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"You're The Admiral!"--Sobchak Sector
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by MinutiaeMan: [QB] == Part A == [QUOTE][b]Originally posted by HerbShrump:[/b] A civilian science vessel, the S.S. Nye, has arrived at Deep Space Station K-10 with word of an interesting discovery. While doing an exploration/mapping survey for a Tellerite mining consortium in the starsystem directly "Souteast" of Sobchak's Planet, they detected unusal energy reading eminating from the fourth planet in the system. These energy readings were very faint and only detectable from a range of about 2 AUs from the planet. Upon closer examination, the crew of the Nye discovered the remains of a modest size settlement of unknown origin. Initial dating of the structures place the site as being thousands of years old. It is unclear if this site was an outpost of the Calandans (TOS "That Which Survives"), the T'Kon Empire (TNG "The Last Outpost") or some as-yet undiscovered civilization. This system is located very close to both Penxi and Klingon territory. While it appears these two civilizations have not discovered the ruins yet, it may only be a matter of time, since there is evidence Penxi raiders have visited the outer planets of the system. How do you preserve the site for Federation arcaeologist/Starfleet scientists while, at the same time, not attracting the attention of the Klingons or Penxi to the possibility of an advanced alien base with potentially unimaginable weapons and advanced scientific knowledge just outside their back door?[/QUOTE]An intriguing dilemma, this. The first step would be to perform a clandestine but intensive survey of the ruins. To that end, I'd procure a civilian survey-type ship to make a roundabout trip through that region and drop off my survey team, then continue on to other destinations before looping back (perhaps, depending on the time table) to pick the team up again. The goal would be misdirection to ensure that neither the Klingons nor the Penxi pick up on my interest in the system. Therefore, the team will be under strict orders to observe complete radio silence except in an emergency situation, and to avoid any sort of high-energy emissions that might attract unwanted attention. The survey team's goals would be (1) determine the origin and purpose of the settlement and any equipment and artifacts found, (2) the feasibility of safely removing such equipment and artifacts in a reasonable amount of time, and (3) determine the potential threat any technology discovered could pose if acquired by either the Klingons or the Penxi. Depending on the nature of the site and the technology found, I've got three major choices: (1) Remove all items of interest and take them back for study by Federation scientists. This would be the most preferred, because it avoids creating any territorial dispute or military conflict. (2) Should the site warrant extended investigation but not pose a major threat, I could plant a small mining colony on the surface, preferably very close to the ruins. This would establish a territorial claim (but one that could be easily abandoned if necessary). The purpose of the mining colony would be solely to obscure those intriguing energy signatures, to act as a sort of decoy. However, the problem here is that I'd be presenting a very ripe target for the Penxi or the Klingons, and I'd rather not have to extend my patrol forces any further. A couple of extra corvettes would be preferred in such a case. (3) The choice of last resort would be to remove anything portable, and then send in the [i]Skua[/i] (stationed at Sobchak's Planet) to obliterate the site from orbit with photon torpedoes. (c.f. the Iconian outpost from "Contagion") Of course, this would be bound to attract attention, so I'd have to be sure to be quite thorough about it. == Part B == I'd hope that the captain of the [i]India[/i] and the two destroyers that went in were conspicuous enough that they were able to assist in the fight while within the sensor range of the Klingon ships. I will offer General Plis'Qen the services of my three ships as supplementary escort for his convoy for the duration of their transit through the Ul'Chek Nebula. I'll also make sure to point out that the Federation is not in the business of attacking civilian targets, and if we really wanted to block their settlement of Sobchak's, it'd be done in a far more efficient fashion. Hopefully the good general has at least a small sense of reason in him... == Part C == Nothing happens. There's a reason why I ordered that multiple potential sites be chosen for the settlement! However, I may need to step up my office's counterintelligence operations... it's an awfully convenient coincidence that the Klingons picked the exact same spot that we did! == Part D == If DSU Qiao really wanted that one spot so badly, then he shouldn't have been taking his damn time getting his colonists out here � I expected that the settlement should've been established in the last turn, not two turns from now! I trust he's familiar with the old proverb, "The early bird gets the worm"? I will politely tell him to fuck off. == Part E == Hmm. As a fan of the show, I've always wondered why there never seemed to be any local defense organizations separate from Starfleet. I mean, the US has the Navy and the Army, but they've also got the Coast Guard for local patrol and police actions. It would be crazy for the Federation to [i]NOT[/i] have some similar setup as well. I'm going to assume that the local worlds actually DO have such an organization, and this secret proposal they're working on is actually to extend the mandate of the original jurisdiction to include anti-piracy patrols throughout the sector. I won't react until I get some more firm intel on exactly what they're trying to set up, if anything. Assuming the rumor is accurate... well, patrolling JUST the UFP borders for pirates is next to useless. Space is three-dimensional, so it's easy for any determined attackers to slip through the cracks. Coverage must be in-depth in order to discourage and thwart any attacks. I'd be more than willing to work with the various worlds to expand the reach of their local defense ships in order to protect commercial traffic and guard against pirates. However, turning the defense forces into a sector-wide patrol fleet would (1) be a waste of resources, duplicating the job that Starfleet is doing, and (2) probably spread the planetary defenses way too thin and leaving everyone vulnerable to a major attack. Therefore, what I'd propose is a means to extend the reach of the planetary defense ships' patrols out a few more light-years from their homeworlds, to create a series of "bubbles" that should hopefully become pirate-free zones. Starfleet would assist in filling in the gaps between those zones, and reinforce the local defenses where necessary. I'll be diplomatic about this, because this is certainly an extraordinary situation in a region where Starfleet obviously hasn't been able (or willing? I hope not...) to pour in additional resources. Therefore, we can hopefully work together to create a more cohesive defense. One final thought... perhaps a series of inter-connected sensor relay stations would be in order along the major commerce routes, as well? Working in concert with the planetary defenses, perhaps we could establish a more united monitoring setup similar to the air traffic control systems of pre-warp Earth. Being able to keep tabs on all the major routes would go a long way towards providing better defenses. We wouldn't have to wait for a distress call to actually come in before we have to start reacting... we can keep tabs on everything and be more prepared. == Part F == Is the deputy undersecretary cleared for access to Starfleet's files on our defenses? This is the kind of activity that makes Mr. Qiao look like a Klingon agent... and a particularly inept one, at that. (Despite Arne Darvin getting caught, he was actually quite a GOOD agent... he had a good sabotage plan and a good cover, and he was only caught because of a bizarre little alien creature that he could never have foreseen either destroying his plan or revealing his identity.) But that's an accusation I'll have to keep in reserve, at least for the moment. For now, I'll just sic my intelligence officer on him, put him under covert surveillance. The research on totalitarian agriculture particularly disturbs me. The entire point of establishing this colony is to prove that the Federation is best suited towards developing the planet and making best use of its resources... and for the Federation, that means [i]sustainable and eco-friendly[/i] development. I may have to have a sit-down and do a little fishing (without revealing what I know) to see what kind of plans Mr. Qiao has for the colony. And I may have to do some research of my own, to see what kind of plans the Office of Colony Development has been putting together. [/QB][/QUOTE]
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