The Battle of Wolf 359: Resistance Was Not Entirely Futile

After more than a decade sitting in my collection, the Borg Cube finally made its public debut today in our game of Star Trek: Attack Wing. The Cube had its first outing a few weeks ago in a playtest with Terry, but today it faced its intended opponents: a fleet of sixteen Federation starships.

The results were, to put it mildly, rather Borg-like.

Over the course of the engagement, the Cube destroyed 12 of the 16 Federation ships before finally succumbing to a Warp Core Breach. It was a hard-fought battle, with the outcome looking decidedly uncertain at several points.

Early in the engagement, the Federation appeared to have the upper hand. Two Starfleet vessels had already been destroyed, but the remaining ships were pressing home their attack and managed to score two hits against the Cube's armor. For a moment, it looked as though Wolf 359 might be a rather short engagement.

Then the tables turned.

The Borg Cube zigged while practically every Federation ship zagged. The resulting maneuver gave the Cube some much-needed breathing room, allowing its regeneration systems to go to work. Shields were restored, hull damage repaired, and the Cube began to recover from what had looked like a potentially disastrous opening.

And regenerate it did.

Before long, the Cube was back to full strength. The Federation had managed to inflict considerable damage, only to watch the Borg vessel restore itself to fighting condition. The prospect of defeating the Cube suddenly seemed rather remote.

Fortunately for Starfleet, the Borg are not entirely immune to bad dice.

The Cube's Cutting Beam, which should have been one of its most devastating weapons, suffered a series of unfortunate rolls. Instead of carving through the remaining Federation ships, it repeatedly failed to deliver the expected results. Slowly, through persistence and attrition, the Federation began whittling away at the Cube's defenses.

Then came the decisive moment.

A lucky roll by the Federation Oberth-class science vessel resulted in a Warp Core Breach aboard the Cube. The damage was catastrophic, but the Borg vessel did not immediately explode. Instead, the Cube continued fighting, its systems struggling to contain the cascading failures.

For another ten turns, the Federation ships watched and waited as the Cube stubbornly remained in the fight.

Eventually, the dice finally ran out of mercy.

The Borg Cube exploded.

Final tally:

• Federation fleet: 16 ships committed.

• Federation losses: 12 ships destroyed.

• Federation survivors: 4 ships.

• Borg losses: One very large, very expensive Cube.

The Federation may have won the engagement, but it was hardly a decisive victory. The Cube had demonstrated just how difficult it could be to destroy, and its ability to regenerate shields and hull damage made it a formidable opponent.

After more than a decade in the collection, the Borg Cube has finally earned its place on the table.

Resistance was futile. Well, almost.

The Centurions I mean
Federation making plans.

Look Federation Ships, all alone.
We call them easy money.

At this point the Federation doesn't realize how
badly they have damaged the Cube.  Time to Zig.

Two turns later and the Federation Fire Drill
continues and the Cube Regenerates.

How fast does that Cube move?

A Third of the Federation Fleet gone.

Captain Joe Knight wonders if there is anything
the Federation can do at this moment.

Captain Jack, not the Captain Jack, looks in utter
astonishment of the success of the Cube.

And again, set those dials.

Yes, you can park multiple ships under the cube.
And yes, Fluffy there is a downside to this plan.

One Ship, Two Ship, Three Ship four.
Gray Ship, Green Ship, Silver Ship, Gold.
The Borg does not care, it destroys them all equally.

The once mighty Federation Fleet,
this morning we could fill the skies with Fire.
Now bubblegum, bailing wire and duct tape
is all that stands between the Borg and Earth.