Independence plot summary for February

The USS Independence-A tracked an FTU ship carrying hallucinogenic drugs to Wheeler Colony and sent two away teams to the surface. One, led by FltCpt Sidney Riley, aimed to recover the drugs, locating them on a moving train. After finding the drugs the Captain and Lt Tyriden were inadvertently beamed to the FTU ship. The remaining team members transported back to the Independence. The other team, whose objective was to determine the FTU’s contact on the surface, was led by Lieutenant Commander Karynn Ehlanii. After an encounter with several hostile locals in a bar, the team successfully made contact with a doctor whose son had been kidnapped as leverage to ensure his cooperation with the FTU.
In the mean time, the Independence began experiencing some issues with communications and lost part of their shields. With the shields inoperative, the Independence experienced a hull breach requiring emergency evacuation of part of one deck.
The Captain, now on the FTU ship, located two previously stolen Mauls belonging to the Independence and, with the help of several previously captured crew members and Tyriden, successfully flew the Mauls out of FTU hands back to the Independence. In the process the drugs, which were actually still in the FTU ship’s cargo hold, were released into space and intercepted by the Independence, thus accomplishing their mission. The second away team transported home, as ordered, and the FTU ship jumped to warp.