[Act 1] Lt. Cmdr Robin Hopper – The Funhouse Mirror
Robin Hopper
// Begin Recording //
Hopper: Acting Captain’s Log, stardate 240305.10. Well, things have gotten a little bit complicated. Already. A lot more complicated, actually… Where to begin?
Robin brought her hands up in front of her, tapping her fingers together quickly in a nervous clap-like gesture.
Hopper: The USS Kepler is about ten minutes away from intercepting the “UAW Enterprise” – that feels weird to say. Since we received the initial distress call, we’ve made contact with these aliens, who call themselves the United Alliance of Worlds in what I can only describe as a… tribute? …to the Federation.
She screwed up her mouth, looking momentarily at the ceiling like a better word for what was going on might be written up there. Finding no such helpful graffiti, she turned back to the recording device.
Hopper: Here’s what we know. The Illidarians, the Terellians, and the Yalitians have created their own, Delta Quadrant local, micro-Federation. Apparently they were inspired by the USS Voyager when it passed through thirty years ago and managed to get themselves a copy of the ship’s cultural database. Since then, they’ve been converting their ships into an… “Astrofleet”. ::Shaking her head in disbelief:: It’s surreal. They even dress like us. I mean, I guess it’s sort of flattering, but it also feels kind of… uncanny.
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery – and perhaps that was true – but there’s ‘imitation’ and then there’s… whatever this was. It felt uncomfortably close to ‘worship’... not religious worship, but fanatical hero worship. The idea of the Federation and of Starfleet leaving such an impression on these societies that they would completely reshape their way of living in only thirty years felt nigh-impossible to Robin. And yet…
Hopper: But, that’s all secondary. They need help. Apparently, their ships – which use a similar form of bioneural circuitry to that used on Voyager – have been infected by a pathogen. A pretty insidious one that has been infecting and disabling ships throughout their fleet. They claim a species called the… ::checks notes:: Zumardi, natives of the planet Zumaris, developed this pathogen as part of a ‘bio-terrorism insurgency.’
Steepling her hands and sighing, Robin finished her log with a final note.
Hopper: What’s really troubling though is that the pathogen has mutated – it’s now jumping from ships’ systems to the crew – infecting and killing dozens already. It’s quickly spiralling into an incurable plague… And the Zumardi are withholding the cure.
// End Recording //
((USS Kepler – en route to United Alliance of Worlds Territory))
Hopper: –As a result of this pathogen, the systems of the Enterprise– oO Is that ever not going to feel weird to say? Oo –are too badly damaged to even travel at warp speed under their own power. I’ve agreed to use the Kepler’s tractor beam to tow them back towards their own space, for now. I’m hoping this can give us a chance to better understand the situation.
Hopper led two other officers in Red uniforms towards the Kepler’s transporter bay, where they were set to meet the UAW’s representative – Captain Ertmo, apparently a senior member of the Astrofleet, who had come to Amity’s space seeking desperate assistance.
With her were Ilid Zakrem, one of Amity’s newest crewmembers, and the region’s first Special Operations Officer, whose experience and insights she hoped would prove valuable in this meeting and, of course, Captain Ashwood, who would be observing and (rather terrifyingly, judging) Robin’s performance.
Zakrem: Response
Ashwood: Response?
Hopper: Their commanding officer, Captain Ertmo, assures me that there’s little risk. Our crews biology shouldn’t be susceptible to the pathogen, and we’ll ensure a full decon screening on any transports onto the Kepler… That said, I’ve instructed Lieutenant Commander Iko and Lieutenant Wong to make sure their teams take proper precautions.
First Officer Iko, along with Taelon and Saavei, should already be aboard the Alliance’s vessel, meeting with the Enterprise’s chief engineer – a Yalitian named Ko'Lforta. Robin wasn’t even sure what the Yalitians looked like exactly. The species was essentially a footnote in Voyager’s records. The team’s goal was, ostensibly, to assess the damage and do whatever they could to stabilize or repair the ship’s systems… As a secondary objective, though, Robin hoped that they would be able to determine what the ship’s capabilities were and just how successfully they had replicated the Federation’s technology.
Simultaneously, Chief Medical Officer Wong, along with Vexa Lor and D’Cyra Varati, would be meeting with the ship’s Senior Scientist – a Terrellian named Juriton. The Terrellians Robin knew of, though only in passing. They had participated in the Antaran Rally – the race that Tom Paris and Harry Kim had piloted the Delta Flyer in. The little that Robin knew of their world was that they had been undergoing some political turbulence back then. Perhaps that had been inflamed by their encounter with Voyager. They would be working to better understand the pathogen and work on developing a treatment, if possible – while also learning what they could about its origins.
Robin, as CO, would not however be going over to the Enterprise, like Bec and Ikaia’s teams. At least not yet. oO Lucky ducks, Oo she mused, briefly. As strange as this whole situation was, the scientist in her desperately wanted to get a look at that other ship up-close, see its inner workings, how they had developed their own bioneural gel packs, get to meet the various alien races…
Zakrem/Ashwood: Response
Hopper: I’m not sure yet what it is, but something about this whole thing gives me the heebie-jeebies. I don’t think we’re getting the full picture… ::Thinking:: It’s hard to imagine this Zumardi ‘insurgency’ taking it upon themselves to develop this pathogen, inflict it on these people, and withhold a cure unprovoked. There’s a piece here that Ertmo hasn’t shared yet. I’m hoping when we meet him we can learn more.
What Robin left unspoken, as they passed through the doors to the USS Kepler’s transporter bay, was that she had sent off one additional team on a special mission. While The Kepler was a Starfleet vessel through-and-through, the USS Independence-B was, technically, a Diplomatic Corps ship still. While she loathed sending Aitas away (especially while Keehani Ukinix was preoccupied with the Talaxian delegation on Idrustix), she needed a diplomat elsewhere.
The First Secretary had taken an advance team, including Seleya of Khanda and Kaito Moore, at full warp, to find the Zumardi and learn more about the insurgency directly ‘from the horse’s mouth’. (An idiom that Robin had used and then quickly clarified). She wanted to know all sides of the story, not just the UAW, or Captain Ertmo’s version of it. If anyone could make that happen, she trusted that Aitas and her team would manage it. And, as a side bonus, since the away team was being led by a member of the FDC to a pre-warp civilization, it had also presented the perfect opportunity to send along several Mantis Shrimp Type-1 phaser prototypes for a field test!
Zakrem/Ashwood: Response
The transporter operator standing at the controls, nodded as the three senior officers entered, then indicated their visitor was ready.
Operator: We’re ready here, ma’am. One to beam aboard.
Robin nodded back. A moment later, accompanied by the familiar whirrrrrrr of the transporter and a gentle flash of light, the Commanding Officer of the Enterprise was standing before them – an Ilidarian, apparently – a member of another species Robin had never seen before. Nonetheless, she maintained her composure and stepped forward.
Hopper: Captain Ertmo. I’m Lieu– Mm. ::Correcting herself:: I’m Captain Robin Hopper of the USS Kepler. Welcome aboard. This is my Special Operations Officer, Chief Petty Officer Ilid Zakrem, and my– Captain Nicolette Ashwood.
oO Well that was smooth. Nice one, Hopper. Oo
She extended a hand of welcome, unsure whether that custom had also been subsumed by the United Alliance of Worlds in their attempt to replicate Federation culture.
Ertmo: Response
Zakrem/Ashwood: Response?
Gesturing towards the door, Robin suggested they relocate their conversation.
Hopper: On behalf of the United Federation of Planets and Starfleet, I’d be happy to discuss further the challenges your people are dealing with and determine what sort of assistance we might be able to render. I suggest taking the conversation to our conference room for now, where we can talk candidly.
Ertmo: Response
Zakrem/Ashwood: Response
Hopper: The Kepler is, in fact, the same class of ship as the Voyager – we call it an Intrepid Class, though you may have known that already. She’s a fine ship, and recently upgraded. Captain Ashwood is typically the Commanding Officer however, given my familiarity with the region, I’ll be leading this mission. ::Raising her eyebrows:: But I’m very curious to learn more about you and your ship, Captain.
Ertmo: Response
Zakrem/Ashwood: Response
TBC
