99239.7
CAPT Meadows, Rebecca
LOCATION Shinarechi, Itrin Sector
MISSION USS Argama was dispatched to establish formal diplomatic contact with the Shinari following an earlier initial contact, and arrange to deliver promised humanitarian aid and supplies.
OUTCOME Formal contact established, and a second delegation has been invited to return. A single (“small”) Federation starship is authorised to deliver medical aid.
KEY PERSONNEL
- CAPT Dubois, Christian [Commanding Officer, USS Peacecraft]
- CAPT Grant, Serah [Commanding Officer, USS Argama]
- CAPT Meadows, Rebecca [Commanding Officer, USS Vincennes]
- CAPT Tungsten, Drake [Commanding Officer, USS Dragon]
- CMDR zh’Lindresko, Soa’lina [Chief Medical Officer, DS13]
- CDT Ban, Writ [Starfleet Academy cadet]
NARRATIVE While on approach to the rendezvous coordinates, USS Argama was intercepted by a Shinari vessel. Captain Grant instructed her crew to hail the vessel; this was answered by a Lieutenant Amevs of the Shinari vessel Segrasambo, which had been sent to escort Argama to the Shinari’s home system.
Argama was escorted by Segrasambo to Shinarechi, which had visibly suffered considerable damage at the hands of the Terrans. Debris and hulks of starships remain scattered throughout the system, and planets are scorched with scars of ordnance discharges, indicating orbital bombardment had taken place. Despite this, a portion of the Shinari fleet has survived, as Argama was greeted by several vessels.
Note to Command: We observed - and this was later confirmed by a Shinari commander - that the Shinari are actively engaged in salvaging remnants of Terran technology throughout the system, including the wreckage of a somewhat-intact Terran Lexington-class battleship.
We were greeted by Admiral Driga, who identified herself as the leader of the Shinari fleet and a member of a body called the ‘Shinari Restoration Council’ (SRC). This, we later learned, is a group that formed in the aftermath of the Terran incursion, at which point no formal ‘official’ Shinari government remained. Names and ranks of the SRC members are attached to this report.
Captains Grant, Tungsten and I, along with Doctor zh’Lindresko and Cadet Ban, beamed aboard their ship and met with the other members of the SRC.
Council members appeared to be uneasy with, and possibly even unnerved by, our presence, which Cadet Ban confirmed. To break the ice I taught them - carefully - the human ‘handshake’ and explained its symbolism, and offered a PADD as a gift, containing a summary of Federation history for them to read at their leisure.
The SRC members were dubious of the Federation’s professed altruism, and wished to know what the ‘catch’ was for our offer of aid. I assured them that there were no conditions, besides a future for dialogue between our peoples. It was at this point that they admitted that the SRC was not a continuation of the formal Shinari government, which had fallen during the Terran invasion. This limited their capacity for diplomatic contact, they explained - I presume this means they are unable to ratify treaties or make other formal agreements at this time.
While they remained dubious about Federation aid, Cadet Ban offered his VISOR as an example to the SRC members of the benefits that such aid could bring to their people, which appeared to elicit a positive response from some.
The council members also appeared to be surprised to learn that they were not the sole targets of the Terran incursion, and that attacks had taken place all over the quadrant.
As discussions continued, it was clear there was division between members of the SRC, with some more amenable to accepting our aid than others. One member suggested that our aid could be provisionally accepted on condition that the Federation officially acknowledged their space. At this point, however, we were asked to leave so the members could deliberate.
While we were outside, a Shinari commander, Sudaorg, informed us that the SRC had not, in fact, been ready to meet with Federation representatives, and that he had ‘forced their hand’ by inviting us of his own accord to push through internal divisions. Those divisions, the commander explained, were in regards to the future direction of the Shinari, and that Terran technology may play a part in that. He also indicated that any requests or efforts to recover such technology would be met with hostility. Captain Tungsten may wish to file an addendum outlying his concerns around this.
There appeared to be spiritual or cultural undertones to his explanation of the different directions the SRC members wished to take, about which we didn’t have enough time to gain more information. Learning more about this may help us to make more headway in future meetings.
This did not seem to jeopardise our mission, however. Admiral Digra summoned our group back, and she informed us that the SRC had agreed to accept an additional delegation from the Federation. The SRC had additionally agreed to accept medical aid to the Shinari in the form of a single Federation starship; they were explicit, however, that it must be of a class smaller than a Shinari frigate (see Argama sensor logs for a ship configuration).
Considering the seemingly-isolationist nature of the Shinari, the trials and traumas they have suffered, and their obvious distrust of us and our intentions - particularly in light of Starfleet’s superficial similarity to Terran forces - I feel we have made a positive first step here, and all involved officers performed admirably.
It is clear that we must proceed cautiously to avoid stepping backwards, though.
//ATTACHMENT// SRC-members-list.txt
RECOMMENDATION
- Deploy a starship capable of delivering first aid and medical supplies to the Shinari system, and place it at the SRC’s disposal as much as reasonably possible. Note: It must be of a class smaller in physical size than a Shinari frigate - see USS Argama sensor logs for details.
- Arrange to send an additional diplomatic delegation to meet with the Shinari Restoration Council, as per their invitation. Recommend caution against moving too quickly, however, due both to reticence on the part of the Shinari, and due to unexpected political and legal considerations (see final recommendation below). A focus on factfinding may be prudent here.
- Monitor (subtly) the Shinari efforts to salvage Terran ships/technology. There appears to be little we can (or perhaps even should) do about it for the time being, but we should remain apprised of their progress - and intentions.
- Monitor the ongoing political situation in the area very carefully. While the SRC appears to be the only governing body at present, without more knowledge of the Shinari legal system it is unclear as to how this will affect their legitimacy or longevity, and may have additional Prime Directive implications should things change appreciably. There are also ideological divisions within the council that may complicate matters further still moving forward.
RECOGNITION CDT BAN, Writ - Recommend a commendation for exemplary performance in the field by Cadet Ban. Cadet Ban maintained calmness and professionalism in an uncomfortable and alien environment, continuously provided pertinent information to his superior officers without alerting delegates, and took the initiative by demonstrating the potential value of Federation aid to the Shinari delegates by using himself as an example, which may well have helped secure the success of the mission.
OOC 25th March | The Shinari Contact
Chatlog, posted by Drake Tungsten
Unfortunately Soa and Serah had to leave towards the end. As Drake, Ban, Dubois and I arrived on Argama, there will be a second AAR detailing the wacky adventures we had hitch-hiking home afterwards.