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Mission Name : Foreigner
Brief Summary : The Atevi have made the leap from a preindustrialized society to having warp drive in just a few short years. Obviously they had outside help but how do we limit the damage and keep the whole situation from flying apart?
Essential Nature : First Contact and Diplomacy.
Situation: Mospheria is a world inhabited by a vaguely humanoid species, the Atevi, whose society was believed to be pre-Industrialized. Although the planet was extensively surveyed when first discovered, later teams of researchers concentrated on the known large cities after that first survey. Federation scientists last visited some hundred years ago and concluded that the Atevi were on the verge of discovering steam power. The closest earth analogy to their culture and society was Japan of the Samurai era. It seemed safe to investigators at the time that the Atevi did not need close monitoring.
They were wrong. Now a warp signature has been detected originating from a ship that originated on the planet. This is unexpectedly rapid development for a species who, according to the reports, do not particularly value science, education and research. Destiny, fresh from its retrofit, is being sent to investigate Mospheria and make first contact if appropriate.
The researchers with their focus on known urban centers missed was that a single island on the planet is not inhabited by Atevi but by Humans. The Humans are the descendants of a group of colonists who were abandoned there by unscrupulous colony coordinators. Having no communications equipment in the wreckage of their colony lander, those colonists scratched out an existence and have thrived in isolation from the rest of humanity. The Federation and the rest of humanity have near legendary status with them. When they landed they were unaware that there was an intelligent local race but they discovered it the hard way early on. The resulting war killed large numbers of both humans and atevi. The war ended with an agreement that separated the two species. The humans inhabit a single island. Continuing our Japan analogy, the human island is about the size and location of Japan relative to the mainland.
The humans 'buy' their continuing peace by trading their technology. The humans have a major research program to stay ahead of their atevi neighbors and their diplomats over the years have worked continuously to feed out just enough technology to keep the atevi warlords satisfied without compromising the human advantage. But recently some atevi states have come to appreciate the value of research and have started making technological gains on their own. The gap between the human and the atevi technologies is shrinking in relative terms.
The isolation of the humans is not absolute. There is a single human living in the court of the nearest Atevi warlord and acting as official ambassador for the humans on the island. A handful of Atevi, the descendents of the original inhabitants, remain on the island. In some cases, these Atevi and humans have intermarried. These Atevi are considered to be the lowest of the low by the majority of Atevi and some will go so far as to say they aren't really atevi at all.
The Atevi are taller than most species with the shortest adults being nearly two meters tall. They have ebony black skin, hair and eyes. Biologically, the Atevi are mammalian and as close to humans as Klingons. There have been children of Atevi � Human matches but all known occurrences have been sterile.
The arrangement between the Atevi and the Humans has not been without problems. The Atevi warlords whose territory is nearest the humans got the greatest benefit of the new technologies and this caused considerable envy from the other warlords. There has been quite a lot of political intrigue including the use of assassination in the dealings between Atevi warlords. Perhaps most significantly, as the technological edge shrinks, some warlords are starting to re-evaluate their position relative to the humans. Without their technological advantage, the war may restart and this time there may be no settlement.
This Prime Directive violation is a long standing arrangement but none of those responsible for it are alive today. Starfleet is not in the business of punishing the innocent. The Atevi know that the humans came from the stars. The humans have been out of touch so long that they know little of the Federation and tend to distrust others.
When Destiny arrives in the system we will almost immediately encounter the Mospherian warp drive ship. Before we actually initiate contact with the ship, we will receive a distress call from the human island. Almost immediately after that we will receive a message from the Atevi warlord. The ambassador is missing and the entire situation is on the verge of imploding.
Destiny's mission is to prevent this from happening.
Diplomacy/Operations: The problems and opportunities are largely yours.
Science. Find out what has happened on the planet. How much of the technology is home grown and how much developed �independently� of the human influence?
Engineering: The retrofit is less than perfect so your primary job is to keep Destiny together. If we get the chance to inspect the Mospherian vessel, you'll also have to assess their technological ability.
Security/Operations: First job is to find the missing diplomat. Keeping everyone safe will be your responsibility as well. Given the skill level of the local assassins, you may have your hands full. And if an even more technologically advanced prize, like a modern shuttle craft shows up, they will become targets as well.
All: We have a dilemma that needs a solution. Skimmel and the Federation will need options.
Definition of Success: We come up with a solution that avoids warfare and the death of the humans without punishing the innocent.
Here are the last few days worth of mission postings. This file will be updated frequently.
Foreigner// Insertion
ON:
<<USS Destiny, Shuttlebay 1>>
*Conley now firmly believed that Wallace was on the away team to the Friendship, although, he was there unofficially.*
Conley: *the ship rocked some* ~Odd. Are they firing on us?~
Ridgeway: Sir, why are we still waiting around? We know that the Lieutenant isn't onboard.
Conley:
Skimmel: +Bridge. Commander, the Friendship has suffered a containment failure. Their hull has breached in multiple locations.+
Conley: ~Oh shit~ The away team?
Skimmel: +Was onboard the shuttle, thankfully. It is damaged, but intact. Commander, we may have a situation however. A single escape pod with three Atevi, two humanoid lifesigns was detected for an atmospheric entry on Mospheria.+
Conley: What do you suspect?
Skimmel: +We have no confirmation in either way, but two of the lifesigns were clearly human, but the other was morphite.+
Conley: Lee.
Skimmel: +Perhaps. Mr. Abrams is attempting to confirm if the initial scan was correct but the escape pod will enter the atmosphere momentarily. *Conley understood that he was being tasked with a potential search and rescue mission on top of the reconnaissance task before him* Lieutenant Wallace will be transporting to the shuttle once he has closed the cockpit door.+
Conley: Understood. We have his gear onboard already. Permission to launch Captain?
Skimmel: +Granted.+
*The three men climbed onboard and took their seats as the engines spooled up. The doors parted in front of them as Conley synchronized the shield frequency so they could simply pass through the force field. About two minutes later, Wallace materialized on the transporter pad.*
Wallace: From the frying pan into the fire eh?
Conley: You're gear is in the grey duffel behind my seat. By the way, we're going in undercover. Civilian clothes are programmed into the replicator.
Wallace: What's the target?
Conley: Reconnaissance of the human settlement on Mospheria. Sergeants Ridgeway and Lampman are coming along to assist.
Wallace: *he replicated clothes and began changing* How're we going in?
Conley: We need to be as covert as possible, so I was thinking we would do a water insertion.
Wallace: As long as you don't mean doing those low altitude jumps... last time we did that I hurt for a week.
Conley: You get used to it eventually.
Ridgeway: *quietly to Lampman* I don't even want to know.
Lampman: *whispering* Neither do I.
OFF:
Commander Kevin Conley
Intelligence Liaison
USS Destiny
Foreigner / Gettin' out...
ON:
<< Shuttle >>
*The shuttle is suddenly rocked back and forth*
Pace: What the hell was that?
Kelly: Feels like something blew up. *checks the shuttle's sensor readings* It's Engineering.... it's completely gone.
Pace: What?
Kelly: I'm not detecting any lifesigns...
Pace: We have to get out of here now. They're dead. And there's nothing we can do about it.
Kelly: *looks at the still weakening Liri* Let's head back to the Destiny... *sighs* There's nothing we can do here... *Jenn continued to stare at the viewscreen and sensor readings... hoping that somehow they escaped the carnage... Sparky, Jones, Michaels... they were all good friends of her's... Maybe if she had gone after them earlier... maybe she could've gotten them back to the shuttle before the explosion...* DAMMIT! *Jenn punches the bulkhead*
OFF:
=/\= Lt Cmdr Jenn Kelly =/\=
Chief of Security
Foreigner/Last Moments?
ON:
*The woman on the floor could barely draw a half breath of air, finding that action, in fact, nearly impossible now. And even if she had beena able to, even in there here and now, she was aware of the need for decorum. Too aware, perhaps, for she was the type of person who could maintain her control under any circumstance, nearly....Even if the deaths had been her husband and her sisters, not her friends. But they had been her friends. And they had also been udner her command. Quieter and less noticiple than Kelly's outburst and kick of the bulkhead, the tears formed at the corners of her eyes. She could stop them, if she wanted to. But she did not want to....*
*And as the third tear rolled down her cheek to hit the deck, she gasped for another breath...and opened her eyes, still glistening with her tears, wide in panic as she realized she coudl no longer draw in even the slightest breath of air.*
*She would follow her officers now, she thought....Perhaps it was as it should be...*
*Or perhaps not, something inside of her cried out. Her death woudl not serve them, and it would not return them to life. And it would only serve to cause further pain to those that had already endured. And her husband...her children....her sisters....*
*The world faded out, for a moment, and as it was if she could see other things, hear other things, for that moment...The bright lights of sickbay, or somewhere on a starship. There was a face in front of her....a voice...her own voice? What a strange dream...*
<<Liri's Flashback/Forward>>
Older Liri: You won't remember any of this, in a moment. But I have to tell you. Perhaps...perhaps somewhere in your subcouncious, it will remain, the feeling though not the words. You have never been at peace with yourself, with anything you were in life, or anything you had been, or anything you aspired to become, or were forced to become. But all that can change. All that will change, if life goes for you as it has for me. You have always felt there was soemthing WRONG with you, your life. With the fact that you didn't seem to have....a personal core, beyodn service to the Federation. With the fact that you could change anything in a heartbeat, be anything or seem anything,do anythign for what was needed. Others have told you this, it has only served to reinforce your belief. But the day you accept that as your strength, not your weakness, is the day you find the center you have always sought. You are Kyja M'rrilka Liri...and your life was given to the Federation in service before your birth. Your core is that service, whatever the cost and whatever the change. Whatever the need, whatever form it may take. Accept that, embrace that....And find your peace....
<<End>>
*The world faded back in, as she managed finally to gasp one more partial breath, but she knew it wouldn't last...*
OFF: OK, she's not dead yet....But someone (or several someones even) had better move fast if they want to keep her around....!!! Tag to whomever will oblige, please. (Also, it appears she is accessing fragmented memories of itneraction with her older self during the last mission shortly before their memories were all wiped...)
Lt .Cmdr. Kyja Liri
CTO/Diplomat/Worst Luck In The Universe?
USS Destiny
Foreigner / Limping home...
ON:
<< Shuttle >>
Tenia: Commander Kelly?
Kelly: *sitting at the helm of the shuttle, piloting it back to the Destiny* What?
Tenia: Let me take a look at that hand. You hit the bulkhead pretty hard.
Kelly: Don't worry about me... help Commander Liri.
Tenia: Drixx is working on her... but we're very limited in what we can do here in the shuttle. We expect her to make a full recovery once we get to sickbay.
Kelly: *sighs* My hand is fine.
Tenia: Commander, generally things that are bleeding are not fine. And your hand is bleeding.
Kelly: It'll heal. *Jenn sighed yet again... What the hell just happened? This was supposed to be a simple mission to just render aid to a disabled ship. How the hell did it end up with three of her friends dead and Kyja suffering the effects of a gaseous poison?*
Tenia: I still need to look at it.
Kelly: *punches a few buttons to set the shuttle on auto-pilot* Fine.
Tenia: *examines Jenn's hand* Shuttlecraft: 1... Jenn Kelly: 0.
Kelly: *glares at Tenia*
Tenia: Sorry... not the time for jokes. *Finishes healing Jenn's hand* There... that shouldn't hurt anymore.
Kelly: Oh... it still hurts... my best friend's dead... two others are too. Kyja's lying there incapacitated and near death... And I feel responsible.
Tenia: There's nothing you could've done.
Kelly: I could've gone after the other part of the away team...
Tenia: And you'd be dead too.
Kelly: We could've left earlier, like Pace wanted.
Tenia: And you would've never forgiven yourself for leaving them behind.
Kelly: We're going to be docking with the Destiny soon... I have to back to the helm... *Jenn moves back to her seat and resumes course back to the Destiny* Kelly to Destiny... requesting permission to dock.
Crewman on Destiny: +Destiny here, we're ready in Shuttlebay 2.+OFF:
=/\= Lt Cmdr Jenn Kelly =/\=
Chief of Security
Foreigner/Last Moments?
Pace: *tearing into a first aid kit, looking for a tricorder* Come on, there's gotta be a damn tricorder in this thing! We can't treat her without knowing what she's been poisoned with.
Kelly: *getting a CPR mask from the kit* She won't live that long if you don't get some oxygen in her!
Wallace: *grabbing the mask and starting rescue breaths* Kelly, keep checking her pulse.
Kelly: It's thready and weak, but it's there.
Wallace: *blowing hard through the mask* You... aren't... going... to...quit... on... me... dammit!
Pace: *handing Wallace a breather* Here, use this. No sense hyperventilating yourself unconscious.
Wallace: *Looking up and taking the breather, and attaching it to the mask* Get us back to the D. NOW, dammit! *checking Liri's pulse again, and finding it weak, but steady* Come on, Boss, you're not gonna let a little thing like some poison gas get the best of you, are you?
Liri: *her eyes moved slightly, blinking twice*
Wallace: *his face lighting up* Hell yes! You hang on, Boss, we're almost to the D. *coughing a bit more as his body does its best to fight off the same poison*
OFF:
Lt. John Wallace
TAC, USS Destiny
Re: Foreigner/Last Moments?
M'ral continued scanning there was a great deal of debris but nothing like what he'd seen during the Dominion war. A few bodies and such floated in the debris feild and from he could pick up there was no helping any of them. The Caitian stretched and looked over the console, there was how ever something being picked up running full scan he found a shuttle craft, it was making it's way to Shuttlebay 2. The debris field showed nothing else, no escape pods and what was left of the Friendship was starting to drift. Turning his sensors onto the ship he scanned deck by deck, most of engineering was gone. It was lucky he'd ejected their core or they would have had a core breach. There where some survivors in other sections but he wasn't sure what Skimmel would do. There was a very faint trail leading away from the ship what he wasn't sure. From the negative ion's it was probably something with a powered drive. Much more than that he could not say as the debris was bouncing his signal back.
"Captain in a hour or so life support on the friendship will fail. I suspect internal gravity will fail within a few minutes. I have picked up a trail of some sort of powered craft bearing two-zero-zero, mark one-zero-eight. If it continues on this course it will terminate on Mospheria. As for where I can not say as there quite a lot of scanner interference from the debris field"
<<Flashback, Location Caitia Prime, Grand Hall of The Clans 2381>>
M'Ral waited he was rather nervous, it seemed that one of his so called friends had denouced him to the clan elders. Granted Cait had joined the Federation but some laws and such still held true and firm on the planet. He guessed he had good reason to be nervous, inside the central chamber the gathered clan leaders where talking over his fate.
He'd made the one transgression that was still very tightly held on Cait. He'd fallen in love with another male. He watched the two guards standing either side of the lage ornate doors of the chamber, eh sighed softly as they opened and he was called inside.
Stepping into the chamber he blinked and bowed to the elders as he took up a place in the center of the chamber. A snow white caitian stood up and looked to him.
"M'Ral Shimboline James Abrams, you have been found guilty of breaking one of our most serious taboo's, this action is abhorrent in the eyes of our society. The book of the Godess proclaims she created male and female and that they should populate our world. You chose a way we cannot allow, the clan leaders of Cait pronounce that you M'Ral
Shimboline James Abrams are to'varn, that is exiled from our world till you restore yourself in the eyes of the Goddess by following the path of light. No Caitian will speak to you from this day forth until you return to embrace the Goddess"
Then each and every one of the elders turned their backs on him.
<<Main Bridge USS Destiny>>
M'Ral took a deep breath and sighed softly.
"To hell with orders"
"I beg your pardon Lt?" asked Skimmel
"With all due respect Captain but I say to hell with
orders. I don't know why I think you humans call it a hunch but I think Lee,
Venus,
<<Tag Skimmel>>
Lt M'Ral Abrams
Assisstant Chief Science Officer
USS Destiny
Re: Foreigner/Always And Forever
ON:
*As the world faded back into existance once more, and she blinked, she could notice that somehow, half the occupants of the shuttle were now clustered around her, including Wallace, Pace, and Drixx, who, after insuring that Walalce and Pace had the situation under control, was now working as feverishly on Ambassador Crenshaw as she assumed they had all been doing for her a few moments before....*
Liri: ~~Convenient, if nothing else, I suppose. We can finish our proceedings in side-by-side beds in sickbay, if nothing else....~~
*Planning, strategy, politics and diplomacy. Things she had done, in the past, while exhausted. While badly injured. While emotionally unhinged, while pregnant, and while otherwise occupied. Things her brain could do at any time, no matter what...Always and forever, since her childhood, msot likely for the rest of her life. She couldn't speak, she could barely move, she couldn't even breath on her own anymore...But that...that she could do always. And she clung to it now, running through in her head all the things she wished to learn from Crenshaw, all the best ways to go about it, all the ways the loss of the Friendship might complciate the situation, and all she suspected from what she had learned so far. Because the urge to close her eyes again was overwhelming, to say the least....But from the look on faces above her, she suspected that if she surrendered to that urge....she would never open them again.*
Liri: ~~....and there was friction between his bodyguards, and the other Atevi, as well as the less obvious between him and the captain. Perhaps...perhaps on board the Destiny, he will speak more freely, and more truthfully....~~
OFF:
Lt. Cmdr. Kyja Liri
CTO/Diplomat
USS Destiny
Foreigner / Patients
ON:
<<Shuttlebay – Friendship>>
Tenia lost her balance as the floor of the shuttle buckled with the force of the explosion. She nearly fell face forward onto one of the Atevi lying on the deck around the shuttle.
Tenia: What was that?
* Before anyone could answer the floor pitched again. Kelly stood in the doorway of the shuttle. *
Kelly: Let’s go! Let’s go! This ship is ripping itself apart. * and she vanished back into the shuttle.
Drixx: I can’t leave my patients.
Tenia: We can’t take them with us, Doctor. * She pulls on his arm. Drixx is startled for only a moment that she would actually touch him. *
Drixx: But it is highly improper.
Tenia: We have to go now or we all die.
* Drixx resists for only a moment and then gives in. The two of them run past the mostly calm Atevi and jump onto the shuttle. *
Wallace: Last one in. Hatch secured.
* Tenia went immediately to Kyja. The small woman was breathing with difficulty through a mask. The tricorder scan told her everything she needed to know. *
Tenia: She’s been poisoned. We’ve got to get her back to Sickbay immediately.
Drixx: I have her, Doctor. Please scan the others.
Tenia: They’ve all been poisoned. I’m not familiar with this
poison.
Drixx: Undoubtedly her small size is why she is the most severely effected.
Tenia: Commander Kelly?
Kelly: *sitting at
the helm of the shuttle, piloting it back to the Destiny* What?
Tenia: Let me take a
look at that hand. You hit the bulkhead
pretty hard.
OFF:
Tenia
Assistant Chief Medical Officer