Day 15-What are some things in the setting that are best avoided?
"Flying headlong into danger seems an integral part of being a Starfleet Officer.
I can not in good conscience say this isn't true but there is a lot more to what we do then heading blindly forward into the unknown. There are sensor scans, researching Starfleet and UFP records, and using ones wits and skills to assess the situation that lies ahead and what the best way to handle it may be.
All this to say, while I am about to describe some elements of the Sierra-12, Tango-8, and Tango-9 Sectors that pose potential dangers to the otherwise unwary traveler, this isn't an invitation for you to check them out personally. Starfleet is highly trained and specially equipped to deal with threats both nature and abnormal and without that preparation, well, multiply the peril a hundred fold.
To be clear, I am not saying you can't explore outer space if you're not a Starfleet Officer. I lived out among the stars all by myself for years before I encountered the Prosperity and its crew but...it was hard. It was extremely hard. Supplies were limited, food often scarce, and hostile aliens a constant concern. I want you to enjoy your time out here and not have to spent every moment fighting for survival. I did that and while I am thankful for the talents and skills I developed, I don't wish that kind of experience on anyone else.
*Sigh. Deep breath.* "Be careful out there. Be smart. Do your research. Bring the right gear and supplies and make sure they're in good working order. Make sure you know how to fix your gear in a pinch. Bring a communicator and a long range subspace beacon. Don't be scared but do be cautious.
OK, let's begin..."
The Neutronium Debris Field
On Stardate 7681.3, the USS Prosperity responded to a distress call from the Andorian Commerical Vessel 'Shinig Dust', a freighter transporting various minerals and other materials to Mozinphar's Planet from the Andorian Mining Consortium's colony on Partha V (Partha System, HD 1108). Chief of Communications Hitomi Kikaeda reported the message abruptly cutting off mid-sentence. When Commander Carr, our Chief Science Officer, scanned for the cargo ship he detected a massive field of neutronium, which seemed an impossibility.
Neutronium is virtually indestructible, an extremely dense and heavy metal that is completely unbothered by direct phaser fire at full power. Somehow, hundreds of thousands of tons of the material was detected, scattered in a massive field, its components moving away from each other in the manner of an exploded ship or planetoid.
When Prosperity arrived she came face-to-face with a most extraordinary site...I can't say I'd seen anything quite like it before. A destroyed Planet Killer. A broken and blasted Doomsday Machine.
This area is now marked by a Hazardous Travel Buoy, a warning beacon alerting starships of the danger in moving through the area. Between massive chunks of neutronium, the remains of the 'Shining Dust', and other components, a vessel moving through this part of space should honestly just avoid it all together. If you do find yourself near enough to this site that the debris might pose a danger to your ship, first divert as much power as you can spare to your shields and navigational deflectors. Use navigational sensors to plot the shortest and safest course out of the subsector. If your ship is equipped with a tractor beam, keep it on standby. It might be possible to use it to push away larger chunks of debris but only do this if absolutely necessary.
It should also be noted that before its destruction, the Planet Killer eliminated the Partha System and the planet of the same name. Being the Prosperity's Chief Navigator it was my task to confirm the destruction of Partha V and the loss of all five thousand inhabitants, mostly Andorian and Human miners. Our hearts go out to the families and friends of those lost in this terrible event.
Unfortunately, I can not divulge any additional information regarding this mission. As of now, Starfleet has classified many of the details for the purposes of not impeding a continued investigation into the incident. Also, salvage and scavenger crews may attempt to ignore the warning buoy and that would be a very bad idea on their part. You should certainly be aware that these ships, as well as pirates, may also be circling the area like vultures (a carrion eating bird from Earth not unlike the Cheronian Strixin, a most unpleasant creature).
The Romulan Neutral Zone and Romulan Space
A demilitarized zone of space in the Beta Quadrant located between the United Federation of Planets and the Romulan Star Empire. It was established about 100 years ago* in the aftermath of the Earth-Romulan War and the establishment of the Coalition of Planets (precursor to the UFP). Entering into the zone is an act of war and any vessel of the opposing side found on the controlling side of the zone will be immediately fired upon. At least, that is how the official papers read.
In actuality, starships cross the zone far more often then people think. It is certainly not a common occurance by any means but there have been numerous cases where vessels have entered and transversed the Romulan Neutral Zone for the purposes of emergency rescues, diplomatic and intelligence based meetings, and other less noble purposes. Several dozen Federation Outposts are positioned on the UFP side of the zone, charged with monitoring the area to prevent any sort of large scale incursion. The Romulans have similar 'listening posts' on their side.
In practice, Starfleet and the Federation do an excellent job of watching out for Romulan ships trying to sneak across the border but with vessels equipped with Cloaking Devices and commanders with a knack for stealthy operations, it is impossible to spot and stop them all. I am not here just to tell you not to attempt entering the Neutral Zone; beware of Romulan ships that may have gotten through undetected.
If you do come across a Romulan vessel, do not engage. Instead, make best possible speed away from the region and send an open channel distress call. It will very likely be picked up by one of the UFP listening outposts, patrolling Starfleet vessels, or Starbase 19. They will respond and give you instructions on what to do next.
The Typhon Expanse
An immense gaseous nebula in the Beta Quadrant that has yet to be fully explored. Due to the difficulties in traveling through this celestial body, what little we know of the nebula's interior comes from long range sensor scans, which have been inconsistant and inconclusive, and probes, many of which have been lost.
Nebulas of this type have a great deal of radiation that interferes with starship sensors and subspace communications. In addition to the obvious ways in which this limits exploration of the area, it makes it difficult to radio for help should your vessel encounter a serious issue.
At one point Starfleet completely restricted passage into the expanse while it investigated a possible temporal anomaly located in the coreward section of the nebula. A Starfleet Science Outpost was established in the Echo 4 System (HD 125484) to study the phenomenon. Eventually the anomaly collapsed and Echo 4 is scheduled to be repurposed.**
"While we are on the subject of dangerous aspects of the Tango-8 and Tango-9 Sectors, I think its best to share what we know about the direct threats and hostile forces operating in the vicinity. That will be our next entry..."
*The Earth-Romulan War did not occur in a 'fixed year' in our campaign. It is an event that occurred a plot amount of years ago, roughly mapping to 100 years prior to the campaign but its a soft century to be sure. It seems a long time ago when I need it to and not so long ago that a Earth-Romulan War era derelict may still have some functional parts.
**Ensign Shae was not privy to all the details of the Typhon Oracle Anomaly mission. Echo 4 was monitoring a rift in space/time located deep within the coreward part of the expanse through which Romulan subspace communications from 8 years in the future were coming through. This provided a rather unique espionage opportunity and Echo 4 was a Starfleet Intelligence operation. When Starfleet lost contact with the outpost, the USS Prosperity and USS Persistance were sent to investigate.
As it turned out, when the anomaly opened 8 years ago, a Romulan Scout Ship and its pilot were accidentally caught in the phenomenon on the other side of the rift, located deep within Romulan Space. He managed to survived for a time on his ship and when the Echo 4 base was established, he murdered the base's Vulcan First Officer and replaced him.
In his disguise as Commander Suran, he developed a unhealthy obsession with Lt. Mirai Kodama, the Subspace Anomaly Specialist. Over the next 8 years 'Suran' became more and more unstable, slowly going mad. He eventually planned to kidnap Lt. Kodama and take her back with him back through the anomaly to his origin time. One day, seeing Kodama having a private conversation with Lt. Sovot, the Communications Specialist, 'Suran' murdered the younger Vulcan in a passionate rage. Lt. Kodama ran and 'Suran' gave chase. The Oracle Anomaly started to breakdown and become unstable. Reacting with the time-phased molecular structure of the Romulan madman, a bunch of murderous time shadows formed and proceeded to start killing, well everybody. The Prosperity arrived at Echo 4 and using their particular talents and detective skills they managed to piece all this together.
Personnel of Starfleet Intelligence Outpost Echo 4
Survivors highlighted.
In the end, Captain Fletcher and her crew - with particularly excellent work by Commander Carr and then newcomer Lt. Wilder - managed to save Lt. Kodama and another officer, Lt. Katerina Volkov and eliminate the time shadows using a power tachyon burst. The collapsing Oracle Anomaly ended up trapping the Romulan, who was arrested by the Prosperity.
AD
Barking Alien
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