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Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
 
Welcome, gentlemen and ladies, to the Kedmar Sector. For those of you new to the game (ha!), “You’re the Admiral!” is a semi-directed hypothetical discussion of Starfleet operations and activities. As the Rear Admiral in this sector, it’ll be your job to assemble, deploy, and manage the starships assigned to this area.

General notes, for those of you unfamiliar with the tradition, or have forgotten:

Introduction

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(click for a bigger map)

Timeline: 2360. That means no Galaxy-class starships in our toolbox, but pretty much everything else should be fair game. The Federation is involved in a few ongoing conflicts, most notably with the Cardassians, but there are no major known threats.

The Kedmar Sector is located on the north-western edge of Federation territory, about 2 weeks’ travel from the nearest major starbase. This sector was first explored by the USS San Jose about 25 years ago. During its survey it made contact with the three spacefaring cultures in this region.

Senac is a relatively new member of the Federation, they joined about 10 years ago. The Senac have been spacefaring for about 300 years, but didn’t develop their warp engines beyond about warp 3 or so, and so mostly stayed in their own sector. Since joining the Federation, their technology and infrastructure are gradually being upgraded to Federation standards.

Oasis is a newly-settled colony, founded only about a year ago. About a third of the colonists are Senac, the rest are your average mix of Federation member species.

The Nillavi Cluster is your average star cluster of a dozen-plus stars, all fairly young (galactically speaking). Nillavi Prime was colonized by the Senac about 200 years ago, and the rest of the resource-rich cluster was settled fairly quickly after that. The colonies’ population expanded very rapidly, and they built a highly industrialized society from the abundant raw materials. They declared independence about 70 years ago in a short, fairly one-sided conflict. Relations between the Nillavi Syndicate and the Senac are chilly but not tense. There is some trade between Senac and the cluster, mostly valuable minerals from Nillavi and agri-stuffs from Senac. Some Nillavi citizens feel that their society should join the Federation like their Senac cousins, but that’s a very tentative consideration with no real action yet.

The T’g’nari are moderately xenophobic, have launched some starships but aren’t really interested in contact with other worlds. Despite their industrial capabilities, they’re mostly an agricultural society.

The Qorn are a pre-warp culture that was contacted by the Senac about 100 years ago. There’s some regular one-sided trade, Senac ships will trade raw materials (including some traded from the Nillavi) with many of the nation-states, in exchange for local finished goods (artwork, clothing, local foodstuffs). The Qorn aren’t terribly interested in venturing out of their star system, but are happy to trade with the Senac and take whatever technological advances they can trade for. However, they lack the scientific foundation to build their own advanced technology, and focus mainly on reverse-engineering Semac technology they obtain. There are occasional local conflicts between the nation-states, but nothing major.

The sector to the “north” is also considered Federation territory, and there are 3 member colonies in that area. However, it’s also close to the Tzenkethi border, placing your sector about 10 days’ travel away from the Tzenkethi fleet. They’ve never attacked into the Kedmar Sector in the past, but border skirmishes are common in the ongoing Tzenkethi War.

Further Information

Senac
Oasis
Nillavi
T’g’nar
Qorn

Question One

  1. Consider the background information provided above to be your briefing as you assume your duties in this sector. Define what Starfleet’s priorities in this sector should be. Also, note any gaps in the information provided, and where you’d want to focus your intelligence gathering.

  2. Starfleet wants to establish a larger outpost in this sector, to support operations both here and in the sector to the north. This starbase (same type as Starbase 375) will be an important symbol of the Federation presence, and will be have sufficient defenses against any foreseeable threat. Choose a location to establish this starbase, and justify your decision.

  3. Compose a request to Starfleet for your task force in this sector. Assume you’ve arrived in this sector aboard an Excelsior-class cruiser, which will be joining your fleet. In addition to that ship, justify a reasonable number and breakdown of ships that should be deployed. Specify their primary and secondary duties.


(Administrative note: I'm going to try to post the next question every Saturday. We'll see if I can keep that promise...) [Wink]
 
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
Question A: Consider the background information provided above to be your briefing as you assume your duties in this sector. Define what Starfleet’s priorities in this sector should be. Also, note any gaps in the information provided, and where you’d want to focus your intelligence gathering.

Starfleet's priorities:

-Examination of The Big Drift, particularly with an eye towards any tactical advantages or disadvantages it could provide to friendly or hostile fleets.

-Examination of elements of Nillavi society with an eye towards isolationist elements which might choose to resist Federation expansion through military force.

-Establishing diplomatic contact with Qorn and T'G'Nar, if these societies wish it.

I am curious about The Big Drift, and why no information has been provided on it; one of my priorities would be assigning a ship (preferably a dedicated science vessel) to explore this region of space – can we scan through it, can we see ships hiding in it? If it can provide a tactical advantage, I want to know about it.

I would like to explore meeting with the governments of Nillavi, T'g'nar, and Qorn. In the case of the Nillavi, I am most curious by the phrase “some Nillavi citizens feel that their society should join the Federation.” Well, what about the other elements of Nillavi society? Certainly it can almost be expected that there is an isolationist movement, and I'd like to have my finger on their pulse to judge how the society may react to the installation of a Starfleet starbase so close to their own interests.

T'g'nar is, to me, almost a non-threat. They prefer to be left alone and have not shown any indication that they would strike at the Federation unless provoked to do so. The Qorn have no capacity to strike at anyone – my concern with them is primarily related to actions that may be undertaken by the Nillavi, or the T'g'nar, particularly if either society feels it needs to “flex its muscles.”

Due to the possibility (hopefully remote) of military action between the Federation and the Nillavi, or the T'g'nar, or between the Nillavi and T'g'nar, or one of those two and the Qorn, or the Tzenkethi and who knows who, I would like to place some sensor buoys in strategic areas of space to keep an eye on traffic in the areas of their respective planets. These buoys would be placed in what is clearly interstellar space onto which no one society can make a claim. With a response force split between Oasis and Senec, Starfleet should be well positioned to respond to any actions.

Question B:Starfleet wants to establish a larger outpost in this sector, to support operations both here and in the sector to the north. This starbase (same type as Starbase 375) will be an important symbol of the Federation presence, and will be have sufficient defenses against any foreseeable threat. Choose a location to establish this starbase, and justify your decision.

I recommend strongly that Starfleet's new Starbase be placed into orbit of Oasis; this recommendation may be ammended based on what I learn about The Big Drift.

While establishing a starbase over Senec may make more logistical sense, by placing it over Oasis, a Starfleet force will be positioned closer to the northern sector to respond to a potential Tzenkethi threat, or a Starfleet force engaged in hostilities in the northern sector will have a closer port of call for rearmamment, resupply, or repair. From Oasis, it is a 12 hour journey at maximum warp to the northern sector, and a nearly 3 day journey from Senec. The location of the starbase here will also encourage traffic to Oasis and speed the colony's development.

The most compelling reason to place the starbase in orbit of Senec would be to resist any hostile moves by the T'G'Nar, however, Senec's existing orbital defenses should be sufficient against the types of vessels deployed by the T'G'Narians; additionally, with the deployment of automated beacons outside of T'G'Narian space, should they make a push to Senec, Starfleet vessels would be able to depart Oasis and arrive at Senec within hours of a T'G'Narian arrival at Senec.

Additionally, should the Nillavi come to see it in their best interest to strike at Senec, by gathering their forces at the southern end of their space in advance of a strike, they would leave their northern border open to a response from the Starfleet force at Oasis.

Question C:Compose a request to Starfleet for your task force in this sector. Assume you’ve arrived in this sector aboard an Excelsior-class cruiser, which will be joining your fleet. In addition to that ship, justify a reasonable number and breakdown of ships that should be deployed. Specify their primary and secondary duties.

Currently, Starfleet is very engaged with Cardassian forces along our border. However, while an uneasy peace currently exists between the Federation and the Tzekenthi, we have fought them on repeated occasions, and should not be careless as to their capacity to hold a grudge, or to implement and carry through precision military actions. My forces would primarily be deployed to best respond to a Tzenkethi incursion to the sector through two missions: a border patrol; and a fast response force stationed at Oasis. I have requested eighteen additional starships to the vessel I arrived on.

Currently, my strongest vessel is the USS Little Round Top, which ferried me here. These are the ships I would request, and how I would deploy them:

Northern Border Patrol:
USS Gettysburg, Ambassador Class
USS Gorkon, Excelsior Class
USS Brilliant, Miranda Class
USS Bolano, Miranda Class

Orders: These vessels will maintain a patrol of the Northern Border to watch for a Tzenkethi incursion. These ships have strict orders not to engage a tactically superior force unless presented no alternative -- if they discover a hostile force, they are to shadow until the Fast Response Force at Oasis can respond. The Gettysburg would be instructed to remain within one day's travel of Oasis; Gorkon would be requested to stay within two days travel of Nillavi, and with a preference given to fast response to the Big Drift. These orders subject to developing circumstances and at the discretion of their commanders.

Tzenkethi Fast Response (FORCE T):

USS Maryland, Ambassador Class
USS Aba'Kur, Excelsior Class
USS Perseverance, Excelsior Class
USS Bridgewater, Miranda Class
USS Saltash Castle, Miranda Class
USS Compass Rose, Miranda Class

Orders: These six vessels will form “Force T,” the Tzenkethi Fast Response force which will be on hand to respond to reports of a Tzenkethi incursion along the Northern Border. Force T will maintain orbit of Oasis until required to deploy; however, USS Bridgewater, Saltash Castle, and Compass Rose are ordered to deploy buoys for monitoring of space traffic in regions of Navalli, T'g'nar, and Qorn before reporting to Oasis.

Oasis Overwatch:

USS Alexandria, Excelsior Class
USS Teazer, Miranda Class

Orders: these vessels are ordered to provide any necessary assistance to Oasis. Their real purpose is to respond to developing circumstances and provide a military force in the event of hostile action

Senec Overwatch:

USS Ramilies, Excelsior Class
USS Thunder Child, Miranda Class
USS Wizard, Miranda Class

Orders: these vessels are ordered to provide any necessary assistance to Senec. Their real purpose is to respond to developing circumstances and provide a military force in the event of hostile action.

Big Drift Survey:

USS Pascal, Oberth Class
USS Coma Berenices, Constellation Class

USS Pascal is instructed to conduct a thorough examination of The Big Drift. Because there may be tactical advantages to vessels hiding within this region of space, Pascal is to be escorted by Coma Berenices; additionally, USS Gorkon on Northern Sector Patrol will remain near to respond in the event of a situation.

USS Hope, Medical Ship (see below)

Meanwhile, upon arrival of my requested ships, USS Little Round Top, accompanied by USS Hope, will begin a diplomatic mission to Nillavi and T'G'Nar, in that order (if our requests for diplomatic meetings are accepted). The purpose of this mission will be to communicate Federation plans for the sector in regards Federation expansion, and the Tzenkethi threat. Ideally, the Hope, which is a disaster response and medical vessel, will demonstrate the humanitarian efforts of the Federation. I will maintain command of sector operations from Little Round Top,.

Following this diplomatic mission, which is expected to last no more than two weeks, Little Round Top and Hope will deploy to Oasis.

[ September 29, 2013, 01:54 AM: Message edited by: Malnurtured Snay ]
 
Posted by The Ginger Beacon (Member # 1585) on :
 
Ok, here goes!

Question 1A:
Having read my briefing, I believe that Starfleet’s priorities in the Kedmar System should be:

• Act to nurture, encourage the development of and if needed protect Senac. We want to quickly upgrade their trading fleet to encourage trade in the sector and the wider regions. We also want to build up a permanent presence in the sector based around this member world and the soon to be established starbase in the sector.

• Oasis colony growth should be assisted. As a new colony it should be encouraged, but not at the cost of ignoring Senac. Trade between Senac should be encouraged. We should seek to put a perimeter of automated defences, but in the meantime a small fleet of ships should be in place to patrol and assist due to the proximity of the Tzenkethi. In order to avoid attracting conflict the patrol should be able to take care of itself, but not be so big as to draw their attention.

• We want to find out the aims of the Nillavi and whether or not these may impact Senac (as a Federation member). Therefore relations between the two should be encouraged by making official UFP diplomatic contact with Nillavi. We may offer them aid, or even protection in the event Tzenkethi comes their way perhaps as part of the negotiations (although they will probably want to stay neutral).

• Explore the Great Drift. From the initial briefing there appears to be little else scientifically interesting in the region. It’s omission leads me to suspect we know nothing about it and that alone makes me want to explore it. It is also a huge phenomina and may hold many interesting surprises.

• As we know little of their strength and intent T’g’nar should be monitored, but I don’t think they should be any problem right now. However, their isolation means we do not want to annoy them by probing, so a more passive or even covert monitoring may be called for.

Gaps in my knowledge:

• How fast are we advancing the Senac? Presumably they have access to our knowledge base. Their tech is ‘current’, meaning equal to everywhere else in the Federation? So are we actively helping in upgrading their infrastructure, or are we letting them take the lead and just helping when they ask?

• What’s the Great Drift? How much do we know about it? Surely something that big can’t have escaped the local systems attention.

• Do we have an agenda with Oasis? Its location so close to a combat zone might not be a coincidence.

• As Senac is a Federation member and they have contacted and advanced the Qorn, are we allowed to contact & trade with them, or do we treat the Senac-Qorn relations as a special agreement between their two worlds under grandfather clauses?


Question 1B:
A new starbase should be established in the S543 system, approximately equidistant between the Senac and Oasis, our two main interests in the system. This will put it about 2 days travel from each at normal speeds. Ideally it would be further from Nillavi space, but I would rather it was in a star system than floating free in space, if only for aiding navigation to and from it. The system may prove to have useful resources, and if not we will at least be able to use solar energy. I hope this won’t anger the Nillavi too much, but we would like to make friendly contact with them anyway.

The position between the two planets should aid in increasing trade as well as encouraging growth on Oasis. A station in orbit of Oasis would obviously encourage rapid growth and offer protection, but given their size and recent founding this may cause a diplomatic incident with the Senac. On the other hand, I don’t want Oasis completely abandoned - positioning it in orbit of Senac would leave Oasis almost 3 days from any help, an unacceptable decission.

I next thought that it might be a good idea to place it in the middle of Oasis, Senac and T’g;nar, but this would leave it somewhat isolated and a tad further from either of our interests in the sector. While it might aid information gathering on T’g’nar, automated facilities would be able to do this better and less obtrusively (read, they are less likely to notice us spying on them if we appear to keep our distance). I therefore dismissed this idea.

Other considerations include the Great Drift, which, tactically speaking is a complete unknown right now. The T’g’nar would not take kindly to a starbase on their doorstep, but are (as far as we know) unlikely to be able to do anything about it. Still, best not to be provocative. The Qorn are essentially an artificially accelerated race, and so we might want to keep a bit f distance from them too, especially if they are into reverse engineering whatever they get their hands on.

Lastly, putting a starbase to the ‘north’ of Oasis is simply too provocative a move to the Tzenkethi, especially as we have no interest in making war with them from this sector.

Question 1C:
As we know, the Cardassian war is taking its toll on the fleet and relations with the Tzenkethi have never been brilliant. While conflict is yet to spread into this sector it would be prudent to protect our interests here should it do so. A small rapid border patrol is therefore warranted. Patrols of Oasis and Senac as well as the new Starbase would be a necessity. There is also the Great Drift, which should be explored, and finally there is a need to build up the trade and diplomacy in the region.

I have just the sector with the USS Frederickson (Excelsior Class), which will form the core of my fleet in the sector, at least initially.

As per my priorities, I would like to request seventeen additional ships, to be deployed as so:

A Northern Patrol Force consisting of
USS Bentonville , Excelcior Class
USS Aquarius, Constelation Class
USS Shelbyville , Springfield Class
USS Minerva , Mirranda Class
USS Munro , Mirranda Class

This fleet will be ordered to patrol the northern border, maintaining a constant watch out for any Tzenkethi activity. The Bentonville will command this fleet The patrol route will extend from 4 ly NW of Oasis to 2 ly north of the Great Drift.

At all times one ship shall stay in close proximity (1.5ly max) to Oasis, providing any assistance as needed and in order to mobilise a fast response to any developing threat. Ships will also have standing orders to assist Nillavi if requested and as such one of the patrol will organised so that 1 ship can remain within 1 day of both the drift and Nillayi prime at all times.

The fleet is compromised of a capitol vessel, two frigate and two light cruisers in order to maintain capability but also keep a relatively low profile.

Senac Home Fleet
North Home Patrol
USS Frederickson, Excelsior Class
USS Rutledge , New Orleans Class
USS DuBeck , Mirranda Class
USS Soval , Mirranda Class
USS New Dawn , Renaisance Class

The Home Patrol will safeguard the area around Senac and prepare for the arrival of the starbase. The Frederickson will command this fleet. It will primarily be charged with patrolling the area 2ly around Senac and to the region between Selnec and Oasis. The USS Rutledge will be given special instructions to make the opening overtures of diplomatic contact with the Nillavi.

The fleet will also be prepared to monitor and respond to any situation that may arise from the south of the Great Drift, though as this is mere speculation the priority will be as above.

Southern Home Patrol
USS Assurance , Ambassador Class
USS Massimino , Challenger Class
USS Gillingham , Mirranda Class
USS Goodwin , Mirranda Class
USS Xon , Mirranda Class

The southern patrol will be a large sweep from the south west of Senac to the east of Senac, essentially covering from near T’g’nar to 2ly south of the Great Drift.

The Assurance is essentially there to carry a big stick but also to allow the careful monitoring of T’g’nar until the automated system comes online. My intent is for the southern home fleet to determine the nature of any threat from the T’g’nar and the Qorn. Diplomatic contact will be offered to the T’g’nar by Assurance and if there is any interest will procede with caution until their capabilities are fully assessed.

If it becomes apparent that there is no danger then the southern home fleet will be reduced, moving the USS Gillingham to border patrol and having the USS New Dawn and USS Assurance swap fleets.

Ferry route
USS Oz , Erewon Class
USS Bondi , Sydney Class
USS Leo , Constelation Class

A ferry route between Senac and Oasis in order to promote trade, offer assistance to Oasis if needed and (when established) to provide links to the starbase. If needed I can divert starships from the Northern Patrol route for protection, or to reinforce the border patrol.

Survey Ship
USS Swallow , Aerie Class (as in the SS Raven)
USS Moore , Obeth Class

Two survey ships will be required potentially to explore the Great Drift. The Oberth Class is long established as a capable survey and science vessel, while the newer and faster Aerie Class USS Swallow can complement the USS Moore with its speed when a closer look is required, or to get a message back to base.

I anticipate the intial patrols to take no more than 1-2 weeks. Diplomatic contacts will have been offered by this time. The results of the initial survey of the Great Drift will depend on the level of warp drive disruption experienced in the region. I will avoid the Qorn until I have more information on our contact policy with them.
 
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
 
Okay, I was debating whether to do this or not, and originally left the question more open-ended, but I think that the fleets need to be reined in a bit. This IS the pre-TNG era, after all, when "the only ship in the sector" is a frequent occurrence. I can count only 3 or 4 occasions in all of TNG when we saw more than 2 ships at a time (or offscreen). Pretty much every starship can easily handle most missions on its own.

Of course, if you have only 2 ships, that makes things very difficult to play. And this is the first new round in many years, so I'll go easy on you and set a fairly generous limit. [Wink]

So, here is a revised Part C:

  1. Compose a request to Starfleet for your task force in this sector. Assume you’ve arrived in this sector aboard an Excelsior-class cruiser, which will be joining your fleet. In addition to that ship, justify a reasonable number and breakdown of ships that should be deployed. Specify their primary and secondary duties.

    Assume Starfleet will allocate you no more than TEN Federation starships to accomplish their goals given the priorities you’ve outlined. Define what classes, or types, of ships should be assigned to your fleet. Assume that:
    1. There can be no more than ONE Ambassador class ship in your fleet. If you include one, justify its presence.
    2. Your fleet will include at least TWO non-combat type ships (science, transport, etc.). Justify their presence and/or use.
    3. Of the remainder, explain their primary and secondary missions.

(If you're curious, go back and read some of the responses to the Sector Alpha scenario, which had a similar limit on fleet size.)

Also, feel free to use any ship classes you like, canon or not; just provide a link to a reference page for non-canon ships so the other players can know what you're using!
 
Posted by The Ginger Beacon (Member # 1585) on :
 
Ok then, Question 1C, take two!

I arrive in the sector with 1 Excelsior Class Starship. My priorities are to patrol the Senac System. The five local ships are equivalent roughly to Miranda Class vessels and (until I am ordered to otherwise) I co-ordinate with their commanders to patrol approximately 1 ly around Senac (1 ly marked by yellow dashed double ring around Senac on the accompanying map, labelled Fig 1).

Having secured the area around Senac, I move my ship to patrol between Oasis and Senac, approximately 3 days apart at high warp. This is too far to be sure of dealing with any emergency on either world so I need reinforcements.

My interests in the sector are:

1) Patrol the area to reassure and assist the two developing Federation worlds.

2) Monitor the north border so I can keep an eye on any Tzenkethi (or other potential enemy) movements that may threaten the sector.

3) Encourage trade in the sector and establish the site I have suggested for a starbase as useful system hub.

4) Investigate the Great Drift.

5) Approach the Nillavi to begin diplomatic contact with them, assess their political situation and determine if they are likely to become an ally or a danger in this sector.

6) Investigate the T'g'nar and ensure that a potentially dangerous race is not planning anything. Although they are unlikely to be a threat they remain an unknown quantity.


I therefore request the following scientific and transport ships to be made available in this sector:

Scientific Ships:

1 Oberth Class Starship.

This will be tasked with study of the Great Drift and will perform a through survey of the exterior before probing within, course shown in pale blue.

Transport:

1 Deneva Class & 1 Sydney Class.

These smaller ships are useful for trading and moving personnel. These will be used to encourage Senac-Oasis trade initially, and later to facilitate more movement between these planets and the soon to be established starbase (trade route suggested is the green dashed line).

They are unable to defend themselves so patrol routes will need to be modified to ensure that the ships are never too far from help.

The Excelsior Class ship I arrived in shall modify it's patrol to form a boomerang around Senac, from 2 ly SE of S543 to 3 ly SW of the Great Drift (shown as the red patrol).

In addition to these three ships, I request a further five ships. These ships are:


1 Excelsior Class, which despite their age, these remain excellent capitol ships.

Primary mission: to request the opening of diplomatic relationship between the UFP and the Nivalli (purple line).
Secondary mission: subtly gather inteligence regarding the Nillavi fleet and their capabilities. If contact is sucessful with Nivalli, asses the domestic political situation.


1 Springfield Class, which with its excellent sensor capabilities will make it most useful for intelligence and reconnaissance duties.

Primary mission: to patrol the northern boarder eastwards and scan for any unusual Tzenkethi activity in the vicinity.
Secondary mission: monitor the north of the Navilli territory and the Great Drift (both form the white patrol shown).


1 Miranda Class, which while older are still capable of patrol duties and can defend themselves extremely well.

Primary mission: patrol the region to the north west of Oasis, while maintaining a position of no greater than 3 ly from the planet (the dark blue patrol).
Secondary mission: aid in the deployment of upgraded planetary defence systems.


1 New Orleans Class. A newer and capable frigate, useful for lighter duty and projecting a less imposing image than an Excelsior.

Primary mission: To extend patrols to include the south of the sector, in a route from 2ly to Senac around systems B510, V359 and back (orange patrol route)
Secondary mission: To deploy automated sensor drones in strategic areas to monitor the T'g'nar, and possibly later the Qorn too.


1 Constellation Class. While these older ships are nearing the ends of their useful service lives, they are still useful as surveyors and with a large transport capacity, despite their age and reported unreliability.

Primary mission: to patrol between Oasis and S543, in order to maintain a presence in the S543 system and to escort transports in the event of hostilities (the purple patrol route).
Secondary mission: to aid in the development of Oasis colony. In the event that I am being too prudent in escorting the Senac-Oasis transports, the secondary mission can take precedence.


-

Fig 1: Proposed starship deployements and fleet movements in Kedmar Sector.
 
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
This is cool ... now I can get rid of all those Miranda-Class!

Compose a request to Starfleet for your task force in this sector. Assume you’ve arrived in this sector aboard an Excelsior-class cruiser, which will be joining your fleet. In addition to that ship, justify a reasonable number and breakdown of ships that should be deployed. Specify their primary and secondary duties.

Assume Starfleet will allocate you no more than TEN Federation starships to accomplish their goals given the priorities you’ve outlined. Define what classes, or types, of ships should be assigned to your fleet. Assume that:

There can be no more than ONE Ambassador class ship in your fleet. If you include one, justify its presence.
Your fleet will include at least TWO non-combat type ships (science, transport, etc.). Justify their presence and/or use.
Of the remainder, explain their primary and secondary missions.

Ten ships eh ... ? Or ten ships PLUS Little Round Top? No? Eh ...

The USS Little Round Top, on which I arrived, will initially deploy on the previously described diplomatic mission; the Little Round Top will be accompanied by medical vessel USS Hope. Upon completion of this mission, Little Round Top will deploy to Oasis, and Hope to Senec.

Because of the Tzenkethi threat, I am requesting Ambassador Class USS Maryland, as a deterrent. Maryland will form the bulk of my Fast Response Force, which will be primarily based at Oasis: Excelsior Class starships USS Gorkon, and USS Perseverance will compose the remainder of this force. Additionally, Excelsior Class USS Aba'Kur will be positioned at Senec. Before reporting to their permanent deployments, these Excelsior Class vessels will deploy sensor buoys in interstellar space to monitor traffic around Qorn, Nillavi, and T'G'Nar regions of the sector.

Science vessel USS Pastur, Oberth Class, will explore and chart the Big Drift.

The remainder of my fleet will be USS Arcturus, Rigel Class; USS Pelileu, Centaur Class; and USS Towson, Niagra Class. These ships will maintain a standard patrol of the Northern Border, however, Pelileu will be additionally tasked with monitoring Pasteur and being prepared to respond to any situation which the science vessel cannot manage on its own.
 
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
 
Everyone was probably expecting you to slash the fleet requisition in half! [Wink]

As it stands right now, I am in a hotel room around 4000 km away from home. I'm here for another two weeks but I hope to be able to answer this week sometime. Worst case I play catch up. [Smile]
 
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
Our priorities in this sector are:
1) Defend Federation worlds from attack or disaster
2) Protect Qorn from cultural interference, disaster, or invasion
3) Encourage Federation and Senac relations with the Nillavi
4) Ensure no escalation of hostilities with T'g'nari
5) Watch for Tzenkethi incursions

To support these ends, I propose placing the sector Starbase in orbit of Oasis. Oasis is presently undefended, and the most likely target in the sector for a Tzenkethi attack. The starbase will mitigate this concern.

Further, the construction of the base on Oasis will contribute to the growth of the Oasis colony, and to trade between Oasis and Senac. Since the Nillavi cluster lies along that trade route, expanded trade with the Syndicate may be facilitated. This will help to thaw relations between Nillavi and Senac, as well as furthering the Federation's relationship with Nillavi.

To further support these ends, the sector fleet must be able to assist with disasters and non-political emergencies, especially for Oasis and Qorn who have no fleets of their own. The fleet must also be able to deal with potential political/military flashpoints, of which there are four:

T'g'nari
The best approach to an isolationist culture is preemptive transparency. We will send an asynchronous message, a "letter", describing our intent in the sector. The first and most important consideration in this message is to request instructions from the T'g'nari as to what they consider the borders of their territory. We will state our intent to strictly respect their territory and wishes with respect to further contact.

After that statement is made, we will express our desire for further communication for diplomatic purposes, including trade and disaster/medical assistance. We will make it clear that any such contact will take place entirely on their terms, and (once the T'g'nari acknowledge receipt of our message) further communication from us will only occur under urgent circumstances. We must also make it clear that we do not control all parties, and particularly, that we are at war with the Tzenkethi, who may attempt to interfere in this sector. Information on Tzenkethi ships and tactics should be provided as part of the message.

We will state our intent, offer our assistance and friendship, and otherwise leave the T'g'nari alone. However, our fleet must be capable of repelling the entire T'g'nari force, should their isolationist tendencies turn to expansionism. The Qorn, particularly, are a potential target should this occur.

Qorn
The Qorn are a pre-warp civilization, and thus our influence on their societal development should be minimized. Large-scale technological assistance to Qorn by any Federation party must be prohibited. However, since Senac made contact with Qorn before joining the Federation, strict non-interference rules need not apply. We should establish limited diplomatic relations, and be prepared to assist with any disasters that may occur.

Tzenkethi
Tzenkethi incursions into this sector are unlikely, but possible. Light patrols across the northern border of the sector should be instituted. The most likely incursions would seem to be stealth attacks to sow political confusion, or to disrupt trade lanes. Attempts to cause an incident between Senac and Nillavi, or to cause the T'g'nari to lash out, are obvious possibilities. The local fleet must be flexible enough to defend against such broad threats.

Senac/Nillavi relations
The construction of our base around Oasis will help improve these relations. In addition, we should establish formal diplomatic relations with the Nillavi if such as not occurred. A mutual assistance and defense pact should be proposed, possibly including mutual free travel.

Fleet composition
Our local fleet's priorities are to patrol the sector (particularly the Great Drift), defend trade routes from Tzenkethi and general piracy, assist with disasters on any inhabited world, and defend against possible T'g'nari invasion of Qorn.

First, a number of small patrol vessels are required. I would requisition twenty runabout-class ships (or comparable) for this purpose. (Edit: I wrote this before reading the rest of the thread. Can I have lots of tiny ships?) These ships will perform general patrols of the sector. Over time, they will be supplemented with permanent sensor drone networks, especially along the route between Senac and Oasis.

Second, additional ships must be available for "heavy lifting". In addition to my Excelsior-class flagship, I request two Miranda-class and two Constellation-class cruisers. These ships will be available to provide large-scale assistance to any world or ship in the sector, and provide for sufficient coverage should any one ship be unable to serve. One of our five capital ships should be within easy range of each inhabited planet in the sector at all times (with T'g'nari as the lowest priority). My flagship will be stationed at Senac during normal operations. The other four ships will rotate along the borders of the quadrangle formed by Oasis, the Great Drift, T'g'nar, and Qorn.

Questions
What is the nature of the Tzenkethi war? What are their goals, capabilities, and tactics?
What is the law regarding Qorn? Pre-warp civilizations that have already been contacted are an unclear area.
What's the Great Drift? Has it been charted yet, or should we be working on that?
 
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
 
Okay, so some responses to questions…

First, the Great Drift. It’s basically your average protostellar cloud, the leftovers from what formed the Nillavi Cluster a few hundred million years ago. It’s probably been explored by the Nillavi, but perhaps not to the high standards of Federation sensor technology. I forgot to mention it because there’s not much remarkable about it. Aside from being a cool place to hide out, like every other nebula in Star Trek.

Concerning Nillavi membership in the Federation, think European Union membership debates. The Nillavi are moderately advanced already, doing okay on their own, but a notable minority think that full Federation membership could help them out. The government has held a few debates on the matter, but they’re not even to the stage of officially asking the Federation yet.

Senac technological advancement is probably a moderately fast upgrade, for whatever technology or infrastructure assistance could benefit the society. The closest thing I can think of is Bajor: even before membership, Starfleet was rebuilding water distribution, assisting with medical facilities, providing replicators… It’s probably the same thing.

Yes, the Senac contacted the Qorn before they were subject to the Prime Directive (or even knew about it, for that matter). How that affects your reactions is up to you. Feel free to elaborate your opinions if you like.

The Tzenkethi war… well, what’s any war about? Ideas, influence, territory. When it was mentioned in “Homefront,” the Tzenkethi were described as raiders using hit-and-fade tactics, using asteroid fields as cover. It seemed to imply they had smaller ships but were able to match a larger starship in groups.

I promise not to pull a Mark and cut your fleet. Well, not permanently, anyway… not this time. [Razz]

Omega: Interesting idea, using runabouts. I’ll stipulate that 3 runabouts shall equal 1 starship for your fleet allotment.
 
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
Sounds fair. I'll reduce my runabout contingent from twenty to fifteen.
 
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
Next question today? I'm so excited!
 
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
 
Question Two

  1. Objectively critique one of the other participants’ answers to question one. Point out what you believe are the strengths and/or weaknesses in how the answer differs from yours. You may critique another answer which has already been critiqued.

  2. The fleet you requested from Starfleet Command has been granted in full. Most of your fleet has arrived on schedule to assume their duties. However, due to a recent skirmish in a nearby sector, two of your starships have been diverted: your largest starship, and one other combat-capable starship of your choice. They are expected to arrive in the sector in a month or so.

    Explain which ships have been diverted, and describe how their absence will affect your fleet operations and diplomatic initiatives in the sector.

  3. The starbase has been towed into position in the location you selected. However, if you chose to place your starbase within 2 light-years of Nillavi space, or within 5 light-years of the T’g’nar system (1 grid space equals 2 light-years), then the proximate party files an official complaint with the Federation. While they acknowledge that they have no territorial claim, they’re concerned about possible Federation encroachment into their territories.

    How do you respond to their concerns? What concessions could you offer to make the aggrieved party more comfortable with the starbase? Or will you move your starbase to another location? If you choose to move the base, you will need to assign two of your starships to supplement the available tugs and transports; some of the ships that originally brought the starbase in have already gone on to their next assignments. These starships, if assigned, would be unavailable for any other assignments until the next question.

  4. The following scenarios develop during your first month in the Kedmar Sector. For each scenario, describe the nearest or most relevant starship(s), what your ships will do in response, and how your fleet deployment might change in response. Describe any diplomatic efforts your staff would undertake as well. Assume that your actions in one response do not directly affect the other scenarios.

    1. Your ships observe a moderate increase in the number and frequency of trading ships traveling between Senac and Qorn.

    2. A T’g’nar warship on patrol about 2 light-years from home sends out a distress beacon. While not directed at you, your officers report that the ship has sustained heavy casualties from an internal explosion and is losing life support. Another T’g’nar warship is on its way, but it’s uncertain whether they can get there before the crew runs out of air.

    3. Your starship on patrol near the Nillavi Cluster detects an unusual series of energy signatures in deep space just outside of Nillavi territory. They look suspiciously like the detonation of antimatter warheads in some sort of weapons test. If that is the case, these new weapons would represent a notable upgrade in the capability of the Nillavi fleet, making their ships equivalent to, say, the Saber-class starship. However, there have been no unusual activities by the Nillavi on either the military or diplomatic front.

  5. Create your own scenario like the ones presented in part (C). Any reasonable military, political, or scientific scenario is acceptable. However, do not answer the scenario yourself. Rather, it will be answered by the other participants as part of the next set of questions.


 
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
Clarification - do you mean "Create your own scenario like the ones presented in part (D)"?
 
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
 
Correct, I meant part D. I forgot I rearranged the questions. [Wink]
 
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
Can one of our scenarios tie back in to one of yours?
 
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
Question A.

I will critique The Ginger Beacon's response to Question 1B. Placing a starbase in a sector with no Federation world or colony in it will place a hardship on Federation traders and trading partners requiring a port-of-call enroute to Senec or Oasis, do away with the defensive advantages of such a starbase, and also, deprive the starbase of the defensive structures of either Senec or Oasis. Additionally, it may serve to inflame the T'g'nar or the Nillavi and push them into anti-Federation expansionist activities. Finally, in the event of a Tzenkethi (or even a Cardassian) incursion into the sector, it would provide yet another Federation target, the defense of which might mean splitting your available fleet into segments too small to be of any real use.

Question B.

USS Maryland and USS Arcturus are my diverted starships.

Deployment of my ships will proceed as previously described, with my Tzenkethi Fast Response Force now only consisting of Gorkon and Perseverance (and then only after they have deployed sensor beacons). Because I am concerned about an underpowered force confronting the Tzenkethi, the Little Round Top will proceed directly to Oasis. Hope, meanwhile, will proceed to Nillavi on its diplomatic mission; out-reach to T'g'nar and Qorn will be postponed.

Question C

The Nillavi have filed a protest regarding the placement of our starbase. Hope's captain, who is now in Nillavi space on diplomatic assignment, is instructed to reiterate to the Nillavi that the Federation has a strict hand's off policy with Nillavi space, and in addition, that the Federation would be pleased to open our starbase as a port of call providing resupply, repair, and shore leave facilities for Nillavi civilian and military vessels.

Question D

The Senec had contacted the Qorn prior to Senec entry in the Federation; however, as Federation members now, does the Prime Directive apply? I inquire of the senior legal officer in the sector to investigate the legality and potentially refer the matter to Federation civilian authorities, and will continue to investigate exactly what is being delivered – if, for example, it turns out to be weapons, potentially arming one nation-state over another, I will use force to end this trade.

The ship which received the distress call is the Gorkon, and I am displeased that, as communicated to me, it appears the Gorkon is awaiting orders from me before responding; fortunately, upon contacting the ship, I learn the vessel has, in accordance with interstellar law and Starfleet policy, responded to the distress call, has offered assistance, and, after this offer was made and accepted, provided limited medical and engineering assistance until another T'g'nar vessel was able to arrive on scene.

While I don't believe the Nillavi are a danger, there are two options: the Nillavi are detonating advanced warheads outside of their space; or someone else is. While my first thought is to deploy sensor beacons near Nillavi space … given some of their recent concerns regarding placement of our starbase, they might view this as a provocation. I will order more beacons deployed along the Northern Border so that, when they enter the sector, I can now deploy USS Arcturus to Senec.

Question E

Two Nillavi military vessels engage an Orion cargo vessel within System S543 and give chase (several crewmembers of one of the Nillavi ships are killed in the engagement). One of your starships is able to intercept the Orion ship in System J0205, where, after a brief engagement which results in two fatalities aboard your vessel, and several on the Orion ship, your crew finds components necessary to the mounting of advanced weapon systems on starships, however, they do not find the weapons themselves. The Orion crew refuses to divulge information on their mission, and the Nillavi refuse to discuss why they had two ships in S543. However, the Nillavi point out that Starfleet was unaware of Orion weapon smuggling in the sector leaving the action to them, and demand that both the Orion ship and crew be turned over to them for prosecution.
 
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
C'mon you guyz!
 
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
 
Question One

A: Starfleet's priorities in this sector should be to support the well-being of all inhabitants and encourage co-operation between all political entities. To that end, diplomatic envoys should be sent to the Nillavi and the T'g'nar to inform them of our intent to set up a starbase in the sector. Determining their claims in the sector will be key in future relations, as well as informing them of the current galacto-political events. Should the Tzenkethi send envoys to the T'g'nar and/or Nillavi, we could have some interesting events forthcoming. Thorough patrols of all the uninhabited systems in the sector should be a routine in the event that the Tzenkethi decide the sector is appealing to them and try to set up a raiding base.

The Great Drift appears to be relatively lacking in information and warrants a detailed look. May also be a good hiding spot for Tzenkethi or perhaps rogue spatial/temporal anomalies (hey, you never know).

The relationship with Qorn is a bit of a grey area. They are pre-warp but have already been contacted by the Senac. Further information on how to handle this situation would be desirable, but trading in foodstuffs may be possible. Certainly no technology.

Support for the colonists on Oasis and bringing the Senac up to date with the current Federation average technological level is also high on the priority list.

B: I would like to park the Kedmar Starbase in the same system as Oasis. Not necessarily in orbit of Oasis, one of the other planets may be suitable depending on their disposition. Placing the starbase in a non-inhabited system would unnecessarily distance Starfleet resources from Oasis and Senac and may infringe on territorial claims by the Nillavi or the T'g'nari.

C: My transport to this system is the USS Zutshi NCC-62546. I would request the following ships from SF Command for efforts in this sector:

USS Hollander NCC-59817, Oberth class
USS Ellyson NCC-59841, Oberth class

These two ships will survey The Great Drift as well as updated surveys of the uninhabited systems.

USS Kaamil NCC-69737, Freedom class
USS Beresford NCC-70136, Freedom class
USS Atieno NCC-70211, Freedom class
USS Mayette NCC-70329, Freedom class

These four ships will patrol the sector, split into quadrants. Each ship will be assigned a 5x5 region based on the provided map, taking care not to infringe on T'g'nari or Nillavi sovereign claims:

-USS Kaamil in the upper left quadrant, home port Oasis;
-USS Beresford in the upper right, home port Oasis;
-USS Atieno in the lower right, home port Senac, and;
-USS Mayette in the lower left. home port Senac.

The Beresford will also provide support to the Hollander and Ellyson in their investigations of The Great Drift. USS Kaamil will also provide escort and interdiction duties for traffic traveling to/from Oasis. USS Atieno will also be responsible for monitoring trade traffic with the Qorn. USS Mayette will have the most difficult patrol, keeping a wide berth around the T'g'nari.

Additional vessels include:
USS Franjo NCC-69518, Istanbul class
USS Kaifeng NCC-69764, Istanbul class
(see ASDB for design)

These two ships will provide transport duties for goods within the sector as well as deploy sensor buoys on the trade routes between Oasis-Nillavi, Oasis-Senac, Nillavi-Senac, Senac-Qorn, and in the general vicinity of a route between Senac-T'g'nar.

USS Marc Antony NCC-56611, New Orleans class
USS Aarchun NCC-59322, Korolev class (also see ASDB)

These two will be the heavy hitters and showing the flag in the sector, divvying up the sector roughly in half between them. They will also be available for fast-response to any trouble spots that might come up.

I plan on transferring my command to the Marc Antony, leaving the Zutshi to be attached to the diplomatic envoy team.

Question Two

I'll be criticising Snay's response for part A.

A.a) I applaud further exploration of The Big Drift, however I'm a little leery of the suggestion of profiling the Nillavi society. I think we should be a bit more open minded with the approach to their potential membership and answer any concerns they may have about joining the UFP.

Meeting with the governments of all sovereign states in the sector is indeed a key priority, however deailing with the T'g'nari may not go well. I believe that any meetings arranged with the governments of these nations should be done through the Senac, who seem to be the default go-betweens of the sector.

The T'g'nar wish to be left alone, but I would be hesitant to say they have no interest in the sector. They may decide to expand their sphere of influence without notice or justification, something that should certainly be monitored.

A.b) Can't really argue with the logic of placing the starbase in the Oasis system. Although, given the delicate situation we find ourselves in this sector, I think the management and outfitting of this starbase should be less SB375 and more DSK7.

A.c) Only using one ship to chart The Big Drift seems like it may prolong the mission unnecessarily and invite shenanigans to a lone science vessel.

B: Due to the skirmish, the Marc Antony and the Atieno have been delayed. My command will remain on the Zutshi while the Aarchun will handle the diplomatic envoy team. The Zutshi will handle the Atieno's patrol in the lower right quadrant.

C: Starbase is in the Oasis system, everyone is happy. (By my reckoning, Oasis is at least 3-4 ly from Nillavi claims).

D.1) I take the Zutshi over to Senac to ask how things are going with the Qorn and if they need any assistance.

D.2) The Mayette sends a message to both the distressed T'g'nari warship as well as the T'g'nari homeworld asking if they may be of assistance, all the while heading towards the stricken warship on yellow alert.

D.3) Freedom class sensors aren't necessarily the best equipped for identifying weapons testing. I divert the Ellyson to within scanning range of the area identified by Beresford, all the while sending the Beresford's sensor logs to Kedmar 'Base for further analysis.

E) While scanning The Great Drift, your vessel detects what appears to be an old spaceship, dating approximately from the time of the initial colonization of the Nillavi cluster. Despite all efforts to keep this information under wraps until further analysis can be performed, both the Senac and the Nillavi find out about this vessel and lay claim to it as a lost exploration vessel. How do you handle these claims?
 
Posted by The Ginger Beacon (Member # 1585) on :
 
Question 2

A) I shall critique Omega's reply. Placing the station in orbit of Oasis makes good strategic sense to mitigate Tzenkethi threats, will encourage trade and aid in colony building. However it places the base of operations for the sector away from the Federation member planet and shifts the balance towards Oasis and away from Senac. This could lead to a diplomatic incident as the Senac may feel slighted.

Your decision to include runabouts in your request is very clever. Since runabouts are effectively starships in miniature they can do most jobs in the sector, at the cost of durability and size.

Your policy with the Qorn is sensible, as first contact has effectively been made already. The Tzenkethi situation is unknown as yet so it sensible to take precautions. A mutual assistance pact with the Nillavi would probably work well if they were to go for it.

B) Starfleet have granted me my requested ships in addition to the USS Frederickson (Excelsior Class) which I arrived with, my fleet will be:

USS Bentonville, Excelsior Class
USS Aquarius, Constellation Class
USS Shelbyville, Springfield Class
USS Minerva, Miranda Class
USS Rutledge, New Orleans Class
USS Bondi, Sydney Class
USS Baltic Ferry. Deneva Class
USS Moore, Obeth Class

Due to the recent skirmish USS Bentonville & USS Rutledge will be delayed.

Because of this I shall communicate with the Nillavi over subspace instead of in person. I shall offer them free travel from their space to the station and invite them to visit and take full advantage of our facilities for recreation and trade. I will stress our non aggression and alter patrols to the north so that they are further from their space.

The USS Moore will patrol south of Senac in lieu of the Rutledge and exploration of the Great Drift can wait as initial scans have shown it to be unexceptional. The USS Frederickson will be on standby to assist.

C) I do not believe that I can, after temporarily loosing the Bentonville and Rutledge, afford to take more ships to tow the station - it will have to stay put around S543. As expected the Nillavi are not too happy with this, but we have offered them the use of the station for shore leave and trade. We can extend this to repair if necessary and will not encroach further towards or upon their space without getting their permission first.

D.1) As contact was made between Senac and Qorn prior to the former joining the Federation I am happy for the two to continue trading. I will ask the Senac fleet to police trade as they see fit. However I have ordered all Starfleet ships to leave the Qorn alone until such time as they wish to open trade with the Federation as a whole, not just Qorn. Starfleet will only step in if it becomes apparent the Senac can or won't deal with any serious trade issues (e.g. illegal goods, smuggling etc.)

D.2) We are not at war with the T'g'nar, and as such the USS Moore has moved from it's patrol to assist the ship. They inform me of this and I order them to offer any necessary medial support and to offer to make the distressed ship secure until T'g'nar assistance arrives. The offer was begrudgingly accepted and the Moore was able to aid in restoring life support, but the T'g'nar crew declined medical assistance. Upon arrival the second T'g'nar ship thanked the Moore for helping but made it clear that they could handle it from there. USS Moore confirmed that we would assist again if called upon and then retired and continued on its assigned patrol.

D.3) I will alter my strategy to deploy a limited number of automated beacons to monitor the Nillavi from the north, allowing my patrol to continue further from their space and thus being less provocative. I will reassign the USS Shelbyville to patrol closer to Oasis and continue subspace niceties towards Nillavi. They are within their rights to develop such weapons if they want to and we should not provoke them.

E) One of your ships on patrol intercepts a suspicious trader, and impounds, among other items, a set of sculptures in their itinerary. The sculptures were originally from Senac, but were exported without permission by a collector to Navilli prior to independence. The Senac have wanted them back since, but the collector sold them to the Navilli government who put them on display in a museum. After independence they remained on display until they were stolen, along with other Navilli artworks about 15 years ago and have not been seen since. You have not informed either the Navilli or the Senac governments yet of your discovery. What course of action do you take and how do you decide who do you return them to?
 
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
Time is almost impossible to come by. Boss promised six weeks of work in two weeks. May have to bow out. Apologies.
 
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
 
Ugh. I guess there's something to be said for working hourly. [Wink]

Hope you can catch up when things calm down!
 
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
 
I decided to post the next question a little early! Just don't consider this a precedent for next week. [Wink]

Question Three

  1. Respond to any two scenarios posed by other participants in part (E) of the previous question. (Assume that your two delayed starships have not yet arrived. Also, if you chose to move your starbase in part (C) last time, those ships are also not available for this response.)

  2. Respond to the following developments in the Kedmar Sector, detailing your fleet movements, diplomatic efforts, and any other actions taken by your staff. (By this time, the rest of your fleet has finally arrived. Also, if you chose to move your starbase last turn, that relocation has been completed.)

    1. The USS Chesapeake, on defensive patrol in the sector “north” of Kedmar, is attacked and crippled by a Tzenkethi raiding squadron. The battle took place about 5 light-years past the border of the Kedmar sector; it’s the furthest that the Tzenkethi have struck into Federation territory yet.

    2. A nation-state on Qorn engages in a border skirmish with one of its rivals. While this is not exactly unusual, what is unusual is that both sides are using plasma-based weaponry. The origin of this technology can’t be conclusively determined; all the non-Federation spacefaring cultures in this sector use similar weaponry.

    3. A scientific team surveying dense jungle on an uninhabited continent of Oasis makes a startling claim: there is a species of sauroid creatures that is starting to exhibit signs of developing intelligence. The closest analogue to Earth species would probably be Australopithecus. The claims have yet to be confirmed—but if they are, how will this discovery affect the Federation settlement on Oasis?

  3. The Nillavi contact the Federation with an urgent request for assistance. One of the stars in their cluster (H7417, known to them as Darev) is showing increasing signs of instability. For the past two decades, Darev V has been experiencing notably warmer climate due to increased solar radiation. They’ve been trying to cover up the true extent of their troubles, but the effects of the warming are growing more severe.

    The Nillavi report a couple immediate effects: First, Darev V produces about 30% of all foodstuffs for the entire Nillavi Syndicate. As crop yields drop, the impact to the entire cluster will be obvious. Second, population movement is starting to impact the other worlds of the cluster as people start fleeing Darev V. With the Nillavi’s already-high population density, they’re ill-equipped to absorb so many people, so quickly.

    Respond to the following questions and scenarios given recent developments:

    1. Compose a query your superiors at Starfleet. What additional resources, support, or intelligence do you require to start addressing this crisis? If you think you will need additional ships, specify the number and type of ships.

    2. The Nillavi attempt to open trading relations with the T’g’nari, with the goal of obtaining a new supply of food. However, the T’g’nari are not interested in any trade. The Nillavi ask the Federation to assist in the negotiations.

    3. A passenger transport carrying approximately 2,000 Nillavi refugees arrives at Oasis. The Oasis government is willing to help, but they’re concerned about opening the floodgates and becoming overwhelmed by refugees.

  4. Compose your own scenario that deals with the situation in the Nillavi Cluster.


 
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
Who needs sleep?
 
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
Question Three

Respond to any two scenarios posed by other participants in part (E) of the previous question. (Assume that your two delayed starships have not yet arrived. Also, if you chose to move your starbase in part (C) last time, those ships are also not available for this response.)

Well, since this means there are only two scenarios to respond to:

Fabrux's: While scanning The Great Drift, your vessel detects what appears to be an old spaceship, dating approximately from the time of the initial colonization of the Nillavi cluster. Despite all efforts to keep this information under wraps until further analysis can be performed, both the Senac and the Nillavi find out about this vessel and lay claim to it as a lost exploration vessel. How do you handle these claims?

I declare the vessel to be a memorial and a gravesite and that it, and its crew, shall not be disturbed; and deploy a beacon to that effect.

And Ginger Beacon's: E) One of your ships on patrol intercepts a suspicious trader, and impounds, among other items, a set of sculptures in their itinerary. The sculptures were originally from Senac, but were exported without permission by a collector to Navilli prior to independence. The Senac have wanted them back since, but the collector sold them to the Navilli government who put them on display in a museum. After independence they remained on display until they were stolen, along with other Navilli artworks about 15 years ago and have not been seen since. You have not informed either the Navilli or the Senac governments yet of your discovery. What course of action do you take and how do you decide who do you return them to?

I return them to the estate of the original owners on Senac. I am particularly disappointed that Navilli museum would purchase items they must have known had been removed from Senac illegally. If the Navilli wish to pursue the matter, they are welcome to file a claim in the Federation judiciary system.

Respond to the following developments in the Kedmar Sector, detailing your fleet movements, diplomatic efforts, and any other actions taken by your staff. (By this time, the rest of your fleet has finally arrived. Also, if you chose to move your starbase last turn, that relocation has been completed.)

The USS Chesapeake, on defensive patrol in the sector “north” of Kedmar, is attacked and crippled by a Tzenkethi raiding squadron. The battle took place about 5 light-years past the border of the Kedmar sector; it’s the furthest that the Tzenkethi have struck into Federation territory yet.

Welp. I order the Pastur to the Northern Border Patrol force. I reiterate orders to these ships: they are NOT to engage a Tzenkethi ship or group of ships, but to monitor their movements and await for our heavy ships -- at Oasis -- to respond and engage.

A nation-state on Qorn engages in a border skirmish with one of its rivals. While this is not exactly unusual, what is unusual is that both sides are using plasma-based weaponry. The origin of this technology can’t be conclusively determined; all the non-Federation spacefaring cultures in this sector use similar weaponry.

All ships bound from Senec or Oasis to Qorn will be subject to cargo inspections. While regretful, these inspections will be conducted to ensure that there are no violations of the Prime Directive. Additionally, we will utilize our sensor beacons to determine who else is visiting Qorn.

A scientific team surveying dense jungle on an uninhabited continent of Oasis makes a startling claim: there is a species of sauroid creatures that is starting to exhibit signs of developing intelligence. The closest analogue to Earth species would probably be Australopithecus. The claims have yet to be confirmed—but if they are, how will this discovery affect the Federation settlement on Oasis?

If this information is confirmed, we will have to evacuate the population from Oasis and do everything we can to erase our presence on the planet. We will also need to move the starbase, but if they're just beginning to develop intelligence, this is perhaps something that can be done within the decade.

The Nillavi contact the Federation with an urgent request for assistance. One of the stars in their cluster (H7417, known to them as Darev) is showing increasing signs of instability. For the past two decades, Darev V has been experiencing notably warmer climate due to increased solar radiation. They’ve been trying to cover up the true extent of their troubles, but the effects of the warming are growing more severe.

The Nillavi report a couple immediate effects: First, Darev V produces about 30% of all foodstuffs for the entire Nillavi Syndicate. As crop yields drop, the impact to the entire cluster will be obvious. Second, population movement is starting to impact the other worlds of the cluster as people start fleeing Darev V. With the Nillavi’s already-high population density, they’re ill-equipped to absorb so many people, so quickly.

Respond to the following questions and scenarios given recent developments:

Compose a query your superiors at Starfleet. What additional resources, support, or intelligence do you require to start addressing this crisis? If you think you will need additional ships, specify the number and type of ships.

Well, we need a ship equipped with Dr. Reyga's metaphasic shielding technique to get into the sun, and determine what's wrong, and if we can do anything about it. While we wait on that ...

We can immediately provide basic industrial food replicators to the Nillavi. This should help with the food issues they may experience, but they will need to accept that these replicators will be under Federation supervision. In addition to requesting these replicators from Starfleet (my staff will determine quantity), I am going to request the transfer of several transport vessels to distribute these replicators across the Nillavi planets).

Evacuating a planet quickly is going to take thousands of starships, and there's no time to waste. The Nillavi need to begin devoting their resources to this task (and our transports which will deliver the replicators can then move to assist). Meanwhile, Starfleet can identify planets which have preselected for potential colonization. Preferably, these worlds will be within one or two sectors of the Nillavi sector, but any port in a storm.

The Nillavi attempt to open trading relations with the T’g’nari, with the goal of obtaining a new supply of food. However, the T’g’nari are not interested in any trade. The Nillavi ask the Federation to assist in the negotiations.

The Federation is of course willing to help, but adding a second knock to a front door that will never be opened doesn't lead anywhere.

A passenger transport carrying approximately 2,000 Nillavi refugees arrives at Oasis. The Oasis government is willing to help, but they’re concerned about opening the floodgates and becoming overwhelmed by refugees.

Whether or not the transport is permitted to land is up to Oasis; but I do communicate to the Nillavi the situation in the jungles there. If there is a sentient species developing on the planet, anyone they send to Oasis will just need to be evacuated. Further transports will need to be directed elsewhere.

Compose your own scenario that deals with the situation in the Nillavi Cluster.

coming soon ...
 
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
Compose your own scenario that deals with the situation in the Nillavi Cluster.

There has been unrest and rioting in some cities of Darev V. The Nillavi, with their already stretched resources, have requested Federation troops to quell the rioting.

Out of hand, I reject sending troops in. This a matter for the Nillavi police. However, the Hope will be available to provide whatever medical or other emergency aid may be needed on an immediate basis. I have also given the Hope's captain a wide latitude in responding to Nillavi requests for emergency aid.
 
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
 
You weren't supposed to answer the scenario. Guess I should've made that clear. [Wink]
 
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
In more detail, here is the scenario:

Riots have broken out on Darev V, including in the planetary capital. There has been destruction and the loss of life. With Nillavi forces occupied elsewhere, and police resources stretched to the limit on Darev V, the planet's governor has contacted Starfleet directly with a request for Federation troops to end the riot and restore order.
 
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
WHERE ARE EVERYONE ELSE'S RESPONSES?!
 
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
 
Question Three

A.1) (Snay) I kindly point out to the Nillavi that as both S543 and J0205 is outside of their sovereign space, that they have agreed to Starfleet's presence as the enforcers of the sector, and that it was the USS Kaamil that eventually subdued the Orion vessel, we will retain custody of the Orion vessel and its crew at Kedmar Base pending a full investigation. Furthermore, we will share all our findings with the Nillavi government to ascertain who was the intended recipient for these weapon components.

A.2) (Ginger Beacon) Being that possession is 9/10ths of the law and the Nillavi have maintained possession of these sculptures for centuries, the most prudent course of action would be the return the sculptures to them. If the Senac wish to negotiate with the Nillavi for the return of these sculptures to their place of origin, I offer Starfleet's services as a mediator.

B.1) I dispatch the USS Marc Antony to aid the USS Chesapeake in the northerly sector. I also send an update to the USS Kaamil and USS Beresford to be wary of potential Tzenkethi activity along the northern border of the sector. I also post the USS Aarchun to the northern half of the quadrant while Marc Antony is assisting Chesapeake while the USS Zutshi continues to patrol the southern half.

B.2)I dispatch the USS Hollander to Qorn to conduct a survey of the planet to search for plasma-based weapons in an effort to determine their source. An undercover cultural team (think the team on Tilonus IV) is also assigned to investigate on the surface. The USS Atieno re-directs its patrols to stay close to Qorn and monitor traffic in-and-out of the system. I also send envoys to Senac and Nillavi to inquire about the incident and if they supplied the weapons to the Qorn. If the Senac are only trading with certain nation-states on Qorn, and one of them is one of the nation-states in question, they will be looking awfully suspicious.

B.3)All new colonists to Oasis are asked to delay their planetfall indefinitely. The continent in question is quarantined and declared off-limits to current Oasis colonists. I send a request to the Daystrom Institute for their best xenologists to investigate this sauroid species. I also send a request to the Saurian Science Institute to send their best saurologists for insight into this developing species.

C.1) Further investigation into what is happening to Darev is needed. If their is anything that can be done to stabilize the star, these efforts will be offered to the Nillavi. A request for stellar experts is sent out.

I request permission to offer the Nillavi industrial food replicators to help supplement their food supply with the condition that they are installed and operated by Starfleet personnel.

I also commission a study to determine how many ships will be required to evacuate Darev V in the least amount of time, and how many of the required ships will be available in the near future.

C.2) I stress to the Nillavi that the T'g'nari have rejected or ignored all attempts at relations from the UFP. Given that we are relative newcomers to the sector, however, they may be open to negotiations with a long-time local. We offer to assist the Nillavi in negotiations with the T'g'nari under the condition that our assistance will only be available if they think it will improve their chances. I advise the Nillavi that they may be better off on their own or with the assistance of Senac.

C.3) Being that Oasis is currently closed to new arrivals, I advise the refugees that they are welcome at Kedmar Base for the short term however they will need to find long-term arrangements. I open negotiations with the Senac about accepting refugees as well as positing the question to my superiors about the possibility of settling refugees on an uninhabited continent on Qorn.

D) Word of the events in the Nillavi Cluster spreads fast. Within a month of the initial contact from the Nillavi requesting assistance, patrols suggest that there is a T'g'nar convoy en route to Darev V. As far as you know, no negotiations have yet to be made with the T'g'nari in regards to aid, and your patrols have not been able to get close enough to the convoy to determine if they are freighters carrying foodstuffs or armed vessels looking for a fight...
 
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
 
Hate to say it, but I'm probably going to have to skip this week. I have no days off this weekend, what with a rearranged work schedule and family duties. I promise I'm not abandoning the scenario, though! [Smile]
 
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
Boooo. But understandable. But boooo.
 
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
 
This gives Ginger and Omega time to answer! *prod prod prod*
 
Posted by The Ginger Beacon (Member # 1585) on :
 
Mmm, something's poking me...

Sorry everyone - I had to go on very short notice to a field site in the middle of Scotland - lovely scenery and more wildlife than you can shake a science stick at, but no internet for a week. But I've now caught up my emails, so I can compose my late answers in a bit.

I shall try to avoid such disappearances in the future.
 
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
 
Field site? Sounds interesting! [Smile]
 
Posted by The Ginger Beacon (Member # 1585) on :
 
It was a bog and I was looking for flies, so not as glamorous as one might imagine [Wink]


Q3 part a:

Fabrux
Because both races have a strong claim I have decided that, as the ship was found in unclaimed territory, that neither can have it outright. I therefore, under the Protection of Military Remains Act (2286) declare the wreck a protected site. The administration of the site will be by a joint committee of the Nillavi and the Senac, overseen by Starfleet (just in case they can't get along nicely).

Snay
Law dictates that as the Orion ship was stopped legitimately by Starfleet it is 'our catch', and we will prosecute them for their hostile acts. As we do not have an extradition treaty with the Nillavi we can't hand the Orions over, however they are free to assist us if they wish in their prosecution or as to where they were delivering the goods, but under UFP law. As for the weapons mountings, these will be sent to the Kedomar Starbase for close examination to determine their origin, and to see if we can push for smuggling charges.

Q3 part B:

1) I move the Aquarius to patrol Oasis and consider the deployment of a further set of sensor drones to aid monitoring the border. If the Tzenkethi come knocking I need as much warning as I can get. The Bentonville is re-tasked with patrolling between Kedomar base and Oasis.

2) I decide that I must step into the fray with the Qorn - Senac trade agreements. The Senac are UFP members and should abide by the Prime Directive. If they are breaking it I want to know, so I begin getting the Rutledge to inspect all cargo from Senec to Qorn. Any naughty trade will be punished severely.

3) If the species does exist and is intelligent then the prime directive must be invoked. Oasis colony would have to be abandoned and all evidence removed or destroyed completely. The settlers would be compensated and relocated. A scientific team would likely be needed to study the species, possibly under a duck blind operation. I send a request to SFC to determine the scientific institute best suited to their study to contact me as soon as possible.

Q3 part C:

1) Having briefed Starfleet Command it looks like we will have to step in and help the Nillavi. While it is a long shot, there may be something we can do to help them fix the star, and as such I request a well equipped scientific vessel be dispatched to investigate possibilities. More practically, I require several transport ships, such as Istanbul class, in order to assist with the evacuation to more safe planets, say half a dozen. Ideally these will be outfitted with industrial replicators to help them with the food crisis.

We can also offer the use of the Kedomar base for refugees, and help to identify any suitable unclaimed worlds for the displaced to move to.

2) We will happily assist, and joint Nillavi-Federation delegation will approach them diplomatically as this will also help us open up contact with T'g'nari. However, given their past we don't expect that much will come of it.

3) As long as Oasis is happy to accept them, I let them land with the proviso that they stay away from the jungle, and warn them of the potential need to abandon the planet. They are guests and had better be prepared to leave if we ask them. Given this, I order the patrol ships to not permit any further refugee craft land on Oasis, and instead redirect them to Kedomar Base until we can work out where they can go.

Q3 part D:

Nillavi refugee ships are headed for an unclaimed planet in system A9513. While in neutral space, the Senac are beginning to accuse the Nillavi of taking advantage of the situation by expanding out of their territory. The Senac request that Starfleet do something about this dangerous expansionism before it poses a threat to Senac sovereignty. Whatcha gonna do?

And now time for bed!
 
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
 
Question Four

React to the following developments in the Kedmar Sector:

  1. Respond to any two scenarios posed by other participants in part (D) of the previous question.

  2. The preliminary data is in concerning the Darev star. The good news is, it looks like whatever change the star is going through is starting to slow down, meaning that Darev V won’t become uninhabitable. The bad news is that the warming phase isn’t done yet. The population will have to deal with higher UV levels and warmer climate, though, and the food situation will take a while to sort out too. Towards that end, the Nillavi request that the Federation provide assistance in building a system of food replicator facilities to supplement their existing agricultural supplies.

  3. A small Nillavi ship docks at your starbase for repairs. Surprisingly, the crew are all Qorn. They state that the ship was purchased legally, but they’re acting kinda odd in their interactions with the Starfleet officers they meet. It’s clear they have only general knowledge of the workings of their ship and technology (though not Pakled-level inexperience, either). What actions (if any) will you take to investigate this unusual development?

  4. Assuming you sent a starship to patrol around Qorn, your inspectors discover a Nillavi civilian freighter carrying arkenite crystals and reinforced proton accumulation chambers, two key components of plasma-based weaponry. During questioning, the Nillavi captain reveals that there has been trade of some advanced technology from the Nillavi in exchange for vitally-needed food supplies from Qorn. The equipment has been moving along the existing Nillavi-Senac-Qorn trade route. Although some of the trading ships have passed through the Senac system, it appears that the Senac themselves are not involved.

    The Nillavi and three of the larger Qorn nations all file a protest with your office, accusing you of interfering with legitimate interstellar trade. Considering these developments, how will you respond?

  5. A meeting between the Nillavi and the T’g’nari has gone horribly awry: during a trade negotiation between a T’g’nari and a Nillavi warship in the G510 system, the two ships started shooting at each other. There’s few details about how it started (naturally each side accuses the other of firing the first shot), but it ended with the T’g’nari ship completely disabled and the Nillavi warship limping for home at warp 2.

    But when it rains, it pours… the T’g’nari send 3 more warships in pursuit. And it looks like they’ll catch up with the Nillavi cruiser before any friendly ships can reach them from the home cluster. The Nillavi captain begs for help from any nearby ships.


 
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
quote:
Word of the events in the Nillavi Cluster spreads fast. Within a month of the initial contact from the Nillavi requesting assistance, patrols suggest that there is a T'g'nar convoy en route to Darev V. As far as you know, no negotiations have yet to be made with the T'g'nari in regards to aid, and your patrols have not been able to get close enough to the convoy to determine if they are freighters carrying foodstuffs or armed vessels looking for a fight..
I'm going to alert the Nillavi to the presence of the convoy, and see if they have any knowledge of the contents of the convoy. I will order the Aba'Kur to depart Senec and conduct a long distance scan of the convoy to see if it can determine the cargo.

quote:
Nillavi refugee ships are headed for an unclaimed planet in system A9513. While in neutral space, the Senac are beginning to accuse the Nillavi of taking advantage of the situation by expanding out of their territory. The Senac request that Starfleet do something about this dangerous expansionism before it poses a threat to Senac sovereignty. Whatcha gonna do?
I'm tempted to not even respond. The Nillavi, and for that matter, the T'g'nari, are welcome to any unclaimed planets. The Senec should really be aware of this. However, I am aware of their concerns, things in the sector appear to be flying out of control, so I will redeploy the Gorkon to Senec.

quote:
The preliminary data is in concerning the Darev star. The good news is, it looks like whatever change the star is going through is starting to slow down, meaning that Darev V won’t become uninhabitable. The bad news is that the warming phase isn’t done yet. The population will have to deal with higher UV levels and warmer climate, though, and the food situation will take a while to sort out too. Towards that end, the Nillavi request that the Federation provide assistance in building a system of food replicator facilities to supplement their existing agricultural supplies.
We will be happy to assist ... but there are going to be conditions which the Federation is going to insist on as a result of this assistance. These conditions will be spelled out in response to other scenarios, below:

quote:
A small Nillavi ship docks at your starbase for repairs. Surprisingly, the crew are all Qorn. They state that the ship was purchased legally, but they’re acting kinda odd in their interactions with the Starfleet officers they meet. It’s clear they have only general knowledge of the workings of their ship and technology (though not Pakled-level inexperience, either). What actions (if any) will you take to investigate this unusual development?
The Nillavi need to provide information regarding to the ownership and registration of this vessel. While the Nillavi are of course welcome to trade with the Qorn, if they are going to be relying on Federation aid, we are going to hold them to certain standards of conduct (consider it a Prime Directive Lite) - for one thing, no provision of starships to the Qorn. If it turns out the Qorn have hijacked this starship and killed or imprisoned the crew, Starfleet will work with the Nillavi to ensure the safe return of the Nillavi crew, and disposition of the Qorn crew.

quote:
Assuming you sent a starship to patrol around Qorn, your inspectors discover a Nillavi civilian freighter carrying arkenite crystals and reinforced proton accumulation chambers, two key components of plasma-based weaponry. During questioning, the Nillavi captain reveals that there has been trade of some advanced technology from the Nillavi in exchange for vitally-needed food supplies from Qorn. The equipment has been moving along the existing Nillavi-Senac-Qorn trade route. Although some of the trading ships have passed through the Senac system, it appears that the Senac themselves are not involved.

The Nillavi and three of the larger Qorn nations all file a protest with your office, accusing you of interfering with legitimate interstellar trade. Considering these developments, how will you respond?
If the Nillavi wish Federation aid, they are going to cut off trading weapons with the Qorn, immediately. If they would prefer to receive their food stuff from the Qorn (in which case I will refuse to provide them replicators and remove the ones we have already provided), we will keep our nose out of their business. If they decide they would prefer to do business with the Federation, they agree to the establishment of Starfleet offices at their starports so that Starfleet and Nillavi officials can ensure no weaponry, or other restricted technologies, are being shipped to the Qorn. Additionally, I pull the Pelileu off the Northern Border patrol to provide interdiction services of any starship approaching Qorn.

quote:
A meeting between the Nillavi and the T’g’nari has gone horribly awry: during a trade negotiation between a T’g’nari and a Nillavi warship in the G510 system, the two ships started shooting at each other. There’s few details about how it started (naturally each side accuses the other of firing the first shot), but it ended with the T’g’nari ship completely disabled and the Nillavi warship limping for home at warp 2.

But when it rains, it pours… the T’g’nari send 3 more warships in pursuit. And it looks like they’ll catch up with the Nillavi cruiser before any friendly ships can reach them from the home cluster. The Nillavi captain begs for help from any nearby ships.
The Aba'Kur is the closest starship and can intercept the Nillavi vessel before the T'g'nari. However: if the Nillavi wish to play with fire, there are consequences. If the Nillavi wish for help from the Aba'Kur, these are my orders: our ship will ask the T'g'nari to stand down. If they refuse, we will evacuate the Nillavi crew, and leave the vessel as a prize for the T'g'nari. There is, however, only a small window of opportunity. If the Nillavi crew refuses to evacuate, the captain of the Aba'Kur has received specific order to withdraw and NOT engage the T'g'nari in hostilities. I have informed the Nillavi and T'g'nari of these orders.
 
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
C'mon others!
 
Posted by The Ginger Beacon (Member # 1585) on :
 
Question 4

Part A) i: Riots have broken out on Darev V, including in the planetary capital. There has been destruction and the loss of life. With Nillavi forces occupied elsewhere, and police resources stretched to the limit on Darev V, the planet's governor has contacted Starfleet directly with a request for Federation troops to end the riot and restore order.

I have, after briefing my superiors, sent a strongly worded diplomatic message to the governer reminding him that the primary goal of the Federation peace by diplomacy and understanding, not by oppression. If the riots are caused by food shortages which can be helped with aid, we will do more to relive this. However, we will never aid a freind by giving him troops to attack his own people. The Nillavi are not Federation members, and as such we can not interfer in an internal political matter.

Personally, if the matter becomes any worse then I will contact the Federation government rearding the possible deployment of peacekeeping (not offensive) forces, but this will be at an absolute last resort. I have not informed the governor of this, but I expect he will find out somehow. The last thing we need is name as oppressors in the sector.

Part A) ii: Word of the events in the Nillavi Cluster spreads fast. Within a month of the initial contact from the Nillavi requesting assistance, patrols suggest that there is a T'g'nar convoy en route to Darev V. As far as you know, no negotiations have yet to be made with the T'g'nari in regards to aid, and your patrols have not been able to get close enough to the convoy to determine if they are freighters carrying foodstuffs or armed vessels looking for a fight...

I anticipate that this could end in tears for the Nillavi. Essentially I give them the benefit of the doubt by sending the Governor a message informing him that we have observed the approaching fleet and reminding him that the Federation is happy to act as a negotiating partner between the two peoples, but we will not stand by if they have been negotating in secret and this trade is contrary to the understanding that the Federation and the people of Darev V have vis a vis relief and aid, such as weapons trade or troop movements.

If it is I will authorise my ships to to protect it's interests in the system by searching and/or confiscating any such trade. In addition, I will not permit Federation aid to a governor who wishes to harm his own people and would be forced to withdraw all Federation help if this trade is not above board.

Part B:The preliminary data is in concerning the Darev star. The good news is, it looks like whatever change the star is going through is starting to slow down, meaning that Darev V won’t become uninhabitable. The bad news is that the warming phase isn’t done yet. The population will have to deal with higher UV levels and warmer climate, though, and the food situation will take a while to sort out too. Towards that end, the Nillavi request that the Federation provide assistance in building a system of food replicator facilities to supplement their existing agricultural supplies.

We would be happy to extend our assistance to include such facilities, providng the government regulate their use to food and medical supplies only. As such Starfleet will either run these facilities or monitor them and we will only 'licence' the technology, not gift it. This means that we will not permit the replication of any weaponary, narcotics, etc and remove it at the first sign of any trouble.

Part C:A small Nillavi ship docks at your starbase for repairs. Surprisingly, the crew are all Qorn. They state that the ship was purchased legally, but they’re acting kinda odd in their interactions with the Starfleet officers they meet. It’s clear they have only general knowledge of the workings of their ship and technology (though not Pakled-level inexperience, either). What actions (if any) will you take to investigate this unusual development?

The first thing to do is get intouch with the Nivalli DVLA and ask them who owns the ship. Assuming the paperwork is in order, there is little I can do. If it's not I will deatain the crew and offer to turn them over to the Nivalli.

The Nivalli are not Federation members and we can't enforce our rules on them retroactively. However I will insist that such trade be kept to a minimum, informing the Nivalli of our adherence to the Prime Directive and that I consider the Qorn to be essentially under the PDs provisions. As such, I will not respond kindly to the Navilli advancing them, especially in certain technological areas... I will not tollerate the trade of Federation goods with them either, and reserve the right to intervene if I think thats going on. I suspect the genie is well out of the bottle though.

Part D:Assuming you sent a starship to patrol around Qorn, your inspectors discover a Nillavi civilian freighter carrying arkenite crystals and reinforced proton accumulation chambers, two key components of plasma-based weaponry. During questioning, the Nillavi captain reveals that there has been trade of some advanced technology from the Nillavi in exchange for vitally-needed food supplies from Qorn. The equipment has been moving along the existing Nillavi-Senac-Qorn trade route. Although some of the trading ships have passed through the Senac system, it appears that the Senac themselves are not involved.

The Nillavi and three of the larger Qorn nations all file a protest with your office, accusing you of interfering with legitimate interstellar trade. Considering these developments, how will you respond?

I reply that I am perfectly in my rights to 'interfere' with any trade I deem to be in contravention to Federation law in Federation space (i.e. the Senac system), regardless of who is doing the trading. If you do it in my yard, you do it by my rules. As the weapons were not declared when entring Federation space the trade will be considered to be arms trading, which is illegal without the proper licences. I will confiscate the goods and let the crew off with a warning this time, but charge the master with something less than smuggling, like not keeping his doccuments upto date - the equivilent of points on his licence rather than a jail term.

While the two planets are free to trade outside of Federation space (as they no doubt will from now on) I reitereate my previous message aobut the Prime Directive, and emphasise that my duty is to maintain peace in the sector and while I prefer to do it with the olive branch, I do have other options at my disposal.

Part E:A meeting between the Nillavi and the T’g’nari has gone horribly awry: during a trade negotiation between a T’g’nari and a Nillavi warship in the G510 system, the two ships started shooting at each other. There’s few details about how it started (naturally each side accuses the other of firing the first shot), but it ended with the T’g’nari ship completely disabled and the Nillavi warship limping for home at warp 2.

But when it rains, it pours… the T’g’nari send 3 more warships in pursuit. And it looks like they’ll catch up with the Nillavi cruiser before any friendly ships can reach them from the home cluster. The Nillavi captain begs for help from any nearby ships.

I thought that might happen. I order the Rutledge to move in, but keep a distance. If the Nillavi ship is fired upon, it can move between the fleets and order them to dispurse. however that is a last resort. They must withdraw if they are attacked themselves. Accusations of cowardice asside, this is not our fight.

But, before that I reply to the Nivalli that while we will respond to a ship in distress, I can not order a ship to help or pick sides in a fight between two non Federation aligned races.

I also send a request that the T'g'nari stand down as the Federation does not wish to see bloodshed. I reitereate that the Federation has no quarrel with them and that we wish to maintain peace in the sector, not conflict. I also point out that we do send out aid to distressed ships, and that our laws permit us to defend ourselves.

I then cross my fingers and hope they don't call my bluff.
 
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
 
Question Five

  1. Objectively critique one of the other participants’ answers to part (E) of the previous question. Point out any strengths or weaknesses in their strategy, and feel free to examine the underlying political or philosophical assumptions of that strategy.

  2. The Nillavi crisis is addressed when a large relief convoy arrives from the Federation core. They bring whatever supplies and equipment you’ve proposed, and are the first of several (smaller) convoys that will be en route on a regular basis until the Nillavi get back on their feet.

    The first convoy has its own escort (two New Orleans-class frigates), but Starfleet has ordered you to redeploy your fleet to protect future convoys. The ships will be entering the sector from the “eastern” border, near system Z436. Although the Nillavi will contribute to the escort, they can only spare two of their patrol cruisers, and they’d prefer to keep them as close to their own territory as possible. Describe how you will reassign your ships to protect this new shipping route.

  3. It’s time to start picking up the pieces. Following the recent confrontations, two of the largest nation-states on Qorn have decided to form an alliance with the T’g’nari. Although the T’g’nari aren’t exactly turning into expansionists, they’re not very happy with the Federation or the Nillavi, and see this alliance as a necessary evil. Two T’g’nari warships are sent to patrol in the Qorn system, and a handful of trade ships are seen traveling the route between the two planets. React to this shift in the political landscape, and describe how you will redeploy your fleet, if necessary.

  4. Your research team studying the proto-saurians on Oasis files their report. The species in question is not sentient, and though their evolution definitely seems to be taking them in that direction, it’ll likely take a few million years. Though the decision is not up to you, your report will likely influence the decision makers. Do you believe this qualifies Oasis for Prime Directive protection? If so, outline a plan to “de-colonize” the planet. Assume that the report has not yet been made public, and that it may not be popular with all the settlers. If you don’t believe the Prime Directive applies, explain why not.

  5. It’s time to move on. Starfleet has decided to send you on to a new sector, and to replace you with a fresh Admiral to continue your work. As your last duty in this sector, you are to brief the new guy about what you’ve done. Read over your responses to all the previous questions. Define what Starfleet’s priorities should be in this sector, and your recommendations to your replacement as to what he or she should concentrate on.


Final Thoughts

It's been quite a while since I did a scenario like this (last time was over at the SCN forums in 2004, I think). I didn't go into this planning any overarching agenda, things kinda developed as they went. What did you guys like, or not like? I dunno if we have enough people for another round-- I'll give it a few weeks to let Fabrux and Omega catch up if they want, and see if I get any inspiration for a new scenario.
 
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
 
quote:
Your research team studying the proto-saurians on Oasis files their report. The species in question is not sentient, and though their evolution definitely seems to be taking them in that direction, it’ll likely take a few million years. Though the decision is not up to you, your report will likely influence the decision makers. Do you believe this qualifies Oasis for Prime Directive protection? If so, outline a plan to “de-colonize” the planet. Assume that the report has not yet been made public, and that it may not be popular with all the settlers. If you don’t believe the Prime Directive applies, explain why not.

Orbital bombardment- wipes out saurians and paves the way for the development of mammialian life- just as the Preservers did with Earth.

Plus, you can just two a large asteroid into a collision course with the planet- a classic tactic to ensure no one pins it on you (and this report is not public, right?).

As always, you know the solution works when you can add a "BWHAHAHAHA!!" at the end of it and have the laughter fit right in.
 
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
That's an option ...
 
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
 
Question Four
A.1) Snay: Riots have broken out on Darev V, including in the planetary capital. There has been destruction and the loss of life. With Nillavi forces occupied elsewhere, and police resources stretched to the limit on Darev V, the planet's governor has contacted Starfleet directly with a request for Federation troops to end the riot and restore order.

First of all, Nillavi is not a UFP member and as such the Prime Directive most certainly applies here to not interfere in the internal politics of another government. Secondly, UFP forces are not shock troops and will not be utilized as such to quell an uprising. I contact the Nillavi government and advise them as such, however I offer to send a mediation team with protection detail to help settle grievances if desired by both the Nillavi government and the rioters.

A.2) Soul-less Beacon: Nillavi refugee ships are headed for an unclaimed planet in system A9513. While in neutral space, the Senac are beginning to accuse the Nillavi of taking advantage of the situation by expanding out of their territory. The Senac request that Starfleet do something about this dangerous expansionism before it poses a threat to Senac sovereignty. Whatcha gonna do?

Besides the initial colonization of the Nillavi cluster, the Senac have been content stating within their star system and until now have not shown interest in system A9513 and I question their interest now. I send the Beresford over to the system to see if there is something interesting there that the Senac have not informed us about.

B) I enter into talks with the Nillavi government regarding a lease agreement on the industrial food replicators, stressing that these replicators will be operated, supervised, and maintained by Starfleet personnel and will be limited to foodstuffs ONLY. Any deviance from this guidelines will result in removal of the replicators.

C) The registration of the ship in question is checked against Nillavi records to determine if the Qorn crew's claims of legal purchase is true. Turns out, they're not telling the whole truth: the ship was lost with all hands during a skirmish with the T'g'nari several years ago and was presumed destroyed. They purchased the ship, all right: from the T'g'nari. The ship is impounded and appropriate authorities within the Nillavi government are contacted. The crew is evacuated from the ship and detained in isolation.

D) Boy, the Nillavi have some nerve, don't they? Pleading for help to quell rebellions, asking for food, and now complaining that we're interfering in their trade? They really need to decide what it is they want from the UFP. If they want help, they need to follow UFP law. UFP law specifically prohibits any trade/artificial techological acceleration of pre-warp, pre-unified government cultures. If the Nillavi want to continue trading with the Qorn, I have no choice but to suspend all aid to the Nillavi government and recall all replicators already in service.

E) Since neither ship has issued a distress signal or requested my assistance, I sit this one out. A conflect between two non-UFP governments is none of our business and we will rightfully stay away. Should either government request assistance, that is a different matter.


Question Five
A) Snay: Neither the Nillavi nor the T'g'nari have asked for our help in this situation. If the Nillavi were the agressors in this situation, the T'g'nari are fully within their rights to seek justice from the offending Nillavi vessel. If the T'g'nari were the agressors, the Nillavi seem to have managed to get away from the encounter for the time being and are on their own. Yes, we are currently involved in trade with the Nillavi, but without a formal request of assistance from them, it is not our responsiblity to get involved in their disputes with non-UFP members.

B) I shift the Aarchun to the general vicinity of Z436 and inform the Beresford to stay within 8 hour's travel of the system. When the next convoy arrives, the Aarchun will escort upon entry to the sector and the Beresford will join in.

C) Well this is just dandy. The remaining nation-states on Qorn are still conducting trade with the Senac and the Nillavi and I advise those governments that they may want to protect their interests. I stress to the Senac, however, that as UFP members they really shouldn't be conducting trade with a pre-warp culture and advise that they pull out and cut their losses. The Atieno is still in the area and will respond to any agressive action towards Senac vessels, however any interactions between the Qorn, T'g'nari, and Nillavi are really none of our business/concern unless a formal request for assistance is issued.

D) In a few million years, I doubt there will be anything resembling the UFP or its member races in existance. Any structures or infrastructure constructed on Oasis will likely be destroyed and buried by the time the Oasians have a level of intelligence to investigate. That being said, colonization on Oasis should be limited to those areas already settled, and any regions where the saurians are spotted will be declared off-limits. The population of Oasis should be limited to a few million to keep the impact to the planet low.

E) This one will require more thought, will answer later.
 
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
quote:
Objectively critique one of the other participants’ answers to part (E) of the previous question. Point out any strengths or weaknesses in their strategy, and feel free to examine the underlying political or philosophical assumptions of that strategy.
Federation law and Starfleet regulations require providing assistance to a ship in distress; this situation certainly appears to require a response. Further, swift, forceful action now may appease both sides to the point where a war between both sides might be avoided.

quote:
The first convoy has its own escort (two New Orleans-class frigates), but Starfleet has ordered you to redeploy your fleet to protect future convoys. The ships will be entering the sector from the “eastern” border, near system Z436. Although the Nillavi will contribute to the escort, they can only spare two of their patrol cruisers, and they’d prefer to keep them as close to their own territory as possible. Describe how you will reassign your ships to protect this new shipping route.
With the Tzenkethi relatively quiet, and sensor beacons fully placed on the sector's border, I will deploy Arcturus and Towson from their current patrol to convoy duty

quote:
It’s time to start picking up the pieces. Following the recent confrontations, two of the largest nation-states on Qorn have decided to form an alliance with the T’g’nari. Although the T’g’nari aren’t exactly turning into expansionists, they’re not very happy with the Federation or the Nillavi, and see this alliance as a necessary evil. Two T’g’nari warships are sent to patrol in the Qorn system, and a handful of trade ships are seen traveling the route between the two planets. React to this shift in the political landscape, and describe how you will redeploy your fleet, if necessary.
I am going to move the Maryland to Senec, where she and the Aba-Kur can provide a response force in case the T'g'nari and the Qorn team up or something...

quote:
Your research team studying the proto-saurians on Oasis files their report. The species in question is not sentient, and though their evolution definitely seems to be taking them in that direction, it’ll likely take a few million years. Though the decision is not up to you, your report will likely influence the decision makers. Do you believe this qualifies Oasis for Prime Directive protection? If so, outline a plan to “de-colonize” the planet. Assume that the report has not yet been made public, and that it may not be popular with all the settlers. If you don’t believe the Prime Directive applies, explain why not.
My report will outline the situation and I will ask my staff to identify similar situations which have occurred in the past so that they can be referenced; my feeling is that, at a minimum, the Federation should restrict the colony's growth.

quote:
It’s time to move on. Starfleet has decided to send you on to a new sector, and to replace you with a fresh Admiral to continue your work. As your last duty in this sector, you are to brief the new guy about what you’ve done. Read over your responses to all the previous questions. Define what Starfleet’s priorities should be in this sector, and your recommendations to your replacement as to what he or she should concentrate on.
Priorities are:

1.) Ensure the defense of the sector against the Tzenkethi
2.) Ensure that the conflict between the T'g'nari and Qorn, Nillavi, and the Federation do not explode into open warfare; promote harmony and understanding between these races.
3.) Continue to oversee the Federation's assistance to the Nillavi; if successful, this mission may strongly influence the Nillavi to join the Federation.


quote:
It's been quite a while since I did a scenario like this (last time was over at the SCN forums in 2004, I think). I didn't go into this planning any overarching agenda, things kinda developed as they went. What did you guys like, or not like? I dunno if we have enough people for another round-- I'll give it a few weeks to let Fabrux and Omega catch up if they want, and see if I get any inspiration for a new scenario.
I was not expecting the Tzenkethi to be such a red herring! I would have enjoyed if more of the scenarios had been expanded on in later questions -- what WAS the convoy to Nillavi? I assume it was cargo ... all in all, I really enjoyed.
 
Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :
 
A+++ would play again
 
Posted by The Ginger Beacon (Member # 1585) on :
 
My dodgy answers to question Five

quote:

A. Objectively critique one of the other participants’ answers to part (E) of the previous question. Point out any strengths or weaknesses in their strategy, and feel free to examine the underlying political or philosophical assumptions of that strategy.
Snay, I like the stand you are taking. However, I'm not sure it's strictly kosher to ransom the Navilli crew like that and offer their ship to the T'g'nari not least because you may inadvertantly give the Navilli's potential new enemy a good look at their technology and sensitive data. Neither are our allies formally or in any sort of alience with us. It is their own dispute, so while a short sharp shock from the Fed might help, if it goes wrong you may have seriously destabilised the whole system.

Fabrux, your stance is strictly neutral, which has advantages and disadvantages. As a positve you do not embroil yourself in a situation that is none of your business. However doing nothing might also destabilise the system by starting a war and this might be a moment for big stick diplomacy.


quote:

B. The Nillavi crisis is addressed when a large relief convoy arrives from the Federation core. They bring whatever supplies and equipment you’ve proposed, and are the first of several (smaller) convoys that will be en route on a regular basis until the Nillavi get back on their feet.

The first convoy has its own escort (two New Orleans-class frigates), but Starfleet has ordered you to redeploy your fleet to protect future convoys. The ships will be entering the sector from the “eastern” border, near system Z436. Although the Nillavi will contribute to the escort, they can only spare two of their patrol cruisers, and they’d prefer to keep them as close to their own territory as possible. Describe how you will reassign your ships to protect this new shipping route.
The Frederickson (Excelsior) can relieve the Shelbyville (Springfield) patrolling the North as the Tzenketi are pretty quiet at the moment, and the automated sensors around Oasis are working fine now. Shelbyville and the Minerva (Mirranda) can take up escort duties.

quote:

C. It’s time to start picking up the pieces. Following the recent confrontations, two of the largest nation-states on Qorn have decided to form an alliance with the T’g’nari. Although the T’g’nari aren’t exactly turning into expansionists, they’re not very happy with the Federation or the Nillavi, and see this alliance as a necessary evil. Two T’g’nari warships are sent to patrol in the Qorn system, and a handful of trade ships are seen traveling the route between the two planets. React to this shift in the political landscape, and describe how you will redeploy your fleet, if necessary.
Bentonville (Execlior) will take up position patroling the space between Qorn and Senec. The Rutledge (New Orleans) will continue to patrol between Senec and T'g'nari space. This will allow me to monitor for any potential trouble from either race, but also means that I am buffering the convoys and the Qorn-T'g'nar aliance. We cannot interfere with them but I think we should keep an eye on them.

I strongly advise that the Senec should not trade with the Qorn, a stance my patrol ships will enforce if agreed to. The Qorn obviously want to become players in the sector and good for them. However they are a pre-warp species, albeit with warp ships, having not developed it themselves. We should take an approach similar to that of Vulcan towards Earth in the 22nd Century. We can guide them, but they have to do it for themselves (although if the T'g'nar advance them there isn't a thing we can do about, but at least we have a moral high ground I suppose).

quote:

D. Your research team studying the proto-saurians on Oasis files their report. The species in question is not sentient, and though their evolution definitely seems to be taking them in that direction, it’ll likely take a few million years. Though the decision is not up to you, your report will likely influence the decision makers. Do you believe this qualifies Oasis for Prime Directive protection? If so, outline a plan to “de-colonize” the planet. Assume that the report has not yet been made public, and that it may not be popular with all the settlers. If you don’t believe the Prime Directive applies, explain why not.
These saurians are at the same level as lesser apes (or possibly great apes), but not proto-humans. Thus, they can not be considered a civilisation as we define it. I don't think that the Prime Directive can be applied here.

But, the proto-sentiant lizard-ape people have a right to evolve naturally as if we had never been on their world (and it is their world first). I therefore propose that the saurians become a protected species and that their natural ranges be declared reserves, meaning the species will be allowed to go about it's way without any direct contact from us.

The colony can continue, and provided that it does not encroach on their ranges, there should be no problems. Any settlement that is in the reserves will have to be relocated and the settlers will be suitably compensated. Futher surveys should be sent out to further explore the wide diversity of life on Oasis and see if there are any further saurian-type species, possibly even more advanced than these ones.

The Navilli colonies will have to agree to this, and I propose that as Oasis was settled first by the Federation, the world is considered a Federation world. Thus, the refugees will have to live by Federation laws. Their rights etc have to be weighed against the rights of the indigenous species, so I suggest a fast-track system to grant those refugees that want it Federation citizenship to further strengthen our ties to them and the Navilli as a whole, and to protect the saurians.

It is possible that the saurians might even become a revenue source from tourists, going on 'duck blind' safaris, but that is a matter for the Oasis government to decide.

quote:

E. It’s time to move on. Starfleet has decided to send you on to a new sector, and to replace you with a fresh Admiral to continue your work. As your last duty in this sector, you are to brief the new guy about what you’ve done. Read over your responses to all the previous questions. Define what Starfleet’s priorities should be in this sector, and your recommendations to your replacement as to what he or she should concentrate on.
I wish my relief well and suggest that the priority be to monitor the situation between Qorn-T'g'nar closely and do all that can be done to prevent war between them and the Navilli. The Tzenkethi situation is tense, but I anticipate it will not spread this far south. That said, they should keep their guard up just in case. We havn't had much chance to do any exploring in this sector, but the Moore is ready to find out what's in that nebula and the flora and fauna on Oasis are continually turning up new surprises, so don't neglect the science.

Lastly, I feel that the aid we are giving to the Navilli is the start of a fruitfull relationship between then and the Federation and might go a long way to rehabilitating the rift between them and the Senec. This can only be for the good of the system and should be encouraged. The Navilli may well wish to ally themselves formally to the Federation, or even join in the near future, so there is something to look forward to.


Final Thoughts

Thanks MM, I really enjoyed that and it certainly made me scratch my head a times. I must admit, I was bit sloppy on the fleet arrangements etc. and I could have been a bit quicker with my responses, so appologies to the other players.

I kind of liked the way it just sort of happened, rather than having an agenda here. It might have been nice to have expanded on the earlier scenarios, or fed the players ones into the game, but overall I don't think that play was adversely affected, and it made it much harder to guess what was coming next.

It would be a pitty if we don't do another.
 
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
[q]Snay, I like the stand you are taking. However, I'm not sure it's strictly kosher to ransom the Navilli crew like that and offer their ship to the T'g'nari not least because you may inadvertantly give the Navilli's potential new enemy a good look at their technology and sensitive data. Neither are our allies formally or in any sort of alience with us. It is their own dispute, so while a short sharp shock from the Fed might help, if it goes wrong you may have seriously destabilised the whole system.[/q]

I don't think I'm ransoming the Navalli crew - I am willing to have a Federation starship provide assistance by evacuating the crew from a heavily damaged Navalli starship that is going to be overtaken and probably attacked by T'G'Nari warships.

In my opinion, were I to evacuate the Navalli crew and scuttle their ship; or tow the Navalli ship, I would almost certainly push the T'G'Nari to open hostility with the Federation. The goal, then, is to defuse the situation by allowing both sides a victory: for the T'G'Nari, the victory is the capture of a Navalli starship, which the Navalli government may be able to reacquire through diplomatic negotiation; for the Navalli, the victory is the safety of their crew.

Certainly the acquisition of the Navalli vessel by the T'G'Nari may be regrettable, however, if the situation is looked at with the Federation factor removed, the simple reality is that the T'G'Nari would intercept their opponent before additional Navalli vessels could respond. There are four reasonable outcomes. 1.) The T'G'Nari might destroy the Navalli vessel with the loss of all or most of that ship's crew. 2.) the Navalli might scuttle their own ship. 3.) the T'G'Nari might board and capture the Navalli ship. 4.) the Navalli might be able to outfight and destroy the T'G'Nari attack force (I consider this to be the least likely scenario).

Therefore, as the acquisition of the Navalli ship by the T'G'Nari is already a very strong likelihood, the case can be made that the course of conduct I have ordered will not actually affect the outcome of what would otherwise be the result of the internal affairs of two sovereign governments.

However - if the T'G'Nari force were able to intercept the Navalli ship, the resulting fight would likely kick off a rapidly moving scenario of events which would result in open hostilities between the T'G'Nari and the Navalli, and I would not be certain that the T'G'Nari would not view the Federation as aligned with the Navalli.
 
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
 
Just popping in on my annual five minutes away from family life to say, "Sniff, I miss you all so much, and all of you have made me proud!".

Straight & steady, gents! [Smile]

Mark
 
Posted by The Ginger Beacon (Member # 1585) on :
 
Don't get me wrong Snay, your approach is a clever one and very much in the spirit of the game.

In fact, this being a Trek scenario, it would probably be what would happen. I just anticipate you'd get a flea in your ear from your senior officer (before he pats you on the back and says well done).
 
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
 
Thanks for the comments!

I treated this scenario as something of a trial run; my last venture into writing for YTA! was almost 9 years ago, and I wanted to be a lot less derivative this time around.

As some of you seemed to suspect, I definitely was making a lot of it up as I went along; I wasn't entirely sure how things were going to develop, and I wanted to leave a lot of flexibility of responses for the players. It's tough to balance a defined plot with the likelihood that some players will do something completely different!

(I also have had some lousy luck in the last few weeks; I've been distracted with finding a home for an abandoned cat, and the search is not going well.)

So yeah, if I do another scenario, I'll try to make a more cohesive plot. Either that, or I've got this other idea that is a bit different in scope but very much in the YTA! genre.

In the scenario itself, I wanted to experiment with differences on some of the common Trek plotlines. Obviously, the Prime Directive was the theme; when you think about the grand scheme of time, it's a crazy coincidence that so many races develop warp drive or are at a 20th-century equivalent status all at the same time. So I really appreciated reading the various approaches to the situation!

The Tzenkethi weren't going to be a complete red herring, but there was never going to be a major combat aspect of this scenario. If the Nillavi became a bigger threat (before I got the idea about the natural disaster), they may have ended up becoming co-belligerents with the Tzenkethi.

I'm going to take a break for a month or two, but I suspect there will probably be another scenario... [Smile]
 


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