THE NOMADIC CHRONICLES NEWSLETTERS – MAY 2021
Stardate 202105.02
LTJG ChickenSandwich here, aboard the USS Nomad. Lieutenant Commander Erin Davies and I have been assigned to an exploratory mission to the Alpha Quadrant to collect scientific samples and other intelligence related to some anomalies we believe could be connected to the disappearance of our last Chief Medical Officer, who has not been seen in months. Ensign Double-A has prepared a shuttlecraft for us, that is pretty sweet if I may say so myself. He seems nervous about letting it go, but our Captain has assured him that this is just a routine mission, and nothing could go wrong. We spent most of our day packing supplies and getting ready for our journey. I must admit I am a bit nervous, as this will be my first foray into any of these worlds, but I have placed my trust in Commander Davies on several occasions and believe her to be fully capable of handling whatever may transpire. I am a bit taken aback by the number of Klingon weapons she insists on bringing along, but hey, better to be safe than sorry right?
Stardate 202105.03
We embarked from the USS Nomad for the Alpha Quadrant at 0500 hours and set a course for Turkana 4, our first destination. Our missing Chief Medical Officer was believed to be somewhere in this area, so we were hoping to find something of use that could lead us to him. The shuttle that was prepared for us by Ensign Double-A rode like a dream, and I was super impressed by its capabilities. It is truly a feat of engineering! We arrived at Turkana 4 to find a giant lake surrounded by several structures that looked like nothing more than rocks to me. Commander Davies informed me however that these were once living creatures that had calcified due to several offending chemicals left in the air by invading forces that had once warred over resources on the planet. The planet now appeared to be uninhabited by any intelligent life. We collected numerous samples and took tricorder readings of the area. However, we did not find much of use related to our Chief Medical Officer’s disappearance. At one point we saw a gang of fierce bird-like creatures with giant beaks in the lake, which I insisted on inspecting closer. Commander Davies warned me not to get too close, as she could see that these creatures were nursing young and were known for being incredibly territorial. I collected some pretty flowers and even found a cool lizard-like creature’s skull. Commander Davies was not amused and insisted we get back to our mission.
Stardate 202105.04
Our intelligence from Starfleet next leads us to the planet Nimbus 3. The journey was a bit treacherous, as we had to cross through an asteroid field coupled with some subspace interference from a nearby supernova. Commander Davies piloted the craft like a pro, however, and I never felt like we were in any immediate danger. We landed on the planet to find ourselves in a small town in the mountains that resembled the ancient “wild” west of 19th century Earth. I was reminded of a lecture I attended at Starfleet Academy hosted by Counselor Deanna Troi of the infamous USS-Enterprise D, where she gushed about her love of old stories from that era. We quickly found our way to what the locals referred to as a “saloon” and tried to gather some intel about our missing Chief Medical Officer. No one seemed interested in the discussion, however, and continually offered us libations that Commander Davies enjoyed immensely. We attempted to procure sustenance from one of these saloons as we were very hungry, however this took quite a long time given some communication issues between us and the indigenous people who ran the establishment. Commander Davies questioned if we were having technical problems with our universal translators, or if the locals just were not interested in serving us. However, when she confronted one of them with a Klingon dagger, our food was delivered promptly. I was not sure if the libations she had taken earlier were affecting her mood or if this was the normal way a Klingon handled these sort of tense interactions, but either way, she got the job done. We eventually made our way back to the shuttle and set off for our next destination.
Stardate 202105.05
We next set a course for Tellar Prime hoping to find anything that might lead us to more information about our missing Chief Medical Officer. We arrived at what appeared to be a Ferengi outpost of sorts, which attracted creatures from all over the Quadrant for gambling and debauchery, including Dabo Wheels, live Vole fights, Tongo tables, and people playing Dom-jot. In addition, there was free alcohol everywhere. I must admit I was intrigued. Commander Davies seemed less so, annoyed by the Ferengi and the other species who were participating enthusiastically. I did have a small stash of latinum however, that I decided to share with the Commander in the hopes that she might relax a little and have a good time. At first, she appeared to be enjoying herself, until an argument broke out between her and a young Betazoid. The Commander accused the Betazoid and his friends of using their telepathic abilities to cheat at Dom-jot, and a big fight broke out. Not surprisingly, the Commander unsheathed her trusty Bat’leth, and the argument ended suddenly. I quickly wrapped up the Commander and we headed to our vessel before the offended Ferengi could retaliate. We were no closer to finding any information about our missing Chief Medical Officer, so we decided to move on.
Stardate 202105.06
We set out at 0700 hours to our next destination, however something was amiss. Our shuttle was no longer functioning optimally, and the Commander suspected foul play due to our unfortunate confrontation with the Betazoids and Ferengi. We feared we would not make it to our next destination safely, and we knew Ensign Double A would be unhappy with us if he got word that his shuttle had been compromised. Commander Davies believed if we could make it to Starfleet Headquarters, we could make the necessary repairs to our shuttle and continue our mission without further interruption. We set down on Earth, but our navigation sensors were compromised, and we missed our destination by approximately 400 miles. We had no choice but to continue our journey on land. This would prove to be no easy feat. As we entered a territory known as California, we were greeted by an immense mountain range known for its difficulty to cross. We were met with several challenges due to the inhospitable terrain. Commander Davies stayed cool and collected however, as we crossed over dangerous pathways known for taking the lives of travellers of old. One such story was that of the Donner Party, who had crossed these mountains in the late 19th century to great peril. It has even been documented that these people were forced to eat each other to survive. We encountered a monument to these weary travellers, which Commander Davies found fascinating. As much as we were eager to make it Starfleet and get our shuttle repaired, we decided it would be best to rest for the night in a valley known to the locals as Napa.
Stardate 202105.07
We awoke in the land of Napa to groups of foreigners and natives alike, enjoying the immensely beautiful territory and local traditions. Our exchanges with the tribes of the area were for the most part pleasant, and they seemed eager to share their culture with us. We decided it could be of benefit to indulge the locals and their eagerness to please us. The Napans presented us with a variety of food and libations, which we enjoyed immensely at first. However, soon I began to feel very ill, and my senses deteriorated rapidly. I began to experience severe abdominal pain and begin vomiting compulsively. My ability to reason was severely impacted, and we began to fear for our lives. Because of her Klingon blood, Commander Davies was affected but not as severely. We suspected the local Napans had become aware of the latinum we were carrying with us and wanted to poison us to loot our supplies and take our shuttle. Commander Davies thought quickly and prepared herself a Klingon concoction to counteract the effects of the Napan’s poison. Unfortunately, the concoction worked a little too well, and Commander Davies became enraged with the situation. The Commander suddenly threw herself from the table with a mighty force and unsheathed her trusty Bat’leth. She grabbed me by the back of my shirt and carried me to our craft. She threw me in the back, grabbed a couple more of the libations for further analysis, and successfully piloted us the four more hours it would take to get to Starfleet Headquarters. Commander Davies attempted to perform medical analysis on my condition, however the Napans had successfully looted our tricorders and other equipment during our confrontation. We knew we would have to make our way to Starfleet immediately or my physical health could be severely compromised. We were no closer to finding any information about our Chief Medical Officer or completing our mission. Still, we pressed on.
Stardate 202105.08
We finished our journey to Starfleet Headquarters as quickly as we could, as my condition was growing increasingly severe. Once there, the medical staff was thankfully able to stabilize me. It turns out the Napans were not to blame; it was the intoxicating flowers I had eagerly picked back on Turkana 4. Commander Davies was thankful that my condition had improved but equally annoyed with me that my child-like curiosity had compromised our mission. At first, she threatened to have me reprimanded and even demoted but later calmed down. We decided it would be in our best interest to cut our losses and head back to the Nomad. Starfleet Headquarters was more sympathetic and agreed not to tell Ensign Double-A or our Captain about the damage to the shuttle. The shuttle was easily repaired, and we embarked on our journey to rendezvous with the USS Nomad in the Beta Quadrant. Before we left however, we managed to take some time to explore the city of San Francisco. We even got to see the Golden Gate Bridge, a feat of early 20th-century engineering and art deco design. It was an incredible experience, and at this point, I feel greatly indebted to Commander Davies. In addition, I felt terrible about how my carelessness had compromised our mission. Commander Davies reassured me however that sometimes things just do not work out, and how even the great Commander Worf or Admiral Picard made mistakes or misjudgments that led to failure. This made me feel better about the situation, as Commander Worf and Admiral Picard were legends in the history of Starfleet. Before we set out for the Nomad, I picked up readings of a disabled craft not far from the city in the desert. I felt like there was something ominous about these readings, and Commander Davies reluctantly agreed to take us to the source and investigate. Upon arrival, we found an ancient land-based craft with blacked-out windows. I approached the craft and to my surprise inside was our missing Chief Medical Officer! However, when I tried to communicate with him, I realized something was not right. His appearance had changed significantly, and he appeared demented. We agreed that it was in our best interest to leave without him and report our findings back to the Nomad where they could decide how to proceed further. We set a course for the Beta Quadrant and returned to the USS Nomad to the fanfare of the crew. Our Captain greeted us warmly and congratulated us on a successful mission. This being my first away mission I took great pride in the accolades of our Captain and admired greatly the steely unwavering composure of Commander Davies. All in all, this was an experience I will never forget.
