Tales from a torn galaxy

Reports are coming in from all over the Federation regarding some form of sleeping sickness, as yet Starfleet Medical Refuses to comment on the situation until they have had chance to investigate the situation.

The reports centering around this emerging epidemic originated from Starfleet Command itself following the news that several high ranking Starfleet Officers have been taken ill around the fleet, if this continues it would be a significant blow to Starfleet’s ability to carry out its primary task under the Stark Administration – re-exploration.

Voices of dissent have already attributed this new sickness to Starfleet’s push beyond the Sol system, indicating that they believe the contagions origin to be from outside the Sol system and the Federation’s previously discovered territories.

As I write this article the news has just reached us that Captain Kurt Darkly the so called ‘butcher’ of Qo’noS has been struck down by the sleeping affliction as has his Executive Officer. According to Starfleet this leaves the ship in the capable hands of on Bryan Horlocker a member of Star Fighter Command. This is the first time a member of Star Fighter Command has been placed in command of a Starfleet Starship since the branches split officially 4 years ago, all eyes will certainly be focused on Commander Horlocker now he has been thrust in to the limelight. How will a man with the kind of chequered history that Horlocker possesses cope with the added pressure of command?

The world will soon see.

A senior Federation Aide today reported that all contact has been lost with USS Hale an Intrepid Class vessel under orders to explore former Klingon territories, in a statement released by Starfleet Command the Admiralty indicated that the last reports from the Sovereign indicated she had been chasing down reports of pirate activity in her patrol area.

The Federation News Service was able to get an exclusive interview with the Hales former Chief of the Boat Chief Petty Officer Ryan Osborn.

FNN: “Welcome to the studio Chief Osborn, could you tell us a little about the ship and crew you served with for over 5 years?”

Osborn: “Thank you it’s a pleasure to be here. The crew and the ship is one of the finest I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with, under the auspice of Captain Matthews I’ve seen the ship beat the Borg.”

FNN: “So you can’t think of anything that would take the ship off grid then?”

Osborn: “No, nothing at all.”

FNN: “So what then of the reports that Captain Matthews belongs to a well known anti-alien group on earth then?”

Osborn: “No comment”

FNN: “What of his staunch support of President Kirok?”

Osborn: “This interview is over!”

As you can see from our conversation with Osborn there is definitely more afoot here than Starfleet is letting on, a commanding officer with ties to a known terrorist group and public record of his adoration for a complete madman.

We at the FNS only hope that Starfleet’s orders for Enterprise to search for the Hale yield positive results.

This morning President Stark faced some of his toughed criticism yet since the start of his presidency. It has been claimed that as a direct result of his orders to divert food and supplies to the refugees in orbit of Earth no less than 7 Starfleet vessels have been left dead in space unable to carry out their duties following failures which could have been prevented.

Senator Viar of the Federation council released the following statement

“It’s a terrible shame that our armed forces have been brought to their knees by the idealistic crusade of a single man, that we now live in a time where one man can still enforce his whims on us all is unconscionable. I for one will be discussing with my peers methods of curbing President Stark’s powers to avoid this kind of issue entirely.”

The senator’s words were met with out cry from several prominent sentient rights activists who have long been campaigning on behalf of those left homeless by years of war. Martin Drayson of the United Rights Alliance appeared on the Galactic News Network this lunch time to speak out against Senator Viar.

“Perhaps the Senator would like to leave his ivory tower at some point and re-join the real world” Martin Drayson said during an interview with the Galactic News Network today “People are dying out in the upper atmosphere of Earth and people like the honourable Senator seem determined to ignore that fact, instead they concentrate on an enemy we’ve not seen for years. The sooner the Federation realises the Borg are gone the sooner we will all be able to move on.”

Fleet Admiral Taylor waded in to the debate with a statement of his own indicating that at no time was the efficiency of the fleet impaired by the ships being out of commission, he went on to point out that there have been numerous occasion in the past 5 years where several ships have been unable to take part in fleet action for months at a time due to supply chain issues. Why he went on to ask do people suddenly care about it when they didn’t care 6 months ago?

It’s a good question and one the Federation News Service hopes that Senator Viar will answer when he joins our news team tonight at 2000 hours.

“Today we stand on the edge of greatness, those were the words spoken by President Stark at his latest public address.” Samuel read the words as he typed them in to the PADD, it helped him think it helped to focus his thoughts.

“The president was refering to the re-launch of the Starfleet Re-Exploration Initiative (Or SRI) a often neglected portion of Starfleet which is responsible for much of the re-exploration accomplished since the war” Samuel stopped writing momentarily to click his knuckles, it was a bad habbit he had picked up in his youth that he had never quiet managed to shake. “President Stark went on to explain his plan for the SRI to re-explore the old Klingon and Romulan Empires, this is a move many people expected of him after recent outbursts by the Romulan and Klingon goverments which suggested the Federation was out of its own interests and not thiers”

“Perhaps though, the most surprising announcement of the day was the construction of Qo’noS One” He paused again this time to refer to his notes from the Presidents speech “A joint task force of 7 Klingon ships and 10 Federation ships have already left Sol bound for Qo’noS their task a simple one, begin construction of Space Station Qo’noS One”

“Designed to serve as a staging point for the SRI the station will be a Cario Class starbase just like Deep Space One the staging post for Admiral Cash’s Renegade Armada last year.”

“One thing President Stark didn’t mention was Enterprise and her Captain, it is common knowledge now that many Klingons feel him to be nothing more than a honourless butcher just as its known they don’t want him anywhere near Qo’noS again. With Enteprise operating in the same area how long will the sometimes fragile alliance between our former enemies and the Federation last?”

Not long I expect Sam thought to himself as he leaned back The Klingon’s want their pound of flesh and they will get it, especially since Stark lauded him and his crew as hero’s for their actions in the civil war.