| REPORT - CO, USS COPERNICUS NCC-640-B |
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| SUBMITTED |
SD 101772.0
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| FILED BY |
CAPT Jadrys Itana
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| CLASSIFICATION |
Level 2 - Classified
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LOCATION: Eraakanu system, Loop One Bubble
MISSION: Continuing Deep Centaurus Expedition initiative.
OUTCOME: Cautionary note on engagement with the Pyscillian Hierophany.
KEY PERSONNEL:
REPORT BODY:
This report serves as a summation of recent activities undertaken during the Deep Centaurus Expedition. Of note, the distance involved, together with radiometric interference involved in subspace transmission through dark nebulae, has made regular contact somewhat difficult.
The first section of this report is concerned with our encounters with the Pyscillian Hierophany. As we have described in prior reports, there are several political blocs of significance within the Loop One Bubble. We have had the most friendly and open contact with the Associated Star Pact, a multicultural treaty organization roughly analogous to the Federation in function and scope. The encounters with the Pyscillian Hierophany have been significantly more hostile, and they have engaged Copernicus in targeted attacks on several occasions.
Initial contact with the Pyscillians took place during our exploration of a red dwarf system outside of their space. We discovered the Pyscillians are a humanoid empathic species not dissimilar in mental capabilities to Betazoids. The basis of their society is a spiritually-based organizational structure intended to manage perceived undesired thoughts. Power largely rests with a caste of priest-bureaucrats, who uphold devotion to a personification of the first cause, described by them as the Prime Mover. The system is as much a political ideology as a faith and is used by the hierocratic class as a means to impose thought-orthodoxy, justified through their system as a method to ensure calm, order and mutual civility and respect in a society in which everyone can experience the emotions of everyone else. In practice this is leveraged as a means to incorporate other species into the Pyscillian Hierophany. We have observed that species within the Hierophany are subject to severe restrictions on cultural and emotional expression, extending to ongoing active efforts to replace indigenous culture and language with Pyscillian belief, behaviour and verbalization. This frequently extends to pre-warp civilizations.
Acknowledging the Prime Directive’s non-interference imperatives, Copernicus has refrained from interference in the development and political situation of the Hierophany, despite the misgivings of many members of our crew. Our initial contact was purely peaceful and based on a typical exchange of culture and pleasantries. However, members of the crew with telepathic potential disproportionately reported feelings of discomfort while in the presence of the Pyscillian delegation, though these could not be fully substantiated.
Over the next week following the departure of the Pyscillian delegation, we discovered that ship’s councillor LT Elyxia Sudet, who is Betazoid, had been somehow removed from the ship and replaced with a biogenic duplicate. This duplicate both a) accessed some tactical-related systems without authorization and b) attempted to engage other telepathically-capable members of the crew, utilizing psychic suggestion to influence them towards supporting an eventual effort to seize the ship. I would like to acknowledge LT Kshree of Cetacean Ops for noticing subtle behavioural changes in the Counselor that prompted an investigation by LT Cathalc. An eventual effort by five subverted crew members and the duplicate of LT Sudet was thwarted, though ENS Ewa Maksymowicz was killed in action while preventing a subverted PO2 Nilstra from seizing the helm. A shrouded Pyscillian ship was discovered tailing the Copernicus at a distance of one light year. The ship was taken in tow, LT Sudet was retrieved from aboard and a short firefight followed before the Pyscillian vessel self-destructed.
Subsequent investigation, aided by LT Sudet’s observations and Dr. Zvizdaryk’s efforts in treating the neurophysical injuries left by the duplicate, revealed the motivation behind the effort, which has been confirmed in subsequent engagements. It is our understanding that the Pyscillians left our initial encounter with the impression that the multicultural, collaborative, highly diverse culture of the Federation is in some way inimical to their society. Their attempt to take over the Copernicus was intended to write the ship off as “lost in space” while in fact removing a perceived threat by incorporating the crew into their mental paradigm, both subverting telepathically capable crew and subordinating those who are not.
Since this attempt at subversion, Copernicus has attempted to avoid Pyscillian space and steer clear of engagements with this species. Nevertheless we have been subjected to several open-space attacks by Pyscillian task forces of various sizes and severities. The most serious of these attacks took place in the HD156157 system, in which three Pyscillian large cruisers emerged from concealment within the halo of a blue giant star to severely damage our port nacelle. Midshipman Four of Twelve, who has joined our crew as an engine specialist following her recovery from the Borg earlier in this expedition, was instrumental in affecting repairs to the warp system and allowing us to escape the encounter at all.
I have made the call to completely avoid Pyscillian-claimed space for the moment. There is enough open and friendly space to explore without running the risk of encounters with hostile vessels. In consultation with Admiral Quistra, we have determined that dealings with the Pyscillians are best handled through diplomatic channels, ideally through personnel not susceptible to telepathic subversion. Four-lobed brains in particular appear to stymie the Pyscillians’ mental capabilities, and LT Cathalc, who is Arkenite, was also not susceptible to their abilities. The ability of the Pyscillians to create convincing biogenic duplicates from relatively small samples is also worth being aware of.
For the moment, we have been traveling an arc through the space of the ASP, where we have been welcomed warmly and peacefully. We are currently in orbit of Raak, the third planet in the Eraakanu system, which is the designated capitol of the Star Pact, where we have been engaged in what is anticipated to be a two-week cultural exchange and diplomatic engagement.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Engagement with the Pyscillian Hierophany to take place through proper diplomatic channels only, preferably through personnel without susceptability to telepathic subversion (e.g. four-lobed brain structure, technological individual, et cetera).
DECORATIONS: For her efforts to prevent the capture of her ship, at the cost of her own life, LT Ewa Maksymowicz is posthumously endorsed for the Citation for Gallantry. For his investigative efforts in preventing the capture of his ship, LT Kshree is endorsed for the Citation for Gallantry. For her exceptional individual effort in securing the safety of the ship against overwhelming enemy force, Midshipman Four of Twelve is promoted to the rank of Petty Officer 3rd Class, and is endorsed for the Citation for Conspicuous Gallantry.
