Pythia's Tale (Excalibur-A)

USS Excalibur-A
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Pythia's Tale Mission Profile

Stardate 239008.14

With Starfleet unbelieving of the coincidental nature of the illness now raging through at least three planets on the Thracian/Romulan border, the USS Excalibur A is commissioned and sent to investigate and render aid to one of the planets within Romulan Space. Agurtha, by all accounts, appears to be the location of the first outbreak of the illness, making it vital to the discovery of the origins of the disease. Without time to digest the orders of change, the senior staff of Starbase 118 is reassigned to the brand new Vesta class starship and sent on a medical mercy and intelligence gathering mission.

A mere hours from Agurtha at maximum warp, the Excalibur leaves the safety of the Starbase and meets up with the Romulan fleet that had been waiting outside. Escorted by them and a promise of protection once the ships reached Romulan space, the crew doesn't have long to prepare for the eventuality of their work on the surface of Agurtha. The fact that it appears to be under heavy control of the Tal Shiar is discovered, but that alone is not enough to halt any attempts at bringing help and the prospect of finding a cure for the disease.

Now, as the ship approaches the planet, the training and testing of the teams about to beam down will be put to work while the rest of the senior staff makes sure that the ship stays unharmed in enemy territory.

Stardate 239008.30

On arrival at Agurtha, Fleet Captain Nicholotti determined that her skills would be necessary on the ground, brooking no argument from either her First or Second officers, who remained on the ship. She felt that it was necessary both for the medical, political, and diplomatic reasons. Oddly, Captain Walker remained quiet, not arguing the point at all. Security prepared for the difficult task of guarding the medical staff while in the hazmat suits, as the doctors prepared to combat an unknown illness.

The away team was met by the acting director of finance of Agurtha, and his "aide", who's actions lead many to believe him to be related to the Tal Shiar if not actively a member. They were walked around on the planet, only slowly making their way to the hospital...and not moving at all toward the cause of the plague.

Meanwhile on the Excalibur, passive scans were unable to pull significant data from the ground, requiring more active scans. Several options were explored, including the launching of a stealth probe. Unfortunately, launching the probe would be noticed, and other options were equally problematic. The first officer oddly pushed for a direct communication with the Tal Shiar, requesting access to directly scan the planet and assistance in cutting through the "red tape" on the planet. Shockingly enough, the Tal Shiar Commander agreed.

Stardate 239009.20

The Tal Shiar's approval wasn't all encompassing. Several areas were designated off limits, which didn't stop the crew from working around it. Using a combination of methods, the crew determined that items on the ground were showing differing rates of carbon decay. And the amounts of decay, not so coincidentally, were largest in the areas that the Tal Shiar had restricted scans. More interesting yet was the fact that those areas were all adjacent to waterways, as if items were being transported there.

On the ground, Fleet Captain Nicholotti and Lieutenant Commander Brek, fought a diplomatic battle to move toward the source of the problem. Unfortunately, despite their efforts and the assurances of the Tal Shiar, it was only after the Captain demanded to move that they were able to do so. But before they could leave, there was an assassination attempt on the acting Director Pondahk's life. The attempt failed, but only reinforced the director's desire to stay with the Captain.

Throughout the process, the doctors worked to find out what they could about the plague, but only came to understand that it was 100% communicable, and everyone who'd been exposed had eventually died. Until two hybrids were discovered who had been exposed and had survived. Interestingly enough, one of them was Lieutenant Luna Walker, who was supposed to be on Lambda Hydrae!