Invicta Logs
| USS Invicta | ||
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 INACTIVE STATUS | ||
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Shakedown Cruise
Captain's Personal Log, SD 239206.19 Of course I didn't see it coming. Who would have? Who would have ever thought that he would have by the Architecting President? No one, that's who. Which is why, of course, I thought it was okay to let my mind wander in the first place. No one would've seen it coming because it's ludicrous. One's orders come from one's CO -- in my case, Egan Manno -- or, at the very outside, the CO a grade or two above one's. Not from the president. The Starfleet isn't a military organization and she's not Commander-in-Chief of the Federation Starfleet -- but damned if that stopped her here. At first I didn't know what to think. I mean, it was the rhetoric I dreaded, all about bravery on the frontier and pushing the limits of exploration and the steady hands of diplomacy -- sound bites, little nothings that had zero to do with the Va Wreth mission and the capture of Ross, which is what I finally gathered she was talking about. But why me? I hadn't really done anything special, and most of my senior staff hadn't even been allowed in. By the Architect, Rahman wasn't even there, and her teams had been entirely responsible for finding Ross. But then she came to it, finally. Not only was I and my crew all that she'd said, we were the very best of the Starfleet and of its mission here, including the great experiment that was Astrofori One. The Invicta, she said, and I swear she was looking right at me when she said it, is exactly the sort of vessel Starfleet wants to have at this crucial juncture in the Menthar Corridor. And she, damn it all, couldn't think of any captain and crew she would rather have aboard. [On stopping the State of the Federation address] Not that I was ever actually going to do it, of course. The president's promise was one thing, but Egan Manno's assent? Well, that was a done deal. She'd made it quite clear when she appointed me as the Garuda's CO what my options were (namely, take command or -- nope, there is no 'or'), so I didn't have much hope here. Nor did I have a good reason for not wanting to do as the president said, beyond that initial shock -- though once I started to think about it a little more, I realized that all my previous years of CO experience were vastly different from this. I'd operated alone, as the CO of the single Starfleet starship for dozens and dozens of light-years, in uncharted, often hostile space. And now they wanted me to play politician? It seemed bizarre, but -- as I say, I wasn't going to argue. |
First Officer's Log, Stardate 239206.22 With a total complement of four hundred, preparing the Invicta's roster supposedly should be less work than going through the entire crew of a Galaxy class starship. But whereas normally I'd have been given a week to look over the Garuda's, now I have until the end of today. |
Chief Medical Officer's Log, Stardate 239206.28 Another sickbay to adapt to, another office to decorate. For my first act as CMO of the Invicta I should see to the punishment of one of my officers. Hopefully Gabi learned her lesson also I will prove worthy of my new rank. |
Counselor's Log, Stardate 239207.10 I don’t know where to begin. I suppose I can just go through what happened. It is what I tell my patients. To help them get through the process of grieving. I am grieving. I feel I have lost so much. I lost the Community. They returned to their own kind to share what they learned from me about the Federation and Starfleet. What they learned will factor into the decision they will make on whether or not to apply for entrance into the Federation. For me, it is a deeply personal loss. I became… I adapted to having them with me. A constant presence. Complete acceptance and what felt like affection. Now, I am empty and alone. Inside my mind there is no one to speak to me. To comfort me. Share knowledge. Yet, at the same time, I didn’t realize it at the time, but the buffered me from the minds around me. The roar of the crowd. It will take time to adapt. |
Manhunt
First Officer’s Log, Stardate 239211.30 After Captain Kells had to suddenly depart aboard the captain’s yacht to attend an urgent personal matter, I’ve been left to oversee the cleanup on W Cygni 5C. Per the Prime Directive, we cannot leave any trace of our little… holiday for some future natives to one day discover. |
First Officer's Log, Supplemental We've arrived at the coordinates in Sector Zeta-Three-Gamma where the Al-Leyan freighter reported finding the captain's yacht. I've informed the crew about the situation, and though our preliminary scans have confirmed what the Al-Leyans described, I'm still holding out hope that somehow they're wrong. |
Chief Counselor's Log, Stardate 239211.30 The crew is in shock. The rumors and theories and misinformation have carved a wave of sharp painful grief that is battering at me every second. Aron is well like by the crew. They respect him.. He was approachable. They say the five stages of Grief are Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and finally Acceptance. Most are in the first. Others are firmly in the second. Aron is more than our captain. He is a friend. He is… was… family. |
Acting Captain's Log, Stardate 239212.08 Our 16-hour intensive scan of the region for verteron particles has led us to Syrene Station in orbit of Darvo V, a desert planet on the edge of Sector Zeta-Three-Gamma. Whoever attacked the captain's yacht came through here. I've sent three away teams to investigate our current leads: Alpha Team is led by chief science officer Lt. Cmdr. Alora DeVeau and includes engineer Ensign Nikki Ryan, medical officer Dr. Raj Blueheart, and acting chief of security Lt. JG Hanar Tuk. They have beamed to the surface of Darvo V, to an alien marketplace, to follow up on their findings from their investigation of the yacht. They are attempting to locate any traders who are familiar with the unique weapons signature -- something that appears to be employing gunpower of all things! -- and a blade that matches the cuts DeVeau and Ryan discovered in the interior of the yacht. Although our preliminary survey of the planet and marketplace reveal it to be the perfect home for the unscrupulous, I trust the instincts of my officers. Bravo Team is led by historian and archaeological specialist Lt. Cmdr. T'Lea and includes science officer Ensign Shurimal Vex, intelligence officer Cmdr. Tracey Townson, and Counselor Raissa Moonsong. They have beamed over to Syrene Station, attempting to find records among any of the station engineers and staff of our mystery ship with its wormhole technology and any signs of where they were coming from or where they went. Finally, Charlie Team is led by chief engineer Lt. Cmdr. Tristam Core and includes diplomatic attache Ensign Ceilidh Riverview, chief medical officer Dr. Saveron, and our guest from the Inspector General's Office, Lt. Cmdr. Vyrenna. They have also beamed down to the planet's surface, but to a different location from Alpha Team. They are investigating an unusual energy reading we picked up once we entered orbit of the planet. It appears to originate within an elaborate cave system on the northern continent and doesn't match the rest of the technology on the planet. We've seen these readings before: on 83 Leonis II. Dr. Saveron's previous experience on that ill-fated mission will be invaluable in determining what the connection is, if any, but as I've told my cadets in the academy, I don't believe in coincidences. Remaining aboard the ship with me for now are fleet liaison Captain Nia Calderan and Ambassador Della Vetri. As the two captain-ranked officers aboard Invicta, there is an urgent matter I must discuss with them. |
Chief Counselor's Personal Log, Stardate 239212.10 It was bad enough to learn he was gone. It was harder to make it real with a funeral. Despite Saveron identifying the body, it’s still hard to believe. I guess I’m still in denial. But there is still some unfinished business. Those responsible for Aron’s… his dea… I’m not ready to say it. I want answers. We all need answers. It won’t bring him back, but I pray his spirit will rest when we bring those who did this to justice. Though I would be happy with giving them a taste of vengeance instead. |
Acting Captain's Log, Stardate 239212.28 With all away teams now back aboard--along with a few new guests--we've begun to sift through the evidence and data they collected. There are a few obvious connections, most notably, Nairi Demirjian and Syrene Station's records of the unknown ship that attacked the yacht. The gunpowder and the ambush of the shopkeeper on Darvo V encountered by Alpha Team and the Starfleet equipment found in the caves by Charlie Team have only added further to our mystery. |
Acting Captain's Log, Stardate 239301.05 After a harrowing voyage through a particularly dense asteroid field, we've arrived at Van Gelder Medical Research Station. Judging by the reaction of the station's crew, they don't get many visitors. |
First Officer's Log, Stardate 239301.17 I can only hope my record of this crew's performance does justice to the skill and level of professionalism with which they have handled such recent distressing events. Both teams to the medical research station have since returned, unharmed, and the rest of Commodore Chase's staff is under arrest, along with the commodore himself. I suspect Lt. Commander Vyrenna will be quite busy over the next few days. Meanwhile, a clean up team has been sent to secure the station and find out the full extent of Chase's illegal experiments. There still remain questions, but for now, I've ordered the department heads to take it easy on their staves. These men and women have been through a lot of turmoil, some physically like Counselor Moonsong and Ensign Ryan, and nearly all emotionally. |
Mayday
Counselor's Log, Stardate 239302.16 I think it is safe to say that the Trill Festival of Life celebration on the Invicta was a success in more ways than one. If we had not recovered the Captain, it could have been more of a wake. I believe it is safe to say that much of what was being celebrated was his safe return and a successful mission. Despite this, I am recommending that Captain Kells take some time off to recover from his experience. I also recommend that he do it away from the Invicta. I am fully confident that a short leave of absence will give him the time to regain himself. |
Acting Captain's Log, Stardate 239302.20 Engineering's managed to push us up to warp 9.7 for the next twenty-five hours, though I don't envy the repair crews that will have to clean up the mess down there when this is all over. The Tiger should have reached the Lindbergh by now, though they may have elected to drop out of slipstream early to reach her on impulse and under stealth. Whoever's hijacked the Lindbergh still hasn't made any demands or even a claim of responsibility. I'm hoping one of my teams has found something--anything--that we can use. |
Acting Captain's Log, Stardate 239303.14 By now, I must assume the Tiger has begun their infiltration of the Lindbergh. Meanwhile, Secretary Ventu has begun implementing Lt. Commander Vyrenna's plan to tell Cariño what she wants to hear. Whether it buys us any time, especially after we've apparently had an open comline for them to spy through, I don't know, but I'll take anything we can get. For the rest of us on Invicta, it's time to deal with these unknown ships, lurking like serpents in the shadows. |
Acting Captain's Log, Stardate 239303.22 We're still picking up the pieces in the wake of the crisis aboard the Lindbergh. Excellency Kthria was recovered without incident, and fortunately, she only had minor injuries from her ordeal with her captors. All told, casualties were light aboard the starliner, mostly among the ship's security staff and command crew. The investigation into just how the hijackers managed to get past security is still ongoing. The crew are now on shore leave, and we're making our way to Deep Space 10, along with the Garuda, to drop off the Lindbergh survivors along with Secretary Ventu. |