97742.9
CMDR Kermit, J.
LOCATION Betreka Nebula, BN01-A.
MISSION Attend Starfleet Concept Development & Experimentation Conference on Betazed.
OUTCOME Shuttle Kincardine assaulted by pirates en route; Personnel listed below stranded on BN01-A until rescue by 38th Fleet.
KEY PERSONNEL
- CAPT Konieczko, D.
- CAPT Nimitz, A.
- CMDR Kermit, J.
- CMDR Jarnefelt, C.
- LCDR Sedai, K.
- LT Shinwa, T.
- ENS Sovum, V.
- CPO Ashodi, T.
- CPT Valencia, G., MACO
- SCDR Jalme, RRF
NARRATIVE This report covers a period of fifteen days from the attack on the Kincardine to the rescue of the survivors by the 38th Fleet. As we were stranded on an uncharted world with no central computer to connect to, and as the Kincardine was destroyed, objective records of this time are largely unavailable. There were times when the group was separated, and times at which I was personally incapacitated. I have done my best summarize my recollection of these events, but this narrative should be read in the context of reports submitted by the other survivors.
Day 1. Pirate Encounter and Crash Landing
The Kincardine, a DS13 Type-11 shuttlecraft, departed the starbase with the above listed officers aboard. I was at the helm and piloted the craft along our filed flight path. We traveled at Warp 4 and our course was plotted to avoid the Betreka Nebula by standard safety margins.
At coordinates: (attached) , Kincardine’s sensors detected the approach of four unidentified vessels of Nausicaan make. They approached on an intercept course, matched speed, and armed weapons. Evasive maneuvers were attempted, but Kincardine was heavily damaged by the first volley of photon torpedoes, resulting in our deceleration to sublight speeds. The assault continued and warp drive, weapons, shields, and communications were all rapidly damaged or disabled. Evasive maneuvers at impulse were thwarted by the pirates’ activation of tractor beams. Kincardine was towed into the nebula. The pirates refused hails throughout the engagement.
We were dragged through the nebula until the tractor beams were suddenly released. Though we were unaware of the cause at the time, the most likely explanation is that the pirates suffered damage at the hands of the planet’s defense satellites. We were able to engage impulse engines only in the last few moments before impacting the surface. A crash-landing was performed with no fatalities. Subcommander Jalme was the only passenger to suffer serious crash-related injuries.
We quickly determined that the planet’s atmosphere was breathable and within temperature margins, if only barely. Kincardine suffered numerous structural failures, but remained largely intact. The warp core was shut down to prevent a possible overload scenario and in anticipation of possible repairs. It was determined that the shuttle would not be capable of flight without extensive repairs and further damage assessment, so we ventured out onto the surface and set up a temporary campsite.
Reconstructed Navigation Log at Time of Pirate Encounter
Days 2-4. Basic Needs, Chain of Command, Scouting
In the first few days following the crash, we focused on immediate and basic survival needs. We established a perimeter, inventoried our supplies and rations, and assessed the damage to the shuttle. Initially everyone fell into roles befitting their strengths. Many of us acted on instinct to accomplish tasks and set ourselves up for survival. Soon, however, the issues of scouting the nearby area and handling Captain Valencia’s blatant unprofessionalism became divisive. I deferred to Captain Konieczko’s rank and seniority and from this point he took command of the group.
Captain Nimitz and Captain Valencia embarked on a mission to scout the nearby area. They discovered an indigenous facility that appeared abandoned, so they proceeded to investigate further.
Doctor Jarnefelt tended to the injured Subcommander, while Counselor Sedai and Ensign Sovum set out to catalogue nearby plants in the area of the crash site. When they discovered that one plant in particular could be used a source of water, they transitioned to gathering them. In addition to plants, the scouting teams noted the presence of animal life - including at least one species of predator.
Based on our assessment of the shuttle damage, I recommended that repairs be effected to the warp plasma conduits leading to the starboard nacelle to enable the largely undamaged warp core to be reactivated without risk of overload. The intention was to reactivate the core in-place to allow us to make use of the shuttle’s undamaged secondary systems. Lieutenant Shinwa and Chief Ashodi got to work on this task during the days while I rested. At night, I kept watch and secured the perimeter while the others slept, in addition to various miscellaneous tasks.
For some inexplicable reason, the engineers elected to remove the intact warp core from the shuttle, and place it in the middle of our campsite. I cannot imagine what sort of complications they could have run into during conduit repairs that would have led to such a course of action, so I can only assume that there was some monumentally unfortunate misunderstanding as to the purpose of the repairs, or that they were attempting to implement some other overengineered solution to our power-generation problems. However, the work was done and so I offered no objection to its use.
On our fourth day planetside, we observed a herd of FA03 creatures approximately 1 km from the crash site. By evening, they had scattered and we became concerned that predators were nearby. We made preparations in case we had to move in a hurry - crutches were created for Subcommander Jalme, and we tripled the guard overnight. Myself, Captain Konieczko, and Counselor Sedai all stood watch while the others rested.
Chaos
On the night from the fourth to the fifth day, our camp was attacked by a group of FA04 predators. I suffered a bite injury and we were forced to withdraw from our camp. We fled quite some distance, which was fortuitous as shortly after our departure, a large explosion signaled the breach of the exposed warp core. The shuttle, camp site, and the predators that attacked us were all vaporized in the blast. It is frankly something of a small miracle that the blast was as contained as it was, otherwise we would surely have perished.
Captain Konieczko insisted that we push on to reach the abandoned structure reported by Captain Nimitz, but Subcommander Jalme reported that he was unable to continue without rest due to his injuries. Captain Konieczko ordered him to continue regardless and when the Subcommander refused to comply, the Captain discharged a phaser, rendering him unconscious. Though I’m certain most of our party found this action objectionable, it was so unexpected that there was no possibility of preventing it.
Shortly after this incident, I succumbed to my injuries and lost consciousness. Based on later events, it is clear that the incapacitation of two members of the party forced Captain Konieczko to admit that splitting up would be the better course of action. Counselor Sedai remained with the Subcommander and myself, along with the bulk of our supplies, while the rest continued on to regroup with the scouting party.
Days 5-8. Separation, Recovery of Subspace Transceiver
The next few days were relatively uneventful for the group that remained behind, fortunately allowing me significant time to rest and recover strength. When I was able to walk, I took a trip to the remains of the crash site. Though it was mostly devastated, I did manage to locate a handful of intact or partially intact components. In another bit of miraculous luck, the surviving pieces were enough to build a rudimentary subspace transceiver. It was useless without an amplifier and power source, but I hoped that those elements could be constructed from materials found at the abandoned facility.
The end of our first week marooned brought our first encounter with the planet’s boiling rain, which forced us under the cover of rock formations to avoid burns. Thankfully, Captain Nimitz arrived in a wheeled vehicle to retrieve us only a day later, which he and the others had discovered at the alien facility and reactivated.
Days 8-14. Reunited at Alien Facility, Distress Call, Dampening Field
Once at the facility, we were finally in a stable and defensible position. We had sufficient food for a prolonged stay and a source of fresh water. Recovered medical supplies enabled Jalme to undergo a badly needed surgical operation, and for my wound to be treated more definitively. We also had access to a number of vehicles for transportation.
As soon as I was well enough to do so, I restored power to the facility’s control room and discovered that it possessed an old-style radio tower. I was able to integrate my subspace transceiver into the tower and supply it power, allowing for a distress call to be broadcast on the Federation emergency frequency. I was also able to tune our combadges in to the facility’s intercom system, reestablishing local communications.
During this time Ensign Sovum was attacked by predators while gathering plants. In addition to injuries sustained from the creatures, she also suffered severe burns from a poorly timed period of rainfall. She was returned to the facility by Captains Konieczko and Nimitz, and Counselor Sedai.
Unfortunately, we soon discovered that there was some sort of shield preventing communications beyond the confines of the ridge surrounding the facility. Once the Subcommander was well enough, he managed to create a translation matrix for the language used on the facility’s terminals. This allowed us to discover the existence of a series of relays that were projecting the shield.
Lieutenant Shinwa, Chief Ashodi, and Counselor Sedai managed to locate and disable enough of these relays to bring down the shield, enabling our distress call to broadcast properly.
Visual Record: Abandoned Indigenous Facility
Days 15. Rescue
On the fifteenth day, we received a message from the USS Valkyrie. The search and rescue task force had arrived in orbit and engaged the planet’s defense grid. With this added information, we were able to surmise that the defense grid was the cause of the Nausicaans losing their tractor lock on us in the first place. The facility originally had the ability to communicate with the defense satellites, but since we had commandeered the transmitter for our distress beacon, we were unable to assist.
Thankfully, the task force managed to deal with the satellites on their own, and we were successfully transported aboard the Valkyrie. There, we received medical attention and return transport to Deep Space 13.
RECOMMENDATION The Betreka Nebula pirates have been a nuisance for a long time, but have generally been held at bay by standard patrol routes. Rarely have they been so bold as to directly attack a Starfleet vessel, of any size. While this could be a one-off incident, it’s also possible that it was motivated by something more noteworthy. A change in leadership or strategy towards more aggressive actions would be problematic for civilian and other lightly defended traffic passing through the region. Starfleet Intelligence and Fleet Command should consider the regional implications of the Kincardine’s attack. The remainder of this officer’s recommendations concern the performance of specific individuals during our exile:
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Captain Konieczko’s use of force on an allied officer was inexcusable, even considering the stress placed upon all of us. Our responsibility for the man’s safety really did not extend to stunning him ‘for his own good’. This officer recommends Captain Konieczko reexamine and reflect on the thought process that led to such an extreme action.
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Lieutenant Shinwa, while obviously a talented engineer, oftentimes seemed more concerned with the technical novelty of certain courses of action without considering the actual practical benefits. I can’t say for certain whether it was the stress of the situation or a genuine tendency, but in my view the man needs to take a breath and use some common sense before jumping to the most theoretically interesting choice available.
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Despite Captain Valencia’s obvious work ethic, her behavior was rash, often unintelligent, laughably insubordinate, and thoroughly unbecoming an officer. This officer recommends her superiors reconsider her rank and good standing.
OOC The bit about Kermit building the subspace transceiver out of spare parts that survived the shuttle explosion is an IC falsification! 