Captain's Log, USS Enterprise, Stardate 20712.4 - Captain Nash ka'Sharren
After leaving behind the wonders of the Hophos system, I have taken the Enterprise out five lighyears towards the galactic center. Starfleet's Stellar Cartography has received promising feedback from their long-range scans, and would like us to take a closer look.
Thankfully, the crew is well-rested after their time at Hophos.
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Captain's Log, USS Courageous, Stardate 20713.2 - Captain Victoria Eaton
We have been diverted to the Betazed System to convey an Ambassador of the Federation to an important summit. A research agreement is in the offing, with the final agreement set to be signed in a week's time. It seems a bit irregular that a Federation consular vessel was not chosen for this task. I am told, however, that the Federation would like to make the best possible impression by arriving with an Excelsior-class explorer.
My first officer is very relieved at the duty, however, and feels this will give me ample time to recover from wounds received aboard the Bronze Sky.
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Captain's Log, USS Sarek, Stardate 20714.5 - Captain T'Lorel
We have entered orbit around the world of Shar Kallor, an Andorian colony, to intervene on behalf of the Federation. The local government has been fractured by internecine fighting for weeks, and we have been asked to mediate. Our mission would be made easier if the locals had also asked us to mediate. They are demanding that we stay in orbit and do not come down to the planet surface, so they may be left to their devices.
I will not comply.
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Captain's Log, USS Courageous, Stardate 20715.6
The Ambassador, one Sybak of Vulcan, is aboard with his entourage. Immediately following his arrival, we have begun to experience 'accidents'. At least two of which have come very close to extinguishing our distinguished guest. I dressed down our Chief Engineer, who could offer no explanation, yet perhaps I owe the officer an apology. Ambassador Sybak tells me that these 'accidents' have been going on for a week, ever since he was chosen for this role.
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Captain's Log, USS Enterprise, Stardate 20716.3
It looks like the first system is very slim picking. There is only one point of interest, which I am currently heading for at high impulse. The seventh moon of the sixth planet; the small icy satellite of a gas giant. The scans reveal that the moon is hollow, with a hole punched through the surface.
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Captain's Log, USS Sarek, Stardate 20716.5
The local politicians were not pleased to see me. However after applying nerve pinches to a number of recalcitrant officials allowed my security officer to seize their phasers, we were able to start afresh. It seems that this conflict arose from disputed borders between estates between two of the major social groups on the colony, and through illogical behaviour was allowed to escalate into a general conflict. Resistance to the restoration of order has been fierce, and two of my security personnel were killed when our air car was brought down with phaser fire. After directing the Sarek to fire on the surface emplacements that brought down our craft, I have beamed down the entirety of the Sarek's security department.
The capital is calm again.
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Captain's Log, USS Courageous, Stardate 20717.4
Despite being unable to locate the source of these persistent 'accidents' we have arrived at Betazed, and diplomatic talks have resumed on the surface. I have spoken with our Betazoid security counterparts.
Being among the Betazoids is ... conflicting for me. I have spent so much of my life practising self-control and training myself to be perfectly methodical in my actions. These people are immersed in their emotions, their telepathic ability negates my efforts to keep a 'stiff upper lip', as my ancestors once said. My first officer says that it is good for me, but I do not know.
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Captain's Log, USS Enterprise, Stardate 20718.2
The Council will no doubt blame me for this, however I should not be held to be at fault.
We have just narrowly escaped the collapse and destruction of the moon through daring flying by our senior helmsman. Despite debris tens of miles wide falling into our path, the Enterprise glided like a shuttlecraft.
I should start at the beginning. After arriving in orbit around the gas giant, we discovered that the breach in the moon's surface, leading into the hollow interior, was one hundred and twenty miles wide. To conduct further studies, I directed the Enterprise to fly into the breach. It was an amazing sight, being inside this great hollow globe. The reflected light of the gas giant refracted through the icy surface of the moon, and then through the crystals that floated in the hollow center. I deeply regret that a high energy sensor sweep apparently agitated a pocket of rare volatile gas, which led to the split up of the moon and a narrow escape.
As a consolation, however, the breakup revealed a deposit of starship armour grade materials that we have been able to process for collection.
[Gain +25 Bulk Resources]
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Captain's Log, USS Sarek, Stardate 20719.3
I have beamed my security contingent back to the Sarek now that the situation appears to be resolved. After spending two days fruitlessly attempting to bring the two factions to the negotiating table, I instead arranged for transporter pattern enhancers to be placed among the belongings of the two faction leaders. Once those enhancers were on the persons of the two leaders, I had them both beamed to a meeting room on the Sarek, where I joined them. After I informed them that if either left the room under any condition without an agreement being signed, that they would be considered in revolt against Andoria, it simply became a contest of patience.
I believe that my human Academy lecturers would call this, 'a line in the sand'.
[Gain +5 Political Will]
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Captain's Log, USS Courageous, Stardate 20720.2
A Romulan imposter! We have uncovered the source of the accidents, unfortunately too late for a pair of Betazoid aides.
The method used to determine it was ... not one I was comfortable with. With no concrete leads or evidence, I was at an impasse, until the Betazoid security head simply told me to go with my feelings. There had always been something off about one of the Ambassador's aides, and so we laid a trap for them, which netted us the saboteur.
The agreement is now signed and the Courageous is on towards her next mission, but I feel I have learned much in my time on Betazed...
[Gained +5/rp per year]
[Gained +50 diplomacy with the Betazoids]
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Starfleet Commander's Log, Stardate 20741.1
Let the record show that Captain Nash ka'Sharren has been officially reprimanded by Starfleet Command over the incident involving the Yothu VI-7 moon.
Captain ka'Sharren has demonstrated sincere remorse for the incident, and has vowed that unlike the previous reprimands, this will certainly never happen again.
Computer, End Log.
