AAR: Discovery of Surviving Colony on Bozhou

[anncarise_]

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SUBMITTED: Stardate 94664.7

FILED BY: LCDR Keliaya

SECURITY: Level 1 - Open

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LOCATION: Bozhou, Anhui System, Dubhe Sector

MISSION: Survey for resettlement of destroyed Federation colony

OUTCOME: Survivors of the original Bozhou colony discovered to be living in an underground city under the dictatorship of Avondal, designer of the planet's environmental systems. Avondal has been apprehended following his abduction and threatening of the Valley Forge away team.

KEY PERSONNEL:

CAPT Se'Lai (USS Valley Forge)
CAPT Skye (USS MacAlpine)
CAPT Timoreev (USS Attar)
CMDR Zh’Zhavis
LCDR Keliaya
LCDR Verlin
1LT Valencia
LT Mount
CIV Mia LaRouche

NARRATIVE: The Valley Forge was given the task of surveying Bozhou, the third planet in the Anhui system, to explore the potential of resettlement. To give a brief history, Bozhou was originally an uninhabitable world which was terraformed and settled by the Federation with the use of environmental control technology developed by Risian engineer Avondal. In 2374, all contact with the colony was lost and Starfleet arrived to find that the environment systems had suffered a catastrophic breakdown for unknown reasons, covering the entire planet in deadly ion storms. The colony was then listed as lost.

Due to interference from the ion storms, scanning the planet was difficult and transportation was impossible. At first, the Valley Forge's scans yielded identical results to previous surveys, but our upgraded sensors allowed us to pick up signatures that technology from two decades ago had missed. Narrowing in on the signatures, we were able to identify a city beneath the planet's crust, where the ion storms could not touch. I was able to configure the deflector to temporarily dissipate the storm directly above the underground signals, allowing for clearer scans as well as transporter functionality.

With both Valley Forge and MacAlpine power reserves, the deflector beam could be sustained long enough for an away team to have a small window to go down and investigate. We assembled quickly and beamed into the city, finding ourselves among architecture clearly based on various Federation cultures. It seemed that some of the locals had also noted our presence when we cleared the storm and scanned them. However, humanoid robots beamed in to arrest anyone insisting that Starfleet was here, as the city's residents were made to believe that the Federation was destroyed by the Dominion.

We initially tried to negotiate with the robots, but when it became clear that they were not able to think and were bound by rudimentary programming, we interfered with Captain Skye's lead. Using her Arshai programs and equipment, Mia overrode the bots, but this caught the attention of the city's Emperor who dispatched law enforcement officers called Justicars. They arrived in small armed vehicles and we found our communications jammed as well. We had no choice but to go with these Justicars to see their Emperor.

Upon arriving at the Emperor's Seat, we discovered that the ruler of the city was none other than Avondal, the Risian mastermind behind the construction of the original colony. Dialogue with him revealed that he had covered the surface of the planet in ion storms to hide from the Dominion, which he thought Starfleet could not protect them from. The colonists saw him as their saviour and chose him to lead their new home under the surface.

Avondal solidified his hold by spreading propaganda stating that the Federation had been conquered by the Dominion and his regime was their only hope for safety. Unable to communicate with the outside galaxy due to the ion storms, his people did not know any better. It is unclear whether Avondal truly believed his claims, but his comments suggest that he didn't think the Federation would be wholly destroyed. Regardless, he has visibly been corrupted by power over the years, refusing to return to his old 'life of sharing' (paraphrasing what he said).

The Emperor allowed us to leave on the terms that we do not report the existence of his city. He knew that Starfleet would be obligated to intervene as his citizens are Federation citizens or descendants of ones, and threatened to destroy the entire colony if we ever attempted to depose him. Our attempts to persuade him to change his ways were to no avail.

Fortunately, Captain Timoreev and Lieutenant Valencia arrived in time to intervene, having been beamed down in a second away team to investigate shortly after we did not report back in. They had obtained Justicar uniforms in the meantime and managed to sneak into the facility armed. Avondal was able to call Enforcer bots to him before he was detained, but Mia once again shut off his automated security as well as disabled the transporter and communication blocks using the consoles in his throne room, allowing us to return to our ships.

RECOMMENDATION: As suggested by Captain Timoreev, Avondal should be taken to Federation authorities where he can be given formal proceedings to determine his crimes and whether he has any right to remain as the ruler of Bozhou Colony. In the meantime, we should probably ensure that the colony does not fall into chaos and eventually reveal the truth about the state of the galaxy to its inhabitants. Then, they can choose to stay in the underground city or reintegrate into wider Federation society.

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OOC: This is from the Valley Forge episode: "Let There Be Darkness". If I've unintentionally misrepresented your character's actions, misspelled their names, got their rank incorrect, et cetera, please send me a PM over enjin and I'll make the necessary edits.

[kermit]

Security Level 2 - Confidential TO CAPT Timoreev CC CAPT Se'Lai; CAPT Skye; FROM VADM Perim SUBJ RE: AAR: Discovery of Surviving Colony on Bozhou

Captain Timoreev,

As you were present for these events, I'd like you to see to the follow-up. It is imperative that a direction for the colony is decided, based on its current state. If you require a follow-up mission, consider it authorized. If you require the assistance of any other Federation organizations, or additional resources, I'll be happy to make those arrangements.


//SIGNED//
Vice Admiral Neema Perim
Commanding, 38th Fleet

[Timoreev_]

Stardate 94695.4 TO VADM N. Perim, DS13 CC CAPT K. Se'Lai ; CAPT F. Skye FROM CAPT A. A. Timoreev, U.S.S. Attar SUBJ Re: AAR: Discovery of Surviving Colony on Bozhou

Admiral,

I thank you for the trust you are giving me on such a delicate issue.
From what I could see and hear during the mission, and after having read subsequent reports, I firmly believe we need to handle the situation on Bozhou with the utmost caution, and equal steadiness. I have come out with a brief preliminary plan, which will need to be further expanded and refined before being applied, but which I think can be a good first ground for both thought and action.
First of all, we need to understand that the situation on Bozhou is far from being straightforward. While we can easily fall into the temptation of considering Avondal as nothing more than a ruthless tyrant and a usurper, we must take into consideration the circumstances which led to his rise to power. These circumstances present at least three critical points:

1. The war with the Dominion had shaken Federation control over the more outlying colonies, hindering Starfleet capabilities of providing the necessary protection of those same colonies against a wide array of potential and real threats.

2. Avondal was duly elected in his role as Emperor by the people of the Bozhou colony, under consideration of what already said at point 1, plus the clear fact that Avondal himself demonstrated to be the best man to fill the vacuum left by a crumbling Starfleet presence.

3. After decades of autarchic rule under a leadership characterized by a strong concentration of power and personal charisma, the absence of Avondal will likely lead to increase political and social instability inside the colony, and a fight for control of the main levers of power among different elements of the political, social, military, and economic establishment.

We cannot forget any of these three points, and all of them have clear consequences that any course of action to be taken on Bozhou needs to address.
First, it is impossible to restore stability on Bozhou without restoring at the same time some degree of confidence in Starfleet and the Federation; and such confidence cannot be possibly achieved without a two-level action, one level being the common people, the second one the establishment born under Avondal's rule. If we wish to avoid a dangerous unbalance, we cannot ignore neither the common people, nor the élite, since a peaceful transition would be impossible without their full consent and support.
This leads us to a second requirement for our action there: the whole process must be firmly grounded inside a solid legal framework. The people on Bozhou acted fully inside the rights enshrined in the Federation Charter. An autocratic regime may not be what the Federation hopes for its colonies, but still the Charter safeguards their full right at political autodetermination and freedom. This means that a colony enjoying such a right can choose to be ruled by an autocrat, if that's the will of the majority. To express a judgement in such a situation is extremely hazardous, and does not fall under Starfleet authority. The only viable solution is to defer the matter fully to the Federation Council, as I already suggested in the immediate aftermath of our mission.
A contingency plan for Bozhou may thus look as follows:

1. Avondal will keep his role as Emperor while being escorted to the Federation Council, in order to present his case. He is at the moment on board the U.S.S. MacAlpine, officially as VIP guest. He should be accompanied by a legal representative from Bozhou, a representative of the local political establishment (possibly an administrator of some sort), and also a representative of every group of opposition which may be identified in the colony. Members of the Advocate General should be assigned in order to ensure that all of them are fully aware of any development of the Federation legal and juridical code which may have happened since the 'disappearance' of the colony.

2. In the meanwhile, Starfleet will keep at least two units in the colony's orbit. These will serve as peacekeepers, also protecting the colony from any possible external threat or interference, while at the same time observing and collecting all relevant data on the political, social, cultural, economic, and military developments the colony experienced under Avondal's rule. Finally, the Federation Diplomatic Corps could use both units as bases for their action on Bozhou, which should be aimed mainly at stabilizing the political situation and creating a first link between Bozhou élite and population on one side, and the Federation on the other.

It is imperative that our presence there not be perceived as hostile, or as imposing the will of an external organization on the people of Bozhou. This means that Starfleet personnel should not intervene in Bozhou domestic issues until threatening to escalate into full-scale conflict or resulting from an attempt from one side or the other to modify the balance of power or to otherwise impose its will. Such a position will be difficult to keep, and will likely put a great deal of stress on our officers' shoulders, thus I strongly recommend that the choice of both units takes into consideration also this element, together with the necessary material requirements for such an assignment (see Appendix below). Also, the role of the Federation Diplomatic Corps will be of the utmost relevance, so we need to ensure any possible support for them.
Finally, I will not deny that the situation if precarious, and full of hazards and uncertainties. Still, it is my opinion that we must do our part, until the Federation Council will decide on Bozhou official status. Starfleet and Federation actions on this former colony may send a message to worlds experiencing similar circumstances, greatly improving our status in their eyes, and also possibly contributing to dissipate an unfortunately too common misunderstanding about how we deal with societies and cultures not sharing the Federation ideals.
Of course, I am at your complete disposal for any further clarification or specific information you may require.


APPENDIX

As already mentioned in the proposal, the units Starfleet will send to Bozhou will have to satisfy a list of requirements in order to fulfill their delicate assignment in the best way possible.
The list (which is obviously only a draft) is:

• Large living spaces, with ample availability of VIP quarters and quarters for extra personnel as needed;
• Extensive facilities for diplomatic activities;
• Medium to long range sensors capabilities in order to ensure full space awareness for the whole duration of the assignment;
• Advanced scientific capabilities for quickly acquiring and elaborating any scientific data collected on the planet;
• Good passive and active defensive capabilities;

Although probably already clear from this list, it doesn't harm to underline that the units involved will need not to be all-round warships. They will show the diplomatic and exploratory mandate of Starfleet, not its more belligerent (though defensive in nature) side. However, due to the reasons which led the people on Bozhou to take their drastic resolution, military capabilities will still have their role, together with a show of technological advancement.
All these elements considered, and looking at our fleet assets, I would suggest medium to large size vessels, possibly:

• Refitted Galaxy-class;
• Yamato class;
• Sovereign class;
• Jupiter class;
• Odyssey class (any version and batch);
• Sutherland class;

In case, also vessels belonging to the Vesta, Esquiline, Aventine, Brigid, Akira, and Hestia classes may be taken into consideration.


//signed//

Captain Andrej A. Timoreev,
Commanding Officer, U.S.S. Attar
Commanding Officer, Gemini Squadron, 38th Fleet