ALPHA ISLES — Upon assuming command of the USS Khitomer, Captain Randal Shayne’s first mission is to pursue and recapture the stolen USS Arrow.
The crew of the USS Arrow, now without a ship, found refuge and assistance aboard the recently arrived USS Khitomer, commanded by Capt. Kit Hayley. Once aboard the Khitomer, the crew began a thorough investigation into the identity, motives, and methods of the starship thieves. Shortly thereafter, Capt. Randal Shayne officially took command of the New Orleans II-class starship, raising questions about the future of the Arrow and its crew once the ship is recovered.
“Wherever we all end up,” said Lt. Cmdr. Connor Dewitt, the Arrow’s Chief Engineer, “we’re going to recover the Arrow together.”
After requesting a supplemental marine contingent over an unsecured channel, the Khitomer engaged its quantum slipstream drive and vanished in pursuit of its quarry. The trail led to a familiar location: the irradiated system that once housed a Sheliak slave labor camp. Nearly a year earlier, the crew of the Arrow had rescued more than a hundred prisoners, including some former Starfleet personnel, from an installation dubbed “the Hexagon,” before it was destroyed by a rival Sheliak faction. The return of the stolen Arrow to this system led some to speculate about the motive behind the theft.
“Are we sure this isn’t personal?” asked Chief Medical Officer Lt. Talia Ohnari. “Is someone targeting the Arrow specifically?”
Others expressed less curiosity and more anger.
“You morons!” Shayne blasted in a broadcast to the cornered thieves. “We rescued your people from here a year ago! They’re safe in the Federation! You are out of date. Surrender and maneuver out of the field, or I will ensure you’re out of time as well.”
At the time of this writing, the Khitomer was contemplating a strategy to subdue and seize the stolen Saber-class starship. However, due to the peculiar and volatile nature of the asteroid field surrounding the Hexagon site, it remains unclear whether any recovery is possible. The former crew of the Arrow may yet find themselves forced to destroy their ship rather than let it fall into the hands of pirates.
Written by: Talos Dakora
