Captain's Log: Betreka Bound

Posted on Thu Oct 14th, 2021 @ 1:25am by Captain Björn Kodak

Mission: The Place of Skulls
Location: The Bridge
Timeline: Mission Day 16 at 1700

[The Bridge]
[USS Sojourner]
[MD16, 1700 Hours]

"Captain's log," Kodak began, sitting back slightly in his chair. Around him, the Bridge -- once again fully staffed -- bustled with activity. "After spending a few hours making the most vital of repairs -- and docking with the Waverider, not to be left behind -- we are once again underway, this time bound for the Betreka Nebula -- home to The Place of Skulls. A dramatic name," he licked his lips slightly to moisten them, "for a jungle moon inside the nebula that my people have apparently called home for generations now. We've quite a few days of travel ahead of us but the time will do us good. To put it mildly," the Captain rasped, "the Sojourner -- in her short life so far -- has seen better days."

"While the main computer is back up," Kodak continued, "and shipboard communications have been restored, the drones we faced have quite literally left their mark on us. The larger variety sliced into our hull at various points and while emergency force fields are holding, we've got quite the patch job on our hands. It's not just the outside, though," he lamented. "The smaller drones damaged so many of our subsystems that it's hard to know where to start. But 'Lieutenant,'" the Chameloid smirked, "Smith and his engineers are hard at work triaging the work needed and starting in on repairs."

"I'd like to say," the Captain watched the star-lines on the viewscreen, "that the drones' damage stopped at the Sojourner. Unfortunately, however, their activities left many of my crew injured as well. I'm honestly a little surprised we had enough dermaline gel onboard to treat all of the burns left behind on my people. Doctor Ryan Walsh tells me that the majority of those burned will recover fully, however. Some suffered other injuries in the fight, though, and will require extended recovery time on a starbase. We're preparing to send those folks to get the care they need."

"I can't help but feel badly," Kodak sighed, "that my crew was so badly injured in the pursuit of what some might call a personal errand. I know Starfleet sanctioned this mission -- they want to find the Chameloids as well -- but it all feels a little too personal to me. I can only hope that my crew will understand the need to find my people and forgive the lumps they've taken along the way. We are lucky," the Captain nodded to himself, "not to have experienced any fatalities on this mission. Now bound for the last stop on this hayride, I can only hope that continues to be the case."

"What will happen when we do reach my people, though?" Kodak asked himself. "They've been so secretive for hundreds of years that they're almost mythical at this point. Will they be glad to see us? See me? I don't know," he shook his head. "They've set this elaborate Path for other lost Chameloids to follow home so I can only assume I'll be welcomed personally. How will they take, however, Starfleet knowing their location? And a whole starship full of people in orbit of their home? I guess we'll know when we know," the Captain blew a breath out between his lips.

"For now, all we can do is focus on what's in front of us," Kodak rasped, looking around the Bridge at the people working under his leadership. "It's time to heal: heal this ship and, most of all, heal ourselves. And then? Then comes the rest. End log."


=/\= A post by... =/\=

Captain Björn Kodak
Commanding Officer
USS Sojourner