RING 42 — Whilst investigate crop failures at a Jem’Hadar colony the crew uncover evidence of sabotage and changeling activity.
The crew of Denali Station continue to help a group of Jem’Hadar who had set up a small farming colony on the Ring, but who had run into difficulties.
Commodore Oddas led a small group to investigate issues the Jem’Hadar were having with their crops. The team with her took soil samples, and it was during that process they discovered a large buried structure. The Starfleet team felt the structure was worthy of further investigation but the prime dismissed it as inconsequential. To avoid a disagreement Lieutenant Commander Williams encouraged the Prime to give him a tour of the facility, along with Cardassian Ambassador Zorkal.
They view the fields and discover that large dragonlike beasts’ prey upon the bovine creatures the Jem’Hadar are raising for food, the Prime explains this is why there is a tower with canons located nearby. As they talk, some of the beasts appear and head for the herd, forcing the team to work the canons and protect the Jem’Hadar’s herd. They successfully drive off the beasts.
Shortly afterwards small transmitter device is discovered, which the Prime determines was made by a changeling. Working on the principle that one is active inside the colony both men alert their compatriots to the possibility.
With the Prime out of the way and the soil samples returned to the Eagle for analysis Commodore Oddas, accompanied by Marine Gunnery Sergeant Hesan, took the opportunity to study the mysterious object. There tricorders are unable to scan the object properly, but they gather enough information for the Commodore to hypothesise that there is some kind of matter energy field surrounding it. With the resources available in the field, Hesan builds a small EMP device and activates it, disabling the barrier along with the Commodore’s artificial arm. A small hatch opens in the object and the pair immediately detect a Dominion energy signature.
Moment later they receive the warning of a possible changeling presence, so decide to investigate inside the object for clues. With the Commodore’s artificial arm still temporarily disabled Hesan enters the object alone, where she discovers tanks holding some kind of liquid, presumably for distribution judging by the accompanying pipework, along with a console that had been used minutes earlier. Concluding there was someone, possibly the changeling, inside the device until moments ago Hesan returns to Oddas to provide an update.
Elsewhere, Ensign Kherys Harper, Doctor Vahin and the Jem’Hadar Lat’ika are attempting to resolve a genetic problem that is making some of the colony regain their dependency on Ketracel White. Vahin insists they can’t use gene therapy and looks for other reasons why the mutation that provides resistance is missing in some of the children. They check out the nursery, but find nothing wrong with any of the chambers. However, in a nearby house they find Jem’Hadar blood. Concerned, they decide to return to the medical facilities to run some test to identify the owner of the blood. Frustratingly, the test on the blood sample does not identify the wounded Jem’Hadar, but just as Harper beamed back to the Eagle the missing Zirik’mal walked in the infirmary. He does not any interest in the blood, but tries to convince the Jem’Hadar children to leave with him. Vahin quickly becomes concerned about the attitude of the old Jem’Hadar, and when the Prime fires an alert for a possible Changeling Intruder, Lat’ika decides to call Bekanar’Klan and inform him about the unidentified blood.
In a different part of the colony Lieutenant Commander Kettick’s team had become trapped in an underground control room, similar to others Drex had encountered on Denali. They make a number of attempts to escape, but none are successful until Nomot and Commander Falt – who was responding to the team’s earlier distress call – reach them. The trapped team manage to open an audio channel and Tanner tells Falt how to create the impulse needed to open the door with his tricorder. The trick works and the officers are finally free. The exit the control room and make there way back to the surface, but discover their exit is now blocked by a wall that was not their previously.
Aboard the Eagle Commander DeVeau joined Sofia Falt in one of the Eagles science labs to help investigate the soil samples. The pair discover a compound in the soil that has only ever been found in ancient ruins of one planet deep within the gamma quadrant. Meanwhile, the bridge crew notices a strange signal. They cannot determine the origin, but are able to conclude the signal is actually data being sent to a cloaked ship, likely associated with the changeling activity on the planet.
With all the teams now finding evidence of changeling activity the race is on to find them before they have chance to finish whatever they are attempting to do. We’ll provide more updates on this dynamic situation as we get them.
Written by: Tomas Falt
