Yeager SC Mission 05: "Darkest Before the Dawn"

The Yeager is sent to the Eisn system to determine why the star went supernova and then darkened. They end up unknowingly picking up some hitchhiker's looking for a quick meal.

Captain's Logs

Captain Julia Nielson

Stardate 21009.24

Captain's Log - Stardate 21009.24
Captain Julia Nielson recording:

The Yeager saw her relaunch today, after being in service of the Corps of Engineers for far too long. I have to say that I am proud to be the one in her centre seat as she is brought back into regular active duty. The Yeager is a good little ship, who I am more than confident will see her crew through anything that will come our way.

We have been ordered to the Romulan star Eisn, also called 128 Trianguli, on a research mission to determine possible causes of the star going supernova over a year ago that put the Romulan people in danger. Originally a class G9 star, we're also to determine the status of the current black star and collect whatever data we can.

Computer, end log.

Stardate 21011.06

Captain's Log - Stardate 21011.06
Captain Julia Nielson recording:

The trip from Space Station Sierra-18 to the Romulan star Eisn took several days, giving my crew the chance to settle in upon the Yeager. Without a proper shakedown it's been interesting trying to put her through her paces, but so far nothing serious has cropped up. The commanding officer in me says that's a good thing, that a smooth flight is something I should be grateful in me. The engineer in me says we should be weary, given that nothing cropped up. But then, the Yeager has always been good to me and seen me through rough days, so maybe I should have had more faith in her.

Having arrived at the star, we dropped out of warp and went into orbit at a safe distance. Lieutenant Gylanna, working with the science department, had redesigned a probe to better suit the specifications of this mission. After a successful launch, we awaited the results from the black star.

Unfortunately, something caused a power fluctuation on the bridge. This was only the tip of the iceburg, as systems started to go down ship-wide. Engineering dispatched a team to investigate, but before a diagnosis happened both primary and auxiliary systems went offline. Currently we're in the dark, but luckily life support seems to be unaffected.

Engineering is still investigating, hopefully they can find out and repair what's wrong before something wrong happens. Apparently the black star is still unstable and could further collapse at any moment. Lieutenant Dega came up with the idea to use the warp cores in the shuttles, if they're unaffected, to provide power to the shield and give us some protection against the star. We also haven't heard from Science with an update about the star, so I've assigned Commander Ross to investigate.

Hopefully whatever glitch has caused the power outages can be found and repaired before anything further happens.

Computer, end log.

Stardate 21012.09

Captain's Log - Stardate 21012.09
Captain Julia Nielson recording:

We still haven't been able to find the source of the power failure aboard the Yeager, though the engineering team has been working diligently to find out. I'm currently trying to hook up our communications systems to an auxiliary power source, so that we can send out a distress call.

Commander Ross has reported in from Science. Apparently the information they downloaded before systems went offline show that the readings from the star are consistent with what they expected: high iron readings, with a large magnetic field. Pretty consistent for a star going supernova. However, this puts us at risk for both radiation poisoning and succumbing to the gravitational effects of the star.

Computer, end log.

Stardate 21101.15

Captain's Log – Stardate 21101.15
Captain Julia Nielson recording:

It seems we have a saboteur on board the vessel. How they got on board the Yeager is a question for later, right now we are concentrating our efforts on stopping the alien entity from consuming the remainder of energy the ship has.

While I was attempting to supply emergency power to the communications array so I might send out a distress call, I was vaguely aware of a presence in the com center with me. Initially I pushed it off as my trying to scare myself in the darkness. But when one of the brand new power sources I was installing suddenly ran out of power, it became all the more real. However the only trace of evidence I could find that there was a possible intruder were two punctures on the power source – for all I know it could have been a fault in the battery.

Then while attempting to hook up an auxiliary power source in Sickbay, Commander Ross and I received a call from the Chief Science Officer indicating there was indeed an alien life form aboard the ship. They were attempting to blow it out of the shuttlebay.

Security has been dispatched, and also tasked with a thorough search of the Yeager to make certain we have no more saboteur stowaways on board. I've joined the security team in the shuttlebay to see if we can subdue the alien.

Computer, end log.

Stardate 21104.03

Captain's Log – Stardate 21104.03
Captain Julia Nielson recording:

Upon arriving in the Shuttlebay, the security team and I discovered a large energy life form attacking our shuttles. Trapped inside were the Chief Tactical Officer, the Chief Science Officer, and a security officer. They were trying to subdue the creature, however their attempts seemed to only bolster the creature's mass. It appeared as though it was feeding off of the shields and the weapons fire to it.

However one weapon strike seemed to be enough to disintegrate a good portion of the creature. Since it was a hazard to the vessel and crew, a plan was devised to modulate our phasers to different frequencies and fire en masse. This plan proved affective in that we were able to shrink the creature down to a size small enough that it would fit into a cargo container.

The creature appeared to be attracted to the energy aboard our ship, so I modified several combadges to act as bait for it. We successfully lured it into the container, sealing it inside.

However a second creature had latched itself to our warp systems. Leading the team from the shuttlebay to engineering, we hoped that our previous attempt to subdue the creature would be as successful.

It appeared that the light from our wrist torches was as affective against the energy creature as our phasers. Due to the creature's proximity to the warp systems, I ordered the use of modulated wrist torches only. The creature was subdued, however the Chief Engineer managed to restore lighting before the creature could be moved into a storage unit. This had the affect of completely destroying the creature. It appears artificial energy is detrimental to these creatures. The science department completed an analysis of the creatures, which is footnoted to this log.

Only two of these energy creatures were discovered on board, though with the restoration of ship power one can only hope they were the only two.

During my repair work of the communications systems, I was exposed to large amounts of the star's radiation. This left me unconscious for several days, during which my crew continued on with their duties until the medical department gave me a clean bill of health.

We were able to conclude our survey and scans of Eisn, before returning to Federation Space.

It's with much disappoint that I must include a section in this log on the behaviour of my crew. I had given them the benefit of the doubt back on Star Base Charlie that their stint in the brig for a bar fight was merely a misunderstanding, and that they were standing up for the right thing. It turns out, however, that many acted against my orders during this mission.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Jonathan Cooper acted against my orders when the creature from the shuttlebay was to be taken to security for containment, until such time as power was restored to the ship. His curiosity got the better of him, and he ordered the creature to the science labs so that he could investigate into them further. His actions, however, led to the destruction of the creature as they are also sensitive to our sensor wavelengths.

For this breach in protocol I have given him an informal warning.

Lieutenant Kralton Gylanna acted against my orders by delaying the arrest of Lieutenant Dega. Instead he had her assist in the repairs of the Yeager.

For this breach in protocol I have given him an informal warning.

I have confidence that the previous two were only acting for the good of the Yeager.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Alice Dega also acted against my orders persistently when ordered to use wrist torches rather than phasers against the creature in the shuttlebay. Her actions are likened to those of a scorned five year old who did not get her way, despite the dangers to the ship in using energy weapons so close to warp systems.

For this persistent breach in protocol, she served three days in the ship's brig and was given a formal warning.

Now that we're back at Space Station Sierra-18, I believe the crew deserves our upcoming shore leave. I know I for one am looking forward to putting my feet up.

Computer, end log.

[Attachment: After Action Report Stardate 21103.24 Cooper, Lt [JG] Jonathan]

Crew Logs

First Officer

Lieutenant Commander Kamble Ross

Stardate 21103.28

Personal Log, Stardate 21103.28
Lieutenant Commander Kamble Ross
First Officer, USS Yeager

No shakedown cruise ever goes smoothly, and this one was no exception. After all, one never expects to run into an undiscovered lifeform, that will drain all the power from their ship. Although it's no wonder: with our sensors and our shields and all our power, we must have seemed a miraculous gift.

All I can say about the situation is that we got lucky. It could have been a hell of a lot worse.

...No, actually, I have one more thing to say, and I do not say this lightly: Starfleet made a mistake.

I'm a good doctor, and I was a passable CMO, but I'm not a good first officer. I'm indecisive and inefficient. The fact of the matter is, I should have taken more initiative in ensuring that the crew was properly inoculated against radiation, before we even entered the area. I should have been the one in the shuttlebay and in engineering, the one directly in charge of the department heads. That's my job.

I failed at that, and it's only through luck that something horrible didn't happen. That the captain wasn't seriously hurt, and that thought has been haunting me since the mission ended.

I am not a good first officer. But, thankfully and undeservedly, I get another chance. Another chance to do my job the right way. To succeed where I previously failed.

All I can hope is that I continue to have that chance.

End log.

Engineering

CE - Lt Kralton Gylanna

Stardate 21104.01

Personal Log, Stardate 21104.01
Lieutenant Kralton Gylanna
Chief of Engineering

Well the last mission was that of one that fell into the famous Yeager history. Once again it was sabotaged, however not by pirates. This time it was by energy feeding beings that were drawn to the immense power that was emanating from the star that the Yeager was called to investigate. However, I tend to think that over this was definitely more of a mission fitting that of perhaps and Einstein class cruiser as opposed a Columbus scout cruiser. Despite the fact that there was minor damage caused by the creatures and the radiation that seeped through the shields and hull, overall the mission was a success... kind of.

I made a serious error in thinking that it was advantageous to have a subordinate that was technically a higher rank than myself. LCdr Komoscov was seemingly always out of sorts, and in my opinion was a serious conflict of interest when it was found that his wife was the captain of the ship. If something more serious had happened it could have seriously endangered the entirety of the crew and ship, let alone himself. But I digress. My blunder was that of disobeying an order to have Lt. Dega taken to the brig. However, I do not regret the decision as Komoscov was no longer in my hair, as he was reassigned to provide emergency aid to Sickbay. I spent some time in the brig, but it was well worth it. I don't regret a single decision I made.

My engineers performed admirably, never missing a beat and being prompt and efficient in their labor. I hope that I once again get the opportunity to serve on the Yeager as the Chief of Engineering, now that I have actually had a taste of what it's like. I just wish I could have a little bit more of Peter's wisdom.

End log.

ENG - LCdr Vladimir Komoscov

Stardate 21104.02

Personal Log, SD 21104.02
Lieutenant Commander Vladimir Gregory Komoscov
Special Operations Engineer, Team Leader

It seems to me that the crew of the Yeager is an interesting one. I cannot deny that the crew is new to each other and that it was the first mission with the newly refitted ship. I have had my shocks and my near death moments, however I did one thing and one thing only, I followed orders...with one exception but I will get to that in a bit.

Since I am not senior staff anymore, I find myself comfortable with the fact that I have a bit more liberty to get the job done, without sifting through mountains of paperwork like I did on the Dauntless. My department head though is new as a Chief Engineer and in my opinion does not know how to handle someone of higher rank and experience under his command. I have been in his shoes and I have dealt with my Engineers' problems, but he needs to understand the kinds of people under his command and know their strengths and weaknesses. Yes I'm a strong leader but I know my place and I understand the importance of acknowledging who the Chief Engineer is. I am not even senior staff so I couldn't pull rank on him if I tried. He will learn eventually but I am hoping that instead of seeing me as a helping hand, not as someone who wants to take over.

I was furious when I found out that Julia asked that thing to be the Chief of Security. I digress though that when push came to shove and the ship was at risk, we both had a common enemy and we both made sure that the ship came first and pushed our differences aside. That is the only thing I can commend him for, other then that, I couldn't care if he lived or died...unless I was ordered to.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Dega is a unique character. She is young, but I believe that Julia made the right decision to make her Chief Tactical Officer. She has some growing up to do but I don't think that she'll be a problem.

I didn't work with Science although I would like to introduce myself to that department, in due time of course.

I did however meet with Lieutenant Junior Grade Dwora. The Benzite seems to be attracted to Chief Petty Officer Bradley. Chief Petty Officer I'Gana and myself are questioning that considering that she does not know fully how, interesting Bradley can be. In due time though, we shall see what happens.

From what I gather about our First Officer, Lieutenant Commander Ross, she used to be a CMO. Part of me is worried. I have seen Commodore Wong as a CMO and a First Officer and finally a Captain. CMO's make unique Command Officers, and I hope that she'll use her abilities to make it work for her, not against her.

I did hear over the grapevine that people know about the marriage between their Commanding Officer and myself. Some see it as a conflict of interest. I see it as none of their business. They do not know the history between us, they do not know the circumstances that our marriage is hanging by. As much as it pains me to remind myself of this, she is a Commanding Officer first, a wife second. The only conflict of interest would be if I used my influence to alter her decisions, but Julia knows that I will never do that. Maybe it's time the rest of the crew understood that.

Actually, I take that back. Let them think that there is something going on so when they see the evidence that Julia and I are acting like professional Star Fleet officers, they'll look like idiots. Wait. Why am I grinning? Mother....

End log.

Medical

MED - Lt [JG] Hoya Dwora

Stardate 21010.13

Personal-log
Medical Officer Hoya Dwora
Stardate 21010.13

I have to admit that the Yeager is a lot smaller than the Tico, but I am confident that it will be easier to make friends here. I must be honest I miss my friends, but I knew that one of us or all of us would be posted to different ships or to a Starbase.

On the up side the Yeager has an excellent reputation and her crew is one of the best in the fleet. I was a bit surprised that it only has seven deck. It will be interesting to see sickbay.

I have to remember that the Yeager is a fresh start, all of the bad memories on the Tico left behind. New places, new faces as they say. I still can't get the image of Paul out of my head. I still can't accept the fact that he is gone.

The Yeager is my fresh start, a chance for me to move on and escape all the negative that was. How knows perhaps I may meet someone here and I can begin a new.

- End Log.

Science

CSO - Lt [JG] Jonathan Cooper

Stardate 21103.04

Chief Science Officer's Log, Stardate 21103.24
After-action Report

Our mission, as I understood it, was to be twofold. First, we were to gather any and all information about the star Eisn, in the hopes that we could determine why this Romulan star went nova for no natural mission. Second, we were to shakedown the Yeager after she'd been mothballed, make sure she was in good running shape. I'm happy to report that both of those missions were, to greater or lesser degrees, successes.

While in the Eisn system, however, we encountered two creatures the likes of which we have not encountered before. They appeared to be a form of cosmozoan (lifeforms whose natural environment is the vacuum of space) who fed on energy. As far as we can tell, they weren't native to Eisn, but came to feed upon the star from outside the system. After the star's destruction, they were left hungry and our ship presented a veritable feast to them.

Of course, none of this was evident at the beginning. We were left both figuratively and literally in the dark when they first arrived, and it was some time before we discovered their presence, believing the power drain to be related to the system's powerful magnetic field.

I was there when we made first contact, and must admit I was highly impressed by the creature's abilities. It was able to absorb energy from everything from a shuttle's fusion core to a shield envelope, and even phasers at first. Eventually, however, we were able to overpower it by a combination of weight of numbers and remodulation to make it unable to absorb energy fast enough.

The second one was encountered in engineering. I was not involved in that one, but discovered that the creature there was defeated actually through the shining of artificial light on it. A little odd, but not the craziest thing in the galaxy. Supposedly there's a creature on Nolaven VII that has a severe reaction to water; not so bad, until you consider that much of Nolaven VII is a vast swamp. But I digress.

It's highly unfortunate that we were unable to save one of the creatures for study. The rarity of cosmozoan life makes it all the more important to study it whenever encountered. I must admit to my own culpability in this matter. After the first one's defeat, we had captured it in a biological sample container. Captain Nielson ordered it taken to the brig and kept under guard. When she went to respond to engineering, I ordered the security detail to take it to the science labs on my own recognizance, so we could try and study it. Unfortunately, the lights from the console combined with the emissions from the labs scanners destroyed the creature.

With both creatures destroyed, however, the engineering crew did an admirable job of getting us back in tiptop shape, and we managed to complete our scans of Eisn with no further difficulty. The only injuries appeared to be Captain Nielson succumbing to radiation poisoning, and my pride for having no greater idea of what happened to Eisn now than when we went in. Of course, it's not my specialty, but as Chief Science Officer, it's supposed to be my job to have the answers. Today, I have none.

Copies forwarded to:
Captain Julia Nielson, CO, USS Yeager
Commander Aitrus Colso, Senior Researcher, SFSI

Attachments:
Report on New Cosmozoan Species, filed by Ensign Sarah Ericsson stardate 21103.21

Tactical

CTO - Lt [JG] Alice Dega

Stardate 21101.15

Personal log - Stardate 21101.15
Lt. Alice Dega recording:

Things have been difficult aboard the Yeager. The ship remains with powerless. The attempt to use the shuttles to help power the ship has proven to be more difficult then it was originally thought. Unlike Captain Neilson’s successful attempt to do the same thing aboard Seirra, the Yeager’s power systems seem too power down to really except a charge from the shuttle.

But a more pressing problem was discovered shortly after powering up the shuttles. That was discovering an intruder aboard the Yeager which seems to be the cause of all our energy problems. It has been feeding off the power systems and that’s the cause to the power drain.

Lt Cooper, Mid Rauqk and myself created a plan trying to use space as a way to expel the power eating beast. Unfortunately, that plan had to be scratched when security and the captain showed up in the room.

So now we have to wonder how to deal with this creature without losing what little power is left and if this creature is what caused the star to turn nova.

End log.