[Caymen Greener]

The storm had been brewing for ages, and the front had blown in from Sol and Qo'nos combined for the last year. Since the war broke out, plans were in motion to destroy one another, and since time immemorial, the Federation and the Klingons would seek to annihilate the other. The Federation had their secrets - some unintentional like the Undine, some intentional like Section 31. But there were smaller groups too.

Commodore Berel Joon was part of that, and Captains Caymen Greener and Nicholas Teron had heard wind of it long ago but dismissed it over time. As the years went on, well into 2410 and eventually the start of 2411, it was unclear who was really working on anything secret, or perhaps more accurately, who was NOT doing secret things. But as was said eons ago on Earth, "Don't burden yourself with the secrets of scary people."

Joon wasn't scary, but his cohorts were. And that was what started this whole ordeal. The Klingons had discovered a wormhole - an unstable one, but one that worked. And if they could unlock its pattern or be at the right place at the right time, they could take advantage of it. The time was nigh. Joon's colleagues had discovered a bit of a pattern with the wormhole and they were ready. Only they wanted to send a little present back to the Klingons.

The present would not only destroy the wormhole, but it would destroy both ends. Starbase Legacy and even possibly parts of the Regulus system would feel ill-effects - like death and destruction. On the other side, however, tens if not hundreds of Klingon worlds could be destroyed. And that was a bit much for Joon.

The Klingons acted sooner than Joon and the rest thought - perhaps they had caught wind of the plans. They attacked Starbase Legacy in hopes of knocking out any hopes of sending forces - or mass weaponry - back through. They could then setup a stronghold near Regulus, giving them a quicker jaunt to Sol and other key Federation systems. It was bold, but their time had come. Unfortunately, so had Joon. And he brought some of that mass weaponry. Tricobold and a temporal disruption device were only parts of the concoction in the torpedoes - 5 of them was what Joon thought it would take.

The battle was fierce. Even though they had managed to evacuate the ENTIRETY of Legacy onto 5 ships, one ship with roughly 50 civilians and 20 officers was destroyed by the Klingons. Several of the small Klingon cruisers were destroyed easily by the ships and the Shepherds and the base defenses. But Joon had to act fast before they send more, before the wormhole closed. He sent his 5 "nukes" through, and they ignited exactly where and when he wanted them to. The wormhole closed, but not for good.

=== Far from here, galactic 'north' ===

Greener and the USS August-E were on patrol of a new planetary system rich in non-sentient life and mineral resources. It was a ripe planet that would give the Federation years of supplies. The plan was to scout it, setup a small outpost, and then move on to let some other exploration and science teams transwarp in to take over the mining and research. Those plans changed quickly.

During a scan, a blast came from nowhere, several sectors away. They saw it on the scans and barely had enough time to buckle down and shield themselves. Luckily they were not harmed - or the planet and away teams - but a nearby uninhabitable planet did receive a brunt of the blast. Debris shout out at almost warp speeds came into the sector, along with a few Starfleet ships.

To their surprise, this was the battalion of Commodore Joon and Legacy - they had come through the wormhole, not closed, but uprooted and replanted somewhere between planet J572004-A and Hyrundar. The Vigilant and several Miranda ships were all majorly disabled and damaged - the August even had to go to emergency power and shields with the brunt of the blast. Most of the ships had to be abandoned, the people beamed to the August or to the small camp on the surface. Only the Vigilant remained slightly salvageable and was actually 'landed' on the planet surface a few kilometers away from the camp.

It was a veritable disaster, but it was better than the alternative. The Klingons lost their wormhole and many ships and warriors. But the Federation now lost Starbase Legacy, highly damaged and unusable. They also lost several ships out in this wilderness. And even as the wormhole closed, it still remained 'in place' and might open any day or a few months from now, its pattern changed. And because it still lingered, it disrupted transwarp and long-distance sensors and communications. They were stranded, or rather, they were weeks away from any sense of transwarp, and even with communications relays in place, they were a day away from communicating with the Federation.

The August went on a surveillance mission to plan some communications relays and beacons and double-check the transwarp breadcrumb beacon near Hyrundar. Things were about as good as they could be and Starfleet was finally glad to hear back from the teams. Plans were in the works to send a shipment of crew, civilian workers, and resources. But the Federation took the opportunity to plan a deep space outpost here.

And thus Task Group Legacy was born, headquartered on Outpost 42 on planet J572004-A, with the crown jewel science cruiser USS August-E as her main vessel. A little over 200 people would either have survived or shortly move to the Outpost and attached colony, while the August kept her average complement of 100. Commodore Berel Joon was the Task Group Commander, and was finally unshackled from his cohorts back at Starfleet. They were caught and imprisoned, at last paying for their decades of secrecy. Joon's brave acts were the only reason he was not imprisoned, or worse demoted/dismissed. And for that, he would forever serve the Federation and Starfleet even more fervently.

The Task Group's main goal is still exploration and resource gathering, just like the August before. But now they had a headquarters to call home nearby, and a civilian population with which to work. They had a base, and they were just a few weeks away from a transwarp back to Sol. And, if luck struck, they could use the wormhole once in a while.

All members of the Joon fleet, Starbase Legacy, and the USS August were awarded with the Battle of Legacy Commendation, in remembrance of the disastrous and heroic events.

[Caymen Greener]

The battle was won and the Klingons were defeated, at least in part. The wormhole had been diverted from their space to an area the Federation controlled, or rather was beginning to control. And most of those involved survived.

Most. An entire Miranda ship was lost in the battle, holding 20 officers and 57 civilians from Legacy. Starbase 801, Legacy, was also mostly destroyed by the blast. And all the ships in Joon's trask group were all but destroyed.

Parts and chunks were blown out across the J572004 system and its first planet. Salvage, pieces, bulkheads, everything from two more Mirandas and a Luna, and even parts of the Starbase, blasted out. The Vigilant Saber class vessel was the only thing that was not completely destroyed. Given time, and digging it out of the crater on the main planet, it could be turned into a working vessel.

The good news, other than the victory, and aside from the loss of life and ships, is that the remaining crew and civilians made it to the planet safely. They were all beamed out in time by their own crews and with the help of the August who happened to be in orbit scanning this planet with a team on the ground investigating. The coincidence of this has to be more than simple happenstance, a mystery as enshrined as the Iconians themselves most likely.

Wormholes are a funny mess like that.

For three months the USS August scanned and patrolled nearby areas, trying to find out what the wormhole did to the area. Regardless if the wormhole was open or not, it still interfered with communications, sensors, and warp capabilities. The August had to travel 2 days at max cruise to get to where sensors and comms worked, another day for warp. Transwarp still seems impossible within reach and thus the Hyrundar breadcrumb beacon is the closest place for safe transwarp travel, and it is 3 weeks away.

In the meantime, the civilians and officers not on the August setup base camps on the surface, mostly in the areas initially scanned by the August away teams. They found a suitable place to setup camp, replicate temporary shelters and facilities, and house everyone somewhat comfortably. Protection from the wildlife has been the toughest challenge, but has held up so far. The Shepherds squadron also survived well and has helped tremendously.

The August is about to return to the system with a cargo ship from the Federation in tow. Many supplies are arriving - including permanent structure materials, food and medical supplies, and new crew such as scientists and engineers. But alas many folks will be returning on the cargo ship as well.

Joon will, by the proxy of the Federation, appoint a civilian commissioner for the new colony that is forming. He will appoint a commander for new Starfleet base here, Outpost 42. He will also have to make some changes on the August. They are forming a new sub-fleet, Task Group Legacy. Their headquarters will be the Outpost, and their arm will be the August for now.

Much to do, and plenty of time in which to do it. This was a new frontier - the August crew was somewhat used this, but not on this scale. This was an entirely new ballgame.