Cloudy With A Chance Of Madness (Atlantis)
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- Duration - 239102 - 239105.07
- Mission Name - Cloudy With A Chance of Madness
- Mission Tag - Will a simple escort mission to Krayav involving the Grenushi ambassador, and a peace gift, end as a milk run?
Following decommissioning, the crew of the USS Discovery and Starbase 118 Ops are reshuffled and reassigned to the USS Atlantis, recommissioned after nine years in the inactive fleetyard, under the command of first-time CO, Commander Raj Blueheart. The crew gets together on Deep Space 26, an abandoned Chon outpost taken over by Starfleet to establish a Federation presence in the Par’tha Expanse, the region of space Atlantis is tasked to oversee. The Expanse, being largely uncharted, makes it an ideal sector for the Atlantis to explore and conduct scientific research, its primary objectives.
As the crew members begin to get to know each other, they receive their very first mission: to provide transport to Ambassador Haerin, representative of the Grenushi Imperial government on Uzoka 5, to the Krayav Republic on Uzoka 4. The Ambassador is to deliver a gift to the Krayav following a successful peace dialogue between the two governments. With the Ambassador on board, the Atlantis begins its journey to the far side of the Expanse, having to pass the fringes of the enigmatic and unpredictable Jenatris Cloud along its way. Will it be an uneventful maiden mission for the new crew? What will they encounter along their journey across the Expanse? And what of the Ambassador and his curious gift? All will be revealed as the Atlantis’ first mission unfolds!
The mysterious gift brought on board the Atlantis by the Grenushi ambassador is revealed to be miniature versions of the Jenatris cloud! The revelation came about when one of the many clouds encased within the gift-box ‘escaped’ and crashed the grand banquet held in honor of the ambassador. The cloud not only overshadowed the banquet highlighting the various cuisines and culture of the member Federation worlds, but caused everyone with psionic abilities to have varying levels of reactions, from fainting spells, appearing inebriated to even becoming comatose. While Medical worked round the clock to help those affected with psionic blockers, Science labored feverishly to analyze and understand the gaseous entities. Science also revealed that the clouds fed off the ship’s energy, hence causing power fluctuations throughout the ship.
The crew manage to quarantine the clouds and restore power to the main systems before continuing towards Uzoka 4. Unfortunately, more troubles await the Atlantis. Science learns that the cloud entities are in fact sentient, telepathic, noncorporeal beings that reside in the Jenatris Cloud! They also discover the Clouds’ language and attempt to interpret it using the universal translator. But there is no time to recover from this shock as another one, in the form of three approaching combat-ready vessels, is about to land right on their doorstep!
The approaching combat-ready vessels turn out to be part of the Endangered Jenatris Species (EJS), a radical environmentalist group determined to save the Cloud creatures whom they allege are being abused by the Grenushi and Krayav for nefarious business. The attack by the EJS is thwarted by the timely arrival of Krayav escort vessels. Though the EJS may have vanished for now and taken with them one of the sentient cloud creatures, the crew has a feeling they will bump into them again in the future. One of the attacking activists is currently in the Brig for interrogation. Thus, the Atlantis’ first mission in eight years now draws to a close with the successful delivery of the Grenushi Ambassador to the Krayav government on Uzoka 4 for peace talks between the two civilizations. Though controversy was stirred when the crew discovered the nature of the gift about to be presented to the Krayav, they allow the Cloud Dancers, as the creatures are natively called, to be handed over anyway to fulfill their purpose as telepathic enhancers to aid in global communication – but with the explicit condition that the crew be allowed to observe the treatment and utilization of the Dancers to ensure they are being treated fairly. In addition, the language of the Dancers has been successfully translated by the Science team. Commander Blueheart announces shore leave for the crew – weary after a harrowing 2-day journey to the heart of the Uzoka system – and for repairs to commence on the ship.