CAPTAIN'S LOG Stardate 100438.5
I’ve been delinquent in my log recordings for the past few weeks. Funny, how the most important entries always tend to be the ones that get skipped. It’s easy to say “that’s not important right now,” but in hindsight, I know that’s [REDACTED]. Avoiding the log keeps you from reflecting. That might be okay for other officers – even beneficial, if it helps them keep focus on the task at hand – but not for the Captain.
I need to be better. And I will be. Hopefully history doesn’t mind a little backdating, in the meantime.
CAPTAIN'S LOG Stardate 100380.7
With war looming, Reyga was dispatched to Rator III with a task force escorting a diplomatic corps delegation. Ambassador Perim spoke to the Imperial Senate, while other diplomats conducted some sort of closed-door negotiations.
Exactly nothing went according to plan.
In orbit, we had cloaked warbirds playing chicken, risking collisions. When Captain Morton complained, they gave us a course to follow that was a convoluted overlapping maze of nonsense. Under other circumstances it might have been funny, but while they were toying with us, they were gearing up for war. We got a pretty good look at freighters being loaded up as troop transports. Not what you want to see when you’re trying to stop a war from breaking out.
Ensign Ban and Crewman Enpisi beamed down to provide security for the diplomats.
…
The-- the diplomats did, eventually, make it out safely. As did the Ensign. Crewman Enpisi was killed. Along with two officers from USS Heimdall. Apparently the Tal Shiar tried to frame the delegation as spies. This was… this was a loss. And not just in the literal sense. Whatever powers within the Empire might have been swayed by diplomacy, won’t be any more in the face of this.
The ranking FDC attaché on the mission recommended the Ban and Enpisi for commendation, and I’ll be adding my support for that.
(( Event: The Eleventh Hour • AAR ))
(( Event: Mala Fide • AAR ))
CAPTAIN'S LOG Stardate 100386.9
The Federation declared war on the Star Empire. We’ve received updated rules of engagement from fleet command. Reyga was officially selected to be part of combat ready group 2, however, as we were still in the Sierra Sector, we were tapped for an early scouting mission rather than returning to DS13.
I think, after Rator, the crew knew it was coming. The atmosphere is tense, but manageable. We’ve been running drills on Reyga’s combat role for over a week, at this point. Brushing up on anti-cloaking maneuvers, electronic warfare, emergency stations.
The mixed levels of experience have been on full display. The old hands are ready, but where we’re green, we’re green. It’s time to grow up.
- Stardate 100394.1 (+ 2 Supplementals)
- Stardate 100394.8
CAPTAIN'S LOG Stardate 100416.2
Reyga took part in the invasion of the Cero System, one arm of ‘Operation Guillotine’. I want to start by saying we got through it, and that every member of the crew deserves a month’s leave on Risa. If this is the only time I make that recommendation, I’ll be thrilled, but based on how the Romulans fought I have a feeling we’re all going to deserve a lot more leave than that, by the time this is through.
Not that we’re likely to get it.
I was very impressed by Reyga, itself, in combat. We’re not going toe-to-toe with Dragon anytime soon, but we managed a solid balance of direct fire and fleet support. The high-powered sensors in tactical mode far exceeded my expectations. We also managed to scramble enemy targeting and communications on several occasions. All other systems performed as expected. We came through with minimal damage and only a handful of minor casualties. During the battle we took on survivors from USS Vanoc, and the medical team did a great job patching them up.
The bridge crew is certainly a … unique bunch. I knew that already, of course, but under stress, the eccentricities are amplified. Ensign Sadaann, well, he could have been better. Ops is a hectic job and he got it done, but he’s not exactly the picture of grace under fire. Out of everyone, he’s unfortunately the one I tend to feel like I need to keep an extra eye on.
Speaking of fire, Ensign Yog’Sholegh wound up caught in a fire suppression field, again. His work at the science station was excellent, mind you, but throw some panel sparks at him and the computer’s convinced he’s erupting. Maybe he was, I don’t know. Either way, we’ll have to tweak that.
The far end of the spectrum was Lieutenant Sono. I-hah-honestly, if all you could see was the tactical station, you’d never know we were in combat. I love the calm, but there might be such a thing as too calm. Experience and confidence at tactical should be a steadying influence on the younger officers, but I think the effect was undercut by the updates on her grand-niece’s kindergarten graduation, or oh-this-reminds-me-of-this-or-that. Iiiiiit probably wouldn’t have fazed a seasoned crew, but bouncing that off of Ensign Sadaann’s tightrope of anxiety made for a very strange atmosphere.
Commander Sedai, of course, is a godsend, keeping everyone on-task. Whenever I feel like I might be the busiest person on the crew, I realize she’s juggling two tasks for each of mine, and then some. She took point on the rescue op in the middle of combat and coordinated the science department, without it ever feeling like my XO was in two other places. In the aftermath, she’s running a film club that I’m certain will be good for morale. It always was, for me, back on the station.
… I’ve been told my presence at these is not optional.
CAPTAIN'S LOG Stardate 100429.3
I’ve received a message from our old friends on the Sienov. Turns out they suspect the defecting Sublieutenant they shoved onto my ship is actually Tal Shiar.
I definitely regret not digging any deeper into it, but the whole situation gave me a headache. In fact, it’s giving me a headache again now. They only have a suspicion based on a file’s encryption level, but if it’s true then – well, I guess there’s two possibilities. Either the RRF Centurion who arranged the trip is also Tal Shiar, or he’s not and just … fell for the old subspace-order-bride scam: espionage edition.
Whatever. I sent it along to 38th Intel. Let them figure out what to do with this lovely bit of information.
(( Relevant ))
CAPTAIN'S LOG Stardate 100433.9
Reyga’s spent the last week at the edge of the Cero asteroid belt. We’d been trying to locate a series of dilithium mining platforms being used as fighter bases and comm relays, but they’re small and cloaked and there’s a lot of sensor scattering.
The only real option was to send small craft in to track them down. Commander Sedai went out in our runabout, Aesop and led the effort. She came back with two days’ worth of repair work, but also platform locations and a verified detection method. We hit a couple at range, but fighters from Forrestal cleaned up most of them.
Afterwards, we picked up our security teams, including Ensign Ban, which had been operating as part of the ground force on Cero III. The planet’s now fully under Federation control, but it sounds like we had to fight for every inch. Doctor Castillo gave me a report on our casualties, this morning. Six dead, three in critical condition.
Now that we’re caught up. Reyga’s on a picket route just outside Cero. For the moment it seems like the Imperials are too busy on other fronts to come bother us, but if they do pivot our way we’ll be the early warning.
Command is still finalizing our next moves, but I’ve been told to keep the engines warmed up. Whatever’s coming next, we’re gonna be out in front of it.