Duty Log - Lieutenant (Junior Grade) John Dempsey/USS Ticondergoa - Stardate 20802.14

U.S.S. Ticonderoga, CA-1471

Duty Log - Lt. J.G. John Dempsey, Chief of Security - Stardate 20802.14.

Begin Security Log:

I'm managing to log this in the few moments I have alone before I assemble a Boarding Party to beam onto the Romulan Warbird Terix and attempt a rescue of the daughter of Commander Vrelnas, the senior Romulan officer and commander of the Nightowl who has defected to the Federation.

The Nightowl contains advanced weaponry and technology that could quite easily give the Romulan Empire the edge it requires to defeat the Federation if the tenuous peace we have with the Romulans comes to an end. Commander Vrelnas has defected with the technology to, as I understand it, try and maintain the balance of power in the Quadrant.

However, a defection is never an easy or simple task, and we have been surrounded and engaged by three Romulan Warbirds. Onboard the leading Warbird, and held captive by an apparent old friend of the Commander, is his daughter. Before we leave the Neutral Zone and attempt to escape to Starbase Bravo, we must try and rescue this little girl.

Commander May is leading the Boarding Party, along with myself leading a Security Detachment, a Marine Detachment, and several other crewmembers. We expect heavy resistance, and I have called for volunteers only for the mission. Whilst I will not voice such concerns publically, I fear that all those who beam over to the Warbird will be returning.

I have to admit, and here I'm turning down the voulume to make sure I'm not heard, that I'm quite literally terrified of what is to come. I have only been in action once before, on Tharos III, and there I managed to nearly kill myself with a grenade. I didn't even have any other men or women under my command, or such an important mission.

My hands are shaking, even though I'm trying my best to stop them, and my heart feels like it is trying to burst through my ribcage. I'm sweating as well, although that at least seems to be under control for the moment.

I'm so scared. I don't know if I can do this - lead dozens of personnel into a dangerous situation where many may never come back, and under my responsibility. I look at their faces and I realize how few I actually know; I have difficulty even matching names to faces half the time. How many of those faces will be absent once this mission is over?

What if one of them is mine? I don't know, I think I'm just thinking too much. All I can do is my duty, and nothing more. I just don't have a good feeling about this mission.

End Log.