| SUBMITTED: Stardate 94032.8 | FILED BY: CAPT K. Se'Lai | SECURITY: Level 2 - Confidential |
LOCATION: Alpha-7192 Sector
MISSION: Reopen wormhole utilized by Species 2492 to track possible location of Gainsborough survivors.
OUTCOME: Remaining survivors from USS Gainsborough recovered (43 personnel in total). Antia Liana-Tems returned to an allied vessel. Ghadruil returned to the Korlackress homeworld to receive more suitable aid.
KEY PERSONNEL:
CAPT Keelah Se’lai (USS Valley Forge)
CAPT Fiona Skye (USS MacAlpine)
CAPT Aru Jani (USS Harmony)
CAPT Alistair Nimitz (USS Akagi)
CAPT William Levesley (USS Camelot)
CAPT Samuel Bishop (USS Endeavour)
CAPT John Viktor (USS Freeman)
SDCR Ael (RRW Myrmidon)
CMDR Thalszhyl’ia Zh’Zhavis
CMDR Chance Wilson
CMDR P’tok
LCDR Keliaya
LCDR Jung Eunbi
CDT Ashley Terik
CDT Cecilia Skye
RECOVERED PERSONNEL [RECOVERY TEAMS 1 & 2]:
CMDR Mischa Leveson-Scott
CIV Roroa Pertiwn
CIV Antia Liana-Tems
CIV Ghadruil
STATUS UPDATE: MIA TO KIA:
LT Garvey
LT Shusiilla
ENS Wanda
NARRATIVE: After receiving yet another mystery tip, we concluded that it was unlikely for our enemies to try the same trick twice and decided to investigate this lead, which contains more details and appeared more legitimate. This time, we did not go alone and instead assembled a task force. Upon release from drydock we rendezvoused with the other vessels (names above in the personnel list) and proceeded to the site where the Gainsborough’s task force was previously lost. Our mission was expedited upon arrival as we found the USS Camelot patrolling the region and so initial arrival procedure was foregone. This enabled us to promptly commence our plan of action.
The Valley Forge deflector and sensors had already been upgraded with the supplied information prior to our departure, and so we moved straight to applying the sensor upgrade in order to identify the aperture point. Happily, this yielded prompt results and so we proceeded to a safe distance from the task force and brought the deflector upgrade online. The energy pulse we emitted was focused on the target coordinates and seemed to drain a large portion of power before showing any signs of results. It took an unnerving amount of time, but sure enough a wormhole aperture began to form. It scanned as being far less stable than a naturally forming anomaly and it was estimated to not be sustainable for more than few minutes.
With no time to lose, we proceeded to enter the event horizon - with the task force following in close formation. It soon became apparent that the power draw to sustain the anomaly was overly taxing on the Valley Forge’s systems and despite rerouting all non essential power - we were looking to fall short. The Endeavour provided a power transfer to aid us in sustaining the anomaly and we soon exited unscathed into an uncharted system. I am pleased to report at this point that the task force worked with extremely good cohesion and vessel coordination was optimal; and while some vessels immediately set about investigating the area, others more suitably equipped secured the region around them. It was not long before the task force detected a Starfleet distress beacon emanating from a nearby planet. Whilst closing on said planet, the Harmony also detected what was believed to a substantial protomatter build up - indicative of an increasingly unstable geological state. This was confirmed as we made orbit since data suggested that the planet was verging on collapse (now believed to be an exponentially accelerated runaway greenhouse effect).
Though orbital scans confirmed the presence of multiple personnel on the ground, transporter use was ruled out due to the increasingly unstable atmospheric conditions and so - again with admirable cohesion - the task force quicky assembled all available small craft to ferry rescue parties to the surface with USS MacAlpine and RRW Myrmidon coordinating small craft movements. Ground conditions were reported as rapidly deteriorated by rescue teams 1 & 2 (made up predominately of the combined task force command staff). This hampered the search efforts which led to an undesirable increase in the time taken to reach identified personnel. The teams were however successful and I am pleased to report that all missing personnel have now been recovered, or at least accounted for.
Unfortunately nothing could be done to prevent the planets deterioration, as the last rescue team barely made it off the surface before the planet exploded. We have at least retained some detailed scan data on the indeginous life thanks to the combined tricorder scans collated from rescue parties and recovered personnel (data will be composited within the planetary archive record for posterity). Following my debrief with CMDR Leveson-Scott, I believe that this sequence of unfortunate events regarding the planets demise was unavoidable. The Commander presented compelling data which suggested a structure of unknown origin that she encountered was responsible for maintaining an energy field around the planet. Data suggests that this field was holding the planet in a form of virtual temporal suspension - I say virtual as it was not completely suspended, but seemingly progressing at a severely decelerated rate - and had it not been deactived by the Commander when it was, it is likely that our rescue teams would have also become caught in it's effects. For this if nothing else; the Commander has earned by deepeset gratitude and upmost respect, as it can not have been an easy decision to reach.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Full support for recovered personnel must be a priority. Despite this ordeal only lasting a few days for them (compared with the five months that have passed for the rest of us), it is an extremely traumatic series of events and they should be given every opportunity to make a full recovery.
Consideration should be given to how Starfleet conducts further investigation into the artificial wormholes. The one our task force used today tracked to the southern most reaches of Alpha 7192, however this is not consistent with our previous positive result in the recovery of Cadet Tierno. I can only surmise that there are further mechanics to these wormholes than we presently understand.
While every effort was made to retain the system upgrades we were provided, they did - as we were advised - expire. Personnel involved may have some intermittent knowledge retained but with no solid data to reinforce any of it, reconstructing the upgrades will prove to be a long term endeavour. I have nonetheless requested that my staff involved work with DS13 research teams to advise to the best of their abilities on what they can recall of the technology.
OOC: This is from the recent Valley Forge episode: Breadcrumbs 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.