Captains Log: USS Goldadler - NCC 790325

[Gerron Vek]

Stardate 2412.06.23

I have finally decided on a new Chief Engineer for the ship. Lieutenant Tezaspra came highly recommended by her previous Captain. She also has some experience with reverse engineering alien technology which will serve us well on our next mission. Our first meeting was a bit awkward. She suffered a severe injury at the academy which left a prominent scar along her left cheek. I kept thinking about the scar during our meeting and there just isn't any privacy with Betazoids. They must be used to blatant comments since she rolled with it. I think I was more uncomfortable than she was. That aside she is easy to get along with. Cheerful and full of energy.

Now that the last member of my Senior staff is in place we are heading out. Early simulations on the Starbase 643 project has provided us with some insight on certain needed materials. Among them are remote weapon emplacements which are difficult to find. In anticipation of this need the USS Goldadler has been ordered to Cardassian space in an attempt to acquire and construct as many of these turret platforms as possible. With any luck we will have an ample supply once the initial Starbase systems come online.

[Gerron Vek]

Stardate 2412.06.24

Our first strike team has returned from what we thought was a Cardassion outpost in the Zenas Expanse. While it had all the markings of a True Way installation the Strike team ran across a Orion force. The data we recovered indicated that they had set up in the area in order lure unsuspecting Freighters into the area.

The Strike team also found the construction data we were after. However the blueprints are for an experimental Plasma design the Orions had cooked up. I am unsure how useful this will be to the project but we have begun construction of the prototypes. I've forwarded the specifications of these altered turret platforms to Admiral p'Rett to see if they can be used in place of the standard Phaser arrays.

[Gerron Vek]

Stardate 2412.06.25

Elements of my crew managed to infiltrate the Orion Cell working in Alpha Trianguli thanks to the intel we received from our previous raid. The USS Goldadler is now en route to a small Asteroid base identified as their main base of operations.



Suplemental

After our successful attack we have crippled this pirate cell. Commander Jaril believes it will be months before they can rebuild and start over. Our crewmen have returned safely and we are now en route to the Zenas Expanse. Dr. Drahd is acquainted with a Feringi in the area who he believes might be able to help us find those prototypes that have been eluding us. I dread meeting with this Feringi but his people do have a knack for acquiring things that are hard to come by.

[Gerron Vek]

Stardate 2412.06.26

We are investigating an unusual object in the Zeta Andromedae Sector near Orias. IT appears to be a piece of a larger structure but it is emitting unusual EM signals. Lieutenant Ziro has asked that it be brought on board and examined. We are towing it into the Shuttlebay and then continuing on to the Zenas Expanse.

Suplemental

The Goldadler has been forced to stop due to a failure of several SIF Generators. I have taken the ship into a nearby nebula to hide until we can correct the issue.

[Gerron Vek]

<After Three days of radio silence the Goldadler finally sends an update. Included are the logs.>

Stardate 2412.0627

The ship has been suffering continuous systems malfunctions across all of its systems. My Chief Engineer has been unable to find the cause of these problems. Most of these systems aren't even linked. Engines, Communications almost everything from the SIF generators to a simple PADD is ceasing to function. Most disturbing is that parts of the hull are starting to weaken. We've had to evacuate Deck 6 due to hull stress in that area. The only system that seems to be unaffected is the Life support system itself. We are focusing our attention there to see if it provides any clues.

Stardate 2412.0628

We have found the cause of our malfunctions. One of our Andorian Crewmen was in sickbay complaining of a stiff knee. Upon investigation Dr Drahd discovered mercury deposits. The crewman informed us that he often ices his joints before going to bed to help him sleep. I've never heard of the practice myself but Dr Drahd assures me that the practice is largely religious in nature and is only practiced in a small area on Andoria. Dr Drahd says that this caused the mercury to thicken but we could not explain how it got there in the first place.

Lieutenant Ziro and Dr Drahd found evidence that the Mercury deposits were actually alive. The deposits were viral in nature. To carbon based lifeforms they were harmless but we appear to act as carriers for the virus. Instead we found that it would actually bond to the things we touched in the ship itself. This mercury had a corrosive effect on most of the alloys used on the ship. The Platinum alloys used in the Life support appeared to be the only things that was immune.

Since we are effecting everything we touch the USS Goldadler is effectively under quarantine. However with the current rate of structural fatigue there isn't going to be much of a ship left. Lieutenant Ziro has come up with a bold plan to save the ship. Since cold temperatures will make the virus congeal enough for us to manipulate we are going to effectively freeze the ship. We will undergo a complete shutdown of all systems. The Crew is going to gather in our Cargo bays while those more tolerant of colder temperatures are going to scour the ship for mercury pools starting with our antimatter storage. In the meantime our one Andorian nurse will make the rounds of the entire crew and remove the mercury from our bodies. We will store it inside a specially constructed platinum container since that alloy resists the corrosive effect.

With any luck we will be able to restore the ship before it falls apart or we all freeze to death. Otherwise, well, No one will probably hear this anyway.


Stardate 2412.0629

Systems are slowly coming back online. Our ship is again capable of warp flight and the outbreak has been contained. We are making our way to a nearby supply depot in order to finish making repairs to our ship.

Lieutenant Ziro has found that our little virus came from the piece of debris we found. The object was actually a piece of a larger vessel. According to Ziro it was tens of thousands of years old. The rest of the vessel probably suffered from the same problems we had. This particular compartment was lined with Platinum similar to the alloys we use. Inside was a vile that had broken in half. We also found several archaic data tapes.

It took some doing but we managed to construct a method to read those tapes. IT took nearly 8 hours to figure out how to translate what they actually said. What little we know about this race we found that they were mercurial based life forms. The Virus itself appears to had initially been built as a bio weapon. Upon its deployment the Virus had a detrimental effect on their people but the corrosive effects of the weapon was not considered. Their people scrambled to find a way to stop the virus but it acted too fast. Within weeks the entire planet was covered. All that had remained was a small orbital station that had been doing research on a cure. In the last entry a grief stricken Alien shattered the vial and embraced the contents.

This probe and virus are the last remnants of a civilization that has long since past. WE know so little about them and we probably never will. All we have is another example of the horrors war can bring. We will be sending this...remnant and the Virus to Memory alpha so it can be cataloged and hopefully locked away were it can never be found again.

[Gerron Vek]

Stardate 2412.0630

We have arrived at the Orias Forward Supply base and are in the process of repairing the damage we suffered. Most of the components can be swapped out. the Hull fatigue is being temporarily addressed with a Metallic infusion. This will allow us to continue until we can get to a proper drydock and do a more extensive repair. Once we are finished we will continue to the Zenas Expanse.