Editing The Lesser Evil (section)

==Part II : A Way Out?==


Meanwhile, more and more rumors some based on true information, but most being pure speculations suggest Starfleet could be responsible for the explosion. As those information circulate in the quadrant, several members of the [[File:2010-09-23 Fed Council.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The Federation council deliberating]] [[Federation]] has started questioning their membership. With the [[Civil War]] still fresh in the people's mind, it would not be the first time Starfleet orchestrated a genocide. As the Federation member do not trust a Starfleet investigation, pressure has been put on the President to recall all Starfleet personnel from the planet and create an independent and neutral investigation. However, with all the mystery about who is actually pulling the strings and causing those false rumors, giving up to a neutral investigation could be worst. The President and the Federation Council are trying to buy time for Starfleet to complete their investigation, but they also know the longer they wait, the more it would look like a cover-up. It was one thing for the population to mistrust Starfleet, but it they were also to start mistrusting the Federation Offices as well, it could be the beginning of a slippery slope that would be harder and harder to stop. The President is walking on thin ice and the pressure is increasing. 

For Starfleet Command, they are well aware they are now fighting their own past. It had been very hard to win back the trust they had lost, and that trust was now at risk to be gone again. Distrust of a military organization like Starfleet was huge, they had no room for mistakes. The mission on Quezal was like walking in a minefield. You never knew when one would blow up to your face. Yet, they had to complete it. They had to prove Starfleet was not behind it. It was the only way to put a stop to these doubts and restore the faith the Federation people had in Starfleet. They had recruited one of the best crew for this kind of mission : the [[USS Soval]]. But was it enough? Would they succeed now that time was running short and they had found little evidence so far. Could they fail one of the most important mission in the last few years? Would Starfleet Command put all its eggs in the same basket? 

Around the same time, the away team of the USS Soval have completed their investigation and finally returns to the Soval installations without much incident. At least, they thought. But they had only arrived when a small but violent explosion damage the east side of the Soval Mobile Headquarter and other adjacent building. A few people are killed in the explosion, with both the FO and 2O injured. [[File:PowerLevel.png|thumb|right|160px|USS Soval engineers analyzing data from the reactor]] The Quezalth had learned Starfleet had infiltrated their facility, neutralized a few guards and accidently caused the death of Quezalth engineer. The USS Soval crew had now the data, but they only started to realize at what cost it came. Using those incidents as propaganda, the Quezalth group opposed to Starfleet presence had grown considerably in size and are now taking more radical actions to force Starfleet to leave. The attack against the Soval camp could well be only the sign of worst things to come. 

As the security and tactical teams secure the area and break the attack, an engineering team head to the USS Soval to make more thorough analysis and scans of the data and evidences collected. Their discoveries are unexpected. Not only do they discover the reactor they were investigating had been tempered with to give false information, but it is also discovered they don't even have the right reactor. The reactor they had investigated was part of the chain reaction, but not the origin. A smaller fusion reactor is discovered to be the source meaning they have to start their investigation from square 1. The time is running out to find out who or what is responsible...and not finding out would be catastrophic for the Federation and Starfleet. Captain Syuvik order a senior staff meeting to discuss their next and perhaps final move. Failure is not an option, but it does seem inevitable.

The Senior Staff Meeting gives its results. They all agree on a diversion in the way of resuming the mission of investigating the ruins to collect more bodies in the hope to lure away the attention as First Officer Matrix team, composed of Lieutenant Commander [[Steven Wade Matrix]], Lieutenant [[Vlaklor]], Lieutenant [[Jennifer Bates]], Lieutenant [[S'yes]], Ensign [[Jessica Signos]], Ensign [[Daniel Joseph Brown]], Ensign [[Ailyn Andersen]] try to reach the fusion reactor without incident. Lieutenant Commander [[Noah]] is tasked to mount a team of medics and security to serve as the diversion. Ensign Tholax, Ensign [[Michael Altus O'Donovan]], Petty Officer [[Tesha]] are among the list of officers part of his team. At the camp Lieutenant Commander [[Tom Jackson]], the second officer, is given command of the officers and troops on the ground and must monitor each team progress and intervene if necessary. Meanwhile, on the ship, the data collected at the first site reveal a tempering which need to be investigated further. Lieutenant [[Wade Corey]], Ensign [[Signar]], MCPO [[M'Epak]] are tasked to continue the investigation started by Commander Steven Wade Matrix and Ensign Daniel Joseph Brown.