Remove ads

To Boldly Go... (a Starfleet quest)

Linked contents
To Boldly Go... (a Starfleet quest) Starfleet Ship Design Bureau, Refit ("To Boldly Go...")
Reader mode
"It's over, Syndicate! We have the high ground!"

*while standing on the bridge of the ship, executing the T'Lorel Maneuver*
 
If those analysts are correct then the Syndicate resilience is quite low... which would surprise me somewhat, but pleasantly. Also, @OneirosTheWriter, do we need to make up hit point damage to Starfleet security out of our crew pool?

Artemis1992 said:
I thought everyone agreed that it's too early to strike on Alukk, for now?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Everyone except the Syndicate, apparently. Remember, the Orion government lives on Alukk. It's the capital. We have the luxury of not getting entangled there. They don't.

EDIT: Also, Alukk is probably the center of a lot of the Syndicate's leadership and assets- that's why our detective teams tend to operate there. If we and the Union government both left Alukk entirely alone, it would probably make the overall campaign a lot harder. Because we'd have a lot fewer options against (for instance) Orion hypercorporations that are tied in with the Syndicate.
 
Last edited:
OneirosTheWriter said:
For a time being it looked like Freedom was going to become a fiasco. The Syndicate began to attack any civilian targets that worked in concert with us, while also attempting a round of assassinations for any public official that was not on board with their agenda. However, an aggressive set of interventions from RAdm Uhura, and Commodores Eaton and T'Lorel proved decisive in smothering these attempts. Images of orbit-to-surface phaser strikes in support of beleaguered Frontier Police outposts, plus high-speed shuttle insertions, caused panic among the populace at first. However, they were effective at disrupting the Syndicate operational tempo.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Poor T'Lorel is never gonna live that down, is she? Pfft...
 
OneirosTheWriter said:
Bridge, USS Lexington

"Commodore, I want you to go on the attack, suppress this now," declares Rear Admiral Uhura as she strides up next to Captain Winslow. "What do you need to do it?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I hope Captain Winslow is soaking all of this up. This is invaluable experience in the sort of rough fighting a starship captain rarely gets to see in these peaceful times.

On the viewscreen ahead of them, Commodore T'Lorel is dirt-smudged, with burns and tears in her officer's jacket. But her posture is parade-ground perfect, and if she feels any discomfort, no one would ever tell. "Personnel," replies the Commodore. "I require additional personnel in order to establish a visible presence to deter Syndicate activity. Office 24's three teams together with the wire-tapping provide sufficient offensive capacity."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

As I never cease to be fond of reminding everyone, T'Lorel is the very soul of patience and insight.

For a time being it looked like Freedom was going to become a fiasco. The Syndicate began to attack any civilian targets that worked in concert with us, while also attempting a round of assassinations for any public official that was not on board with their agenda. However, an aggressive set of interventions from RAdm Uhura, and Commodores Eaton and T'Lorel proved decisive in smothering these attempts. Images of orbit-to-surface phaser strikes in support of beleaguered Frontier Police outposts, plus high-speed shuttle insertions, caused panic among the populace at first. However, they were effective at disrupting the Syndicate operational tempo.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

We did pick aggressive, and this time it appears to have paid off.

On Alukk, the Union government has been working frantically to stay ahead of media campaigns designed to further pressure them into extradite the Syndicate financial backers from Amarkia. This is being met with a peculiar and rather two-faced approach, whereby they speak of their desire to return the criminals to fact Orion justice, but they must recognise Amarkian claims. Segments of the administration are robust in their language towards Amarkia, which is causing frayed tensions in some quarters, but overall the mollification is working. [0 Cost]
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Well, for once they got their act together on the PR front.

In more operational matters, the Union government is doing their best to conduct a reconstruction from the ground up of the PPU on Celos, which they expect to take a further quarter before they are able to fully take over the effort. Unfortunately, on Alukk they attempted a crackdown of urban areas, and met with stiff resistance. Multi-dimensional, complex ambushes have resulted in dozens of deaths, as have a series of hovertruck bombings of ISSU and SSD stations. [1 hp ISSU, 1 hp SSD killed, +5 Cost]
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

But ouch, ouch, ouch. Alukk is going to be terrible. It's the capital, the most highly populated world, and I'm pretty sure it's also the heart of Syndicate strength.

Although we cannot put a high level of confidence on it, there is a belief among Starfleet Intelligence's Orion analysts that the Syndicate's overall operational tempo has been further reduced. We will report further on this in coming months.

[Total: +8 Impact, +8 Cost]
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Well, that's some good news. But wow, we can't take many more months of victories like this. 8 cost a month? I can only hope the Federation Council doesn't break on this one.

On another topic, does anyone have a link to the post where we got Starfleet Intelligence's org chart? I need to check which Office was their Yrillian office.
 
Simon_Jester said:
The #1 front view and #4 stern view look a LOT like a Galaxy probably because it doesn't seem to reflect the new idea for the nacelle pylons. Though #4 is hard to tell because, as you note in the caption, space is dark.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I thought it'd be a nicely dramatic shot, but you're right that it's not useful for seeing what's going on. I'll add a brighter version when I'm back at my computer.
I'm not sure that reconfiguring the pylons will help all that much wrt making it look less like the Galaxy, though. That'll probably need the new shuttlebay. Details like windows will help with seeing the scale, too, but that's a long way off yet!
 
Last edited:
Briefvoice said:
I hope Captain Winslow is soaking all of this up. This is invaluable experience in the sort of rough fighting a starship captain rarely gets to see in these peaceful times.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Winslow was on the Sarek during the Biophage Crisis, and probably for some of the other rough moments of T'Lorel's five year mission. When Uhura came aboard Lexington, the first thing she asked him if he was "looking for challenge, adventure, and maybe a surprise or two," with good reason. Because if Seruk had saddled her with another young glory hound with no experience at the sharp end... she'd have had to find a way to lock her own flag captain in a closet.

Well, that's some good news. But wow, we can't take many more months of victories like this. 8 cost a month? I can only hope the Federation Council doesn't break on this one.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I'm pretty sure that the high cost event this month was the Syndicate expending an action to hit US. If we really have passed the 200 Impact threshold, they're going to have a hard time inflicting this level of cost on us on a regular basis.

Gravitas Hunt said:
I'm not sure that reconfiguring the pylons will help all that much wrt making it look less like the Galaxy, though. That'll probably need the new shuttlebay. Details like windows will help with seeing the scale, too, but that's a long way off yet!
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Well, the original pictures we always had for the Rennie... to be honest, they always looked like the explanation was "We needed a new model for a ship that looked more modern than the rest of the TBG ships, so we bodged something together out of Galaxy parts and used camera angles to make it look smaller than the Excelsior models."

Having the "in-line" nacelles that stick out horizontally from the engineering hull was the ONLY thing that made the Renaissance-class visually distinct from the Galaxy at a glance. With right-angle nacelle pylons there's no obvious difference and at first glance someone is just going to say "that's a Galaxy."

Going back to angled pylons similar to the Constitution-class fixes the problem, or at least mitigates it.
 
Simon_Jester said:
Having the "in-line" nacelles that stick out horizontally from the engineering hull was the ONLY thing that made the Renaissance-class visually distinct from the Galaxy at a glance. With right-angle nacelle pylons there's no obvious difference and at first glance someone is just going to say "that's a Galaxy."

Going back to angled pylons similar to the Constitution-class fixes the problem, or at least mitigates it.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Well, that or look like someone left an Ambassador in the dryer for too long and it shrank.
 
You know, looking on the bright side of the Syndicate crisis, once we've dealt with them (in 3 years? Maybe?), the lowered D requirements might mean that we might gain a large strategic reserve of ships, allowing to get back to the all-important task of expanding the federation.
 
Remove ads
Captain's Log - 2312.Q3.M2
  • Threadmarks
    • "Just remember, Captain, you should expect a lot of ... attention."

    "Commodore ka'Sharren, I am not sure why you would believe this," replies Captain Straak as he walks with the senior officer through the halls. "However, I should remind you that I have a mate, who has joined me aboard ship."

    Nash gives the man a grin and shrugs, her antenna echoing her shoulders. "I'm just saying, the Apiata are a bit odd when it comes to these things."

    "We have Apiatan ratings aboard, and have not encountered anything 'odd'."

    "Yes, but the Apiata that we get are 'odd', by their standards," retorts Nash. "You just ought to be aware. Apiatans consider the men of other species to be a fourth 'gender caste'."

    Straak gives the Commodore a puzzled look. "And what would be behind that decision?"

    "Let's start with the word they use in Pitian," begins Nash as she rolls her hands over. "The dominant language on Apinae, for your gender. Untgrizzi."

    "I confess I am not conversant in Apiatan languages," replies Straak, with just a little stiffness as his Vulcan reserve squashes any embarrassment.

    "Unt, for something possessed of utility, and grizzi, for drone. 'Useful drone'." Nash cocks her eyebrow at the Captain before the door to the Transporter Room opens up and they step through. The two officers step up onto the transporter pads and nod at the Chief Petty Officer on the control panel.

    "Energise, Chief."

    -

    Explorer Corps Director of Operations Log, Commodore Nash ka'Sharren, Stardate 24862.2

    I have arrived on the USS Sarek to help observe an early set of battle exercises with an Apiatan task force. We have met the Pollizazza with an escort of two Stingers. Captain Straak and I shall observe from the bridge of one of the Stingers, while the Captain of the Pollizazza shall observe from the USS Sarek.

    Surprisingly, it looks like Queen Izzidiera hasn't managed to get herself onto this delegation!

    [Results will follow in later post]

    -

    Captain's Log, USS Stargazer, Stardate 24862.4 - Captain Maryam Ajam

    The fleet is underway. The plan is to head through Federation space towards the Gabriel Expanse.

    Still not quite sure how the Cardassians will react to something the size of the Pride of Kadesh passing so close to their space. There will be a planned stopover near Apinae during the next quarter in order to conduct fleet exercises against various allied ships.

    -

    Personal Log, Captain Maryam Ajam, Stardate 24863.2

    I'm on a course once more for space unexplored by any in the Federation. My family is with me, stars waiting to make my acquaintance ahead of me. A few hairy moments as we pass Orion space and then Cardassian space, but then I'll be able to push those old memories aside. Cardassia, the Syndicate, the bonds of familiarity that tie us down, all will be cast aside.

    Exploration is an endless summer just waiting for me.

    -

    Captain's Log, USS Challorn, Stardate 24863.5

    A Qloathi cargo ship is aflame and doing all they can to avert a loss of containment on a number of volatile materials. I have brought the Challorn in to attend the ship, and it looks like we will be able to stabilise the vessel and bring it to Starbase 9 for further repairs.

    [+5pp, +25 with Qloathi]

    -

    Captain's Log, USS Stargazer, Stardate 24864.1


    Long-range sensors have picked up an unknown large contact, above us on the galactic plane, near the uppermost boundary between the Tellar and Amarkia sectors.

    Along with the Watchkeeper, we have been asked to make a warp sprint to get a better look at this unknown contact. As we have little detail as to who this may be, I have taken the step of transferring civilian passengers on the ship over to the Pride of Kadesh.

    -

    Captain's Log, USS Kumari, Stardate 24864.5

    We have picked up a faint distress signal coming from Qloathi space. It is a little garbled, but with a little work we have determined the meaning. The Qloathi outpost around the major mining colony of Adthothi V is suffering a fast-spreading debilitating illness.

    We are making our way there with all haste, but it is one of their frontier worlds and I have concerns about whether we will make it there in time. But with Vigour and Winterwind on exploration tasks, and Challorn already on another Distress Call, we are short on responders.

    We must hope.

    -

    Captain's Log, USS Excelsior, Stardate 24864.9

    A rarity today; we have had to cross the Neutral Zone to respond to the distress call of a Romulan civilian outpost suffering a virulent plague. We were in the midst of a sweep through the Neutral Zone, picking over former Biophage battle sites, when the call arrived. No Romulan ships were in place to respond - and make of that what you will - and we arrived and rendered medical aid successfully.

    [+10pp, gain approval from Romulan Senate]

    -

    Captain's Log, USS Stargazer, Stardate 24865.3

    We have encountered the unknown contact and found it is a Honiani explorer! A majestic Cathedral-ship, gilded and embellished.

    The Purity has fallen into formation with us and the Watchkeeper, while we host the Honiani.

    [Gain +5pp, +25 Relations with Honiani]

    -

    Captain's Log, USS Kumari, Stardate 24865.6

    Too late. Disaster struck the outpost during the later stages of the disesase, and a plasma fire cored out the majority of the interior. The outpost will need to be almost rebuilt from scratch, and only a few survivors remain.

    [No gain]

    -
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • OneirosTheWriter said:
    The two officers step up onto the transporter pads and nod at the Chief Petty Officer on the
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    on the...?

    OneirosTheWriter said:
    Captain's Log, USS Kumari, Stardate 24864.5

    We have picked up a faint distress signal coming from Qloathi space. It is a little garbled, but with a little work we have determined the meaning. The Qloathi outpost around the major mining colony of Adthothi V is suffering a fast-spreading debilitating illness.

    We are making our way there with all haste, but it is one of their frontier worlds and I have concerns about whether we will make it there in time. But with Vigour and Winterwind on exploration tasks, and Challorn already on another Distress Call, we are short on responders.

    We must hope.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    OneirosTheWriter said:
    Captain's Log, USS Kumari, Stardate 24865.6

    Too late. Disaster struck the outpost during the later stages of the disesase, and a plasma fire cored out the majority of the interior. The outpost will need to be almost rebuilt from scratch, and only a few survivors remain.

    [No gain]
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Oh dear.

    OneirosTheWriter said:
    Captain's Log, USS Excelsior, Stardate 24864.9

    A rarity today; we have had to cross the Neutral Zone to respond to the distress call of a Romulan civilian outpost suffering a virulent plague. We were in the midst of a sweep through the Neutral Zone, picking over former Biophage battle sites, when the call arrived. No Romulan ships were in place to respond - and make of that what you will - and we arrived and rendered medical aid successfully.

    [+10pp, gain approval from Romulan Senate]
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Interesting...
     
    OneirosTheWriter said:
    Captain's Log, USS Stargazer, Stardate 24865.3

    We have encountered the unknown contact and found it is a Honiani explorer! A majestic Cathedral-ship, gilded and embellished.

    The Purity has fallen into formation with us and the Watchkeeper, while we host the Honiani.

    [Gain +5pp, +25 Relations with Honiani]-
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Yay! Glad to see more positive interaction with the Honiani!
     
    That bumps the Honiani to affiliate status, barring any circumstances. Could be very useful long term. Given their location I doubt they've encountered the Cardassians much, but they may be bumping heads with the Sydraxians. I'd be thrilled if they became a military ally since their tech is on par with us, but I rather doubt it.
     
    While it's a shame that Kumari couldn't get there in time to save the Qloathi outpost, this was still a productive month for us. The special event bonus with the Romulans sounds promising, hopefully the combination of Nash and Straak will handle the Apiata well, and we racked up a small mountain of political will.
     
    Reader mode
    You must login or register to reply here.
    Remove ads
    Back
    Top