Captain's log

Posted on Saturday November 5th, 2016 @ 9:02pm by Captain Dimitriy (Dima) Miller

Mission: Episode Seven: Treachery and Faith
Location: In orbit of Rh'ti
Timeline: Stardate 94012.10

First contact mission is always a privilege for a starship captain. But not when you are the captain of a mere escort.

The U.S.S. Endeavor has been working for some time now on formally contacting a fledgling warp civilization on Rh'ti and the Cychreides was requested to provide security for the event.

The task in itself wasn't anything out of the ordinary and is well within our mission parameters, but the situation on surface turned to be somewhat differently then we expected.

After a long spell of preparation, the official ceremony was set and the Cychreides arrived just in time to assist the local authorities with the security of the event.
We received an office close to the event's location and an access to the local law enforcement channels.
Commander Zus has deployed her MACOs and security teams around the perimeter and left her most trusted Chief Talan with a detachment of Team A to secure our headquarters.

The local political environment found us facing two main factions - the secular majority and the religious traditionalists that still have a strong influence among the people and have been preaching against Rh'ti's joining the galactic community.
There were some degree of tension and speculation of possible terrorist acts by the traditionalists put everyone on toes. Especially when a large group of unidentified individuals was seen entering the capital and heading towards the main plaza, the ceremony's location.
So when a local approached our security team to report that religious extremists are planning to bomb the ceremony and are based in the temple at its edge, we realized that our fears may come true and that we must act immediately.
To find some more information we've tracked down the informant, but it appeared that he was, as a matter of fact, part of an extremist secular group that called itself "The Enlightened".
We've found traces of Bi-cobalt and a few triggers in his florist shop, but the bomb was already moved.
The man wouldn't talk and we had little time before the ceremony start, to contact the local authorities and let them interrogate him, so I suggested to the newly appointed Dr. Sherkar to describe several outlandish torture techniques that we employ, to scare the man into cooperation.
My plan worked and the good doctor, frighteningly so, did an exemplary job of scaring the suspect without laying a finger on him.
The Bomb location turned out to be in that temple and we were to be killed as part of their ploy to give the authorities a reason to crack down on the traditionalists, maybe even with the help of the new alien ally.

I'm pleased to report that we may have averted a civil war between factions that had no real intentions to resort to bloodshed.
The cost seems to be an uncomfortable aftertaste after hearing out our doctors creative measures and the displeasure of a young and idealistic officer.

I consider it a bargain.