Dauntless Mission 07: "On Many a Bloody Field"

Stardate 20903.01

After the Battle of Starbase 157 we were allowed just enough time to regroup, complete needed repairs, and take on a handful of new crew members, before we were off again.

Our assignment this time took us to a Scientific Outpost located on the Fourth Planet of the Adelphous system. Our orders were to assist in repairs and upgrade key systems at the base.

A trip that would normally have taken us barely a day instead took us nearly a week, as the recent fall of Acamar, a system which falls directly between SB-157 and Adelphous, required a rather extensive detour.

It seemed odd for Star Fleet to send a Battle Cruiser, the First Battle Group Flagship no less, to do a simple repair job, but, given the circumstances and the recent declaration of open war, I decided it better not to question our orders in this instance.

For this mission we were assigned a special engineering team led by one Commander Reginald Harrison. My thoughts on Harrison and his behavior for the bulk of his stay with us can be found in the log entries I made during the mission.

What we discovered shortly after arrival at the Adelphous IV base was that good reason did in fact exist for sending a Battle Cruiser. The base's location, at a key strategic point along the Klingon and Romulan borders, should have been enough of a tip-off that this was more than a scientific research lab. Sometimes though, I think we get so caught up in thinking about our enemies, that we fail to consider the cloak and dagger activities of our friends.

The base was in fact a covert 'weapon' designed to block Romulan comm. traffic along the neutral zone. This weapon utilized a high-powered communications pulse beacon which functioned to overload communication systems with junk transmissions. As it turned out the true reason for our assignment was to fix this array which Romulan saboteurs had redirected into Klingon Space.

Not long after we dispatched repair crews a small armada of Klingon ships arrived. Had I been properly briefed on what we were likely to face, I believe many lives would have been saved. As it was we were caught off-guard by the sudden Klingon appearance. We were finally able to prove Romulan involvement, but not before the Klingons caused severe damage to both the Dauntless and the planetary base. The fight was not a complete loss on our front as we were able to disable one of the Klingon ships as well.

In the end with the Romulan threat neutralized, and the Klingons at last convinced it was a Romulan plot and not Star Fleet's, we left the base with what supplies we could and then headed for home.

It should be noted that Commander Harrison was lost during the Klingon attack on the surface. The Commander died in the line of duty and I can think of no better testament to his service than that.

As we reach Starbase Alpha ship and crew are ready for some needed time off. This will be our first real opportunity for shore leave since I took command, and lord knows the Dauntless will need some down time herself.

I've put numerous members of my crew up for promotion and commendation. They continue to impress me with their dedication and hard work and I am honored to lead them. I can only hope our next assignment is more worthy of them.

Logs

Below are the log entries for the mission, grouped by who wrote them and sorted by Stardate.

Captain's Logs

Adm Daniel Wueste

Stardate 20809.11

They say time goes by more swiftly as one gets older.

Back in my younger days I would have found it impossible to imagine a scenario where time went by anymore quickly than it already seemed to.

Today I find it hard to believe days have past where it seems only seconds have been allowed for action and contemplation.

Life hasn't slowed for a moment and has, in fact, only seemed to go by faster since the battle with the Romulans ended.

I have been assigned as 1st Battle Group Commander and with that Dauntless has become the Group's Flagship. My old friend Jeffrey Linden has been made Chief of Group Operations. It reminds me of my time as Assistant Fleet Commander of the old Third Fleet.... those were days when I found a greater sense of certainty in life and the eventuality of those decisions I made.

Almost as soon as I got the assignment, I received a message from Commander John Reynold's, Acting FO aboard the Gettysburg. He expressed his concerns involving Commodore Grant and the Getty's Acting CO, Aloysia Yvette.

I sent him a reply and will investigate the matter as time allows.

My Chief Tactical Officer, Lt. Aon Anduezan, has resigned from Star Fleet to pursue personal matters on his home planet of Mirak.

His loss came as a stunning blow. No one can ever replace Aon, somehow the ship felt just a little safer knowing he was aboard.

I've assigned Lt. Commander Josef Chandler to take over at Tactical. Chandler's background is with Tactical and I'm sure he will be better suited to handle the trials facing him there than he would have been in Science.

This unfortunately leaves us without a fully staffed or supervised Science Department. Tactical though takes precedence during war times.

I'm honored to say my crew has received much decoration for their valor during recent events. I've already promoted Jaden Hawk twice now since he came aboard.

If these things aren't a sign that this is a good crew, I don't know what would be.

We've been joined by two new additions to the crew, one permanent, the other hopefully not.

The first is Major Lon Krako and his Marine Detachment.

My time in Security taught me one important thing, during a war you might think a single department can handle everything, but it's better to let the work be spread out.

The Marines will allow Angino to keep his team focused on what they need to do, and prevent anyone from being stretched too thin.

The other new addition is Commander Reginald Harrison and his team of Engineers. Harrison's team joins us for our mission.

Command has ordered us to Adelphous IV, where we are to oversee the upgrade of a Federation sensor outpost. Adelphous is located on the Klingon, Romulan, Federation border.

It's not exactly the kind of premier assignment you might imagine a Group Flagship would be sent on... but war is war, and orders are orders.

Commander Harrison was involved with the original installation of the outpost, he and his team are tasked with upgrading the systems there and doing whatever can be done to prevent Adelphous from falling to either the Romulans or the Klingons.

I can't say I'm thrilled for this assignment, but I will ensure it is done.

I can't say I trust Harrison either. He's far too secretive and far less cooperative than any Engineer I've ever worked with in the past.

I suppose only time will tell how his involvement in this mission will play out, or, for that matter, how successful we will be.

Stardate 20811.07

The journey to Adelphous was brief. Even with the extra time required to travel around Acamar the voyage from SB-157 to Adelphous IV took only slightly more than 2 days.

It was just enough time to brief the Senior Staff and get the crew ready for the mission.

Upon arrival Commander Harrison took the liberty of beaming his entire Engineering team down to the base without even notifying the bridge.

Shorty thereafter we received a request from base personnel for an additional Engineering team from the Dauntless to assist with base repairs.

I've ordered Commander Fitchel, along with Lt. Kayzon, to lead a team down to the base. Using a little diversion and some hopefully clever tactics, I hope this Away Team will be able to not only finish the job, but also discover the true nature of our assignment here. There has to be more going on here than meets the eye.

I've ordered joint Marine and Security teams placed on standby and requested security and marine personnel to be posted on each deck.

Commander Chandler will be coordinating with Commander De Vincenzo and Major Krako to ensure the safety and security of the ship.

For right now I wait for an update from the Away Team.

In the mean time I have some business to discuss with the Medical staff.

Stardate 20812.09

A great deal has occurred since my last entry.

I met with Dr. Hawk for my annual physical. After being given a clean bill of health I discussed a potential staffing change. With his blessing I offered the job of Acting Chief Science Officer to Dr. Kamble Ross. She accepted and has already begun transitioning into her new post. Jaden, Ken, and I have the utmost faith in Kamble and I'm excited to watch her grow with this new assignment.

On a side note, I'm pleased to have someone back in charge over at Science. The Department has stagnated somewhat without a leader and Kamble's many skills will serve her and the department well.

We also have a new Science Officer, Gilora Rejal, that joined us at Starbase. Midshipman Rejal is a Cardassian, which makes her imminently qualified in the Sciences, but could also make for a rocky adjustment to shipboard life. With Kamble in place though as ACSO, I'm confident Gilora is in good hands.

From this pleasant sequence of events, the situation has since deteriorated.

First, Sensors picked up two anomalies. One a tachyon surge approaching the planet, and the second an area of the surface that was clearly, and poorly, camouflaged to cover up some segment of the Adelphous Science Station.

While we attempted to pin these sensor blips down, the ship was taken first to Yellow and Red Alert.

Both sensor readings have now been identified. The tachyon displacement was from three Klingon Warships. The planetary facade was identified after the Klingons fired on the surface and revealed an additional component to the know Federation installation, this part was designed for covert surveillance and, for whatever reason, was directed at Klingon Space.

While I was not surprised by either of these discoveries, I am somewhat dismayed that Star Fleet would waste their time spying on the Klingons, when, from this system, the Romulans, with whom we are actually at war, could even more easily be monitored.

My gut tells me that this could not have been the original intention of the base. What that means only makes things more complicated. We either have rogue Star Fleet Officers taking matters into their own hands, or we have Romulan saboteurs. Either way we're up the creak without a paddle and for now one man stands to take an immediate fall for this mess, Commander Reginald Harrison. I've instructed Commander De Vincenzo to take a Security and Marine team down to the planet to arrest Harrison and investigate this matter further.

Even if Harrison had nothing to do with the current problem, his stonewalling and deception have only put us in greater peril.

My attempted negotiations with the Klingon Commander have failed and now we are left outgunned and out of options. The Klingon Fleet has deployed into attack positions around both the Dauntless and the Planetary Installation.

Outright victory seems impossible, but I'm hopeful we can buy some time to find something, anything, that can make the Klingons see reason.

Stardate 20901.07

We managed to take the Klingons by surprise and in doing so disabled one of their ships before they could even get a shot off.

Much credit is due to the bridge crew for making our pre-emptive strike possible.

The Klingon Commander has accused me of treachery and deceit, but I doubt history, or the Klingon High Command, will agree with that assessment. They made the first move to attack, we just replied faster than they expected.

Our luck was short-lived though and after taking several serious hits, it was once again clear the Klingons had the upper hand.

A small hull breach on Deck One, coupled with main power fluctuations that kept the containment fields from activating, forced us to evacuate the bridge and relocate to the battle bridge.

Just when it seemed the Klingons were poised to destroy us, they cloaked.

On the surface the landing party discovered that a Romulan spy was behind the sabotage that redirected the surveillance scans into Klingon space. While I can't say I'm surprised, and the discovery serves to confirm my suspicions, it points to a more serious problem. A Romulan saboteur was able to infiltrate a secure Star Fleet facility and did so without arousing any suspicion until it was nearly too late. This, coupled with the lack of cooperation on the part of the Adelphous personnel points to an even larger problem. Put simply if I have my way, every single officer serving at the Adelphous IV base will face General Court-martial following this mission.

The Romulan managed to beam away before he could be captured, but we detected his escape shuttle from orbit and were able to shoot it down, forcing the shuttle to make an emergency landing on the surface.

Our transporters are offline and Commander Fitchel has indicated the landing party is otherwise engaged with securing the planetary installation, so I'm dispatching the MAD with Fighter support to recover the Romulan pilot and, if possible, his ship.

The Klingons would seem to have indicated that they will not intervene in this effort, but I'm not interested in taking any chances. Besides, with our most recent communication we learned a Klingon Fleet is en-route and will reach the system within two hours.

None of this leaves us with much time and our only hope may be the Romulan spy. If captured alive I hope to get the information we need from him and use him as evidence to reassure the Klingons of the Federations intentions in this sector.

Finally, as if all of the above wasn't enough to deal with, the Klingon flagship decloaked long enough to fire on our shields, punching a hole in them just long enough to beam an unknown object onto the Bridge.

With the bridge vented to space, it may be necessary to send someone in with an environmental suit to investigate. I'm not prepared to trust that whatever the Klingons beamed over is benign, and the last thing we need is some kind of explosive going off.

The MAD should be launching soon and I've given the team aboard an hour to get the job done. If, after that time, they haven't been able to capture the Romulan, it may become necessary to begin evacuating all Federation personnel from the surface and doing what we can to get out of the system.

We're in no condition to face a new offensive.

Stardate 20902.18

The object on the bridge turned out to be a bomb. If this mission has taught me anything it's that the honor, once so prized among Klingons, has given way to sneak attacks and a cleverness more befitting of a Romulan. When the bomb exploded it took most of the main bridge and large portions of the surrounding decks with it. Having detected the explosion, the Klingons decloaked long enough to beam more than a dozen additional bombs over.

Kamble Ross, who had been investigating the object when it detonated, was nearly killed in the explosion, though, I am relieved to say, she survived and is now recovering in Sickbay.

Through coordinated efforts of both the MAD and Marine assault team, we were able to track down and flush out the Romulans.

Unfortunately the Romulans, four of them, appeared on our sensors, and the Klingons screens, at the same time. As we, and the Klingons, attempted to beam up the Romulans, Commander Fitchel's team on the planet surface initiated a comm. pulse from the station. The pulse knocked out most of our communications and caused numerous system overloads.

The timing, on all counts, could not have been worse. Between the two transporter beams crossing and the system overloads that followed the pulse, the Romulan signals were scrambled, and both the Klingon ship, and our own, received fragmented and horrific masses of flesh, all that remained of the Romulans.

The Klingons, satisfied that the Romulans had been involved, left the system, taking their bombs with them.

With our transporter systems again off-line, and too little of any one Romulan remaining, I ordered the 'Romulan' masses destroyed. Nothing could be gained by letting what we were left with continue to suffer.

Repairs are now underway to get the ship ready for travel back to Earth. In the mean time the Away Team is wrapping things up on Adelphous IV. Once we've left them with the supplies needed to repair their systems, we'll head for home.

Stardate 20902.23

We've left what supplies we can with the team on Adelphous IV. They should be able to repair most of the damage incurred, and successfully make the original planned upgrades, with the materials provided. Repairs to the holodome and transmitter systems will likely require additional work, and unfortunately we were not stocked with the materials required to return those systems to full operating status. I've already filed a supply request with the Corp of Engineers and hopefully Adelphous can be fully functional again shortly.

With that done and the repairs possible to the Dauntless completed, I've put us on course for Starbase Alpha. The hull breach on the bridge has been sealed, but deck one still remains effectively unusable. Additionally, even with Warp power restored, our maximum speed has been reduced to Warp 6.2. This will make our otherwise short trip back to Earth somewhat more extended. Final repairs will have to be completed at space dock.

I'm inputting the names of all those lost during the course of this mission along with this log entry. We lost too many good officers on what was supposed to be little more than a supply run.

It should be noted that Commander Reginald Harrison, Mission Specialist and Engineering Repair Crew Commander, died during the Klingon attack on the planet. He was killed in the line of duty.

Crew Logs

Cdr Kenneth Fitchel

Stardate 20809.27

[Begin Recording]

Personal Log Stardate 20809.27 Cdr Kenneth Fitchel, First Officer - USS Dauntless, BC-1553

I and the rest of the senior staff have just concluded a meeting with Commander Reginald Harrison of the Star Fleet Corps of Engineers. In this meeting, we were given an overview of our latest mission – to ferry Harrison and his accompanying team of engineers to Adelphous IV, a planet near the border of the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Star Empire, where they are then to perform sensor and other upgrades to a Federation listening post located there.

Even the most cursory analysis of the mission we have been tasked to carry out points to the conclusion that all is not as it seems. Prior to the start of the meeting, Admiral Wueste pulled me aside and asked me to be on the lookout for anything peculiar about Harrison or the mission parameters. During the course of the briefing and the ensuing question period, I noted a lack of depth in the answers given to the point of being evasive and even condescending in the case of Harrison’s reply to my queries.

I am firmly of the belief that Harrison is hiding the true nature of the mission from me and everyone else on board, Admiral Wueste included. It is highly suspicious of Star Fleet to task a battle cruiser of such a high profile as the Dauntless for a mission better suited for a science or survey vessel especially in wartime and with the Romulans applying pressure on all fronts. With this firmly in mind, I will be taking whatever steps are necessary to ensure that I and the rest of the crew are prepared for any surprises that might come our way. We have suffered in the past because of incomplete intelligence or intelligence that was simply not provided to us. I WILL NOT let that happen again! I WILL NOT have a repeat of the Orionis 74 mission…not on my watch!

Computer, please end recording and save log entry for later playback.

[End Recording and Save]

Lt Jaden Hawk

Stardate 20809.21

[Computer, begin recording.

Chief Medical Officer’s Personal Log Dr. Jaden Hawk, USS Dauntless Stardate 20809.21

The Dauntless has just left Starbase 157 for Adelphous IV near the Romulan and Klingon borders. We are to transport the mission specialist Commander Harrison and his engineering team to a listening outpost located in that system. Once there, they will make upgrades and any needed repairs. If I understood the mission briefing correctly, this will basically allow us to better spy of the Romulans and I guess Klingons if necessary.

I pretty much kept quiet during the mission briefing meeting, but I question why Star Fleet is sending one of its best battle cruisers on a mission such as this. We should be leading a strike force and attacking the Romulans instead taking engineers to upgrade some outpost.

I mean, for god sakes, Acamar has fallen to those Romulan bastards. Over 100,000 Star Fleet personnel lost and millions of Acamarians dead. And we go off on a mission to upgrade a listening post. My god.

The worst part of this whole damn mission is that I think that Star Fleet and Commander Harrison are hiding something from us. I haven’t figured out what, but I get the feeling that that outpost will be used for more than just listening purposes and I have a bad feeling that something or someone is waiting there for us.

I do take comfort in fact that I could tell from Admiral Wueste’s and Commander Fitchel’s demeanors that they don’t exactly trust Harrison either. So they know something is up as well.

Regardless of what is there, I have confidence in them and this crew to complete this mission. The medical staff will be prepared for casualties and if need be, to fight.

End recording. ]

Stardate 20810.30

[Computer, begin recording.

Chief Medical Officer’s Personal Log Dr. Jaden Hawk, USS Dauntless Stardate 20810.30

We have arrived at Adelphous IV. The trip here was uneventful except for a minor incident in the morgue soon after we departed Starbase 157. A medical technician found one of the morgue stasis units occupied and summoned Dr. Ross, who in turn summoned me.

Instead of a corpse or intruder, we found a drunk marine dressed as a vampire obviously hoping to a play a prank on an unsuspecting crewman. I think he was surprised to see the Chief Medical Officer standing there once we sobered him up.

I should have reported him to his CO, but there was no real harm done and to be honest, I don’t blame him for wanting to have a little fun while he still can. We’re at war and with what’s ahead of him; he’ll be lucky or not so lucky to survive.

The mission specialist and engineering teams have beamed to the science station to begin upgrading its systems. There have been no major medical incidents since we left Starbase 157. And it is quite boring around here.

My instincts still tell me that there is more to this mission than Harrison or Star Fleet Command is letting on. Regardless, I just want it to be over so we can return to the fight.

At least the medical department is using this down time wisely as the staff has begun combat training. I also hope to run a few drills. If nothing else, this mission to Adelphous IV will help prepare the department for real combat when it comes our way again.

Computer, end recording and save.]

Stardate 20811.28

[Computer, begin recording.

Chief Medical Officer’s Duty Log Dr. Jaden Hawk, USS Dauntless Stardate 20811.28

The Dauntless remains in orbit around the Adelphous IV Science Station. To date there have been no emergencies and only a few minor medical incidents.

I called Admiral Wueste in for his annual physical and personally conducted the examination. I determined him be in excellent health and fit for duty.

There will be a change in the medical staff as Doctor Ross has been offered and accepted the position of Acting Chief Science Officer, which will most likely become permanent. I am currently searching for a replacement to take over her responsibilities as Alpha Shift Leader.

The ship remains at Yellow Alert due to elevated tachyon emissions reported by the ship’s sensors. All Yellow Alert medical protocols are in place and we are prepared for Red Alert.

Computer, end recording and enter into ship’s Duty Log.]

Stardate 20902.24

[Begin Recording]

Chief Medical Officer’s Personal Log Dr. Jaden Hawk, USS Dauntless Stardate 20902.24

Our uneventful mission to Adelphous IV turned out to be anything but. Unfortunately my suspicions about this mission and Commander Harrison came to pass, although I guess I shouldn’t speak ill of the dead.

I halfway expected a battle on this mission, but I thought it would be against the Romulans. I was wrong. We were attacked by Klingons and but for the valiant effort of this ship’s crew, the Dauntless would have been listed as lost in action.

Harrison and Star Fleet Command for that matter neglected to tell us that the Science Station had been redirected to spy into Klingon territory. The Klingons discovered this and three of their battleships nearly did us in.

Fortunately, it was discovered before they blew us to hell and back that there were Romulan saboteurs in the station that had redirected the array.

The saboteurs were killed trying to escape but the Dauntless and the station were severely damaged in the Klingon’s initial attack. I have completed three autopsies. One of them was Commander Harrison. He lost his life on the station during the battle with the Klingons.

Good people died during this mission. Harrison no longer can defend his actions, but what about Star Fleet Command. What did they know and why didn’t they tell us what we were facing. We are fighting a war with the Romulans and who knows after this maybe the Klingons.

Someone in Star Fleet needs to be held accountable for this; if not then what are we fighting for?

[End and save log entry]

LCdr Josef Chandler

Stardate 20809.07

Computer, begin recording.

Personal Log,

Stardate 20809.07, Lieutenant Commander Josef Chandler recording.

I’ve been reassigned as Chief Tactical Officer. The previous tactical officer had to resign due to some personal reasons I was not privy to.

However self-centered it may seem, I’m glad that he had to leave. I was totally unsure of myself in the Science Department. I felt like an outsider, completely foreign and out of place. The people knew I was an outsider, too. I should have kept wearing my tactical uniform, consider how little the new uniform helped me blend in.

But, now I’m back home… sort of. I’m sure I’m expected to handle the tactical position, more than the helm. I’m not sure it’s the best idea. It’s been years since I took a turn at tactical. I’m not familiar with this department, either, and there’s so many people under my command now.

I’m going to have to organise some holodeck training exercises, get a grasp on the skill sets and abilities of my people. I never really had the opportunity on board the Philadelphia, nor the Dauntless, to actually work as a department head. I’m excited and nervous.

But now, my bed calls, and I still have a little bit of paper work to take care of.

Computer, end recording.

Lt JG Ilene Isørd

Stardate 20809.05

Duty Log Stardate 20809.05 Lieutenant Junior Grade Ilene Isørd, Security Officer - USS Dauntless, BC-1553

It turns out that Ensign Z'nol, whether legitimately at one time a Star Fleet Officer or not, was indeed some sort of saboteur. After detonating a small device disguised as a engineering tricorder, he use the same tool to slice his way into the ship. Although some might perceive his next move to be accidental, it seems to me quite clear that he intended to kill himself. He hit something, I didn't see what, but it disintegrated him.

Ensign Phenux and Lieutenant Foster were not seriously injured from what I witnessed. Doctor Selbbirt assured me that they would be checked out just in case. He is under the impression that any damage sustained would have been directly to the eyes due to the flashing lights caused by the detonation and the contact Z'nol made with whatever power conduit he hit.

This didn't happen without breaking rules however. I single handedly falsified a medical emergency, took a prisoner without due cause, and then was prepared to interrogate him by means of torture if he had not given up his true intentions to us sooner. While Lieutenant Kayzon, Selbbirt, and Timmons tried to point out my error in judgment I ignored their counsel. I stormed into the conference room and accused Z'nol of treason without any proof, which was when I was advised by Doctor Selbbirt to rethink my strategy. While I was outside discussing the matter with the doctor, Z'nol set off his device which acted as an EMP. Ensign Phenux was knocked unconscious temporarily. Devices of electronic nature within approximately ten meters of the blast radius were rendered completely useless.

After contacting the Bridge, Lieutenant Foster was sent down here. He attempted a very difficult maneuver which proved to be unsuccessful. He beamed into the conference room and opened fire on Z'nol and tagged him. Z'nol was not affected like we had hoped and managed to tag Lieutenant Foster. Lieutenant Foster was beamed into a holding cell. Z'nol then proceeded to cut his way through what we perceived was his only obstacle to breaking out.

While Engineers tried prying open the conference door by blunt applications of force, I was attempting to replicate a phaser. Z'nol hit something with a lot of power, I assume it was a power conduit of sorts, and it vaporized him right before their eyes. I only caught a glimpse of his death, but it was too fast to really be sure what it was I was seeing. It was all out of the corner of my eye.

"Computer, end recording and save to previously mentioned logs."

[Acknowledged. Log recorded and saved to duty and personal log.

Maj Lon Krako

Stardate 20809.28

[Begin Recording]

Personal Log Stardate 20809.28 Maj Lon Krako, Commanding Officer – Task Force Dagger, USS Dauntless, BC-1553

This is my first official log since assuming command of Task Force Dagger, a Marine Expeditionary Unit of reinforced company strength assigned to the USS Dauntless. I am pleased to once again be commanding troops in the field after my most recent assignment as a staff officer assigned to a reserve battalion stationed at Gibraltar Point and look forward to molding Task Force Dagger into a well-oiled fighting machine.

My initial impressions of the situation I find myself with regards to my new command are optimistic, but tempered with realism. My enlisted counterpart, First Sergeant Shane Cooper, is young for his rank and comes from more of a Special Forces background than a line infantry one. He also has a tendency, common amongst my brother and sister Marines, towards antagonism towards Fleet Security. However, his record and demeanor suggest that he is the consummate professional who will be a valuable member of my team. I expect to rely heavily on him and the other senior NCOs in the early going as my assigned group of platoon leaders are generally lacking in experience. A large part of my training regimen will no doubt involve bringing them up speed.

As part of my acclimation process, I have taken the time to introduce myself around to the senior staff on board. My Fleet counterpart, Lieutenant Commander Angino De Vincenzo, and I have already had a productive meeting over lunch in which we discussed the need for cooperation and the abandonment of traditional Fleet/ Marine animosity. I have no doubt that we will work well together now that we have clearly identified our respective department’s spheres of responsibility.

I have also briefly met the Commanding Officer, Rear Admiral Daniel Wueste, and the First Officer, Commander Kenneth Fitchel. Both are former Fleet Security officers with a long list of citations to their credit, but seem not have the hostility towards Marines that I would expect from their backgrounds. I am particularly impressed with Commander Fitchel’s restraint as his service record indicates a particularly nasty encounter with an ex-Marine by the name of Haren Mormel that ended in Mormel’s death by Fitchel’s hand.

Turning to matters of more immediate importance, I have just returned from the briefing for our latest mission. If things go as the Mission Specialist, a Commander Harrison of the Star Fleet Corps of Engineers says they will, there will be little in the way of action for Task Force Dagger this time around. However, I am left with the impression from the meeting that Harrison is not being completely forthcoming with regards to the true purpose of the mission. To that end, I am preparing for the worst case scenario – the retaking of the listening post that is the focus of the mission by force should it be discovered to be in enemy hands. I have requested plans for the facility from Commander Harrison to aid in my assault planning. There’s a great deal of work ahead of me before we arrive on station and not much time to accomplish it.

Computer, end recording and save log entry for later playback.

[End Recording and Save]

Lt Shawn Timmons

Stardate 20902.28

Personal Log Stardate 20902.28

After I accepted the position of Assistant Chief Engineer on the Dauntless, we were assigned to proceed to Adelphous IV to bring supplies and conduct repairs of a Star Fleet science station there. In addition, we were also ferrying a Star Fleet Corps of Engineers team led by a Commander Harrison who was anything but forthcoming.

I could tell by Lieutenant Kayzon's demeanor, that he and the rest of the senior staff didn't trust the SFCE team and thought something suspicious was going on.

We discovered our suspicions to be true when a Romulan sabetour posing as a Star Fleet officer on the science station tried to escape. By this time, several Klingon ships had arrived as well and began to fire on both the Dauntless and the station, which was revealed to actually be a secret communication post.

It was originally designed to scramble Romulan communications, but was sabotaged by the Romulan and ended up being directed into Klingon space. The Klingons, therefore, retaliated.

Thankfully, Lieutenant Kayzon and I were able to use the station's massive communication arrays to help out the Dauntless. We pointed them at the Klingon vessels and then overloaded them with high volume chatter, overloading the Klingon ships.

The Romulan sabetour was killed trying to escape and marines from the Dauntless arrived just in the nick of time to get us the hell of there.

Too much excitement for this mission, and all I want is a hot shower and a long nap. But after seeing the damage the Dauntless took from the Klingons, I doubt that will happen anytime soon.

End Log.