USS JUNEAU — After verifying the stability of the USS Grace Hopper, the USS Juneau followed the pirates’ track to a moon-based outpost. This looked to hold a clandestine market, a warehouse, a tiny research centre, and a jail.
Capt. Oddas Aria dispatched two distant teams to infiltrate the installation while keeping a safe distance in the system’s Oort cloud. One was to seek the artefact, while the other was to confirm the legitimacy of any captives.
The away teams arrived at the installation disguised as traders, using two camouflaged shuttles. Once they were clear, the Juneau phoned the station to assist in providing a minor distraction. The away teams were successful thanks to some deception and things obtained from the market itself.
Lt. Tomas Falt headed the crew tasked with retrieving the artefact. They were able to acquire access to a global translation library that contained the language used by the pirates for internal security. This was then utilised to pinpoint the location of the lab.
They decided that the silent method would be preferable, so they flooded the lab with carbon dioxide to render the workers unconscious. Warrant Officer Gwen Kingsley was also temporarily knocked out by the gas, although she recovered swiftly with the help of supplementary oxygen. The team stashed the artefact in an available crate, before beating a hasty retreat.
LtCmdr. Kalia Qinn, the Juneau’s first officer, commanded the crew dispatched to rescue any detainees. Concerned about garnering too much attention, the team spent time researching the market. They were able to schedule their intrusion between patrols by learning the routines of both the guards and the clientele. The team stormed into the room and immediately secured the inmates. They were found to be ambassadors from a neighbouring world who had been kidnapped for ransom.
While the two away teams attempted to make their way back to their shuttles while avoiding the guards. Capt. Oddas and the rest of the crew were kept busy by one of the facility’s managers. Under the guise of negotiating a contract with the facility, the Captain and crew discovered that someone was utilising the installation’s small shipyard and ordering up a new fleet from the facility.
“Piracy is becoming more prevalent in the Wilds,” Major Kiran Han told us. “With the departure of the Cardassians from the region, whatever pretence of greater order that existed began to shatter. Until the planets in the Wilds start fighting back, piracy and smuggling will be on the rise.”
Written by Kalia Qinn
