Carly

The colony of New Avalon had been peaceful for nearly three months, and Lieutenant Carly Grayson had begun to think of it as one of the easier assignments of her young Starfleet career. As the communications officer aboard the USS Resolute, Carly had been sent planetside with an engineering team to help upgrade the colony’s aging communications array. The new system would give the settlers a reliable connection to orbit and extend their emergency beacon range by hundreds of light-years. It was routine work—until the sky suddenly erupted. A brilliant flash tore across the clouds, followed by the unmistakable roar of weapons fire. Carly looked up from her console as alien vessels descended through the atmosphere, their unfamiliar silhouettes blotting out the sun. Across the colony, explosions ripped through buildings and communications towers. “Resolute, come in!” Carly shouted into her combadge, desperately trying to establish contact with her ship. Static answered. The alien attack had somehow disrupted every channel. Then the ground shook violently beneath her feet. Carly was thrown against the communications console as a shockwave tore through the facility, scattering equipment across the floor. When she finally pushed herself upright, smoke filled the room and warning lights flashed red. Her team was nowhere in sight. The upgraded array—her only chance of restoring contact with the Resolute—was badly damaged, but not completely destroyed. Carly steadied herself and stared through the shattered window at the burning colony. Somewhere above her, her crew was fighting for their lives. Somewhere below, civilians were trapped in the chaos. And now, alone and cut off from Starfleet, the young communications officer had to find a way to make the damaged array speak before the attackers silenced New Avalon forever.