driving them off from an endangered world, whatever it may be!
But enough of the future. This week, on Archanis!
Racing into the action, the Gibraltar is waylaid by what appear to be engineering difficulties, the crew scrambling to get her back online as quickly as possible.
The convoy led by Captain Vordenna of the Ahwahnee, bringing their desperately-needed supplies to the Meronia Cluster, is bolstered by two arrivals: the runabouts Bonaventure and Orwell. As the officers and commanders become acquainted with each others’ methods and idiosyncrasies, the ships move deeper into the dangerous territory of the Archanis Sector.
At the Elgatis Belt, Endeavour engages her quarry, the Vor’cha-class Kut’luch, in a desperate battle to protect the civilian refinery staff. With D’Ghor boarding Endeavour and raiding the refinery, Starfleet officers go toe-to-toe with Klingon warriors before the Kut’luch is driven off, both ships heavily damaged even as Endeavour is victorious.
But their pursuit is cut short in a scrap with a Bird-of-Prey, and the Vondem Thorn comes face-to-face with the Starfleet ship as they risk their own necks to help. A tense negotiation between both captains gets Captain Rourke little more than a promise - but armed now with information on D’Ghor movements and a new mission, Captain Sidda gets exactly what she wants.
Elsewhere, the stakes remain high as the starships of Task Force 17 receive a distress call from a Ferengi convoy under attack, and rush to reach them in time - further proof of the desperate necessity of the defensive sensor grid.
And the latest Special Mention of the Week goes to the USS Odyssey! Embroiled in a vicious battle against multiple ships to protect the millions of lives on a Federation colony, the Odyssey prevails through the grit and ingenuity of her crew. But the final onslaught of a ramming action leaves Odyssey badly damaged and many of her senior staff incapacitated - and the system remains not yet secured. This week, MJ delivers with rip-roaring action and high stakes!
This week:
The convoy to the Meronia Cluster grows in size.
Multiple Starfleet ships are victorious against the D’Ghor, though suffer heavy losses.
The threat of the D’Ghor starts to bring together Starfleet and even unlikely allies of the Archanis Sector’s criminal underworld.
The Lore Office lays out a loose timetable for the Campaign’s resolution.
Week 6 (20th - 26th March)
We’re past the halfway mark now! Into week six, with the delectable theme that ‘fighting Klingons face-to-face really, really sucks.’
This week, on Archanis!
Drifting and damaged after the ramming attack that destroyed their enemy, the Odyssey finds herself lurching from crisis to new crisis: the D’Ghor have boarded. With critically injured senior officers, including Captain McCallister, the crew fight not just to repel the well-prepared Hunters, but protect the innocent lives aboard the mighty ship.
After receiving a distress call, the Vesta intercepts a pair of D’Ghor ships raiding a medical convoy. With quick-thinking, the enemy’s last-generation technology is exploited to the Vesta’s advantage, with one Bird-of-Prey destroyed as the other flees. While the medical ship is returned safely to Starbase 27, this leaves the Vesta in a tighter race against time to reach the Meronia Cluster.
As news of the wider chaos of the Hunters’ attacks filters through the sector, the Ahwahnee’s crew reflect on the dangers ahead. Too soon, thought becomes reality as a trio of Birds-of-Prey are detected on intercept course for their convoy. They, and their colleagues aboard the runabout Bonaventure, have only a matter of hours before battle will doubtless be joined.
Fresh off the Battle of Elgatis, Endeavour reels from her damage taken and the necessity of her devil’s bargain made with the pirates of the Vondem Thorn. While officers try to pry answers out of recalcitrant D’Ghor prisoners, Captain Rourke sets course for the Haydorien System - and its drydocks.
Armed with Starfleet intelligence reports and sheer nerve, the Vondem Thorn follows the trail on the mighty but damaged D’Ghor ship Kut’luch. Tracking her to an abandoned depot across the Klingon border, Captain Sidda chooses to continue fighting rather than report back, launching a daring raid that destroys their enemy - but costs her the Thorn in the process.
Special Mention of the Week goes to the USS Devastator, reaching the Meronia System just in time to rescue the colony from an ongoing raid of the D’Ghor Hunters. While the D’Ghor kill themselves rather than be taken prisoner, Captain Scotto and his crew nevertheless recover evidence of cooperation between the D’Ghor and the Orion Syndicate - and news of an impending attack on the Federation/Klingon border. This week, Capierno has given us a rip-roaring launch into the action for the Devastator, and a bold advancement of the Archanis Campaign.
This week:
The convoy to the Meronia Cluster receives word of an impending attack.
Several D’Ghor raids are intercepted and stopped.
Word reaches Fleet Command of a pending, potentially massive D’Ghor assault.
Week 7 (27th March - 2nd April)
We’re well into it now! Disasters strike all over, the D’Ghor intensify their attacks... but the end is in sight? Indeed, the Lore Office has this week posted the introduction to our finale, which will begin at the start of Week 9 (10th April) and run until the end of Week 10, 24th April. Take a look and begin to plan!
But until then, we should think about what happened this week, on Archanis!
After their run-in with D’Ghor forces, the Vesta resumes her patrol mission - but first, takes aboard and prepares a new Hazard Team ready to embark on their own operations in the sector.
The Arcturus’s Hazard Team aboard the Mare Imbricum offer support to a group of Orion refugees, and find in their ship’s databanks extensive sensor records that could provide essential leads on D’Ghor activities. But before the information is secure or the refugees to a point of safety, a bird-of-prey is detected arriving at the edge of the system.
At the colony world Gallaria Three, the Fearless provides disaster relief in the aftermath of a D’Ghor raid. The smooth operation is threatened, however, at the receival of a distress call from outside the system, suggesting a nearby D’Ghor attack.
The crew of the Vondem Thorn - now above the stolen ship hastily christened Vondem Rose - take stock of their new home as they head for their rendezvous with Starfleet at the Haydorian System. It is not a journey without tensions, however, as the pressures of the last few days show their marks.
After restoring security aboard, the Odyssey and her crew deal with the aftermath of the Battle of Haydorief. Their burdens are relieved somewhat with the arrival of the Discovery and the Shackleton to begin the deployment of the Archanis Array, but an assessment of the system makes it clear the threat to this essential operation is not passed.
Badly-damaged from the Battle of Elgatis, Endeavour arrives for repair and recovery at the Haydorian System. The work ahead is more than that, however, as the crew concocts a plan to extract crucial intelligence from a D’Ghor prisoner.
Arriving at the Archanis Sector with a new crew, the Tesla immediately heads for the Praxis System in expectation of D’Ghor forces, and captain and XO become acquainted - and butt heads. But the expectation of danger proves correct when the Tesla is intercepted by a bird-of-prey that threatens to be more than a match for their skill.
And this week’s Special Mention goes to our first two-time winner, the USS Ahwahnee, as her convoy is intercepted by an aggressive D’Ghor attack. Despite preparations one of their ships is struck and falls behind, potentially left to a grim fate at the hands of the Hunters. With orders to keep the convoy moving, Captain Vordenna contemplates the options in deploying his runabout squadron. Woozamagoo was last time recognised for some excellent depictions of D’Ghor life, and while this chapter does so again, we’re also treated to the intense ratcheting up of tension as the convoy comes under attack. Wooz continues to both capture the intense atmosphere of the campaign, and produce great writing opportunities for others in his convoy’s runabout team.
This week:
Week 8 (3rd - 9th April)
As the middlegame comes to a close, the stakes get higher. All over the Archanis Sector ships scrabble to answer the call to defend against Kuskir’s final assault, or contend with immediate dangers closer to home.
With the conclusion of Week 8, we enter the Final Arc. All ships and teams available are directed to join the defence efforts against one last push from the D’Ghor which could end with the slaughter of millions if not stopped. All members are invited to participate; the story has begun with Admiral Beckett’s confrontation with Kuskir, son of D’Ghor, setting the scene. Not being ready to immediately write your ship’s entrance to the battle doesn’t mean they’re IC late, it just means it’s now open season OOC on getting stuck into the final fight!
But that’s what’s to come. How about we look at what happened this week, on Archanis!
The Expeditionary Force of Task Force 17 assesses its work ahead in finishing the detection systems around the Archanis Sector. Key to this effort remains the establishment of the Archanis Array in the beleaguered Haydorian System.
Key to the Task Force’s operations is the mission of the Explorer, bringing badly-needed resources and engineering specialists to assist and reinforce. En route to the Haydorian System, Captain Sudari-Kravchik makes plans to deploy the pocket tachyon grid upon arrival.
At the Haydorian System itself, Endeavour continues to conduct repairs as her crew come to terms with their recent trials, and first officer Commander Valance successfully extracts valuable intelligence from a D’Ghor prisoner. But nearby troubles promise to give them fresh challenges.
Likewise, the Odyssey has contended with the aftermath of the Battle of Haydorian - perhaps the First Battle. With her chain of command still strained with the incapacitation of Captain McCallister and both first and second officers, there is still more the crew needs to give as they identify a new threat: D’Ghor shuttles scattered across the system, an ongoing threat to the Haydorian construction efforts.
With Task Force 17’s ships focusing on the Archanis Array, the crews of the Odyssey and Endeavour embark on a joint operation, deploying their support craft to scour the system of these pockets of D’Ghor warriors before they can do harm to Starfleet operations - or endanger civilian lives.
The former crew of the Vondem Thorn, now aboard the Vondem Rose, reach the Haydorian System in the midst of this chaos. Receiving promised support and payment from Captain Rourke, they try to take a breath to repair, heal, and recover - even as the Haydorian System threatens to spark to a whole new, bewildering danger around them. Of course, this might be a Starfleet Problem.
Far from the bustle of the Archanis Sector, the Yorktown hunts a D'Ghor ship to a weapons facility preparing armaments for the renegade forces - distant and hidden, feeding key munitions to the Hunters away, they must have believed, from the prying eyes of Starfleet. The facility is destroyed, and the Yorktown reports the devastating blow they have landed on D'Ghor supply lines. It is unlikely the Yorktown will encounter more D'Ghor forces this far away.
Within the Archanis Sector, the Vesta reaches the Meronia System, deploying a Hazard Team and making ready to lend assistance to local operations. A status report from the Devastator, who has been standing stalwart vigil in the region for some time, makes plain how long and hard the challenges they face will be.
And our Special Mention of the Week goes to Hazard Team Delta, who launched a series of daring operations against the D’Ghor - killing warriors, freeing prisoners, commandeering one of their ships, and not only living to tell the tale, but busting back to Starbase 27 with key intelligence in tow! JShepard has had an impressively prolific week with a perhaps unrivalled bout of activity worthy of recognition.
This Week:
Week 9 (10th - 16th April)
This is the penultimate week of the campaign! The Battle of Archanis continues apace, with action now promising to spread across at least three systems.
Week 10 will be the final week. Breaking with habit, it will carry through to the following Sunday, and as such the last day of the Archanis Campaign will be Sunday 25th April. At that point, all Lore Office fiction depicting the final act of the Archanis Campaign will have be released, and soon after will follow a final report. From that point, the campaign will be finished; the forum section will remain open for a limited time so people may conclude their storylines, but the Weekly Reports will stop and plots will receive no more support or attention from the Lore Office.
In summary, you don’t turn into a pumpkin if your writing spills past the 25th - but Lore Office record-keeping ends, and we’ll encourage you to wrap up quickly.
But that’s then. This is now! This week, on Archanis!
As the Explorer deploys their ‘Windchime’ detection systems, an infrastructure to anticipate the next D’Ghor move, their paths cross with the Hazard Team Delta aboard their stolen D’Ghor ship. With limited time to deploy the array, both ships team up to finish the job and protect the vulnerable convoy.
At Haydorian, the crews of Endeavour and the Odyssey conduct an operation to hunt the D’Ghor warriors scattered across the system. Even as the bulk of enemy forces are hunted and destroyed, a strategic analysis suggests the D’Ghor assault isn’t just coming for the main battle lines - but also Haydorian.
Task Force 17 finishes its deployment of the Archanis Array, shining a light on sector operations and denying the D’Ghor their bolt-hole. But as news comes of the pending assault, the job is not done, as the Array will need defending for the finishing blow against the Hunters to land.
The command staff of Task Force 72 venture into the Klingon Empire, the allies who have provided minimal assistance against the D’Ghor. Through guile and diplomatic wit, Admiral Belvedere manages to secure a promise of assistance from one of the Great Houses. It is unclear if they will arrive fast enough to turn the tide.
And the Special Mention of the Week goes to the USS Tesla! Caught in a game of cat-and-mouse with a D’Ghor ship while attempting to answer a distress call, the stakes rise even further when Captain Ryder realises his enemies have been helped by a traitor to Starfleet. With a fun blend of action, intrigue, and tension, writers DarthCrusader and Suz have given us some of the best drama of the week!
This Week: