Star Trek Final Encounter

In 2387, Romulus' sun has gone supernova and threatens the entire galaxy. The Federation has abandoned its plans to rescue the Romulan population, resulting in only a few Romulans escaping before their planet is destroyed. A year later, one of the Romulan survivors leads the crew of the USS Dauntless into a deadly confrontation with space marauder, Vypra as she plots her revenge against the Federation.
== Plot ==
===Prologue===
====Romulus, 2387====
On Romulus, in the capital city, a Romulan commander informs the Praetor it will not be long before the Romulus star goes supernova and urges that the senate take action to save their people. However, the Praetor tells him that since the Federation has abandoned its rescue mission and no other species will help, there is now no chance their people can be evacuated in time, their only hope now is that Ambassador Spock can arrive in time to save their world. Just than, the Romulus star explodes.
As the supernova approaches the planet, chaos ensues as citizens scramble to the only few shuttles there are. A Romulan woman boards a shuttle, but is distraught when she gets separated from her family who are left behind. Moments after the shuttle departs, the supernova destroys the planet and threatens to consume the shuttle. Just than, Ambassador Spock arrives and launches the red matter from his ship, the Jellyfish, creating the black hole.
Immediately after, Spock is confronted by the Romulan mining vessel, Narada, captained by Nero. As Spock tries to escape, both the Jellyfish and Narada are caught in the black hole and are pulled in as the shuttle makes its escape.
===Summary===
====USS Dauntless, 2388====
One year later, Captain Sheryl Chandler and the crew of the USS Dauntless have gathered on the ship's holodeck. Acting as the crew of a 19th century sailing ship (named HMS Dauntless), the Starfleet officers celebrate the promotion of Commander James Newman (soon to be Captain). Chandler speaks, congratulating Newman on his promotion, and tells him her ship is losing a great first officer, as he departs for his new command, the Hood. During the celebration, the crew plays a game in which someone jumps on a plank and tries to retrieve a hat. Jake Wesley succeeds in retrieving the hat and smartly dons it, but is then purposely sent into the water when Ava Chandler orders the computer to remove the plank as a prank.
While savoring the simpler times the holographic ship represents with Newman, Captain Chandler receives a message from Starfleet Command and leaves the celebration. In her ready room, Chandler speaks with Admiral Barrett, who sends her on a mission to the Andros system, Barrett also tells Chandler something else. Chandler calls the crew back from the celebration and informs them they are to investigate the unusual solar activity from the Andros star that is hampering the colonization efforts at the Argyle colony on Andros III. She also reveals, to everyone's surprise, that this is to be their last mission: once the mission is completed, they will head to Starbase 74 where the Dauntless will be decommissioned.
==== The Andros Star ====
Arriving at the Andros system, Chandler and company take their positions on the bridge still dressed in naval uniforms. Finding unusual activity coming from the sun, Chandler decides to visit the Andros IV Terraforming Station, the system's only outpost in the region, to talk with the scientist there, while sending another team led by Newman to assist the colonists on Andros III. Beaming onto the station, Chandler, Terral, and Kella Trell find it has been damaged from a minor shockwave emitted from the sun. The lead scientist, Dr. Cochrane, has no explanation for what is causing the strange activity from the sun.
On Andros III, Newman speaks with Carmen about plans for the construction of the colony there. Doctor Kat Hopkins and Jonathan Olson are also present. Carmen explains that a series of earthquakes generated by activity from the sun has hampered the progress. Meeting with Chandler in her ready room, Newman reports the problem. Chandler mentions the scientists are also perplexed by the sun's behavior. Trell believes the sun's activity could indicate it will soon go supernova like the Romulus star a year ago. Chandler assigns Trell to work with scientist to determine this and she will contact Starfleet Command. Trell also reports that one of the scientist, a Vulcan named T'Pella, urgently wishes to meet with the captain. After Trell leaves, Newman can't help but ask Chandler why the Dauntless is being retired. Chandler explains that with newer advance starships being built and recent losses, Starfleet Command feels the Galaxy-class' days are long over. 
Later in Ten Forward, Matt Douglas meets with D'Ana. They approach Odie at the bar and D'Ana expresses her disappointment over the Dauntless being decommissioned and the thought of being separated from her friends. As they talk at the bar, Captain Chandler enters and finds T'Pella among the crowd. T'Pella implores the captain to let her return to the station to continue a critical experiment. However, Chandler tells her she can only return once her officers have concluded their investigation. However, T'Pella tells Chandler that her experiment is crucial to finding a solution to the solar problem. Chandler relents and agrees to see what she can do.             
In engineering, Commander Newman and Dr. Cochrane check on the status of the analysis of the Andros star. Terral reports that they believe the solar activity from the star is not a natural occurrence and have found traces of trilithium, a substance capable of destroying a star. Both Newman and Cochrane are perplexed by this and orders Ava and Douglas to have the station searched. Ava is called to her mother's quarters who informs her that her friend, who is now a captain has requested her as her first officer. Ava is hesitant about accepting the position, but the captain tell her she has to start making decisions about her future.
On the station, Ava and Douglas use tricorders to search for trilithium. Ava finds a large hidden doorway that Douglas is able to open. Behind the door is a secret lab, filled with solar probes that so signs of trilithium. Unable to contact the ship through a dampening field protecting the lab, Ava is confronted by T'Pella who knocks her out and stuns Douglas with a phaser.
In the captain's quarters, Chandler sits with her family photo album. Counselor Deora enters and she begins to tell her about when Ava was a child and how she's grown up. As she talks about Ava's hesitation on accepting the first officers position and how she just wants what best for her, Deora senses this is not just about Ava. Chandler admits that with the decommissioning of the Dauntless, she doesn't know whether to accept an admiral position, continue as captain or just retire. The somber mood is interrupted when suddenly the Andros star flashes brightly out the viewport. Arriving on the bridge, Chandler and Deora learn that the station has launched a trilithium probe into the sun. The star has collapsed, all fusion reactions arrested, creating a level 12 shockwave that will destroy the entire system. With the away team still on the station, Chandler orders Newman and Terral to retrieve Ava and Douglas and orders Trell to evacuate the colonists from Andros III.
On the station, Newman and Terral find Ava and Douglas being held hostage by T'Pella who response to the appearance of the Dauntless officers with phaser fire. Entering coordinates into a computer, T'Pella disappears in the transporter beam with Bridget and Douglas... transporting aboard a Klingon Bird-of-Prey, de-cloaking near the station and warping away. As the away team returns to the ship, Chandler orders the Dauntless to warp just as the shockwave obliterates the station and the planet.
==== Camilla's Plot ====
On the bridge of the Klingon getaway ship, T'Pella meets with space marauder Vypra (it emerges that the trilithium was retrieved from a Romulan outpost by the pirates). T'Pella demands they set course at maximum warp for the Sector 001 and Vypra grudgingly complies. In the bowls of the ship, T'Pella holds Ava and Douglas captive. She reveals her plan to use the trilithium to destroy every Federation system starting with the Sol System, the very heart of the Federation. While keeping Ava in the brig, T'Pella interrogates Douglas to learn all he knows about trilithium. She inserts a juvenile Centarian worm into his nose, rendering him subservient to her every command.
Back on the Dauntless, Dr. Hopkins discovers T'Pella is really Dr. Camilla, a Romulan scientist, telling Chandler that she was one of the survivors aboard the shuttle that escaped from Romulus just before its destruction. Believing that Camilla plans to use this weapon to attack the Federation, Chandler orders the Dauntless to set course for Earth at maximum warp. Back on the Bird-of-Prey, Ava manages to escape from the brig and make it to the engine room. She sabotages the ship's engines, forcing the ship to stop in the Serris system. 
"Captain's log, stardate 65942.8. Starfleet Command has been informed of the situation regarding Camilla. They've set up defenses around Sector 001 and have alerted all Federation outposts. Meanwhile, I have asked Lieutenant Commander Trell to join me in stellar cartography."
In the cavernous stellar cartography section of the Dauntless, Chandler and Trell work in front of a huge projection of space, and Chandler ask for everything affected by the destruction of the Andros star. Trell compares this with the destruction of the Armargosa star 17 years earlier. One of the things affected was that the USS Serapis had to make a minor course correction due to a change in the gravitational field. Chandler than has Trell pull up Sector 001 and ponders if Camilla will attack the Vulcan or Sol system first. Just than, Terral informs them they have received a message from Ava aboard the Bird-of-Prey. Ava informs them of Camilla's plot and that she has managed to stop the pirate ship near Serris III before she is caught by the pirates.
Trell informs Chandler that Camilla may take the time to destroy the Serris star, which will produce a shock wave that will destroy the system, similar to the one produced by Camilla at Andros. This will destroy the two Federation colonies on Serris IV and VI. Knowing they have to stop Camilla, Chandler taps her combadge and orders Terral to take the Dauntless to the Serris system at maximum warp.                
On the pirate vessel, Ava is brought to the bridge and Camilla inserts a Centarian worm into her nose to control her as well. Camilla ask Vypra how long it will take to repair the engines, to which Vypra says one hour. Camilla decides to take this time to prepare a solar probe to launch into the Serris star. Soon, the Dauntless arrives, transmitting a message to the cloaked ship demanding the return of Ava and Douglas. Irritated by the interruption, Camilla orders the pirates to destroy the Dauntless but Vypra reminds her that their Bird-of-Prey would stand no chance in battle against a Galaxy-class starship. Camilla has a solution in mind to give the pirates the edge, an idea which involves returning Douglas to the Dauntless.               
On the bridge of the Dauntless, the pirate vessel decloaks on screen and Vypra greets the captain. Claiming they have merely had Ava and Douglas as their guests aboard their ship, they agree to a "prisoner exchange" for Douglas, taking Captain Chandler in his place. But inform the Dauntless crew Camilla has taken Ava with her to the planet's surface. First, however, they allow Chandler to beam to Camilla's present location. As the captain beams down, a stricken Douglas rematerializes on the Dauntless transporter pad and promptly collapses. Dr. Hopkins and D'Ana rush to his aid.
Appearing on an arid dessert mountain top, Chandler finds Camilla hard at work on a solar probe launcher. Attempting to reach the scientist, Chandler is blocked by a huge force field. Keeping her distance, the captain appeals to Camilla, but the Romulan is unconvinced. On the Dauntless, after visiting Douglas in sickbay, Wesley reports to his station on the bridge to aid in the search for Captain Chandler and Ava. 
====Vypra's Attack====
In space, Vypra waits impatiently for Camilla's plan to work, while on the Dauntless, Douglas moves from sickbay to his quarters, then finally to engineering. Douglas goes up to a readout and without anyone's knowledge transmits the exact shield modulation of the Dauntless to the Bird-of-Prey. With this knowledge, they will be able to fire through the Dauntless' shields. Douglas then collapses to the floor. As chief engineer Olson and several others rush to his aid, the Centarian worm slips out his ear before being vaporized by Olson.
On the Dauntless' bridge, the search for Chandler and Ava on the planet below is interrupted as the Bird-of-Prey opens fire with photon torpedoes, which pass straight through the shields to hit the secondary hull. Disruptor blasts likewise pass directly through, hitting the portside nacelle. The Dauntless returns fire, but the pirates' shields hold up against phaser fire. The bridge is engulfed in explosions, injuring Pollard, the conn officer. Newman orders Wesley to take the helm and to get the ship out of orbit, but Vypra's assault is relentless and she pursues the helpless Dauntless, firing non-stop. Newman ask Terral if their ship has any exploitable weaknesses.
Terral suggests that an ionic pulse could trigger the ship's cloaking device, disabling its shields and weapons. As Vypra continues her onslaught, Newman orders Terral to target their primary reactor with photon torpedoes; they will only be vulnerable for a few seconds at best and this is the Dauntless' only chance. Making a few quick modifications, Trell triggers the pulse just as a direct hit from the pirates causes an aft bridge terminal to explode, hurling the helpless crewmember manning it over the tactical station and down onto the command chairs.     
Aboard the Bird-of-Prey, Vypra triumphantly orders the weapons targeted at the Dauntless' bridge to deal the death blow, when her bridge officer reports with alarm that their cloaking device is engaging and their shields are dropping. The space marauder is allowed only a few seconds of horrified realization, before the Dauntless fires a single photon torpedo, and their vessel is completely destroyed, killing Vypra and her crew in a fiery explosion.
The Dauntless crew stares silently at the remains of the destroyed ship, as Wesley triumphantly exclaims "Yes!"
====Galaxy Class Down====
Meanwhile, on Serris III, Chandler carefully walks around the forcefield's edge as Camilla continues to work on her probe. Chandler nonchalantly throws a small rock into the force field, prompting Camilla to look up and tell Chandler, "Try all you want captain but that shield will hold." At that, Chandler sits down and Camilla resumes working. While Camilla is distracted, Chandler notices a small hole in the rocks and tosses another rock through it and sees the force field doesn't cover it, providing a hole. Chandler waits for Camilla to move away so she can try to get through that hole unnoticed.
In engineering, Olson finds a new problem: the magnetic interlocks have been ruptured, and while he's reporting this to Newman, plasma coolant begins violently leaking out of the warp core and Olson tells Newman that he can't shut it down and gives an estimate of five minutes until a warp core breach, rolling out of engineering just in time before the isolation door comes down to the floor. On the bridge, Newman orders Wesley to evacuate everyone to the saucer section and Trell to prepare to separate the ship. The crew and the colonists hurry to evacuate their doomed starship with Dr. Hopkins leading her staff and patients out of sickbay and Olson guiding the crew to safer locations. As the breach nears critical and with the crew cleared of the stardrive section, the ship separates and begins to move out of range. However, the core breaches prematurely, completely destroying the damaged stardrive section of the Dauntless and creating a ion shock wave that disables the entire saucer section including all helm controls and pushes the saucer into the atmosphere of Serris III. On the bridge, the Dauntless crew watches in horror as they begin to plummet toward the surface of the planet.
As Chandler climbs through a hole in Camilla's force field, she jostles the rocks which set off the field. Camilla, spotting Chandler caught in the hole, fires her weapon, sending rocks raining down on the captain. Careening out of control towards the planet, the bridge crew desperately attempt to regain control of what's left of their starship as the rest of the crew seeks safety as best they can on the lower decks. Trell is able to route the remaining auxiliary power to the lateral thrusters in an attempt to stabilize the Dauntless' descent as Newman warns the crew to brace for impact. As the ground rushes towards them on the viewscreen, the saucer impacts off a rise in the terrain, briefly forcing it back in the air. As the crew fights to regain control, the saucer nosedives into a large hill, destroying all remaining ship functions and knocking the crew to the deck.
With their fate now left to chance, the bridge crew protects themselves any way they can as the Dauntless skids through a heavily forested area, cutting a large swath of destruction. Fires burn and structural supports rain down from the top of the bridge as the crew weathers the horrific ride. With one final violent lurch forward, the momentum slows and the saucer finally comes to a stop. Wesley and Trell regain their senses first and survey the damage. What was once the immaculate nerve center of the Federation vessel was now completely destroyed; the large viewscreen has been shattered, consoles and displays are burnt out, chairs have been ripped out from the floor and the only light comes from the broken top of the bridge dome as the blue Serris sky shines in from above. The USS Dauntless is a total loss.               
====The Final Battle====
Miles away from the crash site, Camilla looks out over the rugged terrain of Serris' desert only to be surprised by Chandler. But before she can attack Camilla, Chandler is attacked by Ava, who is under Camilla's control. The two struggle, and Chandler manages to disarm Ava quickly, but is knocked back by Ava and thrown down a hill. As Ava comes after her for a second time, Chandler grabs the phaser and manages to stun Ava. Ava collapses and the Centarian worm slips out her ear before being vaporized by Chandler. As Ava recovers, Chandler tells her they must stop Camilla.
Camilla stands on the mountaintop and tries to contact the Bird-of-Prey when Ava appears. Camilla ask if she has dealt with Captain Chandler. Behind her, Chandler appears, "Yes, We had a nice mother-daughter conversation." Then Ava tells Camilla "And now it's your turn." Camilla knows she is in trouble and jumps away, down onto the rocks below and makes a quick retreat. Chandler tells Ava to head for the launcher while she sets off in pursuit of the Romulan.
Rounding a corner, Chandler is caught by Camilla who shoves a phaser in her face. Ava jumps down behind Camilla, catching her off guard long enough for Chandler to get in several blows. Chandler and Camilla fight, exchanging punches until Chandler is able to knock Camilla off a cliff. Grabbing onto a dangling rope, Camilla saves herself, entering a command into her PADD that cloaks her rocket launcher. Suddenly the rope snaps and Camilla drops suddenly, then jolts to a stop, losing her control PADD which falls onto a metal bridge spanning a chasm. 
Realizing they must decloak the launcher to prevent it from launching, Captain Chandler and Ava run onto the bridge toward the PADD. A volley of phaser fire flies through the air, narrowly missing the two Starfleet officers and slicing the bridge in half. Chandler is thrown clear, but Ava hangs on to what is left of the bridge. Chandler pulls Ava to safety and the two collapse on the ground, noticing the PADD intact on the other half of the bridge, a deep chasm away. Ava volunteers to go, but Chandler tells her that she will go instead and tells her to get to the launcher and prepare to deactivate it once it is decloaked. Ava maintains she will never make that jump herself and that they should work together to get the PADD. Chandler reminds her they are working together and to trust her like she trust her. Ava smiles and heads for the launcher. 
Gingerly stepping out onto the broken bridge, Chandler stands at the edge, preparing to jump over the chasm to the other half. As the delicate bridge collapses under her weight, Chandler leaps, catching herself on the other half of the bridge and grabbing hold of the PADD. Entering in a command, Chandler decloaks the rocket launcher and begins to climb up. But it is too late. The bridge buckles and careens down the rock face, taking Chandler with it.
Running up a platform and onto the launcher, Ava frantically works the controls, trying to prevent it from launching. Aiming her phaser at Ava, Camilla demands her to step away from the launcher. Ava jumps down and runs around a rock face and out of sight. Camilla heaves herself onto the launcher, just in time to read the display screen: the locking clamps have been engaged. Camilla only has time to recognize her doom as the launcher fires and explodes in an enormous fireball that covers the entire area in a thick cloud of smoke and dust.
Emerging from the cloud, Ava makes her way down into the chasm where the bridge has collapsed. Digging through the twisted metal wreckage, she finds her mother, injured but alive. When Chandler ask about Camilla, Ava assures the captain Camilla has "gone up in smoke along with her launcher." Chandler smiles and says "well done lieutenant."
====Final Goodbye====
The following day, Captain Chandler and Ava begin trekking through the desert until a shuttlecraft locates the two and picks them up.
"Captain's log, Stardate 65950.1. Three Starfleet vessels have arrived in orbit and have begun to beam up the Dauntless survivors. Fortunately our casualties were light, however the Dauntless herself cannot be salvaged."
At the saucer crash site, Starfleet rescue shuttles have begun a salvage effort. In the ship's destroyed cargo bay, crewmembers carry belongings and patients out while D'Ana and Douglas use tricorders to search for survivors. Douglas, still dazed from the centarian worm, asks D'Ana if he did anything bad to which she answers "no". In the meantime, she tells Douglas that she has come to grips with being separated from her friends, saying that "we'll still be friends whether we're on the same ship or not and can always stay in touch with each other." Douglas kindly assures her they will.    
In what is left of Chandler's ready room, Commander Newman and Captain Chandler retrieve Chandler's family album under broken pieces of the room's furniture and move out onto the bridge, a burnt-out shell of its former glory. Newman laments that the Dauntless had only a few more days till retirement, and Chandler relates to her first officer her thoughts, "I'd rather have her be destroyed in battle than sit in a surplus yard waiting to be scrapped, after all, a ship such this deserves to go out in style wouldn't you say Number One." Newman grinds mischievously, "which is why I plan to make sure the Hood earns such glory." Chandler smiles and says, "I'm sure you will." 
Just than, Ava walks in, asking to speak with her mother alone. Newman beams up to the Parliament-class USS Nightingale, leaving the two. Ava thanks her mother for believing in her on the mountain top. Chandler responds by telling her she always had. Ava than tells her mother that she has decided to accept the first officers position. Chandler tells her that she'll make a fine first officer and captain someday. They stand near the center seats and survey the damage. When Ava ask what her mother is going to do now, Chandler says she will continue to command a starship as she doubts this will be the last ship to carry the name Dauntless. After nearly eight years of calling the Dauntless home, Chandler and Ava take one last look around their destroyed starship and Chandler signals the Nightingale for two to beam up. The Nightingale, along with the Luna-class USS Drake and California-class starships go to warp leaving Serris III behind, and while the USS Dauntless may be gone, her legacy, like her name will live on.
==Log entries==
"Captain's log, Stardate 65942.8. Starfleet Command has been informed of the situation regarding Camilla. They've set up defenses around Sector 001 and have alerted all Federation outposts. Meanwhile, I have asked Lieutenant Commander Trell to join me in stellar cartography."
"Captain's log, Stardate 65950.1. Three Starfleet vessels have arrived in orbit and have begun to beam up the Dauntless survivors. Fortunately our casualties were light, however the Dauntless herself cannot be salvaged."
==Characters==
*Sheryl Chandler - Human, Commanding officer
*James Newman - Human, First officer
*Kella Trell - Trill, Second officer/operations manager/science officer
*Olson - Human, Chief engineer
*Terral - Vulcan, Tactical officer/Security chief
*Kat Hopkins - Chief medical officer
*Deora - Betazoid, Councelor
*Jake Wesley - Human, Crewman
*Ava Chandler - Human, Crewman
*Matt Douglas - Human, Engineer
*D'Ana - Orion, Nurse
*Camilla - Romulan, Scientist
*Vypra - Human Augment, Pirate