Captain's Log — 2021
June 2021
Captain Ursik'Vat bombarded the asteroid surface, reducing it to slag. The Sullen ship was heavily damaged and easily tracked without it's cloaking ability. Captain Tekenat had given the Sullen several opportunities to surrender. Lieutenant Kel opened fire on the Sullen ship. The Klingons impatiently joined in and destroyed the Sullen ship and every fragment of organic matter in the debris.
Tirza examined her bank account, transferred what she could to Soros. She turned to drink. A lot of drink. Quidano offered other entertainment: cooking holo vids, medical dramas, esoteric trivia programs. She fled to her quarters to cry unseen.
Quidano worried about he and Xin being in the same room. Xin took pitty and headed back to his quarters.
Boan pointed out the fleet of Gorn-manufactured freighters circling over Oka. She asked for an interview with Bresa. Opposition to the Project faded as Gatrubbians settled in the newly verdant areas of the Sphere.
Lewis informed Bresa he was in a holding pattern until the Brindley could receive special clearance to land.
Targa noticed Toraith's trophy: Pruul's head and pelt. Klingons would honour a fallen foe in song, not like a game animal. Toraith didn't have to answer to anyone. Axel had been given to Bresa by his father. The Klingon was unsettled by it's implications in the Gorn-Gatrubbian power balance. Quidano thought him paranoid.
Ardo doubted his ability to sneak Sekat into the mines on Setlin. He suggested that the upcoming trial might trigger an uprising. Yeefa could dispel the myth of the minig guild ushering in the Hasadi Messiah. It was a story of greed, bribery, falsehood, murder and orphans. Yeefa and Yebin's trial was held in the communal Gathering Hall. Ardo reminded Rekat of the difference between a Hasadi and a Cardassian trial: explaining mitigating circumstances rather than melodramatic praise of the state.
Lewis offered Kivul a tour of the newly upgraded Brindley. It was a proper freighter now. Malot took a walk to aid in generating a solution and came across the two. Lewis was the instigator and Kivul was the procurement officer but neither wanted to negotiate with Galla. The Brindley had taken three days to cover one thirtieth the distance the Ferengi covered to make their rendez-vous. Bresa and Kivul debated the price of the compression drive. It would require Malot's review. Malot reviewed the specs of the subspace compression drive for safety and eficacy. Safety was relative given Axel's missions. Targa had been left out of the discussion while away with Toraith. Malot assessed that it was compatible with the Brindley. It posed no more danger to the crew than their regular engagement in dangerous scenarios.
Banter of the Month
Rebar's head bounced from side to side as he weighed her words in his head. "That means there is A CHANCE of catastrophic disaster. You do realize those are weighty, and unpleasant words."
"Non-catastrophic disaster is far more probable although that has less to do with the drive and more to do with Axel's history with engaging in dangerous scenarios." Malot paused for a moment. "Do you have further questions?"
—An astute observation by Malot in considering Brindley's new Subspace Compression Drive. (written by Rich and Kevin)
May 2021
Xin held Quidano in a choke hold worried that he wasn't himself. He was frustrated and stressed. He was gentle, careful not to grate his rough skin against her soft, smooth skin. Xin was making tea to keep alert after a long night with Quidano. Xin took Quidano's rule of not kissing and telling to mean he was ashamed of her. He tried to explain how it would be unprofessional.
Captain Tekenat turned over Rahiis and the settlement manager to Federation Police on Brea.
Kivul suggested that the Brindley could be outfitted with a subspace compression driver. It would allow speeds up to warp two. An old friend heard from a friend of a friend that Kivul was looking for a propulsion system.
Yeefa Nefin sat alone in her cell, tracing her claw across the text of the Hasadi holy text. Rekat was tasked with defending her but was more interested in a secret mine on Setlin the Hasadi were excavating. Yeefa's first husband died in the mines. Ardo heard rumours that Uridium was found in underwater mines.
The Mogagh reported they were in pursuit of the Sullen amongst a half-dozen mining installations. One lost communications.
Targa awoke in a dark room groggy from a beating. Toraith tracked him down, entering the room to an ancient Earth jingle. He was embarrassed to have ended pursuit of his prey to search for Targa. Firtha Dun entered the room through it's only door and challenged Toraith. His claws were dipped in poison. Toraith was fully absorbed in the claw-against-claw fight and did not notice Pruul enter the room. When Firtha Dun hit the ground and no longer able to fight, he was put down by Pruul. Toraith then tore into Pruul and messily consumed him. Using the blood of the fallen, Toraith scrawled a sigil onto the wall.
April 2021
While negotiating with the settlers, their manager drew a phaser. Douglass tried to offer shield modifications rather than evacuation, then stunned him. The settlement manager was cleared medically by the EMH. He gladly accepted the minor injuries as the price for getting his people to safety. Douglass threatened to end his leadership. He countered that she lacked jurisdiction.
Lieutenant Kel checked on Rahiis and found him undressed. He provided no further information on his ship's Borg cargo.
USS Skadthi arrived in the Brea system to offload their passengers and prisoners. There would be no time for sightseeing the Southern Flatlands.
Doctors Saghder and Sh'otasril examined a Sullen tissue sample in an isolated medical lab.
Quidano was reading through the hundred pages of regulations for freight and transportation vessels. Bresa felt they'd be safer under a Federation registration. Xin offered to help. Quidano had a strange look in his eye.
Targa awoke to intense pain but no broken bones. Toraith entered the room covered in blood. Targa was more important to him than his prey. Firtha Dun challenged Toraith to hand-to-hand combat, dipping his claws in poison. Toraith accepted and charged the Caitian.
Yeefa admitted to Bresa and Quidano that she was unprepared for what happened next. Several STAG soldiers stood ready as an honour guard for the Holy Mother. Rekat introduced herself to Bresa as a consultant for the mining operations on-planet.
Non-Roleplay
We celebrated First Contact Day, now only 42 years in our future.
The pandemic and tax season took a toll on our numbers with five players taking a break.
CK joined OH1 with character Doctor Azimia Sh'otasril.
Subject Line of the Month
2421.04.30.01 SKA Kel "Unexpected Package in the Baggage Area"
—Kel walking in on an unclothed Rahiis (Karen)
March 2021
Nami and Juro toyed with Toraith, phasing in and out. Targa was attacked from behind. Before the other Chaz fell on them, Nami pulled Toraith out of phase. The two talked oblivious to their surroundings. Targa sliced at the Caitians with his jej'taj and chased them out of the Crater Robbers. While surveilling what he suspected was Pruuls base of operations, he was knocked unconscious.
Rebar had to backtrack with Mine Platform Control when he identified as the Brindley rather than Axel Beta. Rebar painted the name 'Brindley' on the side of the Provider module. He was already painting the UFP registration number. Tirza suggested naming it after James Brindley. The Hasad had efficiently unloaded the Brindley. Deev approached the two carefully after having made sure the Nausicaan wasn't around. He rambled until Rebar agreed to ask the captain.
The Hasad foreman complained to Rekat about the lack of fuel and the high payments demanded by the guild.
Quidano ushered the Hasad into Axel's common area. Lieutenant Hausen was tied into the internal sensors. Yeefa revealed that she was a priestess involved in a schism that can only be resolved by the Holy Mother on Yasmeen. Yeefa faced execution otherwise.
Starfleet Tactical and Intelligence was stuck on the problem of giving the Ekosians a propaganda victory. Sandar was their best source. For his own safety, he was locked into quarters overnight.
Lieutenants Douglass and Kel beamed down to find the settlers packed. Kel stated her orders were to provide engineering schematics for their shields. The captain explained the Skadthi's lack of space and the danger of being aboard a ship with orders to engage the Sullen. The settlement manager demanded they all be evacuated.
A Klingon Bird of Prey decloaked and it's captain demanded a battle plan. Kijr shared their shield modifications. The captain explained that they may ferry the settlers to a nearby Federation colony. Ursik'Vat beamed back to his ship to hunt the Sullen alone.
Quote of the Month
Whiskers fluffing again, Ardo waddled past Rekat. His gait was far less fluid than that of the other Hasadi, partly due to the fact that Ardo had achieved a rare biological feat only rarely witnessed among his kind after the fall: he had gotten fat. Hasadi adipose tissue, like that of Humans, accumulates in several concentrated areas of the body. By a quirk of Hasadi evolution, fat Hasadi tend to stand taller due to the tissue gathering near the vertebrae connecting the Hasad's skull to his neck, slightly elongating it. He sauntered inside with his head wobbling ever so slightly.
—written by Tim, nominated by Rich: Overall, I deeply appreciated the detail with which Tim addressed the Hasad character. Hasad have been mentioned in the past but not really given LIFE and Tim most certainly did that. The interplay between the Hasad and the Cardassian was also handled masterfully IMHO.
February 2021
Saghder began to run a series of baseline scans of CAX when he identified a self-contained mass. The Circaloid was spontaneously pregnant. Saghder was out of his depth with a one-month gestation. CAX suggested it be documented for the first time outside the CAX home world.
Fahm Antpitta was dismissive of Starfleet's help. He accepted Lieutenant Kijr's engineering schematics and closed the channel. The lieutenant was still repairing the internal damage.
USS Skadthi scanned for the Sullen in the Indihar system. Life signs on the settlement were stable and centrally located. They had sent a distress call with the hopes of being evacuated /before/ the Sullen arrived.
Rahiis questioned his interrogators. He allowed the doctor to examine his hands. They would require rehabilitation from deep cold-related injuries. Lieutenants Kel and Douglass informed him that his ship was destroyed and he would be detained for the duration of their investigation.
Targa reflected on how he joined the crew of the Axel after their last ship was destroyed by it's captain. The Brindley (aka Beta) gave them flexibility and versatility. But, it needed more muscle.
Targa and Toraith were coming up against the Chaz, one of several felanoid species, but with an ability to slip into interphasic space. They were protecting the Caitian pirate Pruul. The two entered the 'Crater Robbers' on Rendilar III. The barkeep was dead and the Caitians were fighting amongst themselves. Juro and Nami focused their attention on Toraith. The Gorn got a hold of Nami's tail preventing her from disappearing but was rewarded with four paws digging into his hide.
Tekenat directed Sandar past a crowd of Zeon refugees on the way to the security checkpoint. The Ekosian military was belligerent including attacking a Starfleet vessel. Sandar thought back to the moment he decided to defect from Ekos. The Federation needed a peaceful solution.
Rebar prepared to take the Beta down the surface. It was their last stop before dropping off Yeefa and Yebin. Three STAG (Setlin Tactical Air Guard) ships approached and stated they suspected there were Hasad stowaways aboard. Bresa's first instinct was to hide them. Quidano wanted to preserve the relationship with the Setlin government. Rebar agreed with the captain and laid into Quidano. He then ran to tell the Hasad the situation. Yeefa said she would speak to the STAG guardsman. She stated her full clerical title and appealed his orders under corporate regulation twenty-four.
Subject Line of the Month
2421.02.23.01 SKA Ariana "Hailing frequencies, open, nope, .. hold on... busy signal..."
—A little miscommunication between Ensign Serota and Fahm Antpitta. (Devon)
January 2021
Targa asked to join Toraith in his hunt for the Caitian pirates. Toraith felt abandoned when he was jailed on Setlin. He was the muscle and he took his lumps for the captain and crew. He resolved to leave the ship without informing the captain. Firtha praised Captain Pruul to avoid his ire. He was afraid of no one and laughed at the attempts of Enlas Vaj to cull him. Targa and Toraith set out for the Rendilar system in pursuit of Pruul. Neither had any affection for the many feline species in the sector.
Damon found a stray cat he could gift to Magar. Magar suspected that Damon was ridding himself of the animal. It did smell better than a vole. Station outlined the cats needs.
CAX bounced into the med bay. With no patients, Saghder turned his curiousity towards the accomodating Circaloid.
Sandar left his ship against the instructions of station security. Tekenat intercepted him at an unsavoury bar. The two disagreed on the merits of Starfleet. Sandar submitted to returning to the security checkpoint.
Captain Tekenat decided that flooding the compartment with plasma was the best course of action against the Sullen intruder. It was attempting to break down the ship's own organic components.
Ensign Kijr countered the dampening field isolating the cargo area of the Tellarite freighter. Ensign Sandar immediately detected Borg technology and Tellarite life signs. The mess hall served as a makeshift Sick Bay. The EMH released the security officers from quarantine. A Tellarite survivor was beamed to the mess hall for assessment and interrogation. Rahiis sealed himself into a survival chamber when the Sullen first boarded. Lieutenant Kel questioned the need for the dampening fields and why the ship was carrying Borg technology.
The Tellarite ship was scuttled to prevent scavenging. An alert was sent again to all nearby ships and colonies about the Sullen threat. A likely target was the mining colony on Orindi Zeta 4. Fahm Antpitta was impatient with Ensign Serota.
Quidano was overwhelmed with thoughts of his past triggered by Scribe Grimma Day and the appearance of Samuel Winters. Kivul offered to be a sounding board. Quidano had operated under the banner of the Nal'Gaharay and lost his family and the planet he was trying to save. The Romulan was not one to linger on the past. Quidano raised a glass to Captain Bresa who had the most influence on his life story in the previous year.
Samuel Winters lay in his bed waiting with the scratching sensation of precognition. His daughter was in need. He had to go. Quidano found Tirza and Xin on the bridge babysitting the autopilot. Lewis asked for Axel to drop out of warp so that Winters could depart. As quickly as Winters had plunged Quidano into self-examination, he was departing for personal reasons with no word as to his destination. And Quidano thought, again, about the family he left behind.
Subject Line of the Month
2421.01.18.01 AXEL Toraith "Too many cat species in star trek published work"
—Doug and Rich named half-a-dozen alien species based on cats.
Player of the Month
Rich managed to tell us what we already knew about Quidano through a new viewpoint. It was not simply a rote repetition. Quidano is still struggling with his past but paused to celebrate in the spirit of Scribe Grimana Day.
Honourable mention to Devon. Ensign Serota called out Captain Tekenat on his decision to incinerate the Sullen boarder and the EMH for allowing it to happen. She presented the humanity against the cold logic and kneejerk fear of the other characters.
Older Captains Logs
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