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SUBMITTED: Stardate: 99579.6

FILED BY: CAPT Jadrys Itana

SECURITY: Level 1 - Open

LOCATION: Spatial Anomaly J-7552

MISSION: Continuing Deep Centaurus Expedition initiative.

OUTCOME: USS Copernicus escapes a spatial anomaly through a complex procedure.

KEY PERSONNEL:

CMDR Yma Quispe
LT Sey Cathalc
LT Cassiopeia Huynh
DR Yulia Zvizdaryk
COUN Elyxia Sudet
Long-Term Medical Hologram

NARRATIVE: This report serves to document our study of spatial anomaly J-7552. This anomaly is classified as an interphasic repeater and was discovered during the course of our survey.

J-7552 is an occurrence related to a spatial interphase. In a typical interphasic rift phenomenon, parallel universes on different dimensional planes overlap and fracture along the bounds of a central "void." The structure of J-7552 is significantly less organized and results in irregular interphasic pulses of variable intensity and reach, creating short-lived and deleterious periods of interphasic exposure in realspace within proximity to the rift as spacetime is randomly stressed. These pulses are associated with bursts of extreme subspace shear, disrupting warp field formation. These properties were not apparent upon our first approach, when Copernicus first identified J-7552 as an unusually large spatial interphase and held at what we presumed to be a safe distance to study it through sensor probes and remote analyses.

As we undertook research, it became apparent that the phenomenon was having some effect on the crew, first manifested in a modest increase in reports of dizziness in Sickbay. The repeater's pulsation phenomenon then intensified significantly. The key deleterious effect of interphasic exposure is immense pressure on the nervous system, manifesting as intense paranoia and hallucinations, in this case triggered through the interphasic phenomenon's interactions with the optic nerve. We were unable to generate a warp field, but DR Zvizdaryk and the ship's Long-Term Medical Hologram were able to mitigate the negative effects on the crew by inducing shipwide unconsciousness by adjusting the environmental controls to distribute a mixture of Theragen diluted with a type of herbal tea.

Three individuals were unaffected by the phenomenon:

* CMDR Quispe, whose optic nerves are governed by residual Borg implants capable of adapting to interphasic phenomena;
* LT Cathalc, who as an Arkonian has a nerve and brain structure unaffected by the phenomenon beyond a ringing in the ears; and
* The Long-Term Medical Hologram (ver. Bashir), being a photonic entity.

These three crew members quickly determined that the crew could be immediately relieved of the effects of the repeater by re-engaging power and withdrawing to a distance of two light years. However, continuous subspace shear had caused the warp core to go offline, while disrupting secondary power systems. With propulsion offline, CMDR Quispe ordered LT Cathalc to report to the bridge and utilize maneuvering thrusters to reorient the ship for rapid exit as soon as possible, before herself reporting to Engineering in an effort to restart the warp core.

Per CMDR Quispe's reporting, it became apparent that the complex subspatial and interphasic interactions with the warp core made conventional and advanced jump-starting methods inadvisable. Of the officers aboard, only Chief Engineer LT Huynh had the necessary expertise to create a modulated warp bubble capable of adjusting its configuration to withstand the repeater while not destroying the ship in transit. Waking LT Huynh would be impossible due to the deleterious effects of interphasic exposure. In response to this challenge, CMDR Quispe and the LTMH prepared a neural linkage - essentially allowing CMDR Quispe to utilize her residual Borg systems and a modified medical-issue cortical monitor to create a temporary "collective" with the unconscious LT Huynh, allowing her to interface with her submerged consciousness and access the information needed to prepare the warp bubble. As the linkage required LCDR Quispe to be in both-hands communication with LT Huynh, the information she accessed was relayed via comms to LT Cathalc, who input directions into the system and established the bubble.

The linkage process allowed the crew to bring the warp core online and restore main propulsion. LT Cathalc immediately exited the anomaly's halo at best possible speed and withdrew the ship to a distance of 2.4 light years. The LTMH then supervised the recovery of CMDR Quispe and LT Huynh before treating and reviving the crew.

In the wake of this phenomenon, I ordered a warning buoy with an effective communication range of three light-years to be placed in proximity to J-7552, cautioning approaching vessels of the anomaly's deleterious effects. I have also dispatched a long-duration probe to gather data on the phenomenon safely, allowing us to gather data without any further interphase exposure for the crew.

On another note, while I acknowledge CMDR Quispe and the LTMH for their innovative solution in accessing LT Huynh's knowledge, I am also deeply cognizant of the violation of LT Huynh's mental and physical factors involved in the procedure, essentially akin to a mind-meld. Both officers involved report feelings of deep discomfort and post-traumatic anxiety, LT Huynh from the sense of being briefly but involuntarily assimilated and having her innermost thoughts available to someone else, CMDR Quispe from the perceived necessity of reliving her past as a Borg drone and violating the bodily autonomy of a crew member she respects and considers a colleague. LT Huynh has assured me that she does not view the incident as a grievance and understands why the action was taken, but both have been left with complex and uncomfortable personal feelings. I have referred the matter to COUN Sudet and am aware that both are undergoing trauma counseling, both individually and in joint sessions, and I have made myself available to both officers to provide any support and wellness assistance either need. LT Huynh, after six days of physical and emotional recovery from the incident, resumed her duties to the fullest level of capability.

Vitally, CMDR Quispe - along with DR Zvizdaryk and the LTMH - have addressed my concern that the linkage procedure may have allowed the Commander to access personal or intimate memories unrelated to the mission. By my understanding, the linkage was deliberately modulated to be both partial and ephemeral - that is, CMDR Quispe would be able to share in LT Huynh's knowledge only during the moment of linkage, directed only by conscious effort to areas she sought to access, and with such knowledge stored in what amounts to "temporary memory" in CMDR Quispe's cortical memory buffer. These contents were essentially "wiped" upon disconnection, hence the necessity to repeat instructions directly to LT Cathalc (as the knowledge would be lost upon disconnection). I have discussed these findings with LT Huynh and we both share the opinion that we are satisfied by the careful steps taken to recognize the seriousness of the procedure and the need to safeguard the Lieutenant's privacy.

RECOMMENDATION: N/A



OOC:

SUBMITTED: Stardate: 100421.3

FILED BY: CAPT Jadrys Itana

SECURITY: Level 1 - Open

LOCATION: HD 139449 System

MISSION: Continuing Deep Centaurus Expedition initiative.

OUTCOME: The Copernicus encounters a long-range missile system and makes contact with a major political power in the Loop 1 Bubble.

KEY PERSONNEL:

CAPT Jadrys Itana
LT Sey Cathalc
LT Hussein al-Absi
LT Cassiopeia Huynh

NARRATIVE: This report will serve as an update on the progress of the Deep Centaurus Expedition.

Our passage through the Gould Belt created anticipated communications difficulties over long distances. Copernicus attempted to alleviate these difficulties by deploying three subspace amplifier beacons along our course, but these proved inadequate to carry signals through the high saturations of stellar radiation and interference presence in this very active star-forming region. We are able to transmit now following the successful mission of CMDR Soin and USS Haida behind us to deploy additional amplifier beacons through this area. We hope this will restore regular communications with taskforce command.

Since exiting the dense areas of the Lupus Dark Clouds, we have been under frequent long-range bombardment by what we can only describe as interstellar glide missiles. These projectiles were aimed at Copernicus any time we jumped out of warp within a certain multi-light-year radius. The projectiles, which utilized sensor ghosting and low-diameter transwarp conduits to propel high-explosive projectiles at approximately transwarp factor 40. The first attack was unexpected and resulted in damage to the engineering hull and several injured, but we identified techniques for intercepting subsequent attacks. As the projectiles are shielded from sensors, LT Al-Absi and LT Cathalc identified a means to detect the transwarp signatures generated as the glide vehicles re-entered normal velocity. These signatures could be resolved into trajectories and fed to the tactical sensors, allowing each glide vehicle to be shot down as it decelerated.

Our communication with the source of the vehicles was limited to an automated transmission from a probe, proclaiming a large radius of space a "primitive society protection zone." After several more of these automated attacks each time we exited warp, we identified the source of the glide vehicle fire to be a planet in the HD 139449 system, an F-type star. We set course for this planet to investigate.

LT Al-Absi and LT Huynh worked en route to devise a means to avoid detection by the automated system. En route to the system, Operations and Engineering built up a graviton charge, using it to artifically collapse the ship's warp bubble while flooding immediate space with graviton particles. This allowed Copernicus to "glide" into the system at full impulse while disguising the usual Cochrane smoothing associated with warp deceleration. No missiles were fired at us as we entered the system and identified two planets, both Class B and uninhabitable, along with several large asteroid groupings. The source of the missiles was quickly identified as a large facility orbiting the second planet. Scans revealed no lifesigns but indicated high levels of computer activity.

We were able to establish communication with the facility and, upon intercepting about a dozen more missiles, achieved a response from the facility computer. The system declined to identify itself beyond its initial designation but routed us through several relays, bringing us into communication with an individual resembling a five-foot-tall bipedal ground hornbill in a white and grey service uniform and a headset. The individual appeared startled but identified himself as Captain-Lieutenant Keer ka Hark of the Associated Star Pact Joint Defence Force. After brief introductions, the officer and three individuals of the same species appeared to review several logs before we were informed that the missile system was not intended to target us. Per Captain-Lieutenant Hark's explanation, the system is designed to target vessels associated with the Pyscillian Hierophany, whose "preacher probe" we intercepted earlier in our mission. Pyscillian vessels operate on warp field frequencies within a few nanocochranes of Federation ships, causing the system to mistake Copernicus for a Pyscillian vessel. Captain-Lieutenant Hark issued profuse apologies and assured us the system would be updated to exclude Federation warp signatures.

We took the opportunity to speak with this individual further, who explained that the Associated Star Pact is a multicultural and interplanetary treaty organization negotiated by his own species, an aviform race called the Kanu, and six neighbouring worlds. The Kanu appear to be the most significant power in this alliance, which appears analogous to our own Alliance and to past structures on many Federation member worlds. Defense systems like the one we encountered exist in numerous peripheral sectors and were put into place with the rationale of protecting pre-warp civilizations from intervention by the Pyscillians, whom Hark described as having a history of targeting such planets for conversion and "enslavement." We cannot fully corroborate these accusations but will bear them in mind. Hark's description of the Pact describes a very loose organization based on mutual cooperation in defense and trade among a group of democratically-governed planets.

Star charts we received from our contact with Hark indicate Copernicus is currently on a course that will take us along the edge of Pact member space, specifically passing a star system called Tassh (HD 193238). This system hosts a Pact installation identified as Starhook 47. While this course is at least 50 light years from now and we have a lot of ground to cover before then, I have determined that Copernicus will continue this course and attempt to conduct diplomatic overtures to the Pact in the Tassh system.

RECOMMENDATION: Continue to monitor the subspace relay chain to ensure contact is not lost across the Gould Belt.



OOC:

SUBMITTED: Stardate: 99640.7

FILED BY: CAPT Jadrys Itana

SECURITY: Level 1 - Open

LOCATION: FGC-N231 System

MISSION: Continuing Deep Centaurus Expedition initiative.

OUTCOME: The Copernicus encounters an entity confined within a microsingularity.

KEY PERSONNEL:

CAPT Jadrys Itana
COUN Elyxia Sudet

NARRATIVE: This serves to update Command on our survey of the FGC-N231 system.

System FGC-N231 is a Herbig star of spectral type A - a small young star with a substantial dust disc. While initially unremarkable, our survey revealed an astonishingly regular gulf in the debris ring, as if created by some unseen object encircling the star and clearing out dust as it passed. Further scans revealed a strong gravitational source. I ordered course set for the system to investigate the phenomenon.

Scans of the system revealed an incredibly small microsingularity, no more than a millimetre in diameter. By our understanding of this type of singularity, it should not be able to subsist in our reality for more than a very short time. However, readings indicated a perfectly stable phenomenon, with no signs of neutrino decay whatsoever. As we approached, Counselor Sudet expressed a feeling that we had been noticed by something that we could not place. We approached with caution, at which point the Counselor experienced a sudden emotional feedback reaction, which she described as a single endless scream of extreme intensity, centred on the microsingularity.

At this point, an entity appeared on the bridge of the Copernicus and advised us not to disturb "that one." The entity identified herself as Q. We can confirm that this is not the same Q encountered in the past by USS Enterprise or USS Voyager; this individual Q manifested as a woman of perhaps 20 with long black hair and a black cocktail dress, with a propensity for waving a cigarette holder around to punctuate her points.

This individual Q was predictably coy with details, but eventually revealed that the microsingularity was maintained by the Q Continuum as a permanent prison for an entity of extradimensional origin. Evidently the entity in question was one of several entities that entered the universe alongside several other non-corporeal lifeforms at some vague past point. The entity - whose name was described as "beyond your ability to vocalize" but was transcribed to us as "#^#", was compressed to the size of a micron and placed in the singularity as a containment vessel. Asked why such a corporeal method was chosen, Q's response was to roll her eyes and suggest we were "ahead of schedule" in this part of space, before resolving to move "that one" to "somewhere else." A predictable Q fingersnap ensued, at which point the microsingularity disappeared from our readings and Counselor Sudet reported no longer feeling the scream's presence. When we asked where the singularity had moved, Q simply answered that "you couldn't comprehend that even if I showed you."

Notwithstanding this individual Q's haughty demeanour, she then stated that Copernicus was bound for "areas of the galaxy that will test your limited imaginations" and expressed that observing us should be "great fun." At this point she left the bridge, leaving us with no microsingularity to analyze.

Subsequent review of records turned up reports filed by USS Enterprise-E approximately 48 years ago, concerning engagements with Q involving some form of historic conflict with various non-corporeal entities. While the details of that incident are incredibly vague, we suspect that the entity this Q was stewarding was in some way related to the entity the Enterprise crew identified as "0." We consider it somewhat unlikely that we will run into this creature again, but do consider it likely that the female Q will turn up to harass us again. I am reviewing records left by Captains Picard, Sisko and Janeway on how they managed relations with the Continuum and am increasingly convinced that the Sisko "punch him in the face" method may be valid here.

(Don't bet on it, sweetie. ~Q)


SUPPLEMENTAL, CAPT Jadrys: You see my point, Command.

RECOMMENDATION: Send a replicator pattern for headache medicine.



OOC:

This thread will serve as the master thread for narrative from the Deep Centaurus Expedition and the voyages of Captain Jadrys Itana of USS Copernicus. Its ongoing mission: To explore beyond the farthest human-charted stars of the Local Bubble and push deep into the constellations Centaurus and Lupus, to the Loop I Bubble.

SUBMITTED: Stardate: 99554.9

FILED BY: CAPT Jadrys Itana

SECURITY: Level 1 - Open

​
LOCATION: On approach to the Gould Belt
​
MISSION: Continuing Deep Centaurus Expedition initiative. ​
​
OUTCOME: Phase 2 of the Deep Centaurus Expedition to begin with arrival at the dark cloud and blue supergiant clusters of the Gould Belt, en route to the uncharted supershell beyond Antares.
​
KEY PERSONNEL:

CAPT Jadrys Itana, USS Copernicus
CAPT Ahash Ysec Harsk Laa, USS Vehaxein
CMDR Aienna Soin, USS Haida

​NARRATIVE: This report serves as an update on our current progress over the past week or thereabouts.

Upon reaching the landmark star of Eta Centauri, we entered Phase 2 of our mission, the approach to the broader Upper Centaurus-Lupus stellar association. The constellation Lupus has long been considered in Earth mythology to be an asterism associated with Centaurus, and this phase of the expedition will see us explore stars mainly in both Centaurus and Lupus en route coreward.

As of present, Antares is the most coreward known star system with connections to the Federation, but lies significantly closer to the quadrant divide than anything we are about to explore. While Antares is associated with the Loop I bubble - like our own Local Bubble, a supershell believed to have been largely cleared of heavy cases by supernovae - it remains more closely associated with the large band of dark clouds separating our bubble from Loop I. This spatial bubble has yet to be explored or even effectively surveyed due to both its distance from the Federation core and the difficulty of penetrating both the luminosity of the associated Scorpius-Centaurus OB star association (Sco OB2) and the densities of the dark clouds in the region (see also the song "Beyond Antares"). This region forms one part of the 3000-light-year-long Gould Belt, a significant star-forming region characterized by young luminous stars and dark clouds.

As we leave behind Ustavan space, we anticipate soon entering the broader Sco OB2 grouping. This is a region where we anticipate finding very little by way of new life and civilizations: We are passing through the Upper Centaurus-Lupus moving group, where most stars are about 15 million years old, far too young for intelligence as we know it. The large and short-lived B-type and O-type blue supergiants in this moving group are fairly well documented through long-range observation, though we anticipate finding smaller stellar types along the way and making ongoing observations of star formation within the existing dust cloud complexes. Nevertheless, Copernicus will maintain a relatively high rate of speed through this sector, anticipating a course through the Lupus Tunnel, an area where stellar dust intensity is lower.

Our approach to the moving group has brought us into increasing contact with "bands" of low-magnitude stellar dust being ejected from the moving group by solar winds. We have identified these dust streamers as the Therionic Drifts, consisting mainly of ejected dust blown out of Lupus-Centaurus by novae associated with the earlier novae of O-class stars within the moving group. The drifts have to date not impeded our progress, but resolution past them is impeded by their tendency to obscure and reflect sensor beams to some extent.

The difficulties associated with dark clouds and comm transmission largely explain why so little is known about the Loop I bubble. As we have approached, we have continued to take readings in the hopes of preparing charts in as much detail as possible. We have some comparables for what we might find - our own spatial bubble is highly populous and home to many older stars of ages and spectral types amenable to sentient and non-sentient life, and it is likely that these sorts of spatial cavities are generally favourable to life. We believe we have an opportunity, once we successfully pass through the Gould Belt, to explore what could very well be an entirely new complex of worlds, species and complexes. Observations from Antares and Starbase 91-Lyonesse have been very limited, but we will rely on what information is available to assist us.

We have formed up with CAPT Harsk Laa of the Vehaxein and CMDR Soin of the Haida for this leg of our journey. We will also deploy three subspace amplifier beacons as we pass through the Gould Belt to assist in communication.
​
RECOMMENDATION: Continue to monitor our progress.
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​

OOC:

SUBMITTED: Stardate: 99544.1

FILED BY: CAPT Jadrys Itana

SECURITY: Level 1 - Open

​
LOCATION: Mazraga star system
​
MISSION: Continuing Deep Copernicus Expedition initiative. ​
​
OUTCOME: The Copernicus makes contact with the Mazragans and discovers the source of the body ring in System J79.
​
KEY PERSONNEL:

CAPT Jadrys Itana
CMDR Yma Quispe
LT Elyxia Sudet

​NARRATIVE: This report serves to follow up on our discovery of a ring of corpses deposited around a brown dwarf in the FGC-J79 system.

After witnessing a drone barge dump more than 3,000 live beings into vacuum, and rescued as many as possible, we set course to follow the drone's energy trail. The vessel's course took it to the red dwarf system FGC-J77. This is a star system with seven planets and a mid-system asteroid belt. Our scans from range revealed substantial subspace radio traffic and signs of regular warp field usage.

As we approached the system, Copernicus analyzed a selection of comm traffic from the system. We discovered a few key points:

* The local species are known as the Mazragans and are endemic to the system's third planet, Mazraga. They form a single polity known as the Mazragan Consulate.
* The Mazragans are a broadly humanoid species distinctive for semi-aquatic traits - they have long stands of varying number of tendrils rather than hair, with complexions based on scales in shades of pale to dark silver, with various mottling colours along the tendrils. These colour variations denote regional phenotypes.
* Mazraga is a predominantly tropical-oceanic planet, with most population concentrated in a series of large archipelagoes and "coastal habitats" built in island shallows.
* The Mazragans have colonized at least two other bodies in their system on a large scale. Mazraga has a population of approximately 9.4 billion, while a gas giant moon around the fourth planet is home to 1 billion people and another moon orbiting the fifth planet is home to about 250 million.

Aside from entertainment broadcasts and routine communiques, we identified two recurring types of broadcast that stood out. The first consisted of what appeared to be political advertisements supporting the Consulate's political leader, one Consul Zeba Nulsh. These advertisements focused largely on the Consul's personal attributes and sloganeering of a nationalist character. The second category of broadcast consisted of a repeating border patrol alert advising that refugees "don't come" to Mazraga.

Upon arrival, we issued standard hails and were met with initial hostility by a border patrol ship, whose command staff appeared to assume we were transporting migrants. We clarified that our visit was of a diplomatic nature. While our intention was to investigate the evident genocide in FGC-J79, we opted for a diplomatic approach here, hoping to build channels to the Mazragans rather than alienating them initially. In any case, these overtures appeared to succeed: The border patrol officers accepted that we were on a diplomatic mission of contact and rapidly changed to a welcoming attitude, placing us in contact with a diplomatic team led by one Envoy Pelizal Deen.

I ordered a diplomatic team assembled to meet with Envoy Deen on one of the starbases orbiting the planet, while leading CMDR Quispe in command of Copernicus with orders to gather further data. While we docked at the starbase and the away team disembarked, the Copernicus continued to analyze sensor data and both comm and ship traffic, identifying a few more key points:

* The population of Mazraga and the other inhabited areas of the system are not uniformly Mazragan. No less than 47 orbital habitats were identified around the planet, of which 30 were dedicated almost exclusively to non-Mazragan lifeforms. The most common lifeform represented on these 30 habitats was consistent with the predominant species in the body ring.
* These 30 habitats demonstrated conditions unsuited to regular habitation: They appeared at first glance to resemble large-scale internment camps.
* Our scans identified the destination of the drone barge as one of these 30 stations. Further investigation revealed that each station had at least three such barges.
* The Mazragan border authority maintains an extremely regimented traffic control system. Visiting vessels are sorted into tourist and migrant vessels, with the former welcomed and the latter directed to one of the control stations. Further, the population of the planet itself was over 99% Mazragan. These factors spoke to an intention to segregate non-native species from the Mazragan population.

The away team's conversation with Envoy Deen was largely welcoming, but when we raised the issue of the drone transport, the Envoy explained that they were intended as transit vessels to assist "alien illegals" in "traveling to the settlement colonies." Per the Envoy's explanation, Mazraga has experienced significant inflows of interplanetary immigration following various crises in the region, including from Ustavan attacks on neighbouring worlds. The Envoy claimed that these migrants are transported to out-of-system colonies to homestead, in order to diminish strain on Mazragan land availability and public services. When we explained that we witnessed the drone barge dumping bodies into orbit along with 100 million others, he expressed what Coun. Sudet described as legitimate confusion.

Coun. Sudet's Betazoid insights proved crucial here: She identified that Envoy Deen genuinely believed what he was claiming and was as shocked as we were to hear about the mass deaths. The dinner was quickly wound down as the envoy professed to seek a response from upper levels of government. We returned to the Copernicus for the time being.

At this time, we received word that one of the rescuees from the drone barge had regained consciousness. Myself, Coun. Sudet and Dr. Zvizdaryk spoke to the individual, who identified himself as Teshon, of the Pharathian species. Teshon explained that his homeworld had been conquered by the Ustavans years ago, prompting a mass exodus of hundreds of millions ahead of a devastating orbital bombardment. Many of these refugees, finding no welcome on other worlds, fled to Mazraga beginning about 40 years ago. While initially welcomed, the election of Nulsh about 30 years prior led to growing crackdowns on immigration and the eventual forced relocation of most "alien illegals" to the orbital habitats. Evidently Nulsh maintained power through subsequent elections predominantly through xenophobic rhetoric and scapegoating of other species for various Mazragan social ills, while promising to "restore Mazraga's glory" by "sending all the xenos home." Teshon explained that they were promised resettlement on an outlying colony, but those resettled are never heard from again.

Shortly thereafter, we discovered several hundred people congregated at the Copernicus airlock, most of them Pharathians and other aliens living in the lower quarters on the starbase, but also a handful of Mazragan officials. Representatives of this group requested asylum and ferry away from the system.

We are deeply cognizant of the Prime Directive and our duty to not interfere in the normal functioning of a civilization. However, we are dealing with a warp-capable civilization in the Mazragan Consulate, one which clearly maintains contact with other species. We are also deeply cognizant of our humanitarian duty to preserve life where possible. Ultimately, I judged that it is within the spirit of Starfleet regulations and codes of ethics to err on the side of mercy, particularly given that it would make no material difference to the Mazragan cultural makeup whether the individuals in question travelled away from the system by starship and lived, or whether they travelled away by drone barge and died. I therefore agreed to extend asylum to these refugees and ordered space be set aside for them in the ship's cargo areas.

The Copernicus was thereafter contacted by the office of Consul Nulsh, who proceeded to deliver a rambling monologue berating us for "playing make-believe" and "demonizing the Mazragan people," punctuated by various braggartry about his own track record. When we explained that we had agreed to grant asylum to several refugees, he offered to "give you all of them, if you want" and claimed they "bring drugs and crime."

Following this discussion, I agreed to meet with Consul Nulsh in person. With his staff's authorization, I transported to the Consul's office and explained that we would not be able to accommodate millions of refugees. During this conversation, Nulsh conceded that he and a handful of senior figures in his government were aware that no "outlying colony" existed, but claimed that "nothing of value is being lost" by killing "alien illegals" by the millions. Our discussion was brief before I returned to the Copernicus and ordered a course set out of the system.

I am deeply troubled by what we witnessed in this system. While it is my hope that Consul Nulsh will come to see the error of this approach, I am not particularly confident in that hope, and I am cognizant that it is not the place of this ship to foment political change on Mazraga. I can only hope that the natural and normal development of this system will move towards coexistence with non-Mazragan species. Judging from comments made to us via subspace pessage by Envoy Deen and by some of the Mazragan officials who requested asylum, it appears there are those in the Consulate who strongly disapprove of the politics of Nulsh.

We are currently en route to transfer our asylees to USS Hurutam for transport to Starbase 91. Mr. Teshon has asked to remain aboard as a civilian specialist in the hopes of learning more about the Federation and Starfleet, and I have agreed for the time being.
​
RECOMMENDATION: Monitor Mazragan comm traffic to determine if the ongoing genocide of migrants continues, with respect given to Prime Directive boundaries.

If encountering migrant transports in this region of space, advise them to avoid the Mazraga system.
​
​

OOC:

SUBMITTED: Stardate: 99530.5

FILED BY: CAPT Jadrys Itana

SECURITY: Level 1 - Open

​
LOCATION: System FGC-J79
​
MISSION: Continuing Deep Copernicus Expedition initiative. ​
​
OUTCOME: The Copernicus encounters a brown dwarf with an orbital ring consisting entirely of millions of bodies.
​
KEY PERSONNEL:

USS Copernicus crew in general

​NARRATIVE: This serves to update Command on our recent discovery in the Jindal 79 (FGC-J79) system.

Our initial survey of the system revealed a relatively ordinary star system consisting of a red dwarf primary and an outlying T-type brown dwarf, with a C-class planet on the outer edge of the habitable zone and a super-Neptune in the outer system, along with several minor bodies and asteroids. We detected no sign of life. However, sensors detected an unusual concentration of organic matter forming a ring around the brown giant. Further review revealed no sign of rocky material.

We quickly discovered that this ring was composed entirely of the corpses of no less than 47 species of aliens. Our current estimates note more than 100 million bodies orbiting the star, many of them having been present for at least three decades. We consider this figure to be an immense underestimate; it does not account for bodies broken down with time by radiation from the star, pulled into its gravity well or otherwise lost to spatial figures. The number is nevertheless sufficient that the bodies and exuded biofluids have formed a loose ring around the brown dwarf.

No natural phenomena on record would be capable of causing this. We proceeded to gather as much data as possible, including bringing several bodies aboard for analysis. Medical scans revealed that those we retrieved died from a combination of vacuum exposure and irradiation, suggesting they had been simply transported or dumped into space alive.

This was confirmed within six hours of our arrival in the system. While gathering readings, sensors observed a large craft drop out of warp at the farthest edge of the brown dwarf's gravity well. The vessel appeared configured as a cargo barge and did not respond to hails, and subsequent scans would confirm that it was in fact an automated vessel. Before we could move closer, the transport entered orbit and opened its cargo bays, depositing no fewer than 3,000 live individuals into stellar orbit before veering away and re-entering warp.

I ordered the recovery of as many people as the Copernicus could muster, including bringing all shuttles and flyers online to try and increase transporter capacity as quickly as possible. However, the ranges and volumes involved made it impossible to rescue more than a small number. We anticipated a window of perhaps 90 seconds before the individuals would die of asphyxiation, based on typical humanoid physiology. I regret to report that of those we beamed aboard, we have just fifteen survivors, the majority of them with serious decompression injuries and various stages of inoperable brain and physical injuries.

Of the survivors, we have hopes that three individuals will make a full recovery, two of them adult men and one a female child. They are of humanoid species we have not encountered, but are broadly consistent with the most frequently-encountered species among the ring bodies. This species makes up approximately 70% of all orbiting bodies.

We are continuing to treat the survivors. In addition, though the drone transport rapidly re-entered warp and attempted to engage a scattering field to mask its ion trail, we have isolated its trajectory and detected a faint energy trail that has allowed us to triangulate a course to a nearby red dwarf system. I have ordered a course set for this system to further investigate.

It appears that we are dealing with a genocide of immense scale. We are cognizant of the Prime Directive and Starfleet policies concerning non-interference in the internal affairs of other species; however, as we are clearly dealing with a warp-capable species, we feel it pertinent to investigate why living beings are being dumped around a star in such horrifying volumes. To date, our only conclusion is that this does not appear related to either the Ustavan or Garshaan civilizations: The drone ship we identified was of significantly different metallurgical and power-signature configuration than either we have encountered, and we detected neither species among the ring dead.
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RECOMMENDATION: Continue to monitor the situation and await further report on the cause of the ring deaths.
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OOC:

[Known ships in class:]

Hetman-class Starship
Fast multi-mission cruiser

Starship Specifications: ShowHide

GENERAL INFORMATION Class Hetman Designation Fast multi-mission cruiser Hull Duration 100+ years Time Between Refits 25 years for major replacementss Time Between Resupply 5-7 years	PERSONNEL Officers 122 Enlisted Crew 605 Civilians 0 Marines/MACO 0 Evacuation Limit 2,700
DIMENSIONS Length 751 metres Height ~90 metres Width ~225 metres Decks 24 (22 habitable)	WEAPONS AND DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS Shields 28x shield grids generating 13,600 MW Weapon Systems At launch: 16x Type XIV phaser beam array Refit: 6x Type XV-C burst phaser beam array 10x Type XIV phaser beam array Torpedo Armament 4x multi-purpose photon torpedo tube, 2x forward-firing, 2x aft 1x twin-bore rotary quantum torpedo turret, ventral mount
SCIENTIFIC SYSTEMS Sensor Systems 56x tactical sensor systems 20x multipurpose interchangeable sensor pallets Scientific Laboratories 30x multipurpose laboratory facilities 1x stellar cartography bay Probe Systems Class I through X probes available	PROPULSION SYSTEMS Engine Configuration Launch: -- 1x Yoyodyne SSWR-40 M/AM warp core powering 2x Mitsubishi-Thylliash MAM-9900 warp nacelles -- 1x Ares Dynamics Challenger-5F adaptive impulse drive Refit: -- 1x Yoyodyne SSWR-45 M/AM warp core powering 2x Yoyodyne Swallowtail nacelle assemblies -- 1x Ares Dynamics Challenger-7B adaptive impulse drive, dual-outlet configuration Cruise Speed Normal: Warp 7.5 Maximum: Warp 9.5 (launch), warp 9.6 refit Maximum Sustainable Speeds Launch: Warp 9.977 for 6 hours Refit: Warp 9.968 for 12 hours; slipstream 27 in short bursts Emergency Speed Warp 9.977
CREW SUPPORT SYSTEMS Medical Support Systems Standard infirmary facilities (10x standard beds, 2x advanced biobed) 2x intensive care units 3x surgical suites 1x null-grav therapy ward 1x dental care office Full-deck emergency medical hologram infrastructure Recreational Systems 4x standard holodecks and 8x holosuites 1x weight room and physical activity space 1x forward lounge area Crew Quarters Capacity for up to 750 regular crew	AUXILIARY CRAFT Shuttlebays 2x standard shuttlebay in saucer, capacity for six shuttles Small Auxiliary Craft 6x Type 11 shuttle 4x shuttlepod or work bee Large Auxiliary Craft 1x captain's yacht

The ships of the Hetman class were commissioned between 2400 and 2405 as part of a program of up-armament in preparation for an anticipated conflict with the Klingons. They represent an early venture into modern Starfleet design principles as well as an evolution of the more combat-focused Sovereign-class fleet cruisers, designed with an eye towards acting as a "fast Sovereign" in 25th-century conflicts.

Procurement for the class began in the late 2380s under Starfleet's Cruiser, Multirole (CMR) competition. Program finalists were rapidly winnowed down to Austal Galactic, offering an unusual "space whale" design that would lead directly to the bulkier star cruisers of the Klingon War era, and Koenig-Prax-Nelok Star Dynamics (KPN) offering a highly streamlined "hot rod" design with linear similarities to the Sovereign and Regent classes. Prototypes of each ship were holotested at Utopia Planitia, with the Austal design being rejected on grounds of inferior defensive coverage. KPN was allocated yard space at Utopia Planitia to begin construction as of 2395, with the first ship of the class entering service in 2401. The class name - a Ukrainian term for a leader of Cossacks - reflects the class's clear Sovereign lineage.

On paper the Hetman ships are classified as "fast multi-mission cruisers," but in practice they were fielded as fast battlecruisers with amphibious assault capability. The baseline Hetman was a highly streamlined ship designed to produce a low-profile, elongated warp bubble, driven by a high-powered, wide-aperture deflector. This geometry minimizes Cochrane deformation even at extremely high warp speeds but also draws more heavily on the ships' power reserves. In its initial configuration, the ship was propelled at superluminal velocities by high-powered Mitsubishi-Thylliash MAM-9900 nacelles. This configuration was intended to deliver high burst speed for extremely fast response times.

At launch, the Hetmans were among the fastest ships in Starfleet at their top speed. However, their top speed could be maintained for no more than six hours, with cruising speeds being more in line with those expected of ships such as the Sovereign. This suited Starfleet fine at the time: It allowed the ships to act as fast offensive platforms, warping rapidly into combat zones and striking fast with heavy phaser and torpedo armament. The Hetmans were designed "for but not with" laboratory facilities, a euphemism designed to obscure that significant open space was left inside the hull for boarding troops and weapons: The ships were designed to carry up to 250 MACOs and their associated equipment. A single Hetman was theoretically capable of capturing and holding a major starbase with only the troops aboard.

The Hetmans served effectively in their role throughout the Klingon War, appearing prominently in a number of major battles and fleet actions. In particular, USS Tlatoani spearheaded a major operation against Klingon positions in the Dorala sector, successfully destroying a major shipyard and forestalling a campaign against Federation worlds in the nearby Alpha Lyncis Sector. However, the high power and acceleration stresses involved in frequent ultra-high-warp bursts resulted in the ships suffering significant nacelle pylon stresses. These problems were made horrifically apparent by the loss of USS Cacique in 2413: The ship was destroyed with all hands when her starboard pylon broke off at maximum warp. A subsequent investigation revealed all ships of the class were experiencing pylon microfracturing. The class was drydocked pending a complete pylon and nacelle replacement. The Starfleet Corps of Engineers recommended the replacement of the MAM-9900 nacelles with the more efficient Yoyodyne Swallowtail. This replacement reduced the ships' extremely high top speeds somewhat, while prolonging cruising duration and reducing stress on the pylons to levels easily accountable for by nominal adjustments to the structural integrity field.

Alongside these modifications, a transition to dedicated carrier ships like the Presidio class of command cruisers led Starfleet to order the MACO facilities removed from all ships of the class, to be replaced with science and sensor analysis facilities. This was largely seen as a political directive from the Federation government, recognizing the need for explorers following the wind-down of conflicts with the Iconians and the reduction of ongoing war efforts to task force-level engagements. Further computerization modifications reduced the overall crew complement needed for regular operation.

The remaining Hetmans continue in service as well-balanced cruisers capable of carrying fairly solidly-equipped science missions into dangerous regions of space. The ships are fairly popular with their crews and considered to have excellent high accommodation standards: The crew reduction associated with removing the MACO contingent has allowed even junior crew to have individual rooms.


Known ships in class: Hetman NCC-96550, Cacique NCC-96551 (lost), Tlatoani NCC-96553, Khanzada NCC-96557, Sachem NCC-96612

SUBMITTED: Stardate: 99516.4

FILED BY: CAPT Jadrys Itana

SECURITY: Level 1 - Open

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LOCATION: New Cappadocia
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MISSION: Continuing Deep Copernicus Expedition initiative. ​
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OUTCOME: The Copernicus encounters a crew of sensor-evading corsairs while exploring a rugged moon.
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KEY PERSONNEL:

CAPT Jadrys Itana
LCDR Rena Fox
PO2C Sturik
PO2C Aidan Makur
PO3C Eral Nywythe

​NARRATIVE: In view of continuing risks of travel within sectors adjacent to Ustavan Starleague space, the Copernicus has, on approval from RADM Quistra at Starbase 91, diverted spinward to survey key star systems on a line roughly towards the blue star 3 Centauri.

The HD 124595 system was a priority target for our survey of this region because of its potential for life-harbouring planets. The Lyonesse Observatory identified seven planets in this system, with the star itself being about 3.4 billion years old with a spectral type of G1. Our initial surveys identified additional planets: Three smaller rocky inner worlds, a very large N-class "Super Venus" on the nearer edge of the habitable zone, a K-class world at its outer edge, two major gas giants and two more outer worlds missed by long-range scans. While none of these worlds initially appeared to harbour life, our investigation of the large I-class supergiant planet, HD 124595 VI, revealed an extensive system of no less than 29 moons, four of them large enough to qualify as planets.

We identified the ninth moon of HD 124595 VI as an L-class inhabitable moon with predominant surface conditions akin to rugged badlands and mountains. The topography was compared by PO2C Ghukasyan in the Sciences department to landscapes predominant in Earth's Anatolian region, and the moon HD 124595 VI-i has since been given the appellation "New Cappadocia." Atmospheric conditions are suitable for human habitation and complex life exists mainly in the form of sparse foliage and non-sentient fauna, though we initially discovered no signs of habitation.

Cognizant of atmospheric readings indicating significant storms in parts of the planet, I ordered away teams to regions with no intrusive weather. Four teams were dispatched by Delta Flyer to gather samples and explore the surface. I determined that transporters would be inadvisable in the event of weather or radiative interference from the planet.

Analysis has revealed that New Cappadocia's core composition allows for the generation of a sufficiently potent magnetic field that much of the radiative energy from HD 124595 VI does not reach the surface. It does, however, create complex atmospheric auroras and energy patterns that must be compensated for by both transporters and vessels. These auroras appear intermittently depending on the interactions between the atmosphere and the energies from the planet and can create unpredictable disruptions. Following a disruptive aurora event, I ordered the away teams to return to the ship until a solution could be found that would allow free transit between the ship and the surface without turbulence or communication loss.

While three landing parties returned to the ship with little difficulty, the away team led by LCDR Fox, aboard the runabout Ptolemy, experienced an issue when they discovered three humanoids attempting to extract components from the warp nacelles. While these beings carried modern tools and weapons, they did not register to sensors until the crew got within five metres of their position. A firefight was exchanged, during which the away team stunned one of the aliens and forced the other two to retreat, but not before they struck the Ptolemy with a disruptor and damaged its flight systems, preventing takeoff. We attempted to extract the away team via transporter, but worsening atmospheric auroras and storm turbulence scrambled pattern locks sufficiently that a beam-up could not be safely achieved.

As communications degraded, I ordered LCDR Fox and her away team - security officer PO2C Sturik and science team members PO2C Makur and PO3C Nywythe - to remain in place and attempt to repair the damage to the Ptolemy. While none of the four are certified engineers, PO3C Nywythe proved to have had past experiences maintaining recreational flitters for short-track races on Betazed and demonstrated the ability to affect basic repairs. These were made more difficult by the worsening weather conditions, which manifested as a large dust storm with high winds.

During the storm conditions, the team remained alert for another attack by the humanoids. This came approximately two hours later by four hostiles armed with disruptor-type rifles. PO2C Sturik was wounded in the encounter, but the away team again successfully repelled the attack.

At this time, the first prisoner regained consciousness. Under questioning from LCDR Fox, the individual confessed that their group - identified as of the Garshaan species, of Shalgarsh in a nearby system - were "corsairs" utilizing New Cappadocia as a hideout from which to conduct raiding activities. He revealed that their invisibility to sensors was not intentional, and LCDR Fox was able to confirm that this was mainly an artifact of an unusual life structure: Garshaan blood is thallium-based, an element known to obstruct sensors. The prisoner revealed the initial party was attempting to extract engine components from the Ptolemy to repair their own vessel, which had suffered damage in a prior raid, and that future raids would be likely.

With assistance from PO2C Makur, PO3C Nywythe was able to affect a jury-rigging of the RCS systems that would theoretically allow the Ptolemy to lift off, albeit with risk of failure. LCDR Fox judged that the risk was worth taking despite the severe weather conditions, particularly given the severity of the injuries to PO2C Sturik, which could not be fully treated planetside and ran serious risk of fatal complications. With significant effort, the Ptolemy made liftoff and entered the storm system. Exceptional piloting by LCDR Fox and PO3C Nywythe resulted in the Flyer exiting the storm-aurora system with minimal damage, and the team's shuttle reappeared on our sensors aboard Copernicus in the midst of our planning an emergency away mission to try and retrieve the shuttle.

It became apparent at this time that the corsair ship had launched in pursuit of the Ptolemy. The vessel - approximately the displacement of a Bird of Prey - rapidly caught up to the Flyer, which exited the storm system just in time for us to beam it directly to the shuttlebay. The corsair ship proceeded to strafe the Copernicus with disruptor-type weapons en route to trying to break past our coverage and escape into open space. Our scans, however, revealed the ship had sustained preexisting damage to her secondary power coils, coupled with overall displacement and tactical capacity significantly below that of Copernicus. We disabled the vessel with no loss of life and took it in tow.

I am pleased to report that PO2C Sturik will make a full recovery. In the interim, we have transferred 27 crew from the Garshaan corsair to USS Firebreak to be ferried to Starbase 91 for investigation. The corsair vessel itself will also be towed to starbase and impounded pending charges. While we expect much of the crew to be extradited to the Garshaan homeworld, at least some of them will be tried for direct assault against Federation property.

In view of his performance planetside, I have filed a letter of commendation for PO3C Eral Nywythe. This officer's ingenuity resulted in the away team escaping a potentially lethal situation with no casualties, and is all the more remarkable in that he was able to render assistance well outside his normal field of duties.
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RECOMMENDATION: Pursue relevant charges against those corsairs implicated in direct action against the Copernicus crew and extradite others and their vessel to the Garshaan government.
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OOC:

[SUBJECT ORGANIZATION:]

SUBMITTED: Stardate: 99508.2

FILED BY: RADM Taegan Quistra

SECURITY: Level 2 - Confidential

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LOCATION: DCE field of mission
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MISSION: Continuing Deep Copernicus Expedition initiative. ​
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OUTCOME: Unit commander's summary of previously-ongoing matters concerning interactions with the Ustavan Starleague.
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KEY PERSONNEL:

CAPT Jadrys Itana, USS Copernicus
CAPT Ororo Mbane, USS Tereshkova
CAPT Firuzah Khamidouline, USS Hurutam
CAPT Selai Kainihewe, USS Bayajidda
CMDR Vesek, USS Vainamoinen

​NARRATIVE: This report shall serve as a summary to Starfleet Command of recent incidents involving contact with the Ustavan Starleague during the Deep Centaurus Expedition.

SUBJECT ORGANIZATION: The Ustavan Starleague, heretofore "the Starleague," is a warp-capable civilization based in the Tel Ustav system (HD 130779). This is an advanced humanoid civilization operating along sociopolitical lines best classified as eco-fascism. Ustavan waste management and replication technology have not progressed at rates comparable to the Federation, in large part due to strong pressure from multiplanetary resource extraction conglomerates protecting their economic share. The Starleague, in an effort to control pollution, has implemented substantial climate controls on its major and semimajor inhabited worlds, where the Ustavan species operates as a privileged racial group above a small collection of species minorities considered to occupy classes ranging from service workers to near-slavery. The bulk of heavy industry has been outsourced to outlying worlds. The Starleague sanctions resource conglomerates to conduct "acquisitions" of new star systems, essentially annexations and in some cases invasions with semi-private armies. Typical Starleague policy involves large-scale ethnic cleansing of their conquests, enslavement of survivors and environmental devastation of the planet for resource exploitation. While this policy results in Ustavan core worlds remaining environmentally pristine, it incentivizes an ever-expanding economic war machine that routinely exterminates entire pre-warp civilizations in its drive for raw resources.


THE SITUATION: Formal contact with the Starleague was made by CAPT Jadrys Itana, CO USS Copernicus, as part of the Deep Centaurus Expedition.

Relations worsened when the Copernicus visited Lytax, a planet which had recently won a lengthy insurgency against the Starleague and achieved independence. As per Starfleet's humanitarian principles, the Copernicus provided relief of medical supplies to assist populations struggling with respiratory conditions attributable to large-scale atmospheric pollutions, but to provide no tactical or political assistance, as per the Prime Directive.

This assistance was viewed by the Starleague as a provision of material assistance to "known terrorists" and treated as cause to deny the Copernicus entry to Starleague-controlled space. The Copernicus heretofore endeavoured to avoid the Starleague border and continued on her expedition until stardate 98668.9, upon reaching the HD 126485 system.

The Copernicus conducted standard observations in-system of a pre-warp civilization on the second planet. During this observation, several Starleague vessels entered the system at high warp and opened fire with no warning. While the Copernicus was able to gain separation from the attackers and withdraw to the outer system, damage was sustained and her slipstream capability was temporarily lost. Long-distance scans revealed that only two of the arriving ships were combat-capable warships, with another eleven being factory ships and orbital bombardment platforms. Prior to loss of sensor resolution, Copernicus recorded footage of the vessels commencing orbital bombardment of the planet. Later probe scans by USS Jaleyi would reveal a loss of life of 99% of the indigenous population and the establishment of orbital platforms for atmospheric molecule harvesting.

Upon receiving report of the encounter, I dispatched USS Tereshkova and the support cruiser USS Hurutam, along with the scout frigate USS Bayajidda, to link up with the Copernicus and the nearby tactical escort USS Vainamoinen. Prior to the ships' arrival, Copernicus, regrouping into an inversion nebula, was approached by three Starleague vessels, accusing them of providing weapons and technology to the indigenous species of HD 126485. Despite offers of sensor logs to the contrary and attestations concerning the Prime Directive, the Ustavan flotilla demanded the surrender of the ship with intent to impound and dismantle it, which CAPT Jadrys reasonably refused. In the ensuing encounter, Copernicus acquitted herself well and destroyed one of the ships before losing shields and regrouping. The fortuitous arrival of Bayajidda and Vainamoinen ahead of the main fleet proved sufficient to disable a second ship's tactical systems and force the Starleague flotilla to withdraw.

With assistance from Hurutam and the transport ship Fable Nook, Copernicus and Vainamoinen were able to replace damaged systems and resume their mission, albeit in convoy. At this point, I ordered CAPT Mbane of Tereshkova, in her capacity as 103rd Exploratory Unit flag vessel, to set course for a key Ustavan border outpost in the NGC 3847 system with intention to open negotiations.

Tereshkova proceeded as ordered, broadcasting an open message of parley, and held position one light year outside of the nearest posted Starleague customs buoy. Hails were ignored for a period of 96 hours until intercepted by five Starleague vessels. These ships did not open fire but demanded the return of the Copernicus for trial as well as compensation in the form of currency for "damages to Starleague astral stock" and "reparations for assistance rendered to known enemies of the Starleague." In the ensuing talks, CAPT Mbane provided assurances and data that Federation personnel offered no military or political aid and are bound to policies of non-interference. The Starleague representatives seemed to accept these claims grudgingly, and agreed to end active pursuit of the Copernicus, but insisted that any relations with "potential enemy entities" or "interference in future economic expansion" would be viewed as hostile acts.

As the Starleague appears to practice a policy of at-will border expansion, it is impossible to judge who they consider future targets. For that matter, it is not the policy of the Federation to allow our diplomatic entreaties to be conducted only at the sufferance of militaristic third parties. Ultimately no satisfactory conclusion was reached beyond the end of active pursuit efforts, and Tereshkova withdrew from NGC 3847 following the negotiations.

Subsequently, Copernicus has visited several systems in the region broadly "east" of the Starleague and has sought to avoid encounters with their ships, but has experienced no fewer than four attacks by Starleague ships. None of these attacks were serious enough to cause major damage, consisting mainly of single-ship encounters with overly aggressive corporate prospectors.

It is likely that any diplomatic efforts we undertake in star systems proximal to the Starleague will be viewed negatively, but it is also my assessment that the Federation should not allow our mandate of exploration and peaceful first contact to be held hostage by the anti-social behaviour of what is manifestly a rogue authoritarian state with a track record of officially sanctioned genocide. I have ordered the Copernicus to continue her expedition as planned, while remaining cautious for further Starleague aggression.


TECHNICAL NOTES: Starleague vessels are capable of relatively high warp speeds but lack slipstream or transgating capacity. Their tactical capabilities are characterized by extremely heavy duritanium-polyalloy and rodinium hull armour, rugged and compact design that keeps vital systems protected within the ship's main bulk, and armament predominated by high-warp solid-state projectiles of a "Rods From God" tungsten-boride kill-vehicle type, supported by smaller numbers of heavy tetryon beams designed to degrade shielding. Observed tactics of the Starleague tend to centre on "slugfest" battles that make the most of their vessels' heavy shielding and durability. Of note is their use of projectile tracking systems and vertical launch cells, allowing their full projectile armament to be deployed against targets from any angle of approach.

In initial encounters, these tactical approaches presented challenges. Starleague tungsten kill vehicle projectiles have very little effect on shielding, but are significantly more effective against even heavy armour than photon or quantum torpedoes. They are more likely to deeply penetrate the hull and disable vital systems. Initially this proved difficult to counter because of the tendency of the Ustavan beam weapon to steadily degrade shield effectiveness in a prolonged encounter. However, the Copernicus crew were able to identify a rotating shield modulation that significantly diminishes the effectiveness of the Ustavan beam weapon. Their beams degrade the shield envelope by creating "flickers" in the overall coverage through which kinetic kill vehicles can be launched, a weakness which further stresses the shield generators through automated compensation; this can be countered by running the shield envelope at half strength and alternating between generator cores every few seconds, allowing one generator to project a refreshed and uninterrupted bubble while another reboots.
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RECOMMENDATION: Maintain a state of no less than silent yellow alert when passing through space known to be proximal to the Ustavan Starleague.
Implement alternating modulation of shield systems when passing through space known to be proximal to the Ustavan Starleague.
Explore the viability of a diplomatic mission to Tel Ustav in the hopes of normalizing relations.
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OOC:

[ADDENDUM: Dr. Yulia Zvizdaryk, CMO, USS Copernicus]

SUBMITTED: Stardate: 98619.1

FILED BY: CAPT Jadrys Itana

SECURITY: Level 1 - Open

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LOCATION: Lytaxan System
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MISSION: Continuing Deep Copernicus Expedition initiative.
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OUTCOME: The Copernicus encounters a planet recovering from a brutal Ustavan occupation.
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KEY PERSONNEL:

CAPT Jadrys Itana
LT Nazona Liell
LT Elyxia Sudet
PO2C Stephen Holzerman
PO1C Adam Pillstrom (RIP)

CMDR Vesek, USS Vainamoinen

Gen. Thaxan, Lytaxan Guard
Amb. Veriar, Lytaxan Governing Council

​NARRATIVE: Following our encounter with the Borg, we rendezvoused with USS Hurutam and the escort USS Vainamoinen and implemented field repairs. None of the damage inflicted was sufficient to require return to starbase, but we were in need of some field-repairable component replacements, primarily a new secondary power coupling and a series of deflector amplification coils. I regret to report that one of our crew wounded in the attack, PO1C Adam Pillstrom, passed away of his injuries in the time since the attack. We conducted a service for him and have informed his next of kin, and his remains will be returned to his family via the Hurutam.

After conferring with the other ships, I recommended to CMDR Vesek of the Vainamoinen that the ship accompany the Copernicus for a short time, recognizing the potential for further Borg incursions. With authorization from RADM Quistra at Starbase 91-Lyonesse, I ordered the resumption of our mission, with our next target being the star catalogued as Hipparcos 69770.

We have long known that HIP 69770 is a main-sequence yellow star of spectral type G5V approximately 72% the diameter of Sol, of comparable temperature (5,603 kelvin). Recent surveys from Lyonesse Observatory identified exoplanets orbiting this star, one of which lies within the Goldilocks region of the star's habitable zone. We prioritized this system, which lies outside the border of the Ustavan Starleague's claimed space, as a potential life-harbouring area.

Long-range scans as we entered the system seemed to confirm this: We identified radio traffic originating from the system and detected emissions consistent with cold fusion energy around the second planet (that in the habitable zone). However, as we approached the planet, the Copernicus was locked on to by several long-range orbital weapons platforms, which rapidly deployed several low-warp rocket projectiles. These weapons are of little effect against our shields, of course, but I nevertheless ordered red alert and for the weapons to be intercepted with phasers, at which point we began to broadcast standard friendship messages on all frequencies. Additionally, I ordered the Vainamoinen to cloak and maneuver to an offset position in the event of a conflict.

Our hails resulted in a cessation of weapons fire, followed by a long pause from the planet. After several minutes, we received a voice communication from an individual identifying himself as General Thaxan of the Lytaxan Guard. We confirmed our identity as a Federation starship on a mission of peaceful exploration, at which point the General issued an apology and stated their staff had mistakenly identified the Copernicus as an Ustavan vessel. He explained that the planet, known as Lytax, had constructed its defense networks to prevent the Ustavans from overrunning their system. While he did not elaborate further via voice comms, he invited us to dispatch an informal team to the planet to conduct an introduction. While I agreed, I stressed that the Copernicus was on a mission of peace and not aligned with any interests in the sector beyond the interests of peaceful exploration. This seemed to disappoint him, but he accepted the statement.

Our scans of the planet Lytax revealed an M-class world of approximately 0.88 Terran radii with a curious dispersion of technological development and a significant pattern of ecological damage. While several regions of Lytax include extensive bases powered by an eclectic mixture of subspace reactors and cold fusion energy, with visible starports and airstrips, most of the population appears to live in settlements more consistent with Earth's medieval period. Similarly, while the bulk of the orbital network appeared fairly antiquated in its armament, we detected several planetside defensive sites capable of launching interplanetary missiles with yields comparable to a large tricobalt warhead. We also identified numerous open-surface dilithium mines, large areas of cratered terrain consistent with orbital bombardment surrounding many of these sites, and several orbiting satellites in various stages of decay that seem to have once operated as orbital collectors. Atmospheric particle counts indicated significant presence of greenhouse gases consistent with heavy industry.

Myself, Coun. Sudet, LT Liell and PO2C Holzerman transported to a facility on the second-largest continent, where we met with General Thaxan and an individual who identified himself as Ambassador Veriar, a representative of the Lytaxian Governing Council. We conveyed the well-wishes of the Federation and exchanged pleasantries, agreeing to an exchange of basic information. Among our learnings from this meeting:

* The Lytaxans are approximately 6.7 billion in number and operate under a representative government, though members of the military appear to be a distinct political class. This is likely explainable by some of the other things we discovered.
* The Lytaxans have a small fleet of defense ships. Most of these are subwarp vessels, but some of the larger ships are capable of Warp 7 and armed with heavy projectile armament and significant hull armour and shielding.
* Until approximately 200 years ago, Lytax's level of development ranged from hunter-gathered societies up to complex societies at a Terran medieval level. The planet was then invaded by an Ustavan mining corporation, and the population was largely enslaved in a series of large tiberium, dilithium and diburnium mines intended to service the broader Ustavan economy.
* Approximately 50 years ago, a group of the more technologically adaptable Lytaxans launched an organized resistance against the Ustavans. After nearly three decades of guerrilla warfare, during which several cities and their occupants were wiped out by orbital bombardment, the Ustavans ultimately gave up the planet and withdrew.
* Much of the advanced technology operating on Lytax is either inherited from the Ustavans or reverse-engineered by those Ustavans who understand how to use and manufacture it. The fusion-based technology represents an independent stream of technology developed during the insurgency by rebels trying to manufacture weapons that would do anything at all against the Ustavans. The latter is utilized mainly because it is considered cheap and easy to understand.
* Most Lytaxans continue to live a lower-technology existence. The society is deeply divided between traditionalists who wish to rediscover their old way of life and a new generation who see Ustavan technology as essential to their continued independence.
* Ambassador Veriar confirmed many of our earlier speculation about Ustavan behaviour, but added further illumination.

As Ambassador Veriar describes it, the Ustavans essentially operate on a form of eco-fascism. Their polity ended all resource extraction and high-polluting industry on their homeworld centuries ago as a means to mitigate devastating climatic degradation. However, rather than developing technologies such as carbon capture or weather control, the Ustavans simply exported their industries to uninhabited worlds, prioritizing the fastest and easiest ways to extract enormous quantities of natural resources without impacting settled planets. The atmospheric degradation on Lytax, he said, was the result of both open-atmospheric blasting and of large-scale refineries operating with no mind towards pollution control.

At this point, Ambassador Veriar asked us if the Federation could offer protection from the Ustavans. In keeping with the Prime Directive, I noted that it is not the policy of Starfleet to intervene in the politics or conflicts of other species. However, with further discussion, I judged that it would fall within Starfleet protocol to provide relief of medical supplies to assist populations struggling with respiratory conditions attributable to atmospheric pollution. These treatments are based in science known to the Lytaxans and would not constitute an exposure to a new technology.

Upon the away team's return to the Copernicus, I ordered the supplies beamed down and informed the Lytaxans we would be on our way. I recommend a regular diplomatic mission be established to this planet; for now, I judged that remaining in orbit for too long ran the risk of placing the Copernicus in the middle of an ongoing regional war. We and the Vainamoinen set a course out of the system and on towards our next point of interest.

As we exited the system, we received a long-range broadcast from the general direction of Ustavan space. This consisted of an automated message informing us that the Copernicus had been identified as "in communication with known terrorists" and that we would be denied entry to Starleague-controlled space heretofore. While we attempted to respond to the hail, our attempts to make contact were bounced back by what seems to have been an automated station. We have no evidence that the Lytaxans have committed terrorist activities, and furthermore we have taken no action to abet any sort of military conflict. Nevertheless, I have conferred with Starbase 91-Lyonesse on the topic, and we have agreed that the Vainamoinen will remain in formation with the Copernicus for the time being.


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ADDENDUM: Dr. Yulia Zvizdaryk, CMO, USS Copernicus

In coordination with medical officers aboard the Hurutam, I can report the following concerning the individuals we were able to rescue from the Borg.

We identified 47 individuals with sufficient organic-to-mechanical ratios that dissimilation surgery could be practical, of whom four were deemed viable to operated on aboard Copernicus. The remaining 43 were transferred to Hurutam. Of these, we have identified mostly individuals from known Delta Quadrant species, predominantly Hirogen, Brunali, Octanti and Nihydron individuals. A smaller proportion represent individuals from the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. We estimate that we will be able to save virtually all of these individuals.

Four individuals were retained aboard Copernicus for restorative surgery. The individuals are as follows:

* Individual A: Cardassian male, estimated age approx. 30-40 years. Individual appears to have been assimilated roughly three years ago. Extensive reconstructive work was required to remove a large cranial implant that had replaced his entire right eye and orbital structure. He was able to regain sufficient memories to recall that he was a Gil and a member of the Cardassian Union military, but not his name.

* Individual B: Pakled male, estimated age approx. 45-50 years. Individual appears to have been assimilated roughly two years ago. This individual has suffered the most extreme mental and bioneural trauma of any of the four who remained aboard, likely a result of a series of cortical shunts implanted to accelerate his motor functions. He is currently undergoing specialized treatment with Dr. Phillips and Coun. Sudet to repair extreme aphasia, hyperactive delirium and derealization.

The other two individuals come from species we have never seen before:

* Individual C: Adult male, humanoid. CMDR Quispe identified him as a member of Species 9389, Narappan, from a system she located in the Delta Quadrant - about 55,000 light years from Sol, a few sector blocks from the Wolf-Rayet star WR 49 in the constellation Musca. Appears to have been assimilated only a few months ago and is capable of dialogue and self-individuation. After three conversations, he was able to identify himself as "I," and he recalled the name Thuyun Sappar. He has since begun to recall fragmentary memories of a Borg attack on what is described as a farming colony. He appears highly receptive to the dissimilation process and has begun to recognize what was done to him as a violation.

* Individual D: Adult female, humanoid. CMDR Quispe could not identify a species number for her. Appears to have been assimilated about four years ago. While she initially attempted to attack the surgical team and demanded to be returned to the Collective, she has since responded well to treatments and has begun to refer to herself as "I." However, she has been unable to recall anything about herself, her species, her home or the circumstances of her assimilation. Her biometric data does not match anything in the Alliance database. We attempted to contact New Talax via subspace, but a representative there was also unable to identify the individual's species. She continues to refer to herself by the appellation Four of Twelve.
​
RECOMMENDATION: Dispatch a regular diplomatic mission to Lytax.
​
​

OOC:

[Personnel note:]

SUBMITTED: Stardate: 98600.19

FILED BY: CAPT Jadrys Itana

SECURITY: Level 2 - Confidential

​
LOCATION: FGC 6823 System
​
MISSION: Continuing Deep Copernicus Expedition initiative.
​
OUTCOME: The Copernicus is damaged forestalling a Borg attempt to establish a fixed transwarp aperture in a brown dwarf system.
​
KEY PERSONNEL:

CAPT Jadrys Itana
CMDR Yma Quispe
LT Sey Cathalc
LT Cassiopeia Huynh
LT Nazona Liell
LT Kshree
ENS Ewa Maksymowicz
ENS Owen Lafferty Jr.
Dr. Yulia Zvizdaryk
PO3C Somok
PO2C Paskalis Irbitis
PO2C Arras sh'Ralan

​NARRATIVE: En route to our next star system (FGC-6823), the Copernicus was alerted to an unexpected burst of triquantum waves. I ordered a diversion from our planned route to investigate this signature, which originated from an otherwise unremarkable brown dwarf, FGC-15289, with no orbiting bodies but with a protoplanetary disk. Our approach saw the burst repeated, with significant neutrino emissions and graviton flux soon detected before stabilizing into what long-range sensors identified as a transwarp conduit.

We arrived approximately one hour later to find the system occupied by a single Borg cube and a partially-assembled structure our sensors identified as the early stages of a fixed transwarp conduit. Before we could make a determination on an appropriate course of action, the Cube detected the Copernicus and engaged us. I ordered the ship to regroup and re-engage.

While we have made significant progress since Wolf 359 in combatting the Borg on equal footing, I should not have to inform Command of the seriousness of engaging a Cube on a single-ship basis. Nevertheless, the crew of the Copernicus performed exceptionally. LT Cathalc was able to identify a structural weakness in this particular Cube's outer layer which allowed for torpedoes to penetrate its hull and eliminate its primary power conduits, and LT Liell and her security detachment were quick in dispatching a party of six drones that beamed into computer control and attempted to sabotage the ship. I must further commend LT Kshree and ENS Maksymowicz for their exceptional maneuvering, which prevented the Cube from striking exposed areas of the ship when our port shield dropped to critical levels. It is through the bravery of the crew as a whole that we disabled the Cube with no permanent damage to the ship and a minimum of casualties, with no fatalities to report.

Our encounter left the Cube in an inoperative state and temporarily disconnected from the Collective consciousness. I determined at this point that we needed a) to know what the Borg wanted with a random brown dwarf system in this area of space, and b) to ensure we could secure this knowledge without the Cube regenerating and attacking us again. To this end, I tasked LT Liell, LT Cathalc and LT Huynh with developing a plan to achieve these objectives. CMDR Quispe provided vital insight, drawing on her past experience with the Collective. With her guidance, the team developed a plan of attack: Disable the Cube's vinculum through the use of a transported tricobalt explosive, preventing the mechanism's regeneration and permanently severing the Cube and its drones from the Collective, before extracting a primary distribution node.

A team consisting of CMDR Quispe, LT Liell, LT Huynh, PO3C Somok, PO2C Irbitis and PO2C sh'Ralan beamed aboard the disabled Cube into the area nearest the shielded security perimeter around the vinculum. Utilizing adaptive-frequency rifles, the team was able to fight through several drones to a power junction, detonating it with photonic charges to lower the field around the vinculum. Pattern enhancers were set up, and LT Cathalc transported the charge to the site on a detonation timer. To their credit, LT Liell, LT Huynh and PO3C Somok remained behind during the detonation countdown, LT Huynh to move the explosive closer to the vinculum and to rapidly sabotage the unit's regeneration matrix, LT Liell and PO3C Somok to hold off efforts by the Borg to halt the sabotage attempt. At two seconds prior to detonation, Deputy Transporter Chief ENS Lafferty transported the away team to safety. The explosive then detonated, destroying the vinculum and its surrounding support structures and leaving the bulk of the drones aboard the Cube in a disabled state.

With the primary mission complete, LT Huynh, LT Al-Absi and a security detail were able to transport to a section of the Cube exposed to vacuum by breaches created by our earlier exchange of fire. The team encountered several drones in the exposed section, but all were inactive, variously destroyed by the weapons impacts or rendered inert by the loss of the vinculum. The crew were able to utilize phaser cutters and photonic charges to dislodge the target distribution node from the hull before transporting back to the Copernicus

At this time, as the crew set to work attempting to extract data from the node, I determined that the humanitarian course here would be to attempt to recover any surviving drones in the hopes of liberating them from the Collective. Our sensors identified 47 lifesigns with sufficient levels of organic-to-cybernetic ratios that a successful dissimilation procedure could be conducted, in the judgment of Dr. Zvizdaryk. We transported these drones to Cargo Bay II and placed them in stasis for the time being.

With the assistance of CMDR Quispe, who was able to rapidly interface with the captured data node despite Dr. Zvizdaryk's concern for her personal safety, we were able to identify a data block concerning our present location. The Borg had identified FGC-6823 as a potential jumping-off point to extend their transwarp network into this sector. This dovetails with our analysis of the structures the Cube was shepherding: They match similar structures previously observed and eliminated in the Sibiran system in 2412. The structure in place has been positively identified as the core of a nanite transformer, and the Cube itself was carrying elements to complete the fabrication of another such transformer and associated generator infrastructure. As CMDR Quispe observed, the Borg would certainly have recognized the Sibiran system as overly close to the Khitomer Alliance and judged that simply jumping into the middle of Alliance space would likely result in the rapid severing of any transwarp link-up. While we are unsure of the ability of regional powers in this arc of the Beta Quadrant to resist the Borg, there was the potential here for a locus of Borg activity to be established, whether to attack the Federation or simply expand Borg power at the expense of other species.

With this knowledge, and verifying with Dr. Zvizdaryk that no further lifesigns could be transported from the Cube, I gave the order to scuttle the vessel. The Copernicus deployed tricobalt devices at maximum yield, resulting in total destruction of both the Cube and the incomplete transformer.

It was at this time that we detected another triquantum surge and the formation of another transwarp conduit. A scan of the forming conduit revealed a tactical-class Cube and four Spheres on an inbound trajectory. At the advice of LT Cathalc, I ordered tricobalt devices fired into the conduit aperture. The resulting detonations caused the aperture to collapse. After a moment, it reopened and we prepared to engage tactically, with sensors detecting thousands of signatures. However, the aperture burst open in an uncontrolled fashion, and the signatures were revealed to be innumerable chunks of debris from the Cube and Sphere flotilla, destroyed when the conduit collapsed around them.

In the interest of preventing further Borg activity in this system, the Copernicus destroyed all debris with regenerative potential and utilized our tractor beams to place the remainder on a rapid-reentry course that will cause it to burn up in the star. For the moment, I have ordered the Copernicus to maintain a distant orbit around FGC-6823 until we can rendezvous with the nearest support cruiser, USS Hurutam, which is currently inbound alongside the escort USS Vainamoinen. The battle with the Cube was particularly taxing on our systems, and some of our wounded will require ferrying back to Starbase 91, as will those individuals we have severed from the Collective. We have begun work to liberate four of the drones deemed most amenable to field surgery, but the others require more in-depth surgical procedures than we can readily provide in a single starship sickbay. Notably, at least two of the individuals we retrieved conform to no known Alpha, Beta, Delta or Gamma Quadrant species; these individuals were among those we could treat aboard the Copernicus.

Troublingly, CMDR Quispe noted that her interface with the data node revealed fragmentary information implying the Borg have been active in this broad region both in the past and presently. We will remain alert for future signs of Borg activity in the area.

Personnel note: I am recommending LT Nazona Liell, LT Cassiopeia Huynh and PO3C Somok for the Medal of Valor for their actions in the vinculum core.
​
RECOMMENDATION: Maintain active long-range monitoring of the coreward Delta-facing corridor for signs of Borg intrusion.

Complete surgical dissimilation of those individuals we were able to rescue from the Collective. Identify possible means to rehabilitate them and return them to their homes.
​
​

OOC: If ever you wanted to play a weird liberated-Borg alien, feel free to use this as a hook.

SUBMITTED: Stardate: 98594.7

FILED BY: CAPT Jadrys Itana

SECURITY: Level 1 - Open

​
LOCATION: Veithal system
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MISSION: Continuing Deep Copernicus Expedition initiative.
​
OUTCOME: A detected subspace signature is pinpointed to the discovery of a remarkable free-floating world.
​
KEY PERSONNEL:

CAPT Jadrys Itana
LCDR Rena Fox
LT Nazona Liell
LT Cassiopeia Huynh
LTJG Telyn Vaxa
LTJG Njalu Neto
PO2C Dazr

​NARRATIVE: Following up on the subspace signatures detected during our stopover in Tadresta, I directed the Copernicus towards the source of the signals. The origin point was identified by long-range sensors as a rogue planet not previously detected by the Lyonesse Observatory or other regional deep space scans. We have classified the planet as DCE-244, though we now know the planet to be named Veithal.

As we entered closer range, we identified a number of remarkable features. Veithal is a planet of approximately 1.06 Minshara standard radii, with significant concentrations of dilithium detectable in the mantle. Unusually, the planet maintains both an atmosphere and liquid water oceans as well as an orbiting natural satellite of approximately 1,600 kilometres in diameter. Initially we estimated the planet's diameter to be significantly larger, but further scans revealed that much of this estimated diameter was accounted for by its atmosphere, consisting mostly of hydrogen and extending nearly 6,000 kilometres from the planet's surface at its highest charted extent. Further, our scans through the atmosphere revealed an extensive network of active non-sentient lifesigns, extensive liquid water coverage across approximately 85% of the planetary surface, and dense foliage covering much of the exposed rock. Sensors continued to detect a subspace signal emanating from the planet itself, which we were able to pinpoint to a spot somewhere near the equator; however, atmospheric scattering prevented a closer lock.

I ordered an away team to take the flyer Ptolemy into the atmosphere and investigate the planet further. A team consisting of LCDR Fox, LT Liell, LTJG Neto and PO2C Dazr dispatched towards the area of the detected signatures and entered the atmosphere, successfully navigating significant hydrogen turbulence. Scans of the planet revealed a dimly-lit world characterized by plant life adapted with various degrees of bioluminescence, most of it not particularly tall, but rather dense and concentrated in thick colonies close to ground-level nutrients, with virtually no biosigns detected at higher elevations. What little starlight enters Veithal's atmosphere undergoes scattering to create a subtle luminosity in the sky, though this appears mostly like a diffuse twilight.

At the lower levels of the atmosphere, the Ptolemy was able to isolate the source of the signatures to an island centred along the planet's equator. Unable to locate suitably level landing ground, the Flyer crew remained in hover mode just off the island's shore. LT Liell remained aboard while LCDR Fox, LTJG Neto and PO2C Dazr equipped environmental suits and beamed into the vicinity of the signal. While the island was not large, it was fairly rocky and heavily overgrown with bioluminescent foliage, in which the away team observed lifeforms of a mostly arthropodal nature.

The away team soon discovered an artificial structure composed primarily of duratanium and tetraburnium framing supporting stone, though it appeared to be millennia old and heavily overgrown by bioluminescent vines. Through LTJG Neto's efforts, the away team was able to gain access to the interior of the structure by cutting away the oxidized remains of an access hatch, which opened onto what appeared to be a small control room with several banks of consoles and monitors. To the surprise of the team, some of these consoles remained in standby mode and demonstrated an active power source, which LCDR Fox and LTJG Neto identified as drawing power from the source of the signals: A still-active reactor buried beneath the island, drawing power from an artificial quantum singularity.

LCDR Fox identified the need for assistance in gathering further data. With the aid of pattern enhancers, chief engineer LT Huynh beamed down to assist the team in bringing the standby consoles online. Translator data revealed the reason the subspace signature appeared abruptly during our visit to Tadresta: The computerized systems regulating the output of the singularity had decayed sufficiently that containment fluctuated on and off. LT Huynh identified that not stabilizing the containment system would ultimately result in the singularity expanding and imploding the planetoid.

With this in mind, I weighed the alternatives and ultimately gave the away team the go-ahead to stabilize the singularity. At this time, I joined the team planetside to assist with this process. Through our collective efforts, we were able to identify a series of secondary relays and reconnect them to the network via the installation of an EPS cable affixed between two elements of the system which had lost contact some time prior. We verified system compatibility and activated the secondary relays, and PO2C Dazr confirmed the singularity's output had stabilized and containment had been restored.

The restoration of containment allowed us to bring several additional elements of the facility's computer systems online. The most notable of these was a log entry from a female of a humanoid race, transcribed here as follows:

"To whomever finds this entry, please know that this place was once our home - Veithal. Billions of us lived and loved here. There was a time when we looked to a sky filled by a great yellow sun. That changed thousands of years ago. We knew our homeworld would be ejected into space when our star passed close to a brown dwarf. We prepared for centuries. When it finally happened, we'd created... what you see here. Our climate sustainability system, designed to preserve the atmosphere and gravity of Veithal even in the dark of space. We created satellites to light the planet and generators to gradually terraform the world to adapt to the void. But we could never replace an entire sun. Nothing could. So people... left. Understandably. By now I hope they've found a new world somewhere. The ones that could survive, anyway. There were only a few of us left to try and keep our home alive... and even those have begun to pass, or leave for new stars. I'm the only one left now. To whoever you are... if you ever come across a planet of people who look like me, who share my appearance and features, please, give them this message. Tell them that Veithal sleeps in peace, and that I've done all I can do to keep our home alive, even if I'm the last pair of Veithelin eyes that will see it. Signing off, Acting Climate Control Manager Thiess Arith."

Manager Arith's console contained not only a wealth of technical data on the astonishing climate control systems implemented by the Veithelins to maintain a livable atmosphere on the world, but an enormous database of cultural information, packaged in the form of a "time capsule" and evidently designed to preserve the memory of the Veithelin society. We returned to the Copernicus with the data, much of which could be visualized on the holodeck.

Our team convened on Holodeck 3 to load Manager Arith's time capsule. We were shown incredibly detailed images of large cities of a technology level consistent with the Federation of the 23rd century, demonstrating a time lapse which displayed the cities both illuminated by a G-type star and later by an orbital array. Astonishingly, the planet's atmospheric composition changed very little through these images, and the biometric data left by Arith confirmed that the Veithelins were a hydrogen-breathing species which had always subsisted in these conditions. Her images further demonstrated a large mountain in the northern hemisphere, showing a steady receding of the treeline and a slow die-off of taller trees as the planet receded from its sun. Further holo-images demonstrated popular media from the Veithelin civilization - apparently ground-effect vehicle racing was popular among them - as well as scenes from what appeared to be a democratic republican style of government.

We are continuing to study the data from Manager Arith's console. The data retrieved by LT Huynh is extensive and will take time to analyze. We are transmitting copies of the database back to Starbase 91 and will coordinate our analysis efforts.

What is clear is that the efforts taken by the Veithelins to preserve the livability of Veithal in the wake of the stellar encounter are astonishing. LTJG Vaxa tracked the trajectory of the planet against star charts left by Arith and, accounting for stellar drift, it appears that Veithal was ejected from a star system approximately nine light years distant - the star system FGC-4443, a G-type star system. Long-range scans reveal the star's gravitational attraction has captured the brown dwarf, FGC-4443-B, and pulled it into a highly eccentric orbit. LTJG Vaxa concluded that Veithal was ejected from its home system approximately 3,800 years ago. Manager Arith's log is dated to roughly Terran year 1443 AD, suggesting the Veithelins were able to survive for at least 2,800 years without a sun. The climate engineering that went into maintaining their planet's livable state defies imagination.

Further survey of the planet has revealed the highly degraded remains of cities and highway networks, much of them lost to weathering and plant overgrowth. We have also discovered the remains of at least one weather control satellite impacted on a mountainside, and there appear to be several moon-based generators in place, all inactive. The Copernicus does not have the wherewithal to conduct a full survey, given the first-line survey nature of our mission, but I recommend Starbase 91 dispatch a vessel to conduct an in-depth study of this unique world.

We will be alert for signs of successor cultures to the Veithelins as we go forward. Manager Arith's data did not indicate destination points for populations leaving Veithal, but we have biometric data on the species available in the event we locate descendant populations.
​
RECOMMENDATION: Dispatch a full scientific expedition to Veithal to further explore both the society here and the incredible weather control technology utilized to maintain livable conditions on an inhabited rogue planet.
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​

OOC:

Lassell-class Starship
Heavy exploration cruiser

Starship Specifications: ShowHide

GENERAL INFORMATION Class William Lassell Designation Heavy exploration cruiser Hull Duration 75+ years Time Between Refits 15 years for major replacementss Time Between Resupply 5-7 years	PERSONNEL Officers 150 Enlisted Crew 700 Civilians Up to 250 Marines/MACO 0 Evacuation Limit 2,750
DIMENSIONS Length 646 metres (as designed); 689 metres (after refit) Height 118 metres Width Decks 29	WEAPONS AND DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS Shields Launch: 12x shield grids, total capacity 2,244 MW Refit: 12x auto-modulating shield grids, total capacity 5,220 MW Weapon Systems Launch: 12x Type IX phaser beam array Refit: 14x Type XI phaser beam array Torpedo Armament 3x multi-purpose torpedo tube, two forward-firing and one aft
SCIENTIFIC SYSTEMS Sensor Systems 60x sensor pallets, interchangeable 2x Autoscopic Systems ultra-long-range high-resolution spatial/subspatial imaging systems 1x Autoscopic Systems spatial countermeasures system (from 2410) Scientific Laboratories 32x multipurpose laboratory facilities Probe Systems Class I through X probes available	PROPULSION SYSTEMS Engine Configuration Launch: -- 1x Yoyodyne SSWR-28 M/AM warp core powering 2x Mitsubishi-Thylliash MAM-5750-02 warp nacelles -- 1x Mitsubishi-Thylliash ID-3050-3 impulse drive Refit: -- 1x Yoyodyne SSWR-42 M/AM warp core powering 2x Rolls-Royce Sehlat Mk. IV nacelle assemblies -- 1x Ares Dynamics Challenger-5C adaptive impulse drive, dual-outlet configuration Cruise Speed Launch: Warp 7.5 Refit: Warp 8.3 Maximum Sustainable Speeds Launch: Warp 9.57 for 12 hours Refit: Warp 9.958 for 12 hours; slipstream 24.5 in short bursts Emergency Speed Warp 9.964
CREW SUPPORT SYSTEMS Medical Support Systems Starship sickbay facilities with 1x intensive care unit and 4x surgical suites Recreational Systems 2x standard holodecks and 8x holosuites 1x weight room and pool area, lower saucer, port side 1x lounge area, lower saucer, starboard side Crew Quarters Capacity for up to 1,100 regular residents	AUXILIARY CRAFT Shuttlebays 1x standard shuttlebay, capacity for six shuttles 1x auxiliary shuttlebay, capacity for four shuttlepods Small Auxiliary Craft 6x Type 8 shuttle 4x shuttlepod or work bee Large Auxiliary Craft

The ships of the Lassell class emerged from the long development cycle of the Galaxy-class starship. As USS Galaxy faced funding delays and issues with some of her fundamental technologies, it became clear to Starfleet the class would not enter service until at least the late 2350s, and even that would entail extensive work and delays to iron out the bugs in some of her newer systems. With the existing stock of Ambassador-class ships growing long in the tooth, Starfleet issued an RFP for an Interim Explorer design to bridge the perceived "explorer gap" between the Ambassadors and the new generation of ships. A whirlwind competition was won by Austal Galactic, proposing a design based on elements of both the Ambassador lineage and the proposed "Probert" cruiser of the 2340s, a design study that was influential on the Galaxy-class. Austal's design was essentially a scaled-down Galaxy, built primarily with modern but proven technology to cut down on both development time and teething issues. A positive ADSB review saw Austal engineers move to the Salazaar Shipyards to begin construction, with 12 ships on order.

The first ship of the Lassell class entered service in 2356, a year ahead of USS Galaxy despite development of the Lassells starting /later/ than the Galaxy class. The ship performed more than satisfactorily in her shakedown cruise, and construction proceeded apace on the next ships of the class, the cruisers Giovanni Piazzi, Asaph Hall and John Kavelaars (completed in 2357, '58 and '59 respectively). However, by the time Kavelaars reached 80% completion, teething issues with Galaxy's warp field geometry and Type X phasers had largely been resolved, and construction had begun on her sister ships, Yamato and Enterprise. With the closure of the explorer gap seeming imminent, Starfleet Command cancelled the last eight ships of the class and left Kavelaars as the final ship of the run.

The Lassells represented some of the largest ships of the period, with a larger and wider saucer than the Ambassador class and a length of over 120 metres greater - actually a couple metres longer than the Galaxy, though part of that was the rearward set of the nacelles to create a more streamlined Cochrane profile. The overall design was shorter and sleeker, losing a few lower decks from the shallower engineering hull but making up for it with a more compact suite of engineering systems - many of them pioneered on the Nebula class - allowing for comparatively less space needed for deuterium tanks and injector systems. Much of the lab space was moved to the saucer, and the primary shuttlebay was moved to the saucer aft, with a secondary shuttlebay housed at the stern.

The four class orphans proved highly effective in service and popular with crews. Unlike the more modern Galaxy and Nebula ships, the Lassells incorporated control systems with a substantial analog element, one of the last classes in Starfleet to do so. These mechanical systems took up slightly more room but were more resistant to console explosions or computational failures. Crews found the ships to be rugged and reliable. Further, the ships boasted one aspect shared only by the Galaxy: Their sensor systems were enhanced by ultra-long-range arrays designed to detect and analyze spatial anomalies across sector block distances, essentially allowing the Lassells to act as mobile observatories and better plan their exploration routes. System integration for these arrays was housed in two blocks near the rear of the saucer, just behind the top of the neck. In practice these systems would be modularized and integrated into other ships' sensor pallets, but at the time they represented some of the longest-range sensors available.

The biggest knock on the Lassells was that they were not transformational designs, yet came at a time when the Federation was poised for a major leap in ship technology. The Lassells were deliberately built with technology that did not push the envelope, though their design was expansive enough that they were fitted "for but not with" more sophisticated gear. Their baseline equipment was certainly some of the best of the current generation, but it wasn't /next/-generation.

The scaling back of the Galaxy class to a six-ship run saw the Lassells utilized to bolster Starfleet's exploratory ranks. However, the onset of conflicts in the 2370s would force the ships onto the front lines. USS Kavelaars was destroyed at the Second Battle of Chin'toka, and the remaining three ships earned numerous battle scars and suffered battle damage here and there through the course of the conflict. USS Asaph Hall in particular was part of the task force that retook Betazed, and USS William Lassell led a battle group during Operation Return.

By 2409, the three ships remained in service, but had increasingly been supplanted by more modern vessels as frontline ships. The three served mainly as observation ships in sectors somewhat away from the front lines, where their long-range sensors were adapted for intelligence-gathering. The ships underwent complete refits in 2410 to enhance this role and bring them up to modern standards, the main changes being the replacement of the older Mk IX phasers with modern Mk XI arrays and the removal of the warp core and internal nacelle structures for replacement with systems suitable for the high-performance Rolls-Royce Sehlat warp coils. The nacelle upgrade in particular added 43 metres to the length of the ship through the addition of trailing structures designed to push the warp field out into a more elongated configuration, allowing for asymmetric warp fields to be sustained for long periods. These refinements, together with overall strengthening of tactical and scanning systems and the upgrading of the long-range sensors to include ultra-high-resolution data imagers from Autoscopic Systems, brought the three Lassells up to modern combat strength and slotted them neatly into the role of scout cruisers: Fast and far-seeing enough to enter hot zones and quickly gather key data, but tough enough to hang in a fight with the Klingons.

The less discussed addition to the ships was the incorporation by Autoscopic of a spatial countermeasures system. This vague description papered over its actual utility: While not an outright cloaking system, the spatial countermeasure suite enabled the Lassells to utilize a combination of emission suppression, signature dampening and white noise generation to disguise themselves to long-range sensor. A Lassell with her countermeasures active would appear from a distance to blend into the background noise of the interstellar medium, only appearing when enemy ships closed the ranks. The ships used these abilities to full advantage during the war, shadowing Klingon fleets from range and gathering intelligence on potential target systems without being spotted.

As of the 2420s, the three Lassells remain active as second-line survey and mapping ships, often following up on surface exploration by more modern ships. Starfleet is considering decommissioning them by 2435, however.

SUBMITTED: Stardate: 98574.35

FILED BY: CAPT Jadrys Itana

SECURITY: Level 1 - Open

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LOCATION: Tadresta System
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MISSION: Continuing Deep Copernicus Expedition initiative.
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OUTCOME: Successful first contact with the Drastani; detection of nearby anomaly.
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KEY PERSONNEL:

CAPT Jadrys Itana
LCDR Rena Fox
LT Hussein ibn al-Qasim al-Absi
LT Elyxia Sudet

​NARRATIVE: Our continued survey of Centaurus took us along the noted boundary of the Ustavan Starleague to Psi Centauri. This is an unpopulated system, and our survey confirmed long-range readings of a binary star system consisting of two young A-type white stars, with some evidence of protoplanetary mining operations conducted by the Ustavans. We did not remain in the system long before continuing on coreward towards the HD 125510 star system.

This system lies outside the charted bounds of Ustavan space and consists of a hierarchical trinary star system. The primary, HD 125510, is a K0V-type orange dwarf similar to Sigma Draconis, orbited closely by a smaller orange dwarf star (HD 125510 A) and with a third star, a red dwarf (HD 125510 B), orbiting well into the outer system. In that respect it resembles Alpha Centauri in an orange dwarf form.

Upon entering the system, we quickly picked up evidence of outlying sensor beacons of designs dissimilar to those we observed in Ustavan space. Further exploration revealed energy readings originating from a planet orbiting within the habitable zone of HD 125510 A, an M-class planet of approximately 1.13 standard Minsharan planetary masses. Long-range scans of the planet revealed high levels of activity, warp traceries consistent with speeds in the range of Warp 1.5 to Warp 2, a developed orbital network with evidence of lunar outposts, and extensive physical infrastructure on the planet itself, along with lifesigns numbering approximately 9.4 billion.

As we approached the two central stars, we broadcasted a standard greeting towards the planet, correctly judging that we had encountered an early warp-capable civilization. Our initial hails received no immediate response but prompted a significant increase in comm traffic centred on a highly-inhabited area of the main continent, but within 25 minutes we received a voice-only broadcast from an individual identifying herself as Amdin N'Seta, with the title of Lead Coordinator of an agency identified as the Xenological Observation and Contact Readiness Administration of the Consular Confederation of Tadresta. From the conversation and from background noise, we were able to identify the voices of approximately a dozen additional individuals, suggesting we had reached this planet's equivalent of a SETI observatory monitored by a number of sensor analysts.

Our exchange of greetings with Coordinator N'Seta was polite and positive, reflecting surprise on their part giving way to interest in our arrival. We learned the following from our conversation:

* The planet we detected - HD 125510 A II - is known locally as Tadresta and inhabited by the Drastani. They are a humanoid race at an early warp phase of development and are physiologically distinguished by subtly sandy-tinged skin and a pair of shallow ridges tracing from just ahead of the sphenoid region of the skull up along the edges of the frontal plate.
* Tadresta's predominant climate is somewhat Mediterranean, with regional variation gradiating to colder areas around the poles and tropical oceanic islands around parts of the equatorial region. Approximately 68% of the planetary surface is water. We identified four primary continental masses as well as at least seven inhabited orbital facilities of modest size (the largest at approx. 50 inhabitants).
* Coordinator N'Seta informed us that the Drastani have been contacted by three other known races: The Ustavans, the Yedbak and the Klyzheerians, the latter of whom the Copernicus has yet to encounter.
* The government of Tadresta is a one-world government operating on a democratic federal model. While there are approximately 120 extant sub-states, they share governance through the Consular Confederation, to which each sub-state sends a proportional number of elected Consuls to sit on a global council. It is the Consular Confederation that jointly administers space exploration and military adventures.
* Our arrival in-system was initially identified by the Drastani as a potential Ustavan ship. One of the XOCRA coordinators explained that, while the Ustavans had been cordial to the Drastani, a representative of the Klyzheerians had warned of an alleged Ustavan tendency to demand mining rights to outlying worlds.

We were ultimately invited to enter orbit of Tadresta. Following a series of conversations, we were invited to land at a government starport in Nementosa, the central city of the Consular Confederation. Myself, Coun. Sudet and a security detail made landfall via Type 8 shuttle and undertook a meeting with several Consuls and officials in an informal first contact ceremony, during which we conducted greetings and overtures on behalf of the Federation in line with standard protocol.

We opted to remain in orbit of Tadresta for approximately three days in order to conduct diplomacy and cultural exchange. During this time, however, the Copernicus crew reported unusual subspace signals originating from within the interstellar medium. LT Al-Absi and LCDR Fox were able to narrow down the signals to an area en route to our next benchmark star, the G-type star HD 126061. Further long-range scans revealed energy readings consistent with a subspace anomaly.

Following our successful first contact with the Drastani, including attendance at nine official functions and visits with key regional leaders, we returned to the Copernicus with intentions of exploring the detected anomalies. For the moment, it appears that the Drastani are an open-minded and democratic species with potential to continue fruitful and cooperative relations with the Federation and the Alliance.
​
RECOMMENDATION: Dispatch a full diplomatic team to Tadresta.
​
​

OOC:

[SELECTED CREW MANIFEST]

USS Kinistin
Akira (Block III), Heavy Cruiser
Starship Registry NCC-82382

Starship Specifications: ShowHide

GENERAL INFORMATION Class Akira (Block III) Designation Heavy Cruiser Hull Duration 75+ years Time Between Refits 15 years for major replacements Time Between Resupply Full store rotation every 3 to 5 years	PERSONNEL Officers 94 Enlisted Crew 406 Civilians N/A Marines/MACO 100 Evacuation Limit 4,500
DIMENSIONS Length 464.43 m Height 87.43 m Width 316.67 m Decks 19 (17 habitable)	WEAPONS AND DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS Shields 16x Glashian-Sulok DS-VIII-21 auto-modulating deflector shield grid Weapon Systems 6x Type XI phaser array Torpedo Armament 15x pulse-fire torpedo tube, variable ordnance Magazine space for 120x quantum torpedoes and 300x photon torpedoes
SCIENTIFIC SYSTEMS Sensor Systems Capacity for 24x modular sensor pallets 2x Incisive Dynamics AN-CFG-441 Cochrane fluctuation detection grid Scientific Laboratories Capacity for up to 20 multipurpose laboratories Probe Systems Class I through IX probes available	PROPULSION SYSTEMS Engine Configuration 1x Yoyodyne SSWR-37-C matter/antimatter warp core powering 2x Mitsubishi-Thylliash MAM-9400-31 warp nacelles 2x Mitsubishi-Thylliash ID-4550-12 impulse drive Cruise Speed Warp 9.2 Maximum Sustainable Speeds Warp 9.89 for 12 hours Emergency Speed Warp 9.92
CREW SUPPORT SYSTEMS Medical Support Systems Starship sickbay facilities 2x intensive care units 4x surgical suites Shipwide EMH emitter infrastructure Recreational Systems 2x full-service holodecks 8x holosuites 1x gymnasium facility, deck 16 Crew Quarters Standard capacity for 500 regular crew and up to 150 additional specialists	AUXILIARY CRAFT Shuttlebays 1x thru-deck flight bay Small Auxiliary Craft 24x Lockheed-Draylaxian Kestrel fighters in two squadrons: * VF-722 "Green Comets" * VF-891 "Stormchasers" 18x Type 11 shuttlecraft 10x standard work bees 5x standard shuttlepods Large Auxiliary Craft 4x Yellowstone-class runabout: USS Menkalinan, USS Al-Nath, USS Unukalhai, USS Nihal

USS Kinistin is one of the later models of the Akira class, coming from Block III of the ship's production. She was produced in 2387 at the ADSB Integration Facility, New Aberdeen Fleet Yards, Aldebaran. Design refinements produced following the war included the implementation of the SSWR-37-C warp core, allowing for a more efficient warp field to be projected forward of the main hull, with the effect of reducing Cochrane field shearing and enabling somewhat higher sustained cruising speeds.

Commanded by CAPT Ananda Srisuwan, the Kinistin launched as an exploratory vessel equipped with runabouts and shuttles in place of its strike fighter loadout, scoped for exploration of the Zenas Expanse. The ship operated as a second-line surveyor and mothership for smaller landing parties on xenoscience and geological missions, primarily gathering samples and conducting field research, with few combat engagements. The Kinistin undertook two five-year tours of the Expanse, with a layover between, before CAPT Srisuwan retired. The ship was reassigned to CAPT Narr Proll and dispatched to the Eridan Belt to assist as a second-line survey ship.

As tensions with the Klingons escalated, the Kinistin was reassigned to the Xarantine Sector following a periodic refit and carrier wing turnover, re-equipping with modern strike craft. The ship provided presence patrols along the Klingon border before being drawn directly into the fighting following the outbreak of hostilities. Kinistin served in several battles throughout the conflict, the most notable being a major battle over Archanis, in which CAPT Proll was severely injured and subsequently discharged for medical reasons. CMDR Della Cardenas assumed command through the remainder of 2408 before command was assumed by CAPT Kai-Mindaugas Liepa following major repairs at Utopia Planitia.

The Kinistin returned to the front lines in 2409, serving throughout the Klingon conflict and accumulating several battle stars and unit service ribbons. By the appearance of the Dyson Spheres, the ship was withdrawn to a supporting role in Romulan space, operating primarily in an anti-piracy role as part of efforts to support the emerging Romulan Republic.

By 2419, with the retirement of CAPT Liepa, the Kinistin was recalled to New Aberdeen Fleet Yards to undergo a full modernization refit. The ship was re-equipped with more modern computer and warp propulsion systems, modern phaser banks and more efficient torpedo auto-reloaders, as well as more efficient and compact sensors and replacement of extraneous crew quarters with new laboratory space. These refinements took approximately two years and significantly increased both the ship's performance and her versatility.

Following the refit, the Kinistin was assigned to CAPT Ohsala Rinn for regular presence patrols in the Bajor Sector, then reassigned in 2422 to Starbase 514.

SELECTED CREW MANIFEST

• Commanding Officer: CAPT Ohsala Rinn
• Executive Officer: CMDR Irria Yxani


• Chief Flight Controller: LTJG Sonja Enstrom
• Chief Operations Officer: LCDR Jeane-Lucie Khine
• Chief Engineering Officer: LT Dahlia Dexter


• Deputy Chief of Operations: LT Janis Koyuncu


• Chief Transporter Officer: ENS Faa Teru
• Chief Tactical Officer: LCDR Alan Ward Leslie
• Chief Science Officer: LT Sayaana Khudanov


• Deputy Chief Science Officer: LTJG Tesryl sh'Aen
• Chief Security Officer: LT Nythe Sizir
• Chief Medical Officer: LT Nwyniane Halen

COMMAND HISTORY

2387-2398: CAPT Ananda Srisuwan
2398-2408: CAPT Narr Proll
2408-2409: CMDR Della Cardenas (brevet)
2409-2419: CAPT Kai-Mindaugas Liepa
2421-present: CAPT Ohsala Rinn

[Added by HoD qartegh, IKS yatqap KL-8390:]

Saohlejan Tihlinu

RANK HoD POST Commanding Officer, IKS voSpegh KL-12832 FLEET ASSIGNMENT Klingon Defense Force

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS SPECIES Laohnian GENDER Female HEIGHT 5'9 WEIGHT Classified EYE COLOR Pale blue HAIR COLOR Black

DEMOGRAPHICS DATE OF BIRTH 65280.3 12 April 2388 PLACE OF BIRTH Inundra, Tauhiun Governorate, Ilaoh'ri (63 Eridani IIIk) MARITAL STATUS Single IMMEDIATE FAMILY Terahni Tihlinu, father - resident, Inundra, Tauhiun Governorate Lahenn Tihlinu, mother - resident, Inundra, Tauhiun Governorate Fevel Tihlinu, brother, elder - resident, Turait, Evossa Governorate Reohliana Seiher (nee Tihlinu), sister, younger - resident, Inundra, Tauhiun Governorate

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

2388: Birth registry filed, Inundra Regional Medical Centre, Inundra, Tauhiun, Ilaoh'ri.
2405: Joins the crew of military-chartered supply freighter KF tongDuj-3047. Billet is ship's mate.
2407: Assumes command of KF tongDuj-3047.
2408: Added by HoD qartegh, IKS yatqap KL-8390: On this date, let it be known that Saw'leHjan tlhIynu puqbe', entering the ar'qanIS system and encountering a Federation blockade, courageously ran the gauntlet of enemy ships in her civilian freighter, even venting a plasma trail that disabled one of the enemy's ships. The wounds she suffered in this action are the marks of honour worthy of a Klingon. I can see the heart of a warrior beats within the breast even of one of the jeghwu'pI. Let it be so that she should join me aboard the yatqap!
2408: Added by the office of Qang jampaq: Let it be affirmed that for her act of great honour, allowing our brave warriors to fight on and courageously suffering battle wounds to self and ship to strike at the Federation, Saw'leHjan tlhIynu puqbe' is deemed worthy of being counted among Klingons in the line of battle. Qapla'!
2408: Inducted into the Klingon Defense Force at the rank of lagh and posted to IKS yatqap KL-8390, bI'rel-class, as a targeting systems officer.
2409: Added by Sogh Saohlejan Tihlinu: I assume the rank of Sogh and the position of Operations Leader after striking down the dishonourable petaQ' Qoghan muq puqloD'.
2410: Added by 'aj qovaq miqeD puqloD': All of the brave warriors aboard the yatqap are honoured for their courageous strike at the shipyard of Caph, deep within the territory of the Federation. Stories of their daring assault will be told in song for generations!
2411: Promoted to the rank of Sogh-la'.
2413: Added by HoD meQugh' ghowqom puqloD': I have slain the unworthy coward qartegh and claimed the title of HoD of this vessel. All slave trash will no longer be allowed on the bridge of a Klingon vessel that I command. Orion whores and Laohnian cowards will know their place on my ship.
2413: Added by HoD Saohlejan Tihlinu: I have slain the dishonourable fool meQugh' and claimed the title of HoD of this vessel. Miserable qoH, may your soul bleed out in ghe'tor. Never forget that you burn there because you are less of a Klingon than the slaves you sneer at.
2413: Added by Qang jampaq: Let the Record of Battle show that there is no dishonour in the actions of HoD Saw'leHjan, despite the sad whining of the House of ghowqom. The fires of honour may be stoked within the hearts even of those who are not born Klingon. Indeed, her people have been part of the Empire since the time of our forefathers, and she has shown she has learned the lessons of time well. The vessel yatqap is hers to command.
2414: IKS yatqap destroys a Borg Sphere in the 12 Sextantis system in a rare solo engagement for a ship the size of a Bird of Prey.
2414: IKS yatqap makes landfall on Ilaoh'ri as part of a KDF sovereignty patrol ceremony.
2414: Added by 'aj qovaq miqeD puqloD': HoD Tihlinu's pushing back of Hirogen hunting parties in the HatorIya sector is truly the act of a warrior. The crew of the yatqap are honoured for their great success in battle!
2416: IKS yatqap completes a deep scouting mission of the Delta Quadrant beyond the Voyager Corridor, providing accurate maps to the KDF.
2417: IKS yatqap transfers to an Alliance base near the Rolor Nebula.
2419: Added by HoD Saohlejan Tihlinu: After our victory against the Breen in the 37 Pegasi system, the yatqap has suffered significant battle damage. The ship has served the Empire well for many years, but she is nearly a century old and requires extensive repair before she can reenter battle.
2419: Transfers to IKS voSpegh KL-12832, vorcha'-class, by order of the High Command.
2419: Added by HoD Saohlejan Tihlinu: We are taking the voSpegh into the outer reaches of the Empire to conduct sovereignty patrols and see to the state of our outer borders.
2420: IKS voSpegh encounters and destroys a weapon-ship of the Ghizat Hierarchy in the Azh'muran (HD 52295) System.
2420: IKS voSpegh annexes the resource-rich HD 56161 System for the Empire, establishing the jampaq-27 mining colony on the metallic planetoid taD-j-9820-C.
2421: IKS voSpegh establishes relations with the Thukarians of the Anathuk (HD 49109) System. The planet enters into a client relationship with the Empire.
2421: Added by HoD Saohlejan Tihlinu: We are returning from our patrol of the space beyond the Imperial border. The Record of Battle will speak to our success in carrying the flag of the Empire.

COMMENDATIONS

* Granted the right to serve in the KDF, 2408.

DEMERITS

* Added SD 98594.14 by DS9 Station Security: One charge of unarmed assault versus a civilian. Added SD 98594.37 by DS9 Klingon Security Officer: Charges are stayed by reason of the issue being sexual harassment and an affront to HoD tlhIYnu's honour. Added SD98594.38 by DS9 Station Security: Court proceedings stayed by reason of plea agreement, protective order and undertaking to make whole.


JOINT OPERATIONS COMMENDATIONS



BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION



MEDICAL HISTORY

PHYSICAL HEALTH ASSESSMENT

Healthy and fit for battle. Try to avoid heavy outerwear in higher heat; Laohnian physiology doesn't like it.

MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENT

Of sound mind and mentally prepared for battle.

SUBMITTED: Stardate: 98520.8

FILED BY: CAPT Jadrys Itana

SECURITY: Level 1 - Open

​
LOCATION: HD124284
​
MISSION: Deep Centaurus Expedition ongoing progress report
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OUTCOME: Stopping for crew leave on a tropical planet, Copernicus made first contact with a ship from the Ustavan Starleague.
​
KEY PERSONNEL:

CAPT Jadrys Itana
CMDR Yma Quispe
LCDR Rena Fox
DR Yulia Zvizdaryk

Non-Federation:
CAPT Parth Norra, Ustavan Starleague vessel Tapevan

​NARRATIVE: Our survey into Centaurus took us to the HD124284 star system, en route to our anticipated waypoint at Psi Centauri. Our scans of the system confirmed observations from Starbase 92: A K-type orange dwarf system. The Copernicus confirmed the presence of several planets:

* HD124284 I - J-class hot Jovian, orbiting close to the star.
* HD124284 II - E-class geoplastic planet with significant surface magma; about 0.5 Earth radii.
* An asteroid belt that may have originated from a protoplanet breakup.
* HD124284 III - M-class warm-climate, 77% surface water. About 0.92 Earth radii. Three moons, all small.
* HD124284 IV - K-class with an extremely tenuous atmosphere.
* A second asteroid belt.
* HD124284 V - Class J jovian with a significant ring system.
* HD124284 VI - Class C geoinactive, small radius, somewhat eccentric and elliptical orbit. May have been partially ejected early in system formation.

Our survey concentrated primarily on HD124284 III. Orbital scans revealed a planet with an average temperature estimated in the vicinity of 75.5 F, increasing at the equatorial regions, and a relatively regular orbit leading to minimal seasonal variation - essentially a perpetual summer climate. Scans revealed no sign of sentient life, civilization, structures, alloyed metals or orbital networks, though a significant biomass was detected in the form of both foliage and non-sentient lifeforms. Further samples confirmed the presence of a standard breathable atmosphere and standard tolerable ranges of gravity. I authorized LCDR Fox to prepare a science team to deploy to the surface for further analysis.

The away team's survey confirmed a benign tropical climate, and analysis by Dr. Zvizdaryk and the Medical department confirmed that standard Starfleet away team immunizations were more than sufficient to deal with any extant aerosols or other submicron infectants without issue. Soil, botanical and biological samples were taken for study. The outcomes of these studies will be filed as appendices.

As the surveys continued, Coun. Sudet recommended that the crew take the opportunity for brief shore leave on HD124284, recognizing the Copernicus was missing the Lohlunat Festival this year and many of the crew would benefit from the chance to stretch their legs on shore. Upon review, I authorized the ship to remain in orbit for three days and granted the crew permission to take time to visit a secured area on the surface during off-duty hours, with travel restricted to a warm-climate beach and coastal area confirmed as safe by the science and security teams. The Cetacean Ops teams were also permitted to take leave following a marine probe survey turning up no hostile marine life.

Approximately 39 hours into our layover, the Copernicus delta shift bridge crew alerted the senior staff to another ship entering the system. I assumed command to find the crew had accurately identified a ship of approximately 500 metres length and a displacement and arrangement consistent with a warship, not responding to hails, but bound for the second asteroid belt. The arriving ship soon diverted long-range scans to the Copernicus and changed course to HD124284.

With no contact with the approaching vessel and energy readings suggesting the ship's shields were raised, I made the decision to recall the crew from the planetside within a one-hour window that would provide time for evacuation before the other vessel would reach us. The crew returned to the ship expediently, and the other ship passed through the asteroid belt within 72 minutes before initiating communications.

The unknown ship identified itself as the ULC Tapevan of a political entity identified as the Ustavan Starleague, represented in this instance by a humanoid male identifying himself as Captain Parth Norra. Before we could complete our introductions, Norra stated that the system was subject to the Ustavan Starleague and claimed the Copernicus had committed an unauthorized entry. I identified the vessel and the Federation, and notified Norra that no border buoys had been seen, no border patrol vessels had approached us and our starmaps had no charting of Ustavan space. This seemed to pacify him for the moment, and we were asked to submit to a remote scan for hostile pathogens and contraband. In the interest of avoiding conflict, I permitted the Tapevan to conduct a ship-to-ship scan.

The results of the scan seemed satisfactory, and Captain Norra informed us that the system had been claimed only within the past year under what he called the Extractive Outsourcing Act. I questioned if the Ustavan Starleague was active in other systems in the area, and he answered somewhat indirectly that the USL maintained active offworld industries in "many systems." Further, he noted that many of the systems ahead, including Psi Centauri, are claimed as held territory by the Ustavan Starleague, and transmitted both a basic starmap and a datablock translated to a document identified as the Starleague Traffic Guidelines. These guidelines delineated expected behaviours for ships traveling Ustavan space, particularly a speed limit of Warp 6.7.

While I requested an in-person meeting to make a formal contact, Captain Norra declined, citing "deadlines to meet" and a discomfort in the climate observed aboard the Copernicus, which is apparently not a typical environment for Ustavans. Prior to breaking communication and returning to the asteroid field, Norra transmitted a datapermit that claimed to authorize us to continue to visit HD124284 III for the duration of our shore leave.

With this permit in hand, we resumed the duration of our leave, but continued passive monitoring of the Tapevan from range. We observed the following:

* From surface bioscans and visual observations, the Ustavans are humanoid but appear adapted for a cold-climate, low-light environment. It is likely they had little interest in HD124284 III because its tropical climate would have been visually uncomfortable for them. We observed that all the Ustavans visible on the viewscreen squinted upon initial contact, as though the light level on our bridge was painful to process, though it appears their technology is capable of adapting to filter this through visual contact.
* Ustavan technology is broadly similar to that observed in the automated mining operations in previous systems we visited. Captain Norra did not give us a clear answer as to whether the Ustavans were directly responsible for mining operations that obliterated entire pre-warp civilizations, but we are proceeding with great caution.
* The Tapevan is a highly practical and utilitarian ship design of a technology level consistent with Federation starships of the 2360s or 70s, with a bias towards combat and cargo space. We detected specialized equipment for mineral extraction and collection - two cutting beams were seen deployed, though these appear to have no combat use - as well as significant armour load composed primarily of duritanium polyalloy and rodinium. Weapons signatures are unclear, but we identified at least 18 ports which appeared to be egress hatches for kinetic projectiles and at least four emplacements which appeared to be tetryon-based beam weapons, suggesting a well-armoured ship with a significant projectile armament.
* We observed the Tapevan traveling into the system at Warp 6.7, but the observed power levels - consistent with a matter/antimatter reaction system - suggest Ustavan ships are capable of traveling at higher speeds.
* The Tapevan's activities focused primarily on two larger asteroids containing significant quantities of tantalum and rodinium, which we observed the ship extracting. After about 11.5 hours of our observing passively, the Tapevan reoriented herself to place her stern impulse drive between us and the cargo hold door. We suspect the Ustavans recognized we were continuing to observe them and sought to conceal their activities, though we have no indication of fluctuating power levels or any other signs that something beyond ordinary mining extraction was occurring.

Upon the conclusion of our shore leave window, we transmitted a thank you and farewell to the Tapevan and received no verbal response, only a pulse text transmission reading "Safe travels." Attached was another copy of the Starleague Traffic Guidelines.

Several systems on our itinerary are marked on our starmaps as claimed by the Ustavan Starleague. The Copernicus will maintain silent yellow alert during our travels in the space of this new political entity.
​
RECOMMENDATION: No action required.
​
​

OOC:

[Starbase 91, CAPT Hrebenyk:]

SUBMITTED: Stardate: 98459

FILED BY: CAPT Jadrys Itana

SECURITY: Level 1 - Open

​
LOCATION: NGC 4402 System
​
MISSION: Deep Centaurus Expedition ongoing progress report
​
OUTCOME: The Copernicus retrieved an alien database from a crashed passenger ship inhabited by a hostile pseudopodal lifeform. Futher information emerged concerning the inhabitants of a planet flagged as Tel Ustav.
​
KEY PERSONNEL:

CAPT Jadrys Itana
CMDR Yulia Zvizdaryk
LCDR Rena Fox
LT Cassiopeia Huynh
LTJG Avery Tatler
PO3C Tharsh zh'Illias

​NARRATIVE: Our continuing survey of the Deep Centaurus exploratory region brought the Copernicus to the NGC 4402 system.

This star system has been flagged by observations from Lyonesse Observatory for some time: It is a binary system consisting of an M3-type red dwarf (NGC 4402 A) and a T7-type brown dwarf companion (NGC 4402 B), with five confirmed planets, including two (NGC 4402 II and III) in the habitable zone. However, both are tidally locked and lack both liquid water and atmosphere, and our surveys confirmed that neither harbour life.

Our survey of the largest plannet in the system - NGC 4402 IV, a long-period planet comparable to Sol VIII - confirmed the presence of four moons, but uncovered an anomaly: The largest moon, NGC 4402 IV-a, while covered in a thick sheet of water ice, experiences sufficient tidal warming from its orbital characteristics to sustain a subsurface ocean. This came to our attention primarily due to a stream of particles visible in planetary orbit, originating from a substantial breach in the planetary ice sheet. Our survey of the impact site revealed the source of this breach was not natural: upon deployment of a Type VII planetary probe, we discovered the remains of a spacecraft of approximately 450 metres in length. The craft appeared to have made an uncontrolled descent and penetrated the ice sheet, leaving only part of its stern jutting out of the planetoid.

At the recommendation of LCDR Fox, an away team was organized to investigate the ship, equipped with environmental suits appropriate for submersible operation. LT Huynh headed up the team. Investigation revealed that the ship shared no common design characteristics with the various constructs and satellites we have encountered in previous formerly-inhabited systems. Further, the team encountered the skeletal remains of several unknown aliens. A supplemental bioscience team under LTJG Tatler was dispatched to analyze the remains in situ.

During the course of this investigation, members of the away team began to report a feeling of unease, with some reporting seeing movement out of the corners of their eyes. At the recommendation of LT Liell, I authorized a security detail to be dispatched to the ship and ordered that members of the away team remain vigilant and never travel alone.

This caution proved warranted: Within 15 minutes of the arrival of the security team, PO3C zh'Illias of the engineering team was suddenly grabbed by some manner of pseudopod, which attempted to drag the crewman into a conduit. LT Liell was on scene and successfully struck the pseudopod with a phaser burst, causing it to release PO3C zh'Illias and withdraw.

Injuries to zh'Illias were not serious, but biomedical analysis revealed traces of surface toxins left behind on the skin. The crewman was returned to the Copernicus for treatment, where Dr. Zvizdaryk was able to identify the toxins as a form of neural paralytic, which she neutralized. Review by the away team of some of the dead aboard the ship revealed traces of the paralytic in their systems. Further, cross-referencing of the estimated date of the ship's impact (approx. seven years ago) coupled with the estimated age of the bodies led to a conclusion: The crew of the vessel had been killed before the collision, largely by paralysis. The bodies were additionally found to be absent of crucial internal nutrients, displaying puncture wounds to various parts of the skin, as though substances had been sucked out of them.

Upon this understanding, I ordered the away teams to return to the Copernicus. However, LT Huynh recommended she remain behind long enough to download the alien ship's database in the hopes of discovering more about the space ahead. I agreed, on the condition that LT Liell remain with her and that a transporter lock be maintained on both officers.

During the download process, the unknown attacker emerged from a conduit and revealed itself as a large and amorphous parasitic creature consisting of numerous amorphous pseudopods. The creature attempted to grab LT Huynh, but missed when LT Liell struck it with a phaser blast on heavy stun, which did not substantially immobilize it but caused it to shift focus and attempt to engulf LT Liell. The two officers successfully retreated into a corridor, attempting to distract the creature while the download continued. A brief cat-and-mouse ensued until the officers were able to circle around and retrieve the tricorder, beaming back up to the Copernicus before the creature could assault them again.

As a precautionary measure, I ordered a warning buoy to be placed at the crash site, cautioning any passing ships of the presence of a dangerous creature aboard the wreck.

We then turned our attention to the recovered records. While these were highly fragmented, we were able to pull partial data from the database that identified the vessel as a passenger liner named the Quallum out of a port on a planet named Inli, bound for a planet named Tel Ustav. Partial coordinates list Inli as lying somewhat to the galactic "east" of the Jadriithi Authority, well outside the survey area of the Deep Copernicus Expedition; recommend that SB91 investigate these coordinates further. Partial coordinates for Tel Ustav indicate this planet is within the DCE survey area, and we have prioritized them down to a general sectorial block and flagged this area as a key survey target.

In view of these findings, the satellite data we recovered from NGC 3782 was reassessed. While little new information was gained, the term "Tel Ustav" was isolated within what appeared to be a listing of production data, suggesting that the political entity originating in Tel Ustav may be related to the operators of the mining operation that oversaw the extermination of that system's indigenous civilization. I have elected to proceed into the space ahead with caution in view of this.
​
RECOMMENDATION: Starbase 91, CAPT Hrebenyk: Flag the coordinates of planet Inli as a site for future contact, possibly by the mission team assigned to the Jadriithi Authority.
​
​

OOC:

[Alpha Docking Bay:]

Starbase 91
Starbase One-type, SB91
Starship Registry SB91

Starship Specifications: ShowHide

GENERAL INFORMATION Class Starbase One-type Designation SB91 Hull Duration 150 years + Time Between Refits 25 years for major systems replacement Time Between Resupply Indefinite - self-sustaining	PERSONNEL Officers 2,916 Enlisted Crew 11,993 Civilians 18,671 Marines/MACO 500 Evacuation Limit 250,000
DIMENSIONS Length 3.81 km Height 5.795 km Width 3.81 km Decks 1,200	WEAPONS AND DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS Shields 12x redundant overlapping shield generators, total capacity 2,240,000 terajoules Weapon Systems 370x Type XII-3 heavy phaser banks Torpedo Armament 24x burst-fire torpedo tubes
SCIENTIFIC SYSTEMS Sensor Systems High-powered short- and long-range sensor arrays Scientific Laboratories Approx. 100 decks of dedicated laboratory space Probe Systems Capacity for all classes of probes up to Type XII	PROPULSION SYSTEMS Engine Configuration Stationary - attitude-control thrusters only Cruise Speed n/a Maximum Sustainable Speeds n/a Emergency Speed n/a
CREW SUPPORT SYSTEMS Medical Support Systems Full-grade medical suites suitable for planetary-scale crises Recreational Systems Extensive Crew Quarters Lodging for up to 15,000 Starfleet personnel and 25,000 civilians	AUXILIARY CRAFT Shuttlebays Alpha Docking Bay - capacity for up to 10 ships of large cruiser displacement Beta Docking Bay - capacity for up to 24 ships of small- to mid-size capital ship displacement Shuttlebay with capacity for up to 300 shuttles or runabouts Small Auxiliary Craft 180 shuttles of various types Large Auxiliary Craft 103rd Exploratory Unit vessels on permanent station/homebasing Alpha Docking Bay: * USS Alpamysh NCC-97017 (Odyssey-class, Yorktown variant) - CAPT Ororo Mbane commanding * USS Copernicus NCC-623-B (Odyssey-class) - CAPT Jadrys Itana commanding * USS Vehaxein NCC-54212 (Narendra-class) - CAPT Ahash Ysec Harsk Laa commanding * USS Firebreak NCC-99907 (Guardian-class) - CAPT Zaida Zahirovic commanding * USS Hurutam NCC-104373 (Sutherland-class) - CAPT Firuzah Khamidouline commanding * USS Khedive NCC-108806 (Archon-class) - CAPT N'arr Vurauw Beta Docking Bay: * USS Haida NCC-7215-C (Palatine-class) - CAPT Aienna Soin commanding * USS Shamsher NCC-79844 (Intrepid-class) - CAPT Nicolette Lefebvre commanding * USS Umbriel NCC-80115 (Luna-class) - CMDR Velliash sh'Qahlas commanding * USS Bukovyna NCC-93941 (Appalachia-class) - CMDR Cochrane Johnson commanding * USS Zegn NCC-94283 (Da Vinci-class) - LCDR Geruf nd'Uriash commanding * USS Hawan NCC-95651 (Equinox-class) - LCDR Neshla-Yer commanding * USS Setlik NCC-100939 (Icarus-class) - CMDR Emba Draxiph commanding * USS Bayajidda NCC-109752 (Lafayette-class) - CAPT Selai Kainihewe commanding * USS Vainamoinen NCC-107251 (Sao Paulo-class) - CMDR Vesek commanding

Not to be mistaken for Starbase 91-Lembatta, this starbase was originally a smaller outpost built in the 2200s in orbit of Lyonesse, a mid-sized oceanic planet orbiting the evolved red giant 2 Centauri. The starbase was a simple frontier outpost from 2297 to 2350 but was upgraded to an Earth Spacedock-type megaspool in the interest of stationing a fleet in the region to secure nearby colonies against Romulan incursions. While a few expeditions into space beyond the starbase occurred, these were mostly surface charting missions. Starbase 91 itself served as a centre for oceanographic and stellar research as well as observation of the coreward Alpha Quadrant.

As of 2420, Starbase 91 serves as the headquarters of the 103rd Exploratory Unit, under the command of RADM Taegan Quistra. This task force is undertaking a long-term exploratory mission of the space beyond the known frontier, with the intention of fully charting the outlying sectors, making contact with new species and discovering what lays between the Federation and the galactic core, while potentially discovering the relatively unknown space skipped over by USS Voyager en route back to the Alpha Quadrant.

Key SB91 personnel:

103rd EU Unit Commander: RADM Taegan Quistra
-- Admiral's Chief of Staff: LT Minerva Saarinen
-- Command Security Lead: LT Sabanna Nwexyl
Starbase Commanding Officer: CAPT Anna Hrebenyk
Executive Officer, Operations: CMDR Phyas Nehl
-- Chief Traffic Control Operations Officer: LCDR Brian Rees
-- Chief Computer Systems Operations Officer: LCDR Odal Nabb
-- Chief Engineering Operations Officer: LCDR Matsuhiro Heihachiro
-- Chief Monitoring and Communications Officer: LCDR Alexandria Ruiz Oquendo
-- Chief Supply and Logistics Officer: LCDR Jean-Yves Duclos
-- Chief Tactical Officer: LCDR Jon St. Ives
Executive Officer, Security: CMDR Tegl
-- Chief Customs and Boarding Control Officer: LCDR Thilliass zh'Nassha
-- Chief Internal Security Officer: LCDR Robert Daykin
----Chief Security Patrol Officer, Civilian Section: LCDR Ted Chudleigh
Executive Officer, Personnel: CMDR Amira Belkassim
-- Chief Personnel Management Officer: LCDR Damietta DiFrancesco
-- Chief Medical Officer: CMDR Peter Boughner
---- Chief of Counseling and Lifestyle Management: CMDR Laina Swyxanti

The still-extant original starbase remains in a distant orbit around Lyonesse but has been redesignated Lyonesse Observatory and operates mainly as an unmanned space telescope site, controlled remotely from Starbase 91.