It's been 4 days since my last entry and the crew have been working around the clock to stabilize our systems.
Two days ago I ordered a four hour stand down from all non-essential duties to give the crew time to grieve. Many of us lost someone we knew or had worked with on a mission or project. We held a ceremony in the sports complex main arena, the largest habitable space on the ship at the moment. I gave a speech about pulling together in times of crisis and said to ask themselves what the Captain would expect from them at a time like this. I'm not sure how much it helped but it's the best I could do on three hours of sleep.
We are still bringing secondary and tertiary systems online but the warp reactor is stable and we have power to vital areas of the ship.
Crew and passenger casualty estimates are 6% dead and 4% wounded. We got lucky really. If Lt. Commander Tholos hadn't been in engineering at the time of the transit, the warp core likely would have breeched and we'd be an expanding cloud of plasma. I've put him up for the Exceptional Performance of Duty Citation and promoted him to Chief Engineer. He knows the team and the ship, and I have full confidence he'll lead them well.
I still need to pick a first officer. Item 100 on my todo list...
Now for the big one. Sensors (as well as T'Shel and Leeda) have confirmed we are indeed located in the Mayall II globular cluster of the Andromeda galaxy. 2.5 MILLION light years from Federation space.
I wanted to break into my stash of Romulan Ale after that senior staff meeting. Beyond confirmation, we didn't discuss the issue, our focus being on stabilizing systems and rescuing trapped crew and civilians.
At some point we will need to discuss it. For now we are focused on repairs and locating materials to replenish our supplies.
Mission Summary
The U.S.S. Rutherford, under the command of Captain Ben Tallmadge, received a distress signal from a research facility in an uncharted region of space.
The ship arrived at the location of the distress signal and found a damaged research facility of unknown origin.
Captain Tallmadge led an away team to the facility. The team included Lt. Olath th'Nooria, an Andorian engineer, and Lt. Commander T'Shel, a Vulcan science officer.
The away team discovered a wounded alien named Kael, who was a member of the research facility's staff. Kael is from a civilization called the Zelarians which have not yet made contact with the Federation.
The team was unable to establish communication with the Rutherford due to interference from the facility's damaged systems. Captain Tallmadge used his engineering skills to modify a subspace amplifier and establish a communication line with the ship.
The wounded individuals were transported to the Rutherford for medical attention. Additional teams from the Rutherford beamed down to the facility to continue the search for survivors and gather more information about the accident.
Captain Tallmadge had a conversation with Kael about their civilization and the region of space they were in. Plans were made to bring Kael's people to the nearest Zelarian outpost or starbase.
The mission concluded with a senior staff meeting scheduled for the following day to discuss the findings and plan the next steps.
Details About This Region Of Space
The Zelarians are a space-faring civilization with outposts and starbases in this region of the Andromeda galaxy.
They have advanced technology, including the ability to build and maintain large research facilities.
The Zelarians have been exploring and studying this region of space for some time, and have gathered a significant amount of data.
The region of space is rich in resources, which the Zelarians have been utilizing for their research and development.
There are other civilizations in this region of space, some of which the Zelarians have established contact with.
The Zelarians have faced challenges in this region of space, including hostile entities and dangerous environmental conditions.
Kael mentioned a Zelarian leader named Zan Kyr, who is in charge of the nearest outpost. Zan Kyr is known for his diplomatic skills and extensive knowledge of the region.
The Zelarians have established trade and diplomatic relations with several other species in this region of the Andromeda galaxy.
Kael also mentioned a mysterious phenomenon known as the "Andromeda Anomaly" that has been a subject of Zelarian research. It's a region of space where the laws of physics seem to behave unpredictably.
There are unexplored regions in this part of the galaxy that could hold potential dangers or discoveries.
Kael expressed a desire for peaceful relations with the Federation and seemed open to the idea of sharing information and resources.
Closing Log
Today we responded to a garbled distress call. Despite the inherent risks due to our damaged state, the crew preformed their duty and we were able to rescue a group of Zelarians from a badly damaged research facility.
We met Kael, a researcher there, who explained that they were conducting experiments on alternative forms for energy when an accident occurred, injuring many staff and damaging the facilities systems.
We are headed to the nearest starbase to bring them home and I had a chance to meet with Kael in 10 forward. They were able to share information about this region that will undoubtfully be useful.
We have sent a subspace communication to the station and requested to meet with Zan Kyr, their local leader. I hope they are as friendly as Kael has been.
My goal will be to build friendly relations with their civilization, learn more about the region, and go about securing resources to resupply.
We also need to investigate the strange energy source that brought us here and see if were able to devise a method to return to the Alpha Quadrant of the Milky Way.
On a personal note, I found a message waiting for me upon my return. It was from Captain Zal. In it he stated that I must be in command if I've received this message. He encouraged me to follow my instincts and to trust the crew. He also asked that I send his belongings to his daughter on the homeworld.
I promise to get it to her if we ever get back.
