Kaia Eklund

First Officer’s log, stardate 8442.1. (Post-TOS Era) Per Captain Bertrand Tian’s orders, the USS Vela is holding geosynchronous orbit above Phaeton, a Class-M planet unearthed from Federation charts and now uncomfortably proximate to Romulan expansion routes. Though the probe we lost contact with was unmanned, its sensor payload was not. Starfleet Intelligence flagged anomalies in its final transmission—interference patterns inconsistent with natural phenomena, and more alarmingly, Romulan plasma signatures. The Federation remains committed to peace, but the Romulans rarely posture without purpose. I will lead a 7-person away team to the surface for recovery and investigation. Engineering anticipates communication disruption once we enter the atmosphere, likely due to artificial jamming. Our preparations account for this. This is not an era of unguarded optimism—treaty or not, the Romulan Empire plays a longer game than most are willing to admit. The Captain has given me full operational discretion. I intend to honor both that trust and the principles of the uniform.