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The shock of change - Tenacity - 09-18-2011
The following personal log entries belonging to Admiral Kaylee Staite detail the Bastet's year-long excursion from charted space, and the ship's subsequent return home.
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The shock of change - Tenacity - 09-18-2011
Personal Log: Entry 1
"Over the last year we've been further from Sirius than any other humans since the exodus from Sol. Following a brief respite in Nomad activity throughout Sirius and the conclusion of other conflicts involving The Order, I was tasked with taking the Bastet and her crew on an extended expedition into the uncharted regions surrounding charted space. How little I knew at the time that this was to be one of the most gruelling undertakings in my military career."
"I remember thinking back then 'what's a year?'... I had served for more than half a decade before, and that time had flown by. It wasnt until we finally returned - until I finally saw the tiny spec of blue in the distance that was Gran Canaria - that it dawned on me just how long we had been away from home. The realization became even more powerful when I began to hear of what had transpired in our absence... but I will save that for later entries. I should begin with our mission, and what we uncovered..."
The shock of change - Tenacity - 09-18-2011
Personal Log: Entry 2
"During our voyage, we discovered and charted fourty seven star systems, three of which were binary systems containing no terrestrial planets. Out of the remaining fourty four, seventeen systems contained planets with extremely rich mineral deposits that may one day be harvested and used to expand humanity's territories amongst the stars, and nine contained habitable planets with thriving ecosystems including both plant and animal life. One system contained a planet ideal for terraforming, and we will be forwarding all of the data acquired on that system to Planetform for study."
"Exploration was the easy part of the mission, it doesnt take much to fly through empty space until you find something noteworthy. It wasnt until we encountered new, sentient species that we began to realize the difficulty of our task. Several of the systems we charted lay on the edge of C'tan space... needless to say our encounters with the locals were not pleasant. I've undertaken missions against the Phantoms in the past, but their masters are an altogether different threat. Over the course of three seperate engagements with C'tan forces, all of our reserve munitions and replacement parts were deplated. The Bastet suffered severe lower structural damage and decks three through seven had to be permanently sealed off due to irreperable damage. We lost more than two thirds of our snubcraft to these engagements as well, and if we had encountered one more C'tan vessel I would have ordered our return to Sirius to avoid certain destruction."
"It seems that the C'tan Empire is having issues of its own, however, with several of their conquered cultures revolting and wresting control of military forces from their masters. Beyond the C'tan, we encountered one relatively primitive species just beginning its advancement into space. This was a first, as to my knowledge there are no recorded encounters of any pre-space-age cultures discovered since before the exodus. We refrained from making direct contact and kept our distance, observing the species for some time before continuiing the mission."
"Daam K'vosh ruins were discovered on numerous planets and moons over the course of our excursion, suggesting that the K'vosh Empire spanned a much larger region than we had initially assumed. We collected several active artifacts from these ruins to return to research labs on Lisbon station. Additionally, a K'vosh data archive was recovered, though we have been unable to translate it as of yet."
The shock of change - Tenacity - 09-18-2011
Post-Mission Damage Report, Evora Shipyard, Omicron 100
During its mission, the Bastet suffered severe hull damage on ventral and aft sections. Repairs will require a complete replacement of hull panels, bulkheads, and structural supports in these sections. Additionally, two of the ship's three reactors are inoperable and will require replacement. Of fourteen defense turrets, nine are damaged beyond repair, two have blown capacitors, and the remaining three are no longer linked to the ship's automated targetting computer.
Of twenty Nephthys-Class fighters initially carried aboard the Bastet, only seven remain, three of which are inoperable.
Of ten Bastet-Class fighters, two remain, one is damaged beyond repair.
Of ten Sekhmet-Class bombers, none remain.
Of two short range transport craft, one remains, but is not spaceworthy due to damaged life support and propulsion systems.
Post-mission fuel levels are at a minimum.
Post-mission munitions unaccounted for - depleted.
Post-mission supplies unaccounted for - depleted.
The shock of change - Tenacity - 09-18-2011
Personal Log: Entry 3
"As we approached Gran Canaria, that spec of blue becoming ever larger, several contacts were reported inbound on an intercept course, identified as an SCRA patrol squadron. A communications channel was opened and, as I greeted the formation's lead pilot, I was met with unexpected hostility. Apparently, at some point during our absence, The Order's alliance with the SCRA had been severed, partly due to a civil war within the Coalition's ranks. Through no small effort, I was able to narrowly avoid starting a conflict with the patrol. This was the first event that truly began to open my eyes to the drastic changes that had occurred during our mission, and scenarios began to race through my mind regarding the incident."
"As great as the shock was, seeing an old ally suddenly hostile, it paled in comparison to what I would find when I finally returned home. After coming upon an Order patrol in Omicron Kappa, we were escorted back to Toledo, where I immediately met with the three members of High Command. The number threw me off, High Command had always been a group of five individuals... representatives from each section of The Order, along with the highest ranking admiral who only put forward his say in the event of a tie which prevented decisions from being made."
"It seemed that there were no representatives from Secondary Fleet among High Command's ranks any longer. Further, the Admirals of High Command that I had once served with were no longer among the group, they had been completely replaced by new leadership. When I presented myself as an Admiral of High Command, the others responded quite aggressively. It would seem that during my absence, leadership had gone through numerous changes, and somewhere along the way all record of my involvement had been lost."
"Here I was, home at last, and it was as if my entire past history with The Order was nonexistent. My name, rank, and my position as a member of Order High Command were all dismissed, and at one point I was even accused of being an impostor. Over the course of the next several days I researched the events that had transpired since my departure, and dug up the evidence of my rank and title. The evidence seemed to sway the admirals, if only a little, to my favor - but The Order had changed, it was no longer the organization I had left behind a year ago, and I feared my commitment and effort would be lost forever."
The shock of change - Tenacity - 09-18-2011
Personal Log: Entry 4
"I spent some time speaking with Fleet Admiral Golanski, the current leader of The Order. Not long after our mission began, dissidence began spreading like wild fire through The Order's ranks. Hostile activity amongst The Order's enemies was at an all time low, leaving pilots and commanders with nothing but restless anticipation for their next engagement. My departure, along with the disappearance of the other Secondary Fleet representative within High Command, had left a void that could not be filled. Members of the Secondary Fleet felt that they no longer retained any representation within the organization and began to revolt, leading to the formation of several rebellious squadrons who, in turn, caused more havoc within the ranks through terrorist strikes against the men attempting to keep what was left of The Order together and stable."
"Some members of the Secondary Fleet put in for transfer to Primary Fleet positions in order to save their careers, but most joined - or at the very least supported - the dissidents. In time, some semblance of stability returned, but there were still numerous traitors who had not been apprehended and continued to pose a threat to the organization."
"According to the Admiral, sweeping changes within The Order's infrastructure were in the works, and the organization was to essentially be torn down and rebuilt anew in the hopes that such drastic alterations would create a more stable foundation for continuing the pursuit of The Order's higher goals. Still, traditions are hard to re-write, and resistance amongst even the most loyal officers was high."
"The Bastet has been diverted to Evora Shipyards for extensive repairs, and until such time as those repairs are completed I've little to do but sit and wait. For what, I'm not entirely sure - on the one hand I fear my time with The Order may be drawing to an end, but on the other I have high hopes that this restructure will put me in a better position than I was before."
The shock of change - Tenacity - 09-18-2011
Personal Log: Entry 4
"Final entry. After no small amount of debate and politics, the decision has been made that I will assume control of the Order Science Division once again, though looking at the state of things it would appear that an immense amount of work will be needed to return the division to working order. Time to get to work, I suppose..."