Life in the Alpha Quadrant is never dull!

March 11, 2017

Located in the Alpha Quadrant, Task Force 72 of the 4th Fleet is home to many an exciting crew, each with their own enjoyable story to tell. I am here, at the TF Headquarters on Roosevelt Station to report on the current goings on from around the Task Force.

Here on Roosevelt Station itself, a Starfleet Engineering team is still working on getting the station functional despite running into a constant stream of issues along the way. With the station having been abandoned prior to Lieutenant General P’Trell and crew taking over, only a few key systems and decks are currently operational. General P’Trell’s team tell me that despite such hardships at present, the General plans to make overtures towards the Cardassians in the near future and work on furthering diplomatic ties.

Elsewhere, the USS Cairo-B (the fourth ship to bear the name and one of the newer Luna-class starships) was destroyed in what was quickly determined to have been an accident, although further details of this ‘accident’ are currently classified. The crew of the Cairo have since been issued another ship and the latest incarnation, a Sovereign-class starship, is currently docked at Roosevelt Station while the crew board and get acquainted. They receive some new crewmembers and some crewmembers have been reassigned. An unconfirmed source has indicated that the Cairo could be crucial to the relations with the Cardassian Union.

Drawn from the many obscure corners of Starfleet, the crew of the USS Bellona have arrived on their proud ship and it has reached the Task Force 72 area of operations at last. The crew are in the process of testing systems and training as a team. A few light years away however, a mystery is brewing on Starbase 141 that the Bellona has been called to investigate. Several residents have turned up in sickbay in excruciating pain borne of a strange neurological affliction. One of the counselors thinks it’s a rumored telepath referred to as the “mind burner”, but she has been largely scoffed at. On the USS Bellona, their psychological operations unit chief has, from what I am told, received a strange anonymous message that she has managed to link back to Starbase 141. More details to come on this intriguing, and developing story as they come.

Our correspondent on Deep Space 12 has reported that the Order of 12 is becoming active in the ‘southern’ area of Cardassian space. Already, their activities have drawn the attention of the Breen, which can only spell trouble. A high level meeting of Breen military is being held to discuss the situation and possible courses of action. Elsewhere on the station, things appear relatively quiescent. There is trouble with an entrepreneur who wants to transform the upper level of the Promenade into a Parisian street and whilst the proposal could have benefits for the station, there are rumours that his plans are causing quite a stir among residents and officers alike.

Carnwennan Station is officially open and active! The new Immense-class starbase allows the ships assigned to the Task Force to have a new home on their way into the Inconnu Expanse. This also affects the fleet in that the base is replacing Deep Space Seven and expands Starfleet power in the region. My sources tell me that it is not all good news however. Rumours are rife that the Tzenkethi do not approve of this new facility and plan to make their feelings known in the coming weeks. Let’s hope they do so through the appropriate diplomatic channels.

I have some breaking news coming from the office of the Task Force Commander… It appears there is a significant situation developing on the USS Elmira. Task Force Command has seen fit to disclose that the USS Hermes has landed on the Elmira via her shuttle bay and started to clear the decks of some unknown hostile forces. The crew of the Hermes have reportedly rescued some of the Elmira crew locked away in main engineering and will continue to make their way through the ship and deal with the hostile forces on board. As soon as we have more news on these hostile forces, we’ll bring it to you, live on FNS Today.

Back to the rest of the news; Following the USS Pandora’s departure from Luna Shipyards, the crew gathered together to discuss the circumstances and possibilities that they will encounter once in the Inconnu Expanse, which garnered a few interesting discussion points. First, the crew agreed to travel slowly and safely through the Carnwennan Corridor, with many agreeing this was the best way to avoid conflicts. However, the possibility of using Talarian Space was also floated, given the Talarians are seeking diplomatic talks with the Federation. The idea was met with concern and hesitation but it was agreed all options should be considered. The Talarian Ambassador has indicated there may be trouble on the border of their territory, which may lead to a possible conflict with another species. However, this may also lead to the possibility of the Pandora travelling through Talarian space so as to avoid any conflict once in the Carnwennan Corridor and to improve future relations with the Talarians. At the same time, this could create an on-going conflict in the region.

I can now bring you details of a developing story from aboard the USS Hope, an Olympic-class starship. The USS Hope has received a new Commanding Officer during a ceremony on the main flight deck of the starship, Captain Varik Raymond. Just after the transfer of command, former CO McNeil and Raymond had a conversation regarding the most recent investigation the ship’s crew carried out involving a derelict Romulan shuttle found drifting in the Inconnu Expanse, among other pertinent issues, such as the functional status of the ship and crew, plans for the slightly altered upcoming operational profile of the starship. The USS Hope is continuing her investigation.

Meanwhile, life on the Tzenkethi border is not easy, but it is quiet. That is, until a small convoy of ships began pouring out from behind the borders of the Tzenkethi Coalition after decades of isolation. One man has claimed leadership of the group of refugees and requested political asylum in the Federation. It wasn’t long until the Coalition came looking for the refugees and a number of things have since come to light. The motives of the refugees were questioned when the Coalition revealed that they were wanted criminals due to stand trial for their actions. What will the crew of Deep Space K-17 do? How will they handle things?

This has been Fyn Tasyer, of the Fleet News Service, reporting live from Roosevelt Station on the Cardassian Border.