StarBase 118 investigates destruction of SS Annabelle’s Lament

STARBASE 118 – StarBase 118 has been drawn into a web of intrigue while investigating the destruction of the freighter SS Annabelle’s Lament.
Following the joyous wedding of Lt Commander Chen and Director Grier Reinard, newly promoted Captain Leo Handley-Page took a sabbatical to Earth to research what ails his sister, Ambassador Nia Calderan. As he departed, Handley-Page left Lt Commander Sal Taybrim as acting commander of Ops, for what appeared to be a routine week of reports and maintenance.
Shortly afterward StarBase 118 received a call from a Federation Research Outpost saying one of their science vessels had picked up the debris from the missing Federation freighter the SS Annabelle’s Lament. The ship was destroyed, losing all 65 passengers and crew. The captain of the Lament was related to high ranking Starfleet officers who demanded an investigation into what happened. Shortly afterward, the debris was delivered to the science labs on StarBase 118 where a taskforce of scientists and engineers started sifting through the wreckage.
Meanwhile, the starbase mobilized to handle the delicate diplomatic situation surrounding the freighter’s loss, including contacting families and making sure the deceased were identified. As the investigation progressed the teams found that one of the Lament’s crew was not present in the wreckage and is presumed to not have been on the ship when it exploded.
While Engineering and Science found clues leading them to suspect the cargo the Lament was carrying was somehow used to form a deadly explosive, Security had their hands full dealing with a stowaway that arrived on the trade ship NGV Fortune’s Determination. This stowaway was soon linked to the puzzle, being the person who delivered the last load of cargo the Lament took on, which included chemicals that could be mixed into explosives. However, in the middle of the interrogation of the stowaway, the main brig experienced a localized power failure, and an unknown assailant tried to execute the prisoner before he talked.
“It was so weird! First these animals all got out and security was chasing them around, and then there was this muffled boom. The lights didn’t go out here, but in security they were as black as night! And then there were shouts and seriously I think there was phaser fire, too! It was crazy I tell you. Just crazy!” said Jason Strepp, cashier at the nearby Donut Worry! shop.
Power was quickly restored and a manhunt began for the assailant, while science confirmed their suspicions and proved that the chemicals the Lament was carrying could be combined to make explosives. Intel now reports increased Romulan traffic in the area where the Lament was destroyed, and Starfleet is working quickly to unravel the mystery and prevent dangerous weapons from falling into the wrong hands.