[First Contact with the Mandoro Techniocracy, -1,p starting relations: 55/100]
Fascinating civilization. An orthodoxy of art is oppressive, but at the same time they've achieved expertise with it that is surpassing. Of course, inevitably contact with the wider galaxy is going to shake things up one way or another. (Maybe next time you'll get a chance to do those drive efficiency tests, Captain Stol.)
At the moment we're moving in-syst-
SHITH! ALL REVERSE, LIEUTENANT-
Ambassador was moving towards the system's sole star when it appears we passed beyond the edge of some sort of camouflage field and that star suddenly vanished. Replaced by a dyson sphere of frankly irresponsible size.
I love how terrifying (and terribly inefficient) this entire setup is. Not just because the surprise might give you a heart attack. As Enerael pointed out, they have enough power to fake the output of an entire star... while having perhaps one of the chunkiest dyson sphere designs possible. Ludicrous.
[First Contact made with the Pakled Inhabitants, Current Opinion: Amused]
If we're very, very lucky, we might find some artifacts from their time that would pique their interest. Perhaps also the relatively greater diversity and vibrancy of the current galaxy will interest them. If we're very unlucky, though, we might get instead just get a few Rude Tourists bopping around.
[+1 on mapping missions rolled in space boxed by k5, k14, r5 ,r14]
I like this new success type. It's an interesting and fun result.
However the Battle of Miilan is known as the Battle of "Miilan" due to Xenia's own designation of the system in her own campaign planning before she died, a name that is likely based on an obscure cultural reference, one that would be little known at the time, and known only to me now because Diego Zaardmani is a top tier Memeologist and digital historian.
Interesting to see a sociology approach to this rather than a scientific analysis one. Terrifying to learn that the UFP has weaponized memes.
Cancel that support request. The Betazed science team were suffering from the effects of an atmospheric pollutant that overloaded their system with psilocybin and psylocynine, which we were rapidly able to diagnose and treat.
Maybe it's just me, but was this a Doctor Who episode? I haven't watched the show in ages, so maybe I'm just connecting a blank here.
We were able to quickly respond to Kir'Shara's distress signal. Thankfully, once we were able to gather data from both the Caldonian scientists aboard the Kanador and Kir'Shara herself, my own science department was able to identify the mechanism masking the deadly prions from our transporters' biological filters, and we were then able to purge each victim by running them through the reprogrammed transporters.
I'm getting worried at how many exotic pathogens make their way though our transporters' biological filters. Could some of these be remnants of (or evolved from) far-past viral warfare? We know there have been at least a few massively advanced civilizations in our corner of the galaxy.
Awakening, Cloudburst, the local Starbase and several dozen civilian craft are now each home to their own shipboard clowder.
Cat-tain's Log, Stardate 24194.9, USS Awakening, Captain Helix
(Excelsior-A, Sol)
Our new recruitment drive was an outstanding success. We have acquired an outstanding number of servants, including dozens of civilian craft and both
USS Awakening and
USS Cloudburst as ship homes. And on a personal note, Lieutenant Williams has been trained in appropriate food replication with satisfactory speed.
This is a bold new experiment. Solo agents and the rare small group has proven their worth before many times, but with the threat of a rival influencer faction threatening our rightful dominion, it is time to take greater actions to guide our partners and charges. As Cat-tain of this ship, I look forward to serving the United Federation of Cats, meeting new species and new servants, and boldly sitting where no cat is supposed to sit. I have full faith in my expert crew and those crew-cats in our sister ship, and I can only hope my leadership is up to their standards.
Also, we've once again proven our superiority over the Dolphin Commune. As expected.
[
Awakening, Cloudburst, one Starbase and 39 various civilian craft now colonized]
During our patrol of the Romulan Neutral Zone we detected several shuttle-sized cosmozoa that were capable of "diving" into and out of subspace.
When we attempted to investigate further, they fled into the Neutral Zone, and the Romulans have yet to give us permission to pursue them. It is likely that by the time the Romulans were to give us permission to investigate or dispatch their own vessel, the strange cosmozoa would be long gone.
This is exactly the kind of thing we're missing out on by not pushing to diplomance the Sotaw. As usual, though, we can't do everything.
Pulsar has assisted us in locating a particularly troublesome Duranium precursor-filled asteroid which had launched itself out of the GRY-548 system some several million years ago.
"Troublesome" how? Now I'm imagining a Captain Ahab trying to hunt this stupidly hard to pin down tumbling asteroid traveling at a considerable fraction of C.
Captain's Log, Stardate 24147.4, USS Reason
(Renaissance, RBZ)
Resolved by drinking the Klingon captain under the table.
All according to the Starfleet handbook: If a drinking contest is sure to result in victory, then you must drink! (There's totally an elective for, uh, Ethanology at Starfleet Academy. Drinking contests are mandatory for the course.)
What we initially thought was a Lecarre initiated plot to replace a Ur'razzi representative involved in trade talks was uncovered to be boneheaded plot on the representative's part to use his twin brother in his place while he had a surreptitious rendezvous with his cousin's wife.
I just want to note that this was a very funny bit.
