[Begin Act 1] Fleet Captain Addison MacKenzie - Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Addison MacKenzie
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Captain’s Log, Stardate 240110.01
With repairs to the Artemis complete and the Frontier
Day disaster behind us, we have been dispatched back to our regular campaign
region: The Borderlands. While enroute, we received a communication from Deep Space
224, who informed us of a developing situation that warrants our attention.
Three days ago, the starbase received a distress signal from a civilian
freighter who identified itself as the Tritorian. The communication was
quite short: they managed to identify that they were conducting routine
business along the Celendi Trade Line, but their transmission was cut short
before they could transmit their exact location or the nature of their distress.
According to scientific readings, the Celendi Nebula has been particularly
active in recent months, so it's possible that increased radiation may have
interfered with the freighter’s systems, including communications.
Federation databases contain no records of this ship, its crew, or the contents
it may have been transporting.
With Starfleet in a state of rebuild, there are no ships available in the
Borderlands who can attend to this matter, and so it is up to the Artemis to
investigate. We’ve been tasked with executing a search and rescue
mission for the Tritorian, covering the area of the Celendi Trade Line in
the vicinity of the Celendi Nebula, and including nearby worlds in case the
ship may have crash landed.
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(( Bridge – Deck 1, USS Artemis-A ))
Addison made her way out of her ready room and onto the bridge at a steady
gait. Headed in the direction of the center chair, her auburn hair, pulled back
in its traditional ponytail while on duty, bounced along her shoulders with
each step.
MacKenzie: Location?
Lyara: Response
It seemed like their newest officer was becoming quite familiar with the helm. They
were well on their way and approaching the area they’d been tasked with
investigating. Sitting down in her chair, her gaze fixated on the viewscreen as
she leaned to her left to speak with the first officer.
MacKenzie: Something doesn’t feel right about this. A freighter we have
no record of suddenly goes missing without a trace in one of the most heavily
traveled areas of the Borderlands? Seems suspicious.
Dakora: Response
Her eyes narrowed slightly, still fixated on the viewscreen. Her lips pursed, a
look of skepticism on her face as she shook her head.
MacKenzie: I don’t think so… The pirates are pretty ruthless – I don’t
think they would have given them time to offer a distress signal. Something
else must have happened.
Dakora: Response
Addison sat up taller in her chair. Her gaze fell to the consoles built into
the armrests of her chair. As she consulted the readouts, she shook her head.
Something definitely didn’t add up, alright.
MacKenzie: Commander Jovenan, do you have any information about why the
nebula is acting up now, or what impact its radiation might have on the crew or
our systems?
Jovenan: Response
Radiation poisoning was one thing – their defensive systems and regular doses
of medication could mitigate the effects, but they couldn’t afford to stay in
the area for very long and risk prolonged exposure. Her eyes narrowed again as
her attention shifted.
MacKenzie: Lieutenant Silveira, is there anything in the reports about increased
pirate activity along the Celendi Trade Line?
Silveira: Response
She shook her head slowly as her gaze returned to the viewscreen. None of it
made sense.
MacKenzie: Ensign, plot a search and rescue course along the Celendi
Trade Line, factoring in any planets in close proximity to the trade line where
the Tritorian may have crashed. How many planets might that be, and how
long will it take us to cover them?
Lyara: Response
She shook her head. Too long, too much time. They were already fighting against
the clock as it was – it had been three days since DS 224 received the call for
them to even get to the area, let alone start their search. If the freighter was
in trouble, or even worse, if it had crashed somewhere, the window for them
to potentially locate any survivors would be quickly closing.
MacKenzie: Very well. Helm, lay in a course and engage at warp 5. Science,
pay careful attention to sensors – if there’s any space debris that might
correspond to a freighter, or potential crash sight on one of these planets, we
need to find it quickly.
Jovenan/Lyara: Responses
MacKenzie: Tactical, be on the lookout for any pirate activity. I think
it’s highly unlikely that anyone would choose to provoke the Federation’s
flagship vessel in the region, but you never know.
Silveira: Response
MacKenzie: ::turning to Dakora:: Let medical know that we might be encountering
increased levels of radiation, and they should start replicating enough Hyronalyn
to inoculate the entire crew with multiple doses… ::flatly:: and to prepare for
the possibility that we might encounter wounded who need our assistance.
Dakora: Response
Tag, and TBC!
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Fleet Captain Addison MacKenzie, M.D., Ph.D., FASFS
Commanding Officer
USS Artemis-A
Captains Council Member at Large
V239601AM0