Line in the Sand

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Overview=
"Line in the Sand" is the second chapter of the arc and the second overall of . Written in late 2013 and published on 2 January 2014, it is authored by .
;Summary
:After a terrible and extraordinary event which leaves both the commanding and executive officer positions vacant, Ensign Jason Fredricks takes command of the , joining the in the Pollux system to assist another vessel in need.
== Synopsis ==
=== Teaser ===
Jason Fredricks is sitting in the captain's chair of the , pondering his failure to save his captain, Masc Taggart. Charlie Morgan and a new tactical officer, named Tala Jones, enter the , and Charlie introduces the two. Jason informs her that his only requirement is dedication to her duty. Charlie then asks what he should do since he is no longer filling in at the , and Jason has him move to the . Ernie Hauser reports they have entered the Pollux system, and Charlie reports that the USS Khitomer is twenty kilometers ahead of their location. They receive a hail from the Khitomer; when Captain Jay Yim asks why Taggart is absent from the bridge, Jason tells him the bad news. Yim asks if the Leviathan can assist them, as their engines are inoperative and they are caught in a . Captain Vo'Lok of the USS Renown, who accompanied them to assist the Khitomer, tells Jason to run scans on the while the Renown helps the Khitomer. Lucas Wells runs multiple scans of the anomalies, but can find nothing coherent. Jason tells him to keep trying.
=== Act I: Invasion ===
Jason enters the and sees a picture of a Denobulan girl on Captain Taggart's desk, presumably his daughter. Hannah Freeman informs him that the Renown is hailing them, and he returns to the bridge. Vo'Lok inquires as to their findings, but Jason tells him they have found nothing. Just then, the Renowns tactical officer reads a Borg vessel coming through one of the anomalies. Several more come through, and the two crews soon realize that this is a full-blown invasion. Most of the Borg warp to the Vega system, and Vo'Lok orders the Leviathan to pursue. A Borg vessel attacks the Renown, and the Leviathan remains to assist. After the vessel is destroyed, Vo'Lok again orders them to go.
The Renown continues helping the Khitomer as Vo'Lok makes plans to depart for Vega as soon as possible. His tactical officer asks if it's prudent to send the Leviathan by itself, but Vo'Lok states that he has confidence in them. He then silently bids his missing friend – Taggart – farewell.
Hannah and Lucas both wonder why the Borg would attack them so suddenly, but all Jason can think about is how he failed to rescue his captain. Hannah reassures him that it wasn't his fault, and was out of his control. Ernie interrupts, informing them they have entered the Vega system. Rather than take on the whole Borg fleet, the crew settles for the three in their flight path to the planet.
They first take on two , which are no match for the Leviathans weaponry. Then, they fight a , which causes them some minor damage. Lucas scans Vega IX, finding large numbers of Borg already on the planet. Jason decides to take Tala and Ernie on his , but Tala protests, citing a Starfleet regulation about captains entering a dangerous environment. Jason tells her that people are dying while they argue about who will be on the away team, and she concedes.
=== Act II: Assimilation ===
Upon materializing on the planet's surface, the trio notices a Borg landing ship that is bringing drones directly to the surface. They realize they must hurry if they are to save the planet. They reach a building where a very anxious ensign and a calm, middle-aged woman are standing. The woman, who is the colony administrator, tells the ensign to lower his weapon. She informs the away team that her name is Willa Post, and the ensign is named Kolez. The team prepares to beam up the remaining colonists, but Charlie indicates that their s are being jammed. Ernie locates the jammer, which is only a few kilometers from their position. Kolez equips them with s and a kit for Jason.
Back on the ship, Lucas and Charlie attempt to discover the cause of the transporter disruptions. They both agree that the Borg have some kind of jammer. Vo'Lok hails them to inform them that they have successfully defeated the Borg in the Pollux system. He asks why Jason is not there, and Lucas reluctantly tells him that Jason took an away team down to the planet against their orders. Vo'Lok tells Lucas that there will be consequences, but puts the topic to the side for the time being. He also tells him that their fleet will arrive in the Vega system in less than thirty minutes.
The away team makes its way to the far end of the colony, finding a fortified Borg structure there. They determine that it is the jamming station, and commence to attack it. Tala and Ernie provide cover for Jason while he runs ahead to disable the station. Jason reaches a console and uses it to lower a housing another console. A large tactical drone awakens, turning its attention to them. Tala tries to take it down, but it is heavily shielded. Jason quickly remembers the grenade satchel given to him by Kolez and throws a grenade at the drone. The grenade explodes but doesn't seem to harm the drone. Ernie shoots it with his phaser just to be sure, and the drone does, in fact, show signs of weakness. The trio opens fire on the drone and destroys it. Jason then causes a feedback pulse through the Borg's network to destroy all of the jammers at once. The structure explodes, and Hannah informs them that transporters are active once more.
=== Act III: No Further ===
On the Leviathan, Charlie informs Lucas that most of the remaining colonists have been beamed aboard. Lucas asks where the away team is, but before Charlie can answer, Jason, Tala, and Ernie enter the bridge. Lucas just barely avoids telling Jason that he was worried about him. Jason replies that it's good to see he was missed. Fleet Admiral Jorel Quinn then hails them, and is curious as to why Jason is in command, asking what happened to Captain Taggart. Jason tells him what happened to them, and Quinn offers condolences. He then orders them to join up with the fleet to drive out the remaining Borg ships in the area. Charlie wonders how Quinn knows Jason by his first name, with Jason replying that Quinn was his mentor at the Academy.
The Leviathan meets up with the fleet. Jason tells Ernie to bring the Leviathan in line with the other vessels and gives the order to fire on the nearest . After a few moments of constant pummeling from the Starfleet vessels, the cube is destroyed. The Borg mount a retreat, and Quinn once again hails, calling the Leviathan to return to Earth. Upon reaching the Sol system, they are hailed by Captain Yim. He congratulates them on a job well done, and in particular he commends Jason.
Jason transports to Earth Spacedock and heads to Admiral Quinn's office. Quinn tells him to sit down, and then offers Jason a proposal to make him permanent commanding officer of the Leviathan. Jason is flattered but isn't sure he's up to the challenge. Quinn believes he is, and Jason concedes.
The senior officers of the Leviathan attend a memorial service for the fallen officers of the battle. Jason kneels at Taggart's headstone, apologizing for not being able to save him. Tala comforts him, reminding him how many lives he saved at Vega. Quinn and Vo'Lok attend, both of them concluding that Jason would have made his captain very proud.
The senior officers return to the Leviathan and prepare to depart. Jason enters the bridge and Tala announces his presence to everyone. He walks over to his chair and takes a seat, saying that they should get underway. Lucas asks him where they are heading, and Jason replies, "Let's see what's out there."
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== Appendices ==
=== Continuity ===
*The Borg's attack on the Federation in 2381 is referenced. ()
=== Background and trivia ===
*This chapter is an adaptation of the tutorial missions "", "", and "". Its title comes from a retired Federation tutorial mission by the same name.
*It is an extensive rewrite of , 's original second chapter.
*It received a comprehensive revision in January 2016.
*Various characters that did not appear in "The Price of Liberty" were added to this chapter.
**Charlie, Jay Yim, Kolez and Willa Post, among others, did not appear in the original version of the chapter.
*A 2020 revision of left a small plot hole in this chapter. Charlie now temporarily fills in as the ship's tactical officer in the former chapter, and in the latter, he was formerly introduced as the "chief of operations". This has since been fixed with some modified and additional dialogue.
=== Notes ===
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=== Navigation ===
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