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To Boldly Go... (a Starfleet quest)
- Thread starter OneirosTheWriter
- Start date
- Sci-Fi
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- Tags
- star trek exploration fully automated luxury gay space communism top level canon (canon) #hashtagcontent all-encompassing space amoeba cardassian boy bands cardassian magical girls darkest bureaucracy debate makes the qm cackle like palpatine hoh is an empire quest it has to be foreign infiltrators more ships ship happens singers delenda est starfleet this is not an empire quest ur waifu is collective?
Captains from other species can show up a lot sooner then the first members of their species that started their careers at the SF Academy as affiliates send one or two there each year and there are single applicants can show up as soon as we find them and some of them can be existing officers of their fleets greatly reducing their time before they can serve as captains on our ships.
While I do understand the message, and honestly didn't have any real problems with the update, it is worth mentioning that you may be unintentionally sending a second message here.
Only three times, as far as I recall, has the secret of the Singers been revealed. The first was with the Tauni NID and as Zhang points out in the most recent update that was all apart of a Singer plot to get agents inside Starflet. The second was with Zara Quest which was quite explicitly a Singer plot (albeit with Cassie backstabbing the other Singers). The third was this update which was also a Singer plot with Sub Admiral van Canidial defecting to run away with her favorite group of meatbags.
There is a pretty clear pattern here that the Singers are only revealed when the Singers themselves chose to be revealed. It really wouldn't surprise me if the whole Tauni rebellion happened because a Singer decided they really liked the Tauni and defected. The only real exception here is the Pedani accidentally discovering and killing a Singer because they are overly paranoid loons.
I mean I don't entirely object to this (probably unintentional) message since it is actually surprisingly Star Trek. The Singers are great and powerful when united in purpose but suffer greatly when even one of them betrays the rest. It combines the Star Trek theme of people working together for the greater good with one of it's most popular other themes; the dangers of taking things too far.
2325.Q3 Captain's Logs, Part 2 of 4
- Location
- Patriarchova
Captain's Log, Stardate 24057, USS Uram-Komnol - Captain Jasriss Sanos
(Kepler, HBZ)
Starfleet Command has decided it's time to make another attempt at harvesting the mineral resources of the Volgor system. Given the previous failures - both Starfleet and Tauni, and likely Horizon as well - to harvest Volgor I's rich tzo crystal formations, this mission will be a test of our abilities.
The USS Aurora will be rendezvousing with us once again, this time to aid in the mission with Captain th'Nolet and his crew's prior experience.
-
Personal Log, Stardate 24058, Captain Ranir th'Nolet - USS Aurora
(Andorian, thaan)
Tomorrow, we reach orbit and begin our work with the Uram-Komnol. I believe we'll succeed, this time. The new Kepler class vessels were designed and stress tested for labours of just this nature, after all, and after last quarter's joint mission with Uram-Komnol I know her captain to be one of Starfleet's most promising rising stars.
The last time Aurora visited this system, she nearly did pull the treasures from the first planet's molten grasp. For carelessness, her hand fumbled and slipped. As the crystals sank back into the magma, her captain nearly gave permission for some brave men and women to dive in after them, trusting their skill and savvy to ensure all escaped the inferno unscathed. He did not, and the crystals sank alone. A year later, once again, she found herself faced with risk, and her captain again ordered the easy course. The path of least resistance, and the least trust. Which is why Starfleet hasn't allowed Aurora back among the Licori since.
I thought it was the best thing, rather than just the easy and cowardly one. The duplicity and injustice of the Arcadian Empire, I had reasoned, could be turned back against themselves and help the Licori creep toward freedom and stability. Then the Arcadian Empire fell. Perhaps, in some small way, Marshall Halkh and myself helped set those events in motion, that day in Khalt orbit. How's that for poetic irony, given what I thought we were doing?
I think, perhaps, it may be time for this sailor to go back to the icewater seas he started on. Perhaps I was just too late, starting at the academy when I did. Used up my best years as a lieutenant and then a commander. Or maybe I was never quite sharp enough to begin with, for the really big chair. After this mission, I believe it may be time to send the Admiralty my one year notice.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24061, USS Uram-Komnol - Captain Jasriss Sanos
(Kepler, HBZ)
As predicted, another crystalline mass has risen to just half a kilometer below the surface near the planet's equator, where the lava's most energetic. Uram-Komnol's sensor readings have finished cross-referencing against Aurora's; there's no way to be completely sure we haven't missed another magnetic anomaly, but it's unlikely that we have. The problem is that this mass is deeper down than the last one Starfleet attempted to recover, and even synchronizing our tractor beams isn't likely to get a firm enough hold.
Solutions have been proposed. We're still waiting for computer simulations to inform the most likely to succeed, and the least likely to jeopardize subsequent attempts.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24066, USS Uram-Komnol - Captain Jasriss Sanos
(Kepler, HBZ)
Once again, we will be attempting to adjust the relative mass of the nearby magma using an extended warp field. Uram-Komnol's more powerful deflector and engine systems will enable us to hold a closer orbit and manipulate a larger volume of material, so Aurora will maintain position higher above the planet's atmosphere and attempt a tractor lock that can spin the tzo formation into a more buoyant orientation when we've readied it.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24066.7, USS Uram-Komnol - Captain Jasriss Sanos
(Kepler, HBZ)
Uram-Komnol's warp field was projected too deep. One of the undercurrents was grazed, and the abrupt mass shift triggered the formation of a lava whirlpool three hundred kilometers in diameter. The tzo crystal mass is being pulled off course, and sucked deeper below the surface.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24068, USS Aurora - Captain Ranir th'Nolet
(Centaur-B, HBZ)
On Lieutenant Commander Jeffeth's suggestion, we fired a full salvo of photon torpedos into the lava ocean, turning half a continent's worth of surface into plasma and tearing one of the few, floating landmasses asunder. And, just as hoped, the combined backwash from the shockwaves and updraft from the plume of plasma rising into the atmosphere disrupted the entire tidal system. Our quarry has been hurtling back through the twice-burned ocean for nearly two days, and both ships have confirmed that it will impact one of the land fragments in three hours time, breaking both into smaller debris still.
After that, we can only hope that my science officer's calculations will be vindicated, and my judgement likewise.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24069.1, USS Uram-Komnol - Captain Jasriss Sanos
(Kepler, HBZ)
A new island has been created, fused together from semi-molten continent fragments, with an ample supply of tzo crystals sealed within. In approximately one standard year's time, it will be stable enough to be mined from orbit. In approximately fifty-eight standard years' time, Volgor I's tidal and lithic cycles will return to something approaching normal.
Aurora has returned to patrol route. Uram-Komnol will remain here to monitor the geological events in progress until subsequent orders are received; this is a rare opportunity to observe high-energy geological transition at an accelerated rate.
-
Personal Log, Stardate 24069.2, Captain Ranir th'Nolet
(Andorian, Thaan)
Maybe I'll give it another year and then see where I'm at. If nothing else, Jasriss is a most engaging colleague to share this sector with.
[Gain SR colony site at Volgor I (located near the bottom of C5; 20 (30) sr/year), +5 sr; USS Aurora gains +1 Crew Rating (now Blooded)]
***
Captain's Log, Stardate 24071, USS Whale, Captain Toressa Lalen
(Renaissance, Alukk)
Whale is playing host to a delegation of Archeologists and Historians from across the Union's academic community.
It seems that recent information from Hayant's former officers, corroborated by chart data from Maiden Of Dawn, has provisionally settled a long running debate amongst Orion's historical community over the location of a Queassa-era Imperial research laboratory. And now they've requested Starfleet assistance in investigating the system that the laboratory is supposed to be in.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24073, USS Whale, Captain Toressa Lalen
(Renaissance, Alukk)
I've had to pull apart two distinguished professors in the middle of a literal slapfight over something that happened fifteen hundred years ago.
Personally, I don't care if Empress Queassa III was the legitimate claimant to the throne or if Emperor Martinon, "The Gorgeous", was a usurper or a legitimate step forward for men's rights. I just don't want my passengers literally fighting in the rec room.
There's no fighting in the rec room!
I've actually been forced to restrict these two old women to different decks in case they try to go at it again.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24075, USS Whale, Captain Toressa Lalen
(Renaissance, Alukk)
So the planetoid that we're supposed to be finding is missing.
This appears to have riled up our passengers.
We're going to continue our search, but I've requested that Summerstorm provide assistance in the matter. She's nearby, and command has agreed to my plan to divide our academics across both ships to reduce the chance of them coming to blows as we continue our search.
I've sold the plan to the academics as us splitting up their expertise as we cover more ground.
Personal Log, Toressa Lalen
(Orion, Female)
My brother and I left the Union when we were thirteen, so I apparently missed that the Orion academic community is serious business. With so much history, so much pride as a species, it's apparently common for those immersed in it to have… opinions. Powerful opinions, which Hayant's emergence and the Revolution did a lot to stir up and make as a proxy for current events.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24078, USS Whale, Captain Toressa Lalen
(Renaissance, Alukk)
The planetoid is still entirely missing. My science officer hypotheses that something involved in the laboratory's research has caused it to go missing.
Sadly, despite Summerstorm's assistance we haven't picked up any clues as to what happened half a millennium ago. Though we have prevented further fighting between our academics. So that's not nothing.
Still, I cannot wait to see these women and men home to their campuses.
[Event Failed. +1PP for keeping academics from murdering each other]
***
Personal Log, Stardate 24081, Captain Iliae Rurliss - USS Voshov
(Amarki, female)
I have arrived on Borandt, where I will be staying for the next week. Nalaxie greeted me at the spaceport ... with a giant banner, a band playing welcoming music, it was this whole big production. I appreciate the thought, but it felt like a little much?
Still, it is very nice to see her again. To finally be physically present with her again. And not just because -
[Captain Nalaxie]: "Huh? Rury, what're you doing awake?"
Writing a personal log.
[Nalaxie]: "Why?"
I wanted to get my thoughts down about how the day went?
[Nalaxie]: "Huh. Weird. You think you'll forget me?"
It's not that, it's... it's habit, at this point.
[Nalaxie]: "Ah. Lemme try -"
Personal Log, Stardate today, Captain Nalaxie - SS Naliss
(Sydraxian, female)
Dear diary -
[Iliae Rurliss]: "Two things: one, what's Naliss? Two, this is a log, not a diary, there's a difference."
Naliss is our 'ship, silly - Nalaxie plus Rurliss.
[Rurliss]: "Oh, so now you're captain of this ship?"
[laughter]
[Rurliss]: "...Is it just me, or did the heat just cut out?"
Computer, lights. ... okay. So, this is a brownout. We haven't had brownouts in years...
[Rurliss]: "Let's check it out."
-
"So, I'm thinking, maybe I should move here? Not now, but, like, after," Iliae Rurliss is saying, sitting in the nearest building with working power open at this hour - a karaoke bar twelve blocks away from their hotel. "It'd be easier on you, and to be honest, I wouldn't mind moving. I've rather liked what I've seen of this planet so far."
"So... here, the hotel, and a spaceport?" Nalaxie snarks. "Seriously, though ... not everyone's exactly going to be happy with you here. Not everyone's as open-minded as me." She eyes one patron in particular, a sydraxian with an artificial arm sitting two stools further down, who's glaring at her Amarki companion. "Honestly, maybe I should be the one to move? Get a liaison officer posting, perhaps? That'd put me on Vega, right? Vega was nice..."
"Did we even leave our hotel once on Vega?"
"Like I said, Vega was nice." Nalaxie says. "Well, we'll have, what, five years to figure it out?"
"You're sure you're fine with me going on another five-year-mission?" Rurliss asks, wrapping her arm around her girlfriend's shoulder.
"Trust me. I can handle it. Just so long as you don't get yourself killed out there."
"I've taken on godlike beings, an evil parallel universe, even the literal end of existence in this universe. I got this," Rurliss says.
"Oh, you got this, you say?" Nalaxie smirks. "Well, good, because after this gal finishes, we're up next."
"Hey, wait! You know I've got a terrible singing voice -"
"Too bad!" Nalaxie sings out, glee in her voice. "You get lead vocals on this one."
-
"I promise you, the power will be back on soon. In the meantime, care for some complimentary jerky?" the concierge at the hotel is saying as Iliae Rurliss and Nalaxie stroll back in, four hours later.
The small crowd of guests gathered in the lobby groans. Rurliss sighs, herself. "Well, so much for that. Either we go back to our room, or -"
Nalaxie doesn't even hesitate, instead stomping right up to the concierge desk. "Is that all the information you have for us?" she shouts.
"Ma'am, I understand that you're upset. We are doing our best to resolve the situation," the concierge says, his voice weary.
"Well, it clearly isn't good enough!" one of the other guests shouts out.
"As a Captain in the Sydraxian Defence Force and a trained engineer, I insist that you allow me and my companion to assist you," Nalaxie orders.
There's a long pause, and then the concierge sighs and slides the commline over to her. "Fine, you try," he mutters.
-
"Enjoying your tour of Borandt's scenic underground?" Nalaxie jokes to Iliae Rurliss as the two make their way down a utility access tunnel, flashlights out and lit, a borrowed toolkit in Rurliss's other hand, an hour later.
"Could be worse," the amarki says. "Kinda reminds me of the DC training course, back on the Perisher."
"Perisher? That's an ... ominous name for a ship."
"It's not a ship - well, not really. And that's not the official name. It's an orbital training facility, part of the Academy -" Rurliss says.
Nalaxie raises a hand; the two stop, peering around with their flashlights for a bit. "Sorry, thought I heard something. But anyways, Perisher, huh. Interesting. I'll have to look into that."
"Oh?"
"I've been offered a post with the War Academy, here on Borandt," Nalaxie says. "I think I might take it."
"Do you really want to leave Palarach?"
"She's a good ship, but I've had her for years, maybe it's time to give someone else a turn -"
"Don't let them take you off until you're absolutely ready to go."
"It'd be a good job, though. Molding the minds of young cadets, teaching them all that I've learned - all that we've learned... plus, it'd be stable, low-risk. And Palarach is getting a little dull, to be honest -"
It's Rurliss, this time, who signals for the two to stop. And this time, they're rewarded by a distinct hissing sound, and a brief glimpse of something in the tunnel.
"What was that?" Nalaxie asks.
"Mynock," Rurliss says. "I've seen them before; they feed on energy sources. We're probably close to their nest. ... we're also unarmed, and all we've got are whatever hand tools the concierge had on hand. I think we call this one in."
"Yeah, one problem with that," Nalaxie replies; her flashlight beam shines on four snarling, vicious-looking mynocks flying towards them.
"They're supposed to be pretty docile," Rurliss notes as the two start running for the nearest access shaft. "Dunno what's up with these? Maybe because we got so close to their nest, maybe because -"
"Less speculating, more running, please!" Nalaxie hisses. The mynocks are closing fast, but the door to the access shaft is just another dozen meters more...
When Nalaxie goes to open the door, the control fails to work. Of course. No power. "Fuck!"
Rurliss takes out a screwdriver, then passes the toolkit to Nalaxie. "You get the door, I'll hold them off," she says.
"With that?"
"Distract, then," Rurliss says, then steps out into the corridor, towards the mynocks.
-
Two hours later, and Iliae Rurliss is drifting in and out of sleep in a hospital bed, her face and arms swollen, covered in bite and claw marks from the mynocks. Nalaxie is standing beside the bed, holding her hand.
"How ... bad..." Rurliss starts to ask. It visibly hurts her to speak.
"Well, they're running another test to confirm it, but the medic says you tested positive for something called 'Vidotti spotted fever'. It's definitely treatable, but, well, there goes most of our vacation." Nalaxie sighs. "I'm sorry - I shouldn't have made us go down there alone. I should've known -"
Rurliss squeezes the sydraxian's hand. "Any ... one ... else ... bit?"
"Point. Just... would rather that you not have to be mynock bait," Nalaxie says. "Thanks for saving me back there."
"Love... you."
"Love you too. Now get some rest. I'll be right here for you."
-
First Officer's Log, Stardate 24084, USS Voshov - Commander Llyhua
(Excelsior-A, EC - Sydraxian space)
Voshov has responded to a Sydraxian freighter out of Borandt that's stranded in space. We discovered that the freighter suffered an infestation of mynocks, and are working to fix the problem.
[Gain +10 relations with Sydraxians (now 391/500)]
***
Captain's Log, Stardate 24095, USS Opportunity - Captain Shem th'Vhen
(Excelsior-A, IBZ)
The USS Chinook has detected an intruder inbound, from a vector originating just below the Eye of the Prophets nebula. The vessel's warp signature is unfamiliar, and was not detected until within our side of the borderzone. It could be an explorer from a new civilization, or it could be some new trick of the cardassians or imelak. Captain mav Stella will be holding position between the unknown contact and Hacitorus while this better equipped vessel moves to intercept, and the nearby Ashidi have already been alerted.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24095.5, USS Opportunity - Captain Shem th'Vhen
(Excelsior-A, IBZ)
The contact is not a vessel at all, but a small unmanned probe. The design is unfamiliar, but the computer circuitry is lined with an insulating compound that includes Uaquuo biomatter; apparently this is a common manufacturing technique for the Grand Host. The probe's automatic logs suggest that it has been running as silently as possible for over three days, before overclocking its warp engine, using up the last of its fuel in the process. The nacelles have undergone what engineering describes as a very hasty, but effective, modification to disguise the Uaquuo warp signature. More alarmingly, upon outside activation the probe's computer began transmitting the words "biological outbreak" on infinite replay.
There are no coordinates, just the message. Cross referencing our sensor readings with the Chinook's, the probe has moved in a straight line from its point of origin with only minimal pathfinding adjustments. We're on our way at maximum warp.
I've put the ship on yellow alert. Our course will be bringing us within an antenna's thickness of Imelak space, and depending on where the origin point is we're likely to be much closer to the Cardassian border than our own. This may well be a trap, but if so it's one we have no choice but to walk into, and there's no better vessel in this sector to thwart it.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24098.1, USS Opportunity - Captain Shem th'Vhen
(Excelsior-A, IBZ)
The vector brings us to the Last Whorl, a highly energized appendage of the Eye of the Prophet nebula that extends three light years out of the main cloud, held in place by the gravitational pull of the unstable binary star system that keeps it in a constant state of thermoradiological excitement. Long-ranged sensors are useless here, which makes the Whorl both the perfect place for an ambush, and the perfect place to hide from attackers. If this is the Opportunity's last transmission, Starfleet will know where it was that we met our fate.
-
"This water is too murky," Crewman Sanchez's voice spoke over the commlink, "I was on a Uaquuo ship before. There's something wrong."
"Biological outbreak." Petty Officer Monroe said curtly. He planted another heavy boot of his EV suit on the deck as he led the way forward, phaser rifle raised at the ready as his helmet swept across the intersection. The fluid they trudged through was a murky reddish brown, and even with their visor features they couldn't see more than a few meters ahead.
"It could be related to that, but most of these solutes don't seem to be biogenic." Junior Lieutenant Corrbanai indicated her sample tube and tricorder, both sealed in an extra layer of watertight flexible plasteel packaging. "This could just chemical pollution, from internal ship damage." Her type-III variant Starfleet EV suit was bulkier than the others', with exaggerated, bubble-shaped extensions around the joints to allow for features like fiiral tentacles or her own bony spikes. "Especially if they make equipment out of their own secretions."
"That's it for the command deck," Monroe said as they came back around the looping hallway to the door that led to the ship's bridge, whose consoles and holoprojectors mounted here and there on the three dimensional scaffolding that filled the watery, hemispherical room were all empty. He turned around to indicate the door opposite it, which tricorder readings indicated led to something like a turbolift shaft down to the lower decks.
If "deck" was even the right word. As Sanchez had been reminding them, Uaquuo ships had a unique internal layout.
"Hold on," Corrbanai said as her tricorder swerved toward the door in question. "I'm getting biosigns now. Hard to tell through the door, but...it looks Uaquuo."
Crewman ch'Varsa stepped forward and busied himself at the door mechanism. A moment later, the three, ornate petals rolled open and slid back into the walls, revealing the creature hanging in the water just behind it. Half of the away team cried out. At least one screamed. Before anyone could do more than that, the twitching, writhing mess of chitinous wires and tubular spines spun around in place and shot down into the shaft, propelling itself through the water with such force that Corrbanai and and ch'Varsa might have been knocked over had their EV boots not been magnetized to the floor.
"That was not a Uaquuo," Sanchez said, quietly.
"No shit," Monroe replied, stepping up to the gap and angling his weapon downward, cranking its spotlight up to full strength, "I think I know what it is, though. Monroe to Opportunity, you hearing?"
There was a rush of static, and then the voice of Lieutenant Commander Tok at the Opportunity's ops console. "Signal is clear enough. Report."
"We're returning to the transporter site awaiting reinforcements. We're going to need a lot more phasers."
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24098.3, USS Opportunity - Captain Shem th'Vhen
(Excelsior-A, IBZ)
The away team has confirmed the presence of a macroscopic imelak bioweapon aboard the derelict Uaquuo vessel. I've authorized thirty more security personnel to accompany them, as well as an expanded medical team; if any Uaquuo are still alive, some are likely to be in the early stages of infection.
The sensor buoy we left outside the Whorl has also alerted us to a Jaldun-II moving this way after Opportunity's ionized trail. It's unlikely they'll detect us as long as we stay inside, but if they follow the trail to this cloud they might just decide to come back with more ships.
-
They engaged their suits' thrusters, the first three crewmen launching themselves out of the water to land with a chorus of metallic clangs on the bridgelike platform just above the murky brown surface. They dropped to their knees, phasers pointing ahead, as the next row shot up with synchronized splashes and took their positions beside them.
In front of them, a short, pale skinned man, naked from head to toe and completely hairless save a shiny, silver mullet hanging from the back of his skull, stood with his back to them. Slowly, he raised his hands beside his head, fingers held out. An alien tricorder-analogue of some sort fell to the deck with a clang as he released it. On his right side, halfway down his milky chest, a smaller, third arm raised itself as well.
"You've found us," the alien said, his voice very low, smooth, and soft. Almost a silky whisper, "I was afraid the suppressing agent would expire."
Petty Officer Monroe strode out of the water beside the others, weapon craned upward. Hanging from the next platform above the pale, three-armed man were a pair of the bony, wiry, insectoid skeletons that had eluded them thus far. Their tall heads with plating-covered eye sockets halfway down, and the delicate, twisted wiring that made up their arms and legs, were just reminiscent enough of Uaquuo to tell the story of these creatures' origins. They remained still, hanging overhead, watching.
"Are you responsible for this?" Monroe barked. "Identify yourself!"
The three armed, naked man turned slowly around. His elongated, somewhat snoutlike face was slightly asymmetrical, one pearly eyeball higher than the other. "I'm former coordinator Boraes Wombson. And no, I am not responsible for this."
He pointed one of his normal-sized hands upward at the dripping, chitinous things. "I managed to assert control over these two. The others I hope have all been killed in the skirmish, or by yourselves. There are still one hundred and twenty-three Uaquuo and seven imelak who can be saved. All but me are in stasis."
He slowly brought his smaller arm to his stomach, and rubbed it nervously. Monroe now noticed a slight bulge beneath the skin. "I'm infected myself. I'll have to kill or freeze myself if the suppressant drug runs out. We were only able to synthesize enough for two more days."
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24098.4, USS Opportunity - Captain Shem th'Vhen
(Excelsior-A, IBZ)
Reluctantly, I've brought the Opportunity out of the nebula to confront the Cardassian ship and claimed freedom of navigation to conduct scientific research within the Whorl. I told the Gul that the rest of our task force is still occupied with our mission inside the nebula, but will happily emerge to take part in any disagreements between us.
I hope he bought it. If nothing else, he seemed taken aback to meet an Excelsior-A rather than a smaller ship. We're returning to the derelict Grand Host vessel Powlagra to restore contact with the expanded away team.
-
"You've encountered the Imposter before? How did this occur?"
Assistant Medical Officer Clyde wheeled on Boraes. "A chrystovian cargo ship. Another victim of yours that Starfleet had to rescue."
The imelak lowered his pronounced face and flicked his multiple pairs of eyelids. "I don't know about this incident. Imposters are only used in conjunction with more imminently debilitating pathogens." He paused for a moment. "Against other imelak. It is possible that the Aetherminds saw less need against those unfamiliar with our technology."
"It wasn't an attack," Clyde said as he took another set of readings from the Uaquuo female stretched out on the cot in front of them, "your government allowed some of the Imposter catalyst to be sold to smugglers who didn't know how to contain it."
"Ah. That would be more logical." Boraes handed him the laser scalpel he'd been holding and backed away to make room for another pair of Starfleet medics as they brought the new batch of suppressant the Opportunity had just synthesized. Boraes suddenly looked up as one of the holoprojectors flashed an Uaquuo message of some kind. "Your biotechnicians are remarkable! There are no symptoms of rejection this time. If my people had had more specialized experts or an expanded laboratory suite, perhaps we could have cured the uaquuo in time ourselves, but with so little prior knowledge-"
"We'll just take it as a compliment and leave it at that," Clyde said coldly.
There was a moment of silence as they prepared to operate. Things had been less tense since the security team had been given Boreas' permission to euthanize his two tame Imposters, but only barely.
"You are a human. Is this correct?"
Clyde looked back up at him from the last minute topical scan he was taking. "I am."
The imelak gave him a soft, sad smile. "There is so much I've wanted to discuss, with a human."
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24102, USS Opportunity - Captain Shem th'Vhen
(Excelsior-A, IBZ)
We are escorting the GHHV Powlagra back to Federation space, from whence the Uaquuo ship will be escorted home for its crew to receive more extended medical treatment. More than half of the crew have survived, several dozen of them with the help of the Opportunity's excellent medical officers and enlisted. We are also bringing back a small party of imelak who say they wish to seek asylum within the Federation.
The Uaquuo confirmed the imelak story. The Powlagra was sent on a secret mission to learn more about the origins of the Hishmeri in hopes of discovering weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Their search led them to a group of renegade imelak who had been living in secret inside of an asteroid after their ship was damaged by Scion Fleet bioweaponry during an attempted defection four years ago. Somehow, the Uaquuo were exposed to remnants of those bioweapons during their search of the asteroid.
The leader of the imelak, Coordinator Boraes, claims to be a "wombson," which is the imelak term for the products of sexual reproduction. This is apparently an infrequent occurrence. Boraes claims to have been taught suppressed history by his own wombson mother, and has shared it with both Starfleet and the Uaquuo.
[Gain +15 relations with Uaquuo (now at 100/100), 9 overflow into Distant Stars, 69/100 , +1 crew rating for Opportunity (now blooded), Captain Shem th'Vhen gains 1 elan (SPICE), Imelak history brief coming soon]
***
Captain's Log, Stardate 24103, USS Menand
(Kepler, SBZ)
A preliminary survey of the BXZ23 system by the Flabbjellah has revealed a scientific marvel. The first planet in the system was broken apart by a collision with another stellar object approximately one hundred and twenty five million years ago, breaking both into what became a high density asteroid belt around the star. What makes this asteroid belt of particular interest is that against all odds, the indigenous biosphere of BXZ23-I was not completely exterminated in the event. The Menand is now being dispatched to conduct more intensive research.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24110.3, USS Menand
(Kepler, SBZ)
Our first sublight cruise around the belt has corroborated the previous findings, and expanded on them with our expanded biosensor package. Seventy-eight asteroids have retained an atmosphere, and of those fifty-nine host microbial life and fourteen support advanced ecosystems. The two largest of those fourteen in particular, which we have dubbed Halanqui and Balanqui, have an irregular binary orbit that periodically causes their atmospheres to make contact. Perhaps unsurprisingly, these two are showing the greatest diversity as well as the highest concentration of biosigns.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24111.5, USS Menand
(Kepler, SBZ)
Some of the biological samples recovered from Balanqui are not indigenous to this former planetary system. In fact, they are already documented microbial and insect species indigenous to the Sydraxian homeworld. An away team was dispatched to the region of the asteroid that appears to be the "ground zero" point for this biological introduction, but we were forced to recall them almost immediately when attacked by large, reptilian predators with an incredible active camouflage trait that enables them to avoid detection even by standard tricorders. Ensign Zodi has been commended for recognizing the warning signs of the attacking organisms, which she refers to as "ghost serpents," before they could execute their ambush.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24112.3, USS Menand
(Kepler, SBZ)
With a better idea of what to look for, we have now discovered the ruins of an unlisted and very shoddily made sydraxian facility in an old magma dyke system below Balanqui's surface, last used twelve years and seven months ago. The ghost serpent is an animal of previously unknown origins that has appeared in gladiatorial arenas on Dar-Nakar on several occasions over the past thirty-some years. Ensign Zodi had been told stories and showed holorecordings of them by a locally famous uncle of hers who once fought them. Forensic analysis of the site indicates that the poachers grew overconfident, and their prey more cunning, until the hunters became the hunted.
Examination of the binary asteroids' native life has proven fascinating, and the foreign species accidentally introduced by the poachers have begun integrating themselves into the local environment; this may prove a useful case study in interplanetary biological introduction events. The Sydraxian government will likely appreciate this data point in its ongoing fight against reckless adventure-seeking.
[+10 pp, +3 relations with Sydraxia (now 394/500)]
***
Captain's Log, Stardate 24118, USS Challorn - Captain Hazag Daz-Hara
(Constellation-A, KBZ)
This vessel is responding to a distress call from an unaffiliated 'borderland' colony. They are reporting approaching Hishmeri vessels and are urgently requesting anyone's assistance.
-
Tactical Officer's Log, Stardate 24118.2, USS Challorn - Lieutenant Commander N'Herin
(Constellation-A, KBZ)
Despite what lines on a map might tell you, in this region of space there are still a few settlements that fall outside the authority of the Empire or the Federation. AX-445 is one of those. While there are benefits to independence, this attack demonstrates some of the drawbacks. No sensor nets to give them ample warning, no fleets on quick standby, no one watching to see if their transmitters go dark… it's quite rough.
Sector Command is sending us and the USS T'Laan to evaluate the situation and if possible, drive the Hishmeri back. If not possible, we are to to harass and observe them until heavier assets can arrive. While not a combat vessel, the T'Laan is well-suited to the scout and track role. And while the Challorn is far past her prime, the crew is motivated and knows the ship well. I'm sure we won't completely embarrass ourselves if an Andalusian jumps out of a nebula.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24119, USS T'Laan
(Kepler, KBZ)
Can't say I'm too happy about this one. I'm running one of the greenest crews in the fleet -- a few weeks earlier, and we'd have been cancelling our shakedown cruise to rush to this. And while we are alongside the venerable Challorn, I served on the Sappho. I know how combat treats Constellations.
Still, we can't just stand by and listen to a colony get wiped off the map. Klingons are sending a fleet as well, so here's hoping it's got K'Vorts instead of K'Tingas.
-
Tactical Officer's Log, Stardate 24122.1, USS Challorn
(Constellation-A, KBZ)
The Klingons are eager to fight the Hishmeri, and after Taggart's rebuff, they're supposedly eager to prove themselves as capable allies.
But my staff has brought up a few troubling questions. Where are the Klingons? Intelligence tells me Sector command has reported no trace of high-speed warp signatures. I've seen borderline arguments between science, tactical, and navigation as to how the Hishmeri managed to slip by the Klingon sensor nets to strike this colony, when there are easier targets. My interaction with the fleet liaison has offered no insight, either… Well. Maybe I should be a bit more fair. The fleet liaison is apparently working with a House fleet here, after all. Still, you'd expect them to be moving a little faster, since xenopsych reports that this house in particular is drumming the beat for war particularly hard.
...Oh no.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24122.8, USS T'Laan
(Kepler, KBZ)
Middle of a call with Captain Daz-Hara when Lieutenant Commander N'Herin suddenly comes up from the tactical lab and says we need to avoid entering the system. Says it like he's the captain, almost. I expected some sort of reprimand, but Daz-Hara simply nodded and issued the order.
A good thing, too. We adjusted course and dropped out of warp at the edge of the system. Our crew may be fresh, but by now they know their way around our sensor suite, and we discovered the House Antaak fleet was already in the system, in prepared ambush positions. There's no sign of any Hishmeri. And after we break through some jamming, Challorn's intel division talks to contacts on the ground who confirm the Klingons forced them to send the signal.
Now Captain Hazag Daz-Hara's deciding what to do.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24124, USS Challorn
(Constellation-A, KBZ)
It seems the Klingons hoped in our desire to help, we would overlook certain irregularities in the data. They were incorrect. However, the discovery of the ruse did not end the danger -- there was nothing stopping the Klingons from holding the colony hostage if they were desperate.
I hailed one of the Klingon vessels we had identified and asked to be put in touch with their commander. I observed some reluctance in their communication officer to comply with my request, but it was eventually granted. Klingon behaviour is subject to a wide range of variance despite supposedly being systematized under their code of honor, so I was unsure if the commander would deny what had occured, or admit to it freely.
It turned out to be the latter. He knew we could inform Klingon High Command what had occured. The mission was not sanctioned by the Chancellor or the High Council. I found this a relief, mostly because even with the element of surprise, success was not particularly guaranteed, and I frankly expect better ambushes of the Klingon Defense Force.
His hope was that by destroying Starfleet vessels and framing the Hishmeri, he could push us to accepting Klingon aid or even declare war on the Hishmeri. In such a conflict, Antaak's older vessels could be upgraded or replaced, and its warriors could earn glory in combat.
I convinced the commander of the foolhardy nature of his quest, and he stood down. I don't particularly have to hypothesize as to his fate. I am simply glad no other lives needed to be lost on this day. The colonists are glad to have been freed, and have provided us with a load of refisinite, useful for warp core reaction control assemblies.
[+20 pp, +10 sr; Challorn gains +1 crew rating (now Veteran)]
***
Captain's Log, Stardate 24125, USS Shh'hra, Captain Fhar Hrudn
(Kepler, Ferasa)
Here's the situation, we've just received a data packet from the Grand Fleet archives. Apparently during their current round of house cleaning they've come across some lost logs dating back to the [CoS Note: 1700s], something that got lost around the time of The Great Strike.
Apparently a number of the elite of that time pulled what my ops officer calls "Going Gault" (And I call a bad idea) and fled to found their own colony outside of government or syndicate control.
Either way, we have orders to meet up with Lightning and investigate the subsector that this colony was in.
Personal Log, Fhar Hrudn
(Caitian, Male)
I still think that having a ship named for a famous Caitian, captained by a Caitian, based in the Caitian home sector, is still a bit too on the nose.
And now we're investigating for a lost Caitian colony called "Free Ferasia"?
Someone out there has a sense of humour.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24127, USS Shh'hra, Captain Fhar Hrudn
(Kepler, Ferasa)
So anyway, I've been catching up on the historical logs that we've got while we Shh'hra and Lightning run our search patterns. We've… ah, we've completed 46% of our sweep and Captain Ames has finished 37% of theirs.
There's not a lot there, in the record, the "Free Ferasians" completely cut contact after the news of the Great Strike arrived, and the Grand Fleet has logs from a few check ups until the colony yelled at them to stay away forever. And, well, the Admirals at the time figured they had much better things to do than check up on a bunch of ideological fanatics.
Not that these logs outright say that, but I'm pretty certain that's what they were thinking, because these people. Whew. They were not down with the changes that society was undergoing.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24130, USS Shh'hra, Captain Fhar Hrudn
(Kepler, Ferasa)
Okay, right, so, Lightning found our colony site. We're on our way to help investigate the, apparently, long abandoned site.
It's currently abandoned. Captain Ames doesn't know why. The biosphere appears to be intact, the colony isn't suffering from weapons damage. No signs of social collapse or disease. It seems like they just… left one day. Got on ships and flew away en mass.
A heck of thing, something I'm pretty interested in looking into.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24132, USS Shh'hra, Captain Fhar Hrudn
(Kepler, "Free Ferasia")
Alright now, I could have told them this at the time, but the colony nearly collapsed because they really didn't respect the worth of labour. They actually had a slight die off early on because many of them refused to farm and sat around their luxury prefabs chewing 'leaf.
Actually, right, so we have the colony logs. Lightning found them before we arrived. The site was inhabited from roughly [CoS note: 1737 - 2019], when it saw a mass exodus to multiple unknown sites spinward and rimward for currently unknown reasons.
So, it seems that the early colonists ended up being forced to farm at gunpoint by the hired security services. I think it's something else that's a bit too on the nose, but Captain Ames assures me that that's not without precedent in the annals of Human colonization.
We are continuing our investigation.
Personal Log, Fhar Hrudn
(Caitian, Male)
I try to listen to Ann talk Earth history, I really do try, but it's just a bunch of unpronounceable words, one after another. I do try, I swear, but it's hard to follow sometimes when she talks about obscure transoceanic colonization facts.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24139, USS Shh'hra, Captain Fhar Hrudn
(Kepler, Ferasa)
Okay, yeah, there's way too much here for the three century occupation of this planet for us to get the full picture on our own. Captain Ames and I are submitting "Free Ferasia" to the Federation Science Council as a research colony site. There's a frankly ludicrous amount of stuff that's happened here.
For anyone that's curious, it seems that the reason that the "Free Ferasians" kept to themselves, even after having a starvation event, was because the news of the Great Strike made them lose their minds. Even the generally well regarded accommodation between the Strikers and the Colonial Authority was too much for them. And then after that initial ideological fervor faded, the colony had descended into what my Ops officer keeps calling feudalism -no matter how much Captain Ames says that this isn't feudalism.
So, there's a lot here, for whoever is eventually stationed here, to learn.
Personal Log, Fhar Hrudn
(Caitian, Male)
The feudalism argument is absolutely opaque. It's all such and such begat so and so, and whoever married whoever.
Ann says that it's not feudalism, but Matthews says that it's got the hallmarks like vassalage and a military aristocracy, but then Ann says that it lacks certain characteristics. And then Matthews gets excited and says "But there are Cat Knights, Captain! Cat Knights!" and polisci has never been my speciality, so I'm not really one for taking sides here.
At least it's done now and I can consign the whole argument into the memory hole and let those interested in the topic debate it.
[+5PP, Research Colony located at: -4b]
(Kepler, HBZ)
Starfleet Command has decided it's time to make another attempt at harvesting the mineral resources of the Volgor system. Given the previous failures - both Starfleet and Tauni, and likely Horizon as well - to harvest Volgor I's rich tzo crystal formations, this mission will be a test of our abilities.
The USS Aurora will be rendezvousing with us once again, this time to aid in the mission with Captain th'Nolet and his crew's prior experience.
-
Personal Log, Stardate 24058, Captain Ranir th'Nolet - USS Aurora
(Andorian, thaan)
Tomorrow, we reach orbit and begin our work with the Uram-Komnol. I believe we'll succeed, this time. The new Kepler class vessels were designed and stress tested for labours of just this nature, after all, and after last quarter's joint mission with Uram-Komnol I know her captain to be one of Starfleet's most promising rising stars.
The last time Aurora visited this system, she nearly did pull the treasures from the first planet's molten grasp. For carelessness, her hand fumbled and slipped. As the crystals sank back into the magma, her captain nearly gave permission for some brave men and women to dive in after them, trusting their skill and savvy to ensure all escaped the inferno unscathed. He did not, and the crystals sank alone. A year later, once again, she found herself faced with risk, and her captain again ordered the easy course. The path of least resistance, and the least trust. Which is why Starfleet hasn't allowed Aurora back among the Licori since.
I thought it was the best thing, rather than just the easy and cowardly one. The duplicity and injustice of the Arcadian Empire, I had reasoned, could be turned back against themselves and help the Licori creep toward freedom and stability. Then the Arcadian Empire fell. Perhaps, in some small way, Marshall Halkh and myself helped set those events in motion, that day in Khalt orbit. How's that for poetic irony, given what I thought we were doing?
I think, perhaps, it may be time for this sailor to go back to the icewater seas he started on. Perhaps I was just too late, starting at the academy when I did. Used up my best years as a lieutenant and then a commander. Or maybe I was never quite sharp enough to begin with, for the really big chair. After this mission, I believe it may be time to send the Admiralty my one year notice.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24061, USS Uram-Komnol - Captain Jasriss Sanos
(Kepler, HBZ)
As predicted, another crystalline mass has risen to just half a kilometer below the surface near the planet's equator, where the lava's most energetic. Uram-Komnol's sensor readings have finished cross-referencing against Aurora's; there's no way to be completely sure we haven't missed another magnetic anomaly, but it's unlikely that we have. The problem is that this mass is deeper down than the last one Starfleet attempted to recover, and even synchronizing our tractor beams isn't likely to get a firm enough hold.
Solutions have been proposed. We're still waiting for computer simulations to inform the most likely to succeed, and the least likely to jeopardize subsequent attempts.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24066, USS Uram-Komnol - Captain Jasriss Sanos
(Kepler, HBZ)
Once again, we will be attempting to adjust the relative mass of the nearby magma using an extended warp field. Uram-Komnol's more powerful deflector and engine systems will enable us to hold a closer orbit and manipulate a larger volume of material, so Aurora will maintain position higher above the planet's atmosphere and attempt a tractor lock that can spin the tzo formation into a more buoyant orientation when we've readied it.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24066.7, USS Uram-Komnol - Captain Jasriss Sanos
(Kepler, HBZ)
Uram-Komnol's warp field was projected too deep. One of the undercurrents was grazed, and the abrupt mass shift triggered the formation of a lava whirlpool three hundred kilometers in diameter. The tzo crystal mass is being pulled off course, and sucked deeper below the surface.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24068, USS Aurora - Captain Ranir th'Nolet
(Centaur-B, HBZ)
On Lieutenant Commander Jeffeth's suggestion, we fired a full salvo of photon torpedos into the lava ocean, turning half a continent's worth of surface into plasma and tearing one of the few, floating landmasses asunder. And, just as hoped, the combined backwash from the shockwaves and updraft from the plume of plasma rising into the atmosphere disrupted the entire tidal system. Our quarry has been hurtling back through the twice-burned ocean for nearly two days, and both ships have confirmed that it will impact one of the land fragments in three hours time, breaking both into smaller debris still.
After that, we can only hope that my science officer's calculations will be vindicated, and my judgement likewise.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24069.1, USS Uram-Komnol - Captain Jasriss Sanos
(Kepler, HBZ)
A new island has been created, fused together from semi-molten continent fragments, with an ample supply of tzo crystals sealed within. In approximately one standard year's time, it will be stable enough to be mined from orbit. In approximately fifty-eight standard years' time, Volgor I's tidal and lithic cycles will return to something approaching normal.
Aurora has returned to patrol route. Uram-Komnol will remain here to monitor the geological events in progress until subsequent orders are received; this is a rare opportunity to observe high-energy geological transition at an accelerated rate.
-
Personal Log, Stardate 24069.2, Captain Ranir th'Nolet
(Andorian, Thaan)
Maybe I'll give it another year and then see where I'm at. If nothing else, Jasriss is a most engaging colleague to share this sector with.
[Gain SR colony site at Volgor I (located near the bottom of C5; 20 (30) sr/year), +5 sr; USS Aurora gains +1 Crew Rating (now Blooded)]
***
Captain's Log, Stardate 24071, USS Whale, Captain Toressa Lalen
(Renaissance, Alukk)
Whale is playing host to a delegation of Archeologists and Historians from across the Union's academic community.
It seems that recent information from Hayant's former officers, corroborated by chart data from Maiden Of Dawn, has provisionally settled a long running debate amongst Orion's historical community over the location of a Queassa-era Imperial research laboratory. And now they've requested Starfleet assistance in investigating the system that the laboratory is supposed to be in.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24073, USS Whale, Captain Toressa Lalen
(Renaissance, Alukk)
I've had to pull apart two distinguished professors in the middle of a literal slapfight over something that happened fifteen hundred years ago.
Personally, I don't care if Empress Queassa III was the legitimate claimant to the throne or if Emperor Martinon, "The Gorgeous", was a usurper or a legitimate step forward for men's rights. I just don't want my passengers literally fighting in the rec room.
There's no fighting in the rec room!
I've actually been forced to restrict these two old women to different decks in case they try to go at it again.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24075, USS Whale, Captain Toressa Lalen
(Renaissance, Alukk)
So the planetoid that we're supposed to be finding is missing.
This appears to have riled up our passengers.
We're going to continue our search, but I've requested that Summerstorm provide assistance in the matter. She's nearby, and command has agreed to my plan to divide our academics across both ships to reduce the chance of them coming to blows as we continue our search.
I've sold the plan to the academics as us splitting up their expertise as we cover more ground.
Personal Log, Toressa Lalen
(Orion, Female)
My brother and I left the Union when we were thirteen, so I apparently missed that the Orion academic community is serious business. With so much history, so much pride as a species, it's apparently common for those immersed in it to have… opinions. Powerful opinions, which Hayant's emergence and the Revolution did a lot to stir up and make as a proxy for current events.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24078, USS Whale, Captain Toressa Lalen
(Renaissance, Alukk)
The planetoid is still entirely missing. My science officer hypotheses that something involved in the laboratory's research has caused it to go missing.
Sadly, despite Summerstorm's assistance we haven't picked up any clues as to what happened half a millennium ago. Though we have prevented further fighting between our academics. So that's not nothing.
Still, I cannot wait to see these women and men home to their campuses.
[Event Failed. +1PP for keeping academics from murdering each other]
***
Personal Log, Stardate 24081, Captain Iliae Rurliss - USS Voshov
(Amarki, female)
I have arrived on Borandt, where I will be staying for the next week. Nalaxie greeted me at the spaceport ... with a giant banner, a band playing welcoming music, it was this whole big production. I appreciate the thought, but it felt like a little much?
Still, it is very nice to see her again. To finally be physically present with her again. And not just because -
[Captain Nalaxie]: "Huh? Rury, what're you doing awake?"
Writing a personal log.
[Nalaxie]: "Why?"
I wanted to get my thoughts down about how the day went?
[Nalaxie]: "Huh. Weird. You think you'll forget me?"
It's not that, it's... it's habit, at this point.
[Nalaxie]: "Ah. Lemme try -"
Personal Log, Stardate today, Captain Nalaxie - SS Naliss
(Sydraxian, female)
Dear diary -
[Iliae Rurliss]: "Two things: one, what's Naliss? Two, this is a log, not a diary, there's a difference."
Naliss is our 'ship, silly - Nalaxie plus Rurliss.
[Rurliss]: "Oh, so now you're captain of this ship?"
[laughter]
[Rurliss]: "...Is it just me, or did the heat just cut out?"
Computer, lights. ... okay. So, this is a brownout. We haven't had brownouts in years...
[Rurliss]: "Let's check it out."
-
"So, I'm thinking, maybe I should move here? Not now, but, like, after," Iliae Rurliss is saying, sitting in the nearest building with working power open at this hour - a karaoke bar twelve blocks away from their hotel. "It'd be easier on you, and to be honest, I wouldn't mind moving. I've rather liked what I've seen of this planet so far."
"So... here, the hotel, and a spaceport?" Nalaxie snarks. "Seriously, though ... not everyone's exactly going to be happy with you here. Not everyone's as open-minded as me." She eyes one patron in particular, a sydraxian with an artificial arm sitting two stools further down, who's glaring at her Amarki companion. "Honestly, maybe I should be the one to move? Get a liaison officer posting, perhaps? That'd put me on Vega, right? Vega was nice..."
"Did we even leave our hotel once on Vega?"
"Like I said, Vega was nice." Nalaxie says. "Well, we'll have, what, five years to figure it out?"
"You're sure you're fine with me going on another five-year-mission?" Rurliss asks, wrapping her arm around her girlfriend's shoulder.
"Trust me. I can handle it. Just so long as you don't get yourself killed out there."
"I've taken on godlike beings, an evil parallel universe, even the literal end of existence in this universe. I got this," Rurliss says.
"Oh, you got this, you say?" Nalaxie smirks. "Well, good, because after this gal finishes, we're up next."
"Hey, wait! You know I've got a terrible singing voice -"
"Too bad!" Nalaxie sings out, glee in her voice. "You get lead vocals on this one."
-
"I promise you, the power will be back on soon. In the meantime, care for some complimentary jerky?" the concierge at the hotel is saying as Iliae Rurliss and Nalaxie stroll back in, four hours later.
The small crowd of guests gathered in the lobby groans. Rurliss sighs, herself. "Well, so much for that. Either we go back to our room, or -"
Nalaxie doesn't even hesitate, instead stomping right up to the concierge desk. "Is that all the information you have for us?" she shouts.
"Ma'am, I understand that you're upset. We are doing our best to resolve the situation," the concierge says, his voice weary.
"Well, it clearly isn't good enough!" one of the other guests shouts out.
"As a Captain in the Sydraxian Defence Force and a trained engineer, I insist that you allow me and my companion to assist you," Nalaxie orders.
There's a long pause, and then the concierge sighs and slides the commline over to her. "Fine, you try," he mutters.
-
"Enjoying your tour of Borandt's scenic underground?" Nalaxie jokes to Iliae Rurliss as the two make their way down a utility access tunnel, flashlights out and lit, a borrowed toolkit in Rurliss's other hand, an hour later.
"Could be worse," the amarki says. "Kinda reminds me of the DC training course, back on the Perisher."
"Perisher? That's an ... ominous name for a ship."
"It's not a ship - well, not really. And that's not the official name. It's an orbital training facility, part of the Academy -" Rurliss says.
Nalaxie raises a hand; the two stop, peering around with their flashlights for a bit. "Sorry, thought I heard something. But anyways, Perisher, huh. Interesting. I'll have to look into that."
"Oh?"
"I've been offered a post with the War Academy, here on Borandt," Nalaxie says. "I think I might take it."
"Do you really want to leave Palarach?"
"She's a good ship, but I've had her for years, maybe it's time to give someone else a turn -"
"Don't let them take you off until you're absolutely ready to go."
"It'd be a good job, though. Molding the minds of young cadets, teaching them all that I've learned - all that we've learned... plus, it'd be stable, low-risk. And Palarach is getting a little dull, to be honest -"
It's Rurliss, this time, who signals for the two to stop. And this time, they're rewarded by a distinct hissing sound, and a brief glimpse of something in the tunnel.
"What was that?" Nalaxie asks.
"Mynock," Rurliss says. "I've seen them before; they feed on energy sources. We're probably close to their nest. ... we're also unarmed, and all we've got are whatever hand tools the concierge had on hand. I think we call this one in."
"Yeah, one problem with that," Nalaxie replies; her flashlight beam shines on four snarling, vicious-looking mynocks flying towards them.
"They're supposed to be pretty docile," Rurliss notes as the two start running for the nearest access shaft. "Dunno what's up with these? Maybe because we got so close to their nest, maybe because -"
"Less speculating, more running, please!" Nalaxie hisses. The mynocks are closing fast, but the door to the access shaft is just another dozen meters more...
When Nalaxie goes to open the door, the control fails to work. Of course. No power. "Fuck!"
Rurliss takes out a screwdriver, then passes the toolkit to Nalaxie. "You get the door, I'll hold them off," she says.
"With that?"
"Distract, then," Rurliss says, then steps out into the corridor, towards the mynocks.
-
Two hours later, and Iliae Rurliss is drifting in and out of sleep in a hospital bed, her face and arms swollen, covered in bite and claw marks from the mynocks. Nalaxie is standing beside the bed, holding her hand.
"How ... bad..." Rurliss starts to ask. It visibly hurts her to speak.
"Well, they're running another test to confirm it, but the medic says you tested positive for something called 'Vidotti spotted fever'. It's definitely treatable, but, well, there goes most of our vacation." Nalaxie sighs. "I'm sorry - I shouldn't have made us go down there alone. I should've known -"
Rurliss squeezes the sydraxian's hand. "Any ... one ... else ... bit?"
"Point. Just... would rather that you not have to be mynock bait," Nalaxie says. "Thanks for saving me back there."
"Love... you."
"Love you too. Now get some rest. I'll be right here for you."
-
First Officer's Log, Stardate 24084, USS Voshov - Commander Llyhua
(Excelsior-A, EC - Sydraxian space)
Voshov has responded to a Sydraxian freighter out of Borandt that's stranded in space. We discovered that the freighter suffered an infestation of mynocks, and are working to fix the problem.
[Gain +10 relations with Sydraxians (now 391/500)]
***
Captain's Log, Stardate 24095, USS Opportunity - Captain Shem th'Vhen
(Excelsior-A, IBZ)
The USS Chinook has detected an intruder inbound, from a vector originating just below the Eye of the Prophets nebula. The vessel's warp signature is unfamiliar, and was not detected until within our side of the borderzone. It could be an explorer from a new civilization, or it could be some new trick of the cardassians or imelak. Captain mav Stella will be holding position between the unknown contact and Hacitorus while this better equipped vessel moves to intercept, and the nearby Ashidi have already been alerted.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24095.5, USS Opportunity - Captain Shem th'Vhen
(Excelsior-A, IBZ)
The contact is not a vessel at all, but a small unmanned probe. The design is unfamiliar, but the computer circuitry is lined with an insulating compound that includes Uaquuo biomatter; apparently this is a common manufacturing technique for the Grand Host. The probe's automatic logs suggest that it has been running as silently as possible for over three days, before overclocking its warp engine, using up the last of its fuel in the process. The nacelles have undergone what engineering describes as a very hasty, but effective, modification to disguise the Uaquuo warp signature. More alarmingly, upon outside activation the probe's computer began transmitting the words "biological outbreak" on infinite replay.
There are no coordinates, just the message. Cross referencing our sensor readings with the Chinook's, the probe has moved in a straight line from its point of origin with only minimal pathfinding adjustments. We're on our way at maximum warp.
I've put the ship on yellow alert. Our course will be bringing us within an antenna's thickness of Imelak space, and depending on where the origin point is we're likely to be much closer to the Cardassian border than our own. This may well be a trap, but if so it's one we have no choice but to walk into, and there's no better vessel in this sector to thwart it.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24098.1, USS Opportunity - Captain Shem th'Vhen
(Excelsior-A, IBZ)
The vector brings us to the Last Whorl, a highly energized appendage of the Eye of the Prophet nebula that extends three light years out of the main cloud, held in place by the gravitational pull of the unstable binary star system that keeps it in a constant state of thermoradiological excitement. Long-ranged sensors are useless here, which makes the Whorl both the perfect place for an ambush, and the perfect place to hide from attackers. If this is the Opportunity's last transmission, Starfleet will know where it was that we met our fate.
-
"This water is too murky," Crewman Sanchez's voice spoke over the commlink, "I was on a Uaquuo ship before. There's something wrong."
"Biological outbreak." Petty Officer Monroe said curtly. He planted another heavy boot of his EV suit on the deck as he led the way forward, phaser rifle raised at the ready as his helmet swept across the intersection. The fluid they trudged through was a murky reddish brown, and even with their visor features they couldn't see more than a few meters ahead.
"It could be related to that, but most of these solutes don't seem to be biogenic." Junior Lieutenant Corrbanai indicated her sample tube and tricorder, both sealed in an extra layer of watertight flexible plasteel packaging. "This could just chemical pollution, from internal ship damage." Her type-III variant Starfleet EV suit was bulkier than the others', with exaggerated, bubble-shaped extensions around the joints to allow for features like fiiral tentacles or her own bony spikes. "Especially if they make equipment out of their own secretions."
"That's it for the command deck," Monroe said as they came back around the looping hallway to the door that led to the ship's bridge, whose consoles and holoprojectors mounted here and there on the three dimensional scaffolding that filled the watery, hemispherical room were all empty. He turned around to indicate the door opposite it, which tricorder readings indicated led to something like a turbolift shaft down to the lower decks.
If "deck" was even the right word. As Sanchez had been reminding them, Uaquuo ships had a unique internal layout.
"Hold on," Corrbanai said as her tricorder swerved toward the door in question. "I'm getting biosigns now. Hard to tell through the door, but...it looks Uaquuo."
Crewman ch'Varsa stepped forward and busied himself at the door mechanism. A moment later, the three, ornate petals rolled open and slid back into the walls, revealing the creature hanging in the water just behind it. Half of the away team cried out. At least one screamed. Before anyone could do more than that, the twitching, writhing mess of chitinous wires and tubular spines spun around in place and shot down into the shaft, propelling itself through the water with such force that Corrbanai and and ch'Varsa might have been knocked over had their EV boots not been magnetized to the floor.
"That was not a Uaquuo," Sanchez said, quietly.
"No shit," Monroe replied, stepping up to the gap and angling his weapon downward, cranking its spotlight up to full strength, "I think I know what it is, though. Monroe to Opportunity, you hearing?"
There was a rush of static, and then the voice of Lieutenant Commander Tok at the Opportunity's ops console. "Signal is clear enough. Report."
"We're returning to the transporter site awaiting reinforcements. We're going to need a lot more phasers."
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24098.3, USS Opportunity - Captain Shem th'Vhen
(Excelsior-A, IBZ)
The away team has confirmed the presence of a macroscopic imelak bioweapon aboard the derelict Uaquuo vessel. I've authorized thirty more security personnel to accompany them, as well as an expanded medical team; if any Uaquuo are still alive, some are likely to be in the early stages of infection.
The sensor buoy we left outside the Whorl has also alerted us to a Jaldun-II moving this way after Opportunity's ionized trail. It's unlikely they'll detect us as long as we stay inside, but if they follow the trail to this cloud they might just decide to come back with more ships.
-
They engaged their suits' thrusters, the first three crewmen launching themselves out of the water to land with a chorus of metallic clangs on the bridgelike platform just above the murky brown surface. They dropped to their knees, phasers pointing ahead, as the next row shot up with synchronized splashes and took their positions beside them.
In front of them, a short, pale skinned man, naked from head to toe and completely hairless save a shiny, silver mullet hanging from the back of his skull, stood with his back to them. Slowly, he raised his hands beside his head, fingers held out. An alien tricorder-analogue of some sort fell to the deck with a clang as he released it. On his right side, halfway down his milky chest, a smaller, third arm raised itself as well.
"You've found us," the alien said, his voice very low, smooth, and soft. Almost a silky whisper, "I was afraid the suppressing agent would expire."
Petty Officer Monroe strode out of the water beside the others, weapon craned upward. Hanging from the next platform above the pale, three-armed man were a pair of the bony, wiry, insectoid skeletons that had eluded them thus far. Their tall heads with plating-covered eye sockets halfway down, and the delicate, twisted wiring that made up their arms and legs, were just reminiscent enough of Uaquuo to tell the story of these creatures' origins. They remained still, hanging overhead, watching.
"Are you responsible for this?" Monroe barked. "Identify yourself!"
The three armed, naked man turned slowly around. His elongated, somewhat snoutlike face was slightly asymmetrical, one pearly eyeball higher than the other. "I'm former coordinator Boraes Wombson. And no, I am not responsible for this."
He pointed one of his normal-sized hands upward at the dripping, chitinous things. "I managed to assert control over these two. The others I hope have all been killed in the skirmish, or by yourselves. There are still one hundred and twenty-three Uaquuo and seven imelak who can be saved. All but me are in stasis."
He slowly brought his smaller arm to his stomach, and rubbed it nervously. Monroe now noticed a slight bulge beneath the skin. "I'm infected myself. I'll have to kill or freeze myself if the suppressant drug runs out. We were only able to synthesize enough for two more days."
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24098.4, USS Opportunity - Captain Shem th'Vhen
(Excelsior-A, IBZ)
Reluctantly, I've brought the Opportunity out of the nebula to confront the Cardassian ship and claimed freedom of navigation to conduct scientific research within the Whorl. I told the Gul that the rest of our task force is still occupied with our mission inside the nebula, but will happily emerge to take part in any disagreements between us.
I hope he bought it. If nothing else, he seemed taken aback to meet an Excelsior-A rather than a smaller ship. We're returning to the derelict Grand Host vessel Powlagra to restore contact with the expanded away team.
-
"You've encountered the Imposter before? How did this occur?"
Assistant Medical Officer Clyde wheeled on Boraes. "A chrystovian cargo ship. Another victim of yours that Starfleet had to rescue."
The imelak lowered his pronounced face and flicked his multiple pairs of eyelids. "I don't know about this incident. Imposters are only used in conjunction with more imminently debilitating pathogens." He paused for a moment. "Against other imelak. It is possible that the Aetherminds saw less need against those unfamiliar with our technology."
"It wasn't an attack," Clyde said as he took another set of readings from the Uaquuo female stretched out on the cot in front of them, "your government allowed some of the Imposter catalyst to be sold to smugglers who didn't know how to contain it."
"Ah. That would be more logical." Boraes handed him the laser scalpel he'd been holding and backed away to make room for another pair of Starfleet medics as they brought the new batch of suppressant the Opportunity had just synthesized. Boraes suddenly looked up as one of the holoprojectors flashed an Uaquuo message of some kind. "Your biotechnicians are remarkable! There are no symptoms of rejection this time. If my people had had more specialized experts or an expanded laboratory suite, perhaps we could have cured the uaquuo in time ourselves, but with so little prior knowledge-"
"We'll just take it as a compliment and leave it at that," Clyde said coldly.
There was a moment of silence as they prepared to operate. Things had been less tense since the security team had been given Boreas' permission to euthanize his two tame Imposters, but only barely.
"You are a human. Is this correct?"
Clyde looked back up at him from the last minute topical scan he was taking. "I am."
The imelak gave him a soft, sad smile. "There is so much I've wanted to discuss, with a human."
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24102, USS Opportunity - Captain Shem th'Vhen
(Excelsior-A, IBZ)
We are escorting the GHHV Powlagra back to Federation space, from whence the Uaquuo ship will be escorted home for its crew to receive more extended medical treatment. More than half of the crew have survived, several dozen of them with the help of the Opportunity's excellent medical officers and enlisted. We are also bringing back a small party of imelak who say they wish to seek asylum within the Federation.
The Uaquuo confirmed the imelak story. The Powlagra was sent on a secret mission to learn more about the origins of the Hishmeri in hopes of discovering weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Their search led them to a group of renegade imelak who had been living in secret inside of an asteroid after their ship was damaged by Scion Fleet bioweaponry during an attempted defection four years ago. Somehow, the Uaquuo were exposed to remnants of those bioweapons during their search of the asteroid.
The leader of the imelak, Coordinator Boraes, claims to be a "wombson," which is the imelak term for the products of sexual reproduction. This is apparently an infrequent occurrence. Boraes claims to have been taught suppressed history by his own wombson mother, and has shared it with both Starfleet and the Uaquuo.
[Gain +15 relations with Uaquuo (now at 100/100), 9 overflow into Distant Stars, 69/100 , +1 crew rating for Opportunity (now blooded), Captain Shem th'Vhen gains 1 elan (SPICE), Imelak history brief coming soon]
***
Captain's Log, Stardate 24103, USS Menand
(Kepler, SBZ)
A preliminary survey of the BXZ23 system by the Flabbjellah has revealed a scientific marvel. The first planet in the system was broken apart by a collision with another stellar object approximately one hundred and twenty five million years ago, breaking both into what became a high density asteroid belt around the star. What makes this asteroid belt of particular interest is that against all odds, the indigenous biosphere of BXZ23-I was not completely exterminated in the event. The Menand is now being dispatched to conduct more intensive research.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24110.3, USS Menand
(Kepler, SBZ)
Our first sublight cruise around the belt has corroborated the previous findings, and expanded on them with our expanded biosensor package. Seventy-eight asteroids have retained an atmosphere, and of those fifty-nine host microbial life and fourteen support advanced ecosystems. The two largest of those fourteen in particular, which we have dubbed Halanqui and Balanqui, have an irregular binary orbit that periodically causes their atmospheres to make contact. Perhaps unsurprisingly, these two are showing the greatest diversity as well as the highest concentration of biosigns.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24111.5, USS Menand
(Kepler, SBZ)
Some of the biological samples recovered from Balanqui are not indigenous to this former planetary system. In fact, they are already documented microbial and insect species indigenous to the Sydraxian homeworld. An away team was dispatched to the region of the asteroid that appears to be the "ground zero" point for this biological introduction, but we were forced to recall them almost immediately when attacked by large, reptilian predators with an incredible active camouflage trait that enables them to avoid detection even by standard tricorders. Ensign Zodi has been commended for recognizing the warning signs of the attacking organisms, which she refers to as "ghost serpents," before they could execute their ambush.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24112.3, USS Menand
(Kepler, SBZ)
With a better idea of what to look for, we have now discovered the ruins of an unlisted and very shoddily made sydraxian facility in an old magma dyke system below Balanqui's surface, last used twelve years and seven months ago. The ghost serpent is an animal of previously unknown origins that has appeared in gladiatorial arenas on Dar-Nakar on several occasions over the past thirty-some years. Ensign Zodi had been told stories and showed holorecordings of them by a locally famous uncle of hers who once fought them. Forensic analysis of the site indicates that the poachers grew overconfident, and their prey more cunning, until the hunters became the hunted.
Examination of the binary asteroids' native life has proven fascinating, and the foreign species accidentally introduced by the poachers have begun integrating themselves into the local environment; this may prove a useful case study in interplanetary biological introduction events. The Sydraxian government will likely appreciate this data point in its ongoing fight against reckless adventure-seeking.
[+10 pp, +3 relations with Sydraxia (now 394/500)]
***
Captain's Log, Stardate 24118, USS Challorn - Captain Hazag Daz-Hara
(Constellation-A, KBZ)
This vessel is responding to a distress call from an unaffiliated 'borderland' colony. They are reporting approaching Hishmeri vessels and are urgently requesting anyone's assistance.
-
Tactical Officer's Log, Stardate 24118.2, USS Challorn - Lieutenant Commander N'Herin
(Constellation-A, KBZ)
Despite what lines on a map might tell you, in this region of space there are still a few settlements that fall outside the authority of the Empire or the Federation. AX-445 is one of those. While there are benefits to independence, this attack demonstrates some of the drawbacks. No sensor nets to give them ample warning, no fleets on quick standby, no one watching to see if their transmitters go dark… it's quite rough.
Sector Command is sending us and the USS T'Laan to evaluate the situation and if possible, drive the Hishmeri back. If not possible, we are to to harass and observe them until heavier assets can arrive. While not a combat vessel, the T'Laan is well-suited to the scout and track role. And while the Challorn is far past her prime, the crew is motivated and knows the ship well. I'm sure we won't completely embarrass ourselves if an Andalusian jumps out of a nebula.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24119, USS T'Laan
(Kepler, KBZ)
Can't say I'm too happy about this one. I'm running one of the greenest crews in the fleet -- a few weeks earlier, and we'd have been cancelling our shakedown cruise to rush to this. And while we are alongside the venerable Challorn, I served on the Sappho. I know how combat treats Constellations.
Still, we can't just stand by and listen to a colony get wiped off the map. Klingons are sending a fleet as well, so here's hoping it's got K'Vorts instead of K'Tingas.
-
Tactical Officer's Log, Stardate 24122.1, USS Challorn
(Constellation-A, KBZ)
The Klingons are eager to fight the Hishmeri, and after Taggart's rebuff, they're supposedly eager to prove themselves as capable allies.
But my staff has brought up a few troubling questions. Where are the Klingons? Intelligence tells me Sector command has reported no trace of high-speed warp signatures. I've seen borderline arguments between science, tactical, and navigation as to how the Hishmeri managed to slip by the Klingon sensor nets to strike this colony, when there are easier targets. My interaction with the fleet liaison has offered no insight, either… Well. Maybe I should be a bit more fair. The fleet liaison is apparently working with a House fleet here, after all. Still, you'd expect them to be moving a little faster, since xenopsych reports that this house in particular is drumming the beat for war particularly hard.
...Oh no.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24122.8, USS T'Laan
(Kepler, KBZ)
Middle of a call with Captain Daz-Hara when Lieutenant Commander N'Herin suddenly comes up from the tactical lab and says we need to avoid entering the system. Says it like he's the captain, almost. I expected some sort of reprimand, but Daz-Hara simply nodded and issued the order.
A good thing, too. We adjusted course and dropped out of warp at the edge of the system. Our crew may be fresh, but by now they know their way around our sensor suite, and we discovered the House Antaak fleet was already in the system, in prepared ambush positions. There's no sign of any Hishmeri. And after we break through some jamming, Challorn's intel division talks to contacts on the ground who confirm the Klingons forced them to send the signal.
Now Captain Hazag Daz-Hara's deciding what to do.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24124, USS Challorn
(Constellation-A, KBZ)
It seems the Klingons hoped in our desire to help, we would overlook certain irregularities in the data. They were incorrect. However, the discovery of the ruse did not end the danger -- there was nothing stopping the Klingons from holding the colony hostage if they were desperate.
I hailed one of the Klingon vessels we had identified and asked to be put in touch with their commander. I observed some reluctance in their communication officer to comply with my request, but it was eventually granted. Klingon behaviour is subject to a wide range of variance despite supposedly being systematized under their code of honor, so I was unsure if the commander would deny what had occured, or admit to it freely.
It turned out to be the latter. He knew we could inform Klingon High Command what had occured. The mission was not sanctioned by the Chancellor or the High Council. I found this a relief, mostly because even with the element of surprise, success was not particularly guaranteed, and I frankly expect better ambushes of the Klingon Defense Force.
His hope was that by destroying Starfleet vessels and framing the Hishmeri, he could push us to accepting Klingon aid or even declare war on the Hishmeri. In such a conflict, Antaak's older vessels could be upgraded or replaced, and its warriors could earn glory in combat.
I convinced the commander of the foolhardy nature of his quest, and he stood down. I don't particularly have to hypothesize as to his fate. I am simply glad no other lives needed to be lost on this day. The colonists are glad to have been freed, and have provided us with a load of refisinite, useful for warp core reaction control assemblies.
[+20 pp, +10 sr; Challorn gains +1 crew rating (now Veteran)]
***
Captain's Log, Stardate 24125, USS Shh'hra, Captain Fhar Hrudn
(Kepler, Ferasa)
Here's the situation, we've just received a data packet from the Grand Fleet archives. Apparently during their current round of house cleaning they've come across some lost logs dating back to the [CoS Note: 1700s], something that got lost around the time of The Great Strike.
Apparently a number of the elite of that time pulled what my ops officer calls "Going Gault" (And I call a bad idea) and fled to found their own colony outside of government or syndicate control.
Either way, we have orders to meet up with Lightning and investigate the subsector that this colony was in.
Personal Log, Fhar Hrudn
(Caitian, Male)
I still think that having a ship named for a famous Caitian, captained by a Caitian, based in the Caitian home sector, is still a bit too on the nose.
And now we're investigating for a lost Caitian colony called "Free Ferasia"?
Someone out there has a sense of humour.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24127, USS Shh'hra, Captain Fhar Hrudn
(Kepler, Ferasa)
So anyway, I've been catching up on the historical logs that we've got while we Shh'hra and Lightning run our search patterns. We've… ah, we've completed 46% of our sweep and Captain Ames has finished 37% of theirs.
There's not a lot there, in the record, the "Free Ferasians" completely cut contact after the news of the Great Strike arrived, and the Grand Fleet has logs from a few check ups until the colony yelled at them to stay away forever. And, well, the Admirals at the time figured they had much better things to do than check up on a bunch of ideological fanatics.
Not that these logs outright say that, but I'm pretty certain that's what they were thinking, because these people. Whew. They were not down with the changes that society was undergoing.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24130, USS Shh'hra, Captain Fhar Hrudn
(Kepler, Ferasa)
Okay, right, so, Lightning found our colony site. We're on our way to help investigate the, apparently, long abandoned site.
It's currently abandoned. Captain Ames doesn't know why. The biosphere appears to be intact, the colony isn't suffering from weapons damage. No signs of social collapse or disease. It seems like they just… left one day. Got on ships and flew away en mass.
A heck of thing, something I'm pretty interested in looking into.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24132, USS Shh'hra, Captain Fhar Hrudn
(Kepler, "Free Ferasia")
Alright now, I could have told them this at the time, but the colony nearly collapsed because they really didn't respect the worth of labour. They actually had a slight die off early on because many of them refused to farm and sat around their luxury prefabs chewing 'leaf.
Actually, right, so we have the colony logs. Lightning found them before we arrived. The site was inhabited from roughly [CoS note: 1737 - 2019], when it saw a mass exodus to multiple unknown sites spinward and rimward for currently unknown reasons.
So, it seems that the early colonists ended up being forced to farm at gunpoint by the hired security services. I think it's something else that's a bit too on the nose, but Captain Ames assures me that that's not without precedent in the annals of Human colonization.
We are continuing our investigation.
Personal Log, Fhar Hrudn
(Caitian, Male)
I try to listen to Ann talk Earth history, I really do try, but it's just a bunch of unpronounceable words, one after another. I do try, I swear, but it's hard to follow sometimes when she talks about obscure transoceanic colonization facts.
-
Captain's Log, Stardate 24139, USS Shh'hra, Captain Fhar Hrudn
(Kepler, Ferasa)
Okay, yeah, there's way too much here for the three century occupation of this planet for us to get the full picture on our own. Captain Ames and I are submitting "Free Ferasia" to the Federation Science Council as a research colony site. There's a frankly ludicrous amount of stuff that's happened here.
For anyone that's curious, it seems that the reason that the "Free Ferasians" kept to themselves, even after having a starvation event, was because the news of the Great Strike made them lose their minds. Even the generally well regarded accommodation between the Strikers and the Colonial Authority was too much for them. And then after that initial ideological fervor faded, the colony had descended into what my Ops officer keeps calling feudalism -no matter how much Captain Ames says that this isn't feudalism.
So, there's a lot here, for whoever is eventually stationed here, to learn.
Personal Log, Fhar Hrudn
(Caitian, Male)
The feudalism argument is absolutely opaque. It's all such and such begat so and so, and whoever married whoever.
Ann says that it's not feudalism, but Matthews says that it's got the hallmarks like vassalage and a military aristocracy, but then Ann says that it lacks certain characteristics. And then Matthews gets excited and says "But there are Cat Knights, Captain! Cat Knights!" and polisci has never been my speciality, so I'm not really one for taking sides here.
At least it's done now and I can consign the whole argument into the memory hole and let those interested in the topic debate it.
[+5PP, Research Colony located at: -4b]
Challorn/T'Laan log written by @Iron Wolf, Voshov log written by @anon_user, Whale & Shh'hra logs written by @AKuz, and Opportunity, Menand, and Aurora/Uram-Komnol logs written by @Leila Hann
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- Location
- Outside the Box
- Pronouns
- She/Her
The Aura is a Centaur-B, not a Kepler.
- Location
- Patriarchova
Quite rare to see a minor power to send ships on secret missions, very nicely done say apart from majors powers, i'm a little surprise we don't see minor powers sending ships into our space for secret missions even if the Federation is pretty open about things in general.
Is there still large amount of Imelaks staying on the asteroid or that's all left of the defectors?
Was hoping to get some rps for unlocking some Imelaks biotech or perhaps we need to send another ship to make direct contact to evacuate the remaining Imelaks and loot all of their biotech.
Would be interesting to see Starfleet adapting some Imelak biotech, a little change in style.
- Location
- Illinois
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Not all bad at least, and no negative results.
Now that's always interesting.
Oh no. Oh no.
I'm going to say "oh no" here again because oh no.
The Imelak can't treat for their own bioweapons. This is bad.
Welcome aboard then.
Excellent!
Cat Knights!
- Location
- Outside the Box
- Pronouns
- She/Her
MEOW.
The ship is called Aurora, not Aura.
(fixed
I can lrn 2 spel? (Lol.)
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- Location
- Earth
USS Uram-Komnol / USS Aurora:
Oh, I love follow ups. They're one of my favourite things. Shows that the universe has permanence and isn't a 6 month old child. Aurora gets a second shot and this time was the charm. Rewards are good too, 30 SR colony, +5 SR right away, Aurora bloodied. C5 is right next to the Tauni, but that means it's right on the border with the HoH.
USS Whale / USS Summerstorm
Ladies, ladies please, there's no fighting in thewar rec room. Spooky missing planetoid though. Hope that doesn't come back to bite us. And I'll take 1pp over nothing.
USS Voshov
Mynocks! We need to find the portal into the Star Wars universe and shut it. Force abilities sound great and all but being infested by Midichlorians and having a few random force-sensitive individuals actively causing galactic upheaval every few decades isn't worth it. Not to mention the ruining of a romantic vacation. But if ruining vacations are worth 10pp...
USS Opportunity
Good on the Uaquuo for sending missions out. Un-good for getting infected by a bioweapon. If I heard "This water is too murky," and "Biological outbreak." within 60 seconds of each other, I'd ask for an emergency beam out and request nuking the offending vessel. That's regardless of EV suits or anything else. And that's definitely before the jump scare occurs.
Nice bluff on the Cardassians, guess they don't have solid intel on our fleet movements. Great rewards too. Opportunity and her captain gaining experience, resolving something that almost could be an Alien movie gone wrong. If that Cardassian ship decided to chase the Opportunity away, that away team better be intimately with "what not to do to re-enact human sci-fi horror movies."
USS Menand
Nobody tell the Imelak about the creatures with anti-tricorder camoflage! But otherwise 10pp and +3 relations is good.
USS Challorn / USS T'Laan
Challorn and captain Haagen-Daaz! But huge props to the tac officer for preventing the ambush. I really, really wished we had voted for Klingon involvement a few votes back. Chancellor Renhadd is attempting to institute reforms for better sophont treatment, but is opposed by Klingons following the old ways. His rule is unstable and could be toppled if he can't stay ahead of his enemies. Enemies that benefit from unrest and being stir-crazy about the lack of fighting. Renhadd would benefit from unifying the empire against an external enemy, like the Hishmeri. But the Klingon empire has been weakened by the war with the Romulans and SUPER afraid of the UFP. We as the UFP have heavily voted for intervention whenever a power tries to bully someone not in their weight-class. The Klingons are no longer strong enough to take peer power like the Romulans and are afraid of us smacking them if they hit minor powers. I'm not surprised someone tried to make a pressure release valve via a limited war with the Hishmeri, with UFP support and approval. Though I hope Okaar makes a formal complaint diplomatically, because no repercussions means they can just try again. The 20pp is some delicious council recognition though.
USS Shh'hra / USS Lightning
Fhar Hrudn someone is genre savvy. If we're not careful, they might infer the quest's existence! But first, Cat Knights! A research colony found, 5pp, and a note in crewman Matthews records to station him away from the Felis and Shan'purr to prevent diplomatic incidents. Also possibly Cat Game of Thrones.
Oh, I love follow ups. They're one of my favourite things. Shows that the universe has permanence and isn't a 6 month old child. Aurora gets a second shot and this time was the charm. Rewards are good too, 30 SR colony, +5 SR right away, Aurora bloodied. C5 is right next to the Tauni, but that means it's right on the border with the HoH.
USS Whale / USS Summerstorm
Ladies, ladies please, there's no fighting in the
USS Voshov
Mynocks! We need to find the portal into the Star Wars universe and shut it. Force abilities sound great and all but being infested by Midichlorians and having a few random force-sensitive individuals actively causing galactic upheaval every few decades isn't worth it. Not to mention the ruining of a romantic vacation. But if ruining vacations are worth 10pp...
USS Opportunity
Good on the Uaquuo for sending missions out. Un-good for getting infected by a bioweapon. If I heard "This water is too murky," and "Biological outbreak." within 60 seconds of each other, I'd ask for an emergency beam out and request nuking the offending vessel. That's regardless of EV suits or anything else. And that's definitely before the jump scare occurs.
Nice bluff on the Cardassians, guess they don't have solid intel on our fleet movements. Great rewards too. Opportunity and her captain gaining experience, resolving something that almost could be an Alien movie gone wrong. If that Cardassian ship decided to chase the Opportunity away, that away team better be intimately with "what not to do to re-enact human sci-fi horror movies."
USS Menand
Nobody tell the Imelak about the creatures with anti-tricorder camoflage! But otherwise 10pp and +3 relations is good.
USS Challorn / USS T'Laan
Challorn and captain Haagen-Daaz! But huge props to the tac officer for preventing the ambush. I really, really wished we had voted for Klingon involvement a few votes back. Chancellor Renhadd is attempting to institute reforms for better sophont treatment, but is opposed by Klingons following the old ways. His rule is unstable and could be toppled if he can't stay ahead of his enemies. Enemies that benefit from unrest and being stir-crazy about the lack of fighting. Renhadd would benefit from unifying the empire against an external enemy, like the Hishmeri. But the Klingon empire has been weakened by the war with the Romulans and SUPER afraid of the UFP. We as the UFP have heavily voted for intervention whenever a power tries to bully someone not in their weight-class. The Klingons are no longer strong enough to take peer power like the Romulans and are afraid of us smacking them if they hit minor powers. I'm not surprised someone tried to make a pressure release valve via a limited war with the Hishmeri, with UFP support and approval. Though I hope Okaar makes a formal complaint diplomatically, because no repercussions means they can just try again. The 20pp is some delicious council recognition though.
USS Shh'hra / USS Lightning
Fhar Hrudn someone is genre savvy. If we're not careful, they might infer the quest's existence! But first, Cat Knights! A research colony found, 5pp, and a note in crewman Matthews records to station him away from the Felis and Shan'purr to prevent diplomatic incidents. Also possibly Cat Game of Thrones.
Is it just me, or does this make anyone else think the speaker is not noticing really unpleasant precedents?
Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
This make me wonder how close the other 5 constellations we had since the start of the quest are to becoming Veteran.
AKuz
Been Better
- Location
- A Rising Tide of Horrors
- Pronouns
- She/Her
To be a bit more fair Caitian society was going through a great deal of labour unrest at the time which resulted in The Great Strike which fundamentally altered the relations between capital and labour in Caitian Society. To elites that's super scary and it's probably time to get out before the mob literally eats you.
To be less fair any idiot could have told them what the result would be.
Imagine Hrudn always speaking leaning on a bar top, one hand rubbing his forehead in vague frustration, as he nurses a beer. I call his style "conversational grimace"
And the Shanpurr are less cats and more sugar glider foxes. > : V
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- Location
- Patriarchova
How can you take sotaw POWs if you haven't fought them?
Somehow I imagine they were told but did not want to hear.
- Location
- Germany
- Pronouns
- He/Him
The official story is 'with all hands lost'. I don't expect survivors from the runabouts popping up later.
Night
Widow Null
- Location
- Hoff
I see Hykal has finally appeared in the thread.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Leslie:
"WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG."
[gesticulates wildly]
[takes off uniform jacket, points to admiral insignia, drops jacket on floor]
"But seriously, it isn't the first time it happened, and it probably won't be the last unless we all get eaten by mind control computers. Don't beat yourself up."
We have lots of Tellarite captains but what I'd really like to see if the opportunity ever comes up would be a sort of 'deep dive' of what it's like to be a Tellarite beyond "short and seemingly grumpy." What's their inner mental life like as they're throwing all these insults and quips and epic burns around?
This isn't really disagreement with you, but...
What it comes down to is that as long as the Harmony exists in its present state, we can't feel safe about the Singers, for two reasons.
Firstly, we can't just settle for the defensive goal of not being mind controlled ourselves. Because the Harmony has all the tools it needs to be unobtrusive and very effective at subverting outsiders, and if nothing else we owe it to their neighbor polities to make sure they know exactly what they're dealing with. Since all it really takes is for them to somehow convince the neighbors that the Federation is telling an elaborate hoax, and there goes the neighborhood. This is compounded by their threat to any species using cyberware- which is quite a few of the nearby species, and others might want to adopt the technology later.
Secondly, because the situation of having tens of billions of Harmony citizens totally unaware and in denial of the reality of the Singers is... I honestly don't think we can feel like we're doing okay if they're still in that situation. It makes it nearly impossible to interact meaningfully with the Harmony to know that negotiation with their chipped citizens is essentially meaningless. All that matter is if we can get through to speak to their managers. And it's repugnant to many. I mean, at least when you're ruled by Cardassians, you know you're ruled by an iron-fisted dictatorship. You may not be able to do anything about it, but you're not in this weird delusional pretense-state where everyone outside your empire knows you're a slave and that talking to you is meaningless.
The Sandman
So Zetta Slowpoke
- Location
- Wherever I am, which isn't where I'm not
I think the way we explain to the Klingons why we don't want to guarantee war with the Hishmeri yet is this: we saw what a war on one front did to them and the Romulans, and given the nature of the Cardassians and the Horizon we can expect any war against the Hishmeri to quickly become a war on three. And that's assuming the Gorn, Ittick-ka, Breen, or any other opportunistic nations stay uninvolved.
This won't convince stupid Klingons, of course. But smarter ones will understand that a fight where everyone (including you) loses isn't one you want to have if you can avoid it without losing more than you would by fighting it.
This won't convince stupid Klingons, of course. But smarter ones will understand that a fight where everyone (including you) loses isn't one you want to have if you can avoid it without losing more than you would by fighting it.