Captain's Log Stardate 65611.8

Posted on Wed Apr 11th, 2012 @ 10:45pm by Captain Benjamin Byrne

||Mission: Deep Space 19 MD38 22:33

Begin Captain's Log, Stardate 65611.8

It has been two and a half weeks since the Tholians first came aboard Deep Space 19, and we have been negotiating with them every day since then. Thankfully, the Antarctic arrived after the first week, and Captain MonRoe was able to assist in relieving some of the strain from me, but I am concerned that I have not been able to completely hide it from my crew.

I believe that we are finally close to an agreement between ourselves and the Tholians, but I don't know how much Starfleet is going to like it. They knew that the Upsilon Felis system was useless, even to them, but they seem to have accepted the offer, and I doubt they'll let go of it now. However, they refuse to allow the Federation a permanent installation in neutral space near their borders, and they refuse to allow the Federation to claim this system under its umbrella. As such, I feel that they only way we will be able to come to an agreement over this station has been to offer it as a joint venture.

The Tholian commander Metkonne has retreated with his officers to the quarters that we have provided them aboard the station, and we are due to reconvene tomorrow morning; however, I am confident that the Tholians should accept the deal I have proposed.

As we have already converted a small section of the station to be habitable for Tholians without any environmental aids, a small contingent of them will remain onboard the station, and will be privy to all information regarding its origins, the species who created it, and certain other key aspects of the data we hope to gain here. In return, the Tholian Assembly will allow Starfleet to operate the station as a Federation Deep Space outpost, without limitations on traffic, though such traffic will be monitored by the Tholians aboard the station. So long as we keep the Tholians in the loop, and work together with them on certain aspects of the study of this station where practical, we would be allowed to pretty much go about our business as usual.

I have asked Captain MonRoe to join us aboard the station again when we reconvene tomorrow, as well as Commanders Andorzai and Blessed. If the Tholians accept the offer we have come up with for them, then I'll be submitting my report to Starfleet Command shortly after.

End Log.