RING 42 — Shortly after the Juneau left Ring 42 for their next operation, they received a distress signal from the USS Grace Hopper, claiming that they had been assaulted by pirates who had managed to breach their shields.
Another awards ceremony was held on the USS Juneau, this time with a formal masquerade party organised by the ship’s counsellor, Ens. R’Kala. Lts. Tomas Falt and Dekas were both promoted for their outstanding performance. Lt. JG Dekas received a Purple Heart for his near-fatal confrontation with the Borg, while physicians Karise Indobri and Motor Vihn received the Lifesaving Ribbon for saving Dekas’ life.
Celebrations, however, were not to last, as the distress call from the USS Grace Hopper took precedence.
The Juneau, rushing to the Hopper’s rescue, discovered their ally seriously injured. The pirates had managed to sneak past their shields and hit the ship’s main deflector with pinpoint accuracy. The pirates were able to beam on board the Grace Hopper during the pandemonium and take a relic from Ring 42 that the crew was researching.
Teams from Juneau were deployed to assist with repairs and medical triage. Engineering Ens. Sera discovered that a saboteur had planted some form of a device on the EPS lines while investigating the primary deflector controls. While the engineering team dealt with the sabotage, other teams began studying the artefact’s data to learn why it was targeted by the pirates and where the pirates fled after the attack.
“Piracy is becoming a bigger problem in the Wilds,” Marine Officer Kiran Han told the Federation News Service. “It’s something we’ll have to deal with if the citizens of the region want to live in peace.”
After safeguarding the Hopper from further damage and determining that the stolen device was some kind of sophisticated teleporter that circumvented shields, the Juneau tracked down the raiders and pursued them. As they emerged from warp, they spotted a moon with an underground market and research facility. The Juneau began preparing teams to land surreptitiously at the market in the hopes of locating the relic before the pirates could utilise it in even more audacious attacks.
More on this story as it develops.
Written by Kalia Qinn