[Begin Act 1] Fleet Captain Addison MacKenzie - The Ship of Afalqi
Addison MacKenzie
Three years ago, the crew of the USS Artemis responded to a catastrophic meteor impact on the Da’al homeworld of Meranuge IV. What began as a disaster relief mission quickly spiraled into something far stranger. A previously unknown compound (later designated Da’allium) interacted with the Da’al telepathic abilities, triggering widespread behavioral instability across the planet. The crisis nearly pushed their fragile political structure into collapse before we were able to help stabilize the situation and neutralize the compound’s effects.
The Da’al have never been simple people to understand. Their society is built on negotiation and factional balance rather than confrontation, and their guiding philosophy - unity as the foundation of strength - has shaped both their culture and their politics for centuries.
Now we find ourselves back in the Meranuge system at the request of their provisional government.
Earlier today, the First Secretary of Industry informed us that a prototype vessel, designated the Afalqi, has been stolen from a secure research facility on Meranuge IV. The ship represents the most advanced starship technology the Da’al have ever attempted to construct. According to the Secretary, it incorporates experimental propulsion systems and other technologies still under development. In the wrong hands, the Afalqi could dramatically shift the balance of power in the Borderlands.
The theft was carried out by a group of Da’al engineers who had direct access to the prototype’s design and testing facilities. Their chief engineer, once one of the project’s most respected minds, appears to be leading the group. Evidence suggests the engineers may have outside assistance.
For the Da’al, this is not merely a criminal matter. The Afalqi project is a symbol of their technological future. If the vessel falls into hostile hands, it could destabilize the region and undermine an already fragile political landscape.
Starfleet has therefore ordered the Artemis to assist at the request of the provisional government.
Our first objective is to determine how the engineers managed to take the prototype and where they might be headed. I’ve divided the senior staff into investigative teams across the Afalqi launch complex here on Meranuge IV. One team will examine the hangar facilities and gather whatever technical data remains on the prototype itself. Another will search the chief engineer’s office and research archives for communications, logs, or other clues that might reveal the engineers’ destination. I will meet with the First Secretary of Industry at launch control to review the launch telemetry and determine whether the theft involved help from within the government itself.
We are operating under the assumption that the Afalqi is already off-world. If that is true, this investigation will quickly become a pursuit.
The engineers who took the ship may not want a confrontation with Starfleet, but they will almost certainly resist being taken back to Meranuge IV before completing whatever mission they believe they are on.
For now, the answers we need are somewhere on this planet, and we have very little time to find them.
End Log.
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Commanding Officer
USS Artemis-A