IDRUSTIX, BAROSSA NEBULA – The satellite network containment field put in place by the Trenvonn species has been lifted, allowing the rescue of three Betazoid nobles and Amity personnel.
Idrustix, the colony planet identified by the Betazoid government as its next colony and first in the Delta Quadrant, has become the site of a clash of culture and ethics between the Federation and the isolationist Trenvonn species. The dispute highlights the complications that can occur in first-contact scenarios.
It’s been revealed that the planet’s naturally occurring bacteria named Geobacter Lucia (or “Lucia” for short) was modified centuries ago by the Trenvonn, as one of their experiments to allow their population to ascend to attain “the ascension” – an ultimate cultural goal to achieve a higher level of consciousness for all members of their species through scientific means.
However, their Lucia experiment failed. People that were introduced to the bacteria eventually went mad and died a horrible, slow, painful death. They passed defects on to their children. After the failed experiment, they considered the planet off-limits. Even with their advanced medical knowledge, the Trenvonn have no means to cure the bacteria’s effects. They instead developed a means of eradication.
When the Trenvonn detected recent repeated activity at Idrustix, known to them as “Skraal”, they dispatched a small scientific scout vessel along with a large cruiser to enact eradication protocols. The technocratic species engulfed the planet in a containment field using a network of satellites, trapping three Betazoid colonisation teams on the surface.
The USS Kitty Hawk, in an orbit of Idrustix, was cut off from communicating with team members. Along with Starfleet and Federation Diplomatic Corp personnel, three Betazoid nobles were also trapped – Second House Matriarch Mavenni Siyel, Sixth House Daughter and tabloid magazine baron Lohani Vananth-Polgonz, and Twentieth House Son Ucron Dro. The Trenvonn’s goal was to eliminate the bacteria, along with anyone on the planet infected by it, to ensure it could not spread throughout the Delta Quadrant.
The Trenvonn subsequently deployed unmanned scientific drones from the satellites, with the primary function of eliminating the bacteria using tetryon radiation. They were also tasked with triggering the immune system of each person trapped on the planet to destroy the bacteria present in their body. However, this also had the effect of working against a host and triggering illness, sometimes severe.
While negotiations took place between Ambassador Rivi Vataix and the Trenvonn people in orbit of Idrustix, the colonisation teams led by Starfleet officers fought back. The teams disabled or destroy the drones and ultimately used a shuttle to attack the satellites. It’s understood that the Trenvonn themselves disabled the planetary containment field. They immediately evacuated people trapped on the surface of the planet to the USS Kitty Hawk for assessment and medical treatment.
“Eliminating people as a method of containing a bacterium clearly contradicts Federation ideals,” said Ambassadorial Aide Keehani Ukinix in a short statement. “There was no malice intended by the Trenvonn, they are simply a very scientific and protocol-driven society. In any first contact scenario, there are challenges, and once again the Diplomatic Corp and Starfleet could come to an agreement with a new species. In time, we hope the Federation will have a new friend.”
Written by Kit Ivanovic
