AAR: Seek and Ye Shall Find.. But Not What You Were Looking For

Subspace Network Reports
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1
Stardate:
100131.4
Filed By:
CAPT Morton, Coby
Clearance:

LOCATION USS Minerva; Sector-

MISSION Patrol for evidence of vessel incursion, as per Stardate: 100093

OUTCOME Contact made with space faring, telepathic species; First Contact protocols established successfully ahead of future dialogue.

KEY PERSONNEL

  • CAPT Lyn, Isadora
  • CAPT Nimitz, Alistair
  • (R) CMDR Nathes
  • CAPT Morton, Coby
  • CMDR Brex, Saun
  • CMDR Salene, Na’Toth

NARRATIVE While on patrol USS Minerva ran sensor sweeps throughout the sector for a full cycle yielding little in evidence of the vessels encounter previously. The assignment was on track however exceptionally uneventful until the second duty cycle in which Commander Brex, of Deep Space Thirteen’s Operation’s Department, began experiencing intense and debilitating headaches.

While some minor confusion filled the bridge, Captain Lyn summoned medical and this officer assisted in taking over the Commanders duties at the operations console.

It was deduced that Commander Brex was receiving some form of telepathic communication, described as strong imagery, emotions and thoughts. A set of coordinates were somehow communicated, of which with Captain Lyn’s trust Captain Nimitz inputted into the helm and we set course. Commander Nathes at the science station, alongside Commander Na’Toth at home on the tactical console, began scans and collected data on a potential vessel in distress. Sensors depicted a cruiser under strong fire via several Nausicaan vessels, appearing to be conducting piracy operations.

Captain Lyn ordered Nimitz to drop from warp between the apparent hostile party and the stricken vessel, in efforts as a deterrent and to prevent further assault on the target. This proved somewhat futile, the nausicaan vessels continued their attack attempting to simply avoid the Minerva. At this point Minerva’s Captain ordered Commander Na’Toth to engage the vessels with priority to disable. Commander Brex, with minor assistance from this officer, began a computer transfer, the vessel was under assault from a virus depleting all energy system and shutting them down.

Following a brief skirmish the nausicaan vessels began to flee, departing quickly one after the other. It’s not completely clear to this officer, or any present on the bridge in this officer’s opinion, however all present began to receive some form of imagery depicting gratitude, conveying fear, and a general intention for a meeting. The unknown damaged vessel had lowered its shields, providing a transport opportunity.

Captain Lyn assigned Captain Nimitz, this officer, Commander Nathes and Commander Na’Toth to an away party and the group proceeded to transport onto the stricken vessel.

As the away party beamed aboard what appeared to be directly to the bridge of the vessel, the party was greeted by what appeared to be a male and female of the species. They conducted a bowed gesture in greeting, with the female departing to what we believe to be their duties.

This officer mirrored the gesture to a degree, however with new (though limited) understanding of their telepathic abilities, added an additional gesture to emphasise the heavy thought process of why we were present- adapting first contact protocol was difficult, however under the circumstance and their need of assistance, the party proceeded with caution.

After initial contact, this officer was approached and physical contact was made. While difficult to describe through written text, this officer received what appeared to be a complete and full stream of the beings personal life. Their home, family, assignment and their emotional state was flooded into my own. The easiest descriptor is this officer suddenly felt exceptionally close to this individual.

It was also made apparent that standard verbal cues, such as names and titles, aren’t apart of this culture- the beings are simply themselves, perhaps made up of their own uniqueness and experiences.

This officer returned the gesture in kind, which appeared to be appreciated, and physical contact was terminated. The being’s then opened their telepathic communication to Commander Nathes, Captain Nimitz and Commander Na’Toth- this also appeared to introduce us to the entirety of the thoughts present on the bridge, Starfleet officer’s included could alike read one another’s thoughts.

The away party conveyed our intentions, in like the beings returned theirs; They had come under attack from pirates and had located and pursued the vessels in effort to return the gesture.

The Minerva contacted the away party for a status update, also informing the away party that a significant amount of technical data and schematics had been transferred to our vessel. Specifically, transporter inhibitors and other shielding technology. Under first contact protocol, this officer did inform the species that before we can accept, or offer any technological assistance outside of threat-of-life, a full report to our command must be conducted. This was taken positively and with understanding.

As the meeting was coming to an end, the being transferred their home worlds location- specifically their capital city and diplomatic chambers, with thoughts of hope and desire for future diplomatic relation. These coordinates have been attached to this report and transferred to the command of the USS Minerva.

RECOMMENDATION First contact was carried out with positive performance, it’s this officer’s recommendation that command review and prepare second contact protocol and assign a diplomatic ensemble to begin dialogue with this species. To be submitted are technical specs transferred to the USS Minerva, under protocol no mention nor promise was stated to the species regarding any further interaction regarding the shielding technology.

With Commander Nathes present, it’s this officer’s recommendation that Starfleet’s 38th Fleet coordinate with the 11th Flotilla on future diplomatic endeavours.
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RECOGNITION All officers conducted themselves to standard.

Captain Lyn performed her duties with diligence and housed a professional and clear line of command, ensuring the safety of her vessel USS Minerva and officers under her leadership.

Captain Nimitz, aside from being adept at the helm of a starship, carried out his diplomatic duties as a Starfleet officer with distinction.

Commander Na’Toth, proving valuable on at the tactical station, carried out her diplomatic duties as a Starfleet officer with distinction.

Commander Brex, proving a vital link in first contact proceedings and carrying out his duties as operations officer of the USS Minerva under stress with distinction and dedication to cause.

Commander Nathes of the Romulan Flotilla was a vital asset and performed her duties operating the science console of the USS Minerva, as well as showcasing her diplomatic duties on behalf of the 11th Expeditionary Flotilla with distinction.

OOC Any information that’s incorrect or you think there could be more detail, please let me know! 5am memory isn’t what it used to be and I may have glossed over something unintentionally! Great fun. Nimitz does have a great butt.
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2
Stardate:
100131.8
Filed By:
CMDR Lyn, Isadora
Clearance:

ADDENDUM
This officer was not present in person for the first contact between the away team and the encountered species and is in broad agreement with the facts as stated by CAPT Morton. Therefore, this addendum will largely serve as an expansion of technical and medical data as gathered by the crew of USS Minerva as well as several recommendations based on this officer’s perspective.

ENGINEERING/OPERATIONS
As stated by CAPT Morton, USS Minerva received a databurst transmission from the unidentified cruiser containing technical specifications. The analysis as per the Minerva’s engineering and operations team is as follows:

  1. The specifications are for a planetary shield and transporter inhibitor network. It is at this point unknown whether the intention was to convey the species current defensive network or if the species is requesting aid in constructing said network.

  2. The level of technology and sophistication is far below current Starfleet standard but is at a level that should prove adequate against low to moderate levels of aggression from unaffiliated raiders. CAPT Morton’s report indicates that this species does appear to suffer form such attacks. CMDR Nathes further speculated that kidnapping and exploitation of this species for its telepathic abilities may be the motive.

  3. Based upon the technical data received as well as experience of CMDR Brex in remotely interfacing with the alien’s systems, there is an almost complete lack of operational security and viable countermeasure to electronic warfare. CAPT Morton’s report would indicate that the species’ social structure is closely interlinked and open which may be a cultural explanation for this general lack of development in this field.

  4. CMDR Nathes analysis of the alien vessel suggests a retrofitted prewarp vessel. The general level of technology seems less advanced than Federation standard, although the interlinked social nature of the species may mean that they simply have different technological priorities as shown by the complete lack of long range subspace communications.

MEDICAL
All members of the away team with the exception of CAPT Morton display no irregularities or ill effects from their encounter.

CAPT Morton was found to have elevated neuroelectric activity in centers of his brain related to sensory processing of images and memory, as well as increased activity of chemical receptors linked to emotion. At the time of his examination, these levels were rapidly declining back to baseline and should revert to normal within several hours.

The captain’s report suggests that he shared a more direct and intense contact with the alien representative as compared to the rest of the away team. Several telepathic species such Betazoids and Vulcans employ multiple levels of telepathic contact, and this may be the case here. While CAPT Morton is predicted to suffer no lasting effects, multiple or prolonged experiences of this type may have unforeseen side effects.

CMDR Brex is an altogether different matter. As stated in CAPT Morton’s report, a member of the alien species was able to initiate extremely long-range telepathic contact with the commander. Scans have revealed no obvious cause for this ability.

Our most probably theory at the moment is that this was some form of induced entanglement and a function of the commander’s unique neural map or some unknown mutation. Such an incident is incredibly rare but has been known to occur, one notable case being NX-01 ensign Hoshi Sato’s encounter with the telepath known as Tarquin. The Commander displays no ill effects or abnormalities from his contact and has reported no further incidents. The maximum range for such a contact remains unknown.

RECOMMENDATION This officer recommends that command proceed with evaluation for second contact and establishment of formal diplomatic relations. It is also recommended that Starfleet establish a regular patrol of the sector surrounding the alien home world.

In hindsight given the outcome, it may have been prudent to destroy rather than disable the attackers. However, given the number of unknown factors at the time, it was this officer’s decision to preserve as many lives as possible on all sides of the engagement.

RECOGNITION All officers present performed thier duty in keeping with the highest standards of performance of both Starfleet and the Republic Navy. However, this officer would like to highlight the actions of two officers in particular.

CAPT Morton took it upon himself to initiate direct mental contact with the alien representative, taking on an unknown and potentially significant risk in an attempt to foster trust and establish a foundation for further diplomacy, exemplifying the highest ideals of Starfleet.

CMDR Brex admirably performed his duties admirably despite significant mental duress. Despite his contact causing him significant discomfort, he remained at his post and his relaying of pertinent information allowed USS Minerva to locate and engage in rescue operations. Furthermore, his quick action in concert with CAPT Morton was crucial in preserving the integrity of the alien vessel.

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Stardate:
100133.1
Filed By:
CDR Nathes
Clearance:

ADDENDUM

With matters of diplomacy largely covered by the officers of the UNITED FEDERATION OF PLANETS, the tactical situation of this species should be addressed.

The vessel encountered by the involved officers was woefully outdated. Indeed, many of the systems analyzed are comparable to vessels utilized prior to the Earth-Romulan War. That is concerning for one singular reason:

The species possesses powerful telepathic acumen that seems to span entire lightyears of distance. Considering Nausicaan pirates were troubling this species’ vessel, knowledge of this species is likely to become more common as time progresses. Species of this nature have historically been exploited by hostile parties such as the Regime on Rator III. That exploitation could endanger citizens of this alien civilization, our allies in the Federation, and citizens of the Republic.

Once official channels between the this species are established for the ROMULAN REPUBLIC and UNITED FEDERATION OF PLANETS; the RRF (insofar as resources can be spared) should provide protection to these efforts. Further, channels of communication should be carefully monitored to identify hostile parties exploiting this situation.

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