current affairs Europa mining colonists found unharmed after attack

[Federation News Service]

MINING COLONY, EUROPA — Starfleet launches rescue operation against a pirate assault on moon Europa following the loss of contact with the Mining Colony.

Starfleet lost contact with the lone mining colony on the Class-D moon Europa last week. Believed to be a communications malfunction, Starfleet dispatched the recently commissioned Akira class, USS Endeavour, to investigate. As their first task out of space dock, the newly gazetted Captain William Valette led the Endeavour to the colony.

On arrival to Europa, the crew of the Endeavour found the colony damaged. Conducting further scans showed two vessels with unknown markings had landed in the colony.

“We found the mining colony had taken damage by phaser fire, and unknown ships had landed there, however, the caverns on mining colonies such as the one on Europa are deep and our sensors can’t scan to the lower levels,” stated the Endeavour’s Chief of Security, Lieutenant Commander Victoria Rione.

Two away teams assembled and quickly mobilised to enter the colony, in the North and Southern entrances, to locate the survivors. However, when they entered the compound, they were quickly ambushed by pirates taking the supplies.

“We were to beam in, secure the survivors and beam out,” commented Ensign Lang, who led the away team entering the North of the colony. “I lost two of my team members in a few seconds! We weren’t prepared for an attack on two fronts.”

After fighting through the entrances to the compound, where the pirates were most concentrated, the phaser fire stopped and the away teams regrouped; three Starfleet personnel were transported to the Endeavour’s sickbay and treated with minor phaser burns, while they counted eleven pirate marauders dead.

Under the orders of Valette, the away teams descended into the tunnels of the colony, where the actual miners would extract the dilithium deposits. They returned later with the colony’s miners and administrative personnel, all accounted for, who had apparently hidden in the lower levels when the pirates bombarded the compound.

“When we saw the pirate vessels on our sensors, we quickly made the choice to enter the tunnels,” explained Chief Miner Christopher Vlarekk, grateful to see the Away Teams. “It’s great to see Starfleet sent a ship so soon!”

Upon beaming down engineers to the colony to repair the systems and equipment the pirates damaged, the Endeavour left Europa and returned to Starfleet Headquarters to report the incident.

“As much as a Captain shouldn’t wish for such an engagement as his first mission, it was great to see my crew perform superbly at a problem that turned serious, quick,” commented Valette on the events that transpired. “The injured crew members have now reported back on duty with enthusiasm.”

The Endeavour and its crew will be on duty again within the next few days, and the Chief Miner of the Europa Mining Colony has asserted that once they removed the pirate vessels from the surface, they can resume normal mining operations. The pirate incursion into the system is under investigation and a Starfleet Marine detachment is to be stationed there for the coming months.

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