During the incident with The Keeper they USS CURIE-A got pulled into an anomoly that the crew of the HIKARU, DS 101's support ship, managed to close. The CURIE was listed as missing, presumed lost.
In reality, the USS CURIE was roughly 35 years travel time from DS 101 on the far side of the Cocoon, and trying to figure out how to get home. With the CO in a coma, Cmdr Bitzalel takes command of the ship. First they managed to get away from more Keeper type creatures, and find themselves in a troubled sector. They were caught between 2 waring species, the Orenigans and the Indarans.
Ens Perigrin and CMO Arago vanish, ending up on a little adventure on the USS ZAHAL and eventual returning. Perigrin with tea stains on his pants. They arrive back in time for Arago to work on a virus killing people in the southern part of the planet.
Kelen and Kalayah ended up, after a diversionary tactic with Kalayah's shuttle to buy the Curie time, on the Zaydonian homeworld. They were made prisoner in a polar shield research facility. It appears that they inhabitants of the planet were trying to create a planet-wide cloaking device for fear of a species called the Tallinids.
The CURIE found them on the Zaydonian homeword, with the help of a Mavokian guide whom CURIE had rescued from the waring Orenigans and Indarans. Originally the guide had thought the abandoned starbase Kelen and Kalayah had first gone to, had been placed there by the Lukarite as a trap to the Orenigans and Indarans. However, the planet was later confirmed to be the Zaydonian homeworld, despite the base of Lukarite design. The CURIE away team, and after a merry chase on the ground, arrived at the polar ice cap. The SFSec agent, Be'Torra , stated that the melt down Kelen had started as a diversionary tactic to allow Kelen and Kalayah to escape could not be stoped. Bitzalel insisted that B'tora do what she could to moderate the shield to minimize the damage.
Kelen, who is in sickbay with injuries, is placed under arrest by Cmdr Bitzalel for violating the prime directive once the away team returned to the CURIE. There they witnessed the polar cap melt, killing approximately 20% of the planet's population. Much speculation is running through the ranks as to Kelen's guilt or innocence.
A vessel from the Zaydonian homeworld came to the ship demanding Kelen return with them for trial, over the polar melt. Several theories were put forward including scanning Kelen's memory and Delphi array data sifting, to find out what really happened. Kelen protested his innocence, and that a Star Fleet cadet could have fixed the problem
Kelen's proceeds aboard the CURIE with four members of the Alien ship beaming over to take part. Z'Dark, out of his coma, acted as Kelen's defense. Niki transported to the alien ship as a safeguard. The holodeck was used to run a re-enactment of events with information taken from Be'Torra's tricorder as well as the sensor arrays.
In the early days of Kelen's trial, tricks and tactics aplenty were used. The court saw the prosecution show footage of Kelen and Kalayah blowing up the reactor, and the defence showed identical footage of, what could have been the judge, and the prosecutor doing the same. Niki, meanwhile, onboard the alien vessel was attempting to gather information and saw a picture of Reily flash across the computer screen, and is now contemplating a return to the CURIE.
While Kelen's trial continued (Kelen insisting he has been set up), Niki, onboard the alien vessel was hacking into the vessel's computer, gathering information. She stumbled across some information on the virus on the planet and an associated picture of Riley. She had to figure out how to get this information to the ship.
The CURIE crew attempted to beam Niki back after the events of the trial. However, after Jonto failed to report, the alien ship fired on the CURIE, then fled at high warp. Due to damage, the CURIE could not match speed, but Niki tried to find a way to even the odds.
While Kelen worked to get maximum speed from the ship, he and Kalayah had a heated discussion about events on the planet, ending with them trading insults and making a dinner date.
Kelen and engineering continued modifications to keep the ship stable at warp. During Kelen and Kalayah's dinner "date" discussions turned to a Romulan medical research station, for which Kelen wants schematics. He was willing exchange them for getting Kalayah (and the crew) back to OMEGA.
Arago and medical began preparing for the expected battle. Vaccination against the toxin found in Riley, of as many of the crew as possible, put Arago and Kelen at loggerheads.
When the aliens opened fire on the CURIE after it entered planetary orbit of the planet Niki was on, Kelen and Kalayah in two shuttles, under an imperfect cloak, set out to help the CURIE 'talk' to the aliens. When they had no luck, they attached mines to the alien ships, Z'Dark then ordered the destruction of one, making the alien CO begin a conversation.
Niki attempted escape after being tortured on the planet's surface, Kelen acquired some of the alien poison anti-toxin, helping with his 'deal' with Kalayah and Be'Torra is assigned to bridge medic. She is called upon almost immediately with Gibbons put in a coma after an explosion on the bridge. Gibbons is placed in an immersion tank by Dr. Arago.
Be'Torra's life signs were lost while involved in an away mission. Three probes were launched, for OMEGA, DS101 and OP721 as a result, presumably something Be'Torra set up in case of her lifesigns were ever lost.
The star required to get to the CURIE back to it's correct place in cocoon space, under Kelen's theory, was revealed by Galia. The two then ordered Arago out of his own sickbay, and with help from the 'future' EMH program of the future, behind locked doors, Niki was stabilised. Arago has made his feelings on the subject known to the Captain, but did not pressed charges, and the Captain made his own feelings known -- he was not too happy with the secrecy or why they did not consult him.
Judah remained in a coma, with Karra'gana finding herself missing him more and more. Kalayah's concern for Kelen also became clear, as she began to take a more active role in counselling him.
The real Niki (a clone was also aboard) came out of her coma, to find she had been awarded "The Wounded Lion" by Capt Z'Dark. The Niki clone, however, has lost cellular integrity. Arago stabilised her, calling Kelen and Niki to see her before she departs. Kelen subsequently was plagued with visions and voices of absent Romulans. Kalayah declined an offer from Z'Dark to become a member of Starfleet.
Promotions and awards were also awarded.
-Ens. Arago to lieutenant junior grade
-Lt(jg) Karra'gana to full lieutenant
-Lt(jg) Nikita Dakise Ishkode Jaagizo to full lieutenant
-Zefram Cochrane Medal awarded to LtCmdr Thomas Kelen
-Troi Plaque awarded to Khre'Arrain Kalayah ch'Terrh t'Saeirh
-Wounded Lion awarded to Lieutenant Nikita Dakise Ishkode Jaagizo
(A player award, The Blue Ribbon, for consistently high quality of posting at a
decent rate above the bare minimum requirement. To Shaun Darlington.)
The Niki clone died, from a coronary induced by an injection of adrenaline, administered by the real Niki. A freighter appeared on sensors, sending out an automated distress signal. An away team was sent, including the CMO, FO and CSO when two faint life signs were detected. A 'distortion' interferes with the return transport, so Z'Dark attempted a rescue using the cloaked Romulan shuttle. A firefight ensues between the distortion and the CURIE, with the CURIE finally cloaking. This means the distortion cannot find them, but neither can Z'Dark and the away team.
This was the Federation's first encounter with the Tallinids:
They do not negotiate with anyone.
Humanoids are simply a source of food. Many races have tried creating artificial food supplies for the Tallonid, in the hopes of being spared, but part of the feeding process seems to involve sucking the very life force out of the victim, therefore replicated food is unsuitable to the Tallonid's needs. Because of the obvious lack of Humanoid planets in their system and the rapid expansion of the race, they are driven to search further in their hunt for viable live food stocks.
Their ships have a form of cloaking device, that allows them to surround a planet, without the planet's inhabitants ever realising they are there. They then attack without warning, usually by the means of biological weapons that they have developed from their own natural venom. Entire planets have been enslaved, without a single Tallonid casualty.
The firepower of a single Tallonid ship is so great that the toughest of Federation ships would be lucky to survive more than a couple of hits. The latest in quantum torpedoes have no affect on their shielding. Very little else is known about them, due to the fact that survivors of a Tallonid attack are very rare. They are motivated by the need to breed and they ferociously track down any humanoid race they encounter.
The CURIE returned to DS101 after recovering the away team in a very risky shuttle docking right before a warp jump. Since their return, Z'Dark has been called back to the Kzin homeworld, Judah has awoken from his coma and is recovering, Kelen and Kalayah have a short romantic interlude, Karra'gana has been reassigned to the USS ATHENE and Lt(jg) Mike, arrives to fill the OPS position. Led by Kelen, the volunteering crew are preparing for a non-starfleet mission to retrieve a starfleet crewmen held captive in the Romulan sector, where Kelen himself had once been held a prisoner.
