DEMES II – The crew of the USS Excalibur (NCC-41903-A) has returned from undercover after detecting considerable technical and cultural contamination with Federation roots.
Dr Carol Boeschg of the Federation Anthropological Council noted tremendous technological improvements on the pre-warp planet late last year. The FAC had defined Demes II as having a “C” degree of development, however, Boeschg’s team identified “D-minus” and “D” levels emerging on a northern hemisphere peninsula.
Admiral Ambrosius Corvus Regillensis of Starfleet Intelligence, citing external involvement in the Borderlands as a possible threat to the Federation, directed the crew of the Excalibur to investigate. Several top staff members went undercover as Demesians to investigate the origins of technology developments and avoid future contamination.
However, only a few weeks into the three-month mission, the crews uncovered some startling discoveries: Federation industrial replicators, soil reclamators, subspace communications equipment, and, perhaps most surprisingly, two Starfleet crewmen who’d been trapped on Demes II for fifteen years.
“I was on a mission to build an underground listening station on Demes II,” Mike Kallas, a former Starfleet radio specialist, explained. “There was a cave-in, and a couple of us became stuck. Our spacecraft had departed orbit by the time we tunnelled to the surface. We were the only ones.”
Kallas and communications expert Dalon Grau served aboard the USS Rampart under Regillensis’ command at the time of their stranding on Demes II. In 2384, Regillensis claimed that both officers were slain in action on an Orion Syndicate-controlled planet.
While the teams on Demes II tried to seize the technology without revealing their actual identity, the surviving Excalibur crew understood the depth of Regillensis’ participation and hurried to catch him. They also learned that one of the officers killed in the demolition of the USS Resolution (NCC-78145) was Regillensis’ long-lost son, implying that the Excalibur was chosen for this mission for personal reasons.
After apprehending Regillensis, the Excalibur returned to Demes II under the leadership of Cmdr. Genkos Adea to rescue the covert crew. While the majority of the crew returned to the ship in good condition, Boeschg was briefly blinded and Chief Operations Officer Cmdr. Karrod Niac suffered a significant thigh injury. Lt. JG Tina Kuppasoop, a tactical officer, is still missing.
The crew is now faced with the task of disposing of the 700 pieces of Federation technology discovered on Demes II while also averting additional harm to the planet’s inhabitants.
“Unfortunately, we are unable to undo what has been done,” stated Lt. Etan Iljor, Chief Science Officer. “But I feel we now have a responsibility to the inhabitants of Demes II. We cannot simply abandon them to figure out technologies that they do not comprehend. It would be wicked and cold-hearted to do so. I feel we have a responsibility to assist this species progress in a positive way.”
Despite the challenging path ahead, the team was upbeat about the future.
“We were taken to the freezer and burnt,” tactical officer Lt. JG Vitor Silveira stated. “However, we have an amazing team that can slice through ice and difficulties.”
Written by Yogan Yalu
