[DCE] Mazraga System

[Planet of Hats]

SUBMITTED: Stardate: 99544.1

FILED BY: CAPT Jadrys Itana

SECURITY: Level 1 - Open

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LOCATION: Mazraga star system
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MISSION: Continuing Deep Copernicus Expedition initiative. ​
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OUTCOME: The Copernicus makes contact with the Mazragans and discovers the source of the body ring in System J79.
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KEY PERSONNEL:

CAPT Jadrys Itana
CMDR Yma Quispe
LT Elyxia Sudet

​NARRATIVE: This report serves to follow up on our discovery of a ring of corpses deposited around a brown dwarf in the FGC-J79 system.

After witnessing a drone barge dump more than 3,000 live beings into vacuum, and rescued as many as possible, we set course to follow the drone's energy trail. The vessel's course took it to the red dwarf system FGC-J77. This is a star system with seven planets and a mid-system asteroid belt. Our scans from range revealed substantial subspace radio traffic and signs of regular warp field usage.

As we approached the system, Copernicus analyzed a selection of comm traffic from the system. We discovered a few key points:

* The local species are known as the Mazragans and are endemic to the system's third planet, Mazraga. They form a single polity known as the Mazragan Consulate.
* The Mazragans are a broadly humanoid species distinctive for semi-aquatic traits - they have long stands of varying number of tendrils rather than hair, with complexions based on scales in shades of pale to dark silver, with various mottling colours along the tendrils. These colour variations denote regional phenotypes.
* Mazraga is a predominantly tropical-oceanic planet, with most population concentrated in a series of large archipelagoes and "coastal habitats" built in island shallows.
* The Mazragans have colonized at least two other bodies in their system on a large scale. Mazraga has a population of approximately 9.4 billion, while a gas giant moon around the fourth planet is home to 1 billion people and another moon orbiting the fifth planet is home to about 250 million.

Aside from entertainment broadcasts and routine communiques, we identified two recurring types of broadcast that stood out. The first consisted of what appeared to be political advertisements supporting the Consulate's political leader, one Consul Zeba Nulsh. These advertisements focused largely on the Consul's personal attributes and sloganeering of a nationalist character. The second category of broadcast consisted of a repeating border patrol alert advising that refugees "don't come" to Mazraga.

Upon arrival, we issued standard hails and were met with initial hostility by a border patrol ship, whose command staff appeared to assume we were transporting migrants. We clarified that our visit was of a diplomatic nature. While our intention was to investigate the evident genocide in FGC-J79, we opted for a diplomatic approach here, hoping to build channels to the Mazragans rather than alienating them initially. In any case, these overtures appeared to succeed: The border patrol officers accepted that we were on a diplomatic mission of contact and rapidly changed to a welcoming attitude, placing us in contact with a diplomatic team led by one Envoy Pelizal Deen.

I ordered a diplomatic team assembled to meet with Envoy Deen on one of the starbases orbiting the planet, while leading CMDR Quispe in command of Copernicus with orders to gather further data. While we docked at the starbase and the away team disembarked, the Copernicus continued to analyze sensor data and both comm and ship traffic, identifying a few more key points:

* The population of Mazraga and the other inhabited areas of the system are not uniformly Mazragan. No less than 47 orbital habitats were identified around the planet, of which 30 were dedicated almost exclusively to non-Mazragan lifeforms. The most common lifeform represented on these 30 habitats was consistent with the predominant species in the body ring.
* These 30 habitats demonstrated conditions unsuited to regular habitation: They appeared at first glance to resemble large-scale internment camps.
* Our scans identified the destination of the drone barge as one of these 30 stations. Further investigation revealed that each station had at least three such barges.
* The Mazragan border authority maintains an extremely regimented traffic control system. Visiting vessels are sorted into tourist and migrant vessels, with the former welcomed and the latter directed to one of the control stations. Further, the population of the planet itself was over 99% Mazragan. These factors spoke to an intention to segregate non-native species from the Mazragan population.

The away team's conversation with Envoy Deen was largely welcoming, but when we raised the issue of the drone transport, the Envoy explained that they were intended as transit vessels to assist "alien illegals" in "traveling to the settlement colonies." Per the Envoy's explanation, Mazraga has experienced significant inflows of interplanetary immigration following various crises in the region, including from Ustavan attacks on neighbouring worlds. The Envoy claimed that these migrants are transported to out-of-system colonies to homestead, in order to diminish strain on Mazragan land availability and public services. When we explained that we witnessed the drone barge dumping bodies into orbit along with 100 million others, he expressed what Coun. Sudet described as legitimate confusion.

Coun. Sudet's Betazoid insights proved crucial here: She identified that Envoy Deen genuinely believed what he was claiming and was as shocked as we were to hear about the mass deaths. The dinner was quickly wound down as the envoy professed to seek a response from upper levels of government. We returned to the Copernicus for the time being.

At this time, we received word that one of the rescuees from the drone barge had regained consciousness. Myself, Coun. Sudet and Dr. Zvizdaryk spoke to the individual, who identified himself as Teshon, of the Pharathian species. Teshon explained that his homeworld had been conquered by the Ustavans years ago, prompting a mass exodus of hundreds of millions ahead of a devastating orbital bombardment. Many of these refugees, finding no welcome on other worlds, fled to Mazraga beginning about 40 years ago. While initially welcomed, the election of Nulsh about 30 years prior led to growing crackdowns on immigration and the eventual forced relocation of most "alien illegals" to the orbital habitats. Evidently Nulsh maintained power through subsequent elections predominantly through xenophobic rhetoric and scapegoating of other species for various Mazragan social ills, while promising to "restore Mazraga's glory" by "sending all the xenos home." Teshon explained that they were promised resettlement on an outlying colony, but those resettled are never heard from again.

Shortly thereafter, we discovered several hundred people congregated at the Copernicus airlock, most of them Pharathians and other aliens living in the lower quarters on the starbase, but also a handful of Mazragan officials. Representatives of this group requested asylum and ferry away from the system.

We are deeply cognizant of the Prime Directive and our duty to not interfere in the normal functioning of a civilization. However, we are dealing with a warp-capable civilization in the Mazragan Consulate, one which clearly maintains contact with other species. We are also deeply cognizant of our humanitarian duty to preserve life where possible. Ultimately, I judged that it is within the spirit of Starfleet regulations and codes of ethics to err on the side of mercy, particularly given that it would make no material difference to the Mazragan cultural makeup whether the individuals in question travelled away from the system by starship and lived, or whether they travelled away by drone barge and died. I therefore agreed to extend asylum to these refugees and ordered space be set aside for them in the ship's cargo areas.

The Copernicus was thereafter contacted by the office of Consul Nulsh, who proceeded to deliver a rambling monologue berating us for "playing make-believe" and "demonizing the Mazragan people," punctuated by various braggartry about his own track record. When we explained that we had agreed to grant asylum to several refugees, he offered to "give you all of them, if you want" and claimed they "bring drugs and crime."

Following this discussion, I agreed to meet with Consul Nulsh in person. With his staff's authorization, I transported to the Consul's office and explained that we would not be able to accommodate millions of refugees. During this conversation, Nulsh conceded that he and a handful of senior figures in his government were aware that no "outlying colony" existed, but claimed that "nothing of value is being lost" by killing "alien illegals" by the millions. Our discussion was brief before I returned to the Copernicus and ordered a course set out of the system.

I am deeply troubled by what we witnessed in this system. While it is my hope that Consul Nulsh will come to see the error of this approach, I am not particularly confident in that hope, and I am cognizant that it is not the place of this ship to foment political change on Mazraga. I can only hope that the natural and normal development of this system will move towards coexistence with non-Mazragan species. Judging from comments made to us via subspace pessage by Envoy Deen and by some of the Mazragan officials who requested asylum, it appears there are those in the Consulate who strongly disapprove of the politics of Nulsh.

We are currently en route to transfer our asylees to USS Hurutam for transport to Starbase 91. Mr. Teshon has asked to remain aboard as a civilian specialist in the hopes of learning more about the Federation and Starfleet, and I have agreed for the time being.
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RECOMMENDATION: Monitor Mazragan comm traffic to determine if the ongoing genocide of migrants continues, with respect given to Prime Directive boundaries.

If encountering migrant transports in this region of space, advise them to avoid the Mazraga system.
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OOC: