Stardate 20402.06 With the Borg menace defeated and the UFOP and other federations, empires and independents of the alpha and beta quadrants sharing an uneasy calm, any observer would have believed that this was the foundation of an extended peace. Unfortunately appearances can be deceptive. Following the fear of annihilation or slavery from the Romulans and then facing assimilation from the Borg, planets throughout the Federation were now reviewing their military and trading allegiances, coming to terms with the fact that whilst the Federation was strong it had apparently let them down in their hour of need, not that there was anything their could have done. One such planet was Kappa Alpha III, known as Padar to its inhabitants. A mining colony set up 200 years previously from Earth, it mined one of the richest supplies of di-lithium in the quadrant. It’s loss would be of huge political embarrassment to the UFOP, as well as of strategic concern as Fleet Intelligence didn’t believe it would stay independent for long. Captain (later Commodore) Thrawn and the Dauntless were despatched on a diplomatic mission to ascertain the intentions of the Padarian leadership and take what action was necessary to maintain access to the di-lithium.

Upon arrival it soon became clear that things were not as expected.

1. The pro-UFOP leadership had been replaced by a pro-Padarian system, apparently with the general support of the population.

2. Mining rates had been increased though the equipment and facilities were fairly old.

3. It was clear that the UFOP had been taking the di-lithium but giving not a lot in return to the people.

4. The new Government appeared quite open and genuine that they were going to do what was right for the Padarian people and not was right for others at the expense of their people.

Whilst the Dauntless crew commenced their mission, a wave of terrorism erupted in the major population centres. Blamed upon pro-UFOP supporters from the lost election by the Ruling Chief Regent, one of the ruling council then informed Thrawn that it was really people who had initially supported but now opposed the new government, realising that the election promises had been false and that the planet was being sold out to their new customers whilst the leadership lined their pockets, and pleaded that Thrawn and the Dauntless impose order.

Trying to avoid being pulled into taking sides and possibly causing an open conflict with the Government, Thrawn directs his crew to render aid and to investigate the bombings. In order to uncover the true feelings of the population an away team was deployed but during a sensor blackout was captured by forces unknown but presumed to be the terrorists, adding to the problems. Then the terrorists demand the Dauntless leave Padar after which the away team would be returned. Further, whilst they helped the local security forces uncover the truth of the forces behind the indiscriminate terrorism two new surprises are unveiled.

1. The new leadership was already in discussions to form an alliance with an Orion Cartel, which had already sent a powerful Fleet to keep an eye on events.

2. the Dauntless investigators uncover evidence of Orion involvement with the terrorism, and using this information to scan for Orion signatures the Dauntless sensors locate an Orion signature and those of the Away Team.

Whilst Thrawn takes the findings of the investigations to the ruling council and to advise them of the perils of working with the Orion Cartels, a ground based rescue team is despatched to recover their comrades which Commander McDade the CTO faces 4 Orion cruisers in a match of skills, diplomacy and subterfuge. Following a hard firefight the away team is rescued, coincidentally discovering that the lead terrorist was none other than the son of the regent would had tried to get Thrawn to intervene. With these findings occurring during a vital meeting of the ruling council of Regents it caused a backlash against the anti-Orion faction and despite a plea from Thrawn as to the hazards of trading with the Orions, the Regents vote to secede from the Federation though allowing the UFOP to reopen trading discussions for their minerals at market prices.

The Orion fleet withdraws now that their business interests are secured and Dauntless recalls all its forces from the Planet. Though not entirely what the UFOP diplomats wanted, Commodore Thrawn is not displeased with the outcome – the people of Padar would receive a true market value for their produce and the UFOP still had access to the market.

On the way home a surprise Birthday Party is held for the Commodore’s 35th Birthday where he is shown a detailed history of his career in Star Fleet to date. He has the chance to promote several members of the crew. Unfortunately those present are taken ill due to food poisoning and Thrawn himself succumbs to a deadly DNA toxin he has received during his visit to the Planet. Whilst the crew recovers following some rather harsh but effective treatment from sickbay, Thrawn nears death as the ship rushes back towards StarBase Alpha.

Whilst the majority of the senior staff travel to Risa for some R&R Thrawn is transferred to SBA Medical where his condition worsens with stasis no longer an option to maintain his condition due to the nature of the illness. Then something strange occurs. Following a visit undetected by SBA staff, some unidentified persons administer an antidote and he recovers with no real memory since the Party. With no reason to restrict his movements the SBA medical staff reluctantly let them go for a few days leave, coincidentally to Risa where his senior officers have gone (and narrowly escaped serious injury due to a holiday mishap with a sailing ship – a fact he only discovers on the way back to SBA following a recall for their next mission.

Captain's Logs

Stardate 20306.16

Stardate 20306.16

After several months of rest and recuperation for some, and a visit to Mars for myself and Cdr McDade, I have been given my next mission by Fleet Commander Rasmus Benestad. In his own words …

[“…As you can appreciate, the United Federation of Planets is far from living up to its name. Planets that were leaning towards the Romulan’s are either in a state of panic, or trying to re-emphasise their allegiance to us by shopping their neighbours. Others are suffering through the collapse of trade, some simply want to become independent again after what they see as the failure of the Federation to protect them. It is a bit of a mess. Officially UFOP policy is that planets can choose their own destiny, though of course we would encourage them to stay as valued members. Unofficially, some planets are too vital to us to allow to leave …. without doing everything we can to explain the big picture.

One such planet is “Kappa Alpha III”, or as their inhabitants refer to it as “Padar”. It is a world that was settled direct from Earth almost 200 years ago. Our local representative has managed to get information to us suggesting that the planet’s leaders are divided as to whether or not they should remain a member of the Federation due to the massive loss of life and property as a result of the Borg invasion. Now ordinarily this would not present us with too much of a problem, except that the moons associated to this planet contain one of the richest supplies of di-lithium in the quadrant. One has to ask therefore what would happen if they broke away from the Federation; Fleet Intelligence doesn’t think they will remain independent for long. If they left, the loss of such a planet would be a political embarrassment to us as well as causing a strategic problem, especially if they either re-aligned themselves or were coerced into a different alliance.

Your mission is to try and convince them to stay within the UFOP. However there is one issue that could cause some difficulties - in time the Mars issue will become more widely known and the identity of the ship involved may become known, and that may make your mission more tricky. You’ll have to sort that one out if it comes up….”]

To make things more difficult for me, my First Officer has been transferred to take command of the Gettysburg, though I am pleased that my choice to take his place has accepted the job. His replacement is Commander Lucas Leeot (nee Ecap), formerly Colonel and i/c of the security section, whom brings with him many skills that will be important in the mission ahead.

The Dauntless departed StarBase-Alpha on a course direct for Padar, and took the opportunity to run through the standard post-maintenance warp engine checks. At the earliest opportunity I held the department heads meeting where I introduced our new Chief Science Officer Cdr Havek, taking the place of the late Cdr Alorian Rathyin, MIA on the last mission. After the end of the war and our most recent missions, this one may take some getting used to with no anticipated confrontational aspect to it – much more of a diplomatic mission. Nevertheless we are running through a complete set of checks to make sure this ship is as good as she gets.

Supplemental

LOG SUPPLEMENTARY ENTRY classified SECRET

During my stay on StarBase I had an interesting conversation with LCdr Garellian in one of his more outlandish disguises warning me that my name was creating some interest with some criminal circles. Net result is that I have acquired a new yeoman, who is really as special operative lieutenant tasked to keep a close eye on me and see that I come to no harm. The disguise as a yeoman could not be any better, some one who would ordinarily not give reason to be noticed but who would legitimately be close to the CO. Only time will tell whether she was needed. As of this moment only Hampson and Leeot know of her, and that’s how it will stay unless absolutely necessary….

Log end ..

Stardate 20307.07

Stardate 20307.07

After travelling to Padar (Kappa Alpha III) and running through some post-overhaul system checks we have finally arrived. Preliminary surface scans of the planet & moon, plus of civil and government broadcasts indicate the following: 1. It appears from the public reports that the government have had some recent changes in its command structure and the new regime was more interested in making the planet profitable and important than the old leaders who were content with Federation membership and maintaining a lower profile amongst all but the customers they currently dealt with. 2. Public opinion seemed to be split down the middle with those in support of the change, and those who preferred the ways this were before the new government. 3. Intensive scans of the planet and surrounding space does not show any presence of alien craft or large groups of aliens on the planet, but there was an increased number of miners and the equipment they used. It appeared that production in their mines had increased more than a hundred fold.

After making initial contact with Regent Mihkail, one of the governors of the new Padar Ruling Assembly, we manoeuvred into standard orbit.

Before I could transport down a high speed Federation transport ship has pulled along side and transmitted some messages to us. Essentially for the second time in about 2 weeks I am without a FO. Commander Leeot has been reassigned to take command of the Philadelphia, a Berlin Class Frigate, and a ship he has served upon. Though not long as my FO, I have no doubt that he will be a fine Captain of the ship. The transport ship also brought news of my promotion to Commodore, which led to some high jinx on the Bridge courtesy of my ex-FO.

Leaving Cdr Rylus CEO and 2nd Officer in charge I am transporting down to the Planet with Lt Shikozu and Yeoman Rand accompanying me, to try and ascertain what is the intent of the new Government regarding UFOP ties.

Supplmental

Crew Log supplemental

On our approach to Padar I received a coded transmission from our former Medical Officer Polvin who had resigned his commission at short notice in favour of meditation on Vulcan to resolve some ‘inner problems’ with his psyche. Deciding to await the end of the mission before requesting a replacement I formerly entered him as on leave. Knowing that my CTO McDade was still rather annoyed with his departure I arranged for Polvin to meet us at Padar to discuss issues.

Upon arrival he came aboard and explained his sudden departure and then his request for reinstatement. It appears that the two weeks rest and meditation has resolved his difficulties and I have formerly accepted him back onto the ships manifest. Unfortunately at the first occasion McDade and Polvin met, there was a loud fracas whilst the ship was orbiting Padar and I was in discussions with my FO Leeot deciding on our tactics. The fracas instigated by McDade ended with a Vulcan nerve pinch from Polvin, and both officers are technically confined to quarters once they have been subject to a medical check over.

Log end ..

Stardate 20307.25

Stardate 20307.25 Padar – Meeting with Leading Regent Mikail

After transporting down we discover that the meeting has been delayed due to an urgent crisis meeting of the planetary government which seems extremely odd as it was only 30 minutes ago when I spoke with him and there was no indication of such a crisis. Yet now there is one going on delaying our meeting. Does beg the question what caused it - if it is because of us then it is on the face of it doubtful it would be allowed to overrun such that we would get to know of it. Likewise if there is a threat to Padar or something important (of which there is no evidence in their broadcasts) then why wouldn’t they have advised us of either a delay or a request for aid. Which means it is probably one of two things. Either we have spooked them by our unannounced arrival and they are uncertain what to do or how to handle the situation, or that it is his intention to delay us for reasons that don’t readily occur to me … observation and information gathering perhaps only time will tell.

In the meantime the regents aid has given us an overview of the planets history. Basically when this world was founded by explorers, they had been looking for a planet to settle and Padar happened to be one that offered a bountiful treasure to help them get started. The small amount of mining they were able to do when arriving paid for their expenses clear into their third year here. Once the mining became more organised and increasingly more profitable, people started coming here to work and buy into the community. Now they have a self-sufficient planet capable of supporting its own long-term population without having to attract settlers like many other colony worlds do. The Federation quickly offered membership [presumably because of their Earth origin and the minerals they were mining, particularly Dilithium] which was quickly accepted and they have been trading almost exclusively with UFOP ever since.

Once the Regent did see us some of the missing pieces were filled in. Appears that they have been approached by several other groups who have offered to pay them quite handsomely to ship to them, as well as offering bonuses should they meet critical deadlines [which could be the excuse used for the crisis meeting due to the performance of their current mining equipment, but somehow I don’t thing it was the real reason]. Because of the influx of new business, they have apparently been able to increase their planetary defences and have also managed to improve the living standards of their people. He also admitted that there had been talk of Padar leaving the Federation to form outside alliances, though he assured me that no proposal has been voted in yet as they were currently weighing options. The reason for all this was given as a belief that as the Federation had grown, it has been harder for them to meet the needs of all member worlds, as well as offer timely assistance during times of need. I have obviously given the assurance that from a fleet perspective, whilst considering how events could possibly be interpreted that way, that it was not a true picture but that I would pass the observation to SF Command.

The meeting was then disturbed by reports of a terrorist attack on a mining office. It appears that the Regent is blaming supporters of the past ruling council that was ‘voted’ out of office. I took the opportunity to arrange a recess at that point, obstensively to allow the Regent to investigate the occurrence but really so I could assess what was happening myself from the ship and from what had been said in this ‘initial’ meeting, which despite its pleasantness appeared to have run its useful course for the moment. The Regent was clearly not going to ask for our help [even though it had been offered] and so our prolonged presence at this time would not be useful. However I did take advantage of an offer he had made for our crew to take advantage of our stop off to do some sightseeing.

Return to Dauntless Returning to the ship was delayed slightly due to the decloak and immediate recloak of a large vessel of unknown origin. However the slight delay unrecognised by the Padarians did allow me time to consider our next moves. On transporting up to the ship we had to move fast, lest the visiting offer be rescinded for ‘security’ reasons. Commanders Havek (CSO) and Davies (ACEO) and Lieutenant Shikozu would be sent down to the planet to do some sightseeing, though the real reason is to ascertain the true feelings of the people to the recent changes, and to keep an eye out for anything interesting. They have been cautioned that at all costs they must remain within their cover as tourists.

Prior to that occurring however it was a pleasure to appoint several new Department Heads. Following the departure of Commander Leeot (FO & COS) I appointed Lt Shikozu to that post, following her good performance on both the ship since she joined us and her professionalism on the recent away mission. I have also transferred MCapt Banks to the Strategic Operations Section at the request of o.i.c. Major Hampson. In his place I have appointed MCapt Ryan to the post of Marine Commander, the current deputy. Lastly but not least I have appointed Lieutenant Polvin as my new CMO following Lt Blakes request to be relieved from that responsibility to concentrate on a alien virus project she is undertaking. Though she will still be stationed onboard and available to help, it is appropriate to appoint Lt Polvin to take over day-to-day command of the medical section. I am sure he and the others will be good DHs.

Log ends ..

Stardate 20308.15

Stardate 20308.15

The appearance of a cloaked vessel of a size similar to us has added a complication to our situation. Its presence at this time could simply be coincidence. It could be here to take delivery of Padar minerals except that we didn’t detect any significant stockpiles so has it already loaded, or is it here for some other reason? – which leads onto the question as to why they decloaked in front of us and immediately recloaked. A fault in their system or a reminder to us that there is someone else keeping an eye on developments?. Is it involved in the terrorism acts on the planet? Is it a real threat to us? All interesting questions with insufficient data to answer at the moment. Whatever the reason we have to treat her at best as worthy of interest, and at worse as a potential adversary. Things have suddenly got even more complicated that they were already.

An Ensign in the Science section has proposed a graviton sensor system which shows promise. With the absence of the CSO Havek, I have authorised the system to be worked up into a useable system and to be fitted as part of our shuttles system packages.

In the meantime MCapt Ryan has taken out our delta flyer shuttle ‘spacewolf’ to do a sensor sweep of the system and to show our presence here, starting with the nearest of the orbiting space stations. These stations are used to store, load and offload mining materials, but look in a very bad state of repair. This was not surprising as it tallies with the stated condition of their mining equipment. Insufficient investment has been made for far too long, and I am therefore reminded by what the Regent said in our meeting – Have we really ignored the needs of our citizens here? Though their condition is similar to those found throughout the Federation considering this planet provides a significant percentage of our di-lithium, one wonders why they have been neglected.

Then a further proof of what the Regent had said [regarding purchasing equipment to protect themselves] was revealed to us. High powered scans suddenly started scanning our ships and on the far side of the station closest to the Spacewolf, a hangar bay opened and a small squadron of fighters launched into space heading towards MCapt Ryan's position. Though they announced their intention to conduct standard manoeuvres, their proximity to the Spacewolf whilst firing low powered weapons was obviously a warning to us. Though we are supposedly all on the same side, they are clearly trying to keep something from us. Their resort to a military show rather than a polite request to leave the area is rather strange. Lets one to wonder what sort of people are actually in charge of the Padar Defence Forces – maybe time will tell.

In order to prevent an escalation, I denied a request for fighter protection and provided new orders to MCapt Ryan. Basically he was ordered to maintain shields but take his weaponry offline, scan the fighters and station for another ten seconds using his normal sensor array, shutdown the sensors and then relocate towards the nearest moon one hundred thousand kilometres and restart your scanning. This should send the message to them that their display was of no real problem to us, and in fact allowed us to scan their fighters which, if they were still in their hangers, we would not have had the chance to do so.

In Ryan’s follow up scanning something interesting did come to light. The space station docking bay doors were heavily shielded. He wasn't getting any scans from beyond them and that just didn't make any sense. The sensors should have been able to penetrate them as if they weren't there and from what he was reading, there was nothing in their composition to block scanning. He also noted another interesting fact - these doors should have been like any other station, opening and closing at regular intervals to allow ships to enter, fill up, and leave. In this case though, he was getting the same kind of dampening effect as if he was scanning solid rock. Also, since the Dauntless had entered the system, no ships had come to pick up from any of the mining stations, which didn't coincide with the increased mining. One wonders therefore what they are trying very hard to keep from being scanned by our ships.

Also of note is a virus release in sickbay – reports are still coming in but we have initiated standard forcefields for corridors, jefferies tubes and other ancillary tunnels and a quarantine area. Lt Polvin is in charge inside the affected area and will keep us informed of developments.

Log ends ..

Stardate 20308.27

Stardate 20308.27 Padar Space

The mystery surrounding the behaviour of the Padarians regarding their space dock shielding, their mining [and lack of stock] and the appearance of the cloaked ship continues. One wonders what is really going on. Hypothetically speaking it could be that if our presence had stopped deliveries then several things come to mind. Firstly the Regent was adamant that they had important delivery deadlines else why hold that emergency meeting?; that means any delay will be extremely costly to them in some way. Secondly they don’t want to transfer goods with us here, and therefore we can expect them to get more belligerent as time progresses. Finally they don’t want us to know who their customers are …….. and lo and behold a cloaked ship appears in the system and possibly by accident partially re-materialises close to us, maybe sees who we are and cloaks again.

When we first arrived in system our sensors detected very little stockpiles of ore on the mining moons, however, there was evidence of several vessels launching within the last few hours. Bio-signs were inconclusive as there was too much interference from the mining equipment as well as the clustered number of life signs. Which all raises the questions - where is the ore and where are the vessels? To try and find out, MCapt Ryan in the Spacewolf was ordered to do a clockwise orbit to return to us, coincidentally carrying out a long range pass over the various moons to see what the status of their stockpiles were now, and whether there are any vessels that are loading. If possible he was also to take in some of the orbital mining storage depots. The Dauntless was to carry out a local scan of the space around us and in the vicinity of the position where we saw the cloaked ship as well as an EM and particle survey of space.

Initially the reports from Spacewolf contained fruitful information – they were picking up mining activity on most of the moons despite their equipment being reportedly inoperative. They also picked up traces of several ships coming from inside the mining installations, though not enough to identify them due to the natural interference of the minerals. Unfortunately the sensor sweep had to be curtailed as a problem occurred on the flyer impulse engines. I have ordered a complete Engineering check to ascertain why the failure occurred at such a vital moment.

Padar Planet The situation on the ‘up to now’ peaceful planet of Padar continues to deteriorate at a faster pace. We now have indications that there has been a rapid escalation of activity with security forces and energy discharges, comms channels filling up with distortions, static, and barely audible transmissions from Padar which were then followed only a moment later by multiple explosions around the various cities.

Opinions on the Bridge are divided as to who could be behind it all. To me this implies an organised group and unlikely to be disaffected Padarians unless organised by external source for some reason. What makes things difficult is that the UFOP protocols leave me with very little leeway in a response. Unless there is clear evidence [I would even settle for a vague one at this stage] that this is more than a natural expression of the peoples will, we cannot interfere. Until there is evidence that either the people of Padar have had their democratic rights taken from them to facilitate a change in allegiance or that there is some coercion going on by a foreign power, our hands are technically tied. Though it is frustrating for the crew and for myself to seemingly idly sit by, there is nothing I can do until our away team tourists report in, or we determine something from our sensors that brings light to this mess.

What puzzles me is that with the situation getting worse and the Government finding itself in a situation it has no experience of addressing, that they have still not requested aid ……

Ship Virus Outbreak The virus that was released in the medical section turned out to be only Arethian flu; The CMO advises me that it is nothing to be alarmed about and that Lt. Blakes will be okay. Accordingly force fields have been lifted.

Log ends…

Stardate 20309.12

Stardate 20309.12

Quite a bit has happened since the last log entry, namely

Disappearance of our Away Team during a failure of the Bridge control systems. Further information regarding the takeover of Padar by Regent Mikhail and his followers. Contact made by another Regent with a story of corruption at the highest levels of the Padarian Government. A Bridge simulation exercise which has shown us various areas we need to work on.

So taking things in turn

1. Disappearance of our Away Team during a failure of the Bridge control systems

During a short period of very little going on the bridge one member of the Bridge crew decided to improve the sensor efficiency. Unfortunately doing this task the person concerned [the female commander shall remain nameless for the purposes of this log entry – LOL] inadvertently shorted the sensor panel which for some unfathomable reason then cascaded the short circuit through every terminal and display station on the Bridge. Even sitting in total darkness I think everyone could sense the embarrassment. It didn’t take long however to return power to the systems. Fortunately the localised departmental control rooms had been unaffected and we quickly re-appraised ourselves of the happenings in our vicinity. During this process we realised that we had lost contact with our away team. Even running the sensor scans and transporter lock logs back didn’t give us any clues – one moment they were there next they weren’t. The only good thing to say is that they wasn’t any evidence of debris were they were standing so I can presume for the moment they are still alive. Yet another problem to resolve….

2. Further information regarding the takeover of Padar by Regent Mikhail and his followers

Security Ensign Kelly Travors and her team has uncovered some more newsreel information approximately 3 months old – coinciding with the end of the Borg War - regarding the rise to power of Regent Mikhail and his followers. His speech is worthy of insertion into the log.

["Today ushers in a new era for the planet Padar and its importance to the galaxy. The Regents of old have been allowed to hold us back for too long under the cowardice of stagnation. Why change things that aren't broken they have asked? I am here to tell the people of Padar that we are capable of so much more. Padar has remained a border colony for the United Federation of Planets, and we have allowed ourselves to become complacent in our role of miners. I say those days are over. We will use our planet's resources to show the galaxy how important we really are, and we will no longer settle for anything but the best for our world and our people. Thank you." ]

It is an interesting speech as though it doesn’t actually say he wants to leave the Federation the fact that this took place at that time is certainly a very good negotiation stance.

3. Contact made by another Regent with a story of corruption at the highest levels of the Padarian Government

Just as we determined our away team was missing and noted that the explosions on the planet were starting to reduce in number, we received a communication from the Padar Federal Building from a very nervous Regent Marcus, who was previously unknown to us. His message was to the point – he was asking for Federation assistance to deal with the corruption of the Padarian government. He said he had obtained proof that his planet was being used by outsiders to gain control of their mining operations and that there were highly placed officials working against the people of Padar. Obviously I would need proof of his claims before I could act, wary of the sensitive situation on the planet, and determined not to promote an action that would lead to the planet breaking away from the UFOP, when my mission was to ensure that it didn’t. He refused to come aboard the ship, apparently petrified to what could happen to him if he left his offices but he invited us to beam down to him, requesting that we provided security and that we should be armed as there were attacks breaking out across the city and several of the local enforcers had already lost their lives to the fighting.

MARCO MCapt Ryan and 4 marines were detailed to secure the transport area with strict instructions to be courteous and try not to get involved more than necessary. For the present unless absolutely necessary they were to use stun force only, and even then in self defence. Once the area was secure myself and a team would transport down to meet the Regent and study the evidence. Unfortunately my orders were interpreted rather liberally and on first contact with the Regent and his team, the marines secured the area by stunning everyone in the room. As a result I have despatched a medical team including Lt Polvin and Ensign Wong to ensure they are safely resuscitated.

I have now taken a team of investigators including Cdr Rylus down to the Planet.

4. A Bridge simulation exercise which has shown us various areas we need to work on

Whilst the briefing on Regent Mikhail and the discussion with Regent Marcus was underway, I was running a simulation on the Bridge to see how well Alpha Shift would react to an attack from a surprise foe. A security officer Ensign O’Hara had overheard plans to use the Dauntless shuttles with the graviton sensors without a human crew, and recognising the potential security risk had forewarned me. Certain modifications had thus been made to the shuttle programming to force the test. The shuttles disembarked as normal and whilst taking up position then started to attack the ship with phaser fire, rattling the ship following the impact of their weak phasers against our shields. The shift automatically took up a defensive posture, raised shields and began evasive manoeuvres, though that did not stop the attacks. Tactical/Engineering sections started working on a way to stop the shuttles short of destroying them. Tractor beams and deflectors were used to try and keep the [unmanned] shuttles away whilst a solution was worked up but time was running out. One solution raised was to fire an EM pulse at the shuttles, presumably to overload and shutdown their circuits. Not a bad idea admittedly, though risky. Just how risky was proven when it was used as the shuttles moved into a formation and started heading straight for us. The pulse was transmitted and had the desired effect, but two of the shuttles collided with the ship just below the Bridge, causing major internal damage. Ensign Hendil was injured by falling debris and was transported off to sickbay.

[It was at this time that I noted that Engineering had started to access the bridge security circuits to see what had happened and Cdr Rylus had realised I had disabled some of the command pathway’s and sensibly decided to wait and see what happened. It was then that I had had enough – I had seen what I wanted to see. As the dust settled I asked for the damage report to be read out. It wasn’t pretty.

[Hull breaches on decks 1 through 5 – Partial force fields holding but fluctuating. Multiple reports of crew injuries. Two fatalities on deck 4 when breach field failed. 3 … no make that 4 fatalities deck 3. Ablative armour system offline on ships forward and Port quarters. Shield emitters same areas overloaded and totally destroyed. Local EPS system causing secondary problems on main transfer link between Core One and deck’s 3 through 7 main manifold conduit. Engineering reports vibration damage to computer core 1. 4 shuttles damaged, 2 destroyed]

I remember an embarrassed silence fell over the Bridge, and I made it more poignant when I ordered the computer to revert back to the undamaged ships configuration. The debrief was deliberately brutal in order to get the message over to the crew that the golden rule is never, ever, send out a shuttle unmanned unless you really have to. That they must all expect the unexpected without qualification, because sometimes you will have no warning that someone has tampered with your systems, is creating a way into our systems bypassing the security protocols, and generally trying to be a right pain to our operations. And finally that whether the shuttle crews are bored rigid or not, they must be present because if things do go wrong, at least we have someone within easy reach of the main shuttle isolators.”

The message was received and understood by all of them. Always expect the unexpected. Cdr McDade is busy reviewing the exercise results and will be making the appropriate changes to the training regime.

Having discovered the whereabouts of the shuttles [between the nacelles] a human crew is being put aboard them and they are being despatched to their allotted positions to commence the graviton scans for the cloaked ship that we suspect are still in our vicinity. I then left for the Planet and my meeting with Regent Marcus

Log end ..

Stardate 20309.29

Stardate 20309.29

Padar Federal Building On first arriving in one of Regent Marcus’s offices it was clear that the Padarians and my medical staff were understandably unhappy at being stunned. There was also some embarrassment from the MARCO as to the events. However it appeared no one had been permanently injured.

On introducing myself to Regent Marcus my first impression was that whatever he had discovered was frightening enough for him to not be able to disguise it; his hands were fidgeting at his sides while he spoke, and he looked like a scared animal about to bolt at the first sign of attack. However I had been put in a situation that I had to defuse before things got out of control. I therefore apologised for the actions of the Marines and reminded the Regent that to some extent this reaction had occurred because of the Regents own warning of the security situation. To further put the Regent on the wrong footing I reminded him of the Romulan and Borg Wars we had just fought, and I also informed him that an Away Team of ours, sanctioned by Regent Mikhail, had been recently kidnapped. I put it to him therefore that it shouldn’t be a surprise if my forces acted as they did on this occasion. Moving swiftly on I then asked the Regent about his communication to us, referring to the corruption within the Government working against the Padarian people and outsiders trying to gain control of their mining, and that he said he had proof of that.

With some reluctance I sensed, the Regent seemed to accept the explanation, though he was certainly nervous about the planetary situation and not at all hopeful for the Away Team. However he seemed a bit more certain on the question of the proof he had obtained. He started with the contents of a Case carried by one of his men via a chain. The man, Bryan, opened the case, pulled out a smaller case and handed it to Cdr Rylus. Inside were several pieces of scorched circuits and hunks of metal. There was also a small energy weapon that looked nearly pristine. Bryan explained that the weapon had been found on a dead terrorist. The man was from Padar, but this weapon was not. The burned fragments are leftover from several bombs, as well as a type of communication device that was damaged in the explosion. Up to now they had been unable to identify their origin.

It was clear that the Regent wanted to continue our conversation somewhere more private, so I left Cdr Rylus and Lt Polvin to examine the contents of the case, and Ensign Wong was detailed to investigate the scene of a failed bombing where they found blood, hair and tissue samples, with MCapt Ryan’s men providing security here and with our teams.

What bothered me at this stage was that apart from our missing people, we had to be aware of being manipulated into getting involved in an internal conflict – though admittedly anything that could be used to retain Padar as a willing member of the UFOP was to be explored, and maybe even … with a lot of reluctance … exploited in order to fulfil our mission aims.

Padar – Terrorist Stronghold [Caution – at this time the following log entry contains information that is only known by the Away Team.

The three Away Team Officers [CSO Cdr Havek; COS Ltjg Shikozu and LCdr Davies ACEO] were beamed into a large storage room or warehouse that had little lighting, where they were questioned by an older man wearing what appeared to be a fine cut of clothing surrounded by others who looked dirty and poor in comparison. After asking the purpose of the visit and not getting a satisfactory answer in return CSO Havek was hit in the face by the butt of a terrorists’ rifle. It wasn't hard enough to knock him unconscious, but it did get the message across.

Acting in outrage Shikozu remonstrated with their captors reminding them that the team had been acting in civilised manner and gave assurances that there must be a diplomatic way to sort things out. It appeared that the well dressed man hadn't wanted to actually hurt them, but more to the fact that he had qualms about it. That feeling was proven correct when he then offered to tell what was happening on Padar but only if they gave your word as respectable Star Fleet Officers that you they would tell him the real reason behind their visit. Taking advantage of the change in tone Shikozu explained that they had been looking for them, and that the whole mission had started out because Star Fleet had received reports of civil unrest and the possibility that Padar was breaking away from the Federation, and the Dauntless had been sent to investigate those claims. Gathering that something was seriously wrong when we spoke with Regent Mihkail, what we're not sure about, it was suggested that the terrorist attacks were linked to Regent Mihkail's installation to power.

The man seemed to remain relatively calm. In normal circumstances, he appeared more of a diplomat himself, or possibly a politician, than a common thug, but it was clear that he was also willing to use whatever means necessary to get answers though the impression was given that he hoped he wouldn't be forced to give a more extreme example. Based on his previous dealings with Star Fleet he accepted the explanation and told them what was happening on the Planet. He believed that the planet was about to become a major power in the quadrant, but for that to happen, they could not tolerate the interference of the Federation, or Star Fleet. As a result the Away Team had been caught up in an internal struggle that you have no business being involved in. They were then told that they were to held captive whilst his associates were dealing with the Dauntless and any [Padarian] rebels that are trying to stand in their way, after which they would be returned safely to their ship. Though he wouldn’t reveal whom they were, they believed that the Federation would not take kindly to Padar leaving the UFOP, and that there were rumours that planets were leaving the Federation by the score and in some cases, being prevented by Star Fleet. Time was therefore of the essence in leaving before the Federation could react.

Just then the man was called away to an incoming communication and when he returned a moment later, he looked more agitated than before. They were then taken away and left in a small cell, prevented from leaving by a forcefield.

Padar – Local Space Only moments after I left the ship for Padar, the Dauntless' alarms came to life signifying they were in danger of collision. As the bridge crew looked at the view screen there was another shimmer of a cloaked vessel a long way away before it disappeared. Whether it was the same ship as before was impossible to tell, but it was not close enough to the Dauntless to be setting off the collision alarms. The sensors confirmed for the crew that the ship had not been anywhere near the Dauntless when it had momentarily reappeared again, but the alarms would not have sounded without just cause. Analysing the sensors they detected a power surge port-side aft that was off the scale and surmised that a cloaked ship that came right up on them. In the meantime crews had been transferred to shuttles and were commencing their graviton sensor sweeps. Fighters were similarly configured as backup if necessary. Though they could not detect any ships, there was a definite trail leading away from them. With a substantial decay rate signifying the trail was recent, it supported their earlier conclusion.

After the CTO had informed me of developments I decided that they should use the data to optimise the net and continue tracking the ship, but to maintain only an adequate defensive posture for now. It was early days for the graviton sensor system and what we needed first was an idea of what was in the system with us, and at all costs not to aggravate whomever it was until we had a better idea of what exactly we were facing.

Log ends ..

Stardate 20310.15

Stardate 20310.15

[Caution – at this time the following log entries contain information that is only known by the respective crew team].

Padar Federal Building We have transported down additional marines to provide a visual protection force for our investigators. On team is accompanying Ensign Wong who has departed with one of Regent Marcus’s aides to look at a nearby terrorist site at a power node they tried to destroy with explosives. Though the damage was extensive, Ensign Wong has gathered a host of data, environmental evidence, residual energy signatures and blast/debris distribution patterns, including organic residue. All the data has been uploaded to the Dauntless computers and is being run through the databases which contains much more recent data than that available to our Padarian hosts. The results have turned out to be most revealing. Abundant traces of Terran materials likely to be due to local humans and minor traces of Orion stock. The debris and blast patterns matched up to those experienced via Orion devices. Though not conclusive it does appears to suggest that the Orions have, or rather appear to have, some involvement in what is going on which makes sense considering the economic benefits they would realise with a foothold on Padar. Other investigators (Cdr Rylus, Lt. Polvin) remain within the Federal building examining the evidence supplied by one of Marcus’s men – Bryan. Cross checking with the Dauntless database reveals that the debris was probably Ferengi or Orion in nature.

In the meantime Regent Marcus and myself had walked to his screened office where we could talk without fear of being overheard. He explained that the current Regents forced the old Regents out with the intention of leaving the Federation and sell their goods to the highest bidder, rather than remain under the contracts they had with the Federation, which though they provided them with many things it didn’t include great wealth and power. At least that was the theory promoted by Mihkail and his followers. Once they were in power however they found that he had plans of his own, the other Regents were merely the puppets that helped him get into power, and that now he was selling out the entire planet to fuel his own greed. Whilst production had tripled there had so far been little evidence of benefit for the people, and now he had uncovered the plots against their world, and they were looking towards the Commodore for help. Whilst I thanked him for bringing this to my attention I am very conscious that I have to tread very carefully to avoid possibly precipitating a planetary civil war by providing armed support [or the impression there of] to one faction over another. However what I could do is give the assurance that if the evidence was irrefutable then I would on behalf of the UFOP and in accordance with the UFOP Padarian articles of accession, act on behalf of the people. However the presence of the cloaked ships in the system still disturbed me, though all the information Marcus could add was that they were unknown but with the codes to the orbiting stations. It also appeared that though there was a vocal opposition to Regent Mikhail, the majority was afraid to act.

[CO comment: I am still unsure about Marcus – was he trying to use the UFOP to grab power for himself, was he a patriot for his people, and was Mikhail a crook? So many questions and no answers.]

It was during that discussion that LCdr McDade informed me that she had received a communication from the terrorists informing us that the away team were being held captive and that the Dauntless has been ordered to leave the system. They said that we have one day to leave, or else by this time tomorrow Commander Davies, Havek and Lieutenant Shikozu would be killed. They had also established that they were confident that up to four Orion cloaked cruisers were in the system. I have advised her to scan the planet for Star Fleet and Orion signs and to check the dialects of the terrorist. I also advised the investigators that we were heading back for an update on their findings.

As we left the office another call came in from the ship – the Orions were moving in and taking up flanking positions around the Dauntless, and the ship was now on Red Alert. Confirming that she had done the right thing I advised her not to antagonise them in any way, but prepare for urgent weapon and phaser bank loading; also to move some torpedo’s and mines from the weapons stores onto the magazine transporter pads, and configure them for rapid arming, so at least she had something ready to use.

With so much now coming to a head and so many questions left unanswered, I just hope the investigators have some of the answers.

Padar – Terrorist Stronghold The away team’s situation is not good either. Finding themselves imprisoned in a cell behind a forcefield door, they are then interrogated by a terrorist with an energy weapon much akin to a cattle prod. Lt. Shikozu was awoken with it and they were all asked for their ranks/duties aboard the ship in orbit. Apparently the terrorist’s plans had changed and their answers to the question could determine whether they live or die. Lt Shikozu was belligerent, but LCdr Havek observing the terrorists demeanour decided to provide some information, merely identifying himself as a LCdr in the science section of the dauntless. The terrorist without warning assaults LCdr Davies by hitting him with the prod, demanding more complete answers and threatening the away team with unpleasantness if they fail to comply.

The terrorist then sends a communication to the Dauntless simply stating that the Ship must leave the system by tomorrow or the members of the Away Team die. Their location remains unknown as signal was jammed in some way but the 3 were confirmed to be okay visually.

Padar – Local Space Meanwhile, unbeknown to Dauntless, a small civilian freighter had made planet fall, and the two occupants depart on an unspecified mission. Believing that the subject of their mission was on the planet they head on down to the secondary landing point, and take the cross-country shuttle route to the main city to avoid drawing attention to themselves.

Whilst Ensign Wong was scanning the site of a terrorist attack, one of the men watched with the crowd but not the general goings on; he was watching a specific person – a security official in Padarian colours - as he mingled with the Star Fleet security personnel who were providing an inner cordon around the investigators. The man under observation shook hands firstly with several of the security guards and then several of the investigators in their blue or green or red shirts and then walked away around a corner, apparently pleased to see the Federation personnel help their investigation. Fifteen minutes later the observer turned away and started walking down the main street and wasn’t at all surprised when he sensed someone walking by his side. He looked across and his accomplice, the ‘official’ now in a civilian coat, looked at him and simply nodded. Keeping their thoughts to themselves at the ease by which they had completed their task, they followed yet another different route to meet with their contact and report their findings before heading home.

Log end ..

Stardate 20310.21

Stardate 20310.21

[Caution – at this time the following log entries contain information that is only known by the respective crew team].

Padar Federal Building – Local Command Point Walking down the corridor to meet my investigators, Marcus continued to update me on the Padar political set-up. Apparently there was to be a Regents council meeting shortly. With the military reporting to this council, he was worried that if Mikhail can sway a vote to renounce our ties from the Federation, there would be nothing we could do. He was also concerned about the Orions intentions thinking that although they did do not have the forces to stop them unless they attempt a ground assault, their military did numbers into the thousands and that surely the ships in orbit could not muster a ground force that large. Of course he is somewhat deluding himself. A space-launched attack would effectively neutralise any ground defence force quickly, so numbers were irrelevant. But in any case I would be surprised if they attempt a ground assault - It’s not really in their character. If I was them I would either hold a planet to ransom using the locals as their controllable rulers or attempt a planetary blockade when Star Fleet are not in attendance, take what they can and retreat. With us here, even though they could probably overcome us, their plan will be known and they will be hunted down by all in the Federation if they over react. The only thing we could do is try and establish what their plans are and their local contacts and work from there.

Conferring with the investigating teams lead by Rylus, Polvin and Wong however did confirm that Orion influence was at work in all cases: - to the terrorism, the cloaked ships and the kidnapping of our away team. What we don’t have at this exact moment is any concrete and unarguable evidence against the ring leader. Just then the ship contacted us. The ship had scanned for Orion equipment on the planet within fifty kilometres of the Federal building. Found a large abandoned structure with more than two dozen life forms present. There is one Orion, many Terrans, and a reading that would appear to be Vulcan/Betazoid, and one that is showing as Trill. In the time remaining before the Dauntless is surrounded, they transported down another marine squad plus banks/hampson/hendril. Rest of crew were to take up anti-boarding positions. Dauntless reminded of defensive posture and ordered to vacate the system if need to and get help, especially when we take action against the terrorists.

Persuading Marcus of the merits of our forces using Padarian codes to mislead the terrorists, I allocated Cdr Rylus as overall Team Leader, MCapt Ryan in charge of the recovery of our team with the assistance of Bryan, and of course Lt Polvin and Ensign Wong looking after the medical aspects. Leaving Ryan to detail everyone's required duties during the rescue, myself and Regent Marcus then headed off to the Regent’s meeting with an escort of 6 Dauntless Marines and Yeoman Rand, should I have cause to require them.

Padar Federal Building Council of Regents Leaving 6 marines outside, both Marcus and myself entered the room hosting the Regents Council. Following introductions and an explanation that I was there as the official representative of the UFOP, it was immediately clear that Mikhail and Marcus had little time for each other. After a question by Mikhail, Marcus tried to impress upon the council that they had all been misled by promises of wealth for our planet and the increased trade and security. He recounted what the investigations had shown so far and the Orion ships currently in orbit. He then requested that the Council immediately vote to remain with the United Federation of Planets and allow them to come in and investigate our mining operations for possible corruption at the highest level.

Whilst some Regents started shouting, Mikhail reminded the meeting that everyone on the council had voted to seek outside trade for our dilithium, Marcus included. They should also realise that it would take time to build and sell a surplus, to acquire the new materials, weapons, and ships that they needed to build Padar to greatness. He then accused Marcus of throwing the council into panic for no reason, and to present the evidence if he had any. Marcus then slammed his fist into the table and demanded of Mikhail that he explain why my Away Team had been taken whilst looking at the City, and who was responsible for all the terrorism. Like a tennis match, Mikhail batted the question back by denying knowledge of those responsible for both the kidnapping and the terrorism, but pointed out that these occurrences did not mean that a member of the Regents Council was actually orchestrating it.

From my position of UFOP representative I have to admit that currently there didn’t seem to be clear evidence of wrongdoing from either side. I just hope that the attack shortly to commence to free the Away Team would yield the necessary answers.

Terrorist Stronghold Deep within the Terrorist Stronghold the Away Team were coping as well as could be expected. They had been kidnapped, roughed up, threatened, and then promised a release as long as the Dauntless complied with their threats. It was a situation right out of Star Fleet training and all they could do was look for an opportunity to escape. It was clear to the Head of Security that their guard was an amateur and was considering ways to exploit it. They also noticed that a short while after they had been left alone that one of the force fields inside the cell flickered, weakening to the point of near-failure before snapping back into place.

Using that information the three officers formulated a plan. Although initially suggested by LCdr Davies that he would use his body to overload the shields allowing the other two to escape and overpower the guard and despite Lt Shikozu’s obvious concerns, Cdr Havek pointed out that his physiology could bear far more damage than human physiology.

Waiting until the shield flickered again, Cdr Havek jumped at the field, overloading it enough for Lt Shikozu and LCdr Davies to jump through, Davies heading for the field control and Lt Shikozu for the surprised guard, overpowering him easily. Davies encountered a second guard, overpowered him and used his finger to deactivate the shield control. Making sure that the guard would not disturb them any further he dashed back to the others. Cdr Havek was very badly injured. Burn marks covered his entire body and he was temporarily paralysed. As bad as it was, his injuries didn't appear life-threatening, but it would be hard for him to move on his own.

With Lt Shikozu collecting up the fallen weaponry from the guards and taking the lead, LCdr Davies picked up Cdr Havek and carried him, following Lt Shikozu down a passageway. Careful not to not make any noise as they could hear nearby voices of more terrorists. Reaching the end of the corridor, they walked through the only door into a large storage room, and immediately afterwards a blast of disrupter fire drove them to the ground only a few meters from the entrance.

Dauntless The sensor scan had come up trumps. They had scanned for Orion equipment on the planet and had found it - within fifty kilometres of the Federal building, comprising a large abandoned structure with more than two dozen life forms present, including one Orion, many Terrans, and a reading that would appear to be Vulcan/Betazoid, and one that is showing as Trill. Contacting the Commodore LCdr McDade quickly outlined the results, and managed to despatch more marines, Major Hampson, MCapt Banks and Lt Hendril to the planet before the Orion cruisers took up their flanking positions, cutting off any chance of transporter usage due to the resulting risk to the ship when the shields were lowered.

Placing the ship at General Quarters, and arming the crew for potential boarders, McDade could only wait like those on the planet to see what developed.

Log end ..

Stardate 20311.04

Stardate 20311.04

[Caution – at this time the following log entries contain information that is only known by the respective crew team].

Padar – Terrorist Stronghold Inside the building, the away team dived for cover with Shikozu providing suppressing fire whenever she glimpsed a terrorist in their room. Spotting some storage containers to their left, they took cover and reviewed their situation.

Meanwhile, outside the Marines, other officers and medics, accompanied by their Padarian security advisors moved into position. Hampson, Banks and their squad slowly made their way through the alley ways and sparse neighbourhood towards their target. Reconnoitring the area they decided on using an outbuilding overlooking the compound below them, giving them an ideal view of the area. After settling in they used their macro-binoculars and surveyed the target and past the results down to the MARCO who was bringing the main force from their assembly point. The co-ordinates they were given clearly showed the double storey, fairly large warehouse in front of them, but it wasn’t the best defensive position in the group of buildings. The better one was towards the rear of the complex – again two stories but from the windows there was a better field of fire, and probably a secure exit round the back. They used their sights on the ‘target’ and zeroed in on two sentries, and awaited.

The marines took up position, using cover wherever they found so as to give no advance warning to the enemy, and then the order came through. Hampson and Banks each took a separate sentry and fired, their laser rifles hitting their target in the head, their bodies dropping without a sound where they had stood. Not that the silence mattered as next there was a large explosion, followed by defensive fire which moments later ceased as the marines stormed the warehouse stopped. The marine attack sent the terrorists into a state of panic. Reports of a Padarian security force were bad enough, but it didn’t take long for the terrorist leader to recognise the phaser firing, meaning that it was Star Fleet calling to rescue their comrades. With a sense of fear he quickly thumbed his comm. device and pleaded with someone [subsequently determined to be his father] for help, whilst an Orion spoke to someone on his communicator, and disappeared in a transporter beam.

The enemy at the warehouse only gave token resistance, overawed by the skill and professionalism of the Star Fleet marines. As they finally withdrew from the building, they detonated a device to try and slow up the advance. There was a muffled explosion which brought down part of the structure onto the marine squad inside. Watching with revengeful expressions they watched what looked like a lot a small group detach themselves from a sizeable marine reserve – probably the medics – and head towards the carnage. Then, with a determination that would send fear through anyone watching them, the group rose and moved location to hunt down the perpetrators.

As the warehouse fell on top of the marines as the trap was sprung, Lt.jg Hendil’s tactical officer training took over and he ran to see what help he could offer, calling others to him and seeking the Marine Captain. Ensign Wong similarly ran with some medics and accompanying security officers to the scene where they found the marines redeploying, some entering the building to help the dazed survivors out and to extract casualties. Ensign Wong opened his medical tricorder and ran into the fray. He saw Lt. Polvin moving along one side of the rubble examining the injured, performing triage- the process of sorting a large number of causalities according to the severity of their injuries- the ones who could walk under their own power were assisted to the assembly area a safe distance from the scene. Others were carried on makeshift stretchers or simply picked up fireman style. Injuries found to be immediately life threatening were treated on the spot, stabilized as much as possible and then removed to the safe area for further care. Marine officers from the rear of the compound dashed forward to take control during the temporary absence of the MARCO and secure the area, whilst Ens Wong appraised the Dauntless of the situation and requested help as soon as they could safely offer any.

Whilst the building was scanned with tricorders to determine the location of the MARCO and other marines, the scanners picked up Orion signatures transporting in sizeable numbers, vastly complicating the problem. Lt.jg Hendil spotted some marines moving about over the far side of the warehouse, motioning the marines with him to follow they rushed to take up good defensive positions, just as the sound of disruptor fire caused him to turn as a group of Orions began taking aim on his position. Lifting his rifle, he chose his target and fired, dropping one of the Orions, while the others peppered his group with disruptor fire sending the rubble around them into the air and showering back down on them. The other marines, having seen the phaser and disruptor fire, also took aim and locked many of the Orions into a crossfire. As bodies dropped from both sides, the fight was interrupted by the Orions being transported away from the firefight. Only a few minutes after their arrival, the Orion forces were completely gone. Shortly afterwards they found MCapt Ryan lying unconscious under a fallen beam.

Padar - Terrorist HQ Building – Away Team The Away Team were hiding behind storage containers and the COS was continuing to fire at the terrorists when the floor shook beneath them. All firing seemed to stop as everyone wondered what had happened. The area was blanketed with rubble and small fires from the explosion. Davies, Shikozu and Havek had been covered in debris as the blast had rocked the room they were in. Crates and bins tumbled around them obscuring their view of their attacker and his view of them while the buildings in the area took considerable damage from the explosion.

Outside Major Ian Hampson jumped over a wall with his small group and ran towards the back of the new building they suspected of being the Terrorist HQ. He could hear a lot of Federation phasers firing and then silence coincidentally with the disappearance of the Orions. His team continued to the rear of the building and silently looked through a crack in the wall into the interior. It was obvious that there were some extremely panicky people in there, presumably the remains of the Padarian terrorists, and were aware that a panicky gunmen is a dangerous gunmen who could do something unexpected. Careful planning was necessary to ensure that their hostages, confirmed by a tricorder scan to be somewhere deeper in the building, got out alive. He removed a “flash-bang” grenade from his belt and waved it to the others who withdrew similar devices. Setting the fuse at 2 seconds they quietly waited until they had identified that the group inside was the only ones nearby. Though there may have been others they had to sort out this group first and then think about the future. Pulling their face masks into position he then gave the signal, they silently counted down from five, and then the group threw their grenades into the building towards different objectives. Some went into the corners, some up in the air, some rolled along the ground. Everyone crouched down, eyes shut, fingers over their ears. Two seconds later the grenades exploded with a blinding light, a high sonic tone and throwing volatile pellets of a common short duration paralysing nerve agent around the room. Seconds later, phaser rifles on stun at the ready, they burst in.

Down below Shikozu and Davies were discussing what to do next when he was interrupted by the sounds of breaking glass followed by a few loud thumps. He had a nasty suspicion what was happening when there was a very large bang nearby, the room lit up as if multiple super novae had ignited in all directions and he then felt himself thrown off his feet into a corner. An extremely loud and painful buzzing filled his ears that caused him to force his hands up to his head. He was conscious of someone else with himself and Havek, and he guessed that Lt Shikozu had realised just before the explosions what had been thrown in, and launched into him and Havek to get them all out of harms way. As they lay in silence he caught a faint wiff of something, though not strong enough to have any effect, though that could not be said of those above them who had obviously caught the full effect of the grenades. Then Davies heard Shikozu struggling with the effect of the gas.

Padar Orbit – Dauntless Whilst all the action appeared to be taking place on the planet below, life on the Dauntless was not easy by any stretch of the imagination. The Orions had decloaked, raised shields and armed their weapons in an apparent show of strength. LCdr McDade, determined to demonstrate that the Dauntless was not a ship to be taunted requested them to power down weapons or she’d open fire She got what she wanted – their attention, and one of their officers made contact and stated that the Dauntless was outgunned, and requested to quote … talk to captain and not to one of his underlings … unquote, an obvious attempt at intimidation. McDade responded in equivalent terms, informing them that if they wanted something, they would have to go through her, a necessary response as the one thing that could undermine the confidence of an Orion was someone who would not compromise when threatened.

Then things happened very quickly. The Orion officer repeats their purpose and then goes off the air – coincidental to the Dauntless picking up heavy comm traffic between the Orion’s, the planet and a large amount of transporter activity. Soon after he comes back on and in a more conciliatory tone reports he has relieved his captain of command and will investigate what is going on down on planet, but they will not break off position but will not fire either. In response and in a show of good faith, they drop their shields and place their weapons on standby. The Dauntless registers Orions transported back from planet, and in an equivalent gesture the Dauntless drops to yellow alert whilst maintaining their shields up to provide some defence against the four Orion cruisers.

LCdr Mcdade then briefs me on developments, and after advising her to advise rylus to use stun only where possible and round up the terrorists, one of which may include Regent Marcus’s son who may be the leader and to take all of Marcus’s men into captivity.

Shortly afterwards, the Orion ships move away, clears planetary orbit and take up positions on Dauntless’s probable exit vector.

Padar Federal Building Council of Regents I listened to the ongoing debate which was degenerating into something totally unbecoming a Government. Instead of a structured examination of the facts, this was now a slanging match and decisions made under these circumstances were more common than not going to be rushed and more importantly wrong. Whatever evidence we had uncovered about an Orion plot would probably now not be given the attention it deserved, and I was considering interrupting the two Regents when a quiet chime interrupted the conversation. Whilst the Regents looked around for the source of the sound, a panicky voice could be heard pleading for help from his father. Looking at the expressions on the Regents faces an intriguing thought occurred – whereas Mikhail was looking around the room questioningly, Marcus for his part was beginning to sweat, beads were running from his hairline, down his face and he was beginning to go a sickly pale color.

[Dad, are you there? I need help!. Dad, come in! Damnit, we're being attacked and I need help! Call off the attack or we will be found.]

As Mikhail directed towards Marcus the obvious question of what was the meaning of this, the sounds over the comm suddenly caused the final piece of the jigsaw to fall into place. Standing up I looked with incredulity at the Regent who had been trying to convince me to intervene on behalf of the population against the leaders of this Planet, thinking what could have happened if I had given in to ignoring my instincts. I then announced to the others that what was happening was that Regent Marcus' son was being attacked at the terrorist stronghold where my people were being kept, and what they could hear was the sound of Star Fleet phasers. Inviting Regent Marcus to explain the Regent’s resolve collapsed, begging me to help the people of Padar against the Orion Threat. Though I well knew the capabilities and histories of the Orion Pirate Cartels, how could I raise arms against a duly elected Council and support a faction that had taken my officers captive, allied themselves with some renegade Orion faction to terrorise their own people, and then threaten the lives of the prisoners. There was a silence as the news was absorbed by everyone. Mihkail shook his head sadly and placed his hands in front of him in an almost praying pose and assured me that the Padar government had no knowledge of the kidnapping of my crew and that they would be opening a full investigation into the actions of Regent Marcus. They would also seek out those responsible for my crews abduction and assure that they were brought to justice.

Following his offering of sincerest apologies [which I couldn’t decide whether they were genuine or not] he turned to the other Regents and reminded them of their need to put to a vote whether or not they remain members of the United Federation of Planets, adding that the actions of Marcus made it clear that their planet needed order where currently they had chaos. As the Federation representative, I was welcome to remain for the vote. Whilst Mikhail summoned a guard, I received news from the Dauntless which started to address the remaining missing pieces of the puzzle. Whilst he was reconsidering our position, Mihkail stood and addressed the council and moved a motion that they vote on their future. Do they remain with the Federation as a member world? Realising that this was the very last chance to influence their vote I asked to speak to the rest of the Regents as the Federations Representative before they took this most important vote for their people to which Regent Mikhail nodded his agreement.

[text included from official records …

“When I first arrived here Regent Mikhail was kind enough to brief me on recent developments and as you all may know one of my tasks, though not the only one, was to see what the intentions of the Padarian people were in matters concerning the United Federation of Planets. I want you to know that personally I will be sorry if you decide to leave the Federation, but if that is what you decide to do in accordance with the treaty protocols for leaving and that is the true wishes of your people then I will respect that decision. Before you make that decision however, please consider this.

It is transparent that as a minimum, Regent Marcus believes that some of you have invited the Orion Pirate Cartels in as trading partners. If that is true then it may interest you to know that the reason we found the terrorists position in the first place was because they had within their group an Orion which we managed to detect. The evidence or whatever we can now call it that Regent Marcus provided, contained DNA from amongst others an Orion who was present at the scene of one of the terrorist bombs. I have also just received communications from my ship that at this moment there are at least four Orion battle cruiser-sized ships in the vicinity of my ship. They have landed groups of Orion pirates onto Padar into the terrorist camp for reasons unknown, and they claim to be here with the agreement of the Padarian Government. Now they could be here spying on the terrorist group for you but we know that cannot be true as Regent Mikhail has said that you didn’t know of the kidnapping and of course I take the Regent at his word for that, and thank him for the investigation that is to follow. In which case why were they here?

All I will ask you to do is consider two things in making your decision in the name of your people.

One - If the Orion Pirates are here as your future trading partners then why were they associated with the bombings and the terrorist group, and with the kidnapping of my officers. Add to that the fact that no planet has ever managed to retain their freedom and way of life in an agreement with these pirates.

Two – If they are not here as your trading partners then Marcus was wrong, but their four ships in orbit will just be the start. Whether you believe me or not, the weaponry those ships will be carrying is more than enough to enable them to secure and ransack your mines and destroy everything you have created on this Planet.

The decision is yours Regents. I thank you for your time and pray you make the right one.”

..]

Sitting back down, all I could do was wait for the vote.

To give him the benefit of the doubt, Mihkail seemed genuinely surprised by my comments regarding the Orion signatures at the terrorist attacks, as well as the fact that an Orion had been present at the stronghold where Marcus' son had been keeping the Dauntless' Officers. He opened a comm channel and spoke to presumably the Orion Commander and asked him to investigate the claims. It didn’t take long before the reply was forthcoming, with the Orion Commander reporting that he had discovered that the Captain of the Marauder has been working with Regent Marcus to conspire against us, thinking to increase his share of the profit by alienating the rest of us. His First Officer had been ordered to remove him from command and retrieve the assault force that has beamed down to your planet. They, along with their Captain, were to be executed immediately Regent

Though this had the hint of being believable, the duplicity of the Orions amongst themselves and the parallels with the Padarian Regents did not seem to occur to the Regents. It took the small panel of Regents less than five minutes to vote for a separation from the United Federation of Planets with not one of them voting to remain. Whatever had happened here, it seemed obvious that Mikhail had not only gotten what he wanted, but that Marcus had helped to accomplish exactly what he was trying to stop. I must admit that I was somewhat disappointed at their decision as I had failed to make them see what a devil’s lair they were entering willingly – like lambs to the slaughter. Though I would have probably felt the same way as Mikhail if the description of events were as told by him regarding the appalling situation they had apparently found themselves in as a result of assumed Federation diplomatic stupidity, I simply do not believe that I would had made the decision they had just made, though I do agree on the face of it that the diplomats had made a hash of the whole thing in the period before the Romulans invaded. The Padarian equipment was antiquated and they couldn’t meet the delivery schedules at the moment – the Orions may out of the generosity of their black hearts sell them equipment but I sincerely doubt the friendship would last long, though I have to admit the Orions were putting on a very good act at the moment. But knowing that there was more at stake here than politics – there was the security of the Padarian people and of course the Dilithium, and the accusation made of corruption, I tried another tack – hoping to maintain a trading position for the UFOP and leave the door open for them should there new alliance fail.

I then spoke to them collectively for the last time, letting them know that I fear that they had made a grave mistake both for themselves and their people but that as they were the people’s representatives it was their world to govern in whatever way they decide is in their best interest, and that I would not interfere in such a decision. Referring to what I had said to Regent Mikhail at our first meeting I could understand to some extent the impression they had of the Federation, but asked them to believe me when I said that if it wasn’t for the fleet trying to combat the Romulans and the Borg they would have been here, so whilst no doubt the UFOP had made mistakes, I asked them not to judge us too harshly. Certainly what they had told me would be sent to the Fleet and Political offices to ensure that we learnt from what has happened here. And as a trading world I would be surprised if they didn’t hear from our trading department in the near future. I finished by sincerely hoping that everything worked out well for them, and that if things don’t turn out the way they expected, that they knew where we were if they wanted to change their minds.

Whilst they considered my words I received a message from the Dauntless confirming what the Orion Commander had said. I then asked that the Dauntless advise Commander Rylus to secure the area, use stun wherever possible and round up any captives which may include Regent Marcus’s son who is possibly their leader. To advise him also that Regent Marcus’s men are to be disarmed and taken into custody. If they deemed it safe then they should begin transporting our spare units back to Dauntless if they were able to arrange for the Orion ships to withdrawn a safe distance.

Whilst waiting for an acknowledgement I had cause to watch Regent Mikhail and noticed he was fairly taken back by our acceptance of their vote. Maybe he had reasoned that I had enough marines and armed crew, and could even have recruited loyal UFOP supporters from the population to support an occupation force, but then he doesn’t know me. It is no doubt true that some of my superiors would not be very pleased when they learn that the UFOP would now need to pay a fair price for the Dilithium, but to be truthful that hasn’t played any factor in my decisions at Padar. It is quite clear to me from the state of the planets equipment the UFOP had been taking advantage of Padar for many years and it was the Romulan/Borg conflicts that made the Padarian colonists open their eyes to the resources they actually owned. In many respects it can be said that it was the UFOP that had forced the Padarians into the hands of one of the Orion Cartels. As for military occupation, that would just not have been right. The Regents had been de-facto installed into power by the dissatisfaction of the population with the previous regimes and so had the right to make decisions for the population at large, especially when they had been honest to what they had preached. Whilst I don’t like it, it was their lives, their planet and their right to have self-determination, and I will support their right to do so as laid down in the UFOP treaty protocols. And besides we will still have a trade route to the minerals if we are willing to pay, and maybe when it comes down to it that is what we should have been doing for these people for many years

It was clear that Mikhail was shocked at my reaction but very soon the politician returned and he asked me to pass along to my superiors that the planet of Padar holds no ill will towards the United Federation of Planets and that they will always be willing and happy to do business with you. He would also contact Captain J'ucar [Orion Commander] immediately and ask him to move away from your ship to avoid any misunderstandings. Thanking the Regents for their hospitality I then reminded them that apart from their decision I did have one disappointment – that they approached other trading partners before the UFOP, and that maybe they had thereby lost a good opportunity for better terms with their allies. But that saying all that I wished them well for their future.

Shaking hands with Regent Mikhail and saying our goodbyes, I then left to return to the Dauntless.

Log end ..

Stardate 20311.18

Stardate 20311.18

Padar - Terrorist HQ Building – Away Team In the smoke and dust, LCdr Davies realised that Shikozu was having serious trouble breathing and after checking what was wrong, he realised her tongue was swelling presumably due to the effects of the gas. As she lost consciousness he realised from his basic training that he had very little time before she would suffocate. Using his engineering skills he fashioned a scalpel out of shikozu’s phaser on a lower power setting and used a rusty plate with a hole in it to collimate the beam into a cutting laser. Protecting his hands as best he could he then performed a field tracheotomy. Using the end of the now broken phaser as a tube to admit air he was grateful when she started breathing once more. Then nursing his badly burned hands he called for help.

Meanwhile on the upper levels, the terrorists went into panic. Several of their disrupters were fired, injuring and killing some of themselves as their owners fired at shadows. When the firing died down, all that was left was whimpering from inside as they tried to regain their hearing and sight. Hampson and his squad, wearing their face masks entered the building taking every precaution, but they need not worried. Leaving the other marines to bring up reinforcements and look after the prisoners, Hampson scanned for and found the away team, and walked down to meet them.

Introducing himself he confirmed they were the missing team and then had them transported up to the Dauntless. After making a report to Cdr Rylus he then returned to his marines and the prisoners.

After obtaining a medical check up from Ensign Wong, Hampson convinced the prisoners to behave themselves, and then marched them down to the central courtyard.

Padar - Terrorist HQ Building – Marine Force They found MCapt Ryan under a roof support and surrounded by rubble. Whilst Lt Polvin returned to the Dauntless to prep for surgery, Ensign Wong checked out the MARCO and determined the injuries which were fairly extensive, including comminuted fracture of the left radius and ulna, dislocation of the right shoulder, multiple rib fractures with underlying pulmonary contusions and a flail chest, plus severe concussion with generalised cerebral oedema, and multiple lacerations and contusions. After extracting him from the rubble, they moved him out to the courtyard where Ensign Wong noticed a complication - despite the positive pressure respirator mask delivering concentrated oxygen and assisting with the mechanics of breathing, from his skin colour he was obviously struggling to breath and it was suspected he’d developed a tension pneumothorax. After applied the brutal but necessary medical procedure, which was more disturbing to those watching than to the patient, Wong was finally satisfied that patient could survive the journey to the Dauntless, he was transported up to sickbay. He then rejoined the other medical officers treating the wounded marines, who were eventually all prepared and transported back to the ship. Seeing that there was nothing left for them to do the medical officers then returned to the ship as well.

When Hampson arrived with the prisoners he then handed them over, together with Regent Marcus’s men to the Padarian Security Forces who immediately placed them in shackles for transportation to a holding area prior to trial. After receiving the genuine praise from the Padarian Security official, all that was left for the officers assembled was to take one last look around before transporting up to the Dauntless.

Dauntless - Sickbay

In the sickbay the medical staff were carrying out their duties with their normal consummate skill and professionalism. As the casualties were brought in their injuries were checked against the planetary triage evaluation, and transferred to either the recovery, first aid or pre-op beds. As the Battle Cruiser was a ship built for war and taking damage, she was also fitted out with large-scale medical facilities, and staffed up accordingly. She had the added bonus of several companies of marines, some of whom had majored or minored in battlefield medical procedures, and so the sickbay was very well manned, and that showed in the throughput rates.

The Away Team were processed very quickly, Shikozu’s field tracheotomy was replaced by a professional fix, though when she awoke she would be forbidden from speaking for some time to allow the injuries to heal. Havek and Davies were treated for their injuries and all 3 placed in the same ward. The marines caught in the blown up warehouse were rushed into surgery, but the skills of the surgeons managed to maintain their 100% record on no-deaths on this day. Even MCapt Ryan survived his injuries, though several of them would need to undergo extensive physiotherapy to return their muscles to full working order. They even treated a terrorist who was in a bad way and when he had recovered sufficiently he was returned to the planet. Though it took a long time, the surgeons were a very happy bunch with the results of their labours.

Dauntless Bridge Eventually everything was ready. All crewmembers were aboard, the terrorist had been beamed down, and all that remained was to bid farewell to Padar. The four Orion cruisers are still in system, just off our anticipated exit vector, and so we deliberately stayed on that vector, as it was so important we didn’t show any weakness in their presence, though we maintained our shields up whilst we moved past them. Once clear of the system we made the jump to warp 5 on a vector home.

Log end ..

Stardate 20402.06

Stardate 20402.06

Leaving the people of Padar behind to discuss their new management/alliance arrangements with the commander of an Orion taskforce, the dauntless departed to return to the sol system. Remarkably we had suffered no fatalities on this mission, which makes a change from our recent missions which were confrontational in nature rather than diplomatic. Of course looking back I wish that Padar would have wished to remain with the UFOP, but putting their actual choice of allies to one side, I can in some ways understand their wish to try something themselves. It looks on the surface that the UFOP had not really treated them with the respect they deserved as a sovereign mining system, obtaining minerals from them for fairly little in return, though that may be because the Padarians never actually asked for much in exchange. Whatever the real facts behind his case, one hopes that a review will be undertaken of our past dealings with this planet and those in similar positions with a view to learning from whatever mistakes we had made, and maybe be able to stop any consequential changes to allegiances when the position of the Padarians becomes wider known.

The CMO requested all crew that had gone down to the planet should report to sickbay for a check up which seems a prudent measure - even though the transporter bio-filters should have detected everything hazardous, it will allow them to check for aches and sprains and double check medical records. Whilst he was here I asked him to check a certain numbness I had experienced in my hand which was fortunately diagnosed as nothing more serious than a nerve pinch and should go away over the next few days.

Then I had a visit from Lt Blake who had relinquished the CMO job at the start of our mission to continue for research into the recovery of several members of our crew that had been affected by a fluidic space ailment and were being held in strict isolation and stasis. She now expressed her wish to leave the ship explaining her reasons revolved around the memories of the deaths of several close and mutual friends – particularly Alorian Dax/Rathyin, my past CO and then my partner and CSO, only to disappear and presumably perish during a confrontation between her shuttle and a Borg cube. After a discussion Blake agreed to review her decision during our return to SBA.

Then I received some heart aching news over the personal comm. link system supplied to me by LCdr Garellian and currently supplied to Captains Rayne and Leeot. This one was from Rayne who had already cheated death once when due to a transporter accident it was a double of him that had been killed. Unfortunately this message read just like a copy of the first message – circumstances of his death, copies of personal and ships logs corroborating the fact – the trouble was that this time it was the real him. Yet another friend killed in the line of duty – the group of original friends getting smaller once more.

On our way back members of my senior staff discovered that it was my 35th birthday. They had then gone to extraordinary lengths to prepare a surprise party for me. First I knew of things was when LCdr McDade asked me whether I would like a drink in 10F with some of my marines. Of course faced with a desk full of PADDs which I really should be addressing there was regrettably no real choice – the PADDs would have to wait.

The Party*

After walking into 10F my ears were assaulted by a rendition of Happy Birthday and the presentation of a large and mouth-watering cake with enough candles to set off the fire suppressant system, fortunately deactivated for the celebration. After thanking them for the surprise and discovering that Polvin & McDade were the main organisers (and logging that information away for future use) we were then shown a holo-record summarising my star fleet career.

It was quite a helter-skelter of emotions, which I have recorded in a personal log.

I then had the pleasure of undertaking a task I find most pleasurable – promotions – and promoted Havek and McDade to Cdr, Polvin to LCdr, Hendil to Lt, and Wong to Lt.jg. This was followed by mingling amongst those present particularly the Marines and of course the Engineers, regretfully informing them of the news about Rayne who had been their CEO and FO.

The Aftermath*

As the party moved on everyone was enjoying themselves. I returned to my quarters as the aching in my hand and now my back was quite painful. On entering my quarters more bad news awaited me. I receive a comm message from Leeot over the ‘Garellian’ link reporting that the Philadelphia was in serious trouble and it looked like short of a miracle there was no chance for him and his crew. In a state of extreme unhappiness, whatever ails me becomes so painful that I collapse falling onto a glass table. Discovered by Yeoman Rand on a security scan, I am transported to Sickbay where tests are commenced.

At the same time, members of the party start to fell unwell with extreme bouts of nausea and bilious. Within a short period of time Sickbay is almost overrun with patients, taxing Lt.jg Wong and his duty crew to the extreme. With so many crew suddenly with problems, it is obvious to Lt.jg Wong that it was something they had eaten, subsequently determined to be a Padarian spice that was not prepared exactly as it should and as a result caused extreme colic as the highly alkaline seeds reacted with stomach acid. With the need to treated quickly to avoid problems, Wong prescribed an extreme digestive system purge.

For myself, I am apparently in a coma and deteriorating quickly – my DNA is being modified apparently starting from hand and spreading throughout his body of a roughly constant volumetric rate. With nothing else to do I am put into stasis as nothing they tried worked to arrest the change. With the crew recovered, Cdr Rylus takes the Dauntless back to Star Base Alpha for some well deserved R&R.

StarBase*

Whilst Thrawn is transferred to SBA Medical, the majority of the senior staff travel to Risa. A repair crew is also despatched to the ship to repair superficial damage to the hull paintwork, caused by a shuttle on entrance to the Star Base who disobeyed traffic orders. Following discussions behind the scenes the work is not entered onto an official records to avoid the consequences if/when Thrawn discovers the fact.

Thrawn’s condition worsened; the energy requirement to Thrawn’s body to maintain stasis continues to increase, and approaching critical levels the staff had no option other than to take him out of stasis. During further tests they notice that the rate of advance of the DNA modification is very slowly reducing, coincident with a rather strange effect on his brain wave signatures – something akin to a second pattern appeared to be gaining strength. Nevertheless, with no new insights into the cause and stasis now not available to them (else the stasis energy would kill him) all they can do is wait.

Then something strange occurs. Following a visit from some unidentified persons I recover ##. With no reason to restrict my movements the SBA medical staff reluctantly let me go, albeit I have to maintain contact with them for data collection purposes.

1. Cross-reference only appears for personnel with security clearance SIS/11/G and above

1. ref: Ultra Secret Files – Star Fleet Security – Special Intelligence Section – Group Garellian – Tansec.

Deciding to take a few days R&R I travel to Risa accompanied by my Yeoman (and personal security consultant) not knowing that my senior officers were there and incidentally all just surviving from a sinking episode on a rented sailing ship (see additional information refer to crew personnel logs for this star date). The first any of them knew that they had been on the same planet was on the trip back to Earth, when Cmdr Thrawn’s personal shuttle passed Mcapt Ryan’s, though one of the crew had suspected she had seen Thrawn on Risa playing golf.

Following restocking with stores and supplies, the Dauntless was once more ready to head out on another mission.

Log end ..

Dauntless Mission 04: "Padar: Even the Small Can Shout"

Contents

Captain's Logs

Stardate 20306.16

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Stardate 20307.07

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Stardate 20307.25

Stardate 20308.15

Stardate 20308.27

Stardate 20309.12

Stardate 20309.29

Stardate 20310.15

Stardate 20310.21

Stardate 20311.04

Stardate 20311.18

Stardate 20402.06

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