Drake Mission 02: "Night of the Viper"
Captain's Logs
Capt Kinziri Jal
Stardate 20412.05
Stardate 20412.05 Captain Kinziri Jal recording.
Having taken command of the Drake, and promotion to Captain, within the last hour, I have recalled the crew from Shore Leave. Naturally some will be unable to make it to the ship in time but I am confident that enough will board to cover the essentials. We have been ordered to take the ship to meet the potentially hostile group of ships that have approached Starbase Alpha. We are specifically instructed to protect the off world infrastructure around the system.
I have no idea who or what we will face, but I know that the Drake is battle ready and the crew are highly competent in their duties.
End log.
Stardate 20501.15
Stardate 20501.15
The Drake has just arrived back at Starbase Alpha and I don't mind saying that for a moment back there, I did wonder if we would actually make it back. We have no warp core and hull integrity has been stretched to the limit. We also suffered numerous casualties and fatalities.
After we responded to the call to launch, and to protect the offworld facilities around the Sol System against the oncoming unidentified alien ship, the situation went from bad to worse.
We already knew that the ship was not responding to hail so suspicion that they were hostile was already a given. Watching from a designated position, we saw the USS Copernicus go out to meet the large vessel. Any attempt at making peaceful First Contact failed and we were horrified to see the Science ship shawn into three pieces by some unknown weapon.
The Drake responded again and moved closer to offer support and aid to the survivors. Luckily the offer was not necessary. Resuming the previous position between the alien ship and Earth, the whole ship was then transported into the midst of a group of smaller alien vessels which had emerged from the original.
Four ships surrounded us and held us in place with some extremely strong form of tractor beam technology. At the same time a boarding party beamed onto multiple decks. Peaceful contact was the last thing these beings had in mind and they proceeded to attack and kill any Star Fleet personnel they encountered. They had some form of personal transport system that enabled them to get through or around our internal shielding. They seemed to use both phaser technology plus their natural abilities similar to serpentine species of Earth and other planets in the Quadrant. Spitting acid and fire in places, the fatalities were numerous and horrific.
I had given the order for Chief Tactical Officer, Commander Haren Mormel, and Chief of Security Lieutenant Commander Miryes Kajel to set up station on the Auxiliary or Battle Bridge. My intention was to make it harder for the aliens to potentially capture the command of the ship. If need be I was prepared to split the ship into Saucer and Stardrive sections to double our chances in battle and indeed, to escape the snare which held us.
While the Security teams fought the alien boarders, the Bridge crew, attempted to find a method of freeing the ship from it's four captors.
The alien tractor beams could not be disrupted and our ships phasers and torpedoes had already proven almost useless. An attempt to use our own tractor beam to move the alien vessels wasn't as successful as hoped but fortunately other ships mobilized from Starbase were able to come to our aid.
The Drake was badly damaged by the attacks from within as well as from the greater number of alien ships around. We were able to stand our ground so to speak however, and when two remaining alien ships possibly equivalent to our Destroyer class veered off to hit Earth itself we were in place to prevent their escape run. Fortunately the Earth Defense Forces were able to bring these ships down. With the alien Mother ship heading out of the system only to be intercepted by the Pulsar task force, all that remained for the Drake to do was purge the invaders on board still then limp back to Starbase.
While I am greatly saddened by the carnage wrought on the ship, and the large loss of life, the consequences had we not scrambled to launch as part of the defense of the system could have been much worse.
I would like to make note for record that I am also immensely pleased with how the crew of the Drake have performed during this situation.
Not only did they work well with maturity and efficiency as a team but they also welcomed and integrated crew from other ships, notably the USS Yeager and Copernicus, and Assistant Ambassador Lzon. I intend to have this noted in everyone's personnel file and shall recommend commendation where fit.
I now have the somewhat unenviable task of selecting those most suitable and meriting for promotion and placement in new roles. Not least of these is the position of First Officer. I am to discuss and review potential candidates at Star Fleet Head Quarters over the next few days.
All in all it has been a somewhat challenging introduction to my new position, but I see that Command of the USS Drake will bring reward in itself from such a vibrant and efficient crew.
End log.
