Episode 05 Before Hell pt. 1

*"I will space you if you harm a single person on this ship."*
—**Yeri Prahl**

## **Plot Synopsis**

### **Brief Overview**

Wellix is found and restrained, and M'Qrell develops plans to create a placebo chip that may help contain his mental deterioration. She also quietly asks Lakat not to bring Rekyu up to Theq again. The next day Lakat visits Cetacean Ops and meets Dr. Yata. During their conversation, he agrees to join her BINGO league in exchange for letting her join in the Odenian races.

Wellix is intalled undercover as a VIP aboard the Ross, and weeks later the ship picks up a distress signal coming from Klingon space. The legality of their rescue is in question, but Azzmi deems it good enough that Captain Sull decides to respond.

The moon, Pa'thor, turns out to be an 8 year old penal colony, under the protection of a Klingon named L'Zhang. Most of the 34 remaining life forms on the planet show traces of Born nanites on the scans. Beaming down to the moon, the crew discovers that the people infected with Born nanites have been liberated from the collective, but abandoned by the Klingon empire. L'Zhang shows the away team around and explains that all the ex-Borg are sick; L'Zhang and his aide, a Klingon named Ch'reQ who was sent by the Klingon Defense Force to make sure none of the infected left the moon, are the only ones unaffected by the illness.

The distress signal, it turns out, has been active for three months, and today the colony's doctor has died from the illness. The crew briefly meets Ch'reQ, and beam the deceased doctor onto the Ross. Captain Sull promises to give whatever aid and supplies they can to the survivors.

While investigating the issue, Theq begins to realize there is something wrong with the regeneration alcoves the ex-Borg still use. Meanwhile, Lakat and Prahl discover that Ch'reQ has disappeared.

### **Pre-Break**

The episode begins a few hours after "SB-24". Dr. Wellix has been found in Biolab 1. Security reports that he was shouting in terrified Romulan and had to be restrained. LTCDR M'Qrell, CAPT Sull, LT Lakat, and LTCDR Prahl meet to discuss the attempted escape. Sull and Prahl are amazed and concerned that Wellix was able to bypass their security protocols even while disoriented. M'Qrell looks at Wellix's brain scans and sees that his brain is still looking for input from the chip that is no longer there; she also sees that the deterioration has progressed. Sull asks M'Qrell for ideas of how to prevent another episode. M'Qrell asks for permission to work with Lakat and MCPO Theq to develop a placebo chip to take the place of the old one.

Sull and Prahl have a private conversation. Prahl says that he is less concerned that Wellix is playing them, but more concerned about ship safety. Sull speculates that Wellix must have very important information that the Tal Shiar don't want getting out. Sull orders Prahl to apply "maximum paranoia" to ensure Wellix is under control. LTCDR EXEO arrives on the scene and offers to watch Wellix all night.

M'Qrell takes Lakat aside to tell her not to mention Theq's brother, Reku, again. Lakat says that she understands that what she said was very bad. M'Qrell says that Theq doesn't fully know how his brother died. She explains that Reku worked under her during the war. She also makes a vague statement about his Reku's ethics. Everyone goes to bed.

The next morning, at the staff meeting, LT Vrenn looks quite haggard from his night of drinking with Theq ("SB-24"). Theq is surprisingly chipper. M'Qrell provides both of them hangover cures. They go over the plan of the day. There is a lot of crew to transfer, and a lot of equipment to install. The ship will depart Starbase 24 in six hours. YEO3 Azzmi has everything going smoothly. Olyn inquires about the status of Wellix. Sull informs the rest of the senior staff about the events of the previous night. EXEO says that she will have a counselling session with Wellix soon. Theq asks for EXEO to look through Dr. Redgrave's research to see if there is anything that might help him with the chip. He also suggests making a holographic interface of Redgrave. As Vrenn and Olyn leave, he whispers to them "it's cool" and walks off.

After the morning briefing, Lakat goes to visit the Odanians inside Cetacean Ops. Lakat meets their chief scientist, Dr. Yata. He invites her to go for a swim. She excitedly heads toward the airlock, where she is greeted by Ensign Ryan Kale. He shows her the new wetsuits he's been working on (complete with propulsion). He also tells her that the Odanians like to race; Lakat decides to ask to join them. Lakat enters the tank, and Yata swims up to her. He says that he is updating the star charts of USS *Ross*, and that his specialty is spatial anomalies. She introduces him to the concept of BINGO. Yata laughs (as much as a cetacean can). Lakat tells him that, in exchange for him playing in her BINGO league, she would like to join in the Odanian's races. He agrees.

They move to the holoprojectors. Yata activates them and a map of the galaxy appears; it zooms in to their current area. It shows all of the known shipping activity, and all of the new data the ship is collecting on nearby systems. The Odanians are updating the information on all the nearby systems on their downtime, for fun. Lakat asks Yata what annoys him the most about speaking with land-walkers. He gives a philosophical reply. Yata expands the galaxy map, and dims the lights. Lakat and he are swimming through a sea of stars. Lakat asks to see Odania, and Yata leads her to it.

The scene jumps forward two weeks. Wellix gets comfortably installed in his quarters. The crew is informed that there is a VIP aboard, who will have a permanent security detail. USS *Ross* is well into Klingon space. On the bridge, Vrenn reports picking up a distress call. Lakat scans for the origin. She identifies that it is from a class L moon in the O'karess system. Access to the system is restricted by the Klingon Empire; there are no details as to why. Olyn says the Klingons might be angry if they enter the system. Sull checks the database on USS *Ross* for any information. The moon shows up in the database as a penal colony that is 8 years old; there is no other information. Permission from the Klingon High Council is required to enter the system. Sull asks Azzmi for the legal priority between distress calls and restricted space. Azzmi says that the law is a little vague, but good enough. Sull orders Vrenn to proceed to the moon.

### **Post-Break**

They arrive in the system a few hours later. Lakat scans for any nearby ships, and finds nothing. Lakat scans the moon's atmosphere, and finds nothing of note. Sull hails the colony and is answered by L'Zhang, a Klingon warrior. He is very surprised to see a Federation vessel responding to his distress signal. He describes himself as the warden of the penal colony. He doesn't specify the nature of the emergency, but he tells them to "come quickly". Lakat scans the moon in detail. There are 34 life-signs; most of them are Klingon, with a couple Humans, Vulcans, and some unknown species. Most of the life-forms also have traces of Borg technology. Sull orders a security team be assembled, and they brief them on the situation.

EXEO, Prahl, M'Qrell, Theq, and Lakat beam down to the moon. Theq is very nervous. EXEO is confident. They see a group of well-constructed houses. Prahl scans for threats; Lakat scans the plant-life. On the bridge, Vrenn reports that the team have arrived safely. Sull tells him to keep an open communications channel, and notes the feeling of Orwell wrapped around their leg. The crew approaches the settlement. They see several Klingons and other species with Borg implants. They are walking around and chatting with each other. EXEO loudly calls out "hello!" to them all. She introduces the crew, and asks to speak to their leader. EXEO is very excited to be on her first alien world. One of the Klingons steps forward and greets them. EXEO informs Sull that the life-forms appear to be liberated Borg.

The Klingon leads them through the village. M'Qrell looks around, and notes that the liberated Borg appear haggard and malnourished. They enter one of the buildings, and see L'Zhang. He explains that he is the caretaker for the ones outside, whom the Klingons call the *ngej*, or "the infected". Theq says they appear to be liberated. L'Zhang scoffs. He explains that the moon is called Pa'thor, which is shorthand for "before *Gre'thor*". Theq and M'Qrell ask about *Gre'thor*. L'Zhang explains that it is where the dishonored go when they die; humans would call it "hell". Lakat asks about the distress call. L'Zhang says that the technology of the colony is failing, and a sickness is spreading among the liberated Borg.

A Klingon ex-Borg steps in, and announces "it's happening!". L'Zhang rushes out. He leads them to a different house. Inside is a dead Klingon ex-Borg. M'Qrell scans him. She discovers that he died recently, and that there is deterioration in his regenerative cells. L'Zhang explains that he is a doctor, and that the Klingon was named Twelve. Twelve had been sick for two weeks. L'Zhang and the other Klingons perform the *heghtay* for him. Theq requests permission to analyze the body. M'Qrell asks how many are sick; L'Zhang says all of the ex-Borg are sick. Only himself and his aide, Ch'reQ are unaffected. He notes that Ch'reQ has gone missing, which is a frequent occurrence. Theq calls up to CPO Singh to prepare to transport the body of Twelve. Theq calls Sull for permission to do so. Sull asks for confirmation that the ex-Borg have been separated from the collective, and then approves.

L'Zhang says he should lead them to Eight, the leader of the ex-Borg. He also says that Two is the second-in-command, and the most sick. L'Zhang starts to speak, but first asks the rest of the ex-Borg to clear out of the room. He explains that Two sometimes has violent mood swings. Two is a former engineer, and is somewhat unstable. He warns them to be careful when speaking to them. Lakat asks L'Zhang if they should track down Ch'reQ. L'Zhang seems unconcerned, but M'Qrell suggests they track him down anyway. L'Zhang explains the situation in detail. The distress signal has been going for three months, with no answer. The original population of the colony was 61; it is now 34. Prahl asks to have a word with Lakat, and they step aside. He asks for her opinion on Ch'reQ; he wants to know why she is suspicious. Lakat says she is suspicious of everything.

L'Zhang says that he will lead them to the community room, where he will introduce them to Eight and Two. EXEO calls Sull to fill them in and to leave an open channel for Sull to listen in.. On the bridge, Sull has lost some control of their pheromones, and the whole bridge is getting anxious. L'Zhang leads them to the community center. M'Qrell asks L'Zhang if the technology failures are related to the sickness. L'Zhang says that he suspects, but Klingon medicine is rather unsophisticated. He rants about the horrible state of medicine in the Klingon Empire. He also complains about his lack of resources on the planet. M'Qrell suggests that USS *Ross* might be able to provide some resources. Theq asks for clarification about the history of the planet, and why the ex-Borg are there.

L'Zhang explains that Pa'thor was never a prison planet. L'Zhang found it as a place to take the *ngej*. The empire designated it as a penal colony to keep others away. L'Zhang explains that the greatest fear of all Klingons is to be assimilated, to become prisoners in their own bodies for all time. The population of the planet are mostly the remaining crew of IKS *T'meq*, where his daughter served as a Bekk. She was the first member of his house to join the warrior caste. IKS *T'meq* encountered a Borg sphere nearby, and attacked it. Klingon Intelligence has provided no information as to how a Borg sphere got so deep into Klingon space. IKS T'meq defeated the sphere, but not before it was incapacitated and half the crew assimilated. L'Zhang used all of his influence to get permission to rescue the remaining crew. His daughter was already dead. He was allowed to bring the survivors to this planet. They have been abandoned by the empire and declared dead. Most of them refuse to take Klingon names.

The door opens, and a large Klingon enters the room. It is Ch'reQ. L'Zhang angrily asks where he's been, and implies that he's probably been drunk. Ch'reQ is dismissive, and he storms out. L'Zhang explains that Ch'reQ is an officer of the Klingon Defense Force. L'Zhang has no authority over him. He has been assigned to ensure none of the *ngej* ever leaves the moon. The door opens again, and Eight walks in. He welcomes them all. M'Qrell says she'd like to see to Two, his second-in-command. He leads M'Qrell and Theq out of the building. Prahl sends his two security officers after them. EXEO asks Sull about their thoughts. Sull is curious why Klingon Intelligence won't explain what happened with the sphere. L'Zhang guesses that the empire didn't want to admit that a Borg sphere got so far inside the empire. Sull says they are currently looking into what supplies they can provide; they ask L'Zhang for a list of what he needs. L'Zhang says he uncomfortable to dishonor himself by appearing desperate. Sull comforts him, saying he has carried out his duties with honor; he thanks them, sincerely.

The scene cuts to M'Qrell and Theq. They walk into a hovel, following Eight. He explains that there is only one working replicator left on the planet. M'Qrell is concerned, but Eight says that over half of the colony still relies on regeneration alcoves. He notes that the alcoves have been displaying irregularities. Eight suggests that Two can help with that; he used to be an engineer. He gestures over to him. Two is lying on a bed, clearly in rough shape. M'Qrell and Theq scan him. The scans show that he is malnourished because the alcove isn't fully regenerating him. He has developed infections around his implants. She also scans Eight, and sees that he is suffering early stages of the same illness. M'Qrell tells Theq that she thinks the root of the problem is with the regeneration alcoves. She calls Sull and asks permission to transport Two to sickbay. M'Qrell and Two both transport to the ship.

Eight leads Theq to the location of the regeneration alcoves. As they enter, Theq sees a Vulcan ex-Borg helping some of the sicker people. He also sees dozens of regeneration alcoves, but only three are active. Theq rushes over to one of the active ones, but the Vulcan grabs him by the shoulder. The security officer charges in, but Eight calms everything down. He explains to the Vulcan, named Nine, that they are here to help. Nine backs down. Theq asks Eight why only three alcoves are functioning. Eight explains that they haven't had any new supplies for over a year. Gradually, the alcoves have been failing. Theq gets an odd feeling that something isn't quite right, but he can't explain it. He scans the alcoves. He detects odd power fluctuations all throughout the alcoves. He determines that he will need a full engineering team to repair them. He determines that the alcoves are not actually providing regeneration to the ex-Borg. Theq looks to Eight and explains that repairs will be a big job. The ex-Borg latch onto the idea of him fixing it and begin to crowd around and cheer him on. Theq quiets them down and asks them about Ch'reQ. Nine says that he hates them.

The scene moves to Prahl, Lakat, EXEO, and a security officer approaching the home of Ch'reQ. Prahl knocks on the door, but gets no response. Lakat scans the house...

no one is inside.

## **Cast**

* Eric Campbell - Game Master
* Revati Dhomse - Jane Lakat
* Gina De Vivo - EXEO (absent)
* Sam de Leve - Azeri Sull
* Aki - Olyn Madzhin-Nil (absent)
* Xander Jeanneret - Theq Lynadas
* Bonnie Gordon - M'Qrell

## **Non-Player Characters**

* Wellix
* Yeri Prahl
* Zhyliss Vrenn
* Azzmi Shanto
* Dr. Yata
* Ryan Kale
* L'Zhang
* Amandeep Singh
* Eight
* Two
* Ch'reQ
* Nine

## **Locations**

* Cetacean Ops
* O'karess system
	+ Pa'thor

## **Notable Lines**

*"I will space you if you harm a single person on this ship."*
—**Yeri Prahl**

*"He was a good person, but not a great one."*
—**M'Qrell** about Reyku Lynadas

*"The opposite of hate is not love, it's curiosity."*
—**Yata**

## **Notes and Trivia**

* 22 Odanians in total have arrived onto the ship, coming aboard at Starbase 24.