Episode 4a
"Anthologies"
STARDATE 2302.11
The USS Essex has just returned to Starbase 2 from a mission in the Tarsis Nebula and has secured orbting drydock facilities. During the docking period at Starbase 2, the crew of the USS Essex has earned a restful shore leave. Some members of the crew will need to find temporary quarters on the Starbase while work crews complete the repairs and upgrade some systems.
Stardate 2302.15
Chief Eng. McGillicutty
Jackson's father, Robert McGillicutty, arrived on Starbase 2 on his way to Derigo for trade negotiations. Mr. McGillicutty works for the Federation Council on Trade and helps form trade relations with non-affiliated worlds within Federation boundaries. His transport doesn't leave for several days, and decided to spend some time with Jackson before he departs. During this time, the two spend time doing tourist activities both on board the station and planetside. The transport leaves on SD 2302.18.
Stardate 2302.19
Nostrilla Flonaise
Nostrilla Flonaise, during some of her free time, receives a personal communication from her father. The message was dated 2 days ago, the difference allowing for transmission time to reach from Andor. Her father, Plazir Flonaise, is a retired general of the Andorian Planetary Militia. Over the last several years, he has been running the ancient family business: Selling traditional Andorian floor rugs.
Plazir was never one to show great emotion in expression or intonation. He starts by asking how's she doing and how her tour on board the Essex was. After a short silence, Plazir breaks the news that her mother has turned up missing and that she should come return to Andor as soon as possible.
Dr. Amell Flonaise is a recognized expert in the field of archeology and anthropology. In her younger days, she led several expeditions within the Andorian star system, finding convincing evidence of an advanced civilization visiting the system millions of years ago. However, once she had married, Amell retired from her career to care for her children while Plazir continued to serve in the militia.
Plazir eventually retired to settle into the family business and the children had grown and left to seek their fortunes. Amell soon afterward returned to her archeological pursuits. She immediately took to teaching at the university level for a time, when the opportunity arose to lead an archeological dig on Argos V on the behalf of the Andorian Science Council. Several prevailing theories amongst the council state that the beings known as the 'Preservers' established several outpost/colonies in this sector of the galaxy and based on the pattern of other known Preserver sites, Argos V has a high probability of being one of them.
Nostrilla requested leave from the captain and began searching for a means to return home. Jackson McGillicutty, having just seen his father off, voluteered to join her to help. Commericial transport is readily available for the 10 day journey back to Andor, but, also the the Larson class destroyer, USS Patton, under Capt. Sheridan, is departing Starbase 2 for the Utopia Planatia Shipyards and can easily divert briefly to Andor to deliver its passengers.
The two were met by Plazir where they proceeded to the family Crystal Mountain home. After a restful evening and a filling meal, Plazir goes on to explain the details of Amell's disappearance.The expedition consisted of 3 scientists (including Dr. Flonaise), 5 assistants, enough equipment and supplies to last one year. The group left Andor 8 months previously in a Andorian research vessel. They arrived on Argus V 3 weeks after departure and began their search for an excavation site. The group would send weekly reports on their progress. These reports stopped 3 weeks ago. Although this may not seem like such a long time, Plazir suspects that something has happened to the expedition. He intends to have one of his sons, Rogaine, to take him to Argus V to look for himself. Rogaine owns and runs a small commercial transport service in the area and can easily provide a ship that will take them to Argus V. Rogaine arrives several days later, and the four embarked on their rescue mission.
The transport arrived at Argus V several days later, uneventfully. Nostrilla's sensor scans revealed nothing out of the ordinary in the area as the ship slipped into orbit. Argus V is a former class m world that turned into a mostly desert climate when its yellow sun began to turn red. Now too hot to sustain its tropical plant life, most of the indigenous life that survived lives underground, where most of the water now resides. Plazir maps out where the expedition should be, and the crew sets down to explore the area.
On most expeditions, standard procedure would be to land the ship next to the excavation site and use it as a base camp. Earth moving devices and diggers are attached to the side of the ship, making the vessel a practical appliance for the expedition.When they arrive, however, the ship is nothing but a burnt shell settled beside a hole it had dug previously. Scans of the site show a residual radiation reading that suggests a beam weapon attack, probably from orbit. Finding no survivors at the site, the party began a search of the surrounding area. Tricorder scans indicated a faint energy reading coming from a nearby mountainous region. They set out to investigate.
The group was relieved when they discover that the
energy readings were coming from a small camp set up by Dr. Flonaise and the remaining few
members of the expedition in a series of nearby caves. Dr. Flonaise had gone out to
explore the area when their sensors detected rare ore deposits. The attacks came while
they were away. One of the doctor's assistants told that he saw what he believed to be a
fire fight at the base camp, and then, shortly thereafter, shots from the sky. Noone knew
who the attackers were, but, they suspect they knew why. Not too long before the attack,
the digger excavated a small, egg shaped artifact that had inscriptions written all around
it. Although she was unable to confirm it without further study, Dr. Flonaise believed
that the artifact was of Preserver origin. She, and the other survivors, went back to the
base camp to bury the deceased and scrounge for any supplies that may have survived
the attack. They returned to the mountains because some of the ores disrupts sensor scans,
in the event that the assailants returned they would remain hidden. All that remains of
the artifact is a copy of the initial scan that the doctor made with her personal
tricorder. After a short time collecting their things, the group beamed aboard Rogaine's
transport and returned home.
Stardate 2302.16
Capt Curp
Capt Curp hosts a friendly game of bowling on board the Essex, inviting a group of bowlers from the USS Hastings, who happen to be on the station while the Hastings picks up supplies and personnel. At stake, a case of the finest Saurian brandy going to the victor. Also, on a personal note, the Captain stumbles into a relationship with a young woman named Carrie Robinson. Carrie has been working planetside as a waitress while taking the summer off from her university studies. She aspires to join the realm of politics someday, possibly serving in the Diplomatic Corps.
Stardate 2302.20
Security Chief Leone
Sergio Leone was unexpectedly attacked by an
assailant on Starbase 2 this evening while returning from a session on the base firing
range. Dressed in a black body suit, Leone wasn't able to make out the attacker's
appearance. He managed to defeat the intruder, who was armed with an unfamiliar pole
weapon. Leone himself was only slightly injured from the incident, however, the attacker
fared much worse and laid bleeding in the cooridor- in a pool of green blood. Station
security soon arrived to investigate and take the body to sickbay. Vulcan-like in
appearance, doctors are bewildered by the strange readings. The intruder dies in sickbay
from his wounds. The incident is kept under strict security, until such time that
the assailant's identity and/or his motives are uncovered.
Stardate 2302.16
Dr. Herronomous
Dr. Herronomous stumbles upon the lower decks of
the ships, revealing a seedy under side, that houses the doctor's biggest vice: gambling.
Deep within the bowels of the engineering sections, Lt. 'Big Lou' Stevens runs the
underground gambling. Hardly unusual for bases this large, but, nontheless against Star
Fleet regulations. The doctor managed gain a bit of winnings, however, nothing to leave
his Starfleet commission for.