S03 Ep 04 Captive State Part 1 (Main)

Mission Info

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Mission Summary

The Federation has lost contact with data gathering efforts on a planet that apparently had been selected by the Preservers to be a safe location for humans retrieved from Earth from a long time ago. The Federation sent a team to the planet to observe the culture and civilization that has developed to learn more about the ancient cultures and civilizations on Ancient Earth. However, the team of observers have disappeared, and the data collection satellites have malfunctioned. When the data from the satellites stops, the Federation is alerted to the situation. It was a long-term mission so they could watch children grow to adults. The mission of the original observation team was to be for 15 years; however, it has now been 20 years and still no word from the team. Now the Federation has decided to send a ship to investigate.

So, The Tomcat is stationed at Starbase 51 and the Captain is temporarily assigned to a mission on the Leto leaving Lieutenant Colonel Somers in charge of the ship. After the captain is finished in the Leto, she will be heading back to Starbase 51 to rejoin the Tomcat, however she will be abducted along with all personnel on the transport. A briefing will happen between Colonel Somers and Rear Admiral Casey. Rear Admiral Casey tells Colonel Somers that Fleet Captain Somers was reported missing between departing the Leto and arriving at Starbase 51. The transport that was en route to Starbase 51 was found intact and adrift in space with all hands missing. However, there is a necessary mission that Starfleet needs the Tomcat to go investigate. There is a long overdue observation team assigned twenty years ago to examine a civilization of humans found in an explored planetary system (569701). The Tomcat will be needed to work on the mission but on the side can work to figure out the mystery of the missing passengers and crew of the transport. Starfleet will share all data on the disappearance of Captain Somers with reports and any logs that come up on the case. Then there will be a briefing with COL Somers and LT Dodd to have her tell him about the ADML’s directive and the kidnapping of CPT Somers.

The USS Tomcat under command of COL Somers with a temporary promotion for LT Dodd to the acting XO is ordered to investigate and return with any survivors of the observation team. The mission will start with the Tomcat headed for the fourth planet in the system of 569701 which is mostly unexplored. The fourth planet is RH2020-4 but referred to by some as Arth since it is some much like Earth and even has humans on it. The hypothesis is that the same beings that put humans on Ameriend (TOS Paradise Syndrome) also put the humans on Arth. However, the humans on Arth were being studied by Starfleet for anthropological purposes since they have evolved to a point where they were similar to Earth Humans, but they lacked some of the developments at that time. However, something went wrong after the Starfleet observation team took occupancy in a concealed duck blind. The planet saw a rapid growth of technology and other situations.

When the original observation team was sent to Arth, twenty years ago, the planet was just starting to show industrialization. But when the Tomcat arrives, they do not expect to find what they find. Then in just that twenty-year span, the planet is now equal to 1980’s/1990’s Earth.
The mission for the Tomcat is for a team of no more than eight members who are human or human-like in appearance to go to the surface and gather as much of the Federation’s technology and find any survivors of the observation team. The Away Team will need to consist of 2 Scientists, at least one anthropologist and the other is recommended to be an archaeologist, an engineer, 2 security personnel or Marine troopers, and three other members at the Commanding Officer/XO’s digression. The crew on the ship will be doing double duty, helping the away team and investigating the missing from the transport. Then contact will be lost with the away team as a devious looking ship enters orbit and starts to block all communications from the Tomcat.
The away team will be split up into two teams. Dodd will lead one and Winchester will lead the other. The mission is to find the survivors, of which there are only two still alive. Dodd’s team will be investigating a survivor who is now teaching astronomy at the largest university on the planet, while Winchester’s team will be looking for the other who is now in politics on the planet and he will cause them some trouble. Dodd will get the Professor to admit he is not from Arth and that he has been teaching astronomy and tinkering in anthropology to keep himself hidden in plain sight. Dodd will have his team get information from the Professor to learn the fates of the other survivors. Winchester will have his team try to get a meeting with the Government Official but when she learns they are not really Arthlings, she will advise them to leave and never come back or there will be consequences to their action. But something happens and that team gets arrested. The Government Official realizes that they will not leave without her and so she plots to have then locked up or executed.

At some point The Tomcat will realize that Captain Somers is on the other ship as the Preservers have taken her for some plan, they have for saving a new group of humans. There will be a small scrimmage between the two ships and when the Preservers realize the humans on Arth have changed and that there are outsiders on the surface, they are concerned and then attempt to scan the surface. However, in the meantime, Dodd has gotten the Professor to say his goodbyes and agree to depart for the Federation. When Dodd attempts to get in contact with the Tomcat, he discovers the signal is being blocked from orbit. Then he and the professor come up with a plan to get a signal to the ship and somehow get them to the ship. A stealth shuttle is launched from the Tomcat and makes it to a clearing on the edge of the city and takes all of Dodd’s team and the professor back to the ship. However, Dodd remains on the surface to meet up with Winchester’s team.

As Dodd’s team boards the shuttle, three marine troopers exit to work with Dodd to find the rest of the away team. Dodd and the Marines then learn of the trouble the other team is in. Dodd and the marines then get to the proper building in time to stay the execution. Dodd uses his Ullian abilities to alter some one’s mind to fill out the paperwork to delay the process. The Government Official then pulls out the archaeologist from the holding cell and has her deputies take the scientist to interrogate him/her and they end up torturing him/her very roughly. In the process Dodd can get the rest of the team out of the holding cell with telepathic suggestions to a deputy. As the four of them are trying to leave the building the Official notices and has a deputy take the roughed-up scientist out a different door and uses this team member as bait. The away team sees their crew member and halts as they notice a gun at his/her head. The scientist tells them it is for the best and to run. Dodd is not able to use his mind to help due to some element in the helmet of the gun holding deputy. Dodd has Winchester and two of the Marines depart towards the field where the shuttle landed earlier. Dodd, Taggert and the other two marines then attempt to plead for the scientist while back on the ship, COL Somers pleads for CPT Somers release. Winchester and the two Marines decide to not completely follow the orders and circle around to find the scientist fighting with the last bit of their strength to take the gun from the deputy and shoot him. In this process then another deputy shoots the scientist as she/he attempts to run away. Dodd and Taggert then turn and run away as Winchester and the Marines also make a run for it. The away team and extra marines all end up in the field where the shuttle landed earlier. As they wait, a single individual arrives. It is the Government official who comes clean with what she had done and why she did it. She was willing to turn herself in after seeing the scientist sacrifice his/herself for the team. The contamination of the planet had been done and could not be fixed but the progression could be halted if all the outsiders left the surface.

In orbit, the hostilities were at a standstill until the Preservers realized there was nothing left to do but let their pets continue as is. They stopped the blocking and negotiated the return of CPT Somers and the other humans they had on their ship. They then permitted the Tomcat to retrieve anyone who did not belong on Arth. The agreement was that the Federation and Starfleet would never come back to this planet until they developed the means to travel in the stars on their own with what they had already.

Soon Dodd got a notice on his communicator as the signal was now open and the eight people beamed to the ship. The away team had their debriefing and the two survivors were treated and given quarters, and the other kidnapped humans were given quarters until they could be taken to Starbase 51 to be sent home. The Tomcat was then out of danger and headed back to Starbase 51. Dodd was then returned to his LT status and title of Chief of Engineering and all would be ready for the next mission.

However, in the process of leaving Arth as quickly as they did, one tricorder was left behind. So, who knows what next technological progress will happen on Arth….

Solar System: unexplored planetary system (569701)

It is a vastly unexplored solar system with a yellow star very similar to Sol only about a million years younger. There are a total of 7 planets in this system. RH2020 (Arth) is the fourth planet in the system and the same size as Earth. The inner three planets (Alpha, Beta and Gamma) are too close to the star to support life as we know it. The outer three planets (Epsilon, Zeta and Theta) are gaseous planets with Zeta a little bigger than Jupiter. There is a ring of rocky debris in between Zeta and Theta that appeared to be a planet until very recently. The rocky ring of debris is called the Eta zone as all in the orbital zone that Eta would have occupied. From the data, the gravitational forces of Theta helped with Eta’s break-up. Beta, Gamma and Epsilon all have one moon each, Theta has 23 moons and Alpha and Zeta do not have any moons.

Planet Name, Class & Description:

569701 Delta is in the unexplored System of 569701. A member of the observation team deemed it Arth due to it being very Earth-like. It is a class M planet and has the exact same combination of gases in the atmosphere as Earth. The percentage of land to water is slightly different, 77% water and 23% land. However, the native plant and animal life is far different. There are no native primates on the planet and the mammals on this planet are vastly different than anything Earth has to offer. But one strange thing is there are humpback whales in the oceans, and they are the largest animal on the planet, but they are not native and appeared to be transplanted by either the Preservers or another race. The whales are the only marine mammal on this planet and have a vast population as they have not been hunted to near extinction. Maybe the Preservers saved the whales as well.

Race Information:

Humans are the race of humanoids on this planet. They are descendants of Ancient Greece, Roman Empire, Egypt and Anglo-Saxon heritages. They have merged their deities into one religion that seems to be planet wide. 569701-Delta was dated to be close in age to Earth, give or take a millennium or so. The human population appeared to arrive around the time of the end of the Great Egyptian Dynasties and the fall of the Roman Empire. The merging of the people meant a merging of cultures and religions. The major planetary religion was a meshing of Egyptian/Greco-Roman and variation of Christianity as time moved on. They worshiped a Heavenly Mother, Holy Father and the Great Spirits (the children and other demigod off-spring of the Heavenly Mother and Holy Father.)

The Heavenly Mother was the one to grant the humans life on the planet while the Holy Father was the one who provided for the humans. The Great Spirits are the Children of the Heavenly Mother and Holy Father and the children of the spirits and humans. Akwa (Aqua) is the spirit of water, Teara (Terra) is the spirit of rocks and soil, Phlaim (Flame) is the spirit of fire, heat and light; then B-Lo (Blow) is the spirit of the air and sky. These six make up the major deities of the religion. Dae and Nite are a set of twins that are also children of Heavenly Mother after an affair with a priest after the humans were deposited on 569701-Delta. Dae was the spirit of the Sun and Daytime, while Nite was the spirit of the Moon and Nighttime. Nite also had two children with a human and they became two smaller moons that were almost always on the opposite side of the planet as their father. Rowdy and Calm are the names of the two smaller moons that are in a low orbit and can be seen from the planet’s surface even in daylight hours. Rowdy would shine full at night once every 11 years and would cause people to be wild and unrested. Calm would shine full at night every 11 years but one month after Rowdy and would cause people to be very relaxed and calm. Dae had children as well with Nite as their father, those children became the vast stars in the night sky.

The humans on the planet are a mix of ethnic groups like on Earth. They do not seem to have the same troubles as the races on Earth. They tend to treat one another in kindness and respect. There were forms of servitude and slavery on the planet, but it was never like it was on Earth. The slaves or servants were those people who had committed a crime and that was their punishment, once they served their time they were free to return to their lives or they could choose to work for the one they served while they were servants. The people were divided into several large city-states and lots of smaller villages and hamlets. There were not really any signs of a matriarchal/patriarchal government and not even a dictatorial version. Government was more of a democratic form and run by committees or groups of elders.

The language was based on a mix of ancient Earth dialects reflective of Egyptian, Greek, Latin and some other minor influences from the various Mediterranean Sea areas from ancient Earth. The ancient humans were not properly deposited so at first there were some minor hostilities between the people due to language. However, when they all realized they were in this together, they bonded and adapted. They made their early settlements in the temperate region of the planet and each city-state specialized in something different and that allowed a form of commerce to arise and all was fine.
The native fauna was not like what the ancient humans were familiar with. But over time, they adapted and domesticated some animals and learned to keep clear of others. There was not much technology that existed other than basic tools and primitive water works (plumbing). There were vast aqueducts and sewer systems created and that helped expand civilization all along the temperate zone. Over time after the people evolved beyond servitude as punishment, they started to exile people to the harsher regions, the polar/arctic or desert areas. They were not populated and many of the native animals that were edible lived there, so if you got exiled and found your way back to civilization you were free and clear. However, most people who were exiled did not survive as the desert regions were much more hostile than Earth and the polar regions were extremely too cold for humans and most fauna. There were few violent crimes on Arth due to the form of punishment.

Technology was still being developed and thus it was far behind the present day of the Federation. They just developed electricity and the combustion engine. These city-states had more of an abundance of technology and the countryside had less. The equivalent of horse and buggy was still the primary transportation in use for much of the population. Farmers used the Pulse which is what they called the horse like animal they used for pulling wagons and plows. They were like horses in size and strength, but they were more reptilian than mammalian. The bovine-like animals the farmers used were mammalian in nature and had udders like cows, but they looked more like a hybrid of an earth horse and an earth pig. They called them Bovs.
However, a short time after the arrival of the Federation Observation team, which consisted of all human members, something changed. Technology development exploded and in the twenty or so years since they started their research, the planet went from early industrial to that equal to earth in the 1980's or 1990's. Pollution increased and so did the population. The people started to expand habitats into the mountains and deserts and even into the oceans. There were three floating cities and even a large underwater living facility which was primarily the only prison on the planet. Once technology exploded, the underwater prison was just about the last way to isolate the criminals.

Now in the present the population was starting to develop the satellites for broadcasting and research. A simple means was developed to get the satellites into orbit and keep them powered with solar technology. They did not yet know about the two Federation satellites in a very high orbit.
There were now movie theaters and a bustling entertainment industry along with the rise of television and radio. Cellular phones were starting to become the method of communications and nuclear power as also on the increase to provide electricity for all the populous.
Trains and buses were present, but cars and trucks were not yet a means of transportation. Planes were in use but huge airports not in existence as they were more for the government to use than private parties. They had not yet made helicopters but they were working on hovercraft and luxury water vessels.

The smallest of hamlets and villages were electric and had communication devices. The planet was fully connected and there was not anyone who did not have a means to reach out to anyone else. Schools taught the origins of life on this planet as the Heavenly Mother touched the ground and then the first humans appeared, and the Holy Father made sure the ground was safe and provided for the humans. Akwa, B-lo, Teara and Phlaim were the children of Heavenly Mother and Holy Father that in turn provided the basics of life for the humans. Akwa supplied the water (rivers, lakes, ocean, rain). B-lo supplied the air and made the winds. Phlaim provided the fire that the humans used for heat and light and then the electricity. and Teara was the one who provided the soil for the plants to grow in and for the humans to build their structures upon. There were children between the Great Spirit Children. Akwa and B-lo had the Klouds, who carried the rain where it was needed, and Boom who was what the locals called thunder. Akwa and Phlaim parented Bolt which was what the locals called lightning.

Storms were what happened when Boom and Bolt would have sibling rivalries. Hurricanes and Tornadoes were how B-lo would argue with Akwa and Boom and Bolt would interfere. Volcanoes were the children of Phlaim and Teara. Teara also had children named Fauna and Flora (animal and plants respectively). Fauna was the daughter who oversaw all the animals on the planet. Flora was the daughter who oversaw all the plants on the planet. Fauna and Flora were twins born of Teara and her father. Heavenly Mother had two other children with Holy Father, they were Dae and Nite. Dae was the Sun and Nite was the Moon. Dae and Nite also had children. The stars in the night sky and the two smaller moons in the orbit of RH2020 were their children. Dae and Nite were also twins, Nite was the son and Dae was the daughter. This set of twins were almost as powerful as Heavenly Mother as they lived in the domain of the heavens with her and their children. The other four and their children were under the Holy Father's domain of the planet.