[FNS] Commander’s practical takes a left turn when an incomplete facsimile of the UFOP is found in the Delta Quadrant.
Rebecca Iko
While en route to the Binnar sector to complete her command practical, Hopper (under the watchful eye of decorated starfleet Captain Nicolette Ashwood) received a starfleet-like distress call just moments after command was handed over.
Though encrypted with outdated Starfleet protocols, the distress signal was not from Starfleet itself, but rather a young alliance native to the Delta Quadrant known as the United Alliance of Worlds, or UAW.
"It appears that this group of aliens have used the little information they had about the UFP and Starfleet to form their own somewhat uncanny version of that,” said Ashwood, the usual commanding officer of the Kepler who was proctoring Hopper’s command practical. “So, naturally, when they encountered issues with their ship due to an aggressive pathogen, they came to us for help."
It has appeared that the UAW had previously obtained an incomplete collection of Voyager’s original database, and utilised the information to reverse engineer Starfleet technologies and model their society and “Astrofleet” after the United Federation of Planets.
The pathogen they are experiencing is said to be caused by a terroristic attack from the pre-warp society known as the Zumardi. Despite apparently being designed to attack the bioneural circuitry of the UAW’s version of the intrepid class starship, the pathogen has since jumped to infecting UAW crewmembers. At the point of writing, it may potentially be harming some Starfleet officers as well.
While reasoning behind the pathogen’s creation has not been confirmed, Starfleet and the Federation Diplomatic Corps are speculating it was created for a means of self-preservation of the Zumardi people, in an attempt to avoid UAW relocation strategies. While Starfleet’s Prime Directive of non-interference should prevent the USS Kepler from engaging in this conflict, there is speculation about whether or not the directive actually applies.
“Whether or not Starfleet wants to get involved, at this point the situation is involving us,” said Hopper. “We were approached for emergency aid, and we are doing our best to balance that obligation with what we’re learning.”
Nevertheless, the UAW and Zumardi conflict still demonstrates the importance for starship crews and captains to adhere to Starfleet’s Prime Directive of ensuring that Starfleet and the UFOP do not contaminate other cultures. The commonality of General Order One violations through Starfleet's history and its present day grows increasingly concerning, especially considering both the USS Voyager’s reputation and Hopper and then-Commander Wil Ukinix’s run in with the Paak a few years ago.
Regarding her temporary captaincy during this unexpected situation, Hopper noted “A commanding officer is only as good as her crew. In Starfleet we face complex situations all the time, many of which can be solved by asking questions and working as a team to resolve them. I’m still confident this will prove no different.”