Questions Beget Questions (Mission Epilogue)

Posted on Sat Sep 19th, 2020 @ 5:26am by Captain Nycolas Temple

Mission: The Evils Within
Location: Deck 1 - Ready Room

ON:

"Captain's Log, Stardate 67695.09

The Pandora remains in orbit of Hesiod Blue, watching as the survivors from Hesiod Green are given a new chance at life. In all, we were able to rescue one hundred and forty two native persons from the planet, most from our first contact point known as the Colony.

Starfleet has given us a few days of downtime before we are due to head back to Earth with our findings from the Pithos mission. Establishing a safe and prosperous new colony for the Hesians has been deemed our highest priority, given the implications of Pithos' effects on their home world. The USS Palatine will remain in orbit for some time longer, ensuring the Talarians do not return, and to watch the Hesian's progress. We have helped to construct basic housing, farming, and infrastructure for them, though we remained careful not to introduce any technology beyond their current understanding.

By using the holodeck ruse, we were able to disguise their transport off their planet. We debated at length what to tell the Hesians about the move and new location, and in truth it has not had the impact I feared it would. We found that while some believed we were the fabled Children of the Stars who healed their planet, others rationalised that we were just Hesians from a distant land. Either way, they eventually agreed that they were thankful to be safe again, and grateful for the assistance, that it simply didn't matter. Perhaps the traumas of their experiences is allowing them to forget how and why they were rescued, so the Federation should continue to monitor them to see if there are any lasting effects to their society.

Medical teams have projected that they will be able to sustain a healthy gene pool if open procreating practices are put into place. To encourage genetic diversity, polyandry will be permitted and encouraged for several generations; every woman in the colony may have at least two children, with different husbands or partners. From here, the Hesians will be able to rebuild their species once again.

Though we refrained from interfering with their government practices, the Hesians have already moved to a representative democracy. They have elected a new People's Council that will oversee the management of the colony for now. The previous Village Master, now known as Ja-Gan, has resigned from all leadership positions, which is likely for the best. One of the new Councillors is Ho-Mar, whom Lieutenant Mindo's team had met, and she advocated for a better life for her people. The Council has an ambitious plan to establish a charter, government system, and bill of rights, which is an encouraging development for their society. They have also allowed a representational voice to the prophet Ja-Bo, on matters of tradition and faith. Whether these changes would have happened without our presence remains unclear, but at least the Hesians have the opportunity to develop their culture in a safe place.

It is a small victory in the face of overwhelming disaster.

The person responsible for the Pithos failure remains in our custody. He will have a long wait before he faces the consequences for his actions, as we are still at least two weeks from Federation space. He has given some preliminary interviews, though I find his statements to be unreliable.

Admiral Thac claims he was given the Pithos project through former Fleet Admiral Vincent around one year ago, as the Federation faced fresh threats from the Alrakis Pact. Thac claims he was sold on fantastical stories about a revolutionary new technology that would save countless lives and make Starfleet invincible. The same lies he would use in his recruitment of Commander Rothgan, Lieutenant Roderick, and others. He claims he was told by Vincent that the project had the full support of the Federation and Starfleet Command, but was being kept secret incase the intelligence leaked to our enemies.

Thac claims Vincent informed him six months ago that the experiments were failing and causing a threat to the sentient life on the planet. Thac claims he had no prior knowledge of the Hesians existing before this point. Vincent allegedly revealed that Admiral Francis was being deployed to investigate Pithos and shut it down. Thac claims Vincent was going to place all of the blame and responsibility for the project on Thac, given the junior Admiral's authorisations were found on every project document, and so he would likely face severe punishment from the Federation for his crimes.

He alleges that Vincent convinced him to intercept Francis in the Delavi System and impersonate him on Pithos. He has admitted to causing Francis bodily harm, deliberately deserting him in the region, and committing deception through fraudulent activities. However, Thac claims he only did this through the manipulation and duress caused by Vincent. He also claims Vincent showed him how to alter Federation medical records to deceive the computer's sensors, as he claims to have no prior training or capability in system infiltration to complete such grand fraudery. His records do support that claim, but they could have been altered as well.

Thac claims he thought the facility and experiments were salvageable, despite the impact they were having on the planet. However, by this stage, members of Pithos' leadership team were protesting about their continued operations. Commander Rothgan took it upon herself to send the distress signal to Starfleet, in the hopes that they would intervene. Thac claims, once again, that Vincent convinced him to send the Pandora on a secret mission to investigate the SOS, as a last-chance effort to be evacuated off the planet while still under the guise of Admiral Francis. I asked what he planned to do once rescued from Pithos, as I suspect he would have tried to escape from the Pandora or commandeer the ship for his own plans, but Thac remained unsure. His only goal was to leave Hesiod Green without being caught.

For the most part, despite a few minor admissions, Thac placed all of the blame and responsibility on Vincent. From what I have heard from Admiral Milne, Vincent, in turn, has been placing all of the blame on Thac. Until there is a full and complete investigation, with forensic analysis of all communications between the two former Admirals, we will not know the whole truth. However, I personally suspect they are both as guilty as each other, and they should both face the consequences for their actions.

Of course, questions only beget more questions. Starfleet itself should be prepared to answer to the ugly facts of the Pithos disaster. How did this project slip through the cracks of our approval processes? How did it take half a year before anyone started asking questions about the facility and it's purpose? Why were we so slow to act when it came to potential violations to our policies and guiding principles, and yet so quick to sweep it under the rug? We have some cold hard truths to face - about the ends justifying the means, and the needs of the Federation outweighing the lives of the Hesians. There also remains a very real possibility of a grander conspiracy happening underneath the surface, as I am unconvinced that Vincent and Thac could have achieved their great deceptions by themselves.

We may not like what we find, but it is vitally important to the future integrity of our operations that we shine a light into these dark corners of Starfleet.

As will I, I imagine, face consequences for my own actions. I allowed Sasha Vieers, a former officer awaiting trial for murder and treason, to partake in a solo mission onto the planet's surface. Although, through happenstance only, we were able to gain considerable insights into the Hesian's religious beliefs, it could have easily resulted in further crimes committed by Vieers. In my hubris to try to control a chaotic situation, I entrusted a traitor with the lives of my Away Team, in direct violation of our security protocols, and I see now how reckless that was. I will prepare my crew for whatever consequences there may be as their Captain.

Finally, as for Hesiod Green, I am placing a temporary Federation code 710 on the planet. It remains inhospitable to life and unsustainable for visitation. Hopefully the Federation Council will ratify a permanent restriction on the entire region, so that the Hesians on Blue may live in peace as well. Perhaps one day in the far future, they will develop warp-capable technology and reach out to the Federation.

Should that day come, I hope we can come together as friends.

Temple out."

OFF