AQ/L02 - Crew Logs

[Paul]

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[Julia Troy]

Lt. Julia Troy Counselor/Medical officer log

Stardate 202410.27

This last mission has been weird and strange to me. I had sense that something didn't seem right with what happened to that ship that both of the away teams went to. I knew that they needed help but my help was needed here on the ship when the away teams came back.

When the first away team came back a couple of them needed help more than the others. While O'Shea worked on the ensign, I got to help the CMO back to health even if it was light duties for awhile. I was trying to keep sickbay running smoothly till a po2 tried to step in and change how I was doing. At least the DCMO came in to take over and released me so I can go rest.

End log

[Beno Velaul]

First Officers log
Commander Beno Velaul recording.

I have enjoyed my time as being First Officer to Captain Brooks, we have faced a lot of uncertainty and more than our fair share of setbacks. Somehow we made it out on the other side stronger than before, I like to believe this is because we have a solid team. The Captain has a way of bringing out the best in the Officers around him, as a result some of the better parts of myself have come out. I still have a few things to learn before I can take the big chair, and I have a lot more to get used to before I can make the transition. Another thing I am grateful for is my Second Officer, if something should happen to me she would be able to step in for me. Commander Curasa still has a lot to learn, and a lot to teach. The first lesson that I like people to learn is, there is always someone watching. They are looking to you for guidance, support, and courage under fire. How we treat them now will have a lot to do with how they treat others under them, if we done our jobs right they would also produce good leaders. All built on a solid foundation of mutual respect and trust, something that can never be violated at any time. 

Between her and our new Chief Science Officer. (There was a pause and an audible sigh) I have some work to do with him still, him and Cindy I have to work with. I am glad that is here, and he brought her with him. Personally and professionally I believe that everyone should have a fair chance, based on their merit and not the sins of the past. This is another lesson that I want my Officers to learn is just because a person doesn't have a good past, doesn't mean their future is going to be the same. I equally admire as I respect the crew under me, I hope this shines through in all of my actions. It also leads me to the final in the bug three lessons I want my officers to learn never focus exclusively on your problems, it amplifies existing and creates new ones. When we take a step back and look for solutions, this is when the magic truly happens. You see the solutions that you never thought possible, and inspire others to do the same. We have a new Science Officer joining us, and I am looking forward to seeing her in action.

To close my professional part of this log, my entire career I have always wanted to do right by the crew as a whole. Starting with the people who were under me, and the list grew as I climbed the ranks. As First Officer my actions reflect on the Captain, this is something I keep in mind with every action I do. My actions in both my personal life and professional have consequences, this is something that every leader needs to keep in mind.

(There was another pause before going on again.) On a more personal note, I believe its time to come clean somewhere. Not every lifetime Velaul has ever had were a good one, there were some that didn't carry as much nobility as I would have liked. In the youth of Velaul it was hot headed, and blamed others for everything that went wrong. Now that its closer to the end, all of that is coming into focus. There are times when I sit in the dark and I wonder the big questions, there are two of them. If this is going to be the end of the line for Velaul, how am I going to be remembered? Lastly every sacrifice in the name of the mission at hand, or the greater good of the ship. Each of them were equally valued. I carry this with me every minute of the day, something that gives me wisdom I hope. Lastly before I end this log, a question that is just now coming up. I know the things I have done in the past can not be undone. Am I trying too hard for the forgiveness of others? Or myself? If there is another host in the future Host, how is this one going to be judged? How will the name Beno be remembered?

This is my legacy I want to leave behind. Under the law Synthetic lifeforms are not recognized as actual life forms, they also don't have any rights as a result. I challenge such thinking, think of it more like our children. We create them, mold them, and teaching them is a lot like programing them. We are judged as parents on how well we treat, and educate our children. If both are raised right they both can and will have a positive impact on society as a whole. By being a positive roll model they would want to do right by them, and be a positive role model themselves. We let that genie out of the bottle years ago, and we can never put it back in. We can not create with one hand, and condemn with the other. Just treat people with the respect you want from them, without it you will never get any either.

End Log

[Alexander Talion]

Chief Science Officer's Log
Stardate 202412.02

Our latest mission started out simple enough, but then took an unexpected twist. This is a perfect example of why we perform certain patrols and make sweeps of various sectors. As much as we like to think that we can predict things, life constantly reminds us that there are a great number of things that are unpredictable. This time we were within range to respond to a distress signal from a Cardassian ship.

We sent over two seperate teams, at different times. The first had the priority to perform a search and rescue. They did everything they could to locate and recover any and all casualties and survivors. Wounded were given medical treatment, dead were collected with care and treated in accordance with the known cultural guidelines and all received emergency care that was exemplary and by the book. The situation was not without danger, but all injuries to crew were relatively minor and were treated swiftly after their return.

The origin of the emergency was highly questionable. There was a device on the ship that appeared to me malfunctioning. The unidentified energy signature and scans related to the device are part of the attached detailed report that should be available for review by those with clearance to do so. There was serious concern about a possible lingering danger and hazard to navigation, so a second team was then sent over to assess the situation and investigate enough to be able to hopefully provide answers to the Federation authorities, as well as the families of those that had not survived the incident. It is this second team that was in the most danger and I question how we might better handle such things in the future.

I will not speak against the decisions that were made, nor those that made them, but as is often clear in hindsight, there are things I would do differently in the future. It was known that the device had caused at least two detonations and we had a rough timeline to assume that another detonation would occur. Instead of limiting the risk to exposing a minimal number of people and only sending in those required to make an inspection, take scans and leave, a full team was sent over. This included a number of security, medical and other staff, as one might send on any other landing party. In my opinion, only two or three crew should have gone, all cross trained and experienced in such dangerous field work. This is also an example of a situation where drones might have been employed instead of living crew, but there will always be times when such decisions will need to be made, so this is nothing new.

I will ad here that drones were employed by this team, to aid them in their investigations. In fact, much of the data that was gathered was from their scans. The attempts to make some repairs to correct a possible source of the malfunction were made, which could not have been attempted by the drones. Although those attempts were ineffective in rendering the device safe, those calls and efforts could not have been possible with normal drones alone. Unfortunately, as the device began another reaction sequence, it created an interference pattern that caused us to lose transporter locks on the team. It was only through great effort by both the team and the crew on the Aquila that together a place was found that the team could be beamed from before the remains of the ship destroyed itself.

I was surprised when the FO had requested that I send my own version of a drone with the team. Cindy was specifically requested and since I am always prepared to accommodate such requests, a chassis was manufactured with the industrial replicator and Cindy piloted it very effectively. I had not anticipated having Cindy physically active on the ship, but the program is certified for Star Fleet use, so there are no problems with it. I presume that I will now have her stand down and return to her simpler functions, though the performance report will be logged for future review, as with all such drone device use.

As always, I'm available to answer any further questions or discourse that might be required about this report.

End Log

[Kalli Thorn]

Personal Log
Stardate 202412.02

While we were on patrol near a Neutral Zone shared with the Cardassians, the ship picked up a distress beacon. It seemed like a pretty simple Search and Rescue mission at first. I geared up, prepared to deal with whatever had happened on this unfortunate ship and got more than we could do much about.

It doesn't help much that Cardassian ships, as a general rule of thumb, are not good ships. They tend to be barely above most pirates I have known. They cut corners while demanding the most speed, defense and firepower they can squeeze out of anything that will carry them through space. They don't have time for annoying things like preventive maintenance schedules or serious redundancies that might save lives. They'll rip out a backup to life support if they can get more power to shields or weapons systems. As a result, I was not shocked to see that their power and systems control was a mess.

It seems that they were trying to test some sort of device, but I didn't see any staff that might have known anything about it. I suspect they were the first to die when it malfunctioned. The remaining crew were unable to fix the problem or knew how to shut it down before it began tearing the ship apart. We went back in after we pulled out their casualties. We scanned everything with drones and tricorders, so maybe we'll figure out some of what they were up to one of these days, but for me there were just too many variables that we had far too little information on. I could speculate that it might have been some sort of system that was intended to mimic the old Romulan Plasma torpedo, using a containment of some kind and then firing it at an enemy. That design was good against ships and planetary bombardment. It fits the Cardassian mentality, from my perspective. It is raw power and brutally indiscrete in how it delivers it to a target.

I was able to make some sense out of the device that I saw in their torpedo bay, but for all of my efforts, I wasn't able to shut it down or repair it. The simple fact is that the system was too damaged and we didn't have enough time. I tried every trick I knew, but was physically pulled out and we were forced to exfiltrate.

It was a rare moment for me. I know that I can sometimes be to stubborn and this is one of those times where it could have been the death of me. I confess that I have a protective streak in me and have perhaps done things that were extreme, to care for those around me. I'm not used to someone else doing that for me. I'm still processing that.

DeeDee did a great job. I was happy to see that another member of the team was also using a drone for assist. They were from Science. I doubt they are trying to employ a hybrid program like I am designing, but if it gets the job done for them, then it is a good thing. The whole idea is for us to develop tools that help us to be more effective. This was one of those times where the drones remained in place and continued to transmit data right up until they were destroyed. Thus, they safely gathered more data than we could have possibly managed without them.

I need to work on being more careful. I don't have a deathwish, but I can be obsessive in my work habits at times. I also need to be aware of the danger to others, even if they are not under my care. I need to work on that. Right now, I really need a hot shower and some rest.

End Log