NCC-800 USS FENRIS

SD 70913 to SD 80109

"Separate Ways"

Senior Staff

Captain Calvin A. DiFalco
Cmdr Daniel Laramie
LtCmdr Rick Slick
Lt Kagan
Lt<jg> Tzak-Rathri

Orders

Returning from Risa, the USS FENRIS is given two missions to accomplish.

The Captain has been requested as mediator in a seemingly unresolvable dispute between the governments of Rextor and Tir'Ellia, the latter the new member world DiFalco has been credited with bringing into the Federation. The two powers are arguing about a planet they both colonized.

The Fenris under the command of Laramie and reinforced with the former CSO Slick, who just attended advanced classes to prepare him for command, is ordered to do a milk run to the Kemara sector where a planet is in the final stages of preparation for colonisation. The cargo includes lifestock and supplies and the whole mission is considered a welcomed chance to recuperate after the excertions of the Risa adventure.

Dretyth

Arriving at Tir'ellia's space center, everything is set up for a first informal meeting between the delegations of Rextor, Tir'ellia and that of the colony, Dretyth. Much to the chagrin of the present Tir'ellian and colonial representatives, the Rextorians fail to attend. It becomes clear that the dretythian delegates are not happy with the choice of the mediator, they perceive DiFalco as a rude and ignorant person.

The next morning finds the meeting rescheduled to another conference room, embarassing the Rextorians and nullifying the psychological advantage they gained the evening before. All delegations outline their positions. It becomes obvious that Rextor colonized the planet first, but then abandoned their colonists when their resources were needed more urgently elsewhere, leaving them to cope on their own, which failed. Tir'ellia, finding the planet abandoned from support rescued the rextorian colonists and integrated them in their colonisation project. Everything went well and prospered until Rextor renewed it's original claim of the now Tir'ellian colony.

Rextor stands firmly to this claim while Tir'ellia is unwilling to retreat and abandon the considerable investments, the prestige of it's first colony and the work of it's citizens. While the two powers debate the legality of their claims, the colonist delegation finds themselves on the sideline. After a heated discussion they decide to proclaim their independence.

Facing opposition from both motherworlds over this step, the dretythian delegation, both rextorian and tir'ellian colonists, almost breaks apart. DiFalco emphasizes that the colonists' work has been taken for granted by both fighting parties and suggests that the motherworlds list their investments in comparision.

Since the proposal seems to be the only way to move the issue, the delegations part to set up their balance sheets. The next morning the discussion revolves around the exact figures. Rextor finds itself blamed for overestimating it's contributions.

After estimating the value of the colony, DiFalco suggests the creation of a holding to decide over the future of the colony, giving each of the three parties a share according to the current and ongoing contributions of the enterprise Dretyth. Rextor attempts to block this, afraid their claim of ownership will falter, but the head delegate receives order to accept the proposal under certain conditions in Rextor's favour.

The third day the delegations discuss detail questions of such a holding contract. DiFalco offers the creation of an independent institute on Dretyth that will independently and exclusively research the development possibilities and natural wealth of the colony, as well as educating the colonists. It would be funded by the three shareholders and the Federation and operate by Federation standards and with Federation equipment.

After resolving the detail questions, the delegations agree on accepting the proposal and the next day the treaty is signed. It will guarantee the colony's independence within 20 years while the motherworlds will slowly withdraw their influence and receive a repay of their fundings with a fair interest. Tir'ellia in addition will sponsor the colony's integration into the United Federation of Planets after it's independence is achieved. The return to Starbase Gamma finds DiFalco transferred to the new Cocoon sectors, his ship to follow him.

Milk Run

The USS FENRIS departs for the Kemara sector. The eventless flight is suddenly rocked as a cargo pod explodes, trapping the second officer, Lt. Kagan in the cargo bay. A rescue effort suceeds, although LtCmdr Slick and Lt Kagan are severely injured in the course of events and an Ensign dies.

Most of the lifestock perishes, while a population of genetically altered tesk bunnies escapes into the ship's interior. They are reproducing at a fast rate and security and marines search the ship for them before they hamper with the operation of the vessel.

An investigation reveals that the pod was improperly packed and hazardous materials got into contact with each other, creating an explosive. After some more detail work it becomes clear that it was an attempt of sabotage.

Without further incidents, the ship arrives at the planet and unloads the cargo onto the observation station in orbit, then sets a course back to Starbase Gamma to catch up with the CO.

Shortly before it goes to warp, the DELPHI array picks up an unusual ion trail in a nearby star system. Commander Laramie decides to investigate and approaches the ion trail with caution. It turns out that the trail has been left behind by an alien probe of inferior, yet nifty technology that is heading for the Chellas system. It is decided to disguise a class IX probe as asteroid and have it observe the alien probe, while the Fenris follows at a distance.

Investigation turns up that Chellas IV is a class M planet inhabited with a pre-industrial society. The alien probe seems to be examining the planet and not return to it, as considered first. Brief worries that the ion engine might set the atmosphere on fire and all life on the planet might perish fortunately don't come true because the Fenris' interference would have been prohibited by the prime directive, since both Chellas IV and the culture the probe comes from seem not to be advanced enough for first contact.

Commander Laramie receives a call to report to Starbase Beta to take a command of his own. Slick is promoted and ordered to take a closer look at the origin of the probe. The Fenris decides to follow the ion trail back to it's source. Long distance scans reveal that there seem to be settlements in the Melias asteroid belt. The disguised probe is launched for it to take detailed scans and report them back to the ship that waits in a distance to prevent detection.

Unfortunately, the inhabitants of the belt closely watch their environment for possible collisions and irregular objects and take an interest in the Fenris' probe. A ship of the aliens, the Denjj, under the command of Bargot Brindisi, an inventor and entrepreneur, takes the probe aboard. It also was Brindisi to launch the probe to Chellas, searching for a place for the belt people to emigrate to, after they split from their home world in a war.

Events in the belt are triggered by the discovery of the probe and a radical fraction of emigration opponents start a civil war. Brindisi flees towards the direction where the probe came from. Moments before the Fenris is discovered, the ship is ordered to report to the newly discovered Cocoon territory and leave the first contact to another ship.