News of the race for Federation President dominates news nets for much of the year. President Nan Bacco declines to run again, stating that while she didn't feel right leaving office during the Romulan crisis, "I've been here too long. We need new blood and new ideas."

The popular Bacco doesn't endorse a successor, throwing the field open to dozens of potential candidates. Jaed Maz of Trill is frequently mentioned by political commentators, as are Federation Councilors Soron of Vulcan and Kevin Steiner of Terra Nova. Candidates from Bajor, Andoria and Sauria are seen as outside choices.

I believe Commander Sela has found allies in her bid for power. The artificial quantum singularities we were able to track seem to have been left by a species we’ve never encountered before. Commander Sela managed to contact them and begin some sort of negotiations.

I had further indications of some sort of potential alliance three nights ago, when T’los and I were guarding Commander Sela’s quarters. T’los, as Sela’s right hand man, rarely acts as a simple guard. When he joined me, he told me to expect visitors.

Raids by Nausicaan pirates continue to disrupt shipping lines on the edges of Federation space. Angry at what they perceive as a lack of response by Starfleet and the Federation government, the Federation Transport Union recommends that its members refuse any official cargos without adequate protection.

This causes a crisis for the Federation government. With so many Starfleet vessels assigned to Romulan and Cardassian relief efforts, the government has been relying heavily on civilian ships for routine deliveries to Federation worlds and protectorates. But the union's action threatens everything from shipments of replicators to Alpha Centauri to emergency medical supplies destined for Rutia IV.

I meet with Captain Data in the ready room of the starship Enterprise. He’s gone through a lot to get where he is. There have been concerns within Starfleet about his ability to do his job, after the destruction of his original body. However, the work done by Geordi La Forge and the Soong Foundation to resuscitate the “Data matrix” lodged within B-4 appears to have been a complete success. Certainly, the last four years during which he has been Captain of the Enterprise would indicate that.

Raids on civilian ships and settlements along the borders of the Klingon Empire and Gorn Hegemony rise dramatically and Starfleet identifies at least eight places near the borders where the Nausicaans are constructing bases hidden in asteroid belts or nebulae.

Starfleet Command does not consider these bases to be a major threat, but the Federation Transport Union, which represents a large number of civilian freighter captains, is demanding that Starfleet increase its patrols in the border regions and offer additional protections for civilian shipping traffic.

This puts Starfleet in a position of having to balance the need for defense with the Federation's deteriorating relationship with the Klingon Empire.