Captain Egan Manno and Commander Ross led an away team down to Rho Aurigae IV to attempt to contact the silent Kubarey, the race that had invited a first contact. Once there, they discovered some sort of cultural event and unknowingly interrupted it. To determine their worthiness to stay, the group was allowed to undergo the Kubarey’s trials of honor, beauty, courage, and wisdom, though this was not warmly received by all members of the away team and Commander Ross was unceremoniously removed from the group, leaving Egan Manno, Counselor Jolara, Lt. Shryker, and Science Officer DeVeau to undergo the trials with the Kubarey’s speaker, Ananja.
Meanwhile, the crew of the Garuda made further overtures to the Kubarey vessel in orbit and unwittingly provoked their wrath, which led to the Garuda’s disabling and boarding as members of its crew began to disappear. CEO and acting CO Roshanara Rahman led a group to the shuttlebay to try and access the power of one or more craft there, while chief of security and acting XO Leo Handley-Page marshaled the Starfleet resistance.
