Recap: The Gift
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While en route to the Hadriepsis facility, the USS Sally Ride detected an older diplomatic code, broadcasting from a backwater world. The signal didn't appear to have a particularly high priority, but the Ride was still the nearest Federation vessel, so the ship sent an away team aboard its Waverider shuttle to investigate.
The team arrived at the planet unsure what to expect. It appeared to be uninhabited, save for a single artificial structure that was the signal's point of origin. Given their recent history, this naturally put the crew on their guard.
The structure was technologically basic and its controls unsophisticated, but its age was difficult to determine. Chief Engineer was trying to decide whether to simply deactivate the beacon and leave when security officer Cor inadvertently stepped onto a weight-sensitive platform. Separate devices surrounding the signaling array activated. A rudimentary recording began to play, informing the officers that they were to be tested as "ambassadors of peace"... and given a gift.
This seemed foreboding, but minutes went by with no further incident. Lt.Cmdr Zoril beamed down to provide extra firepower in case of an ambush, but there was none. The device appeared not to work. Nonetheless, Lt. Benton became increasingly frightened and insisted that the group depart, in spite of Officer Cor's reckless disregard for any potential danger. Concerned for Zoril's safety, Sthyr sided with Benton, and the team beamed back to the shuttle.
Back aboard, the officers' behavior quickly deteriorated from merely out of character to outright dangerous. Benton began panicking, imagining foes in every sensor shadow, and taking rash action to "escape" with no regard for the chain of command. Cor latched on to these supposed enemies, but immediately wanted to drive the shuttle into pitched combat. Sthyr increasingly lost all interest in command of the mission, except as it pertained to the focus of his every thought, Zoril.
For her part, the combat medic was forced to sedate Benton and Cor, as their confrontation threatened them all. Sthyr's attention, which became more and more obviously romantic, seems to have been less unwelcome, as the pair made their way into the shuttle's stateroom for some time alone.
This was interrupted by Benton, whose elevated adrenaline pulled him out of unconsciousness early. Locking the others out of the control area, he attempted to throw the Waverider into evasive maneuvers against its imagined foes. Still drugged, though, the Lieutenant could barely maintain control of his chair, much less the shuttle, and nearly crashed when another ship actually did appear.
The aged freighter swept the shuttle with a mysterious form of energy, and abruptly, the psychological effects on the crew disappeared. They retained perfect memories of their bizarre behavior, but had no explanation for it. Save a message left by the freighter before it disappeared:
"We're sorry to say that you have not proven yourselves worthy as ambassadors of peace. However, we sincerely hope that you enjoyed your gift."
While en route to the Hadriepsis facility, the USS Sally Ride detected an older diplomatic code, broadcasting from a backwater world. The signal didn't appear to have a particularly high priority, but the Ride was still the nearest Federation vessel, so the ship sent an away team aboard its Waverider shuttle to investigate.
The team arrived at the planet unsure what to expect. It appeared to be uninhabited, save for a single artificial structure that was the signal's point of origin. Given their recent history, this naturally put the crew on their guard.
The structure was technologically basic and its controls unsophisticated, but its age was difficult to determine. Chief Engineer was trying to decide whether to simply deactivate the beacon and leave when security officer Cor inadvertently stepped onto a weight-sensitive platform. Separate devices surrounding the signaling array activated. A rudimentary recording began to play, informing the officers that they were to be tested as "ambassadors of peace"... and given a gift.
This seemed foreboding, but minutes went by with no further incident. Lt.Cmdr Zoril beamed down to provide extra firepower in case of an ambush, but there was none. The device appeared not to work. Nonetheless, Lt. Benton became increasingly frightened and insisted that the group depart, in spite of Officer Cor's reckless disregard for any potential danger. Concerned for Zoril's safety, Sthyr sided with Benton, and the team beamed back to the shuttle.
Back aboard, the officers' behavior quickly deteriorated from merely out of character to outright dangerous. Benton began panicking, imagining foes in every sensor shadow, and taking rash action to "escape" with no regard for the chain of command. Cor latched on to these supposed enemies, but immediately wanted to drive the shuttle into pitched combat. Sthyr increasingly lost all interest in command of the mission, except as it pertained to the focus of his every thought, Zoril.
For her part, the combat medic was forced to sedate Benton and Cor, as their confrontation threatened them all. Sthyr's attention, which became more and more obviously romantic, seems to have been less unwelcome, as the pair made their way into the shuttle's stateroom for some time alone.
This was interrupted by Benton, whose elevated adrenaline pulled him out of unconsciousness early. Locking the others out of the control area, he attempted to throw the Waverider into evasive maneuvers against its imagined foes. Still drugged, though, the Lieutenant could barely maintain control of his chair, much less the shuttle, and nearly crashed when another ship actually did appear.
The aged freighter swept the shuttle with a mysterious form of energy, and abruptly, the psychological effects on the crew disappeared. They retained perfect memories of their bizarre behavior, but had no explanation for it. Save a message left by the freighter before it disappeared:
"We're sorry to say that you have not proven yourselves worthy as ambassadors of peace. However, we sincerely hope that you enjoyed your gift."
