"Eleventh Hour"

The year is 2427, Starfleet is losing the war it has found its self-embroiled in. Following the Tzenthki threat Starfleet was weakened by the measures it had to take to remove the Tzenthki threat, and seeing this the Klingon Empire broke the alliance and struck when Starfleet was weak, the first few months of the war were quick, bloody and sudden. Before Starfleet could even respond fully, the border systems were overrun and conquered.

And that has been the way the war has continued for the years it has raged on, Starfleet managed to halt the Klingon advance, but now they are performing quick lighting sabotage strikes that is drain Starfleet in a losing war of attrition. In this hour when all hope seems lost, Strategic Operations Command orders the formation of a task force with the sole purpose of defending one it's R&D bases as they re-commission Project Red Dawn with the new test ship the USS Helios, NX-1071940. With the hope that this ship can change the fate of the war itself with Captain Skye in command of the Helios.

The Admiral in charge of the task force paces back and forth in the briefing room as she looks at the two captains at the table. As captain Skye lightly runs her hand across her scar, that goes across her face diagonally starting in her right eyebrow and across her nose and left eye to end at her cheek, as she thinks about the day she got it and lost the majority of her sight in her left eye.

"So Captains today we find our selves at the moment of truth when we find out if our hopes can prove to be true. And that they will."

As the Admiral turns to look at the Captain in charge of the Helios, as she brushes the greying hair back behind her ears as the triple-lined scar on her right cheek twitches slightly.

"This project has already claimed one Skye, make sure it doesn't claim another."

"Aye Aye Admiral, I will most definitely try."

Captain Skye smiles at the Admiral slightly as the other Captain also smiles before an LT enters the room.

"Apologies Admiral, Captains but a hostile strike force has just broken through the task force. So the only ships in place to stop them are the MacAlpine and the Caledonia."

The Admiral nods slightly as she moves over to Captain Skye and the Lt as the other Captain moves around the table to them as well as they come together.

"This day may look grey, but I know that we as a family can do this. Lucy, I want you to go with Cecilia to the Helios. Keri and I will report to our commands and cover the Helios until it is able to launch."

"But mum that means..."

A look of fear comes onto Lucy's face as she moves to hug Fiona

"Yes, yes it does...but we all knew this day would come eventually, I hoped I could hold it off for longer, but I am happy knowing that my amazing daughters will complete the mission no matter what."

Keri moves to give Cecilia a hug as well

"I couldn't have said it better my self, good luck all you."

Cecilia pulls away slightly with a small smile as she goes to give Fiona a quick hug as well before she turns to take Lucy with her after she has given Keri a hug, as they head to the Helios.

"Good luck to you both...I will see you both at the end of this..."

As Cecilia and Lucy exit the meeting room, Fiona turns to Keri as hug tightly both of them knowing that today may very well be the last day they have.

"Godspeed Keri, I will see you on the other side no matter what happens."

"Aye godspeed to you as well Fi, See you on the other side."

Keri kisses Fiona before she turns to leave to report to the USS Caledonia.

"This is Captain Skye, USS Helios is currently preparing for launch twenty minutes until we are ready to launch."

"Copy that Helios, contact with the vanguard in five minutes, so Caledonia stand ready to defend the station."

"Aye Aye Admiral, forming up in defence positions."

The USS Caledonia, Yamamtomo class, pull out from the station with the USS MacAlpine as the pair of them fall into the battle posture in front of the station and the USS Helios. Both of the vessels already showing damage from the war long they have both been part of, with numerous systems badly damaged.

"Admiral multiple Klingon warships dropping out of war dead ahead."

"Thanks Lt, Commander fire at will, attack pattern Fox-4."

As the Klingons race forward towards the station the MacAlpine and the Caledonia open fire on them destroying the first few ships quickly due to the sheer weight of the firepower directed at them. But despite this initial success, more and more Klingon warships keep dropping out of warp and moving to attack the Station. With the increased number the MacAlpine launches her Aquarius escort.

"Helios ready to launch in five minutes."

"Copy that Captain, do what you can to accelerate that process."

As the Helios provides this update, the Caledonia shields fail, and her central upper nacelle is severed at the base

"We have just lost our shields...taking heavy damage...we can't hold..."

"Keri do what you can to hold, we can't break our position."

"Admiral! The Aquarius is gone!"

"Damn it...give it our all people...give it our all..."

With the Caledonian shields gone, the Klingons redouble their efforts to destroy the dreadnaught, with torpedoes and cannon fire crashing into the superstructure.

"Admiral...they have hit the warp core, it is about to breach...helm ramming speed to the closet battlecruiser...Fiona, Cecilia, Lucy...I'm sorry..."

Keri is cut off as the Caledonia warp core detonates along with the entire ship before anyone even had a chance to try and abandon ship.

"Mum..."

Cecilia trails off as she stares at the exploding Caledonia, Lucy is at a lost for words.

As Fiona speaks, her words are cold and not at all how she usually sounds. As the MacAlpine starts to take the full brunt of the fire as her shields begin to fail.

"Helios how long until launch...."

"She...She is launching now Admiral..."

Cecilia nods to her helms officer as she begins to pull out of dock as she warms up the experimental warp drive, as the MacAlpine takes a massive hit as her main hull breaches across a majority of her decks.

"Godspeed Helios, Godspeed Skyes...our hopes lie with you now..."

Fiona is cut off as a barrage of torpedoes crash into the bridge of the MacAlpine as she started to detonate her three warps cores breaching from the weapons fire.

"Godspeed MacAlpine, Godspeed mum...Helm make the jump!"

Her helms officer nods as the Helios makes the jump to warp with her new experimental engine. Cecilia looks around her bridge officers all of them seemed shocked and horrified at the losses they have just witnessed. Soon the Helios has now dropped out of warp.

"Captain, detecting another starship...it's a Federation starship! The USS Dawn, NX-2551940...Captain that was the original ship of this project, it was listed as MIA ten years ago..."