Captain's Log - Stardate: 92770.9
Endurance has made a grim discovery. We have located the wreckage of the cargo vessel S.S. Nordic Star, reported as missing during the height of Klingon hostilities in this sector. I regret to report that there were no survivors of an attack on this ship. Remains of 43 of the vessel's crew of 52 have been recovered and positively identified. There is clear evidence that the ship was attacked from several different vectors by at least 2 vessels. Engineering and Science teams confirm that residual weapons signature from damage sites across the wreckage are consistent with Klingon raider ships - Birds of Prey or smaller escort class vessels.
Nordic Star was clearly attacked and driven off her course to the point where her wreckage would not have been easily located. One might think that this points to commerce raiding, yet, there is no evidence that the ship was boarded, nor the crew attacked in close quarters combat. Instead, the cargo ship was crippled and the crew left to die without life support or the ability to call for assistance.
Endurance came across the wreckage while performing long range scans and warp-space stability scans along our patrol route. Vessels with less capable sensor platforms may have overlooked recent subspace degradation trails consistent with older, outmoded warp drives - the signature of scavenger ships, to be sure. The cargo holds, crew quarters and the Captain's safe were all clearly picked clean in recent months.
Overall, I would normally forward this case to Federation Security for investigation, but there is one thing more. Nordic Star was supposed to be working a cargo run to K-7, almost a sector away from where she was attacked. What was she doing all the way out here? According to records, there is no indication that she was reassigned. If she was, why did she not have an escort, or have formed up with a larger convoy for protection?
I wish I could close the case on Nordic Star, but something tells me there is more to be learned. We've recovered what remains of the ship's computer and flight data recorder. None of it is in good shape, but with luck, we can get some help from DS13. Once we've marked the site with buoys, we'll return to port to complete a solemn duty and to seek some consultation.
--- End Log ---
((OOC: I'm finally getting a bit of a break from work, and a billion things happening on the home front this fall. I'm dropping this here, but hoping to use it as a hook to RP with folks in and/around the Bar Trek ))
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