Captain's Log 011

Posted on 31 Oct 2012 @ 9:49pm by Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm

710 words; about a 4 minute read

Captain's Log, Stardate 66833.7

Much has transpired since my last log. In the face of destruction, my ship was forced to equip and use the Sienna prototype to escape the Klingon task group which was laying in wait outside of the Z'Tarnis Nebula. I had many reservations about attempting such a feat, but unfortunately our circumstances did not allow for any other option.

Fate was on our side, it seemed. Our newly-discovered Vorta friend, Amril, was instrumental in helping our scientists and engineering personnel equip and modify the device to our starship. And despite the relatively uncooperative nature of the Doctors Hardaway, I could almost sense a small feeling of willingness coming from them; perhaps at the excitement of being able to use their prized technology for the first time. Or...maybe I'm just fantasizing. Either way, our attempt was successful, against all odds.

We managed to put some separation between us and a couple trailing battlecruisers before we activated the device. What happened next was...strange, to say the least. As we went through the artificial gateway, I felt, for a split second, as though my mind and body were in two places at once. Time slowed down to the point where I think it stopped, after which I was rendered unconscious along with the rest of my crew. When we came to, we were in the Alpha quadrant, floating adrift. The device pretty much sucked the life out of Galileo's power systems and we had to struggle to re-establish emergency power. After that was accomplished, we were able to hail a nearby freighter who happened to be on its way to Vega Colony. The ship's captain, Jesra Moore, was very accommodating and diverted course to assist us. She commands an Antares Class freighter and though a bit slow, the large ship was able to tow us to the Vega system with no further damage.

After we arrived in orbit of Vega IX, things became complicated rather quickly. With very little power to work with and our life support fluctuating, I made the decision to land Galileo on the planet's surface. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and our initial landing approach went smoothly. However on final approach, we encountered another power systems failure, this one more critical. Several of our landing thrusters went offline and we were forced to make an emergency landing. Thanks to our savvy helmsman, Lieutenant Mialin, we avoided a potentially-crippling freefall and were able to gain some airspeed to glide to the surface. The landing was rough...but surprisingly, no fatalities or serious injuries were reported. And thankfully, we did not damage or destroy any civilian structures on the nearby colony. It was as smooth of a crash landing as I could have hoped for...not that I would ever want to do it again.

Less than two days later, Task Force 72-C arrived in orbit to provide assistance and to retrieve Project Sienna. I admit, I'm a bit sad to see the Doctors Hardaway leave. For some strange reason, I grew rather fond of them and their disgruntled nature over the past days. Sigh. But I'm also glad that they are gone, along with their prized experiment. Despite our success with the device, I have an uneasy feeling about its possible side-effects. I can't comment or speculate on the details, but I've been having...nightmares. I'm not sure if they are induced from my recent abduction trauma or from Sienna travel, but they are somewhat terrifying. And I'm not sure what to do about them.

My crew and I have been granted ten days of shore leave while Galileo undergoes repairs and a resupply. I suppose I'll use that time to re-evaluate myself. I'd really like to head to back to San Francisco and visit my sister, but I'm not sure if I will have the time.

In the meantime, I have to look after my crew. Our promotion ceremony is in twenty minutes and I will be pleased to award advancements to many of our personnel. They've all come a long way since we left space dock, and I couldn't be more proud of them.

Computer, end log

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