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Subspace Scandal

Description

“Stardate blah blah, we scanned some nebula gas, and then diplomacy happened.”

Let’s be honest: Captain’s logs are great, but can end up a little boring. 

The real stories happen in the hallways, in the mess, in the turbolift that gets stuck for four awkward minutes right after two people definitely-almost kissed.
That’s the juice. That’s the drama. That’s what Star Crossed, the galaxy’s most shameless tabloid, lives for.

And now, so do you.

Your task: Write an article for Star Crossed covering one of Bravo Fleet’s missions. This could be one of your own ship’s escapades, or someone else’s ship (with all the wild-eyed speculation and unnamed sources you can conjure).

What Star Crossed is looking for: 

  • The arguments that nearly derailed the bridge crew before the big crisis.
  • The romance that bloomed (and probably imploded) somewhere between Sickbay and Deck 12.
  • The secrets shared over synthehol when everyone swore they wouldn’t tell anyone else.
  • The mysterious disappearance of a captain’s entire stash of real coffee.

Basically: if you wouldn’t put it in a mission report, it belongs here.


How to Enter:

Choose a finished or ongoing mission from either your ship or someone else’s.

Write an in-universe tabloid article for Star Crossed. Sensational headlines encouraged. (“First Officer in Love Triangle with the Warp Core? Read More Inside!”)

Minimum: 250 words. Maximum: unlimited. If you want to turn in a ten-thousand-word exposé with photos, charts, and a sidebar about “Best and Worst Dressed on Deck Five,” we won’t stop you.

Remember: this isn’t about what happened on the mission. This is about what happened around it, behind it, and after it.

Criteria

  • Articles should be input in the text box, as should a link to the command you are writing the article about.
  • Minimum: 250 words
  • Descriptions will be graded using the Bravo Fleet Fiction Rubric, which marks on the following criteria: Language, Style, & Mechanics; Adherence to Canon; Perspective; Characterization; Originality; Use of the Prompt.
  • Article must be written during the competition period and should not be a reuse parts of an existing story.
  • The Article must be a written by a single author.

Winners

Submissions

User Content Date Entry
Thov th'Zeles (#1644)

https://bravofleet.com/command/156272/ - USS Cardinal, Task Force 21
Mission: Cutting the Border's Edge

Kitty Cavanaugh’s Corner - Bajoran Captain Impregnates Mob Queen
Star Crossed Exclusive

Darlings, you know I never shy away from the facts. Especially not when the truth comes wrapped in silk gloves behind a hint of scandalous perfume. Buckle in, because this week’s corner is going to rattle turbolift cables all the way to San Francisco Headquarters. The subject is none other than Captain Raku Mobra of the USS Cardinal and his oh-so-mysterious paramour, Greta Lazio.

Yes kittens, you read that correctly. I, Kitty Cavanaugh, had the chance to board the Cardinal during their shore leave on Janoor III. My journalism credentials were enough to secure a long term assignment here. I was met with the expected, usual Starfleet stiffness. There were endless tides of folk suited in clean uniforms and polished boots. Typical, tired speeches about duty and exploration seemed endlessly commonplace. However, Kitty Cavanaugh is not one to focus on the surface. What did a deeper investigation reveal? This entire ship is a nest for the senior officers' lovefest. Whispers about the Captain and his lady companion reverberate across the classically-styled vessel like its old warp coils. Where there is smoke, Kitty Cavanaugh shall seek out the flames.

A Dinner Date in the Shadows

Let me paint a scene, dear Star Crossed reader. Picture a dusky evening on Janoor III. The stars shimmered like spilled champagne across the colonial skyline. There she was: Greta Lazio. Her low-cut neckline was clad with sequins that clung like sinful men to burlesque parlors. Scarlet stiletto heels had little room to hide. They sat far beneath a mini-skirt that barely fell halfway below her shapely, nearly exposed thighs. This was a woman who knew exactly what she carried into a room and wanted everybody to see it.

And who was on her arm? Captain Raku himself. He was hardly the stiff-collared officer we all know from the duty roster. No, darlings. He wore slim-fitted, dark fabrics that whispered of decadence. Not only was the man out of uniform. He was temporarily living a life outside of Starfleet’s shadow. Conversations revealed this was their second date.

I didn’t just see them from across a crowded restaurant. I followed them throughout their evening. Yes, kittens. Your Kitty is thorough. I watched them leave, hand in hand, like a pair of frisky cadets sneaking off to Mellstoxx Academy dorms. Into the turbolift of Hotel Lanea's Victory they went. I happened to join them as their conversation flowed like sugared wine. Greta laughed just slightly too loud at his jokes. His hand lingered aggressively along her waist. When the lift stopped, they departed together. Need I draw you a holo-image of what happened next?

The Lazio Legacy

But who is Greta Lazio? Oh, dear readers, that is where this yarn unravels into a dark tempest. On the surface, she is simply a “terraforming advisor” handpicked to join the Cardinal’s civilian team of scientists. At least two other smaller groups of terraformers prepare to shape future planets from this perch. This appears to be harmless work. It could even be seen as admirable, if you believe Starfleet’s sanitized transfer memos about her career.

But peel back the surface and the Lazio name stinks of scandal. My research uncovered records from as far back as 2003. Brothers Don “Papa” Lazio and Mikey “Coconuts” Lazio carved a sordid little kingdom out of Earth’s shadows. From loan sharking to racketeering, the Lazio family built an empire in the smoke-filled backrooms of places ranging from historic New Jersey to Chicago. As centuries ticked on, their descendants slithered from Old Earth to off-world colonies. Charges came and went, witnesses vanished. The Lazio Famigilia never quite disappeared.

A look into Madam Lazio revealed an extortion charge from several years back. They were dropped, of course, after a key witness failed to appear. Coincidence? Please. My dear, we are not children here. A Lazio never leaves a trail unless it is meant to confuse the hounds.

Pillow Talk and Pregnancy Whispers

Here is where my ears pricked like an old Caitian matron at a royal wedding. One of the Cardinal’s nurses spoke of a peculiar detail. Greta Lazio showed up to Sickbay after a morning scan revealed she was pregnant. I cannot say whether the child is truly related to our dear Captain Raku. But darlings, think of the optics. The shamefully spouseless captain may have cemented his place into a family built on crime and manipulation.

Captain Raku: Ruffian or Romantic?

To understand this puzzle, one must understand the man himself. Raku Mobra, darling of Bajor, is painted in heroic light for his recent efforts against the Vaadwaur. Born on Free Haven during the Cardassian Occupation, his childhood has been romanticized as “resilient.” But let us not gloss over what that adjective means. The man was born on a rough, undesirable world. The child was raised among smugglers, raiders, and half-starved settlers that clawed their way through the brutal occupation. Tragedy makes a man, they say. Sometimes it makes him crave the luxury he was once denied.

Captain Raku Mobra is forty-seven years old, my investigation has confirmed. Yet he wears the skin of a man at least a decade younger. How, you ask? Orion rejuvenation treatments. Yes, kittens. This Bajoran favors the same skin-tightening, youth-preserving rituals favored by cartel magnates and pleasure den bosses across Kolar. Legal? Perhaps. Innocent? I think not.

Distracted on Duty

And here is where the scandal ceases to be personal and becomes professional. The Cardinal has patrolled the Breen border for weeks. It should have been a routine watch. Yet whispers from within the ship tell me their Captain has been distracted. Wistful. Even reckless.

One high-ranking source confirmed what Starfleet has yet to acknowledge. Raku ordered fire on an abandoned Breen station instead of sending an away team. When debris floated where answers might have been found, he panicked and ordered a retreat. The supposed bane of the Vaadwaur fled the scene with his tail tucked squarely between his legs. This reeks less of a disciplined Starfleet officer and more like a compromised skunk with something to hide.

Was that station destroyed because it was dangerous, or because it held secrets that the Lazio family preferred kept silent? Reports alleged that the station had drifted across the border by chance. I hypothesize that the Bajoran's mistress sent him to take that station out. The chase resulted in a standoff with three Breen vessels.

It appears our glorious Captain is not afraid to risk war for love.

A Crime Family Reborn?

The Lazio-Oorl Foundation is the glossy charitable shell surrounding Greta’s work. This only deepens suspicion. Its records link her to Orion advisors, all polished and spotless on paper. Yet each one is a third or fourth cousin away from criminal charges. Smuggling. Piracy. Syndicate games. Many say these ties are distant and irrelevant. These wild, leafy ladies and gentlemen have squeaky clean sheets. This is only true after the dirt has been swept into closets that Starfleet will never open.

Suspicions hardly end there. Some of the Cardinal’s very officers raise eyebrows. Chief Science Officer T’Naagi features a pale green-gold complexion. To those with an eye for Orion heritage, she resembles too many Syndicate lieutenants once seen smuggling weapons through Botchok. Could she be a plant? Perhaps. Stranger things have been true.

You may be wondering who is responsible for upholding law aboard this sticky-floored, backroom theater of a starship. None other than an Orion named Raii. I have only seen the man moving to and from the gym, crew lounges or a sun lamp. His work is reminiscent of 20th century mobsters that held no-show jobs ranging from sanitation and construction to longshore work.

In fact, the Cardinal has a great deal of Orion officers and enlisted crewmen. Captain Raku has favored surrounding himself with these green folk since his time in command of the USS Brawley.

What Lies Beneath

Here lies the scandal of scandals, darlings. A Captain with a childhood in poverty, now uses his position to claw towards luxury. A woman with family ties to centuries of crime, whispers sweet nothings to guide his reckless adventures. A foundation suspiciously stacked with suspicious-looking Orions gleams just a bit too brightly. A pregnancy rumor spreads across a deployed starship like streaked starlight at Warp Nine. An abandoned Breen station was destroyed in haste before anyone could learn what secrets lie beneath.

Is Captain Raku compromised? Has the Lazio Famigilia found its way not only into Federation commerce but into Starfleet’s very command structure? Is Greta Lazio a velvet-gloved hand that pulls the strings from behind her sultry smile?

My corner does not deliver conclusions, dear kittens. It only asks questions too dangerous for others to ask.

But this much I will say. Starfleet approved Greta Lazio’s transfer. The Cardinal continues its patrol as if nothing is amiss. Captain Raku continues to stride the corridors with that rejuvenated skin, those fitted civilian clothes, and the air of a man who believes he can outwit gossip.

Perhaps he can. But not forever. Not while Kitty Cavanaugh is watching.
---

Kitty Cavanaugh’s Corner will be back next week with another truth wrapped in silk. Until then, hold your lovers close. Keep your secrets closer.

 2025-09-18 16:32:00
Traan (#3099)

‘Power Couples? Or Inappropriate Fraternizing in a War Zone’

By Lizzy McNizzy, former FNN Senior Correspondent, now Senior Starfleet Reporter for Star Crossed

Report filed from- Somewhere near the Tholian border.

Ever wonder what Starfleet officers and crew do when faced with dangerous situations on hazardous patrols near our borders. Well this reporter decided she would go to the frontlines and find out for you all. Apparently the answer is far more seedy and disturbing than anyone thought.

Now many of you probably haven't heard about the simmering conflict that's been ongoing on the Sheliak/Tholian border for over a year at this point. The mainstream brow beaten correspondents on FNN and ‘Starfleets and Stripes’ won't tell you the truth because they don't want to lose their precious ‘embedding offers’ and ‘unfettered access to the Admiralty’.

So here's the scoop everyone. I've found several disturbing cases of inappropriate relations between a CO and a subordinate who used to be his academy classmate in one case. An enlisted Chief shacking up with an Lt JG 20 years his junior in another. And a strange instance of an extra marital affair between a married dolphin LCdr and a Bajoran engineer in yet another case of romantic impropriety.

Beyond the impropriety in the bed chamber, this reporter has also discovered that Starfleet was so ill prepared when the USS Kozlov was ambushed and destroyed, that only 8 starships have been mobilized to respond to the Tholians naked aggression. And trust me McNizzits(her pet name for her fans) that won't be my only reference to nakedness in this report. Of those 8 ships, 4 are second rate California class ships, and 2 of them are operating with barely half of their standard crew compliments. Another quirky case of quixotic conundrums is the fact that one of the Cali class ships was slated to be placed in reserve and laid up as recently as a month and a half ago.

First…this clip of Varyn K'lev and his XO Ophelia Lotharys leaving his quarters after an alert was called. Is that a walk of shame I see, or just two coworker's leaving after having breakfast together?

Now we move on to another case on the same ship. Chief Bong and his little trist with a young science officer we have now found the name of yet, but we will. You readers know I'll leave no stone unturned to get you all the juiciest juice.

Finally, the outright sensational new romance on the USS Blythe between their chief engineer Lt. Tesa and the twice convicted of mutiny, Lt. Bill. Though not the first interspecies relationship it does seem to be one of the more scandalous considering the dolphin is married.

More later McNizzits!

 2025-09-18 06:08:14
James C. MacLeod (#653)
Private Submission
 2025-09-13 23:31:32

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