ALPHA QUADRANT — In a dramatic turn of events, the USS Astraeus confronted a crisis with Changelings, sparking a tense battle for survival and a daring rescue operation.
The crisis aboard the USS Astraeus escalated when Lt. Cmdr. Esa Kiax, critically injured from an explosion in Operations, was prepped for surgery in Sickbay. The tense atmosphere intensified as Lt. Jamie MacNemar entered the medical bay. Lt. Wyatt Ral, also recovering from the same explosion, immediately sensed something unusual about her. His suspicion was quickly validated when a violent struggle broke out, revealing MacNemar to be a Changeling. The shapeshifter escaped through a ventilation shaft but re-emerged during Kiax’s surgery, this time disguised as Ral. Another struggle ensued, and the Changeling once again fled through the ventilation system.
As the crew grappled with this immediate threat, a dedicated team comprising Lt. Cmdrs. Lael Rosek-Skyfire and Timothy Alentonis, Lt. J.G. Slav Shewytch, and Ens. Gwen’ora Tasen devised a plan to identify any remaining Changelings. Utilizing a biomatter sample gathered from the Captain’s ready room, they detected an isotope, Thelomium-847, unique to the Changelings. This discovery enabled them to scan for the isotope and pinpoint potential infiltrators.
Capt. Mei’konda Delano, determined to uncover the full extent of the Changeling infiltration, contacted the commanding officer of the USS Cole. This conversation revealed the involvement of Jack Crusher and a mysterious individual named Vadic. Acting on this intelligence, Delano received new orders to rendezvous with the Kitty Hawk but prioritized neutralizing the Changelings aboard the Astraeus.
The first Changeling was killed in the Captain’s ready room during an assassination attempt on Delano, while the second was captured in Engineering attempting to access the ship’s systems. Utilizing internal scanners, the crew located the remaining Changelings and beamed them to the Brig, securing the immediate threat.
Amid the unfolding crisis, Delano feared the Changelings planned to disrupt the Frontier Day celebrations. He ordered the Astraeus to return to Earth, enlisting the aid of Kiax, 101, and 000 to replicate Flt. Adm. Tristan Wolf’s command codes. With these, Cmdr. Serala was directed to take command of the USS Chin’toka, still in drydock at the San Francisco Fleet Yards.
As the Chin’toka departed, a new crisis erupted. Certain crew members, including Ens. Divya Tam, Kris Fianna, and 000, were spontaneously assimilated with no apparent cause. Their primary objective became seizing control of the ship, with a secondary mission to “eliminate all unassimilated” personnel. Lt. J.G. Charles Matthews and Rosek-Skyfire, who was injured while protecting Delano, were among those who resisted this new threat.
Investigations revealed that the assimilation virus affected individuals under the age of 25 who had used the transporter in the last three months. The crew, led by Kiax and 101, employed antileptons and the deflector dish to disrupt the Borg signal, successfully freeing the assimilated members.
With the immediate threat neutralized, Delano turned his attention to Sol Station, now under attack. Rosek-Skyfire led the saucer section in a courageous effort to evacuate as many personnel as possible, while the stardrive section and the newly arrived Chin’toka provided cover fire.
Personnel were unavailable to comment at the time of this story, but stay tuned for more as this story develops.
Written by: Lael Rosek-Skyfire
