USS Philadelphia, NCC-66053-A Mission 1

The Secret Is Crystals (Part 1)
Ship:	USS Philadelphia, NCC-66053-A
Commanding Officer:	Captain Jennifer Braggins
Archive:	Link
Stardate:	242108.01 - 242206.10
Mission Timeline
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Overview

TBC

Captain's Logs

Stardate 22108.01

We have received our orders from Captain T'Lan aboard the Sally Ride, and apparently time is of the essence; we are to proceed to System SE-4571 in order to survey the system and make contact with the local inhabitants, who long-range probes determined were a warp capable species with a single unified government. Little data exists beyond that, except a warning that the Klingons are also showing interest in the system, possibly as the first in a litany of systems annexed for the glory of the Empire. We may be allies, but our relationship has always been tense if cordial, and it's no secret that our objectives in the area do not always align despite the joint enterprise we have set up. A diplomat I am not, and yet it is the duty of the Captain to lead these missions - this mission will test my faith in myself as much as it will my faith in my crew, and I hope that neither lets the other down.

With the urgency of the situation fully laid out before me, I have ordered the Philadelphia diverted away from our original destination of Narendra Station. I expect out journey to System SE-4571 to take several more days even at our maximum sustainable speed, and I shudder to think what shape our engines will be in when we arrive.

I now have to brief my senior officers on what little we know, and join them in wondering how much we do not know...

Stardate 22108.12

I am now two months into my captaincy aboard the Philadelphia, and for the most part things have gone well. The crew are talented and enthusiastic, but what I can only describe as neglect by their previous Commanding Officer has meant that they are only just now regaining their identities and realising what they can do, rather than focusing simply on what they must do.

I must admit, however, that there are three members of the crew who make me uneasy: Lieutenant Troy, our so-called counsellor, is so wracked by emotional instability that she isn't fit to counsel a teddy bear's picnic; Ensign Zhodaar was responsible for the deaths of many Star Fleet personnel during the Attack on the Borg Megasphere, and as the Gorn are not a member of the Federation and have been actively hostile at times, I'm beginning to wonder if his apparent incompetence hides an ulterior motive of more sinister intentions. I would ask Security to keep an eye on him, but I find of all my officers, I trust Lieutenant Jensen the least. The man has all the marks of a career opportunist; he is defensive, inflexible, and just barely refrains from crossing the line that would lead to disciplinary action. I have no reason to remove him from his position, but do I trust him to have my back in a fight? Only if I want to get a knife in it.

We are nearing system SE-4571, where all being well, I will engage in First Contact with the locals. I will therefore have to entrust the ship and crew to Commander Velaul and hope for the best - she has potential but most of her command experience was picked up on-the-fly, and she will require a firm guiding hand if she's to progress in rank.

Time will tell...

Supplemental: Personal

Bryan isn't happy, I don't need a telepath to tell me that. I have my suspicions that Jensen is the cause, but I cannot prove it. I wonder if by asking him to join the crew, I have damaged more than just his career. When this tour is over, we will get away to a holiday resort somewhere to be waited on hand and foot, just the two of us.

Stardate 22205.01

Deicide. That's what the Tholians have branded me.

First Contact on Jateran was...rough. The initial meeting was extremely smooth, with the J'Shashians being a welcoming race. High Regent Keel was fascinated by us, but Defence Minister Nobal decided we were a threat to the J'Shashian way of life and started a coup.

That was not the worst of it, however; turns out Jateran had a secret; an infant Crystalline Entity beneath the surface. The birth, or hatching, whatever, threatened to destroy Jateran so I took action. That action seemingly killed the entity and buried it under an ocean of molten rock. That was not my initial intention, as who wants to start a war with the Tholians? But I stand by my choice. Crystalline Entities are dangerous, and if I had to choose between the population of a world, or a quadrant, against one life form - I choose the many.

That of course doesn't mean Star Fleet are happy with me. One mission, and I'm already on their s**t-list. We've been recalled to Narendra Station, so we'll see whether or not they give me another shot...

Crew Logs

Lt (JG) Alturkia

Stardate 22112.26

So, the problem seems to stem from a batch replication of pump fittings, pre-assembled by a Karrline industrial replicator unit which were fitted and issued in reserve to this vessel pre-launch and fitted in dry dock. Batch Nº JN-21191845-B104(b )

The units fitted have been stressed to failure point by our journey into the Shackleton Expanse and our two month extended haul to the J’Shashian system.

Seven units were pre-fitted to the USS Philidelphia, of which unfortunately three have failed. One catastrophically resulting in several injuries and the evacuation of deck five. The remaining four units in commission have subsequently been removed and replaced with replacements from a different batch, and the remaining twelve non-commissioned units from stock have been quarantined by Lieutenant Sharp, the Chief Quartermaster.

Scans of the failed units and the unused units showed identical replicated microfractures within the structure of the pump units. [Scans Attached]

The resultant failure of the pump unit on deck five section zero-three, was a rupture of a plasma conduit. Sub-systems were rerouted and bypassed away from that area, but it's looking like there may be some major structural damage to the supporting framework of the inner bulk heads, as well as damage to other power distribution and sensor systems including the port side phaser distribution network.

Full system diagnostics and visual assessment are currently happening, and the results are pending.