0105. In The Midst of It All
The PROPHECY was pulled away from an enjoyable time on PARADISIA in order to trace back a transdimensional transmission which lead the ship and crew to arrive in the middle of a full out confrontation between the Phoenix Regime and the Locusta. The moment the Locustan forces identified the new arrival as a Federation vessel, the PROPHECY went from being in a bad situation to being in way over it's proverbial head.
Within only moments, many of the ship's systems were disabled allowing a Locusta boarding party to come onboard. Thanks to the rapid actions of the ship's Executive Officer, Lieutenant Commander Teneill Danara, the boarding party was neutralised, leaving the ship wounded but otherwise still in operational status and under the control of it's rightful Commanding Officer.
Following the lead of Captain Rakar, the Phoenix Regime's Commanding Officer, the PROPHECY under the escort of two Battle Cruiser heads for a nearby nebula which is later discovered to be at the center of this particular confrontation between the two dire foes. It is explained that the Phoenix Regime discovered within the heart of the Nebula a planetoid rich in a mineral which would allow the Locusta to greatly increase their dimensional travel capabilities if they could manage to control it. The key is that the planetoid is not actually in this dimension, being pulled by the Locusta here in order to be able to harvest the mineral.
During the voyage to the nebula, it becomes evident to some members of the PROPHECY's Senior Staff that something is not entirely right with some of the members of the crew who are later discovered to be Pretenders, dimensional twins brought in to take the place of the Federation crew. After some extensive search and efforts, four members of the crew are found missing, having been replaced by these Pretenders. Those Officers were Lieutenant Jeff Gorman, the ship's aCMO, Ensign Elia Duren, the Chief Science Officer, Ensign Sheldar Riis, the PROPHECY's Chief Engineer and Crewman Haley.
Those Officer awake in a makeshift cell onboard an unknown ship which is later identified as the REVENGE'S TWILIGHT, one of the Phoenix Regime Battle Cruisers escorting the PROPHECY to the nebula. The four captives soon meet their captor, a man who remained in the shadows outside of the cell. Driven by impatience and anger, crewman Haley approached the unknown man demanding answers. All that the unsuspecting member of the PROPHECY's crew received was a painful death as his trachea was crushed in a swift move from the unknown individual.
Following this unnecessary murder, the remaining Officers further increased their escape efforts, soon discovering a hidden panel which contained a tricorder and the means to escape their present situation. During their escape, Doctor Gorman is recaptured and brought to see the Captain and First Officer of the REVENGE'S TWILIGHT who believe him to be a Pretender.
Having intercepted a internal communication, the PROPHECY's Senior Staff become aware of the Doctor's predicament and having been made aware of the Pretender's switch, a rescue effort is initiated. The team which was chosen to beam over to the ship was kept small in order to increase their odds of success. The Executive Officers and Operations Officer, a former Intel Operative, are sent to the REVENGE'S TWILIGHT in the hopes of locating the missing crew members and saving Doctor Gorman.
During the rescue effort, it is discovered that the ExO, Tactical Officer and Chief Medical Officer of the REVENGE'S TWILIGHT are not who they appeared to be, and are in fact Pretenders themselves. The First Officer, after having murdered his superior Officer, places the blame on Doctor Gorman, allowing him to perform a grueling interrogation which eventually leaves the Federation Officer blind.
Using all of their skills, and having found the other two surviving members of the crew who had been abducted, the away team successfully manages to retrieve Doctor Gorman and return to the PROPHECY while at the same time exposing the ExO as a Pretender.
The extent of the Pretender infiltration of the Phoenix Regime forces become evident when both escort ships turn against the PROPHECY, having fallen under the complete control of the Pretenders. If it had not been for the intervention of Captain Rakar's flag ship the LIBERATOR and 3 of other of the Phoenix Regime Heavy Battle Cruisers, the PROPHECY would have certainly been destroyed.
Greatly outmatched, the two ships which had fallen into the hands of the enemy were destroyed and the PROPHECY was given 1 hour to perform the needed repairs in order to allow them to resume their course to the nebula under a new escort.
Doctor Gorman is attended to as the crew deals with the emotional repercussions of what they have thus far faced.
As the mission continued, it was discovered that the Locusta were trying to use the nebula in order to create a stable wormhole which would have given their fleet access to a previously unaccessable dimension. In turn, it was believed that the Locusta would be able to access other unreachable dimensions. This wormhole and the nebula which would be used to create it now needed to be destroyed - at all costs.
Through various research and tests, it was discovered that a particular radiation from the Nebula caused Doctor Gorman's eyes to regenerate. because of this, and acting under her own authority, Doctor Jaxam took out the CONFUSIUS and headed into the nebula with Doctor Gorman as her passenger.
Prior to this unauthorised venture, the HAVOC had been sent with Teneill and Rusty to investigate the forming wormhole and hopefully find an easy way to insure that it would never be completed.
When the wormhole actually opened, the PROPHECY and her crew were Pushed into making a drastic decision which sent the HAVOC and CONFUSIUS into yet another dimension as the wormhole was permanently closed.
Barely managing to home in on the dimension wake of the two smaller ships, the PROPHECY followed and retreived his two missing ships and their crew before setting course back for home. Although the Locusta fleet itself was not entirely dealt with, the destruction of the wormhole and the discovery of the Pretenders on board the Phoenix regime ships were enough to classify this mission as a successful one.
(end log)