AQ/L02 - Crew Logs

[Paul]

==Crew Logs: Please post here for your characters take on the events in mission so they can be uploaded to the ships wiki as well as history. Your tiny timestamp on humanity. Also good to do to EARN points while you are waiting on a GM to get back to you==

[Samira Khasim]

Science Officer Log
Lieutenant Samira Khasim recording.

So far this mission had been interesting in putting me out of my comfort zone in many ways. For one thing, having to take command of the Bridge temporarily. It's an extremely new experience for me, and I don't think I ever had that happen on the Yorktown.

For another, looking into ways of stabilizing dilithium when affected by the local substance, rianite, named after Riani, where we're at. There are quite some surprising ways of purifying dilithium in many ways...the irony of it all is that my specialty lies in forensics. However, in some ways, it could be a version of forensics; I just look at it like we're trying to get solid evidence of a crime when that evidence is a jumbled mess.

Given the options I've seen, I'll need a sample to confirm if the purifying/stabilizing methods work, but I need a sample...I'll need the Captain's permission...

End Log.

[Beno Velaul]

First Officers Log
Commander Beno Velaul recording.

I am not really sure what to think about this mission, it was scheduled to be a swap out, one goes in while the other goes out. That would be the pipe dream because it all fell apart years prior to this, compounded by not following protocol. Our incoming Ambassador had instructions to make contact before entering their Airspace, with the shuttles communication destroyed by an unknown force there was no way for them to do so. They were shot down over an area they should never have been, the pilot was killed but fortunately she wasn't. This is where the lines are blurred, I am in the grey area of following orders and not. 

Things I know and can prove beyond a doubt are, the shuttle was shot down in accordance with their laws. The Pilot was killed as a result with Saida injured from the crash, her injuries were treated by the Tanndi Doctors. Even with their best efforts, there were treatments that they just cant give her. When she is returned to us our Doctors can giver her the treatments, it is superficial treatment purely cosmetic. She hasn't been kidnapped but is being held, all in accordance with their laws. They haven't put any formal charges on her yet, but with how their laws are they can hold her until they decide one way or another. There is no way we can gather information from the shuttle, it was stripped clean of everything that would be helpful. Its just the way of the land, people gathering what technology they could to improve life.

As for Jonas there are charges being filed against him, he is wanted in connection with Espionage charges. I don't have all the details about that, but the Assassination attempt on him forced an Emergency beam out. He was near death that required rapid treatments, if we were not there at that time the conversation would be a lot different. We would be talking about him in the past tense and over his grave.  

I went down there with an Olive branch of peace, and the sword of war that I kept on my hip. By leading with the Olive Branch I was able to keep things calm getting answers I would never have received,  if I had led with the sword of war I am certain that's all they would have seen. On one hand we have an out going Ambassador who is scheduled to be on trial, while the other is suspected to be working with him. If we keep her on as the Ambassador peace with them is going to be harder to achieve, possibly even harder to maintain. The targeted shooting wasn't  part of a Government plot, it was a time honored classic people being afraid of change. 

Jonas has been there for the last ten years and only shot after a meeting with us, people were just afraid of losing their way of life in exchange for another imposed by us. If I would have came in as the President stated, imposing our way of life and way of doing things while judging theirs peace would be impossible. Instead of that I went in attempting to make sense of the situation while placing myself on their side of things, it is the only way to get all the important information. There are people who still see us as a threat, thankfully our actions have not given them fuel for their fire. Instead I have managed to put a few of them out, we just have to keep up with what has been established. 

As representatives of the Federation we are not above the laws of the lands, we are held accountable for our actions. We turn him over to have a fair trial, they will see we are doing everything possible for peace between our two peoples. If we don't turn him over we will be seen as harboring a fugitive, and the peace talks die with that very action. I can't stress enough that I highly recommend letting them have Jonas as a token of good faith, they will release Saida to us because they have the right person to be held accountable. Replace her with another Ambassador, at least for the short term. If we lead with Saida somewhere in the back of their mind working with Jonas will surface at the wrong times making things more difficult than needed, with a new Ambassador we have the potential of putting this to bed permanently. 

In the end Peace is still on the table, and the Horseman of War isn't going to ride today. If he does the other three are close behind. If we are seen as the aggressors of war, this will lead to an uprise of resistance like every war before this has done in the past. Once that genie has been let out of the bottle, there is no putting it back. 

To close this log we can achieve peace and gain membership in the Federation, or the other road leads to War war and more war. In the end of the second road the Federation would permanently be branded as Conquerors and not explorers. The goal of the Federation has always been to seek out new life and civilizations to better understand the universe and the people in it, not to destroy and conquer. 

Commander Velaul First Officer of the Aquila recording, after all of this my one hope is to make my Captain proud that I represented him in the best light possible, my actions are in the best interest of the Ship, and the Federation.

End Log.

[Julia Troy]

Counselor/medical officers log
Stardate: 202511.13

Counselor Julia Troy recording

With this mission I know that I couldn't go with the away team down to the planet with me being as far along as I am which is understandable. Unfortunately I could still sense what is going on and I know that it wasn't a good feeling that I had with what was going down there. I noticed that they beamed someone up to sickbay while I was getting checked out and everything, and I could tell that the person didn't look good when they got there.

In between my normal patients and waiting for anyone else who needed my services with both animals, I've been writing back and forth with my parents and best friend back home. The information that I gotten from them isn't good and they have written that the dominion along with the romulans and cardassians are trying to occupy my home planet of Betazoid. I've written them to write to the captain for any advice and any help. In the letters that I have written home to my parents that I'm sorry and that I want to tell them in person when I see them, and tell how I had help to realize that we all were hurting. I just can't wait till these three little ones come out into the world.

End log

[Samira Khasim]

Science Officer Log
Lieutenant Samira Khasim recording.
Encrypt Log Entry.

We're close. I hope we'll have good results, but the secrecy involved is surprising yet understandable. We're at risk of violations of the Prime Directive here. All the same, I feel this could be worth the effort. Now we just need the purified dilithium from this rianite...

End Log.

[Jez Mala]

Jez sat down on her bed, she looked over at the stasis pod. “Your grandparents need to know.” Jez wasn’t sure how she was going to explain to her parents what was going on, but how do you tell your parents that you were pregnant and that the man who got you pregnant was an abusive Telepathic Supremacist who looked down on those of mixed ancestry. Jez knew that her father would react in the typical Vulcan manner, he would raise an eyebrow and say something like, “That is illogical the IDIC tells us, Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.” However, her mother will become angry and her feelings hurt. She would defend her decision to mate with Fet as divine inspiration and blessed by the Four Sisters,


Security Officer Log
Lieutenant Jez Mala recording:

Mother, Father,

I hope this communication finds you well.

Dear Mom and Dad,

I have started and stopped this letter more times than I can count. I don’t know if there is a right way to say what I need to say, or a way that won’t hurt you. I only know that I can’t carry this alone anymore, and you deserve to hear the truth from me.

I’m pregnant.

I can almost hear the silence that will follow that sentence. I know this isn’t how you imagined hearing news like this. It isn’t how I imagined it either.

The father is someone I was seeing for a time — someone I told you very little about. I kept him separate from my life with you, and now I’m ashamed of that secrecy. What I didn’t fully admit to myself then, and what I can’t ignore now, is that he was abusive. Not just in the obvious ways — though there were those too — but in the quieter, insidious ways that made me question my own thoughts, my own worth, my own reality.

He controlled who I spoke to. He criticized my clothes, my friends, and my opinions. When he was angry, it felt like standing in the path of a storm. Sometimes that anger became physical. I told myself it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. I told myself I could handle it. I was wrong.

There’s something even harder to say. He held extreme supremacist beliefs — hateful, dehumanizing views about people who weren’t like him. At first he framed them as “just opinions,” political arguments that I could brush off or debate. Over time I realized they were not abstract ideas to him; they were core to who he was. The hatred was real. It shaped how he treated others — and eventually, how he treated me.

I feel ashamed that I stayed as long as I did. I feel ashamed that I didn’t tell you sooner. I was embarrassed that I had fallen for someone like that, and afraid you would see me differently. I also felt trapped. Abuse has a way of shrinking your world until you can’t see a clear exit.

I am no longer with him. I left. It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t clean, but I am out. He does not know where I am now, and I am taking steps to keep it that way.

The pregnancy was not something I planned. When I found out, I was overwhelmed by fear — fear of being tied to him forever, fear of what you would think, fear of whether I am strong enough to do this. I still don’t have all the answers about what I will do next. I am taking this one step at a time, speaking with a counselor, and trying to make decisions from a place of clarity rather than panic.

What I need you to know most is this: none of this was because I believed in what he believed. None of this was because I accepted his hatred. I argued with him. I challenged him. I paid the price for that more than once. If I stayed, it was not because I agreed — it was because I was afraid, confused, and worn down.

I am still me. I am still your daughter. I am hurting, but I am not broken.

I don’t know what your first reaction will be. You may feel anger — at him, at the situation, maybe even at me. You may feel disappointment or fear. I understand all of that. But more than anything, I hope you can see that I am coming to you now because I trust you. Because I need you. Because I don’t want to hide anymore.

I am trying to build something different from what I experienced — something safe, something honest. Whether that includes raising this child or making another decision, I want to do it with integrity and with support.

Please don’t see me only through this mistake or this trauma. See me as someone who survived something painful and is trying to move forward with courage.

I love you both more than I can say. I hope, when you are ready, we can talk.

With love, and may the Four Sisters watch over you.

Jez

[Beno Velaul]

First Officers log
Commander Beno Velaul Recording.

To summarize Ambassador Gebrezghi is alive and well, unfortunately the same can not be said for her pilot. The crash landing caused severe injuries that their doctors couldn't treat, the Ambassador was treated leaving marks that can be easily treated with a dermal regenerator.

As for this whole incident it could have been avoided if the conditions were met, a flight plan was verified by both sides and before the shuttle entered the Atmosphere communication had to be established. The Ambassador claimed that an anomaly destroyed communications ability, however we haven't been able to sight any evidence to support it.  The shuttle craft was stripped clean of anything that could prove or disprove any theory, the exterior contaminated by atmosphere entry being fired at and contamination brought on by the dessert. It is to my understanding they had the ability to turn around back to the Federation, but chose not to. 

They were caught flying in a restricted zone that could have had worse results than what happened, I hypothesize that the original flight plan would have given them the safest path possible. Without proper recalibrations of the shuttles sensors would make navigation impossible, the magnetic fields created by their society as a whole distorts the navigational sensors much like any mountain side would. The crash landing in the dessert was hazardous to their health, if they were left at the crash site it would have been fatal.    

Upon reflection the actions done here would be no different than if this were Earth, if this was their shuttle and Ambassador the reaction wouldn't be different. I went down there in order to understand what happened from all sides, it is the only way to get the full picture. I met with President Khushku who was very well informed about everything that happened. She was fully expecting us to be leading with the sword of war in hand, she was completely surprised by the olive branch of peace. This opened up a dialog that would never have been possible if I had gone in with any level of hostile intent, it also went a long way in restoring diplomatic relations between both parties. History has proven time and time again, war only brings more war. 

It is only natural to have people that are afraid of change, their actions could have derailed the peace process in the name of preserving their way of life. Circling back to the olive branch of peace, we could have proven their point for them with violence it would have solidified their position and permanently closed the door to any diplomatic relations. I am pleased to report that there is still hope that diplomatic relations between the Federation and Riani is still possible, I gladly relinquish that responsibility to the actual Diplomats.

Final thoughts on the subject Ambassador Weisbrantz has officially stepped down in his position,  while Ambassador  Gebrezghi has her work cut out for her. The transition isn't going to be easy but not impossible, one day they might join the Federation but that is going to take time. In close I offer the following as a suggestion, be completely transparent with them. This is a nation of people who are anything but transparent, it was how I was able to keep communications open between us for so long. If we make it clear that joining the Federation isn't surrendering their way of life for us to impose ours, one day they will join. The seed of Peace has been planted, now its a matter of neutering and time. If we try to rush this, it will all implode.

End Log