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Captain's Log, Stardate 75548.98

The Discovery is in orbit over the 4th planet in the HIP 73513 system, known in Romulan space as the Ri'lowo system.  This is one the rarest type of star systems in the galaxy; a perfect Trojan system. The 2nd orbital ring of the system host two planets in a stable orbit, orbiting each other.  Both worlds are near identical sizes, and both are surprisingly class M.  This is one of the most fascinating types of systems for me; to see two planets orbiting a central Lagrange point, each one pulling the other as it turns towards their star to keep them at the same orbital distance.

As if this wasn't enough, there is evidence of both sentient life, and a vast ancient civilization.  This is perhaps the more unfortunate part; radioactive isotopes show a potential nuclear disaster that affected both planets, more than a hundred years ago.  Could it be that a rarity in sentient life not only thrived on both planets, but they unfortunately tried to destroy each other?  This is a remote enough sector in Romulan space that aside from basic knowledge, there isn't much on the state of this system.  It would seem that the Romulans chose to ignore it....

[Deck 1 - Main Bridge - USS Discovery]

"Science must be having a field day..." Nevir mused, looking over the next set of scans handed to him.  He missed the discovery of strange new worlds, and to see this most unusual system was just... fascinating.

It was just a shame that he had a responsibility to the ship and needed to remain in command.  A couple more hours, he gave himself, before he headed to the astro labs to take a look.  Discovery was still some distance away from the planet; they were at a cautionary distance in case the worlds had means of detecting an incoming ship.  It didn't seem like much of a risk at the moment, but better safe than sorry.

"Hold this position for another 20 minutes, and then we move to half distance." he ordered, looking through the weather patterns of the planets which seem to have recovered nicely. 

[Episode 1 – Treasonous Assertion]

Welcome to a new season of Discovery!  In this season, the story arc ("Dawn of the New Republic") will be centered around the Romulus Republic becoming the official power of the Romulans.  We've got a lot lined up, and some new and old faces for you to enjoy.

This first mission, remember to ask questions here if you are confused, lost, or unsure.

Episode 1 – Treasonous Assertion - by Tekin Nevir

Prologue: The Discovery is en route to the Tryka System with the Praetor of the New Romulus Republic. A conference will be taking place on the Discovery as a neutral party for the negotiation between New Romulus and the Deutsu Alliance to join as one sovereign power.  This is the first step in making the New Romulus Republic the legitimate government of the Romulan region.

Everything seems to be going well, until a hail comes in from the Tryka System, informing them that the negotiations have been cancelled by order of both the Alliance and the Republic, and the Discovery is given the demand to continue onto the system and then surrender.

The charges?  Kidnapping, assault, and murder.

We are currently starting en route.  I will let Ops know when the message comes in... we don't want to rush things, thats no fun.

Captain's Log, Stardate 75340.9

After almost a year of trying to stabilize the former neutral zone, as well as handle the rampant smuggling operations, the Federation council has decided that it is time to recognize the New Romulan Republic as the legitimate power in the Beta Quadrant.  In order to do so, however, the various factions that have broken out since the fall of the Star Empire need to also recognize that government too, which has provided us with our new mission.

The Discovery is now en route to the Tryka System to meet with one of these factions.  The Deutus Alliance is a collection of 12 star systems and one of the largest factions in the far regions of the former empire, rivaling even the Republic.  Luckily, they have been relatively peaceful, and more concerned about their own safety and self-sufficiency.  This has led to an agreement to meet with the Praetor on board the Discovery for negotiation for the Alliance to recognize New Romulus as the ruling power.  I can't help but look at this in the same light as the negotiations between the Federation and other worlds that have otherwise joined.  This also marks the first time that the Praetor has been aboard our ship.

Meanwhile, there have been changes since we have left Earth Spacedock.  It is with a heavy heart that I had to say goodbye to my first officer, Captain Ian Galloway, and instead have my science officer Lt. Commander T'Lara filling in that role.  She has some big shoes to fill, but I have confidence she can do so.  It is why I chose her, after all....

[Deck 1 - Main Bridge - USS Discovery]

They were about another 2 hours from Tryka, and at least an hour and a half out from communications range.  With the exception of the crew changes, and the VIP quest they were escorting on board, things were relatively normal as they flew.  It was interesting... this was the farthest into Romulan space that any Federation ship had really gone before.  This system they were headed towards was closer to the galactic edge than it was to the Alpha/Beta border.

The Captain was seated in the center chair, reading engineering reports, and actually enjoying the melancholy for once.

[6 Month Service Ribbon]

Forgive the lateness... but its that time again for the Ship Player Awards!

Player awards are given out every six months - once in January and again in July. They exist to reward players for their contributions towards their SIMM and the RPG as a whole, whether this be while posting, or with help outside of missions.

In addition, there are Shadow Fleet awards that are given from an out of character point of view. Out of character awards reward players for their commitment outside of the normal missions, for example, for submitting mission ideas or having consistently well-written posts.

Without further ado, the first set of awards are service awards, here to recognize longevity and your time served.  The following awards are presented:

6 Month Service Ribbon - Ensign Deryn Kell Awarded to players who have been with the fleet for six months.

3 Year Service Ribbon - Commander Ian Galloway Awarded to players who have been with the fleet for three years.

Meritorious Service Ribbon - CPO Ozu Saya Awarded to players upon promotion to Lieutenant Commander or Chief Petty Officer.

Now for the Posting Awards.  Like the Service Awards, these are presented to those who have done very well in their posting abilities, as well as some stand out posts.  I present the posting awards:

	Posting Excellence Award - Ensign Danjar-Torra Awarded in January and July to one player who has demonstrated consistent high quality posting skills. Torra has not only done brilliant posts on her own character, but also on NPCs that are otherwise nameless on the ship.  Just because they are not the 'main cast', doesn't mean they are not characters in their own right.
	Most Improved Player Award - Ensign Deryn Kell Awarded in January and July to the player who has greatly improved since the last awards ceremony.  This was a hard one, since we have some good quality posters to begin with, but if we had to find someone who has improved since they first arrived, it would have to be Deryn.
	Descriptive Combat Award - Commander Ian Galloway Awarded in January and July to the player who has demonstrated an ability to convey the action of combat in their posts.  Whenever we have combat, especially when we use the MVA, Ian is the one with the best descriptions of what to do and how to do it.  Between writing engaging posts about what happens in the battle, and in character talking about tactics and maneuvers, it is a no brainer who deserves this award.
	Best Newcomer Award - Lieutenant JG Nira Said Awarded to the player who has demonstrated excellence, and who joined after the last awards ceremony.  A very late entry, Nira jumped in with both feet, and immediately started engaging others in her posts.  I hope to see some good things with her.
	Technical Precision Award - Chief Petty Officer Ozu Saya Awarded in January and July to the player who has included in-depth and relevant technical details in their posts.  As Chief Engineer, you are almost expected to technobabble your way through your posts, and Saya is one of the best.  Whether its filling the posts with words, or just explaining the engines in simple terms, Saya has earned this ribbon.
	EPC/OTC Graduate Ribbon - Ensigns Felix Dyad and Leesill Dunngar Awarded to all enlisted players upon graduation from the Enlisted Persons Course or Officers Training Course.  I expect you both to keep going.
	Most Engaging Member Award - Lieutenant Don Damian Addams Awarded in January and July to the player who writes the most emotionally engaging, scene setting posts.  Being a helmsman can be difficult, since you are expected to be flying the ship, or a shuttlecraft, and a lot of times the action is away from there.  However, Don travels the ship, posting with new members and hanging out with old.  I think the only person he hasn't had personal time with is me.
	Best Duo Award - Lieutenant Don Damian Addams and Ensign Danjar-Torra Awarded in January and July to the two players who have shown the highest levels of cooperation.  3 minutes to self-destruct, and they both profess undying love for each other, and ask to get married.  Since then, this duo has been figuratively inseparable.
	Rib Tickler Award - Dranik Awarded in January and July to the player with the most humorous posts.  This was a hard one, but there was a post from a former member of this crew who left between the last ceremony and this one.  This is awarded to Dranik, the security Hirogen who was with us for so short.

Stay tuned for the final two awards, the Personal Merits, starting with Ian's First Officer Personal Merit.

Episode 11:

What Past was Wrought
Story by: Tekin Nevir

Summary – While assisting in an archaeological expedition, the discovery of an ancient weapon threatens the destabilization of the region.  The Discovery has 6 hours to figure out the issue before they are destroyed and force to do the same thing over and over.

Welcome all to the new year and the final couple of episodes of Season 13!

First off, I would like to welcome our newest members to the ship for this episode.  There are a couple of special things about this episode:

- This is a time loop episode.  That means that we will be posting just about the same thing a couple of times.  That repeating event is the destruction of the USS Discovery.  However, you will not be reacting to the first half of my post at all.  The mission technically starts with the Captain's log, so I want the reactions to begin with everything after that.  That said, keep in mind what happens, so that we can try to stay as close to that post as possible.  When the time sync does occur, I will make an announcement.  If you want a better idea of what I am trying to go for, I would highly recommend looking up TNG's "Cause and Effect"

- Commander Ian Galloway is leading an away team on the planet.  Among the away team are civilian scientists, science officers specializing in civilizations, and liason officers between the Federation and New Romulus.  In addition, there is an NPC played by me, a young science cadet named Ruthie Falleq-Tekin.

Any questions, please ask myself, or if I am not around, ask the other command officers; Ian Galloway or Ozu Saya.

And as always, have fun!

[Malfunction detected in the release clamps; unable to complete separation sequence.]

The ship shuttered violently, nearly throwing the Captain out of his chair.  Main power was interrupted, leaving the environmental lighting system offline.  The bridge was only lit by the red klaxons of a condition red, and of course the various consoles that were either glowing, or sparking.  While not at warp, the stars on the viewscreen were almost streaking as the ship seemed to spiral out of control.

"Inertial dampeners are offline!"

"We have EPS ruptures on decks 3, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, and 16!"

Nevir coughed, reseating himself in his chair.  "Divert auxiliary power to the lateral stabilizers, initiate emergency core shutdown!" he shouted, trying to regain control of the Discovery.

Another shudder followed by another explosion behind him and a fire breaking out.  The fire suppression system was able to douse it, but not before another explosion rocked the bridge.  Sensors were offline, and the deflector dish was starting to overload.

"Helm controls are not responding!"

"Core interlocks are fused, the ejection system is offline."

"We need to activate the MVA."

Nevir grimaced.  It was highly dangerous to try to separate the ship with no inertial dampeners; it was probably impossible with the ship out of control.

"Computer, emergency separation sequence, voiceprint override." He ordered, gripping the arms of his chair.  Knowing what was to come, he activated the surprisingly little used feature of his chair... the seatbelt.

There was no warning, no blue klaxon, just a sharp shudder before the computer spoke.

Malfunction detected in the release clamps; unable to complete separation sequence.

"Hull integrity is dropping rapidly!"

"Ruptures detected in the warp core... both main and Alpha."

"Both?  How is that possible?"

"Hull break on deck 7... integrity is failing."

"All hands to emergency escape pods." Nevir shouted, doing the best he could to try and put in his own override code.

Another explosion sent shrapnel flying as Galloway's console blew.  Nevir watched his first officer fly back and land hard on the deck.  He was not moving.  "Ian!"  Unfortunately for him, there was no time to assess anything.

"Warp cores are going critical!"

"Abandon ship!  I repeat, abandon ship!" Nevir shouted, as the entire bridge seemed to become engulfed in flames.

Finally, the hull stress was too much, and the three sections of the ship snapped apart.  Less than a few seconds later, warp core breaches from both the Alpha hull, and the large compound core atomized the ship... and the escape pods that had just launched.  There was nothing left but atoms of the USS Discovery.

6 hours earlier....
Captain's Log, Star date 75015.02

The Discovery is in orbit around Carraya IV, a planet in the former Neutral Zone on the edge of Romulan space.  This planet served no strategic purpose during the days of the Empire, however an archaeological dig by the resident Klingons and Romulans living there found an abandoned city, and references to an ancient Romulan stronghold on the planet.  How and why this seemingly important and almost reverent location was just suddenly abandoned remained a mystery, but some of the relics in the area tell of a Romulan artifact of immense proportions, one that rendered the ancient Empire as unbeatable.  This alone is enough to warrant support from the Federation, due to the tenuous status of the current government.  This is not the time to have ancient weapons change hands, not when stability is within our grasp...

"According to this..." Nevir stated, reading a PADD with information on where they were.  "Carraya IV was host to survivors of a Klingon ship crash.  They were found by a Klingon Starfleet officer and brought back to the Empire, and then after the Dominion war the survivors returned to Carraya to honor their dead.  Here is the interesting part; when they arrived, they found former Romulan officers who had retired to the planet.  Instead of conflict between the two groups, they found mutual respect and had been living together peacefully ever since."

The Bajoran shook his head with a laugh.  "A planet practically in the Federation, where two hated people were able to coexist and thrive.  Without the Federation, mind you." He added, sitting down in the Captain's chair.  The Bridge was quiet, with Ian leading an away team to assist the Federation scientists studying the site with the Romulan government.  A nice change of pace after the constant fighting they had earlier.

He wasn't addressing anyone in particular, just speaking out loud on the bridge as he took his seat.  "Really wish I was down there to see all that... but I'm sure Ian has everything under control." He added, putting the PADD down.

"He better... after all, I have someone very special down there." He said, shaking his head.

Character(s) affected: Tekin Nevir (helps to have only one)
Assigned ship(s): USS Discovery
Period of time absent: November 1-November 6
Date of last period of activity: October 30 as of this thread, will post on the 31st as well.
Date returning: November 7, 2019

Any relevant comments: I will be evacuating the state of California and moving to Indiana for a new job.  Should have internet installed on the 6th, but just to be safe I will postpone until the 7th.

Eminent Domain
Written by Tekin Nevir

Synopsis: The Discovery arrives in the Dorric system in the far reaches of what is technically Romulan space.  There they find Dorric III, an unusually dense Class M world with a core growing essential crystals for space travel (dilithium and trellium.).  Because of this, the planet is starting to shake itself apart and is expected to fracture sometime soon.  The Romulans have asked the Discovery to go to that world to survey the planet to see how long it has, and defend against rogue factions who will try to seize such a vast resource.

Unfortunately, the planet isn't as uninhabited as the sensors say... and they are running out of time.

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Alright Disco, the new mission is currently up!  Same rules apply as always, and post here or message the command staff for any questions.

Tag to Saya to start with!

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Captain's Log, Stardate 74436.8

The Discovery is in the Dorric system orbiting Dorric III, as the behest of the Romulan government.  The system itself lies in the galactic northern reaches of Romulan space and might have been written off a not important if not for the third planet.  There, sensors indicate a large amount of Trellium and natural Dilithium forming in the core of the planet.  Coined a "Starship Mine", these will greatly assist New Romulus with reestablishing itself within it's own empire... but that means this planet is going to be highly sought after.

The Discovery has been tasked with surveying the planet to determine when it will die, as the dilithium tend to fracture planets when it is formed in the core.  The planet has become quite seismically active, and it could shake itself apart in months to decades.  Unfortunately, the metallic make up of the planet paired with the dilithium and trellium creates dead zones in our sensors, where they are unable to pick up any accurate readings.  For the meantime I have ordered to complete the scans as best as we could, and then we'll fill in the dead zones as we go.  Meanwhile, there are some changes that are occuring on the ship, and luckily these changes are all good things...

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[Main Engineering, USS Discovery]

"By Starfleet General Order 76, Senior Chief Petty Officer Ozu Saya has, on recommendation of both the Chief Engineer and the Captain of the USS Discovery-B, been hereby promoted to Chief Engineering Officer of the USS Discovery.  This includes the Enlisted Status of Senior Officer, and Department head, and entitles you to all the rights and privileges there in." Nevir stated, reading off a PADD.

"This has been approved by Starfleet Command on this stardate, 74432.8.  Congratulations Chief." Nevir stated, extending his hand out to his new Chief Engineer, to the applause of those currently in Engineering.  Nevir had been waiting for the official transfer orders approving the matter, and so found himself pulled away from a mission he was very excited about, to honor a friend.

"Mr. Donovan also sends his regards, and stated that he liked the ideas you had before he left?  Sounds like something I should look forward to."

Welcome to a new mission!  We have finally left the Gamma Quadrant (to the joy of the First officer), and are en route back to the Neutral Zone.  It has been a week since we left Katra, and 3 days since we left DS9.  We have a week and a half journey to go.  It should be quiet, right?

Story credit for this mission goes to Pol, the player of Hrafn, Ruth, and others; who graciously provided this idea.

Synopsis:

Upon leaving Katra Station for their next assignment, the Discovery responds to a faint distress signal and encounters a hole in space, the signal appears to be coming from inside the hole.  The signal is in fact from the hole itself which is some life form, and the consciousness of a man that was trapped inside it years ago (a Scientist who had been investigating it).  It's not really him, but the life form is using his voice and so on (as the only human it has encountered) to vocalize it's thought and voice.  It wishes to study more humanoids, their emotions, their strengths and weaknesses and challenges the Discovery with a simple task: to leave the hole by proving they are more intelligent beings than itself.

Same rules apply, ask questions if you need it!  Finally.. Tag to Ian.

Captain's log, Stardate 75343.24

We have just left DS9 after dropping off departing crew members, including my daughter, and picking up some new transfers.  Without the need to go to Earth, I have had our course set for a direct route from here to the Neutral Zone; where our Romulan allies are expecting us.  This course will take us closer to the galactic core, and into some lightly explored territory.  With the exception of some astronomic anomalies, I suspect that this will be a rather uneventful journey.  Of course, as Kas Maro's law states; expectations for no events leads to the biggest events of all.  We'll just have to see.

[Bridge- USS Discovery - Deck 1]

The latest status from ship wide operations showed all green across the board, and with that Nevir was feeling more comfortable in the big chair, watching the starstreaks coming at them from the viewscreen.  So far he was right; the trip was uneventful.  It had given him time to reflect on the past two months, and the past two weeks.  As angry as he was, Nevir was able to talk down Starfleet Command, and for that, his First Officer was spared the rod for the most part.  Speaking of....

"Commander Galloway, please report to the Bridge." 

And now he waited, watching what was going to be a week and half journey at their current cruising warp.

Hi all!  New month, new mission... lets us know if you're still with us!

The Captain will be on reduced activity this week, and I will be gone from May 23-27.

The Disco is a guest star in just another joint mission with Katra Station.  Standard rules and questions apply here.

Current points to remember:

- Discovery has been assigned to guard Katra Station for the past 2 months

- Captain Tekin has left Commander Galloway in temporary command of the Discovery.  The only times he has been back on the ship is to go to his ready room, and he has been on the bridge for one combat drill.  That drill gave harsher than normal feedback.

- Transporters had been completely taken apart and put back together.  Tekin Tidu has been officially declared dead in a transporter accident.

- Danjar will be moving departments to cover some of the slack as a result of Discovery assisting Katra.

- There are.. unsettling rumors that the Captain may be resigning from Starfleet.  Nothing substantiated, and the Captain himself hasn't said a word to anyone except for Ian.

Hi all, lets get a sense of who is here and who is unavailable.  Please post here no later than April 8th.  Those who do not will be placed on IPC or reserved.

Captain Tekin Nevir - No expected absences.

Alright.. welcome to the March mission for the Disco.  To be honest, I'm really excited about this one.

NOTE: We went to Earth for about a couple of days, and we've been at DS9 for the past three.  We are preparing to depart yet again.