Category: Soteria News Service

Soteria News Service

Loss Shakes Foundations of Solas Tempus

“Yesterday one of our greatest leaders has been taken from us by the hands of fate. Fleet Admiral Lance Thomas was pronounced dead on arrival after a tragic shuttle crash took his life.” – Prime Minister Ethir Th’chaaveq

The loss of Fleet Admiral Lance Thomas has shaken the organization Solas Tempus to it’s very core foundations.  The original founding member of the group had become something of a living legend throughout known space.  Known for his tenacity and steel backbone as well as his lavishly foul temper he was a force to be reckoned with.  Still, to this day, the true origins of the man remain a mystery.  Questions have often been asked about where the man came from and how he came to power; those questions may now never be answered.

On October 27th Admiral Thomas’s personal ship, the Sleipnir, was forcibly dropped out of warp by the barrier which surrounds the Schatten Star System.  The vessel was still going at nearly light-speed and headed for Soteria when a distress call was received and ships were dispatched.  The Admiral had lost control of the vessel and it entered a flat spin after on of the impulse engines exploded.  A further rescue attempt by the Irvyn failed to bring the ship under control but did divert it away from Soteria and instead toward Schatten II.  The attempt further sent the ship spinning on all axis, further research indicates that by that point in time, the ships inertial dampening field had become inoperative.  The vessel crashed into Schatten II shortly after, though it is likely the extreme G forces acting upon the vessel prior to the crash caused the death of the Admiral before the ship crashed.

The body itself has been transported back to Trocara where an autopsy was performed and burial preparations are being made.  While the body is still secured and not available for viewing, the autopsy report had been released to the public, at least in part, and specifies the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and the manner of death has been ruled accidental.  Investigators are still combing over the evidence to piece together the exact chain of events, however the DPI and Solas Tempus have both remained close lipped about the investigation.  Neither the DPI nor Solas Tempus have responded to requests for comments.

Official Statements

A brief official statement by the Prime Minister of the Serenity Concord was released the following day on the 28th.

Yesterday one of our greatest leaders has been taken from us by the hands of fate.  Fleet Admiral Lance Thomas was pronounced dead on arrival after a tragic shuttle crash took his life.  Efforts are underway to piece together the exact nature and sequence of events that have resulted in his death, everyone deserves answers.  We will work methodically through the evidence at hand to determine exactly what occurred, Admiral Thomas deserves no less of us.  Our hearts go out to his family and those closest to him at their loss and his wife, Drem, should know that the entire Concord mourns with her.  We ask that everyone respect her privacy and the privacy of Admiral Thomas, this will be a difficult time for everyone but we will get through it, together.

Prime Minister Ethir Th’chaaveq

The Prime Minister has been unavailable for direct comment, however, sources close to him have expressed that he is deeply saddened by the loss.

While no official statements have come from Admiral Thomas’s widow, Drem Thomas, multiple sources within the organization have reported that she has left Nimbus Station and that no one has seen her since.  The official word from within Solas Tempus is that she has been placed on administrative leave, details on of Ms. Thomas requested that leave or not are not available.  Her ship, the USS Drakon, was placed on lock-down for a brief period of time and rumors say that the USS Lilith was ordered to pursue the Drakon that same day, though the Executive Officer of the Drakon (Emily Damion) and the Commanding Officer of the Lilith (Neo Akazuli) could not be reached for comment.  The assistant to Captain Akazuli did respond to our requests for information stating that many vessels undergo readiness exercises as part of routine training and that no further information should be read into such events.  However, the assistant was unwilling to confirm or deny that the Lilith and Drakon were involved in any such exercises.

Memorial Services

Memorial services for Admiral Thomas have been scheduled for late in November on Trocara, the Prime Minister and his cabinet have confirmed they will be in attendance and several prominent members of other governments and agencies throughout known space have also communicated they will be in attendance as well.  Sources within the United Federation of Planets have reported that there is some discussion over presenting the Ms. Thomas with a posthumously awarded Medal of Valor for her late-husband, commemorating his achievements.  The Chancellor of the High Council of the Klingon Empire as well as the Praetor of the Romulan Star Empire as well as several members of the Romulan Senate have also confirmed they will both be in attendance; if that is the case it will be the first time the leaders of both worlds have been at such a ceremony together in decades and could be an historic meeting should the two choose to speak to each other.  The Federation President is confirmed to be in attendance and rumors have surfaced that even Admiral Jean Luc Picard will be attending as well as Admiral Katherine Janeway though aids for both officers have said that such decisions have yet to be made and that both have many duties to attend to which could prevent them from attending.  The aid to Admiral Picard did add that “Admiral Picard sends his most sincerest condolences to Ms. Thomas for her loss and that he hopes she knows how many in the universe respected and honored her husband.”

Minor Mysteries Plaguing Nimbus

Scattered reports have begun to surface that Nimbus Station has been experiencing an increasingly troublesome number of minor malfunctions.  Engineering personnel on the station insist that the problems are likely just a simple byproduct of integration of Solas Tempus and other technologies into the station, for which they were not made.  Of course, the fact that the station has been in use for a number of years now makes this a less likely answer than some feel is plausible.

Thus far none of the malfunctions have been anything more than a nuisance and are mostly relegated to the stations automatic doors, replicators, and turbo lifts.  Though some reports have captured the public’s attention, such as Fleet Admiral Lance Thomas being repeatedly sent to the Dapper Nomad by the lift system until he finally just decided to walk the long way around.  The Admiral could not be reached for comment but his staff expressed that such a problem was in no way a serious issue and that Admiral Thomas enjoyed the sunlight and exercise providing a break in his routine.

Another such issue occurred when the lights in the southern tower all went a rather upsetting shade of purple for an entire 6 hour span of the day without any reason being found.  The color change did not inhibit work but it was upsetting to many living in that tower as the color was very close to the UV spectrum and several civilians in the area reported headaches.  One security officer, however, commented that he might replicate a few items he referred to as “glow sticks” and start some “serious beats” to get some form of party started.  When we asked for further details, his C.O. asked him to deliver some reports, though it was clear some of the other security in the area agreed this could be an advantageous way to spend their shifts.  The C.O. in question requested to remain anonymous but was not amused.

Station citizens are encouraged to report technical problems immediately in hopes that the engineering staff can track the problems down and resolve any ongoing issues.

Anti-Human Bomb Attack at Nimbus Diner

Earlier today, at 6:30 am, a bomb was detonated in the popular diner Jonny’s Place killing thirteen humans including the the diners owner, head cook, as well as five Solas Tempus personnel. All the casualties were human though one of two survivors was a Klingon. This publication has received word that the attack has been linked to anti-human terrorist from an anonymous source within Solas Tempus.

We have asked the public for there opinions on this outrageous attack, it seems some are more lenient on these terrorists than others. Many humans believe that drastic action is necessary to prevent these atrocities from happening again. While it is not a common sentiment, some felt that detaining any suspected to have links with potential terrorists was a matter of public safety.

Reporters were shocked to find numerous non-humans declined to answer questions posed about the terror attack as well as the growing racial tensions. A serious question has come to the forefront, who are our allies in these times of need. As many on the station mourn the loss of life, we can only hope that this is not the beginning of something much worse and that a solution can be found to end the growing hostilities.

Commander Megan Shepard Recovered!

Today Captain Laurena Bowells, embarked on mission to unknown distress signal aboard her vessel, the USS Apollo’s Light. Upon arrival to the scene sensors of the Galaxy Class vessel found an escape pod with no sign of where it came from.  There was no mother ship nor any wreckage.

Captain Bowells made the quick decision to order the escape pod aboard. After a security team opened it up, they found Lieutenant Commander Megan Shepard inside. She was unconscious and injured but she was provided quick help from the experienced medical team. Her condition is reported as “not life threatening” by the medical staff aboard the Apollo’s Light.

The official stance from Solas Tempus is given to be;

Commander Shepard escaping from enemy imprisonment is a fortunate event.  Despite extensive injures the Commander managed to get off enemy vessel and send a distress signal, allowing us to find her. On the orders of the CMO of the Apollo’s Light, she is resting while her wounds heal and is not permitted visitors for the time being. The only information we can currently provide is that she is stable and her wounds are healing.

For now we don’t have more information apart from fact Commander Shepard is resting in sickbay and not taking visitors apart from few trusted people.  Reporters were unable to get an appointment to meet with the Commander at this time.

Strange Sightings of Unknown Woman

Residents of Nimbus Station have reported sightings of an unknown woman roaming the halls of the station. She has been described in a number of ways, some of which are directly conflicting. Some say she is a young woman in her early 20’s while others swear it is a young girl of 9 or 10 years old. In both cases the person looks confused and while most cases have her unable or unwilling to speak, in all cases when the person turns away for a moment or otherwise takes their focus off of the girl, she vanishes. Security reports that no such person has been sighted by security personnel and sensor logs show no additional life signs on the station when the sightings occur. Given the inconsistent nature of the sightings it is possible that some use of holographic or other technology should be considered. Anyone experiencing such a sighting should report it to station security immediately.

Fight Over Barrier

Mysterious ship that appeared near barrier few days ago was today attacked by Solas Tempus strike force after getting confirmation that crewman that disappeared are aboard.

STV Epoch and 2 squadrons of Peregrine fighters accompanied by Jaina and Tal Ravis in their own fighters (X-Wing and Scimitar respectively) attacked the heavy-armed vessel. During the attack the ship responded with their own squadrons, destroying at least 2 fighters in initial contact. Shortly after pilots of Peregrines started feeling weird about whole fight, some even fleeing field of combat.  This was later confirmed to be a form of psionic attack known as Battle Meditation.  Reports from the Epoch crew show that they suffered similar symptoms.

We received statement from one of pilots, flight officer Gabrielle Valenzuela;

It was like back head feeling that you are about to die, you instinctively want to run, find safe place, it was hard to resist, I was among ones that did run away.  I’m not proud of that but it was like that, I was afraid of death. Hell I couldn’t even believe that we all risked life for one random person! Now I do feel bad about it, after all every life is important.

After ship defences were lowered, strike team composed of Jedi Master Reman and Tobi Angelos beamed aboard to search ship for missing personnel and Jyn. After they found Jyn the strike team was forced to fight through her own enraged attacks, before Jyn managed to injure Reman who holds to the story that he allowed this to happen.  Just before  getting tackled to ground and was knocked unconscious.  Jyn is currently resting in sickbay, her status has not been made public as yet, though it is known she is allowed select visitors.

The crew of the unknown vessel informed Solas Tempus that it’s designation is INV Raven’s Hand, an Harrower Class Dreadnought.  The last words of it’s captain, before one of Sith aboard killed him, asked Captain Leonard of STV Epoch to keep his crew safe.  The safety of the crew of the Raven’s are of course being held safely in Solas Tempus custody abiding by the standards of humane treatment of prisoners. Solas Tempus released a statement ensuring that the crew will be treated with dignity and respect during their questioning and debriefing.  The future of the enemy vessel is unknown, Solas Tempus declined to comment but rumors suggest the vessel may be either stripped down for research or perhaps refit and introduced into the fleet.

Duranaia Establishes Foothold on Soteria

The colony site for the Serenity Concord on Soteria named Duranaia, which broke ground several months ago, has approved new residences who were not part of the initial start up team to being moving to the site. There is limited housing still, however, the colony site has successfully set up its own series of power sources and defenses in addition to commercial and industrial facilities there. The colony site opens up at the same time that food and textile productions from the Temperance and Sustenance communities of New Morning Fields and Moonshadow Gardens have begun ramping up production, mostly of food supplies with some textile production.

The Temperance and Sustenance communities are supplying food throughout the system, though still in limited quantities. The system will likely remain dependent on outside resources of raw materials for some time to come. However, having the farming communities focused on sustainable production of food and other resources which the colony site can then produce into other goods and services bodes well for the entire system.

Destruction of a Probe of Unknown Origin

Viper Probe Droid An unknown droid was found entering the Schatten Star System and was brought into the main shuttle bay of the USS Pegasus before it reached it’s destination. The droid refused to communicate its intentions waiting for a verbal identification code. Mr. Damien Smith and Ms. Heather Quinn were brought in to assist with the situation. The pair attempted to seize the droid and force a physical connection. At that point, the droid self-desturcted injuring both parties. Mr. Smith is currently in the ICU Burn Unit on Nimbus Station while Heather is in the workshops being repaired by the engineering staff. Heather is expected to be repaired without issue, however Damien’s status is still critical from plasma extensive plasma burns.

The purpose and origin of the probe remain entirely unknown, the New Hope and the Cabur have been asked to consult while the Captain of the Pegasus retains the probes debris, the sensor logs have been transmitted to both ships for further analysis since those two ships have more experience with such technology.

Racial Tensions on the Rise

Following the recent attack on the hangar claiming that humans should rule and aliens should be purged, the racial tensions have increased significantly on the station. It appears that an undercurrent of intolerance may spread throughout the station if left unchecked. Complaints about racial slurs being used in civilian settings have increased significantly, though not from humans but instead against them. So far the term xeno has shown to be used most often, though other terms have been used by the Sangheili. Statements from Governor Maddox have attempted to reassure humans that this is a natural extension of where they came from, the investigation into the Spartan’s revealed a world in which the Sangheili were in a brutal war with human-kind. The governor has encouraged citizens to remain peaceful and attempt to be understanding though his statement also asks for non-human races to attempt to do the same, noting that the ship which attacked the station was not from this universe. As a side-effect of this there is a small, yet growing, momentum toward an isolationist philosophy though a movement has yet to form around it there are reports of isolated pockets of such philosophy among civilians who feel threatened.

The unity initially brought by the attack appears to have been short-lived and the prevalence of humans in the highest ranking positions of Solas Tempus has again raised questions about it’s leadership. Sentiment, especially among civilians, is starting to shift toward questioning whether or not it should matter that the leadership of Solas Tempus has a lot more humans in it than not. Humans on the station, especially within Solas Tempus security forces, have reported feeling as if they are under a microscope and that they thought the universe had grown out of such things. As it happens, several other prominent races feel as if they too feel this is society going backwards. In particular the Vulcans and Andorians, once bitter enemies, cite their own coming together to help form the United Federation of Planets as proof of the idea that so many different races can coexist.

As tensions increase on the station officials from Solas Tempus have urged for people to remember that regardless of race or origin, we all have challenges to face and the planet one is from or color of ones skin matters only as much as society says it does.

Human Supremacy Terrorist Attack

On Sunday morning a distress call was received by one of our allies. Shortly after Nimbus Station responded, the call claimed that a shuttle was losing power and requesting landing. Per station protocols the vessel was allowed to land in the auxiliary hangar. After skidding to a stop in an nearly catastrophic crash landing within the hangar, the ship’s doors were opened with the message from the suicide bomber that the aliens should be experimented and the humans shall rule. The detonation of a significant amount of explosives has crippled approximately half of the auxiliary bay.

The shuttle itself came from the Janus Gate from a universe from which the Avali colony also arrived from. Missives has been dispatched to the Protectorate, the authority for that reality which has existing relations with Solas Tempus requesting more information about the shuttle and where it came from. The leaders of Solas Tempus have been unavailable to comment, at least one (Fleet Admiral Lance Thomas) is still in the hospital following the attack on Soteria. The Prime Minister of the Serenity Concord has denounced the attack as a shameful act of cowardice and stated unequivocally that those who planned and executed the horrific plan of terror will be brought to justice. Pledges of assistance have come from the Klingon Empire, Bajoran Government, Romulan Star Empire, and the United Federation of Planets as well as a number of smaller entities. Members of the Senate have also spoken out saying that the in-fighting and ill-timed investigation so publicly made was a sign of weakness with the prevailing feeling that the organization may have been better suited to handle such an impending attack had their focus been on threats outside rather than potential threats inside.

The office of the Prime Minister and the Department of Protection and Investigation have been declined to comment on the state of the investigations that are ongoing. On condition of anonymity a member of the Civilian Oversight board with knowledge of the investigation stated that the investigators have been told to quietly continue their work but that further acts beyond the gathering of information have been suspended. The attack seems to have galvanized the government and citizens, though questions still arise about how Solas Tempus manages its affair. Recent polling indicates that Solas Tempus is enjoying a rather high confidence rating, though most do still think a reorganization of perhaps a change to training procedures may be in order. The thought that criminal charges may need to be brought against members of the organization has diminished significantly in favor of mandating more subtle changes which the organization can apply to itself. Given both the recent attacks, the civilian colony project has also been put on hold while a threat assessment is reworked.