USS Veritas To Confiscate Spore Drive From Pirate Captain Henley Marths

SHOALS — USS Veritas is attempting to confiscate a displacement-activated spore hub drive allowing near-instantaneous travel across the galaxy, believed to be held by Henley Marths.
Marths, semi-notorious within the region for his “playful” yet brutal character, holds a displacement-activated spore hub drive allowing near-instantaneous travel across the galaxy and quantum realities. Marths has enjoyed a rotating door of prison time for decades, and his more recent conquests include the capture of private science vessel SS Rampart. The Rampart’s capture left one survivor: Elliot Manstead, now working with Marths directly.
Three unnamed individuals provided the information to the USS Veritas (NCC-95035) crew, also reported as pirates caught by Starfleet while undergoing their own misdeeds. Starfleet has so far declined to identify the individuals, but FNS sources believe them to be privateer Oliver Zuccaro and Orion Syndicate scoundrel Lena Josett, after the wanted individuals were recently sighted with Starfleet personnel aboard Ashworth Station: a known pirate haven. The news alarmed Shoals officials.
“It is no secret the Shoals has a lengthy history of dangerous space-travel, but now Starfleet is ‘teaming up’ with the enemy!” Reported rising Ketar V representative Kalisha Bint. “What next? Will Starfleet begin their own raids on civilian ships?”
Captain Roshanara Rahman and her crew intended now to confiscate the spore drive. So far, the chase has led them to a Mutara class nebula, with interference dense enough to leave the ship blind. Regardless, the crew went ahead with plans to infiltrate Marths’ SS Wildfire and SS Rampart. However, one away team was thwarted when their pirate informant transported them back to the Veritas seizing the Rampart.
Nearby, Colonial Coalition Marshals have reported the Cygnetian ship The Thunder of Nations has also entered the nebula, sparking theories of Cygnetian collaboration with Operation Safe Harbor within the Shoals. The Cygnetian Council of Matriarchs has not provided comment.
The situation is ongoing.
 
Written by Roshanara Rahman