Stick of Butter, Dozen Eggs & A Liter of Moba juice (USS Thor)
| USS Thor | ||
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 INACTIVE STATUS | ||
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After a long period of time in dry dock on DS9, the USS Thor transited the Bajoran Wormhole for a simple re-supply mission to the agricultural colony of New Bajor in the Gamma Quadrant. What in appearance was a simple milk run to boost crew morale and self-confidence after the events of the QSD accident turned out to be an unexpected mission.
Mission Summary
Prologue
After countless attempts, Minister Velos Tan managed to get Governor Tidak Beru to meet with her to discuss the problems that were afflicting their colony. However, after a brief discussion, the only thing she got was for him was a request with their low priority subspace traffic back to DS9, asking for a minimal resupply of basic colony essentials whenever it was convenient.
Weeks later, that restocking order was handed over to the USS Thor, a perfect routine mission to evaluate the newly repaired Vesta class back into service. Or, at least, that was what it seemed...
Act One
After a short, uneventful trip through the Bajoran Wormhole and a brief meeting to inform them of the nature of the mission, the crew was divided into several groups.
One, led by Commander Geoffrey Teller along with Lieutenant JG. Sirok, Ensign Dar Elandra and Ensign Tara Wilkins went to one of the world's Agri-Centers to deliver much of the heavy machinery that made up the bulk of the shipment. Nevertheless, when they arrived at the site they found it abandoned, so they set out to investigate the area or ask the locals. Their survey revealed that what should have been a thriving colony was in a sorry state, with dry and dying crops that were far from the image they had been given of the settlement. After a short trek, seasoned with some sea shanties, the group reached the Landor's farm, the only one that still resisted in the surrounding area. The owners were old acquaintances from Ensign Dar, but despite this fact, eventually they became hostile to the Starfleet group, accusing them of having abandoned the colony to their misfortune. . After a tense discussion, the away team left the supplies behind them in the Agri-Center and returned to the Thor with a mysterious and some samples in hand.
Meanwhile, a second group, led by Lt. Commander Alexander Brodie and consisting of Lieutenant Lorian Lovar, Lt. Commander Krindo Pandorn, Ensign Kira Pol and Lieutenant JG Alieth headed to the Administrative Complex to meet with the Governor and Minister Velos. The former proved to be a vacuous and seemingly superficial man, who made a strenuous effort to divert the away team's attention from the obvious problems in the fields around the Complex, while the Minister subtly tried to inform them of what was happening. When the Governor realised this he locked the group in the Ambassadorial Suites and jammed the communications at a planetary level, making it impossible to transport themselves back to their runabout or the Thor. However, the group managed to escape this trap thanks to Velos's collaboration and resourcefulness.
Finally, the rest of the crew remained on the vessel, where Fleet Captain Aron Kells, First Lieutenant, Wes Greaves and Lieutenant Quen Deena were to receive a delegation from the planet. The delegation arrived in the form of Secretary Alenis Nerys, who stowed away in the Vesta class to reveal the mysterious blight that threatened the survival of the colony. After a few tense moments, the secretary joined Commander Nic del Vedova and Ensign Peri Katsim to try and find out the nature of this plague, but the mystery proved to be much more complex than it first appeared.
Act Two
After the crew reunited on the starship again, and in view of the worrisome reports received from all teams, Fleet Captain Aron Kells resolved to visit the planet to confer with Governor Tidak Beru and find out what was happening in the Colony and why the leader of said settlement had been trying so diligently to obscure the situation. [1]
Meanwhile, Commander Geoffrey Teller took command of the bridge together with Lieutenant JG Sirok, Lieutenant JG Kortho Yang, Ensign Peri Katsim and the recently returned Lt. Commander Ben Garcia and guided the ship into a nearby nebula, following the trail of the civilian freighter Melvar in search of her connection with the New Bajor blight. Their research seemed fruitless when they led to a nebula where the Melvar had been destroyed. However, they managed to follow the skilfully disguised trail of the attackers, which was revealed to be a production station or mining centre hidden in an asteroid in the area. After a brief exchange of fire, it was revealed that the centre was directed by a Dosi by the name Trulalu, but little else could they find out about its actions or motives. Whether due to the previous battle or some outside influence is unclear, but at that moment, the asteroid base self-destructed shortly afterwards, leaving them with more doubts than answers.
Some decks below, Lt. Commander Krindo Pandorn, Lieutenant Lorian Lovar and Ensign Tara Wilkins, with the collaboration of Minister Velos Tan and Secretary Alenis Nerys studied the samples brought from the planet and attempted to reproduce the blight.
One last team, composed of Lt. Commander Alexander Brodie, Lieutenant Quen Deena and First Lieutenant, Wes Greaves traveled to a village near the Ralaren Dam to establish contact with the locals and find out any information they could provide. Nevertheless, the settlers were particularly hostile, so the officers were forced to return to the Tigris. In the turmoil, an anonymous informant suggested to Quen Deena that they explore a nearby mill, to which they headed. Although the facility in question appeared to be in a state of decay, it proved to be a convenient hideout for a biological laboratory of some kind, as well as providing access for the distribution of an unknown agent in the potable water supply. Unfortunately, they were unable to make any other significant discoveries, as they triggered a trap that forced them to flee quickly through a hatch into the underlying river. In the process, many of the samples they had collected suffered damage.
Meanwhile, and before they reached the Governor's residence, Captain Kells' unit was assaulted by an unidentified enemy with an unidentified weapon. Captain Kells suffered serious injuries and his life was put in jeopardy. Thanks to the collaboration of the Ensign Dar with the air support team that Commander Teller had left behind (composed of Valkyrie 4 and 5 as well as the shuttle Freyr under the command of Lieutenant Commander Lia Rouiancet), the group was extracted. Not only that, but thanks to their joint action, they were able to intercept a sinister Karemma that seemed to be the author of the attempt against Aron Kells. With the captain in a critical condition preserved in the buffer of the Freyr's transporter, the small flotilla left the planet to rendezvous with the Thor.
Act Three
With the Thor safely back in orbit around New Bajor the away teams could be recovered and Fleet Captain Kells began receiving emergency medical attention. He was eventually stabilized through the efforts of Lieutenant Commander Rouiancet, Lieutenant Quen, and Lieutenant JG Alieth after significant surgery. Fleet Captain Kells, still weak from the injury, began a road to a successful recovery.
Meanwhile, the prisoner Karemma was interrogated and quickly confirmed that Govoner Tidak was behind the planet's blight. The captured agent revealed that Tidak was receiving significant payments to allow weapons dealers to use New Bajor as a weapon testing area. The blight resulted from a modified bioweapon that had been tested on the surface and spread throughout the planet's crops. Moreover, the weapon dealers had a hideout in a small decommissioned starbase several lightyears away from the planet, surrounded by a dormant Dominion minefield.
The senior staff of the Thor was broken into four teams to attempt a simultaneous resolution to each problem revolving around the planet. A diplomatic team would escort Minister Tan and Secretary Nerys to the government center on the surface to force a vote of no confidence of Governor Tidak. In another action, a team would assault the weapon dealer's space station and arrest the criminals. Governor Tidak had fled to a bunker complex near the government center, so a third team was tasked to arrest him. A final team would remain aboard the Thor and work to synthesize a cure to the blight and distribute it planet wide.
The team responsible for the cure of the blight consisted of Fleet Captain Kells, Commander del Vedova, Lieutenant Quen, Lieutenant Lovar, and Ensign Katsim. With the knowledge of exactly what the viral agent was that caused the blight, the team set to work. Determining that the problem was twofold, the team had to develop an antiviral to counteract the blight and develop a delivery method. Multiple concepts were debated, but it was settled that the antiviral would have to be delivered by shuttlecraft directly into the planet's air. This would ensure rapid dispersal and effect. Additionally, the currently contaminated water sources would have to be purified.
The best way to fix the water was to introduce the antiviral directly to the initially contaminated sites to undo the damage of the contagion systematically. This would require the water reservoir systems to continue functioning throughout the dispersal. The crew arranged for an EM pulse to be fired at the planet which would knock out the reservoir computer systems long enough for the antiviral to be introduced to the water supply without detection. Armed with a plan, the team set about to develop the antiviral and prep the systems for dispersal. The final concern presented itself in the form of automatic filters in the water and air systems on the planet. It was possible the systems could filter out the antiviral and make all of the efforts for naught. With the shuttle carrying the arial dispersal agent en route, the team worked quickly to hack into the planet's biofiltration systems and whitelist the antiviral. The system turned out to be of ancient Bajoran design and Lieutenant Quen was forced to attempt to navigate it manually as the system was incompatible with the Thor's computers. At the last moment before aerial dispersal, Lieutenant Quen successfully whitelisted the antiviral, and the agent was dispersed planet-wide.
Meanwhile, Commander Teller, First Lieutenant Greaves, and Ensign Dar worked to find a way to arrest Governor Tidak. The Governor's bunker complex was deep underground near the Government Center on the planet. Multiple ideas were debated, however ultimately, it was decided to try and force the Governor out rather than try to attack into the bunker. A directed graviton pulse by the Thor would cause an earthquake, with the epicenter being the bunker complex. This would force the Governor to the surface where he could be arrested. Plan ready, the team beamed down to the planet and made their way to the bunker entrance. The entrance turned out to be a reinforced shed in a quad at an abandoned government complex area. Hidden in ambush positions, the team initiated the graviton pulse, and moments later Governor Tidak fled the bunker.
First Lieutenant Greaves attempted to arrest the Governor. Governor Tidak claimed he had been kidnapped, and the earthquake allowed him to escape his captors in the bunker. Before the team could further question the man, phasers were fired out of the bunker entrance, striking First Lieutenant Greaves in the chest armor. A brief firefight ensued in the quad, which was finally ended when Commander Teller reached the prone First Lieutenant Greaves and threw several of what he believed were stun grenades from the Marine's equipment. The grenades were photon grenades which detonated in the mouth of the bunker entrance, collapsing it entirely. The team reconvened at the edge of the quad and questioned Governor Tidak who professed his innocence. Despite his pleas, the team arrested the man on the spot.
Elsewhere in the Government Complex, a combined team of New Bajorans and Starfleet beamed to the surface. Lieutenant Commander Brodie, Lieutenant JG Alieth, and Lieutenant JG Siork escorted Minister Tan and Secretary Nerys to restore political power to non-corrupt officials. Determining that the planet's governing council and its people must know of Governor Tidak's betrayal, the team made their way to a network communication center to send evidence out to the entire planet simultaneously. It became immediately apparent to the away team that Governor Tidak had his men attack much of the area's critical infrastructure to defeat the Starfleet effort. He likely intended to blame the damage on the extraction attempts Starfleet had made earlier. Despite the damaged equipment, Lieutenant JG Siork was able to repair the network systems and send out the data planet-wide.
With the evidence transmitted, the team made their way to the council chambers which was in session at the time. Confronted by Council Spokesperson Uja Koss, Minister Tan and Secretary Nerys were accused of treason. Despite the allegations, Minister Tan presented her evidence with the assistance of the rest of the team. In a rousing speech Minister Tan swayed much of the council to her side. Learning of the capture of Governor Tidak, Lieutenant Commander Brodie had Commander Teller's team beam directly to the council chambers so Tidak could be questioned in front of the council. Even confronted by the entire governing body of the planet, Tidak still claimed his innocence. With all arguments made, the council convened for a vote of no confidence of Governor Tidak. There were few holdouts, but the vote passed. Furthermore, Minister Tan was immediately voted in as the new Governor of New Bajor in a surprise turn of events. She appointed Nerys as her Chief of Staff and Starfleet took Tidak away to be tried in Federation Court.
While the situation was being resolved on New Bajor, an assault force was planned and launched from the USS Thor to arrest the weapons dealers responsible for the blight. Led by Lieutenant Commander Garcia, the team consisted of Lieutenant Commander Rouiancet, Lieutenant JG Yang, Second Lieutenants Singh and Henderson, and Sergeant Rodriguez. The plan called for a two phased assault. Phase one would have Marine fighters escort the command team and a Marine assault force through the dormant Dominion mind field. Old command codes transferred after the Dominion War would be used to deactivate the mine field for safe passage. Once through the mine field, the Marine assault force would make landings above and below the suspected enemy command deck and clear it out, stunning any hostile personnel and transporting them to a runabout to be arrested.
Upon reaching the minefield, it was discovered that the weapon runners had reactivated the field and changed the command codes. The fighter escort attempted to fight their way through the minefield to clear a path for the shuttles. Second Lieutenants Singh and Henderson developed a means of detonating large numbers of mines while Lieutenant Commander Rouiancet found a way to deactivate individual mines momentarily. Using both methods, the force was able to make its way through the minefield however, one of the fighters was too heavily damaged in the attempt, and Second Lieutenants Singh and Henderson were forced to eject. Fortunately, they were recovered by Lieutenant Commander Rouiancet.
Clear of the mine field, the assault teams went to work, accompanied by Lieutenant Commander Garcia. At the onset of the assault, several weapon runners attempted to flee by shuttles but not all could escape. During the clearing of the station, several dozen prisoners were taken before a self-destruct sequence was entered. Scrambling to evacuate, the assault force retreated to their shuttles and narrowly escaped destruction. With the station destroyed, the minefield became dormant again and the team returned to the Thor with the prisoners they had been able to take.
With the military, ecological, and political situations resolved on New Bajor, the crew began a period of shore leave and were invited to stay in orbit by the newly appointed Governor Tan.
Officers
- Commanding Officer, Fleet Captain Aron Kells
- Executive Officer, Commander Geoffrey Teller
- Second Officer/HCO, Lt. Commander Ben Garcia [footnote 1]
- Strategic Operations Officer, Lieutenant Commander Lia Rouiancet
- Chief of Medical and Science, Commander Nic del Vedova
- Medical Officer, Lieutenant Quen Deena
- Medical Officer, Lieutenant j.g. Alieth
- Chief Engineer, Lieutenant j.g.Sirok
- Systems Specialist, Lieutenant j.g.Kortho Yang [footnote 2]
- Engineering officer, Ensign Kira Pol [footnote 3]
- Engineering Officer, Lt. Sasha Johnson
- Engineer, Master Chief Petty Officer Zheg
- Engineer trainee, Crewman 3rd Class Kerr
- Marine Detachment Commander, First Lieutenant, Wes Greaves
- Marine Avaiator, 2nd Lt. Ishani 'Snowball' Singh
- Marine Weapons Systems Operator, 2ndLt Josh “Ringo” Henderson
- Chief of Security, Lt. Commander Krindo Pandorn[footnote 4]
- Security Officer, Ensign Dar Elandra
- Science Officer, Lieutenant Lorian Lovar
- Science Officer, Ensign Tara Wilkins[footnote 5]
- Science Officer, Ensign Peri Katsim
- Chief Counselor, Lt. Commander Alexander Brodie
MSNPCs
- Governor Tidak Beru
- Minister Velos Tan
- Secretary Alenis Nerys
- Landor Imar, Bajoran Farmer
- Landor Alnar, Bajoran Farmer
- Nivlem, ominous Karemma
- Council Spokesperson Uja Koss