Commander D’Sefet recording.
Due to an adjustment in Federation/Kzinti boundaries, it had been decided a more visible presence is needed along the border. To this end, it has been decided to activate an abandoned Kzinti space station and man it with Federation personal. In typical government fashion, it was thought the commander of the station should be a felinoid and, since there were no Kzinti in Starfleet, they went looking for a Caitian officer. Because of my service on the U.S.S./R.S.E. Shadow Hawk, I was offered the post. Although I enjoyed my time aboard the Shadow Hawk, this posting intrigued me. So, I excepted.
To protect the station and for transportation, we have been allocated a Saber Class scout vessel to be based at the station. At first I thought it had been renamed for this assignment by a human admiral with a questionable sense of humor but, upon further research, I found that the U.S.S. Bastet NCC-61456 has had a distinguished Starfleet career. I found her Dedication Plaque intriguing, in the place reserved for the ship’s motto there were drawings. A picture of a human head, a male human figure, an assortment of different kinds of birds, what looked like snakes, some wavy lines and, other symbols I had never seen adorned the Plaque. When I consulted the computer I found these symbols were used as letters by the same group the ancient Earth men called Egyptians that worshiped the feline headed goddess the vessel was named for. The translation of the symbols revealed a worthy motto for a scout type vessel, “No One is Born Wise” from The Instruction of Ptahhotep, 6th Dynasty (2300 to 2150 B.C.E.).
My crew is made up of a diverse cross section of Federation races, as well as a few ‘independents’. My Chief Medical Officer is Dr.Selar, a Vulcan that has served aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise and Excalibur. I have an Jotoki (a slave race the Kzinti use to build and maintain their technology) with it’s Kzinti handler as a Chief Engineer. Which is only logical seeing as how they built the station in the first place. The Kzinti also insisted on the station having a senior Kzinti official as part of the Command Crew SO, I will have to deal with the fact that my Security Chief is a Kzinti as well. I have been assured by the Kzinti Patriarchy that he has promised NOT eat any prisoners without my permission.
The station was called Chugra ‘spear’ 10 by the Kzinti but, the Federation is calling it Federation Installation Nine or Station FI-9. Using the initials as a word and running them together with the number nine, I have already heard it called ‘Station Feline’. The reason the Federation used the designation is 9 instead of 10 is because the Kzinti numbering system is octal, there is no number 9 in the Kzinti numbering system. However, comparing the Human and Kzinti systems, 9 to the humans would be 10 to the Kzinti. The station is designed to look like a giant paw print floating in the blackness of space. I understand it is thought the Kzinti did this to make a tangible statement that THIS IS Kzinti space. Ops, Main Engineering, Sick Bay and a common area the Federation intends turning into a bazaar are located in the ‘heel’ of the paw print. Each one of the self-contained ‘toes’ contain a weapon’s array and, were originally intended as quarters for the station’s ranking officer’s harem of females. We will use some of that space as quarters and the rest for labs and storage. Our first major project is to repair, upgrade and replace with Federation technology, all the station’s systems and sub-systems, starting with the power generating and distribution equipment.
Oh yes, I am still evaluating the prototype Kzinti patrol vessel that I had aboard the Shadow Hawk. It will be housed on the station and I will continue the assignment as time permits.
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