The Nebula That Never Gives Up Her Dead (Part 2)

Posted on Fri Aug 18th, 2023 @ 11:57am by Commander Chisato Nishikigi & Captain Taiga Aisaka & Lieutenant Chrirhc Chihc

1,136 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Starship Graveyard
Location: USS Tokyo (NCC-91101)
Timeline: Approximately 3 hours after "New Orders"

Previously on Star Trek Tokyo:

"All over one starship..." Taiga pondered. "Well, Starfleet's constitution class did have a reputation for being the best, but also being lost. I mean they lost three or four over the course of three years," Taiga sighed. "Why does it sound like Starfleet are sending us into a death-trap?"

"Sure looks to be the case," Chisato admitted. "You can't deny, every single time that Starfleet's attempted to chart this nebula specifically, they end up losing a ship. Question is, why?"

And now... the continuation!

---

"Thats an answer we are going there to find out," Taiga replied simply. "So, what did you find on the Redemption? The Major has a special connection to that ship."

"Ah, yes, the most recent Starfleet expedition;" Chrirhc replied. "The USS Redemption, NCC-10134. She was a Nova class starship commissioned in 2378 under the command of Captain Hisako Reizei; a Starfleet veteran who served in both the Cardassian and Dominion Wars whom had been contemplating retirement that year until Starfleet gave her command of the Redemption. The Redemption largely served domestically in the Federation's core during its four year long career, a request made by Captain Reizei, who wanted to spend more time with her granddaughter, Mako Reizei."

Chrirhc leafed through the report until he found the page that he was looking for, and continued:

"If Starfleet gave Captain Reizei the Redemption in the hopes that she would stay, they only managed to get four more years out of her, for by 2382, Captain Reizei announced that by year's end, she would be hanging up her combadge for good and retiring. Now, enter Vice Admiral Arlo Torongo; an ambitious young flag officer looking to succeed where his great great grandfather had failed over a century prior. When he heard news of Captain Reizei's impending retirement, he felt that charting the Karlax Nebula could serve as her crowning achievement, and after much petitioning, finally succeeded in having the Redemption assigned to chart the nebula. I'm sure you can guess how the story goes from here?"

"Again, no sign of them," Tsiga responded.

"Precisely." Chrirhc said. "The Redemption failed to report in, and a search was mobilized almost immediately. However, Starfleet only spent about four weeks searching before they declared the Redemption lost with all hands. Now, compare that to a more recent disappearance; the USS Missouri, which disappeared about 2 years ago, and they're still looking for it to this day. However, unlike previous Starfleet expeditions, we have seen more active political involvement from individuals who lost a family member on the Redemption. Within a year of the Redemption's loss, an organization called 'Families of the Starship Redemption' was formed. This group effectively ruined Vice Admiral Torongo's career, forcing him to pen his resignation in 2386, had a Sovereign class cruiser named after the Redemption, and successfully lobbied Starfleet into putting a 20 year hold on further Karlax expeditions."

Chrirhc flipped to the news report he found on their expedition.

"As you can probably imagine, our expedition has received quite a bit of negative blowback from the Families of the Redemption, who have called our mission 'grave robbing.' Perhaps the most vocal of these detractors are Hiroyoshi and Ai Shimada, owners and curators of the Shimada Vintage Manga Library and Museum in Akihabara, who lost their adopted son, Lieutenant Tatsuo Shimada, aboard the Redemption."

"Certainly interesting. But one thing I need to ask." She paused for a few moments. "How does an order from Starfleet Command given to this ship make its way down into the civilian population?" She asked rather alarmed. "Last time I checked, orders abd missions given to Starships aren't usually broadcasted. Especially delicate ones like ours."

"Well, the Redemption Act does give relatives of Starship fatalities a right to know if Starfleet is planning something to potentially honor their loved one's sacrifice." Chrirhc explained. "The likely sequence of events is that Starfleet met with the Families of the Redemption behind closed doors about our orders as mandated, and from what I could gather, the families didn't like what they heard, and put out a press release expressing their grievances. Starfleet might be able to control all internal communications, but they can't control what external organizations might do. Otherwise, it would be considered censorship of the press, and a violation of basic Federation rights."

Taiga nodded. She wasn't a legal expert in the slightest. "Hmm. Well I suppose if we do find anything of the Redemption it'll be closure for them." She looked down at the desk for a brief moment. "Have you discovered anything else that I should be aware of?"

"Well, I suppose we could go into detail on the Miranda-Class vessel they lost attempting to chart the nebula in the 2280s, but it's pretty much the same old song-and-dance at this point," Chisato dismissed with a wave of the hand. "A fully-detailed report on the incident is included somewhere in the docket for you to peruse at your own discretion. But in the meantime, Lieutenant Chihc and I would like to make a proposal- presuming you're open to one, that is."

Taiga waved her hand in a circular motion to indicate that Chisato should keep talking.

"Given Starfleet's... track record of losing ships in this neck of the woods, I think it's safe to suggest we be taking some added precautionary measures," Chisato went on to explain. "I would advise we have at least two or three ships on standby, radioing in with us at regular intervals- I'd say about every 30 minutes or so; the moment we fail to radio in, they can scramble a search party at the drop of a hat. Now granted, is that to say this'll be enough of a protective countermeasure? Probably not, but at least this time, we'd have a leg up on whatever's been costing us ships out there, and we could even have rescue teams on scene in a matter of minutes, as opposed to hours or days."

"I'll submit a request to command. However there may not be any starships spare to 'babysit' us." Taiga replied.

"Understood," Chisato nodded. "But thank you all the same for hearing us out, Captain."

Taiga nodded in response. "Good work you two. Ensure all relevant information is made available to those who need it," she said to them both. "Keep your ears and eyes open in case anything else comes up. Is there anything else?"

Chisato scratched her chin. "Nope, nothing that's immediately coming to mind; only cake."

"Well then, in that case. Dismissed," Taiga replied.

Tag

Posting by

Captain Taiga Aisaka
Commanding Officer

Lieutenant Chisato Nishikigi
Chief Intelligence Officer

Lieutenant Chrirhc Chihc
Assistant Chief Intelligence Officer

 

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