Episode 18

USS Gibraltar, episode 18.
7th of January 2009

Cast and crew:
Captain: RoBobby McMillan, Captain.
Science: Kieran Braveheart, Lt.jg
Security/Tactical: Sereana Westland, Lt.jg
Engineering: Angelis Bourne, Lt.jg
Helm: Arno Menkez, CPO
OPS/Medical: Hermione Seesaw, CPO

Summary:
This Gibraltar mission started with a shock for Ensign Westland. When the Captain suddenly started saying that she wasn't suited for her rank, her Vulcan control over her emotions nearly disappeared. However, when this turned out to be a way of promoting her, even Ms. Sereana would admit she felt proud.

The good times didn't last long. A message from Starfleet Command came in, and Captain McMillan went to the ready room to see what it was. Obviously, these were new orders. But when he came back, he looked as if he had seen a ghost. With the voice of someone who was the bearer of grave news, he ordered the Gibraltar to planet G-232: on the edge of Federation space, in what used to be Romulan space. There, he announced to the crew, Starfleet sensors had monitored a Borg cube.

But that wasn't all. Starfleet's sensors had confirmed that this cube had, for reasons as of yet unknown, exploded, sending down a single escape pod to the planet's surface. There seemed to be no debris whatsoever in orbit. The Gibraltar's mission would be three-fold: To protect the native, pre-warp civilisation from the Borg, to find out what happened to the Borg cube, and, if possible, to collect whatever was used against the cube, so that Starfleet could study it.

It wasn't long before the Gibraltar arrived at the desert planet G-232. Upon beaming down, the armed landing party conducted scans, but found no Borg readings whatsoever. They did find a huge tower with teleporter chrystals: technology they hadn't expected to see on a planet with a pre-warp civilisation. Could there be some god-like alien entity at work here, protecting the inhabitants? And was that what had happened to the Borg cube as well, when it was considered a threat?

From the high tower, the crew could overlook the entire valley, and quickly spotted a deep crater in the south-west. This, they figured, had to be the place where the Borg pod had landed. With weapons at the ready, the crew moved in.

However, en-route, as Captain McMillan walked alone for a few moments, the good Captain's voice was heard over the communicators of the rest of the team. He reported spotting the Borg. . . but then, the communication was cut. No sign of the Captain, anywhere. An extensive search followed, but the Captain couldn't be found.

Upon beaming back to the Gibraltar, Lt.jg Braveheart took charge, and ordered Starfleet to be contacted: what was there to do? Starfleet, still wanting to know more about this planet, authorised a rescue attempt. So once again, the crew pick up their weapons, this time to save their Captain before he gets assimilated. . . or would it be too late already?