USS HORIZON NCC-825002
SD 11.0821 to 11.1010
"Vagra III"
Senior Staff
CO: Captain Tergin
FO: Lieutenant Suven
OPS/2O: Lieutenant Jason Munro
CSciO: Lieutenant Theophrastus Hamelin
FCO: Lieutenant JG Jarek Malaar
CSO: Ensign Arkanis
CEO: Lieutenant JG Fred Bordak
CMO: Ensign Trinity Layne
CNS: Lieutenant Pol Canon
Orders
To: LtCommander Tergin, CO, USS Horizon
From: Commodore John M. Power, acting Fleet XO, Cocoon Fleet
SD: 11.0821
Omega has received information to the effect that an unidentified party has breached the quarantine of Vagra III in the Renreal Sector obtaining a sample of the hostile semi-sentient lifeform native to the planet for the purposes of bio-warfare research.
Our source indicates that this party is about to undertake to obtain a second specimen.
The Horizon is hereby ordered to proceed to Vagra III and attempt to intercept this second mission. If successful you are to ascertain the identity of the parties involved, retrieve and return the first specimen to Vagra III (or destroy if that proves necessary), obtain or destroy all research material so far collected and, if possible, bring the responsible parties into custody with relevant evidence for a formal trial.
If the party falls under the protection of another race, you are authorised to use any diplomatic means at your disposal to fulfil these orders.
It is to be noted from the logs of USS Zahal and USS Krieger that the life form is highly dangerous and if released into a densely populated area, could easily cause a large number of casualties. Needless to say, extreme caution should be used at all times.
Good luck,
Commodore John M. Power
Cocoon Fleet Executive Officer
Summary
(compiled from situation reports by Nick del Pozo)
After a brief rest, the Horizon receives its new mission orders. On Vagra III, an unknown party has breached the well earned planetary quarantine to attain a sample of the planets native, and extremely dangerous, fauna. The ultimate purpose of which being to construct biological weaponry.
The Horizon must travel to Vagra III and intercept the unknown party, retrieving the sample, and taking care of it as best decided at the time.
The crew of the USS Horizon familiarize themselves with the current mission data. When all questions have been answered, the ship heads towards the Gaia Fleetyards, for the fitting of a new mission module, and then onto Vagra III.
Pol Canon, who visited Vagra III in a previous mission, remembers his experiences with little joy.
After the attachment of the mission pod, and as she is headed for Vagra III, the Horizon is hailed by Commodore McMahon, head of SFSec. In the communication, which is a private one for Lt. Suven, the XO is informed of her dismissal from SFSec. She remains aboard the Horizon as first officer, but without the privileges afforded by the Security unit of Starfleet.
As Tergin learns of this, his reactions are mixed. Though he now sees Suven as someone who could develop into a proper part of the crew, he also knows this is not the best turn of events for the Deltan woman. Noticing the level of emotion transmission coming from his XO, he sends Suven to acquire a masking agent from sickbay.
Doing so, Suven reports to the ship's new doctor. The cause of the emotional leaking turns out to be a virus. As (ill) luck would have it, one of the Deltan's blood samples is accidently broken, and the virus is released into the air vents, exponentially expanding the chances of it being picked up by someone else.
Lt<jg> Bordak, who comes to sickbay to check on the progress of his sister, identifies the virus as one that originated on his home planet. Suspecting that the said virus was brought aboard by one of his family, Bordak explains how the virus, though non-lethal to Tal or Humans, might affect the crew in unexpected ways. Further investigation by the CMO reveals that the virus on the Horizon is a slightly mutated variant of the virus Bordak spoke of.
The Tal virus manages to effect the crew in numerous ways. Crew continue to file into sickbay, with an almost unending list of complaints. Ens. Layne, the new ship's doctor, makes progress on the structure of the virus by taking a sample from Bordak, who is carrying an unmutated strain.
After the crew comes together to stop the virus, a final solution is achieved. An army of nanites is released into the ship's ventilation, each programmed to hunt and seek the virus. At the same time, cures are administered to those already sick. As the crew recovers from the various effects of the virus, the Horizon continues towards Vagra III.
As a side effect of the virus, Lt. Munro loses his memory of the last few years, and is thus unable to continue on as the ship's second officer. Though counselor Canon makes plans to speak with Munro, it is unknown if the memories will return.
Lt. Hamelin investigates the nature of the life forms found on Vagra III, discovering both the limitations and advantages of the available technology.
The Horizon has an encounter with Elijah Cassius, a pilot for hire working for shadow divisions in the Juun government. Things do not go well from the beginning, with Cassius defying the Horizon's authority and sending out another shuttle to the surface of the planet.
Capt. Tergin is able to change the pirate's mind, but this only sparks another confrontation, as Cassius heads for a nearby nebula. Before he leaves, a shuttle sent from his ship, containing one of the alien 'specimens' in a stasis chamber is sent via a shuttle to the Horizon, who places the small ship under guard in their docking bay.
At Ens. Layne's suggestion, the Horizon splits in two. The stardrive section following Cassius's ship into the nebula, and the saucer investigating a distress call from the surface.
On the saucer section, the Horizon's XO, Suven, discusses the next course of action with the remaining bridge crew. While everyone is ready and able to go to the surface, there is a definite sense of apprehension, especially from Pol, who has been to the surface of Vagra III before.
The Horizon's drive section and Cassius's space trawler meet inside the nebula. Though Cassius manages to inflict some damage his target, the Horizon manages to hit the pirate's ship with enough force to send it reeling back towards the Vagra III. The drive section duly sets a pursuit course.
On the saucer section, a decision is reached, in which Lt. Hamelin, Lt. Canon, Ens. Markham, and two extra security officers will form a scout and rescue team, sent to the surface of Vagra III.
Almost immediately after arriving on the surface, the away team runs into problems. The pattern enhancers they had been counting on to leave the planet mysteriously vanish, leaving the team effectively marooned. Trying to move onwards regardless, they are besieged by a wave of the native life forms.
In the fire fight, though nobody is killed, Canon is struck by one of the creatures, and is infected by the mutating DNA. Seeking a temporary shelter from the storm, the team stumbles across the now vacant offices of Dr. Van Guard, one of the previous occupants. Back in space, the ball of junk that is Cassius's space craft exits warp, and hurtles towards the Horizon's saucer section in an uncorrectable collision course. Seeking to save the ship, Lt. Suven has the saucer move out of the way, while firing at the incoming vessel. The saucer section is saved, but Cassius is sent to crash land on the surface of Vagra III.
Acting on the lack of response by the first away team, Lt. Bordak heads a team down to the surface of the planet, hoping to encounter his friends. Upon arriving he finds something very different. Bordak encounters a mirror universe version of himself, who had gotten passage with Cassius at some earlier stage. His mirror twin has been guarding a group of ragged civilians and officers, from another downed ship, so the real Bordak takes it upon himself to take over that duty. Together, they continue to search for the first away team.
This matter dealt with, Suven orders an investigation of the shuttle previously tractored into the primary bay, while the two halves of the Horizon join once more. Suven and doctor Layne both take on the task of checking out the shuttle. Upon arriving, Layne makes a spur of the moment choice to raid the shuttle, which ultimately results in the life of one of Cassius's men being saved.
From the newly rejoined drive section, Ens. Arkanis, now aware of the situation in the shuttle bay, transports there directly, and proceeds to take out the creature hiding inside the retrieved shuttle.
From the battle scene, Layne is able to find one of the creature's poison darts, hopefully allowing her to concoct some form of cure for the DNA mutating virus spread by the life forms. However, her gain also comes, to some, at what could have been a horrendous price. Ens. Arkanis confronts Layne about her choice, voicing his strong disagreement. The two of them bicker for some time, before coming to a mutual understanding of each other's points of view.
Meanwhile, on the surface of the planet, the away team encounters the badly injured Cassius, and two of his crew, who were trying to get to the shuttle craft Cassius had previously kept on the planet, in storage. While Hamelin makes it clear that Cassius is still under arrest, the two teams form a shaky alliance, hopefully lasting long enough to save them both. They pick up a weak signal from what they assume to be Bordak, and head off in that direction, despite the heavy objections of some participants.
The two groups on the surface of Vagra III meet some time later, and it is deduced that the group the Bordaks were leading was not the one who sent the initial distress call. Hamelin decides that the group will split up, using both shuttles to ferry the civilian group back to the Horizon, and with another, smaller group going on to investigate the mysterious 'third' transmission.
The Curious George arrives back at the Horizon with the first load of casualties, from Vagra III, including Pol, previously infected by one of the Vagrans.
As Layne is observing the wounded counselor, she sees what appears to be an acceleration in the rate of his mutation. Pol turns fully into one of the Vagrans and escapes, before he can be contained.
As Ens. Arkanis sets out to track down the Pol-thing, at the same time Layne works with the medical staff to concoct some form of antidote.
The second load of survivors arrives on the Horizon, this time via the Calypso.
On the surface, Lt. Hamelin leads the small group who remained on the planet towards the origin of the mysterious, unplaced signals. As they venture deeper in the systems, and sub-systems of the dark research complex, they encounter what seems to be a communal area for the Vagrans. There, they are confronted by a smaller group of speaking Vagrans, possibly the end result of intensive genetic manipulation.
The two groups speak for a short while, before erupting once more into violence. They are brought to a temporary halt by the mirror Bordak's plea for calm.
Meanwhile, a theoretical solution is found for Pol's identity problem. However, the actual workings of the cure may not be discovered in time to save the crew from Pol himself!
On the surface of Vagra III, the away team speaks with the new lifeforms. A truce, of sorts, is arrived at, and the last of the survivors are released. The away team returns to the surface with only minor casualties, and heads back to the Horizon.
Back on the ship, Lt. Munro again wakes up for a short while, dazed and confused, the effects of the earlier virus still badly effecting him. Meanwhile, as a cure for his condition is being created, the Pol-thing bounds through the ship, causing much damage to both people and property. He finally falls unconscious of his own accord.
With some help from Hamelin, Layne is able to restore Lt. Canon to his previous state. Though the counsellor is physically well, he now has to deal psychologically with what he did while in the un-state of being.
The mirror Bordak, found on Vagra III, is not so lucky. Shunning the hope of a cure, he commits an act which the viewers can only assume to be a suicide. The true Bordak is, meanwhile, again visited by an odd, smartly dressed gentleman.
With all taken care of the Horizon turns about, and heads back towards Omega.
Promotions
Ensign Arkanis: promoted to Lieutenant JG
Ensign Trinity Layne: promoted to Lieutenant JG
Awards received
Distinguised Service Medal: Lieutenant JG Fred Bordak