Intrepid:Third Mission - The Lying Game

Mission Summary

Stardate 21309.28

Prelude

Before the mission had started, it is important to note that the Intrepid had gone a significant refit at Star Base Alpha. This refit included many upgrades and enhancements to the ship. Such as: Self-Replicating Ablative Armor, the ability to replicate a large number of Torpedoes while in the field as well as Sensor Cloak technology.

However, a small while before the refit was completed, my first officer, Commander Kaiser was deceived by a recently self-aware AI who falsified orders to take the Intrepid on a test run. The AI tried to escape deletion by taking over the ship and attempting to run away. I chased the ship down with a shuttle craft that I borrowed from Star Base Alpha, and I was able to regain control of the Intrepid by using her prefix code. By then, the rouge AI had already transferred her matrix to a holographic body and surrendered to the crew. Last I checked, she had followed my recommendation and was now presenting a case to the Federation courts of law to recognize her status as a sentient being.

The Mission

With the Intrepid safely back at Star Base Alpha, we received new orders. Officially, we were to provide transport and protection to the Federation Vice President Prenn, as he travels to planet Tellar in order to attend a peace conference with the Krynar. Unless provoked, the Intrepid were ordered not to take any hostile action while under the diplomatic flag. That said, Battle Group Epsilon -1 was to be on standby to interfere if needed. Unofficially, our orders were to gather as much information possible, tactical or otherwise, while we were in the heart of the enemy’s territory in the Alpha Quadrant. The fact that these orders were consistent with the ship’s history as part of Star Fleet Intelligence, did not escape my notice. Yet, I was willing to do anything, including putting up with the arrogant politician, in order to give Star Fleet an edge in this bloody conflict. So, I briefed the crew, prepared the ship for the VP’s arrival and soon enough we were on our way.

The trip to Tellar went without a hitch. There was tension in the air as we crossed the border into the occupied space and began to pick up Krynar military formations on our sensors. But we stuck to the pre-designated course and as expected, the Krynar ignored our presence.

Soon after our arrival, the VP and I had a disagreement in regard to the size of the away team that was to beam down to the surface. Eventually, we reached a compromise and an evenly split team of both Star Fleet Security and the VP’s own security details were sent down. However, not long after the away team had departed, we received a transmission from them requesting an immediate beam up. Unfortunately, before we could respond, a planet wide transporter inhibiter was activated, which preventing us for establishing communication as well.

That had left me with a very delicate decision to make. On one hand, the Krynar’s action can be seen as hostile, yet we were still under the diplomatic flag and I wasn’t ready to military action unless it was absolutely necessary.

I opened a comm channel to the Krynar, officially requesting to contact the away team. In response to our quarry, they relayed a written communication stating that the talks are progressing and we should not interrupt. I was not satisfied with the Tellarite’s response, so I contacted the surface again, citing an emergency to speak with one of my security officer. This time we received an alleged response from the vice president, asking us to stop attempting to communicate.

However, since this was not a two way communication, there was no way for us to establish without any reasonable doubt that the VP was not saying so under duress. So, I made the decision to go ahead with a rescue plan. Under the command of Lieutenant Commander DeWitt, the Jefferson was going to perform a dive into Tellar’s atmosphere, below the threshold of the transporter inhibitor. Once in position over the facility where the meeting is taking place, she will deploy our platoon of marines equipped with transporter buffers. The Marines would have to locate the away team and create a buffer zone where The Jefferson could extract everyone out of there. Once the VP was safe aboard, DeWitt’s orders were to take warp out straight back to Earth. Meanwhile, the Intrepid would have joined Epsilon-1 battle group and engaged the Krynar in order to buy the Jefferson as much time as possible.

Soon after the Jefferson was on her way, the Intrepid signalled Epsilon-1 to enter the system. True enough, the battle group warped in and the Intrepid retreated from orbit to join the battle formation. However, my crew noticed something out of the ordinary about the Federation fleet. At first we were unable to establish a tactical link with the Trafalgar. Nor there was any visual or audio communication with incoming battle group. Having experienced similar circumstance in the battle of Sierra Eighteen, were able to see through the deception and a decision was made open fire at the Star Fleet vessels. As soon as we opened fire, the star fleet vessels disintegrated into many shards, and the battle began. Knowing that the Jefferson will have a lot less time then initially thought, I figured that our original plan was doomed to fail. I ordered the Jefferson to retreat and make her way out of here. The VP will have to fend for himself. In the big scheme of things, the data we have gathered were more valuable to the survival of the Federation than any single individual, no matter what position they occupied.

The battle was going from bad to wore when all of the sudden we receive a call from Prenn asking us to stand down. At the same time, the Krynar ships had seized hostilities. A seize fire was somehow negotiated on the planet’s surface. Seeing it as an opportunity to securely deliver the valuable data to Star Fleet, as well as save the Vice President, I accepted the terms. Sadly, the entire away team was MIA, with the exception of the VP, and an unconscious security Lieutenant Darmar. Other than the VP’s own security details, we lost three Security personnel of our own in this endeavour.

In the end, we were able to deliver the information back to Star Base alpha and return the Vice president safe and sound to Earth. All in all, the mission was a successful one. Yet, I feel the sting of pain when I recall the men and women we left behind on Tellar. I can’t help but wonder if we could have done things a little differently and managed to spare them from making the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. In the big scheme of things, my only consolation is the fact that we did make sure that the sacrifices they made were not in vain.

Logs

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

Captain's Logs

Captain Gabriel Archer

Stardate 21307.01

Captain Gabriel Archer recording:

Ship’s Log Captain Gabriel Archer recording:

The USS Intrepid was selected to go on a very important mission. One that I, for the record, disagree with. We are to provide passage for the Federation Vice President Prenn to the planet Tellar within the occupied Federation Space, where he will be conducting negotiations with the Krynar representatives. While every fiber in my body is telling me that is a big mistake, I have my orders and I will follow them to the best of my ability. After extensive refit of the ship at the San Francisco ship yards, we were ready for launch. We made special arrangements aboard the ship in order to accommodate the VP and his staff. Deck three was completely sealed off and was turned into the VP's own center of operations. The trip to Tellar was largely uneventful. However, before we beamed the negotiation team down to the surface, the VP and I had a small disagreement in regard to the size of the security force accompanying the diplomats. We eventually reached a compromise that consisted of four of my best security personnel and four of his own security staff. The conference has commenced on the surface and now we sit and wait for what is going to happen next. I have the ship at General Quarters Three, yet I kept the shields down and the weapons powered off in order to not provoke our... hosts. I can't wait to get this thing over with and head back into friendly territory... End Log

Stardate xxxxx.xx

Captain Gabriel Archer Recording:

THIS LOG ENTRY IS CLASSIFIED.

End Log

Stardate 21309.20

Captain Gabriel Archer Recording: We have completed our mission with great success.

The vice president is safe on Earth and his negotiations with Krynar were concluded. We were able to learn much from our visit to Tellar and we have satisfied Star Fleet's requirements. The crew and ship have preformed admirably and deserve all due credit for this success.

Now we look forward for some off time to repair the ship and give the crew some well earned time off.

End Log

Crew Logs

Ensign Pedro Beaumont

Star date 21305.15

Personal Log – USS Intrepid

Wow... I’m still shocked that I’m recording this log onboard a starship. All my official records of the mission Captain Archer just recruited me on are in my official log, but I wanted to talk a little bit about everything that I’m researching right now. Everything has happened so fast, I want to make sure I put all these details into the letter to Mamá that I’ll write after my official transfer. I don’t see any reason why I wouldn’t be transferred to this ship– Archer is impressed with me, and I never got the feeling that anyone was particularly excited to have me at Starbase Alpha. Just like Mamá always says in her council meetings, you can’t make tortillas without grinding some corn first... I’m glad I spoke up to Archer in the turbolift.

Everything about this ship– from its state-of-the-art refits to its loyal and talented crew– make me thrilled at the prospect of joining the crew. Lieutenant Commander Read, for example, nearly bowled me over trying to commandeer the shuttle to go rescue the Intrepid. It’s Archer’s ship to command, but the heart that Read had, ready to go protect the ship and the crew she felt such a deep connection to... it’s admirable.

Were I to join the ship, I would report to the Chief Tactical Officer, Lieutenant Commander Chesit. While I only got to see her in action briefly, I get the feeling that she’s a highly competent and quick-thinking officer. She saved the day, in the end, by activating the tractor beam to repulse the asteroid headed for the ship. I’ll have to introduce myself to her– maybe she can put in a good word for me for the transfer if she gets a good impression of me, too. I’m excited to meet all the crew! For the first time since joining Starfleet, I feel like I’m actually doing what I imagined I would be doing by joining. I know it will be hard work, but I’m ready to do what is necessary to protect the Federation and this crew. All it takes is ganas– the desire to achieve.

End Log.

Lieutenant Toon Jer-Na

Star Date 21305.15

Chief Science Officer's Log Lieutenant Toon Jer-Na recording:

As our shore leave comes to an end, I am pleased to report that the shuffling of the science staff has gone on without much difficulty. I have transferred several exceptional officers off the Intrepid to positions which I'm sure will provide opportunities to further their careers. Many of these fine officers were expertly trained under the tutelage of Lieutenant Reese and will hopefully find their new assignments more amicable then they did my own continued tenure with the Intrepid. While I would not call any of these transfers "promotions" of any sort, I know for a fact the efficiency in both the Intrepid's science department and for the fleet in general will be much improved by these changes. I am now free to structure my teams as I see fit. With the departure of so many officers, I have found myself with a particularly young, yet eager, new set of officers that will need to be reviewed. While I planned to accomplish staff evaluations during our time docked at Starbase Alpha, a mishap with the ship's computer system somewhat abbreviated that effort. Our detour away from the station, and the subsequent power outage that followed, left us critically behind in setting up a number of experiments. As such, our time since our return to station has been mostly spent spinning these efforts back up to full speed. Rest assured, these staff evaluations will be completed over the course of our next mission.

On a more personal note, I say with pride that my colleagues on the Intrepid are finally beginning to adjust to my more alien nature. An incident during the power outage, in which I was forced to glide down a turbolift shaft, may have had something to do with this change in attitude. I believe I heard one of the enlistedmen refer to this act as "a cool trick." I will refrain from reminding the crewman in question that natural biological processes should not be referred to as "tricks," in the interest of continued morale.

End log.

PO2 Ren Ghorev

Stardate 21305.16

Personal Log

Some moments feel like a dream. The kidnapping. The strange red haired woman. Only to find myself in my quarters on a stow away Star Ship with my Captain and fellow officers crashing in on my morning toast. Did any of it happen? I keep pinching myself and I am still here. The memories are too vivid. I still remember the room...wrapped in plastic...the woman's story...sad in a way. I wonder if she will ever find it. Her answers. Her peace. Her love.

The universe is cruel. Where there is love and happiness it tends to rip apart. I hope for her sake she finds it but I fear what might happen when she does.

The Intrepid's 'kidnapping' was a false alarm it seems. Not that I will ever hear the official story. My rank is high but holds no worth. I am not concerned. I dont need to know.

Back in my cosey quarters with my single bed and small table, all I care about now is finishing my coffee in silence and peace. The Intrepid will return to Starbase Bravo but I am not setting a foot from her floors this time. I have had enough excitement to last me a lifetime...

End Log

Lieutenant Thrace

Star date 21306.03

personal Log

I have to do something about Robert. He keeps picking on other staff members. I'll hold a staff meeting to remind them of appropriate work behavior. I run a relaxed Sickbay, but he keeps taking it too far. He keeps mainly targeting Ren, the new lab tech.

I did find a way to fix Kaiser's disease. It might be a re-occuring condition though, I'll keep an eye on that. I completed my command training. Kaiser defiantly put me through my trials. He had me aboard a space station over run by Romulans. I couldn't call my ship. I took out a few of them by blasting panels on the walls... but there was a hostage. There was a little girl with a teddy bear who just wanted to be saved. I called her to come to me, and she died. I still feel like it was my fault. I had a crew with me. They all got shot also. He pulled me out of the program. I don't know if I would have died or not. Probably. It was a good experience.

I need to find a way to get Ren to fit in more with the rest of the crew. I worry about her fitting in.

Kyle and I seem to be getting along quite well. This relationship means a lot of me. I hope I don't do anything to screw it up.

End log.

Commander Kaiser

21306.15

First Officer's Personal Log,

We're taking the Vice President to a secret peace conference at Tellar, the apparent Krynar Capital in the Alpha Quadrant. I hate being a taxi for some stuffy politician who's odd requests have the entire crew on edge, but I guess they want the best ship to protect him when this goes south. I know this is going to go south and I just hope this politician trying to get reelected doesn't get anyone killed. Readie's going down to the planet with a security team with him. I've worked with Lieutenant Read a long time and if something happens to her or any crew member I'll personally show this guy the wrong side of an airlock make certain he's made to answer for this.

End Log.

"Computer, edit log...."

Lieutenant Toon Jer-Na

Stardate 21306.15

Chief Science Officer's Log, Lieutenant Toon Jer-Na recording:

Starfleet has ordered the Intrepid on a diplomatic mission to Tellar, where the Vice President will engage in peace talks with the Krynar delegation. History tells of many such envoys being sent during times of war, some ending in tragedy, others heralding new eras of peace. I can only hope that the latter will be achieved. When history looks back on the mission of the USS Intrepid, on the crew comprised largely of officers who watched comrades die in the opening actions of this war, my hope is that their bravery, morality, and non prejudicial nature will show them the perfect crew for initiating peace.

With our efforts focused on diplomacy and my science team forbidden from making any aggressive scans of our hosts, I am left with little to do but mind the ongoing experiments currently in process in our labs. Two of these experiments, which have to do with alternate warp fuel possibilities, I've had to shut down entirely, in order that their energy readings would be perceived as a threat by the Krynar. As such, many of my science officers have been reassigned to other projects or left to aid the ship's engineering teams in maintenance and repair.

Now that the Intrepid is in a stable orbit over the planet, I plan to engage in the staff evaluations I had planned for shore leave. Our present condition may leave us in orbit of Tellar for several weeks, giving me amble time to examine my new staff and select an assistant chief science officer. My first meeting, with Ensign Vorin, is scheduled for the end of the day. I will repeat again, for posterity, my hope that these peace talks will end in the favor of all parties involved. If I have learned anything from history, it is this: War causes only pain and heartbreak for those involved and must be conducted only in the most extreme of circumstances. The loss of Bajor was tragic; The loss associated with the continuation of this conflict would be without reckoning.

End log.

Commander Kaiser

Stardate 21307.07

First Officer's Log,

The Intrepid remains in orbit of Tellar as we have escorted the Vice President to a diplomatic meeting on the surface with hopes of bringing the war to an end. I remain skeptical of such an enemy willing to enter a peace accord. They were willing to destroy at least one entire planet that we know of and murder literally billions. What kind of people can do that and then decide to pursue peace. On the other hand, if peace isn't an option, how do you defeat an enemy capable of destroying an entire planet? Our best attempt destroyed one enemy warship and it left the Intrepid all but disabled. We still don't know the intent of this enemy either. Hopefully if the meeting with the VP goes well we will know what they want.

End Log.

Captain's Log – USS Jefferson Stardate 21308.06 Lieutenant Commander Kyle DeWitt recording:

Our mission is certainly shaping up to be an interesting one at that. Intrepid has been order to Tellar as a taxi service for Federation Vice President Selin Prenn. The plan is to end this war before it gets any bloodier. It's not too much of a shock that this happens after we've developed a new anti-Krynar weapon and successfully destroyed a battle cruiser in the Badlands. Heading into enemy territory, I suggested that the Jefferson should be prepared for an emergency launch. Captain Archer approved my suggestion and put me in charge of the escort. Despite the fact we would still be significantly out-manned and out-gunned I welcome any additional fire power.

As the ship entered orbit of Tellar, the Vice President transported below escorted by a joint Federation-Civilian security team. Everything seemed to go according to plan until West, Prenn's chief of staff, called for a beam out. Our transporting efforts were neutralized and all communications with the team below had been severed. Tasked with a rescue mission, through the use of Lieutenant Calhoun's marines, I made my way to the Jefferson with determination. Prior to our launch I'm not surprised that Gabe would try additional diplomatic channels with the Krynar. When those eventually failed we were given the final authorization to launch.

The Krynar aren't stupid. What seemed like mere moments after we begun our launch towards Tellar we were ordered to stand down. I hate to admit it, but according to the letter of the law the Jefferson is in the wrong. However, I'm operating that our people are being held without authorization.

I ordered no such compliance with the Krynar demands. Had the roles been reversed I certainly wouldn't have taken too kindly to that. They responded by firing a graviton beam in front of our ship. Followed up was a message sent to us, well originally to the Intrepid but I have a feeling it was ignored by Gabe, essentially ordering us to stand down. The kicker this time was that it had Prenn's security codes contained in it and was auto-logged into our computer.

I can't follow these orders blindly. I just can't. We haven't had any visual communication with our people since Mister West's signal. It's all been text-based since then. Containing the Vice President's security codes doesn't help matters. There's too many possibilities. They've either taken that knowledge for him or Prenn's found a new alliegence. I don't care too much about him, but I really hope it's not the latter.

I never expected a first command to be this challenging. I'm preparred to blast through the Krynar's defenses and dropped off the package. I'm conferring with Gabe on this. I should be able to make this decision myself, but when you're talking about risking going rogue I don't want to take any chances. At least it won't be the first time I'll spend time in the brig.

I will bring our people home. I have no doubt it's going to be a bloody operation, but I will bring them home.

Lieutenant Thrace

Star Date 21308.13

Chief Medical Officer's log I really don't understand Nurse Roberts. Anyways, that doesn't matter right now.

I have been on the bridge monitoring the life signs of the away teams and the people aboard the Jefferson, one of them being Kyle. I can't say I like this job, but I guess it falls under the realm of Chief Medical Officer's tasks. I really want to get back to Sickbay and double check, no, triple check that everything is in order. I know this is going to get bloody, fast, and when blood flies, it's my job to fix it.... or try....

Lieutenant Darmar

Star Date Unknown

Jayal tapped her commbadge.

Record and store until able to transmit to USS Intrepid, Crew Log Lt Jayal Darmar.

I hope this works, so that there is some record of what has gone down here at the negotiation between the Krynar and the Federations Diplomats and the Vice President.

I'm crawling through some sort of access/Jeffery's tube leading through the wall of the negotiating room we where shown too when we arrived. The negotiations had ended. The Vice President and the diplomatic team are all dead, gelatinous slug on the floor of the negotiating room. The Intrepid security team where knocked unconscious, I don't know for how long, may be half an hour, and sealed by internal force fields in the negotiating room. I was the first to away. The others are waking up now.

I managed to find a hole in the force fields with an open switch box damaged by the destruction of the Vice President's team. I was able to switch a small section of the force field off on the other side of the room which revealed the tube I'm now entering. I plan to find a way of escape or a way to warn the Intrepid of what has happen.

Date and time stamp. ## Operation Failed ##

End Recording

PO2 Ren Ghorev

Star date unknown

Medical Log PO2 Ghorev recording...

We are as prepared as we could ever be for whatever may occur. Something tells me something big is happening...an instinct, nibbling in my gut. But the Medical Bay remains silent. For as long as that goes on I know it can't be anything that bad...or its so bad medical staff could not be any use. I hope it's not the latter.

I for one was glad to hear that the Federation was making moved to peacefully negotiate regarding the war. Violence just feeds violence. No good can come of it. Still, I hold doubts that even negotiating will help this situation. So much blood has been split already and we still have yet to find a reason for it. Besides perhaps, domination, control, extending territory. The usual rules of a natural environment inhabited by animals...and that's all that we are at the end of the day.

Sickbay will remain on alert. I am trying my best to keep everything in check while Thrace holds the bridge. Now we wait...anxiously wait.

PO2 Ren Ghorev

Stardate Unknown

Personal Log PO2 Ghorev recording...

To say I am embarrassed is an understatement. I am not good in social situations normally but something about Robert sets me even further off guard. I know he is not trying to unhinge me. He is trying to get to know me in his odd, prodding way. When prodded I duck. I hide. It comes from being an outcast I guess. Never belonging.

But today I overreacted. A hand of friendship was offered and I ran like a some rodent into it's den. Not sure what he thinks of me now. Do I care?

I...kind of do. This is my new home. I am stuck here, with these people. I need to stop hiding and start connecting or it will just get harder. Apologies. Guess I'll try that first and then see if his offer is still on the table. Force myself to break out of this shell. Who knows, I might surprise myself by the person I find.

End Log

Lieutenant Commander DeWitt

Captain's Log – USS Jefferson, Lieutenant Commander Kyle DeWitt recording:

Looks like I've gotten myself in quite a bind. I disregarded the warning of the Krynar to return to the Intrepid to continue my mission of rescuing our people on the Tellar surface. The Krynar's wasn't surprising, to say the least. I guess I have to be fortunate that the gravitic beam that the Krynar fired was just powerful to critically damage us, but not destroy the Jefferson. With Ensign Beaumont temporarily out of commission I managed to reach the helm in time to see that our trajectory would result in our destruction. Struggling to keep the ship together I was essentially left with two options. I could abandon our rescue operation and settle into a low orbit over the pole, or I could continue onto the drop zone coordinates. With Lieutenant Calhoun only having enough drop equipment for his personnel, which I can't hold against him, it was my decision to save the Jefferson and her crew.

While I attempted to stabilize us into a temporarily stable orbit, Jefferson was struck once again. My initial thoughts calculated that it was the Krynar attempting to finish the job, however the second I saw our descent speed decrease I surmised that it was the Intrepid attempting to secure us with a tractor beam. If only they could've reeled us in, that would've been great.

Primary goal quickly turned to repair. It was my intention to go after our people once again, unfortunately command had other plans. With the Intrepid's industrial replicator in tow, an engineering team transported safely aboard. The main shocker was that our rescue mission of the away team was scrubbed and make our way to Battle Group Epsilon- 1 once we were repaired enough. The Vice President would be rescued by any force necessary. After our recent near- destruction at the hands of the Krynar, I'm not entirely sure that a handful of ships will be enough to face this ridiculously large armada.

Regardless of the probability, I don't have any intention of laying here defenceless. If it's our destiny to perish in this conflict, I will make it my personal mission to take as many of these Krynar bastards along with me.

End log.

Lieutenant Commander DeWitt

Stardate 21310.02

Captain's Log – USS Jefferson, Lieutenant Commander Kyle DeWitt recording:

What can I say? My ship has just about been shot to hell and back. I've set a course to rendezvous with the Intrepid, but travelling at one-eight impulse essentially means we're crawling at a snail's pace. The journey could be significantly shortened if Intrepid were to turn around and intercept us, but given the million shards between us I don't see that happening. For reasons I'm not at liberty to disclose, Jefferson is expendable while her mother ship is not.

Vice President Prenn has contacted the Jefferson personally. Under normal circumstances, the thought of a ceasefire would be a cause to celebrate. However, given the lack of communication we've had from the surface I can't help but but feel weary of this news.

True or not, I plan on jumping on this development. Personally, I don't even completely trust our Vice President, but if he is correct this would be a great opportunity for us to depart and inform Star Fleet Command of these changes. We would, unfortunately, also have to regretfully report on the deaths of Epsilon-1.

The main key now would be for the Krynar to honour their agreement. That's one of the significant reason, I want Vice President Prenn aboard the Jefferson. This should keep us from a premature destruction. I also plan on finding out what happened to the rest of our away team, as supposedly only Lieutenant Darmar and Prenn survived.

End log.

Lieutenant Commander DeWitt

Stardate 21310.31

Strategic Operations Director's log, Lieutenant Commander Kyle DeWitt recording:

On the surface it appears that our peace mission to Tellar had been successful. The security issues that arise from this have been neglected. Vice President Prenn seems to trust the Krynar Confederation enough to the point he's allowing them to proceed all the way to Earth. Considering that the Krynar's first action, in our quadrant, was the destruction of Bajor and Star Base Charlie I have to seriously doubt their sincerity. Why doesn't Prenn see that as well?

I took my concern up with Gabe. Thankfully, he shared those concerns. What I didn't expect was to jump quickly to brainwashing. I'd be lying if I said I haven't considered it, but it still seems like such a stretch. Our hope to prove this is through science. With two scans, a before and after Prenn's beam down to Tellar, a team of scientists will try to determine any difference. The secret weapon will be Midshipman Praise, a Betazoid. She'll be able to easily, at least that's the idea, determine if the Vice President is being coerced through any mind altering means.

I pray that our suspicions are wrong, but either way I'm pretty sure it will be a catch twenty-two. The biggest concern is whether the Vice President will be able to find us out. If so, our careers run the risk of being destroyed and being marked traitors. That would be null and void if Prenn isn't in full control of his faculties, and if the Krynar have control over him.

End Log