The Veil of the Sky
After The Captain's Cotillion, the USS Rosenante was once again underway to continue her survey of Sector 6309 as she had been ordered. During this time, the crew encountered an unusual comet, which later became known as Comet Holladay in honor of the scientist who detected it by long-range scans. Detailed scans and trajectory studies were underway, when an urgent message from Starfleet Command was received.
The Communique
The message from Starfleet Command was grim. Events on the planet Beta Aquillia IV had resulted in the overthrow of the pro-Federation government that had previously ruled there.
The new regime was a pro-isolationist group known as the Veil of the Sky. The group in prior years had been politically active, although their agenda was not exceptionally popular. The group, led by Habrii and his lieutenant Alaya had managed to seize almost complete control of the planet, using a series of coordinated military attacks.
During this time of sudden unrest, several Embassies were overrun and their staff taken hostage by the new leadership on the planet. Among those held were Federation Ambassador Joann Turner and her staff including some Starfleet Marines.
Some refugees and members of the disposed government in exile managed to find shelter at Atlantis Station, a luxury hotel, located off the coastal beaches adjacent to the Capital city of Joba.
The Rosenante's mission was to secure the release of all Federation hostages through diplomacy or military action as needed. In addition she was to investigate the sudden unexpected military support and prowess acquired by the Veil of the Sky. It was generally believed that since Beta Aquillia IV was situated inside the disputed Sector 6309 that agents of the Tal'Shiar or the Obsidian Order could be behind the success of the Veil. Both the Romulan Star Empire and the Cardassian Union were attempting to lay claim to portions of the sector, despite Federation claims to the territory, already in place.
Because Beta Aquillia IV was a pro-Federation world, with large resources of tritanium ore, which was being used to reconstruct Starfleet vessels lost during the Federation Civil War, the loss of a pro-Federation government on the planet could prove disastrous.
Planning the Mission
Significant mission planning was needed due to the scale of the disruption of the population on Beta Aquillia IV. Some fighting between loyalist and Veil military forces was underway, and Salid saw that the Rosenante would need to be ready to support refugees in addition to the operations to recover Federation personnel.
To those ends, plans were put underway to prepare refugee camps, where housing, basic nutritional needs, medical needs, and security could be secured. Uncertain of the number of potential refugees they could face, the Rosenante teams were ordered to rig the ship for maximum evacuation operations.
Plans were being established to set up operational command centers on the planet for the purpose of coordinating all ground operations there. Ideally the primary center would be established at Atlantis Station which was owned and operated by a Federation citizen, Niambh McNulty, as it was most centrally located and most easily defended.
In addition the fact that several freighters were captured by the Veil immediately after their coup and were subsequently being refit with weapons, created a military threat to the Rosenante, her crew and her mission.
As such, a plan to neutralize those threats was developed, whereby the Klingon fighter, maQmIgh piloted by Lanista would deploy special nanite-based weapons programmed by newly commissioned Ensign Andrew Elliot Maddox. The purpose would be to launch the weaponized nanites against the freighters in an apparently unsuccessful attack. The nannies would then insinuate themselves into the communication and control systems of those ships allowing the Rosenante to eavesdrop on their communications and to neutralize critical systems should it be needed.
With little time and many preparations required, the crew began the complex task of preparing for disaster relief on a war torn world.
Arrival in System
Two days at high warp later, the USS Rosenante arrived in the Beta Aquillia system. The number of freighters that the veil had captured had increased to five in the short time, but as none were ready to be deployed, Salid saw no immediate threat.
The ship assumed as Geosynchronous Orbit over the capital city of Joba and a general pre-mission briefing called, for later that day. Before the meeting however, the arrival of another starship brought everyone to high alert.
The ship hailed the Rosenante and was identified as being the Skorr starship Skysplitter a Worldripper class vessel. The ship was under the command of Ambassador Dralar who was on leave from the Rosenante, where he normally served as the ship's helmsman. The vessel carried thousands of Swiftwing class fighters and perhaps a million Skorr military soldiers, ready to deploy. In their haste to seize control of the government, they had taken hostage the ambassador and staff from Skoria, Toraz, which happened to be a member of the royal family.
Secret Plans and Machinations
Unknown to either the Skorr or the Federation a Cardassian Keldon Class starship, equipped with a cloaking device was also nearby, as were three Romulan D'deridex Class warbirds. The situation was tense and it was likely that all were involved in the developing situation taking place on the planet below.
The Romulans had already secreted a Tal'Shair agent onto the planet, named Trez, who was investigating a series of raids against military supply depots, in connection with a spy ring in the Romulan Capital City.
The Cardassians were also present, under the leadership of Gul Matan. It seemed that the Obsidian Order were also involved in some capacity.
With so many powerful factions involved, it was becoming likely that a single wrong move could result in conflict between the participants.
COMING SOON!
