Captain’s Log, Stardate 07032021:

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After picking up some supplies from the Raley outpost (store) in the Wesac (city) solar system, we discovered another class M planet (a park) in the adjoining Solpor (city) star system. We then decided to orbit the planet after our initial probe sent back this lovely image.

My first officer took an away team to get a closer look at the unique geographic features.

The planet has several unusually small caverns as well an unorthodox labyrinthlike arrangement of iron ingots. The crew proceeded to take some soil samples before concluding their work.

The crew and I rested on the dock for a bit before returning to our shuttlecraft (the car). On our way back to the ship (home), I was asked the uncomfortable question of when or if we were gonna one day gonna have a nice Galaxy class ship (house). I attempted to redirect the question by indicating that our Miranda class ship (apartment) had all the necessary amenities that a crew needed. Then of course, the question shifted to what if. As captain, I don’t like engaging in what if scenarios. The future is unpredictable. I’m typically pessimistic mostly as a defense mechanism about getting my hopes up but I don’t like to share that with the crew. Instead, I indicated to the crew that a galaxy class ship would be nice but emphasized that my priorities are more focused on how well we work as a crew and completing any missions (responsibilities) assigned to us by Starfleet.

Back aboard the ship (at home), I was contacted by General Brandi of the Klingons and later, Captain Eric of the Whiskians. Brandi and I are barely on speaking terms but I have tried to go out my way to be forgiving and friendly. Supposedly, her shipless “friend” took some items of worth from Brandi’s ship while she was in the Alpha Quadrant (at my place) and took off. Additionally, we once again went back and forth as to why we don’t get along. I don’t want to be closely aligned (get back together) with the Klingons. I can forgive the past, but it does not mean I don’t learn lessons from the past and keep my distance from hostile civilizations (people).

Speaking with Captain Eric is always a bit of a surreal experience. Just the way he carries himself over subspace (the phone) , it’s very different than the dynamic I have with anyone else. Chancellor Greg refers to him as Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde and it serves as shorthand for what I should expect from the captain. Today I mostly got to speak with Dr. Jekyll. Eric was lucid, funny, poignant and sweet. Just describing the dynamic between Brandi and I to him, I couldn’t help but realize how unhealthy it is. Like I told Eric, I was just having a case of pon farr (horniness). Still, I can’t help but think I opened a door to something I shouldn’t have. Brandi has strong feelings for me but they are unrequited….As for Eric, I’m at an emotional stalemate with him as far as I’m concerned until I meet him in person. He’s a good, if at times volatile, friend and that’s what we’ll continue to be until further notice.

Aside from them, I did have a bit of a skirmish with Ambassador Ray. For the sake of our uneasy alliance (friendship), I will be opaque about the specifics of the disagreement. Getting into a skirmish with the ambassador is very different than with others as he doesn’t come in with weapons armed and shields raised (isn’t outright hostile). Instead, it’s like having a disagreement with Garak; there’s a lot of subtext ,implications and plausible deniability. For a moment early on, he tried to turn the disagreement into a wider conflict that would’ve dragged others into the dispute but wisely unsent some of his subspace transmissions (texts). He never did officially concede the point but did back down. I was quite tempted to post the log of our conversation as it would shine a very different light on him. Posting the logs would’ve nuked our alliance though and end of the day I still am optimistic that our alliance is a slight net positive. Plus, I rather not bring negativity to others if I can help it.

Lastly, I need to remember to stick to the main mission objectives as outlined by Starfleet. I’ve let myself get sidetracked by others and need to stay focused. I have a major presentation before the Daystrom Institute (the IDIC podcast) on the 17th and other responsibilities I am tasked with completing. Time to raise shields, get to work and only respond to priority one transmissions.