First Contact with Valoria (Columbia)
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Columbia Makes First Contact with Valoria
The Columbia has been sent to the planet Valoria. It is a world where two distinct cultures have finally put their differences aside and have begun working together. Federation experts believe that they are on the verge of warp technology and as a result we are being sent to consider making first contact. Although there still does exist two distinct sovereign states on this world, it is through their cooperation that faster than light travel will soon be a reality.
The first country is Jhelom, the land of the warrior culture. Valor is valued above all else. Competition is a trademark of the culture as athletics are the centerpiece of entertainment in this society. Their government is a parliamentary democracy with a capitalistic economy. It is similar to the government of Great Britain in the late 20th century of Earth. They do have a king who has more influence than he does power. He is a remnant from an earlier time when the Jhelomians were known as The Empire of Jhelom. But as part of their competitive spirit came high technology. One of their industries is currently developing a warp one engine with scientists from the other continent.
An away team will make contact with Director Shamino Dupre, the head of the worldwide space program. He is an open minded man who is part of the brainpower behind the warp drive engine. Commander Kora will take an away team to the surface disguised as business associates from the western province. Your cover will be that you are financiers who are prepared to contribute to the space program. Director Dupre is a prime candidate to make first contact with.
The other country is Trinsic, a culture of artists, actors, scientists and philosophers. The Trinsicians have supplied the science to the Jhelomians in order to develop warp drive. Their culture is built around playwriting and story. They have a government that is democratically elected with a more socialistic economy, somewhat similar to the Scandanavian countries of Earth in the early 21st century. The Trinsician Science Institute would be comparable to that of the institute on Vulcan during their early warp development phase. Here they have developed the principles behind faster than light travel.
Another away team will make contact with Doctor Jaana Minoc. She is the inventor of warp drive on Valoria. She has been working with Director Dupre of Jhelom to build a warp engine. Commander Hapgood will lead an away team that will make contact with her. Doctor Minoc has received tickets to see a performance of "Blackthorn" which is a famous Trinsician play. Commander Hapgood's team will perform that play and then make contact with Doctor Minoc. It is considered an honor for an audience member to meet with the actors in their culture and with her busy schedule this is the only way.
The Columbia will be outfitted with a new sensor pod that will prevent the Valorians from detecting them.
Two away teams were sent out to meet with the two governments in order to determine if they are fit for first contact. The two governments are currently collaborating on creating warp drive. A slight snag was created by the fact that their warp drive may have been developed through reverse-engineering 100 year old Starfleet technology as it was revealed that a 23rd century shuttlecraft from the USS Constellation crash landed there. The shuttlecraft was found intact by the Valorians and is currently held in an Area 51 type facility.
The undercover away teams on the surface have determined that the impact of a Starfleet shuttle crash over 100 years ago has lead to artificially hastened warp development and the creation of a xenophobic culture. At present, the Valorians have rigged their first warp ship with a nuclear device with the intention of destroying the Columbia. A nuclear explosion would do negligible damage to a shielded ship, but the premature launch of the warp ship will cause the test ship's warp core to breach. The combination of warp core breach and a nuclear explosion could not only destroy the Columbia but eliminate all life on the surface of the planet.
The Columbia away teams lead by Commanders Hapgood and Harvey with the aid of a pair of forward thinking scientists have broken into the base to diffuse the bomb. Meanwhile Captain Avatar has taken a shuttlecraft into orbit to send out an inverse warp field to prevent the test ship from engaging her engines and suffering a catastrophic breach. It will be up to Captain Avatar and his away team to explain the peaceful intentions of the Federation while carefully upholding the values of the Prime Directive.