Captain's Liberation, Chapter 1

Space and time, the endless unknown. After centuries of strife and difficulty, humanity overcame its petty differences and started looking towards the stars. The invention of the Hypertransit reactor in 2101 meant we were no longer bound to a single world or limited by finite resources.

For the last 300 years mankind has spread among the stars and brought peace and prosperity.

These are the records of the UESF Liberation, it’s mission to explore the unknown and seek out the diversity of life in the galaxy.

Captain's Liberation, Chapter 1
By Chaos Doll

Commanding Officer’s log, Stellar Date 2406.1

Captain Margaret Jane Stanton. I’m still getting used to that title. It’s been just over three weeks since my promotion to commanding officer of the UESF Liberation and while she’s not the newest or the fastest ship in the fleet, I’m proud to say she's all mine. I was thinking about home this morning. I still remember the look on my parents' faces when I told them I’d be joining the Space Force after high school, nearly twenty years ago. My father pleaded with me to reconsider my decision and I had to remind him that working on the family farm like our ancestors was his dream, not mine. I respected our traditions, but I have always been an ambitious woman and I knew my destiny was out here among the stars, not raising dairy cows in Wisconsin.

So this morning I stood on the bridge and wished my parents could see just how far I’ve come, with hundreds of lives under my command as we chart the unknown frontier for the future of humanity. I know, I sound like a walking Space Force recruitment hologram right now, but I’ll take that over milk machines any day. It’s been a long road getting from there to here. The path wasn’t always easy, but I stayed out of trouble and focused on my career above all else.

Initially there were several Space Force officers in contention for this posting and after several rounds of interviews with the top brass it came down to a choice between myself and Jacob Clark. I had spent the previous decade as chief engineer on the UESF Equality and he’d definitely put in his time as chief science officer on the UESF Independence.

The moment I found out the brass had chosen me for the Captain’s chair is still vividly imprinted in my mind and I’m incredibly grateful to United Earth command for this assignment. When Jacob Clark called to congratulate me, I could see the disappointment in his eyes, he’d worked hard for a shot at commanding his own starship.

Despite not knowing the man personally, Jacob Clark’s service record is spotless and on par with my own, so it really wasn’t a shock when he informed me that he’d been assigned as my first officer. Though I did take some exception to his assurance that he’d be ‘the perfect backup’ in the event of my incapacitation, while he’s not technically incorrect it just seemed like such a strange comment to make. Perhaps I’m overthinking it.

Truth be told, I had been hoping to offer the number one spot to my friend and colleague from the UESF Equality, Lt. Commander Emily Austen, but I can’t fault the brass for their decision to appoint Jacob. Instead Emily joined the crew as my tactical officer and head of security. It’s been nice having at least one familiar face on board the ship, even if my command position prevents me from socializing with the crew as much as I used to.

Our shakedown cruise has been relatively uneventful so far, we are still just a few days out from the solar system at Hypertransit speeds. The UESF Liberation has been tasked with surveying a region of space known as the Stepfordia cluster, right on the very edge of United Earth controlled space.

There were a few minor technical faults with the computer system after leaving Neptune station, but nothing worth returning to stardock over. Our communications officer, Lieutenant Blake, informs me that we are having a slightly more significant issue with the long range communications array, but I’m confident he’ll have it resolved by the time we arrive at our destination. If not, I will roll up my sleeves and climb under the communications station to fix it myself. I may be a Captain now, but I still like working with my hands when problems arise.

Captain Margaret Jane Stanton, signing off.

***

Commanding Officer’s log, Stellar Date 2406.14

It took nearly two weeks at Hypertransit speeds to arrive at the Stepfordia cluster. To say this region of space is remote would be an understatement, we passed by United Earth’s most remote colony nearly a week ago. Our first week in the Stepfordia cluster will mostly be spent cataloging gaseous anomalies and taking scans of the various star systems in the region.

Lieutenant Blake managed to patch up the long-range communications array for the time being, he says it should hold out for the duration of our shakedown cruise. But it will need to be thoroughly overhauled when we return to Earth. Morale among the crew seems high and appears to be unaffected by the various little inconveniences that have cropped up. It’s only to be expected when an older ship like the Liberation undergoes a refit and this mission is a good opportunity for officers to learn how to work together. It’s like they used to say in the days of ocean-going vessels, a busy crew is a happy crew.

I’m slowly growing accustomed to the new dynamic I have with the ship's crew as Captain. One thing the academy never teaches you about sitting in the big chair is just how lonely it can feel at times. The closest thing I have to an equal on the ship is my first officer Jacob Clark and while he and I have had a few good conversations in the mess hall, I wouldn’t exactly call him a friend. Truth be told, I respect his quiet professionalism. He seems to always be observing others around him, I do wonder what he’s thinking sometimes.

Among the junior officers I’m no longer viewed as a potential work friend, I'm now ‘the boss’ and while I greatly appreciate the respect it affords me and the pride I feel when walking the ship’s halls, it can make the rest of the crew feel a little distant at times. Aside from bridge duty, I still haven’t managed to spend any time with Emily since assuming command. Perhaps I’ll have dinner with her in the mess hall after our duty shift ends.

***

Commanding Officer’s log, supplemental.

Dinner plans will have to wait. It’s only been a few hours since our arrival in the Stepfordia cluster and Lieutenant Blake has picked up a strange signal from a system within the Stepfordia cluster. The signal appears as modulating electromagnetic radiation at a frequency of 93.3MHz. Blake's analysis has identified features characteristic of antiquated 'radio' communication methods... yes, that sort of 'radio'. Specifically FM radio. 

Such a primitive form of communications technology might have gone completely unnoticed if not for the special attention we’ve given to our long range comms array recently. This type of signal was common on Earth nearly four hundred years ago, in the second medieval period between 1901 and 2100. Despite an early rush to colonize space after Hypertransit was discovered, there were never any known colonies this far out.

Using our onboard database we have identified the signal’s originating system as Darling’s Star. Despite its unique name, Darling’s Star appears to be an unremarkable G-type stellar body with at least several planets. Astronavigation records are unclear though, and no United Earth ship has ever entered the system. The first entry identifying and naming the star is from 2107 and attributes the naming to an individual listed as John Darling. We have no historical data on him. But he certainly sounds like a typical man of that era, they sure loved naming things after themselves.

Captain Margaret Jane Stanton, signing off.

***

Commanding Officer’s log, Stellar Date 2406.16

Upon exiting Hypertransit at the edge of the Darling system we ran a detailed long range scan and can now confirm that there are 10 planets in orbit of Darling’s Star. Quite a few of them are blazing hot molten worlds near the stellar body, but we traced the radio signals back to the seventh planet in the system, sitting right in the habitable goldilocks zone.

First Officer Jacob Clark has informed me that we are now proceeding at sublight speeds towards the planet and will be entering orbit in several hours. The radio signals from the planet are coming in quite clearly now and I have assigned a communications team to monitor as many of the transmissions as they can. Jacob is supervising and reporting their findings directly to me.

We can now confirm that whoever is out here is speaking Earth Standard English or at least something akin to it. The spoken English appears to be an older North American dialect according to my first officer.

I’ve recently learned that First Officer Clark is a bit of a history buff, he can talk for hours about the Roman Empire, so I’ve asked him for some assistance in deciphering some of the outdated vernacular we are hearing in the transmissions. We’ve learned that this system was apparently settled by John Darling himself and a number of his associates. If the broadcasts are to be believed they left Earth near the end of 2107 and vowed to never return to the homeworld.

Could we have truly stumbled upon a lost human colony? What are the odds? Historical records from the end of the second medieval period on Earth are sketchy at best. Humanity was almost too eager to expand among that stars when Hypertransit technology was discovered. It’s known that many private space voyages were funded by tech billionaires and fringe political groups before the United Earth government began implementing regulations to limit humanity’s ecological impact on other worlds.

Communications officer Blake has just informed me that we are close enough to Darling VII to discern that there are also video transmissions emanating from the planet’s surface as well. I've called a meeting of the senior staff and they will be joining me in the conference room to view the transmissions shortly.

***

Commanding Officer’s log, supplemental.

I’m not quite sure how to describe what we witnessed earlier in the conference room. Once lieutenant Blake had properly decoded the transmissions from Darling VII we realized they were, if you can believe this, black and white television. When was the last time anyone watched television? By the 2100s most people on earth had sworn off televised entertainment to pursue lives of meaning and substance, what could have caused this colony to hold on to such an antiquated form of media delivery?

The bridge crew and I spent several hours watching news and entertainment programs from the surface. We’ve gathered a good deal of information about the political and religious structure of the planet. For the most part, the inhabitants continue to follow in the footsteps of their North American ancestors, in fact their largest nation is referred to as ‘Greater America’. So it would seem they continue to follow a trend of national pride that fell out of vogue on Earth centuries ago.

The entertainment programming was certainly the product of a bygone era and problematic at several points. A few crew members seemed offended, but First Officer Jacob Clark chuckled at times, explaining that they were jokes that only someone “from that era” would understand. I had to playfully remind him that he was born in the same year as me.

After the viewing we gathered enough information to assert that the population of Darling VII has regressed to a pre-FTL state. In fact there are no orbital structures of any kind and only a few primitive satellites in orbit. If I were to compare it to the historical record, Darling VII has somehow found its way back to a state not unlike Earth in the 1950s. Curious.

Due to this unprecedented situation, we are reexamining our contact protocols and instead of announcing our presence to the leaders of Darling VII we will be treating this like any other situation involving a less advanced society. That means covert observation and data collection without disrupting the local population. I’ve made the decision to send down a small recon team to gather information and assess the security risks of sending a larger landing party.

For this first trip to the surface I have chosen tactical officer Lt. Commander Emily Austen to lead the recon mission, joining her will be recent academy graduate Ensign Mark Jones to function as her assistant. I’m currently making my way to the quartermaster’s office where the duo are being outfitted with disguises for their trip to the surface.

Captain Margaret Jane Stanton, signing off.

***

Commanding Officer’s log, Stellar Datee 2406.17.

Emily was not happy with the dress the quartermaster provided for her. It was a simple black garment that fell to mid-thigh. She was griping about something called shapewear? I’ll admit, I have no idea what she was referencing, but my first officer seemed amused by the situation. I have to admit the dress was surprisingly flattering on the muscular girl’s figure and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t felt the urge to laugh after seeing the tough tactical officer in something so feminine.

Ensign Jones seemed much less perturbed after being issued a simple white tee shirt, a black leather jacket and a pair of denim trousers. I can tell he is nervous for his first recon mission, but he asks a lot of questions and isn’t afraid to admit he needs guidance, so I’m sure Emily will keep him on the task once they land.

Jacob offered a few critiques as we were outfitting the recon team with their disguises, and while I appreciate his input I did have to assure him that the outfits from our historical database would be more than sufficient for the recon team to blend in among the local populace. After all, how much difference could there be between Earth in the 1950s and the 1980s? Surely the fashion was similar enough?  He disagreed, but didn’t question my decision further.

Captain Margaret Jane Stanton, signing off.

***

Commanding Officer’s log, Galaxy Date 2406.19

Well that certainly could have gone better. Lt. Commander Emily Austen and Ensign Mark Jones spent nearly 18 hours on the planet below. The team’s Initial interactions with the locals seemed promising and the duo maintained frequent contact with the ship while they explored one of the planet’s larger population centers, a city known as New Palm Springs.

However things took a turn after Emily attracted the notice of a local police officer, he’d apparently overheard the Lt. Commander as she issued orders to Ensign Jones and that led to several other locals pointing out strange details about the team’s appearance when the constable started to question them. Apparently Emily’s dress was too dark and too provocative and Ensign Jones’ hair was, and I quote, far too long for a man of Darling VII.

The recon team then spent several hours at a local police station in New Palm Springs, during which time they were unable to contact the ship, so as to maintain their cover. The duo was finally released and covertly brought back aboard the UESF Liberation less than an hour ago.

Lt. Commander Emily Austen seems noticeably shaken by the experience, she was clinging to Ensign Jones quite tightly when they arrived back on the ship. Rather curiously, the dress Emily had on when the team boarded the ship was markedly different from the one she’d worn down to the surface initially. I’ve never seen that girl wear the color pink in all the years I’ve known her, yet she had a biggest grin on her face as she showed off the even more feminine attire.

Mark Jones seems less shaken by whatever the team experienced on the surface, if anything the Ensign seems to have gained some confidence from his first time on the mission. While his outfit seems unchanged, he apparently got a haircut while he was on the surface. He seemed rather fond of slicking it back with a comb he brought back from the surface. It looks a little greasy if you ask me.  I’ll follow up with him later this afternoon as well.

***

Commanding Officer’s log, supplemental

I’ve conducted a personal debrief with both members of the recon team. I would have preferred to conduct the interviews separately but Lt. Commander Austen kept insisting that she needed Ensign Jones with her for the debrief. The Ensign seemed happy to oblige and despite my reservations at conducting a joint debriefing I relented after Emily kept nervously twirling her hair. I really need to understand what happened to them down on the surface.

The couple had a lot to say, and I mean that literally, Emily very proactively informed me that Mark is now her fiance. The couple described their time in the police station. They were not treated harshly or abused, merely separated and questioned, according to Ensign Jones. Both officers stuck to their cover stories as tourists from another part of the planet.

Mark explained that the duo’s slightly unusual appearance along with Lt. Commander Austen’s tone of voice and display of authority were enough to cause a few raised eyebrows in what appears to be a male-led society steeped in nostalgia for a very specific era of North American history.

According to Ensign Jones, near the end of their detainment they were each shown a television broadcast from a government organization known as ‘The Ministry of Social Correction’. Though neither of them seem to recall precisely how long they were watching the broadcast. Upon its conclusion the couple were released without charge.

Curiously, whenever I asked Lt. Commander Austen to corroborate certain details of their time on the surface, she would glance towards Ensign Jones as if she were searching for his approval. What’s that all about? I’ve never known Emily to show a lack of confidence and why am I just now hearing about their romantic relationship? I know things have changed since I became a Captain, but she is still a friend.

I’ve asked my First Officer to look into this so-called Ministry of Social Correction. Perhaps Jacob will be able to glean some information from their broadcasts. In the meantime I’ll begin planning the next mission to the surface below.

According to the information provided by Ensign Jones and given the patriarchal nature of the planet’s society, I'll need to instruct any officers traveling to the surface to avoid displays of female authority. That is going to be a lot to ask of my crew, especially after the social progress humanity has made over these last few hundred years. But I have faith in the crew of the UESF Liberation to get the job done.

First Officer Clark has just informed me that he has begun viewing the broadcasts from the Ministry of Social Correction in his quarters. He says he'll get back to me in several hours to share what he has learned.

Captain Margaret Jane Stanton, signing off.

To Be Continued...