99316.6
CAPT Meadows, Rebecca
LOCATION Shinarechi, Itrin Sector
MISSION To deliver humanitarian supplies to the Shinari, and resume diplomatic contact with the Shinari Restoration Council
OUTCOME Diplomatic contact solidified, humanitarian supplies delivered. A Shinari officer, Commander Sudoarg, has been assigned to serve as a temporary liaison officer. Next steps are being deliberated
KEY PERSONNEL
- CAPT De Drowvani Nimitz, Trellain [Commanding Officer, USS Scharnhorst]
- CAPT Dubois, Christian [Commanding Officer, USS Peacecraft]
- CAPT Meadows, Rebecca [Commanding Officer, USS Vincennes]
- T’Vel [Federation Diplomat]
- CAPT Tungsten, Drake [Commanding Officer, USS Dragon]
NARRATIVE Due to unforeseen circumstances, USS Argama became unavailable to transport our delegation on this mission. This presented a problem, as at our previous meeting the Shinari had specifically requested that we sent a vessel no larger than Argama, and none of us commanded such a vessel. Fortunately, I was able to contact Captain Argyle of the Intrepid-class USS Novara, who graciously lent us his ship and crew for the duration of the mission. I must remember to send him a bottle of whisky as a thank-you, assuming he survives his leave.
Despite this delay we arrived at the rendezvous coordinates on-schedule. We were greeted, somewhat less grandiosely than last time, by Second Admiral Isan, a member of the Shinari Restoration Council (SRC). We were given beaming coordinates to an underground location that was serving as their makeshift headquarters and relief centre. Novara began beaming over supplies, while our delegation transported to the coordinates.
This was a very different meeting than our last. Their headquarters were alive with activity, particularly once our supplies began arriving and the Shinari worked to inventory and distribute them. We were greeted by Admiral Isan and two officers, rather than the entire SRC - who, we learned, were needed elsewhere due to the deteriorating situation.
We discussed with the Admiral their ongoing engineering problems, as the facility was suffering brown-outs; I arranged to transport down some portable generators and engineers to help supplement their needs.
Captain Tungsten’s line of questioning enabled us to learn that the Shinari’s infrastructure was limited, and information dissemination - in either direction - was proving challenging. This meant, among other things, that not all Shinari were even aware of our existence, and of those who were, it was unclear what their feelings were.
We were also able to confirm that the Shinari were at least somewhat isolationist, with limited past efforts at exploration beyond their own space.
It was at this moment we learnt of a significant problem - another brown-out was accompanied by panicked communications by Admiral Isan. Not only were their makeshift headquarters serving as a humanitarian relief centre, but the facility was also being used as to hold Terran prisoners of war.
Despite the lights still being out, Captain Tungsten somehow managed to spot an apparent Starfleet crewman pulling a weapon, intending to assassinate the Shinari Admiral. He was able to grapple the would-be killer long enough for Captain Nimitz to disarm him before the lights even returned. T’Vel positioned herself as a shield between the Admiral and the altercation.
The ‘Starfleet officer’ was revealed to be a Terran prisoner being held at the facility, who had seemingly escaped during one of the brown-outs. The Shinari had little choice but to keep them there despite the ongoing issues - the alternative being to leave them to die on the surface.
Sensing an opportunity, I offered the Admiral a possible solution - Starfleet could station a ship in the Shinarechi system and hold their prisoners safely aboard, until such a time as their system of jurisprudence was established and they were ready to take custody again. This ship could then also assist with humanitarian efforts, as well as serve as a line of communications. The Admiral, obviously personally affected by Captain Tungsten’s life-saving actions, said that he would personally vouch for the proposal when he discussed next steps with his fellow SRC members.
He also assigned Commander Sudoarg, a Shinari officer with whom we have established something of a rapport over our visits, to serve as a temporary liaison while the SRC deliberated.
While we didn’t achieve as much as I and perhaps others hoped, certainly from a fact-finding perspective, the actions of our delegation and our adherence to all of their requests thus far has, I feel, significantly warmed relations with at least some members of the SRC. Commander Sudoarg, who has repeatedly supported Federation assistance and even helped prompt these contacts, will be a valuable resource during his stay with us.
For now, we must await the SRC’s decision.
RECOMMENDATION
- Debrief Commander Sudoarg. The Commander has been assigned as our liaison while we await a decision from the SRC on how to progress from here; we should avail ourselves of the opportunity to learn more about the Shinari.
- Facilitate Commander Sudoarg with strong evidentiary support for his own reports. As important as it is for us to learn from the Commander, we should also do all we can to arm him with whatever he needs to help promote our own cause with his superiors.
- Prepare for the SRC’s decision. Should the SRC be inclined to accept our proposal, we should be ready to go with a vessel that can be deployed on a long-term basis, one capable of not only detaining prisoners of war safely, but also coordinating humanitarian relief efforts. As discovered, the current situation at Shinari headquarters is dangerously untenable, so alacrity would be preferable should they agree.
- Keep diplomatic channels open. As always, we should maintain an open channel, but still avoid being forceful at this stage. Commander Sudoarg will be an asset here.
RECOGNITION Commendations for Captains Tungsten and De Drowvani Nimitz, for their bravery and quick-thinking. Special recognition for T’Vel, who positioned herself in the line of danger to shield a foreign representative from mortal harm.
OOC 23rd April | The Shinari Conundrum
AAR: The Shinari Contact
https://argo.ex-astris.net/t/log-the-shinari-conundrum/3194
USS Novara isn’t a ship that’s part of 38th Argo, but the ship and crew is part of Captain Meadows’ past, and we didn’t have many other choices available at the time. And I told you I had the captain’s name written down somewhere!