Homecoming - Personal Log

[Dumbass 0]

The event we have been seeking for almost 8 years is finally here. The survivors of the IKC Qob and the USS Lakota have found their way to familiar territory and are now on the surface of the late 24th century Qo'nos. Not quite home for the Federation personnel but a welcome turn of events nontheless. The Federation has been contacted and have sent a ship to transport us to our various homeworlds after what I'm sure will be an intense debriefing.

 

We are still learning the full details but so much has happened in the Federation the past 8 years - conflicts with the Borg, the Son'a, the Remans, a bloody extended war with a race called the Dominion, even a minor war with the Klingons. While waiting for our transport I meditated on these events and came to the conclusion that we would probably have been in just as much danger had we stayed home.

 

The debriefing we received from the Klingon High Council was much lighter than I would have expected. They examined our logs, asked the expected questions about integrating Federation and Klingon technologies, and didn't seem concerned that Federation engineers were able to make an intensive study of Klingon cloaking technology. We were even invited to feast in the High Council in the Great Klingon Hall, a place few offworlders have ever been invited to, much less dine in. The gagh was fresh and the bloodwine sweet.

 

Following the feast the Klingons were ordered to take a mandatory 3-month leave with orders to report back. While the Federation crew were given similar orders they may not be legitimate. True we served under a Klingon Hod as part of the emergency command structure instituted 8 years ago, but with that emergency over Starfleet Command may not consider those orders binding. For all I know Starfleet may not consider my Lieutenant Senior Grade status on the Qob-Lakota to be a legitimate rank. While I'm sure I will be allowed to return to Vulcan for my Pon Farr I'm also sure the Federation authorities will be very interested in what we have learned about Klingon technology and tactics, particularly their cloaks, as well as "homemade" enhancements to existing Starfleet-Klingon technology, such as ejecting a Klingon warp core - a device not intended to be ejected - using a Galaxy-class ejection system that doesn't even work on Galaxy-class ships.

 

I imagine Starfleet Intelligence will insist on an intensive debriefing, with Messner as the senior Starfleet officer and myself as a technical department chief receiving what Terrans call the "lion's share" of questions. They may even use hypnosis or a mind-meld. Following the debriefing, which I expect to last for most of our "leave", we may be ordered back to join the Qob crew or reassigned to another Starfleet position. Only time will tell.

Edited August 31, 2004 by Dumbass