Messier Report #4

Posted on Thu Feb 13th, 2020 @ 10:20pm by Stephen Spires

Events within the Backstop System have continued to enflame. Only recently has this reporter's access to the FNS network been restored after an administrative gag order from one Captain Benjamin Ingram which kept developing situations tightly under wraps. This report, therefore, will contain multiple points of interest that will be monitored and updated as the events unfold.

The first point of order was that Canopus Station came under another attack by a hostile indigenous armada. While Security reports have remained classified, bystanders and observers from the Spacedock class station's civilian quarter as well as the settlement of Landersfell on the moon of Carpathia have confirmed that the attackers were of the same faction as the one which pursued the USS Traveller back to Carpathia some weeks and months ago. Station administration has not given comment as to why this fact has been kept from the denizens of Canopus Station and Carpathia.

It is possible that the second point of order may shed light onto the draconian measures of secrecy. After Starfleet sent more vessels to Messier 4 in subsequent waves of the Long Jump Project, it was revealed that the Federation terrorist group Freedom's Legion established a modest presence within Carpathia. It is believed that a separatist movement may be growing within the fledgling colony of Landersfell, but once again the Canopus Station administration has refused to comment. However, this intrepid reporter put boots to the ground, and it is my opinion that while the threat of Freedom's Legion is understated, it cannot be ignored. Starfleet's response to this potential threat remains to be seen.

Finally, it appears that not all stellar nations and factions within Messier 4 are inherently hostile. In the past 24 hours, an advanced starship from the Reciprocity of Carcosia docked with Canopus Station in need of repairs. Anonymous sources within station personnel have reported that these Carcosians are exponentially more advanced than the current levels of Federation capability. According to them, if not for the crippling effect of an ancient monument from an extinct civilization on Carpathia, the Carcosian vessel would have approached from a position of strength rather than vulnerability. What is most surprising of all is that the Carcosians are an offshoot civilization descended from a pre-Federation flotilla of Vulcan, Human, and Trill vessels that fled known space at the height of the Romulan War. Their relocation evidently did not impair their development if the reports of their technological supremacy are to be credited. Diplomatic measures have been ongoing since their arrival with whispers of the first treaty between the Federation and an extra-galactic government. This situation will be monitored closely and will be updated as soon as new developments are made known.

On the cusp of yet another wave of Starfleet reinforcements, the activity on Canopus Station has never been greater, and the same could be said for the optimism of its population.

Reporting for the Federation News Service, this is Stephen Spires reminding everybody that, despite efforts to the contrary, we are still out here.