USS Atlantis History

## **Stardate 2391.03.08 - 2391.03.16**

Slowly the crew was being rounded up and the U.S.S. Atlantis was ready to embark on her first journey into the stars. Captain Essar Quinn, the commanding officer of this Akira class vessel, gave the necessary orders and the ship was on her way.

The crew members got settled in and were starting to get to know their new colleagues, chiefs, assistants and friends. While the First Officer was checking up on every department, the Commanding Officer called for the first senior staff meeting aboard the Atlantis.

After some of the crewmembers had enjoyed a late lunch with the Captain in the mess hall, it was time for the meeting. The senior officers all gathered in the conference room and all anxiously awaited the mission briefing. At precisely 1600 the Commanding Officers welcomed everyone aboard and started to talk about the mission. The mission briefing was short, which worried some of the crew, including the Captain himself. All the briefing contained was that they were to pick up a diplomatic attaché, led by Ambassador Von Klinkerhoffen, on Deep Space Nine and then proceed through the wormhole to a planet called "Draysus IV" in the Draysus system. The race in the Draysus system asked for membership of the Federation and the diplomatic attaché were sent to explore the possibilities of an alliance or treaty.

## **Stardate 2391.03.16 - 2391.03.17**

The Atlantis finally arrived at Deep Space Nine and she was in the edge of adventure. The Captain sat in his Ready Room sifting through all the paperwork, to make sure the Atlantis could depart on schedule the next day. There were a few crew changes, this including a replacement for the Second Officer position. Essar Quinn was sorry to see Fin Dextorianis leave his command staff, but was glad to get a competent officer in return, Lieutenant Commander Charlile.

## **Stardate 2391.03.17 - 2391.03.18**

Ambassador Von Klinkerhoffen arrived along with her diplomatic attaché, Demeterius, and they had a short introduction meeting with the Captain. When all was done, the Atlantis could embark on schedule for her mission to the Gamma Quadrant.

The trip through the wormhole was quick and without any problems. At the exit point a Draysian warship, the Cricket under the command of Chief Magistrate Lmor', was waiting for the Atlantis to escort them to Draysus IV. The journey was uneventful but that soon came to an end. The moment the two ships dropped out of warp, weapons fire was detected and sensors showed an unknown vessel firing at the surface of Draysus IV. The Draysian warship quickly moved to the alien vessel at full impulse, with the Atlantis in pursuit not long after. The Cricket engaged the vessel, but they unfortunately were no match for them, and got quickly disabled with much damage.

The decision was though, but necessary. The Atlantis raised their shields, powered up weapons and engaged the alien vessel under the command of Captain Essar Quinn. The first pass had disabled the vessel's propulsion systems, but it had only grazed the weapon systems. The alien vessel returned the favor, making a few torpedoes impact near the Atlantis' engines and left nacelle. This took the Atlantis into a spin, though easily recovered into a steady position by Charlile at Helm. The second pass was enough to take out their weapons systems. Essar ordered the ship to fly head on towards the alien vessel and dive underneath their belly just in time. The maneuver was executed into perfection by Charlile and Raynor, the Security Tactical Chief, quickly disabled their weapons systems leaving them dead in space.

Since there was no reply from the Draysian warship, an away team, lead by First Officer Luke Gerard, was sent to the Cricket to investigate. He took a medical team and Security Tactical Chief James Raynor along with him.

Aboard the U.S.S. Atlantis things are subdued and tense. Repairs have been conducted by the Engineering Team with assistance from the Emergency Engineering Hologram; the vessels starboard nacelle was hit and damaged by a hostile alien vessel firing upon Draysius IV. It has been repaired to a ninety-four percentile. Minimal repairs are being conducted on the rest of the U.S.S. Atlantis by Engineering Teams and warp power has been shut down to bring power up to one-hundred percent on the starboard nacelle. An annoyance has sprung upon the bridge committed by Attaché Demeterius sniffing around where he ought not to be. All though considered annoying by Captain Essar Quinn and Lieutenant Commander Ellie Charlile he is trying to assist them by sifting through files in hopes of finding out that the destroyed alien hostiles were. The Away Team led by Commander Luke Gerard with assistance from Lieutenant James Raynor and a medical team has just returned from the Cricket with grave news and the wounded. The wounded have been transported to Sickbay and the medical team led by Dr. Charles Patrick Ryan and Dr. Chantell Boudrelli have started to assess and heal the injuries.

Aboard the Darysian War craft Cricket Chief Magistrate Lmor' and his officials have started repairs on their crumbling ship. It is doubtful that the vessel will ever run again but he is trying none-the-less. Before leaving the DWC Cricket Commander Luke Gerard and Lieutenant James Raynor attempted to find out why Chief Magistrate Lmor' destroyed the vessel that had been attacking Draysius IV even though it had been disabled. The Commander and Lieutenant were rebuked in answers by nothing but arrogance. The wounded have been taken aboard the U.S.S. Atlantis. Lmor's Second Official has also gone over to the U.S.S. Atlantis both for protection of the Draysian Officials and for spying.

Without being able to trust the Draysians, the crew of the U.S.S. Atlantis has taken precautions. The Operations, Security and Tactical and Science departments are working together to find out everything they can about the Draysians. But...when they scanned the surface, they found out there was some sort of force field on the Draysian planet. It was obvious the Draysians didn't like to share everything with Starfleet...Now that conventional scanners can't penetrate the force field; the crew has to think about something else...

Meanwhile, the diplomatic corps, consisting of Ambassador Von Klinkerhoffen, Attaché Demetrius, and Commander Gerard, are preparing to go down to the planet, to discuss the Draysians admittance to the Federation. But they keep asking themselves this one question: Why do the Draysians want to join?

The last place the crew of the Atlantis would want to be, is the place they are now... in orbit of Draysius Prime. None aboard had any faith left in any success of this so-called diplomatic mission. Ambassador Von Klinkerhoffen, her attaché Demetrius and Commander Gerard had beamed down to the surface for a meeting with the Draysian diplomats. Though, seeing how they handled their disputes with other races, they started to wonder if there actually were any friendly feelings beneath their stubborn and arrogant appearance.

## **Stardate 2391.03.18 - 2391.03.23**

Waking up in the middle of the night is never a joyous occasion, especially if the reason in murder. Chief Petty Officer Bodriz discovered a young crewman, strangled to death on C deck. The Security Tactical Chief, James Raynor, was at the scene rapidly and shortly after informed the Commanding Officer, who in his turn called the Chief Engineering Officer to the spot. Now the trio stands amidst a difficult situation, with the Draysian government and the hostile stowaway on one side and the tired, confused crew of the U.S.S. Atlantis on the other side. The investigation is now well on the way, lead by the Security Tactical Chief, and the Chief Engineering Officer is checking the sections for probable sabotage.

Little do they know of the threat lurking behind the second moon of Draysius Prime. A small fleet waiting for their chance to engage the Atlantis, with a short-fused and ill-tempered high commander in charge.

The murder investigation was well on the way on the Atlantis and soon the intruder had been found. Together with the Security Tactical Chief and a few security crewmen, Commanding Officer Essar apprehended the Draysian intruder. Unfortunately the chance of interrogation was not present, the Draysian bit through a suicide cap and was dead within the second.

But some other strange things were happening as well. The diplomatic away team on the surface was now cut off from the Atlantis by a force field and signals were picked up, indicating a cloaked fleet near the second moon of Draysius Prime. The Captain quickly called a meeting to investigate the possibilities. Soon the decision was made to prepare a shuttlecraft for implementing the scatter grid and using the shuttle as a magnifying glass for the transporter.

## **Stardate 2391.03.23 - 2391.03.28**

The U.S.S. Atlantis has previously fled Draysian Space with minimal damage to the vessel. Repairs had been conducted and have been completed. All of the away teams returned either unharmed or with minor injuries. Things, it seems, are finally slowing down.

Starfleet has sent the crew of the U.S.S. Atlantis numerous presents as of late. With the arrival of the Security and Tactical Chief Lieutenant, Commander Leon Nefertii also comes the newest experimental shuttle known as the Gamma Flyer. It is the only one in the fleet as of late and has been specially designed for the U.S.S. Atlantis who will test its capabilities in the large expanse known as the Gamma Quadrant.

Numerous promotions have occurred aboard the Atlantis; Ensign John Stalker has been promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade and transferred to the Operation Department as Chief of Operations. Lieutenant Commander Ellie Charlile has been promoted to Commander and given the position of First Officer while Lieutenant Alfred Torn has been promoted to Lieutenant Commander and given the position of Second Officer while sustaining his position as Chief Engineering Officer.

But recent events have called for a recent departure of one of the Command staff. Captain Essar Quinn has been promoted to Commodore and transferred back to Earth, Sector 001, where he will take over the position of Assistant Chief of Starfleet Operations due to his Bajoran background. Thus causing double promotions for those on the Command Team. Lieutenant Commander Alfred Torn has been promoted once again to Commander and given the position of First Officer, while Commander Ellie Charlile has been promoted once more as well to Captain and given command of the U.S.S. Atlantis.

As of late things are subdued with the crew buzzing about the recent promotions, new crew, departing crew, and new technology, but all this will end soonÂ…StarfleetÂ’s orders are on their way!

## **Stardate 2391.03.28**

With the implementation of new protocols and rules the crew of the U.S.S. Atlantis have been buzzing around their departments to get it in order for the impending inspection conducted by the Command Team themselves.

All senior staff have been working diliigently on reports and handing them in to Commander Alfred Torn, First Officer of the Atlantis; or Captain Ellie Charlile, Commanding Officer.

As of late things are busy, yet uneventful. Expirements are in progress, cleanups are being conducted and everybody is just getting prepared for a very hectic week of duties.

Recent promotions include Lieutenant Circe Pilkington being promoted to Lieutenant Commander along with the upgrade to Second Officer while sustaining her position as Chief of Counselling Services aboard the U.S.S. Atlantis. This recent promotion is exciting to the Command Team due to the lack of a Second Officer for just about a week. Ellie is extremely happy to get another woman on the team which will leave Al the odd man out.

In Main Engineering, more specifically in the Chief Engineer's Office, there was a heated debate of whether the U.S.S. Atlantis's security department actually new their way around the vessel, for a team of three personnel; one Ensign and two Crewman, stumbled into the office after getting lost in the jefferies shafts of the vessel. As of now they have vacated Main Engineering leaving Ensign Leo Montgomery, Acting Chief of Engineering, questioning the capabilities of the security department of the U.S.S. Atlantis. Perhaps Lieutenant Commander Leon Nerfertii should be advised?

The senior staff and their assistants have been briefed on the up and coming mission. Most seem content with the thought of a scientific or research mission, while others, see it fit to turn everything into a battle.

Each department has been given orders and the breifing has concluded. Returning to their stations, each officer starts to organize and plot their method for this up and coming mission. While the Engineering, Science, and Security departments begin their inspections.

All inspections seem to be going well and are moving rather rapidly. It would seem that the departments were well prepared and organized for such an action by the Command Team...although most are reluctant to accept this new aspect of their job.

The vessel is en-route to the mysterious nebula but is suddenly awoken by a distress call from an unknown alien vessel. Captain Charlile as ordered the Atlantis towards the coordinates of the disabled vessel to investigate what may have happened.

It is a stalemate effort on one end of the rope. A nouse that needs no help in being drawn accross the neck of an alien vessel known as the Imperial Merchant Vessel: Kokomo. This vessel is part of an alien species known as the Furewardo Afutso. The Kokomo, after being attacked by a pirate vessel, has become disabled and has lost main power and is running on below nominal life support.

The crew of the U.S.S. Atlantis has disengaged their course heading to their primary mission, a nebula that Starfleet Science Corps. would like investigated, studied, and recorded (even named); and have adjusted course to intercept with the coordinates of the disabled Kokomo after receiving the vessel's distress call.

It is at this moment that negotiations are under way to assist the remaining crew of the Kokomo any way the Atlantis can. Medical departments are standing by to receive the injured but there is one small problem...a certain lack in trust.

The crew of the Kokomo, led by a loyal Voice of the Light Nojoy Megomo, has refused aid from the Atlantis and has ordered she and her crew out of a region now known as the Sphere of Influence.

The Atlantis, not wanting to see any harm come to this vessel or its crew, backs off to show it's friendlyness and later reestablishes contact where they are now engaged in a stalemate negotiation.

Lifesupport is failing, and unless the crew of the Atlantis can turn the tides...all might be lost. Just as things begin to look good for the Kokomo, two Dominion Scouts arrive and begin an attack. The Borhyas and Atlantis defend the injured ship, but a strike gets through and the Kokomo explodes. Several members of the crew are saved by an emergency transport and the Dominion vessels are destroyed.

The Furewardo Afutso fleet have arrived and are standing by to take charge of the survivors and enter negotiations with the Federation.

LT Jaden Trioska accompanies the Furewardo Afutso as a Liaison from the Federation. It seems that this mission can be deemed a success

## **Stardate 2391.04.18 - 2391.04.19**

In orbit of Tau Epsilon 4 for a general survey, the crew of the Atlantis prepares for some much needed shore leave. Their rest is interrupted by a radiation leak in Engineering and the hijacking of the Atlantis.

The Atlantis and her crew are brought to the dead world identified as Ogawachi Prime by the hijackers. Three shape-shifting androids sent out to find a cure for a viral infection killing the Creators.

No life-signs are found on the planet's surface, a fact the androids refuse to accept. A shuttle is dispatched to the surface and crashes killing all aboard.

A second away team is sent to the surface. They locate some ruins and explore a fault-line and an underground bio-weapons lab.

Finally accepting the reality that they have failed their mission, the androids shut themselves down after returning control of the ship to the crew.

## **Stardate 2391.04.21 - 2391.05.11**

Interlude, during which:

Warning marker bouys were deployed near Ogawachi Prime containing all known data about the virus on the planet.

The crew conducted memorial services and had shore leave on Tau Epsilon 4 before bidding farewell to several members of the crew transfering back to the Alpha Quadrant.

Now we wait for new crew to arrive before continuing our exploration of the Gamma Quadrant.

## **Stardate 2391.05.28**

**Episode 4: Ghost Ship**

While cataloguing a nearby nebula, the USS Atlantis received an automated distress call. However, the source of the distress call could not be spotted on sensors. When the Atlantis finally entered visual range and dropped out of warp, it was clear that no one could be alive on this derelict ship they had encountered. And yet this was the source of the distress call. Captain Torn ordered Commander Velden to investigate the derelict, while taking extensive security measures -- hence the rich abundance in security officers on the Away Team. Radiation from a nearby nebula made it impossible to get a transporter lock on the derelict vessel, so it was decided to go by shuttle. The team, consisting of FO Commander Velden, aCEO Lieutenant Montgomery and CSO Lieutenant Jomorr, ASTC Ensign Sigitar, ACONN Ensign Andersson and nurse Waldau, along with four junior security officers, boarded the Gamma Flyer Borhyas, equipped with environmental suits. The ride was cramped, but didn't take long.

The Borhyas was unable to dock at the derelict ship at first, due to the lack of power on the alien vessel. Lieutenants Jomorr and Montgomery beamed aboard with a portable generator and after they supplied the docking ports with power, the Borhyas was able to dock. The away team disembarked the shuttle and began to investigate. The ship, however, didn't turn out to be so devoid of activity as it had appeared. Strange lights appeared, strange shrieks were heard and all the while, the tricorders picked up nothing. Two security officers died -- the cause of death: unknown. Lights went out, a ghost appeared, corridors seemed to be moving on their own, while a recording on an alien Padd, found on the derelict vessel, laid bare the final screams of another doomed crew. On top of that, when the away team returned to investigate the body of one of the dead security officers further... The body was no longer there.

Communication with the Atlantis was also no longer possible. Something was interfering, but it was impossible to ascertain what exactly. Meanwhile on the Atlantis, the away team's life signs were no longer detectable. Mystified by the sudden loss of contact and life signs, Captain Torn sent two other away teams to the derelict ship to find out what had happened. These teams set foot on the derelict vessel, determined to find out what happened to the first away team -- but they, too, quickly began to understand why this alien vessel may with good reason be called... A Ghost Ship.

The second away team consisted of ASTC Ensign Nylén, ACONN Ensign Fletcher, ACOUNS Ensign Boisseau and three security officers, while the third team, ordered to set up communications equipment and transporter enhancers, consisted of Conn officer Lieutenant Singh, ASTC Ensign Perez, ACEO Lieutenant junior grade Xiox, ACMO Ensign Thomas, and Ambassador Von Klinkerhoffen, who had stowed away on the shuttle to find out what happened herself.

The moment the teams boarded the derelict, the Atlantis lost life sign readings for all members of the away teams. As with the first team, it also became impossible to communicate with the teams. Furthermore, the recently arrived away teams found that once they had split up, they could no longer contact the members of another away team.

It became clear very quickly that the derelict was covered with an odd "goo"-like substance on all surfaces. Not long after their arrival the members of the away teams began to hallucinate, seeing lights and people that couldn't appear in that cold, harsh vacuum-filled environment. Most unnerving of all was the fact that several security personnel have met horrible deaths in the dark. The only clues as to the cause of their deaths were screams for help and a look of fear on the faces of the security officers. Not long thereafter, those same dead crewmates have been seen walking the corridors ... and attacking their former team mates.

On board the Atlantis, word of the disappearances was spreading among the crew while the few remaining officers worked to discover a way to locate the missing personnel. While the EMH and his orderly prepared the sickbay for either massive trauma or autopsies ... Captain Torn and the bridge officers (including Bart the Bartender) came up with a plan to send a command shuttle and a remote-controlled shuttle to try and get close to the derelict. Holly the brave EEH, it was agreed, was going to be accompanied by Bart the Bartender to control the remote shuttle.

Struggling their way through the derelict ship, plagued by frightening hallucinations and illusions, the three away teams were finding it increasingly difficult to stay sane and do what they came on the ship to do. The first away team, led by Commander Velden, was forced to use violence against members of their own team -- security officers who previously died on the ship and who have apparently been turned into living dead... Zombies if you will. Not only that, but these zombies turned out to be hostile. The four junior security officers they boarded the derelict ship with, had now all died and zombified. On top of that, Ensign Sigitar, the last remaining security officer of the first away team, had been lost exploring a corridor that seemed to have vanished in this air.

The second and third team had not yet encountered the zombies, but they did encounter various hallucinations. Team three, having arrived at what seemed to be the Bridge of this derelict vessel, managed to get a communications console to work, and they received a message from Captain Torn, saying that the Atlantis was abandoning them. What they didn't know was that the Captain never sent such a message. It was almost like the alien ship had a mind of its own...

Meanwhile, the Atlantis launched two shuttles: one unoccupied and remotely controlled by the other shuttle, which was manned by the EEH and Bart the Bartender, the two holograms whose programs had been back-upped before they left, just in case something went wrong. During their flight, the shuttle lost contact with the remote shuttle and was hit by ionic discharges from the ion cloud. The shuttle was severely damaged and the holo-emitters could no longer sustain the programs of Bart and the EEH. The interference and the ionic discharges caused the two holographic matrices to merge by accident, and soon a new hologram was formed out of the other two: not Bart, not the EEH, but a combination of both of them. This new hologram, essentially a glitch, managed to pilot the shuttle back to the Atlantis. The fate of this new hologram was still unknown at this time. It was up to Captain Torn to decide whether this hologram was allowed to stay... or whether it should be deleted.

Still trying to find their way out of the derelict ship, the three away teams' efforts were hampered by various hallucinations and by formerly-living members of their own teams. Dead security officers tried to kill the rest of the away teams, too, which would lead to them becoming zombies as well. While team two was hopelessly lost and team one was still unaware of the other teams' attempts to locate and rescue them, team three seemed to have made some progress: on the Bridge of this derelict vessel, they seemed to have found a command console. Unfortunately, a member of their team died and turned into a zombie, bent on killing his former colleagues. Team three had no choice but to run for their lives.

Meanwhile, the first team, after having narrowly escaped a number of such zombies, had discovered an energy signal that belonged to what appeared to be a transporter. Although it was a good bet that this was a trap, they couldn't just stay where they were. On their way to the transporter, they encountered an active console -- something that seemed impossible on a ship previously thought to be without power. One of their subsequent less pleasant discoveries was that of a nearly-decayed body in an access tube. The alien seemed to have committed suicide; possibly to avoid being turned into a zombie by whatever life forms there were on this ship. And there had indeed been life forms, the team discovered. Although the tricorders didn't register them, the telepathic Lieutenant Jomorr sensed that there were life forms everywhere around them.

An argument led to the splitting up of the first away team: Ensign Andersson was nowhere to be found, and Lieutenant Jomorr joined Commander Velden in his search for their missing crewmember. Lieutenant Montgomery and nurse Waldau stayed behind, after Montgomery had questioned the wisdom of Velden's emotional decision.

While the first and second teams failed to get off the ship, the third team had opted for a more radical approach: shooting the bulkheads proved highly effective to get off the ship, for Lieutenant Singh was inadvertently blown into space. He used the thrusters of his environmental suit to gain access to one of the docked shuttles, and went back to retrieve the rest of his team. The other members of his team used the same tactic and floated into space not long after Singh had informed them that their rescue vehicle was standing by. All of the remaining members of team three were eventually picked up, along with the zombie that had once been part of their team. In a desperate attempt to save his team-mates from the murderous zombie, doctor Thomas pushed both him and the zombie out into space.

On the Atlantis, it proved impossible to establish contact with the shuttle. Captain Torn decided to arrange a meeting with the few members of the senior staff they had left on the ship, to discuss their options -- if there were any.

Having found a functioning transporter device, Velden, Jomorr and Andersson used it to beam Jomorr and Andersson to the Borhyas. At that moment, however, zombies entered the room and pinned Velden to the slimy wall, preventing his escape. The dead officers cried out for sustenance and were terribly unnerved to witness the departure of Jomorr and Andersson. Getting an involuntary close look at the zombies, Velden learned that the bodies of the zombies were decaying and turning into the very same slimy substance that covered every surface throughout the derelict ship.

But not only zombies roamed the derelict vessel. A ghost, the essence of a former crewmember, also wandered the corridors, always on the run for the zombies, always having to continue to exist with the knowledge of what had become of her. She was Jess N. Aleutian, doomed to roam the ship forever. It was she who entered the transporter room on the derelict vessel and met Velden, who was still pinned against the wall, moments away from dying himself. It was she who explained to the Commander that the derelict ship was inhabited by alien beings who had to assume physical shape in order to fly and control their ship. Killing exploring away teams and taking over their bodies, the aliens were able to send out distress calls to lure more unexpecting victims for them to kill and inhabit their bodies.

However, the dead bodies could only supply the energy beings with a limited amount of sustenance. When one of the aliens takes over such a dead body, the body invariably starts to decay and gradually turns into the goo that covers the walls; ultimately, the alien can no longer sustain the decaying shape, and is forced to leave the body in search for new bodies to inhabit. The bodies decay quicker if they have to absorb large quantities of energy, such as phaser fire.

The zombies demanded that Velden contacted the Atlantis in order to bring more crew aboard: more sustenance, more bodies for the aliens to kill and take over. Velden refused, and was nearly killed by the zombies because of his refusal. Fortunately, Andersson and Jomorr weren't doing nothing either; they were trying to beam Velden out of the situation he was in. Sensors functioned poorly due to the radiation of the nearby nebula and due to the fact that the slimy goo repelled sensor scans. They finally succeeded in beaming someone to the Borhyas, but it was not Velden; it was one of the zombies. After disposing of him by beaming him into space, the barely functioning sensors showed that Velden was no longer in the transporter room: he had made use of the distraction, and, together with Aleutian, fled the scene.

They ran into Lieutenant Montgomery and nurse Waldau, who had come in search for Velden and the rest of the team. They weren't able to run far, however, because the four of them were quickly trapped again by the zombies. Lurching forward at one of the zombies, Velden created a distraction that saved the lives of Montgomery and Waldau (they were beamed out), but could end his.

Surrounded by four zombies, Velden set his phaser to overload, and thrust it with force into the already half decayed clay-like face of one of the zombies. Turning quickly, he took cover behind one of the other zombies, before the blast vaporised most of one of the dead security officers, and severely harmed the others; or at least, threw them off guard long enough for Velden to back away and be beamed out by the team on the Borhyas. Aleutian, being immaterial and incapable of either being harmed by the zombies or leaving the ship, was left behind, knowing that she had helped at least one crew avoid the same fate as the crew she herself served with so long ago.

After recovering team two, the Borhyas set course for the Atlantis, leaving the derelict vessel for good. The third away team was already out of the ship, but one of the zombies had followed them to their shuttle. After a struggle, the ex-crewmember was beamed into space, and the away team returned to the Atlantis as well. Many crewmembers had died, but many were thankfully still alive. While the Atlantis warped away from the ghost ship, the emotional healing process of the away team members could begin.

## **Stardate 2391.08.27 - 2392.04.20**

Episode 5 - Rest, Refit and Relaxation

At Stardate 2391.08.27, Captain Torn received a subspace message from Admiral Barclay. The message stated that the Atlantis had been chosen to participate in the second stage of the Transwarp project. Field tests on the USS Calhoun had been encouraging, and Barclay had now received authorisation from Starfleet command to create a special task force of transwarp capable ships. The Atlantis was to be part of this task force. This transwarp task force, dubbed "Frontier Fleet", would consist of the USS Calhoun, the USS Epimetheus, the USS Odyssey, USS Valkyrie and the USS Atlantis. Pandora Station would be the fleet's headquarters.

The Atlantis was ordered to head towards the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards in orbit of Mars, where the ship would undergo a six-month refit to make her ready for transwarp. The Atlantis arrived there at 2391.09.08, and after a brief inspection from Admiral Barclay the following day, shore leave began for the crew. For six months, the crew would spend most of their time away from the ship they had grown to call home.

For many crewmembers, shore leave was a time of rest and relaxation. Lieutenant j.g. Leo Montgomery and Ensign Zoë Vil, for instance, went on a romantic trip to Deneva in order to spend Christmas with Montgomery's parents. Their method of transportation was slightly unusual, however: they booked passage on a Tellarite cargo ship which just happened to go in that direction after having delivered a shipment of Targ manure to Mars.

For other crewmembers, shore leave was as hectic as normal duty was. First officer Commander Velden quickly found that out when Starfleet sent him to command school to brush up on his command skills. Returning to the Academy with him was tactical officer Sh'lin, who was going to be trained as a transporter operator. After intensive training at the Academy, Commander Velden then sat out the rest of his shore leave in active duty as First Officer of the USS Escher.

Lieutenants Andersson and Jomorr paid a visit to the surface of Mars, but not for the view; they went to the family of one of the security officers, Oscar, who got killed during the mission to the ghost ship. They found out that Oscar's wife had filled the void that Oscar's death left behind by sleeping with another man -- something Lieutenant Andersson got angry about.

Shore leave was eventful for other crewmembers as well. Lieutenant Fletcher was involved in a shoot-out in a high-class restaurant on Earth (a rare event indeed), and Captain Torn, who remained on the Atlantis, received a visit from his wife.

In the end, every crewmember returned to the Atlantis a wiser person. After six months, the transwarp drive had been installed, and the crew was more than ready to get underway again. It was high time to once again go to the Gamma Quadrant... and explore the frontier.

## **Stardate 2392.04.25 - 2392.04.26**

Episode 6 - Torn Away

With the refit complete, the USS Atlantis, now outfitted with a brand new transwarp engine, is launched once again from the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards orbiting Mars, as a proud member of the Frontier Fleet, Starfleet's new transwarp task force. Eager to put the new engine to the test, the crew of the Atlantis set out to continue exploring the Gamma Quadrant. After a shakedown cruise of a week, the Atlantis was in a system where no one had been before...

...Well, that was not entirely true. Sensors registered nearly-decayed warp trails, but they were already a month old. There were no ships in the area; only a class-A star, two gas giants and a bunch of moons, none of which seemed to contain life. There was also a nebula, which the Atlantis would avoid because it would wreak havoc with the transwarp engines due to its subspace inhibiting properties.

All was quiet, and Captain Torn had just gone off-duty, when Lieutenant Jomorr detected an odd phenomenon: a subspace rift was forming on board the Atlantis. It was gone again as quickly as it came into being. It quickly became apparent that the rift had appeared in a turbolift: the very turbolift Captain Torn had entered only moments ago when leaving the Bridge. Not only was the rift gone... But so was the Captain.

While the crew, stumped and a little scared after the inexplicable vanishing act, struggled to find out what happened to the Captain, Alfred Torn found himself in a white, triangular room. He was not on the Atlantis anymore, but instead had been transported to a prison cell of some sort. There, he was surprised to see that Captains Kane, Janssens and Sarin, commanding Pandora Station, the USS Epimetheus and the USS Calhoun respectively, had been transported here as well. To make matters worse, the Admirals in charge of the Frontier Fleet (Admirals Barclay, Tir and Graag) as well as the Captains of the Odyssey (Captain Bennek) and the Valkyrie (Captain Bennek) found themselves abducted and transported to this triangular prison, just like Captain Torn had experienced. Now, all commanding officers of the Frontier Fleet had arrived, all against their will, and none of them had a clue as to who their captors were or what they wanted. One thing was certain, though: their presence here could not be a coincidence. Their capture must have something to do with the new transwarp fleet.

The crew on the Atlantis, meanwhile, had not made any progress in finding out what had happened to the Captain. Before they could analyse the telemetry of their scans, sensors indicated that another subspace rift was forming; this time outside and in front of the Atlantis. Another one appeared, and one more. Soon enough, a few dozen small subspace rifts had opened in front of the Starship.

And then they all began to fire. Energy pulses, torpedoes of some sort, emerged from the rifts and impacted the Atlantis' shields. The individual weapons were weak, but the rifts were great in number, and soon the space between the Atlantis and the rifts was filled with dozens, if not hundreds of torpedoes. It didn't take long for the Atlantis to start sustaining serious damage.

The rifts would not acknowledge hails, so in an attempt to defend themselves, the Atlantis crew opened fire at the rifts. When hit by a phaser beam or a torpedo, such a rift quickly disappeared, and for a moment the Atlantis seemed able to resolve this fight relatively quickly. Unfortunately, when one rift disappeared, another took its place. It became clear that the Atlantis would have a hard time collapsing all the rifts. In fact, it seemed totally impossible. Warping away was not a solution either, because the subspace rifts were disrupting subspace, making it impossible to form a stable warp- or transwarp field.

The nearby nebula, however, could be reached at impulse speed in fifteen minutes. Its subspace disrupting properties would, in theory, prevent the subspace rifts from forming inside the nebula. The Atlantis would be safe there. The order was quickly given to take the Atlantis into the nebula, but the rifts were still pounding the ship with their weapons -- the Atlantis might not even survive those fifteen minutes.

The ride towards the nebula was a perilous one. The Atlantis sustained heavy damage, even though the Gamma Flyer Borhyas was launched to help out. As the battle ensued, Lieutenant Jomorr launched several probes to find out more about the subspace rifts. Ultimately, both the Borhyas and the Atlantis were severely damaged... But they did reach the nebula. The gambit had paid off: the subspace rifts could not appear inside the nebula, and so the Atlantis crew found time to assess their situation, begin repairs and mourn the lives that had been lost during the latest attack.

But outside the nebula, the rifts were still waiting. Should the Atlantis leave the nebula, they would destroy the Starship. After spending a little time inside the nebula, however, the crew found out that staying inside might destroy them as well -- from within the confines of the sensor-scattering nebula, two Dominion war ships emerged and hailed the Atlantis. The Vorta in charge, a man called Volnaran, told the Atlantis crew that they were in Dominion space and they should leave immediately... Or be destroyed.

Captain Torn and the other commanding officers from the Frontier Fleet were, meanwhile, facing problems of their own. They found out they were held captive by beings who lived inside the transwarp domain. It turned out that thousands of these aliens have died during recent years... And that the transwarp drives installed in the USS Calhoun and the USS Epimetheus were responsible. Because transwarp engines were the cause of the deaths of these aliens, they did not take kindly to the formation of the transwarp-capable Frontier Fleet. In fact, they saw the launch of the transwarp vessels as a direct attack on their realm, and decided to intervene before many more casualties fell. In retaliation, they now held the commanding officers of the Frontier Fleet captive, and were busy attacking all transwarp-capable ships to make sure the Federation would never launch such an attack on their realm again.

As punishment, the aliens sent the Captains and Admirals into a deadly maze which presented the officers with hopes of escape which always proved to lead them into even greater trouble. The group of officers got separated, and Captain Torn found himself nearly drowning itogether with several other captains in what seemed like an inky version of water. The Admirals and Captain Janssens had managed to escape death by drowning, but were now on the run from something that sounded like an angry animal running after them.

But while Captain Torn and his group barely escaped death by climbing out of the water, one of the Admirals was not so lucky. When Captain Janssens pulled a lever to open a hatch, the maze responded not by opening the hatch, but by dropping a large stone on top of Admiral Graag -- the Tellarite was dead in an instant.

Unaware of the perilous situation of the Frontier Fleet command staff, the crew of the Atlantis tried to convince the Vorta, Volnaran, to allow them to stay inside the nebula, even though this was Dominion space. With Commander Velden temporarily unable to get to the Bridge due to malfunctioning turbolifts, it was up to Lieutenant Andersson to keep the Vorta busy. thinking quickly, she adopted the role of Captain of the Atlantis and ordered the shields around the torpedo bays to be increased. Subsequently, when she talked to Volnaran, she managed to convince him that the Atlantis was carrying new, very destructive singularity torpedoes. As long as the bluff held up, it prevented the Dominion from attacking the Atlantis immediately. If not... then it would soon become clear that the damaged Atlantis was no match for the Dominion ships.

They couldn't stay and they couldn't leave. In the end, the only option was to run. Commander Velden, who had returned to the Bridge, ordered the ship hard to port... Where it nearly crashed into Dominion reinforcements. There were now a total of five Dominion ships, two of which were holding the Atlantis in tractor beams. There was no way to escape anymore, and when the Vorta contacted the Atlantis and informed the crew that the ship and crew were now the property of the Dominion, all hope of a peaceful solution to this predicament was lost.

There was, however, one final option. Commander Velden decided to continue the bluff Lieutenant Andersson had so brilliantly set up: he threatened to tie the singularity torpedoes and the transwarp engine into the auto-destruct system. He told Volnaran that the resulting explosion would not only blow up the Atlantis, but it would destroy the five Dominion ships and this entire nebula, including any ships, fleets and facilities the Dominion might have hidden here. For a moment, the Vorta seemed to fall for it -- he seemed concerned about destroying the nebula, indicating that there was a greater Dominion presence in this area than just five ships.

Unfortunately, Volnaran called Velden's bluff. Faced with no other option but to destroy the Atlantis to prevent the Dominion from getting their hands on the transwarp drive, the senior staff activated the auto-destruct sequence.

All of a sudden, however, the Vorta hailed the Atlantis again and, afraid that Velden might not have been bluffing after all, suggested a compromise. He would allow the Atlantis to remain inside the nebula until the repairs were complete. In return, Jem'Hadar soldiers would be posted on board the Atlantis to oversee the repairs and make sure the Atlantis crew wasn't spying on any Dominion activity in this nebula. It was a tricky compromise, but Velden accepted it -- it was far better than dying, after all.

A few minutes later, the Vorta and seven Jem'Hadar soldiers beamed in and were welcomed by the Starfleet crew. The Jem'Hadar quickly went to check if the Atlantis crew wasn't spying on the Dominion, while the Vorta and 'Captain' Andersson proceeded to the ready room to hammer out the details of this agreement.

Having Jem'Hadar soldiers on board the Atlantis was far from a pleasant experience. They kept harassing the crew, demanding that they work faster and trying to gain access to classified information and the repair status. It was not easy, but Lieutenant Jomorr did manage to start a reasonably detailed scan of the surrounding nebula without the Dominion noticing it. He found a network of sensor- and communication buoys spanned the entire nebula. It was bad news, because if the Atlantis did somehow manage to break free, they would have nowhere to run within the nebula. The Dominion would be able to locate them within seconds. Meanwhile, the Bridge crew tried to come up with a plan that didn't involve blowing up the Atlantis -- just in case the Dominion found out that the ship was, in fact, not carrying any singularity torpedoes at all. If that would happen, Volnaran would realise that Velden had made an empty threat, that the Atlantis' destruction would not eradicate this nebula, and that the Dominion facilities in the nebula were quite safe.

As the hours passed, Volnaran seemed to be getting more and more nervous. The repairs were not yet completed and would certainly take a lot more time. When a device he carried started to beep, however, Volnaran promptly ordered the Atlantis to leave, breaking their agreement. The device he was carrying was counting down to something... Something he didn't want the Atlantis around to witness. He and his Jem'Hadar soldiers beamed away, and a third Jem'Hadar ship locked its tractor beam on the Starfleet vessel. The three vessels, followed by two other Dominion war ships, started to push the Atlantis towards the edge of the nebula. Soon they would reach open space again, where the subspace rifts were waiting. It was clear that the Atlantis was no match for the Dominion, nor was it a match for the rifts. Fighting either foe would most likely lead to the ship's destruction and the crew's deaths. But they had no choice. Either they would fight the rifts, or they would fight the Dominion -- but fight they would. Out of options and out of hope, Commander Velden ordered Lieutenant Rofellian to fire on the Dominion ships. The battle had begun.

Still trapped inside the changing maze, the captains and admirals of the Frontier Fleet struggled to find a way out, but found none. The transwarp aliens seemed to enjoy putting them to the test, testing their mental and physical limits and making them face moral dilemmas. Finally, though, a dialogue was established between the captains and the aliens, who seemed to think that their captives were actually not sentient life forms after all. After much debate, the aliens decided to send the Captains and Admirals back to their ships, with the warning that they would still be watching them.

While in the transwarp realm the aliens were deciding that they would send the officers back, the Atlantis was under heavy fire from the small Dominion fleet. Lieutenant Rofellian managed to take out the Dominion ships' tractor beams, but that was not the end of it. By strategically manoeuvring and firing at the Atlantis, the Dominion ships forced the Federation vessel closer and closer to the edge of the nebula. Running out of space to execute evasive manoeuvres, Commander Velden ordered Lieutenant Andersson to pilot the Atlantis out of the nebula at full impulse, then turn around quickly and get back into the nebula before the rifts could open fire. Hopefully, they would be able to outmanoeuvre the Dominion ships that way.

The Atlantis cleared the nebula at full impulse, with the Dominion vessels in hot pursuit. Directly in front of the Starfleet ship were dozens of subspace rifts, which began to fire their torpedoes as soon as the ships emerged from the nebula. To much surprise of the crew, however, the weapons soared straight past the Atlantis and impacted the Dominion vessels, which reversed course and headed back into the nebula as fast as they could. Unsure what had just happened and why the rifts suddenly seemed allies, Velden ordered the Atlantis to ease past the rifts.

But the rifts blocked the ship's path. Although the Atlantis had been saved from the Dominion, it didn't seem that it had been saved from the rifts. Thinking that the rifts were still a threat, Velden ordered Rofellian to lock all weapons on the rifts and prepare to fire...

Just then, two figures appeared on the Atlantis Bridge; they were Captain Sarin from the Calhoun and Captain Kane from Pandora Station. The aliens had returned them to their own realm, albeit to the wrong ship. With that, the rifts disappeared. The Atlantis was safe again. So was Captain Torn -- he had been sent to Pandora Station.

Just when the Bridge crew was going to get some answers from the two newcomers, sensors detected an odd power spike from within the nebula. A blue glow appeared from deep within the gas cloud, combined with inconclusive readings on what might or might not be verteron particles being emanated from the nebula. The phenomenon only appeared for a few seconds, and then it was gone again. This, most likely, was the reason why Volnaran had wanted the Atlantis out of the nebula... But what exactly it was, was still by no means certain.

The Atlantis was in no shape to investigate, and the ship limped home at low warp under the command of Captains Sarin and Kane. After returning to Pandora Station, the commanding officers of the Frontier Fleet made the decision to have the engineers adjust the transwarp drives on all Frontier Fleet vessels, so that they would no longer emit harmful particles that killed the aliens in the transwarp realm. In the end, the Atlantis crew was reunited with their Captain and the extensive damage was repaired. The Atlantis was ready for another mission... Another leap into the unknown.

## **Stardate 2392.06.24 - 2392.10.12**

Episode 7: "Convoy Duty"

The crew of the Atlantis finds themselves rescuing a large Deasian convoy carrying essential supplies to the planet Helteka from a pirate attack. From that moment on, the survival of the convoy lies in the hands of the Atlantis crew. But will a Deasian debt that can never be repayed, ultimately prove to be the Atlantis crew's downfall?

## **Stardate 2393.01.08 - 2393.01.09**

Episode 8: "Ring of Truth"

While on an undercover mission to learn more about the Acebi, a pre-warp race of people obsessed with truth, the Atlantis Away Team finds itself in trouble when the Acebi find out the Away Team members are not who they appear to be...

## **Stardate 2393.05.23**

Episode 9: "Conundrum Continued"

When the USS Birnam, a Galaxy-class starship under the command of Captain Krella, goes missing, the Atlantis is sent to investigate. Are the Romulans responsible? Was the ship destroyed by a natural phenomenon? Or are there more sinister forces at work among the Birnam crew? When the Birnam is finally found en-route to war, the crew of the Atlantis must do everything in their power to prevent the deaths of millions... Even if it means attacking one of their own.

**Stardate 2393.12.06**

The Atlantis has been taken from her task of star mapping and sent to Tui Malila. The crew's job is to mediate a dispute between the Janus Mining Consortium and a group of Environmentalist colonists.

The miners are moving through the wetlands allegedly to search for two missing miners, but the search parties are heavily armed. They have also encountered at least two large beasts in the wetlands.

Meanwhile the colonists are trying to maintain their scattering field with a damaged generator. The repair team sent out has found a life form that is larger than any sample found before ... and think they have seen a larger version in the wetlands. The damaged generator showed signs of claw marks on the panels.

The Atlantis has lost touch with the Away Team in the Borhyas which seems bound to crash.

Another Away Team in the Elbe has landed on the moon to research a magnetic anomaly.

Worse still, the civilian freighter Albatross has brought a 3rd year cadet with full attitude.

In Engineering, the auxilliary generators are damaged due to faulty buffer coils, one has exploded and the crew is seeking working replacement parts.

Happily, the Captain's chair has been returned.