ALPHA ISLES — The Ronin and crew are pushed to their limits after an encounter with combined Tholian and Sheliak forces; civilian freighter rescue hampered by Sheliak fighters.
The crew of the newly recommissioned USS Ronin were tested beyond the extent of a simple shakedown crew when they discovered a massing threat from rogue elements of both the Sheliak Corporate and Tholian Assembly in the Sunjat system. Amidst a sensor and communications blackout caused by a unique form of radiation thought to have been lost with its discoverer, the Ronin’s crew split their efforts and personnel. One away team led by LtCmdr. Toryn Raga took the runabout Kushiro to rescue the civilian freighter they’d determined had been attacked in the Olidra system.
Another runabout led by LtCmdr. Alieth sought out to recon the Sunjat system while the Ronin acted as a distraction to draw the Sheliak and Tholian forces’ attention. To aid in this the Ronin employed several explosive devices designed by Chief Corelli to be as flashy as possible and draw attention to the Akira class starship while the runabout Rhine ran its reconnaissance of the system.
The nature of the joint presence in Sunjat was evident as the Rhine discovered a testing range for the Sencha radiation wave designed by one of Cmdr. Kerrod Niac’s previous hosts. The recon team encountered chroniton radiation in a cluster of asteroids, as well as wreckage from a Starfleet vessel from the past. The team took on board several stasis pods before being forced to evade Sheliak fighters.
Meanwhile, Raga’s team made contact with the survivors of the civilian freighter, Sabrina’s Delight. Where the away team did their best to save the vessel’s obnoxious Capt. Gaudemus Bail and surly First Mate Sm’uf. The former caused considerable tension between himself and the away team after a poorly planned attempt to steal their runabout, leaving them and the freighter to fall into a gas giant.
Further complicating the rescue were the Sheliak fighters, a risky return into the gas giant to recover the freighter’s computer, and a chroniton surge that briefly sent the runabout back in time.
During their distractionary feint the Ronin spotted some sort of immense dreadnought among the combined fleet in Sunjat that the crew made note of. Despite utilising their improvised explosives and short warp jumps the Ronin suffered extensive damage and was forced to retreat the Sunjat system following the massive detonation of a crystalline outpost the Rhine’s crew discovered and destroyed in their own retreat. The station was reportedly the source of the Sencha wave radiation and the team recovered valuable data during a dangerous space walk on the superstructure prior to destroying the array.
Valkyries launched by the Akira earlier escorted the runabouts until rendezvous with the Ronin which recovered the support craft in a full impulse barn swallow maneuver while under fire. Both runabouts crash-landed successfully on the Ronin’s flight deck, their crew’s recovered safely.
Surprisingly the Tholian/Sheliak forces gave up pursuit but shortly after broadcast a message across all subspace channels in the area. “The Lattice Alliance claims this space. Opposition will burn away.”
The ominous message was accompanied by a starchart with the Lattice Alliance’s claims to the region. Cmdr. Niac had this to say, “They just laid claim to ninety percent of the Alpha Isles…and more.” And adding, “Those are Federation systems. And that’s where DS33 is.”
The Ronin is expected to return to Deep Space Thirty Three for repairs and their first shore leave as a crew.
Written by Toryn Raga
