The hardest part of saving the day is the paperwork that comes after. Not that what the Gilroy did was save the day. Not really. But it still feels good to submit the report.
Log Entry: Chief Medical Officer Bridgette “Betty” Walker, USS Gilroy
For the record, for both my Captain – hello Jericho, dear – and the brass at Starfleet who review this – I’ll choose the dirtiest, bloodiest, most complicated and mundane 20-hour surgery over monitoring transporter logs for 3 days straight any day of the week. That said… it was a quiet success. I oversaw a joint team of medical and operational crew in transporting a cargo bay’s worth of medical supplies from the Gilroy to the Klingon surface. It’s a shame that the supplies didn’t come sooner – much of the disease that plagued this colony and the Romulans has already burned itself out. But at least they’ll be ready for the next one.
And for the record, I spent an ungodly and untold amount of hours authorizing and re-authorizing the transportation of type-4 protein compounds on the damn computer because – apparently – they’ve blown up ONCE in their entire three years of use. I’d risk it all if it meant I could just press a button once a day rather than being called down to the cargo bay every 17 minutes to re-enter my authorization.
I didn’t get to tour the medical facilities myself – something I’m annoyed about. Haven’t seen a Klingon hospital in some time. My wife, Nurse Sora Newall, led the site visit. She reports that everything was as adequate as one could hope for from such a small colony. By all accounts – but most importantly hers – the planet itself is wild and beautiful – with ample foliage and a plethora of critters for the Klingons to hunt. From the images I’ve seen, though, it seems much more English countryside than ‘Jurassic’ wilds that one’s mind’s eye conjures when “Klingon” and “Wilderness” are put together – but I must admit I’m a bit sad I didn’t get to see it myself.
Anyway. The team performed well – and with a smile – and I’d like to add that productivity improved by at least 10% after I started pumping my preferred music through the cargo bay’s speakers. I can officially report that the medical part of our mission has been completed – though I wish we had gotten here sooner. It… might have meant a life or two would have been saved.
Log Entry: Lieutenant E’Spor, Chief Engineer, USS Gilroy
There is a surprising similarity between a Klingon irrigation system and the relays of a deflector dish. This is perhaps a point of further study. Regardless, I report that the engineering team led by myself has successfully repaired much of the farming and water-maintenance equipment that the Klingons had requested. There are, as of this log, three requested repairs that we did not complete. To state plainly, the operators of those systems were drunk and more than a little combative. In each case it was deemed not worth the risk to trespass on their land to fix their systems. Our guide, a Mr. Pay’tor, called me a coward on two separate occasions for not encouraging my team to take on the drunk Klingons. But otherwise he was extremely helpful.
As detailed in the attached report, the failing of the Klingon food and water infrastructure is three-fold. First, many of the maintenance crew, operators, or owners fell ill when the as-of-yet unidentified sickness spread across the colony. This left them understaffed and allowed necessary repairs to pile up.
Second – and this is more conjecture – the colony has not grown to the size it was anticipated to reach by Klingon colonial authorities. Many of the machines given to the colonists are for larger plots of land or quantities of resources. Larger machines are more prone to accidents – and equipment meant to be monitored by 10 persons is more likely to break when only used by 2 persons. I do not know if it is the lack of trade routes, proximity to the Romulan border, or another reason that has led to the slow growth of the colony. But surely the losses from the sickness have only compounded the problem of a lack of actual Klingons.
Third, and finally, is sabotage. In my professional opinion, there is no doubt that some systems – but not all – were damaged purposely. Scans suggest – but do not prove – Romulan involvement, based on an analysis – attached to this log – of the code-breaking systems used to fry the software. It is my understanding that Commander Mall shall be reporting more on that – so I will move on.
I would like to end this log by commending my entire team. Despite the… difficulties of our last mission and the destruction of the previous ship, they are in high spirits and work without complaint. On a personal matter, I am honored that they still turn to me for professional advice and oversight.
Log Entry: Commander Tehm Mall, USS Gilroy
Starfleet officers are trained to always put their best foot forward when interacting with the public. Doubly so when the public falls under the jurisdiction of a non-Federation member. Every crewmember – from a Cadet to the Captain – is, in some fashion, a diplomat. With that said, it is my professional opinion that we need a whole course at the Academy on how to remain poised and professional when surrounded by frustrated Klingons. After days of touring the Colony, listening to every complaint under the Sun from the governor – “we were late”, “we visited the Romulans first”, “Are these the only supplies offered”, “some ally the Federation has turned out to be…” – and overseeing the general effort of the Gilroy crew, I feel I might just be able to teach that proposed course.
Pay’tor, our Klingon liaison, was helpful. He acted as cultural translator – cursing out more than one drunken Klingon on behalf of the Federation – and offered suggestions on the allocation of spare resources that seemed more tied to logic than family or personal corruption – to the dismay of his friends. While he appears loud and chaotic, and at first certainly unprofessional, and he flirts with half my crew, it is undeniable that he was the most diplomatic of us all. I think it worth noting that should this area of space ever need an official liaison between the Klingon people and the Federation – his name should certainly be up for consideration.
As detailed in the attached after-action reports, I can say firmly that the Gilroy has completed the mission it first started nearly a year ago – and both the Romulan and Klingon colonies have been resupplied and, to some degree, charmed. We leave with some level of goodwill with both planets and an empty cargo bay – exactly as it should be.
Next: The final briefing and the closure of Fresh Paint.
