AAR: The SS Lapland Situation (ATTN: Perim, Quint, Draz, Kawamori, Nimitz, and Jager)

Stardate: 93624.6Data DecryptionReport Submitted:CAPT Sara Desimone.Classification Level: Level 2: Confidential - Permission/clearance required. May be shared on a need-to-know basis, and discussed in private.


At 2147 hours, a distress signal was received from SS. Lapland while they were two light years out from the boarder to Risian space. This transport was one of the fleet of independent contractors who have been hired on to help move the displaced tourists from Eledri Prime to Risa. Axiom directed Rutledge and Shadowfax to investigate the source of the signal. USS Nightingale was nearby and offered to assist, and so Axiom directed them to rendezvous with Rutledge and Shadowfax at the site

Responding vessels could find no evidence whatsoever of the Lapland, and did not report any warp trails.

Nightingale’s long range scanners picked up an unidentified vessel inbound for April’s landing at warp 6. Axiom moved to protective orbit, but the vessel that emerged was merely the Lapland. It made a massive transport, during which we were unable to either establish communication or a tractor beam lock, then took off toward Eledri space before we were able to detain them.

USS. Polaris and USS Saraswati were between April’s Landing and Eledri space, and so were ordered to intercept. Nightingale and Shadowfax joined the pursuit.

At this point, Captain Nimitz informed that there was a riot taking place on April’s Landing, as the transport had beamed several thousand people down. He requested additional security and medical assets to assist. As Axiom was down to a skeleton security force as it was, all other assets were presently pursuing the Lapland, and we detected no weapons fire on the surface, his request was denied.

Axiom contacted Eledri Prime and advised that a rogue ship was headed toward their territory, possibly containing abducted Federation citizens. Eledri Prime responded that if the vessel crossed into Eledri space, it would be destroyed.

Shadowfax, Polaris, and Nightingale were in close pursuit of Lapland along with the USS Saraswati. Saraswati was ordered to fire to disable the Lapland. Before that order was carried out, the USS Nightingale fired on their own initiative, The unshielded rear section of the freighter was destroyed, rendering their engines inoperable. All remaining life signs were beamed aboard Federation ships, and six casualties were detected prior to the breach of Lapland’s warp core, and the vessel’s subsequent destruction.
A brief investigation revealed that the people who had hijacked the transport vessel were displaced (mostly human) long-term residents of Eledri Prime that had been effectively banished by the new government. They mingled with the rest at April’s Landing, and then when they were dispatched to Risa, hijacked the ship and returned all other Federation citizens to April’s Landing before attempting to reenter Eledri space.

The perpetrators have been dispatched to DS13 for processing, and then transport to Sol to stand trial.

Axiom transported any individuals displaying overt and intractable violence on the ground direct to the brig to cool down for the night before returning them to April’s Landing, apart from any such incidences as the authorities on April’s Landing deemed necessary to further detain at their own facilities.

The reports we received that the security measures Captain Nimitz took prior to Axiom’s direct involvement are somewhat concerning. It has been reported the captain took measures to separate all of the Eledri citizens from the general populace in the interest of their own protection. These measures, despite intentions, seem to have exacerbated the situation.

I assisted Governor Kilroy (himself half-Eledri) in whatever way I could in calming the people down through public address. The people have been assured that the next transport will be taking them to Risa within 30 hours.

The fact that this delay would have elicited such a strong response from the people returned to April’s Landing is troubling in the extreme, and even moreso that the government of Eledri Prime would outright threaten to destroy an unarmed, hijacked Federation vessel.

While Eledri Prime has remained characteristically unhelpful in regards to inquiries after how many more people they intend to send, our own calculations, as well as word of mouth from people who have already been processed, suggest we must be nearing the end of the situation.

Captain’s Draz, Nimitz, Kawamori, and Jager are all invited to file their own reports as addendum to the document above.

//SIGNED// Captain Sara K. Desimone, CO USS Axiom, NCC 92459/Libra Squadron]
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TO: Cpt Desimone
FROM: Cpt Quint
Subj: The SS Lapland Situation

Captain Desimone,

First of all, while I wait for any further additions to your report, I would like to say well done. This was a dynamic situation and seems you and your Task Force adapted to each issue. Based on the issues listed so far, do you require additional Security staff to prevent further disruption on the ground? Second, do you foresee a need to replace the loss of the Lapland from the relay to Risa?

Aside from that, see what you can do about any statements from those who were beamed back to the surface before the Lapland went towards Eldari space. I feel those would go along way in sorting out any hearings involved for those you took into custody.

If there is anything further I look forward to hearing it.

Captain Emery Quint
38'th Fleet Executive Officer-Acting
38'th Fleet
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Stardate: 93624.8AAR: The SS Lapland Situation (Addendum)Report Submitted: CAPT Draz, S.Classification Level: 2 - Confidential

This report is submitted as an addendum to the after-action report previously submitted by Captain Sara Desimone, commander of Task Force April. Following her decision to classify that report as Confidential, I have done the same.

On stardate 93622.7, Saraswati also received the distress call from SS Lapland. At that time, we were engaged in patrolling the route between April's Landing and the Eledri Prime system. As CAPT Desimone began to give orders, my Executive Officer, CDR T'Maal, observed that other ships were better positioned to respond and that, considering the heightened state of tensions in the Kelterre Sector at this time, there was a non-zero chance that this might be a ruse to draw task force vessels out of position. I concurred with my XO's assessment, as did CAPT Desimone, who ordered Saraswati and Polaris to continue our patrol.

This put Saraswati in an excellent position to intercept Lapland later on. We quickly matched course and speed and began sensor scans to determine her condition; the transport was running with shields down, with a total of 103 persons on board. I hailed them and ordered them to cut their engines and submit to inspection, but received no reply.

By this time, the pursuit formation had been joined by USS Nightingale and USS Shadowfax. I received orders from CAPT Desimone to disable Lapland before it could enter Eledri space. While I was still discussing a plan with my Tactical Officer, LCDR Wen, to fire pairs of photon torpedoes with proximity fuses ahead of the ship, to disrupt the leading edge of their warp envelope and bring them out of warp with (I hoped) minimal damage, Nightingale's CO, on her own initiative, fired directly on Lapland's rear quarter. Nightingale's torpedoes succeeded in disabling Lapland's engines, but left the ship crippled and drifting. I immediately gave the order to drop from warp and commence rescue operations.

Saraswati was able to retrieve 62 persons from the Lapland, while Shadowfax rescued another 15 and Polaris collected 20 survivors, plus six others that they were unable to revive. This accounts for all of the ship's complement at the time. None of those transported aboard Saraswati were hurt in the disabling of the transport, though some sustained minor injuries in taking control of the ship, or in altercations with our security teams (who were forced to subdue and isolate the most aggressive individuals, which included nearly all of the "ringleaders"). The identities of these persons are as described in CAPT Desimone's report, as are the circumstances of Lapland's destruction by catastrophic loss of antimatter containment.

Per CAPT Desimone's orders, Saraswati made rendezvous with USS Axiom to transfer all prisoners before resuming her patrol. For additional security, the prisoners were transported in two groups: 42 persons believed to be of relatively low risk if kept isolated from the second group of 20.

A review of the logs shows that Nightingale's CO justified her action as being the most efficient option, offering the highest chance of success with the fewest variables. I can't say with 100% certainty that my way would have stopped Lapland with no loss of life, but I can and will say that this hasty action resulted in the deaths of six Federation citizens who did not need to die.


//SIGNED//
Captain Sanara Draz
Commanding Officer, U.S.S. Saraswati
Gemini Squadron, 38th Fleet
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