Senior staff of Starbase 118 victims of elaborate plot by career criminals

STARBASE 118 — Reports suggest that a birthday party for the station’s second officer has been sabotaged by intoxicants and a faulty holoprogram.

“Starfleet does not comment on operational security matters,” said station press secretary AJ Craig. “I can comment there was a malfunction with Holodeck 7 and that an investigation has been launched as regulations dictate. Other than that? No comment. Sorry folks.”
The senior staff of StarBase 118 Operations had begun to act strangely, randomly bursting out into song and exhibiting systems of alcohol intoxication during a holoprogram of the 23rd starship USS Armstrong, which had been brought to celebrate the 32nd birthday of Lieutenant Commander Baylen Anders. As the symptoms subsided, the crew began to realise something was amiss; at the same time, several other members of the crew outside of the holodeck realised the same thing. As efforts to retrieve the crew began, those trapped inside the holodeck formulated a plan to end the program early. Ensign Carter Greyson, despite fracturing a rib, was successful in terminating the program, which resulted in a holographic projection of notorious former pirate Chennel appearing to “congratulate” the crew on getting themselves out of the predicament. Chennel is known to several members of the senior staff who previously encountered her aboard the now decommissioned USS Columbia.
As Commander Sal Taybrim launched an investigation, it transpired that intelligence operative Lieutenant Vondaryan had vanished although the computer reported he was on the holodeck. A team was dispatched to discover what had happened, eventually realising that the Vissian officer had somehow been cloaked from view and dispelled the cloak by using an anyon field to bring him back into phase. Another team was dispatched to find out who had tampered with the holodeck program and how. Commander Taybrim authorised an undercover mission to investigate Harkins’ Den, a bar of ill repute whose owner, Oma-Saan, was a person of interest to the investigation.