Proper Etiquette for Crossing the Galaxy

Posted on Wed Oct 25th, 2023 @ 8:28pm by Captain Charlotte Rhodes & Lieutenant Commander Ryan Knight & Lieutenant Michaela Holland & Lieutenant Savar

2,649 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Episode 2: The Passage
Location: Ready Room, USS Defiant
Timeline: MD 1: After Launch

The steam rising off her mug seemed to cause the image of the Carina Nebula on the wall display to shimmer and ripple, evoking a bit of mystery that Charlotte had felt plaguing her mind for a the last few days since learning of the presence of a warp gate within the nebula's clouds.

Now, as evidenced by the star lines streaking past her Ready Room window, they were underway on a voyage to find this mysterious gate. And yet far, far too many questions still plagued her. Rhodes looked around the table again at the officer's she'd gathered. One of what was likely to be several planning sessions.

"I have to admit, I can't keep my mind from wandering to our destination," Charlotte admitted, setting her mug down and leaning back a bit. "My thoughts are in a million places at once of late. And all of them keep pointing me to the fact that we are in very uncharted waters. There's no rule book for how to handle this. So I'm going to need the three of you to at least help me start one."

Savar spoke from his place at the table. "We and you are free to make our own rule book Captain. We can adapt to situations as the come. As you have stated, we make our own rule book. One that is suited for precisely this mission."

Ryan drummed a stylus on the tablet in front of him a few times as he nodded in agreement. "I've been reviewing some of the follow up interviews that Arcadia Diplomatic staff have been conducting. There are number of planets in the region that haven't achieved warp capability, but still have knowledge of interstellar civilizations. Some due to trade and some that seem to be conquered by their warp capable neighbors. It's going to be difficult to determine if and when the Prime Directive is going to apply to any first contact mission."

Initially Michaela didn't know why she'd been called to the captain's ready room. At first she'd thought it was about her storming off the bridge earlier, and leaving her inappropriately dressed assistant to operate the engineering station. Maybe an admiral had called, and thrown a hissy fit over the state of the crew he saw through the view screen. Seeing the XO there hadn't helped her fears any, so it wasn't until she saw another officer, Lieutenant Savar, there that she was able to set her suspicions aside.

But even after it became clear that the meeting wasn't about her, Michaela still wasn't sure why she was there. Unless the mission required modifications to the ship, engineers were usually the last to hear about any specifics... and certainly when it came to first contact policy decisions. But so what if she didn't know exactly why she was there. That didn't mean she didn't have anything to say.

"A lot of people seem to forget that Humanity knew about warp theory for almost eighty years before the Phoenix proved it could be done. And even then Earth was still an irradiated, disunited mess when the Vulcans initiated first contact."

"I saw a civilization once, the Vy'ashan, fail their eighth warp test flight. Blew up right on the launch pad. They've been trying for fifty years, as soon as their space optics spotted an alien civilization less than a light year away. They're good people. Every time they fail they just pick up the pieces, make some more antimatter, and try again. They've got a working warp drive, and they know it. They're just too gullible to realize that its their neighbors, the Untarrans, sabotaging their missions, to keep them bottled up on their home planet. They're just convinced its an array of minority Luddite sects. My COs weren't willing to risk their careers providing security, or trying to convince them otherwise." Michaela shrugged, not entirely sure where she was going with the story. She didn't put much stock in the Prime Directive. But then again, she'd never had to risk her career trying to push her own interpretation of it.

Ryan carefully considered the scenario Michaela described. It was very likely the Defiant would face similar situations should they be granted permission to traverse the warp gate to another Quadrant of the Milky Way. "I, and I am sure all the senior staff, will provide you with recommendations based on precedence, regulations and our professional opinions. Ultimately though. The decision on how we proceed is yours."

"I appreciate all your input here. I too have a lot of concerns about when, where, and how the Prime Directive comes into play here. We're note just going outside Federation space. We're going somewhere the Federation has never even been heard of. And as such, an area where other races we encounter won't really care about any laws we govern ourselves with. We may as well be a trespasser or a vagabond for all many will care," Charlotte said, looking at the screen in thought. "I think we're going to be in a lot of gray areas. I think realistically, contact with those who know of warp travel is probably a compromise worth making. Interfering will be much more dangerous there than at home, and probably needs to be avoided if at all possible. We'll be far far away from back up. And that does bring me to the Engineering part of this."

The captain turned to address the Michaela. "I've got two topics I need your input on, more than most. Protecting Defiant and the Alpha Quadrant. Before we get into that second point, let's talk this ship. I'm viewing this as not dissimilar to previous expeditions into hostile space, dating back as far as the NX-O1. We need to be prepared for anomalies and spacial conditions we've never seen before, and we need the ability to incorporate new technologies if or when we encounter them. So any thoughts you have on how to make Defiant as adaptable as possible are certainly welcome."

Michaela looked around, not even sure where to begin. She had no real experience with any of this... planning grand adventures into the unknown. This would be her first time leaving Federation space. What she did have, however, was training. One of the benefits of sticking around the core systems was that it allowed easy access to the gathered, collective knowledge of Starfleet, which came in the forms of supplemental courses at the academy, workshops, seminars, debates, and best of all, debriefs with crews who had been out there, done that, and returned to tell their tales. Most of the time these things were terribly boring, especially when there were no foreseeable prospects of any of this knowledge and training ever being used. But sometimes, once in a great while, even a spoiled fleet brat like Michaela made it into the void.

"Well, I think first there are some things we'll have to take into serious consideration, and assumptions that we'll need to avoid. First, the gateway. Whoever built it had access to exotic matter... stuff that doesn't follow any of the rules of the universe as we understand it. Stuff that would break the periodic table if we try to place it onto it. Whether they made it, found it, or inherited it... who knows. If there are more gateways, then we should consider that any civilizations we meet may not have as much use for the technology we rely on... warp drive. That means that the basic stuff that we need for long range space-travel... antimatter, dilithium, deuterium, tritium... its possible that none of them are consumed in enough abundance to warrant a production or trade infrastructure..." Michaela then closed her mouth abruptly, realizing she was rambling on a very convoluted topic.

"I guess what I'm saying, is that we need to determine how easy or difficult it will be to fuel the technology we have." Michaela unsuccessfully fought the urge to fidget, and repeatedly smoothed out her uniform dress over her lap. They'd only just left port and she was already becoming stressed out over the journey back.

The Captain's eyebrows rose in response to Michaela's comments. Frankly, she hadn't even considered the idea that something like a deuterium leak could be a fatal blow. In the Alpha and Beta Quadrant, that might put them at risk of an enemy ship or pirates, but there'd be no question that eventually they could resolve it. Any passing ship could potentially provide the resources needed. But what about a region of space wholly without comparable technologies? They could effectively be trapped forever.

"Well...that certainly is something we would need to address," Rhodes finally said, looking down at her padd as if an answer could be there. "We need to make sure we have the supplies necessary to refine our own fuel if it truly comes to that. And even harvesting gear if, should the worst occur, we need to outfit a shuttle to harvest some. It's also probably a worthwhile idea to have a supply of extra shuttle parts sent over from Arcadia. If we lose a shuttle, we need the ability to repair or replace it. Or possibly even modify it for specific conditions."

Ryan grew thoughtful as an idea formed in his mind. He appeared lost in thought as he stared at the corner in the ceiling. A smile started to spread across his face.

Savar had maintained his silence and listened to the others. It was fascinating what one could learn just by observation. He saw Commander Knight and the smile that appeared on his face. "An idea Commander?" He posed.

Ryan blinked as Savar addressed him. He looked at each of them in turn before turning to Michaela. "Would it be possible for us to design and construct a modular multi-mission capabile support craft? Bigger than a standard shuttlecraft with greater speed and range, but with interchangeable modules ... say research, cargo, personnel transport and diplomatic courier modules?

Michaela considered the idea for a moment, but it wasn't very long at all before she started to look a bit uncomfortable... only few seconds. "With the right people Starbase Arcadia might be able to handle such a project, but it would be beyond my ability. I'm sorry." She didn't like admitting that she wasn't up to a task, but the scale of such an undertaking demanded complete honesty. The amount of manpower, resources and work hours required to design and build a working prototype would be near-incalculable even for a dedicated research & design team. That way she'd worded her reply was a nicer way of saying that she'd more than likely waste a lot of time and resources while the ship went neglected and fell apart around them.

The Captain nodded. "That's an excellent idea, Commander. I agree with Chief Holland. Probably well beyond our shipboard capabilities. But Arcadia herself is outfitted with some shipyard equipment, even if it hasn't really been put to use yet. We could draw up some rough schematics and commission the craft. It might need to wait until our return or we might need a different vessel to deliver it, but I think we could make it work. A versatile craft would definitely increase our mission scope on the other side of the gate."

"Refined dilithium is the only fuel component that we cannot reliably synthesize, so I recommend carrying extra reserves." Michaela said. She didn't really have any novel ideas to share, but she did have a few recommendations about how to stretch their resource consumption. "We could theoretically make antimatter, but there's no safe way to do it, and repurposing parts of the ship to do it would violate more safety regulations than I care to recite. We may get lucky and find stars with the right conditions to harvest it. If not, we'll have to rely on trade." She shrugged.

"If we're going to use shuttles, we'll have to be very strategic about when and where we deploy them. From a risk standpoint its the better option, but their warp engines are slower and less efficient, and their sensors are limited, so even if we were to deploy them out to several systems with Defiant as the center point, we would still have used just as much fuel, and more time than if we were to use Defiant to visit each system in turn." Michaela shrugged, realizing she really wasn't helping to reach the best option. She'd attended a symposium once where captains had discussed deep space mission planning. In the end none of them had presented a clear best option. There were too many variables, and it had been up to each to determine what the best course was for their set of circumstances. The more of those things Michaela attended, the less glamorous the idea of being a command officer became.

Ryan realized that they had somewhat strayed off topic. He decided it best to table a discussion for a support craft for later. "I will put together a team for designing. Should get back to the matter at hand. How best to explore a region of space nearly a hundred years away from Federation space at normal warp."

Captain Rhodes nodded. "I think the physical logistics will continue to be something we need to hash out. But we need to also figure out the political implications. Should anything ever happen to the gateway, this will be the first and possibly only contact the Federation has with these species this century. I think it makes sense for us to form a directive or two of our own. Mr. Savar, I'd be curious about your thoughts?"

Savar glanced at the others in the room before his eyes settled on Captain Rhodes. He didn't rush an answer but neither did he shy away from giving one. "This is as you pointed out Captain a unique situation for the Federation and us. I believe our direction is clear. We proceed cautiously, our best foot forward wherever possible. We extend an olive branch to those we encounter. We proceed from strength but not bullying but of cooperation, where we highlight the Federation's strengths and what it can offer those races we encounter. As an Earth proverb goes. You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. We are here to make friends, allies. Not create new enemies."

"Couldn't agree more," the Captain replied, leaning back in her chair a little. "I think our approach overall is going to one of restraint. Step lightly, try not to ruffle feathers, conserve resources. Once we get our sea legs under us, then we can think about getting a bit more wild. It's a region we've never seen before. Plenty of science to do without getting ourselves wrapped up in a war."

Ryan nodded his head. He had joined Starfleet to be an explorer. There had been times when he had seen combat against the Klingons, but thankfully those had amounted to border skirmishes in contested territory. "I concur Captain. I'll review review all the debrief records we have from the refugees. Something I recommend the senior staff do as well."

"Commander Knight." Savar addressed the Defiant's executive officer. "I am only a diplomat, but I know the many paths of war. May I suggest when you do your review you pay extra close attention to any mention of unusual weapon signatures."

Ryan turned to Savar and acknowledged his recommendation. "You have a good point. Technology may have developed differently wherever the portal ends up taking us."

Captain Rhodes drummed her hands on the table. "Sounds like we have our marching orders. Everyone, make sure to report to me if you think you've found something of note. In the meantime, I'm going to call back to Arcadia and update the Admiral. Other than that, dismissed."

 

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