Star Trek: Excelsior

Star Trek Excelsior is an audio drama based on Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry. The series was created by James Heaney in 2007. It is produced by Starship Excelsior productions.

History of the series
The Series premiered on September 28th, 2007 with Season One, Act I, "There You Are". An average of five or six episodes are produced each season, released at irregular intervals, with special episodes and interviews interspersed throughout. The series has been in production for three seasons, and is currently in production. Excelsior was originally a role playing game played by email, when the creators James Heaney and Mike Hennessey decided to try and produce Excelsior's story in the form of an audio drama.

Summary
The USS Excelsior (NCC-2000-C), last of the Great Dominion War dreadnoughts, first in the hearts and minds of the men and women of Task Force 38. It had once been the ship of legends, Grenn, Duvall, Underwood, Raku. From 2375 to 2379 Excelsior had been the front line of defense for the Iconian Gateway that opened up Starfleet's territory to a hard won sector of the Delta Quadrant. Two years ago, short of crew, facing Federation-wide force redistribution, the Excelsior was temporarily mothballed. One year later, the Borg offensive pushed Starfleet's Delta forces back through the gateway to the Alpha Quadrant. High ranking Excelsior veterans scattered throughout Starfleet saw this and decided, two years was far too long.

After two years of storage, Excelsior was pulled out of mothballs for a special mission of critical importance to the Federation. Under the command of retired Captain Sharvah C Siresh, Excelsior launched from Starbase 911 to the extreme edge of the galaxy, answering a distress call from a ship missing for over 60 years, the SS Anbar. During the mission, something went horribly wrong. The First Officer, a Commander Rachel Cortez, was forced to kill Captain Siresh.

Following that disastrous mission, Excelsior was fully reactivated and returned to active duty. Under the command of now Captain Rachel Cortez, Her first mission, was to establish diplomatic relations with Valandria, a planet near the galactic barrier.

Captain Cortez also had a second, more covert mission. Take high-resolution scans of a nebula in the area of space where a distress call from a ship named the SS Anbar originated. This portion of the mission was under the control of General Isaac Brahms of Starfleet Intelligence. Her orders were to review the scans, and report back directly to the General. Her final report to Brahms recommended he be prepared to take "extreme measures."

Gevinon Prime
A waterworld, and the base of operations for the zero fleet in the sector of space the SS Anbar was found. Twenty years ago, the planet was invaded by the Bluegill fleet. Having no planetary defenses, let alone spaceflight, the Gevinese were conquered and infested. Their bodies live on, but nothing of Gevinon's people remain. Located beneath the surface are gigantic air bubbles that contain facilities for land dwelling bluegills.

Paradise
A class M world beyond the Milky Way Galactic barrier. Sometime during their 69 year exile from the Federation, the SS Anbar found this marginally habitable world and established a colony on it, the primary mission was to feed the Anbar crew. Under its Governor, Becca Sanders, the colony prospered despite zero attacks, as well as local predators, such as bog hogs. When the Anbar left to make its run for the passage, a number of colonists, as well as Anbar crewmembers decided to remain behind and try to make a home for themselves, away from the zero invasion. The current fate of the colony remains unknown.

Union
Union is a class M world, as well as the planet Starbase 911 orbits. Union supports a substantial Federation population. Starfleet also has planet based facilities, including a high-security holding area that briefly incarcerated General Isaac Brahms. In addition to the starbase itself, there is also an array in orbit capable of performing a barrion sweep.

Valandria
A class M world, just beyond the Iconian gateway in the Delta quadrant. The planet is ruled by a reptillian species known as the Valandrians. A Matriarcal society, they were peaceful planet of herbivores until the crash landing of a ship carrying a species known as "The Myriad". The Myriad took refuge inside a pillar deep within the caverns of Valandria and 'spoke to the Valandrians' telepathically. The Valandrians changed, becoming a race of bloodthirsty warriors.

Valandria's proximity to the gateway in the Delta quadrant was of such strategic importance to the Federation, that multiple attempts were made to establish diplomatic relations. All the attempts ended in disaster, not only because the Myriad were manipulating the Valandrians, making them paranoid, but they had been warned by "The Oracle" That when "The Gods" made planetfall, they would bring "The Wasting" and it would be the harbinger of their planet's destruction. Acting on the orders of the rebel General Sorid-Gee, the Valandrians initiated a sneak attack against the Excelsior, severely damaging the ship. Evading the onslaught, Commander Dovan and Lieutenant Yubari managed to beam into the catacombs, and with the aid of Planetary Premier Betren-Na exposed, then neutralized the telepathic attack known as the wasting, and the telepathic control by the Myriad over the Valandrians. With the telepathic link broken, the Valandrians stopped fighting, and began the slow return to their peaceful way of life. Betren-Na thanked Dovan and crew for their aid but refused to sign any treaty. Given time, Valandria might consider the question at some later date.

SS Anbar
The SS Anbar (NAR-11007) was a Antares class III Neutronic Fuel carrier, the same type ship as the Kobayashi Maru. 69 years ago while under the command of Captain Christopher Cox, it was on a routine transport run when it fell into a wormhole and travelled 200,000 light-years, beyond the galactic barrier. Eventually the Anbar found a class M planet, which they named Paradise. Some of the crew made homes on the surface, raising families, and growing crops to feed the crew. The Anbar encountered a hostile lifeform in the big empty called the Zero. For the next fifty years, the crew of the Anbar fought, lived, raised families, and died, struggling for the slightest hope to return home. In one of the Anbar's many battles with the zero, Captain Cox was killed when the hull surrounding the bridge ruptured, and vented into space. His daughter, Samantha assumed the duties of Captain. Eventually, the Anbar gained an ally in the void, the Scions. A means was created in a nearby nebula to generate a passage into the Milky Way Galaxy. The Zero arrived first and had opened the passage, pouring ships through as fast as they could. After the Captain's daughter Tawny, was killed while trying to make a run for the passage in the Anbar's sole shuttlecraft, Cox was determined to make another attempt with the Anbar, with or without the Scions ' help. With a crew made up of volunteers, The Anbar entered the nebula for the passage. Inside, they were met by over two million Zero warships. With nothing more than antiquated energy weapons, along with nuclear tipped missiles, the Anbar was overwhelmed. The damage to the ship was catastrophic. Warp drive and impulse engines were destroyed, 2/3rds of the crew were dead. The Zero would have finished them were it not for the intervention of the Scion Triassa and his group of ten Scion defender warships. The Scions closed the passage and followed the Anbar through. Despite having no shields, engines or weapons, the Anbar survived the transit through the passage. After transmitting a distress signal, the Anbar survivors were rescued by the Federation starship USS Excelsior. Unfortunately, during an inspection of the Anbar by Captain Siresh, Ensign Phillipe Ermez, a zero operative, fired a phaser into a zero swarm pod, also known as a "bug bomb". The resulting swarm of zero parasites overwhelmed the defenses on the Anbar, and very nearly took the Excelsior as well. The swarm was fought off, and Captain Cox, Brady Winters, and schoolmarm Mrs. Chen volunteered to return to the Anbar and cover the escape of the Excelsior as she left with the remaining Anbar survivors.

The Anbar was encountered again two years later when it was once more visited by the Excelsior, this time under the command of Commander Alcar Dovan. The crew was searching for something called "The Sword of Damocles", and the clues pointed to the Anbar. Upon arriving at the wreck, no lifesigns were detected. An away team was sent over. Shortly following their arrival, they were attacked by the no longer dormant swarm still aboard Anbar. At the same time, Excelsior was attacked by three zero frigates. With the timely arrival of the Section 31 ship USS Renegade, they were able to hold their own. Despite the combined efforts of both starships, the zero were able to prevent the away team from beaming back to Excelsior. When the two ships finally were able to make a run for the Anbar, one of the zero ships rammed into the Anbar, in an attempt to cover its retreat. The Anbar was destroyed, the away team, presumed lost. Master: Christopher Cox/Samantha Cox Navigator: Tom Skolund/Jack Cox Jr. Chief Engineer: Thor. Triage Chief: Brady Winters.

Starbase 911
A major Federation Starbase located in orbit over Planet Union. SB911 was established shortly after the discovery of an Iconian gateway into an unexplored sector of the Delta Quadrant. Fully operational, the Starbase boasts full starship repair and refit facilities, short of a full shipyard, as well as a barrion array as located in orbit.

The Starbase proper is a typical stand alone Spacedock, capable of holding 16 capital ships in dock, with another 12 along the outer wall. Some of the facilities are planetbound, such as the high security facility that briefly held General Isaac Brahms. Commanding Officer: Admiral Athos Roarke-Parker

USS Excelsior
USS Excelsior (NCC-2000-C) Sovereign class. The primary ship the series is based upon.

USS Mercury
Intrepid class starship. Rachel Cortez served as First Officer of this starship prior to her appointment as Captain of the Excelsior.

USS Oracle
(NCV-83124) Advanced prototype starship developed in the future during Starfleet's conflict with the Myriad. The Oracle was invovlved in a collision with a Myriad vessel and crashed on the surface of Valandria. A side effect of the collision was the two vessels passed through the surface and partially melded into the planet itself. It was also thrown back 500 years into the past. The ship's artificial intelligence hologram survived planetfall and contaminated the Valandrian culture. The ship's remains, as well as the hologram were discovered by Captain Cortez and her away teams. Lieutenants Rol and Lorhrok were transported to the future prior to the ship's crash landing and tried to save the lives of the crew despite the possible implications within the limited time available. Chief Medical Officer: Commander Melissa Sharp

USS Renegade
Kindred class scout ship. A Section 31 vessel under the command of General Isaac Brahms. Like her sister ship, the Nosferatu, the Renegade is overweaponed, overpowered, and has a cloaking device. In the words of Admiral Parker, Renegade was "Quick, deadly, and highly illegal". When the Excelsior and her crew broke out of Starbase 911 and made its dash for the dark matter nebula near the Hesperus sector, General Brahms volunteered to take the Renegade and stop them. When Parker scoffed at the idea, Brahms broke out of prison, boarded the Renegade, and began his pursuit. The Renegade finally caught up with Excelsior as she was engaged with three Bluegill frigates at the location of the SS Anbar. Realizing that stopping the Excelsior was now a moot point, Renegade joined the fight on the side of Excelsior. They destroyed one frigate, and pusued the other two back to their base on Gevinon Prime. Bluegill reinforcements joined the fight, and Renegade was destroyed covering Excelsior's retreat. Commanding Officer: General Isaac Brahms

USS Tornado
The Tornado was at Starbase 911 for a barrion sweep when it was drafted by Admiral Parker to help with the recapture of the Renegade and General Isaac Brahms. Commanding Officer: Admiral Tenson

USS Yorktown
Galaxy class starship. The Yorktown carried Alex Rol, Ryan Willis, and Isaac Brahms to the Dark matter Nebula. There they encountered a graveyard of over 100,000 dead Borg vessels and half a million zero frigates. Boarding one, they attempted to access data when part of the cube reactivated. Rol tried to bluff the Borg into believing they were infested with bluegill parasites. Initially successful, the deception was discovered, and the Borg tried to signal their fleet. With an approaching bluegill task force, fearing discovery and having the sword of Damocles fall, Isaac Brahms took it on himself and destroyed the Yorktown. All hands were lost. Commanding Officer: Captain Allan

Adow, Kenash
(Played by Carla Bandiera) Chief Petty Officer Kenash Adow was an engineering specialist originally assigned as sub-crew from Starbase 911 repair team, but had been reassigned to the Excelsior prior to its departure for Valandria. Decidedly not shy about expressing her opinion on just about any subject, Adow drew the ire of Chief Engineer Alecz Lorhrok at their first meeting when she challenged his authority to be Chief Engineer. "I don't think a junior grade lieutenant should be Chief Engineer on a ship as grand as the Excelsior, one of the most prestigious ships in the whole fleet, and they give it to you, of all plain janes?" That remark earned Adow a transfer to waste reclaimation. When she complained to the First Officer, LCDR Alcar Dovan, he simply replied, "Can't say I blame him!" Adow retaliated by sabotaging the replicator in Lorhrok's quarters (and, accidentally all the other replicators on the entire deck) Her opinions were not restricted to superiors. When stowaway Simon Westlake earned a position in Main Engineering, Adow undermined his efforts, then complained to Lorhrok, "I don't know what I'm going to do with Westlake, there, sir! He dosen't have the training for this job and we're an active engineering department, _not_ a charity school!" When Lorhrok asked how much of it was Simon, and how much her attitude. "If the mistakes you mean are the same ones you caused for Mister Westlake . . . . . . ." Despite the efforts of more than one of the senior staff, Adow simply refused to work well with others, preferring her own method of challenging everyone on just about any subject.

Lack of people skills aside, Adow was a skilled engineer. On more than one occaision, the senior staff turned to her expertise when the pressure was on, though she may have run out of chances with LCDR Underwood. During the pursuit of the two bluegill frigates following the destruction of the Anbar, Adow was being her usual blunt self with Underwood. "If you'll excuse me, I have a warp engine to save?" Underwood tried to be civil but Adow gave no quarter. "Like I said . . . . engine to save? Alone with a bunch of half-baked warp jockeys!" Underwood replied, "We all miss LT Lorhrok . . . . ." Adow shot back, "Do you? Do you really? How many times did you actually speak to Alexander Lorhrok? . . . You haven't said ten words to Alex in a month! To any of us below decks! You've been too busy rommancing the Captain's chair! Well now you've got it, unless Dovan stops hiding in his quarters! Make it count for more for something other than sympathy cards!" Underwood simply replied, "You're very lucky Chief! I now believe in second chances!" . . . . . . "Because that was your first!"

Amara, Leo
(Played by Alasdair Stewart) (Deceased) Lieutenant Leo Amara was a Starfleet Special Operations Officer in charge of a detachment assigned to the USS Excelsior. Amara was less than thrilled when he found out his unit was to be incorporated into the ship's Marine detachment. He appealed the decision to Captain Rachel Cortez, to no avail. Leo had uncovered some of Starfleet Intelligence's misdeed's, including the destruction of the Starship Yorktown, death squads, Mind control experiments, along with something called "The Nekatic Manuscripts" and was concerned that they had gone too far. He had contacted a journalist name Caxton. They were supposed to meet in two weeks on New Proxima. Though Amara contracted the wasting, he did not die from it. He was murdered by Alex Rol on orders from General Brahms. Caxton had urged Amara to "find somebody you can trust onboard." Amara chose Alex Rol. He slipped him a data chip with classified data on it. Data concerning some of SFI's illegal activities. After subjecting the chip a high energy burst to destroy the data, Rol injected Amara with 10cc's of warp plasma.

Brahms, Isaac
(Played by Julian Bane) Isaac Brahms was a Former General in Starfleet Intelligence, as well as Commanding Officer of the Kindred class Section 31 ship Renegade. He had been the only Section 31 operative successfully court-martialled and convicted of murder.

Were it not for a strange turn of events, Isaac Brahms would have been a rising star in Starfleet's science community. From as far back as when they were children, Isaac and his sister, Tryla dreamed of careers in Starfleet. Tryla would be the Captain, and Isaac would be her science officer. Things went according to plan for the longest time. Tryla had attained her Captaincy at an early age, and Isaac had graduated from Stanford, and was in his final year at Starfleet Academy when Tryla was killed following her infestation with a neural parasite. Her death was officially listed as "Complications following routine surgery for an undiagnosed heart defect". Isaac scoffed at that explanation, choosing to investigate on his own. demerits began to accumulate. A disciplinary board was to be convened, but Isaac was caught trying to infiltrate the quarters of Alex Rol. Rather than apprehend him, Rol recruited him for Starfleet Intelligence. Isaac accepted.

The next event to significantly alter Brahms' life occured on a planet named Nakos. A cataclysmic earthquake uncovered ruins that began to send out transmissions in the low EM band. Taking the fastest ship available, Rol and Brahms sped towards Nakos. Five hours from Nakos, they picked up a distress signal from one of the scientists, a Dr Harley Warren. The science team had managed to translate two pages of the manuscript, and he was prepared to send the pages over the com, but Isaac declined. Concerned for their lives, he urged them to take cover, and await rescue. He did this because, he believed that's what Tryla would've done. By the time their ship arrived, the scientists were dead, the data was gone, and all they could glean was one sentence from a dying scientist, "Machines in the Dark!" From that point on, the mission would take precedence over everything, including innocent lives.

Isaac finally crossed the line on a mission to a dark matter nebula. Inside was a vast graveyard of Borg and Bluegill ships. The numbers were so vast that they could scarcely be counted. Boarding one, they discovered some type of compound. The Borg identified it as "Compound 130385". It appeared to be an inocculation against infestation by the parasites. If an outside entity discovered either the existence of the compound, or the knowledge of the compound was disclosed, The Sword of Damocles would fall meaning total annihlation. Starfleet's presence at the cube could not be discovered, at all costs. Isaac, without authority, destroyed the ship they arrived at the nebula in, the USS Yorktown, killing over 1000 men and women.

Since then, Brahms and his team were racing from one crisis to another, killing without hesitation anyone that threatened disclosure of the Sword of Damocles. His most heinous act occured when he ordered the attack on Planet New Victoria, slaughtering nearly 10,000 souls, for the sole purpose of slowing down the Excelsior, so that his pursuing forces could catch up with, and destroy it.

Isaac Brahms does not regret one innocent life slain at his orders, or because of his actions. His personal philosophy is this; "I have a theory I've been working on. My theory is this; For every bright-eyed idealist in the universe signing treaties, making discoveries and inspiring children, there has to be someone else. Someone in the shadows who does terrible things, so the treaties and the discoveries, and the smiling children endure. And I believe that's a price worth paying. For the universe to be lit up by one Tryla Scott, is worth a hundred monsters like me protecting her legacy."

Cortez, Rachel
(Played by Eleiece Krawiec)(Deceased) Commander (Later Captain) Rachel Cortez was serving as First Officer onboard the Intrepid class starship Mercury when the call came. Starfleet Intelligence needed her for a special mission. She and the Captain, Sharvah Sheresh would be the only Starfleet personel on a reactivated USS Excelsior, crewed by Starfleet Intelligence. The mission: Starfleet had picked up a distress signal in close proximity to dark matter nebula, as well as the Galactic barrier. The transponder code matched that of the SS Anbar, a ship lost on a routine run over six decades earlier. SFI's orders were to proceed to the location of the distress call, rescue any survivors, and if there were any evidence of incursion by bluegill parasites, they were to completely sterilize the area. The mission was going as planned, the survivors picked up and removed to Excelsior.

It was then something went horribly wrong.

Captain Siresh was over on the Anbar investigating something the survivors called a "bug bomb" when something happened, and chaos ensued. The parasites somehow had been released and had made their way onto Excelsior. An all or nothing battle began. Long-range sensors were picking up Bluegill warships on an intercept course. It was time to make a decision. A terrible, soul-wrenching decision. The only way for the Excelsior to escape would be be for the Anbar to cover their escape, and scrub their warp trail. No trace can be left that they were ever here. For that to happen, the Anbar would have to be crewed. . . . . . . by Captain Cox. Orders were given to Lt Rol. The Excelsior successfully escaped, but the fates of Sam Cox, Brady Winters, and Mrs Chen remain unknown.

Captain Siresh had somehow become infected with a neural parasite, and was trying to bring them back, to Federation space. There was no other option. After confirming infestation, Rachel Cortez fired her phaser into Captain Siresh, killing him. She then assumed command of the Excelsior, and ordered all remaining bluegill parasites hunted down and planned their escape. Upon their return to Starbase 911, she fully expected to return to the Mercury, but her actions on the mission had drawn the attention of General Isaac Brahms. He had another job for her, and couldn't accept no.

Starfleet Command had decided to return the Excelsior to active service, and its first mission was another attempt to establish diplomatic relations with Valandria, a strategicly placed world in the Delta quadrant. Four attempts had been made earlier. All were spectacular failures. Starfleet came to realize that, for the Valandrian mission to succeed, a female Captain would be required. That moved Rachel to the top of the list. It could be called a lucky coincidence, but it was nothing of the sort. General Brahms wanted Cortez for a second mission. A secret mission to operate in conjunction with the Valandrian Expedition. Rachel Cortez became Captain Cortez, and was given command of the Excelsior.

Cox, Christopher
(Played by James Heaney) (Deceased)Skipper of the SS Anbar. Father to Samantha Cox, distant relative to Rachel Cortez. Christopher Cox was Captain of the Anbar when it got caught in an unstable wormhole and was shot over 200,000 light-years, beyond the Milky Way Galactic barrier. Against all odds, for over 20 years Cox commanded the Anbar to a safe harbor, a planet in the big empty, which they named Paradise. 29 years into their exile, the Anbar was engaged in battle with a hostile species called the Zero. Though the Anbar survived the battle, the hull plating surrounding the bridge buckled, then failed, venting atmosphere into space. Captain Cox and most of the bridge crew were killed. Cox's daughter, Samantha, was selected as Christopher Cox's successor.

Cox, Jack Jr
(Played by Gareth Bowley) Navigator of the SS Anbar. Son of Jack Sr and Skipper Samantha Cox, brother to Tawny. Jack Jr was born after the Anbar was stranded beyond the Galactic barrier. He wholeheartedly embraced the idea of returning to earth. That is, until he finally realized he was in love with the colony governor, Becca Sanders. After he proposed, Jack Jr came to a decision. Even though his mother and the Anbar would make a run for the passage, Jack Jr had decided to remain on Paradise with Becca and raise a family.

Cox, Jack Sr
(Played by Robert Hawke) (Deceased) Jack Cox Sr was the husband of Skipper Samantha Cox, and father to Jack junior and Tawny. At some point in the past, Jack Sr was captured and infested by the zero parasites, and became King Mab. Mab was killed when his ship was destroyed by a Scion defender warship.

Cox, Samantha
(Played by Eleiece Krawiec) Skipper of the SS Anbar Daughter of Christopher Cox, Wife to Jack Cox Sr, Mother to Jack Jr and Allison "Tawny Cox. Samantha was the only child of Anbar Captain Christopher Cox. She assumed the position of Captain by majority vote following the death of her father in battle with the Zero.

For more than thirty years Sam Cox skippered the Antares-class frieghter through her battles, her victories, and tragedies. She never gave up looking for a way to return the Anbar to Federation space, even though she'd never been there. Her iron-willed determination clashed with that of the Paradise Colony Governor Becca Sanders. When their mission to enter the passage was compromised by the appearance of the zero armada in the nebula, Becca believed it was time to scrap the Anbar, and permanently settle on Paradise, leaving the Milky Way to its fate, along with the Bluegill fleet. Sam briefly considered the possibility, that is, until her daughter, Tawny stole the Anbar's sole shuttlecraft to make a run for the passage, dying in the attempt. Her death pushed Sam to try for the passage. Offerring the crew and Paradise the choice, she took her crew of volunteers and made for the passage. The 100-plus year freighter was confronted by over two million zero warships inside the nebula. Sam pressed her ship onwards despite the horrendous amount of damage the ship was taking. The Anbar would have been destroyed, were it not for the timely arrival of the Scion, Triassa, and his 10 Scion defender warships. The Anbar went into the passage, no weapons, no shields, no engines.

Samantha blamed herself for all the casualties the ship suffered in the battle. Mr Chen, Thor, Tommy Chen, and Tom Skolund, who died in Sam's arms after the Anbar emerged from the passage. She asked him, "Who will help me find my way?" Tom answered, "Why would you need help with all those stars?" After transmitting a distress call, she helped the survivors try to gain access to the nursery, which had been locked down prior to entering the passage, 39 days earlier. When the door was finally opened, it appeared the all the children had died from lack of food, but the schoolmarm, barely conscious, told her they were able to break into a coolant line for water, after the ten days of supplies ran out. Shortly thereafter, The Excelsior arrived, and rescued the survivors.

Against Sam's advice, Captain Siresh insisted on investigating the zero boarding pod that had lodged itself on deck 15. a cursory exam of the pod revealed one of the parasites was missing. It was then that Ensign Phillipe Ermez revealed himself as a zero operative, firing on the pod, releasing the 10,000 zero parasites. Sam successfully escaped to the Excelsior, but the parasites had made it there and the crew were fighting for their lives. Samantha insisted on being taken to the computer core, where the Anbar survivors were being kept. Her escort, Lt Alex Rol was insistent that acting Captain Rachel Cortez needed to speak to her immediately. Sam would not relent, and Rol finally told her that they needed the crew to return to Anbar. Aghast, both Sam and Brady steadfastly refused. Rol countered, "If there were any other way, We've picked up three more bluegill vessels. Gevinom class. We need the Anbar to cover our escape.. . . . It's more than the Excelsior at stake. otherwise we'd fight to the death, I swear it!" Despite Rol's desperation, Sam would not be moved. Rol finally countered, "If I held a gun to the head of one of the Anbar children, I don't think you'd hesitate." "Take it from someone who knows, Mr Rol. Survival is not a good enough reason for surviving." After meeting with the survivors, Sam decided to save her people. She, Brady Winters, and Mrs Chen returned to the Anbar to cover the Excelsior's escape. After the Excelsior cleared the area, the Anbar scrubbed her warp trail to insure she wouldn't be tracked. The three bluegill ships converged on the Anbar. When the Anbar was next encountered, there were no lifesigns.

Sam Cox next made an appearance on the Planet Gevinon. Neeva, Rol, Simon, The Major and the rest of the Excelsior away team had been freed of the neural parasites and were trying to covertly make their way in the land dweller facility. Sam agreed to help them.

Cox, Allison "Tawny"
(Played by Joyce Bender) (Deceased) Allison 'Tawny' Cox was the daughter of Jack and Samantha Cox, and sister to Jack Jr. Impulsive and argumentative, Tawny was often the focus of trouble, often giving in to her emotions, rather than seek a rational solution. A continuing source of frustration for her mother and brother, they often had to clean up after Tawny's misadventures. Tawny was killed by the zero fleet after she stole the Anbar's sole shuttle in an attempt to break the zero blockade and run for the passage, and Milky Way Galaxy.

Dovan, Alcar
(Played by Larry Phelan) Alcar Dovan was born in the Terran Year 2311 in the farming world of Gault. He found life boring and uneventful, his only solace was reading every single book the planet had to offer. When he came of age, he hoped that, being one of 40 siblings, he would left to pursue his future as he saw fit. His parents had other ideas. All they wanted was for him to stay and help run the family farm. To his credit, Dovan did his best to honor their wishes.

When he reached marriageable age (50 Terran years) He finally decided to make his own future and joined Starfleet. The USS Enterprise first encountered the Borg at system J-25 just as Alcar Dovan graduated from the Academy.

Dovan's first posting was to the Nebula class starship USS Endeavor under Captain Amasov. Alcar learned more under him than the four years at the Academy. In his time as gamma-shift flight control officer, given Captain Amasov's insomnia, they had plenty of opportunities to talk. The Endeavor fought at Wolf 359, and was the only surviving starship, but at a heavy cost. Most of the senior staff was killed, and almost all of the security officers above the rank of Ensign where either dead or assimilated. Of the forty starships that engaged the Borg ship, thirty nine lost their captains, and were destroyed as well. Endeavor was the exception in both cases. After undergoing major repairs, along with recrewing, Endeavor was reassignned as a training ship.

After Dovan left the Endeavor, he began his "bouncing" period. with nothing but a positive recommendation from Captain Amasov, Dovan found himself on succession of starships, having little or no success on any of them, or with their Captains. Captain Solok on the Tkumbra, Captain Emick on the Intrepid, Captain Ross on the Bellerephon, and Captain Robinson on the Merrimack. It wasn't until he'd been on the USS Virginia that he even got a chance to settle down, only because Captain Livok had never seen a Bolian who could play Kal-toh with any focus. Unfortunately, the Virginia was blown up by a two hundred year old Romulan mine. Dovan saved most of the people on his deck, and not a single crewmember died, but Dovan's hopes of breaking his record of 481 days continuous service on a single ship were dashed when they ended at 467. He was promoted for his actions in the face of 'enemy fire', and decided on a transfer to the Centaur.

The USS Centaur was a prototype, the lead ship of a new class of starship. They started off with performing stellar surveys and cultural observations in charted, unexplored space. Technically, the Centaur was also patrolling the Core worlds since the Klingon-Federation war had just broken out. Captain Urason lobbied hard for front-line duty, but Starfleet felt at least one top of the line ship should hold the line in sector 001, in the event of trouble. As the Beta shift flight control officer on Alpha Wing, Vessel four of the tenth fleet, Dovan thought he was pretty much safe from the Dominion war.

The Centaur was on a training exercise one light-year away from Betazed when the Dominion attacked.

The battle lasted for ten hours,but only in the last forty minutes did the main forces of each side engage the other directly. Dovan made a mistake that nearly gave away the fleet's position, and would have given the superior Dominion forces an opportunity to attack and push Starfleet halfway back to Vulcan. He would have, in about a minute, if the helmsman on the Zeus hadn't made it before him. The Centaur was not faring well, and had taken a severe pounding, along with twenty percent of the fleet. The ship had been boarded by the Jem'Hadar. Dovan got his arm blown off, the Captain was dead, and the senior staff had been decimated. Dovan was first officer to Beta shift Tac officer turned acting Captain. The two fought their way to engineering with the expressed purpose of establishing a command post there, but the real reason was the Dominion was swarming the Centaur, overwhelming the security force, and Starfleet didn't want this new design to compromised by Dominion forces. So, as the Dominion continued to swarm the ship, acting Captain LT Klien held the door, while first officer Dovan signalled the fleet and overloaded the warp core. Of a complement of five hundred and eighty four, ten personnel escaped the destruction of the Centaur, including Alcar Dovan. The Centaur's detonation destroyed three Jem'Hadar attack ships with it, and heavily damaged seven more. As he recovered, Dovan gave his commendation to the Tranquility's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ypac'K'sharee for excellence in the fields of medicine, counselling, and drinking.

Dovan arrived on his next ship, the Tokyo, just in time for the first battle of Chin'toka. It was notable in that it was the first ship Dovan served on that didn't explode, and not a single person on the bridge died. Starfleet held Chin'toka for the rest of the year.

Dovan's next engagement with the Dominion occured when he was embarked in a shuttlecraft. The Breen showed up, their energy dampners blazing. With a ship's complement of two rookie security officers and one Klingon diplomatic observer, Dovan found a weak point in one of the enemy ship's shields and punched through, beamed into a weapons locker, and fought their way to the bridge. Chin'toka had been lost, and all that was left was to stop the retreat from becoming a rout, or stopping the rout from becoming a massacre. One of the security officers, Ensign Sitorax was badly wounded in the chest, and the Klingon took a nasty headwound, but Dovan siezed the ship, which he rechristened the IKS Suicidal Insanity. Furthermore, The diplomat, Korgon despite having little chance to get to know him granted Dovan a Battlefield Commission as a Captain in the Klingon Defense Force. Under the command of Korgon, the Suicidal Insanity managed to destroy four ships before the Jem'Hadar realized they were out of formation. Panicking, they sent an entire wing of Breen and Jem'Hadar fighters after them. Dovan then executed a textbook Yainec overload, a way to increase the yield of a detonating warp core by a factor of ten. They were able to adapt it for the Jem'Hadar warp core and survive long enough to build up to sufficient levels. Escaping to the shuttlecraft, they raised rear shields to maximum and rode the shockwave back to the edge of Dominion space, where they drifted until Starbase 271 detected them and sent out a rescue vessel.

The Dominion attack wing had not been annihilated, but the distraction had been enough to allow three or four stragglers, the Tokyo among them, to escape the battlefield. Captain Kellan, a man with whom Dovan had never seen eye-to-eye, was rather stunned, and recommended him for immediate promotion to the rank of captain. That and just about everything else in the Starfleet bureaucratic machine were put on hold until after the final attack on Cardassia.

Dovan was now pulling double duty as First Officer, as well as CONN. At this point, Dovan had become bitter, cocky, and more than a little insubordinate. He disobeyed a direct order, took the ship to the end of the battlefield opposite where we were supposed to be, and left the Captain quite speechless. The only reason Dovan wasn't drummed out of Starfleet with a dishonorable discharge and a year's worth of psychiatric evaluations was that he did it to respond to the Romulan flagship's desperate cry for help, and it was hard for Starfleet to make a public scene about an officer rescuing his Romulan allies from certain death. In fact, He and Captain Kellan each ended up with a commendation for it. They made it a Commendation for Original Thinking instead of Heroism, though, as a sly way of telling us what they really thought about our original behavior. Needless to say, Dovan's command recommendation was abruptly turned down, and Captain Kellan was chagrined to find himself stuck with the officer he had nicknamed "Blue Devil," after some obscure sports team he particularly hated, as his first officer. The Tokyo would be the first and only ship on which Alcar Dovan served for a period exceeding two years.

Four years, actually. Reconstruction. Aid convoys to Cardassia, supply depot repairs, ferrying the Starfleet Corps of Engineers to and fro, and, on very rare occasions, the chance to scan an archaeological ruin or probe a star as Tokyo passed it by on the way to the new brushfire we had to put out. Dovan considered leaving the service, but the paperwork was too thick in the period immediately after the war, what with all the extended tours of duty ordered for the enlisted men, and, in 2378, he was finally promoted to Lt. Cmdr. (the bureaucrat who handled his application-Inspector #98-wrote on the paper copy, "I can't understand why you're not a captain yet!" And that's why medals should be abolished: they tell people like Inspector #98 that people like me could measure up to people like Captain Amasov when people like me are lucky to stand in the same room with people like him), and, with that, the Tokyo was sent on a two-year exploration/patrol of the borders of the Tzenkethi Coalition. And, since most of their border is bounded by unclaimed, uncharted space, we had a lot of latitude. A lot of fun stuff happened on that trip, and, even though I didn't win any medals (perhaps because of it), I was satisfied. Leading away teams is a whole barrel of risky joy, and, in month seventeen, I finally beat T'Pen in Kal-Toh. So satisfied, and hoping to avoid the aftermath of the Shinzon Affair, which, in 2380, looked like it could boil over into a Romulan war, I tried to quit, but Captain Kellan-who, after six years, still didn't like me all that much-convinced me to take a leave of absence instead.

So I did. I moved back home. I entered the Bolian dating scene. I started a farm. Then I considered killing myself. As it turned out, Gault hadn't gotten any less boring since I had last been there. My parents were happy to see me, but that was the highlight of my leave. And that was on the second day. Of a two year stay. I very nearly got married, but I proved incompatible with Norin's other husbands.

I had my Starfleet commission reactivated in 2382. Having no interest any longer in the affairs of the Alpha Quadrant, I applied for admission in Task Force 38, the force assigned to Starfleet's "new frontier" that had been opened by the discovery of the Iconian super-gateway, and made it clear that I would accept any posting in TF38, and in no other force. This request has been granted; however, at this writing, the CO of the Excelsior-C, whatever her name is (I think it's a her) has been given discretion to place me in whatever position at whatever rank she decides. It seems TF38 is very much in demand, and, if I'm not willing to compromise, I might have to accept a rank reduction. Fine.

The Delta Quadrant is a wide new territory, and, while not the last, what with there still being 90% of the Beta Quadrant and 70% of the Alpha left to explore, DQ is definitely the largest of the our new frontiers. I'm out here because I want to see something wonderful. I want to see stars born. I want to make first contact. I want to beam down to an alien world and find the man who rules the universe, then have a word with him about why he does things the way he does. In short, ex astris mirificientia amplexare volo. I want to take wonder from the stars.

I knew that Latin would come in use some day.

Ermez, Phillipe
(Played by Tom Barnes)(Deceased) Ensign Phillipe Ermez was an engineering specialist assigned to the USS Excelsior. In reality, Ermez was an operative for the zero, a parasitic species that infests the body of another lifeform. The parasite infesting him was part of the initial incursion into Federation space 40 years prior. The actual consciousness of Phillipe Ermez had long since passed into oblivion. He was aboard during the Excelsior's rescue of the SS Anbar. Ermez was able to release his comrades from the boarding pod that had penetrated the Anbar by firing his phaser, opening up the pod. Despite his efforts, the parasite swarm on the Excelsior was driven off, and the swarm on the Anbar went dormant. Ermez was alone again.

Ermez's next opportunity came following the Excelsior's return to Starbase 911. The flight recorder on the ship held a log of CDR Cortez killing Capt Siresh. Seizing the opportunity, Ermez planted a bomb inside the log recorder, and detonating it, killing Ensign T'Kala, and framing General Brahms for the deed. This prompted CDR Dovan to violate orders and break out of Spacedock, in pursuit of the Sword of Damocles. This gave him the opportunity to return to his people, as well as for further sabotage.

At one point, The Ermex parasite switched bodies into the ships CMO, Melissa Sharp. The parasite's lack of medical knowledge, along with her lack of familiarity with the crew raised many questions, but none so serious as to undertake defensive measures such as quarantine. The parasite returned to the Ermez body, but was apprehended by CDR Dovan and his victim, Dr Melissa Sharp.

Realizing the hope of his returning to his people was dimming to non-existence, he made his last play. Attempting to trick Isaac Brahms into killing him, using the comms system (Ep 307 Ozymandias)

The final resolution of the parasite was Brahms would take the parasite. Because he had been inoculated with Bettlejuice, he would still retain control over his body, and his consciousness, but be able to access the parasite's memories. Ermez's body would be allowed to pass into oblivion. When the mission was over, the parasite would be removed. (Ep 308 What Happened on Gevinon Prime)

Lorhrok, Alecz
(Played by Dean Randall/ Samuel Gillis) Lorhrok is far from the poster boy for Federation officers. He has pale skin--no doubt a relic of all the time he spent indoors reading the latest technical journals rather than going outside. He is slim, and his hair is cut just barely within regulation. His features are best described as "young," and people unfamiliar with Starfleet rank insignia frequently make an assumption and address him as "Ensign," or even "Cadet." Aside from this, Lorhrok is frankly rather plain. Being taller than the average Trill in addition to lighter gives him a lanky, stretched look. His spots are somewhat darker and more vivid than normal, a family trait.

Aleczahnder Lorhrok is the textbook example of a young man trying desperately to prove to his shipmates--and to himself--that he is more than another inexperienced kid promoted to fill the shoes of better officers lost or promoted during the Dominion War seven years ago. He struggles against this soft bigotry on a daily basis, especially since his assignment as Chief Engineer of one of the finest Sovereigns in the fleet at the low rank of Lieutenant J.G. He brings to the table a mild-mannered but absolute resolve to get the job done--whatever it is--and wouldn't have gotten his current assignment without a reputation for thoroughness and results.

Alecz Lorhrok was born on stardate 33945 (11 December 2356, Terran calendar) to Artuzo and Jamia Lorhrok on the planet Trill in the Kalandra Sector. The Lorhrok family, including his sister Kiitali, lived in a moderately sized city called Vezini in the Poznian Hills region. His father worked as a professor at the city’s university, in the Astronomy department. The Lorhrok family is descended from nobility from the Vexan Period, and as such they lived in one of the largest estates in the city. Artuzo was an extremely traditional man, while Alecz was interested in the future; as such, the two were often at odds, especially regarding the way the Lorhrok Estate was run. Jamia tended to side with Artuzo, and the young Alecz often retreated to his room, the one place in the house where an outside observer could see that it was indeed the 24th century.

His childhood in Vezini was relatively quiet. Even though Alecz attended a decently sized school, 3,000 enrolled, he had trouble fitting in as he got older, especially around other boys his age. He found many of them to be uncultured or crude. As a result, the majority of his friends were females, even though his romantic track record left much to be desired. One of the attendants of the Lorhrok Estate, Jeminev, a girl born a few months before him, was his closest friend throughout his time on Trill. Alecz rarely had any issue with following the rules, and as a result found that he usually had more in common with his teachers than he did with his peers.

Dark times came to Trill when the Dominion managed to take over the Kalandra Sector in late 2374, including the Kalandra and Betazed systems. Starfleet analysts had believed the sector too far from Dominion space for there to be a viable offensive, but the fierce battles waged over the surface of Trill seemed to indicate otherwise. Numerous times, the Jem’Hadar and Cardassian warships engaged the Starfleet defenders orbiting the world. Fortunately for the citizens of Trill, the planet never fell to the Dominion, but the Federation fleet orbiting the planet suffered heavy casualties. Indeed, at least two Federation ships crashed onto Trill, the second, an old Ambassador-class cruiser, taking out a quarter of the capital city with it. Once, the Jem’Hadar managed to beam down over five hundred shock troops into the most densely populated section of the capital, but the Trill citizens managed to hold the area long enough for Starfleet marines from orbit to beam down. The Lorhrok family was far enough away that none of this directly affected them, but living under the possibility that a stray torpedo could rain down and destroy them all in an instant didn’t do much for their disposition. In early 2375, the Federation Alliance managed to retake the sector, and Lorhrok, at the age of eighteen Terran years, was finally able to head to Earth to enlist in Starfleet.

For better or for worse, the Dominion War ended in late 2375, and Cadet Lorhrok was never sent off to the front lines. With the manpower shortage continuing even after the war, Starfleet never cancelled its Accelerated Wartime Course initiative, and Lorhrok graduated in early 2377, if somewhat exhausted. The instructors had been required to teach four years worth of lessons in two years, and it had taken its toll on every cadet.

Ensign Lorhrok was posted to the U.S.S. Steadfast, NCC-1966, an archaic Miranda-class, one of the few to survive the Dominion War. It was a truly ancient ship, and the years of refits could only do so much for it. With a maximum speed of warp seven point three, it had trouble keeping up with its post-War assignments. As an engineer specializing in starship design and engineering, Lorhrok became intimate friends with the ship’s warp engines faster than he did her crew. The captain, a Vulcan named V’Klan, pushed the ship’s undermanned Engineering department hard, because many of the pirates, smugglers, and other assorted malcontents they encountered in the cleanup of the War had ships that could embarrassingly outstrip the Steadfast. Lorhrok and the rest of the department managed to get the long-obsolete starship up to warp eight point six using more dumb luck and unorthodox methodology than the sparse components they could requisition.

The Steadfast came under fire twenty-three times in the five years that Lorhrok served on her. With most of Starfleet’s shipyards devoted to cranking out new, top-of-the-line starships, and none of them assigned to repairing old ships that should have been retired decades ago, the Steadfast was more or less left to its own devices when it came to repairs. Ensign Lorhrok’s degree in Starship Design earned him a promotion to Lieutenant, J.G., when he devised a plan to use existing, less important bulkheads supplemented with force fields to repair the patchwork hull. Finally, on stardate 59396, after exactly a hundred years in the service, the U.S.S. Steadfast was officially decommissioned.

Lieutenant J.G. Alecz Lorhrok took a brief leave from Starfleet in mid 2382 to visit his family on Trill. His sister, Kiitali, had moved to New France to be with her new husband, Francois de Liege, but his parents were much the same as they had always been. His time on the Steadfast had kept him very busy--and he wouldn't have been particularly inclined to keep in touch anyway--but he was unsurprised to find that his father had advanced to Professor of Cosmology and Ontology. Trill as a planet had more or less recovered from the wounds it sustained during the war, and life had returned to normal.

It was during this time that Lorhrok seriously considered requesting a transfer to Utopia Planitia. His time on the Steadfast had been very tiring and hazardous, while designing and building starships sounded much less stressful. With Starfleet in the process of rebuilding its fleet, there was no shortage of demand for the job. However, when the assignment of Chief Engineer on a Sovereign-class, the U.S.S. Excelsior, NCC-2000-C, was offered to him, he quickly took the job. Lorhrok had always wanted the chance to serve on one of Starfleet’s new behemoths, and the departmental head position was very appealing. He was one of the first of the senior staff to arrive on the ship at Starbase 911 in late 2382.

The Excelsior’s first mission was to the planet Valandria, in the Delta Quadrant, under the commander of Captain Rachel Cortez. Before they launched, he became acquainted with one of the crewwomen on a refit subcrew, Kinash Adow. Adow was disillusioned with a mere Lieutenant J.G. being the chief engineer of a Sovereign, and did not hesitate to tell Lorhrok so. Alecz had her assigned to waste reclamation, and she retaliated by both interfering with his replicator system (and, inadvertently, the entire deck’s) and taking a permanent posting aboard the Excelsior. After they were en route to the system, he was introduced to Simon Westlake, and gave the some non-consequential work in engineering.

Natukov, Faith
(Played by Kennedy) (Deceased) A Terran Lieutenant in Starfleet Special operations. the original Faith Natukov had been murdered, and her place taken by a changeling. Her orders were to kill Lieutenant Colonel Alex Rol, and assume his identity. The Changeling served with distinction as part of Colonel Rol's team, eventually getting a recommendation from Rol for qualification as a solo operative. On her final mission with her team, she infiltrated a Cardassian reasearch facility on Planet Loval. The team discovered the Cardassians were developing a morphogenic bio-weapon for use against the Founders. After being injured by enemy weapons fire, she revealed herself to her other team mate, Major Isaac Brahms and tried to kill him. She was stopped by Col Rol. She professed her love for him, and begged him to join her at the great link, promising he would be happy. With great great sadness, Rol killed the Changeling, and collected the virus.

Neeva
(Played by Kennedy) An Orion Starfleet Operations specialist, Lieutenant Commander Neeva was the Operations and Second Officer aboard the USS Excelsior. In her own words, "I've never had a male C.O. I didn't hate." Neeva was well grounded in Starfleet rules and regulations. LT Yubari once commented, "You're an intransigent young hothead who doesn't know the difference between rightness and outrage. . . . . We should be friends." During the trip out, though she didn't share CDR Dovan's take on the situation, and believed he should face court-martial for his actions, she also recognized that he had the support of the majority of the crew, so her best option was to "keep my head down and do my job." When approached by Diplomatic Officer (As well as disgraced former Captain) LCDR Joshua Underwood about relieving Dovan and securing the ship, Neeva refused to commit herself either way. Though she found Dovan's disregard for the rules disturbing, she found Underwood was definitely no improvement. While she was working on decrypting the pursuing Renegade's comm transmissions, planet New Victoria came under attack by pirates, acting under orders from General Brahms. When Excelsior arrived in orbit, it was jumped by 28 pirate fighters. ship damage caused the computer core, where she was working on decryption started to fill up with viridium 9 gas. Refusing to leave the core after being ordered to by CDR Dovan, Neeva finally broke Brahm's encryption. Brahms pounced on the opportunity, ordering Neeva to signal their surrender to the pirates. Ignoring protests and arguments from both Dovan and Underwood, Neeva opened the channel. Before she could take any further action, the gas rendered her unconscious. Her rescue by CDR Dovan eased her feelings towards him, albeit slightly.

Neeva was part of the away team that boarded the SS Anbar. After beaming over, she, along with the rest of the away team was swarmed by a bluegill boarding party. After some inital success fighting them off, they were overwhelmed. Neeva was infected by a bluegill named Esplund. Esplund felt intense guilt over what she was doing to Neeva, but desperately wanted a body. She was killed by asphyxiation when the Major grabbed her gill, cutting off her oxygen supply. Esplund fled Neeva's body before she died. Neeva, Simon Westlake, The Major, as well as a few others were last known to be stranded on planet Gevinon Prime.

Roarke-Parker, Athos
(Played by Nathan Lysne/Phil Stonhouse) Vice Admiral Athos Roarke-Parker was a human Starfleet Admiral in command of Starbase 911. His authority covered dozens of Starships and starbases, and included the sector of space that contained an Iconian gateway into previously unexplored sectors of the Delta quadrant. Though Parker did not consider himself a nice man, he tried to be a just one. He tried to accomodate CDR Dovan as much as he could because, for the most part, he was doing a good job in his eyes. But when Dovan's focus shifted to the Anbar and the Sword of Damocles, he had little option but to try and contain the ship and crew. Parker assured Dovan the the Anbar and the Sword of Damocles were being investigated, but refused to elaborate on any level. Dovan wasn't buying it, so Parker needed someone onboard that would keep the senior staff in line. He decided on Joshua Underwood, disgraced former Captain of the Excelsior. Two years prior, in a fit of rage, Underwood had punched him out. As a result, instead of facing a court martial, he left Starfleet. Despite this, Underwood had petitioned Parker to return to active duty multiple times. When Parker allowed him to return to active duty, it was with a two-grade reduction in rank, and assignment to his old ship as a diplomat. Despite his admonishment not to seek a return to the center chair, Parker knew that Underwood would stop at nothing to get his old job back. Underwood was supposed to be his insurance that Dovan would follow orders.

Rol, Alex
(Played by Michael Liebman) Tall almost, but not quite, to the point of peculiarity, Alex Rol's greatest weakness is that he sometimes forgets to pay attention to the world around his feet. He trips stumbles far more often than any infiltration specialist would like to admit.

Alex Rol was once succinctly summed up by Borg drone Four of Seven: "Deceit is part of your distinctiveness." This was not always the case, as Alex Rol once had a reputation throughout the galactic intelligence community as "the only honest spy who ever lived." Events during the Dominion War, including especially an espionage mission on Loval, changed Rol forever, and he has since become one of the most accomplished liars in the Alpha Quadrant. Exactly who he is and what he thinks beneath all the layers of deception and manipulation remains a mystery, even to his oldest friend and closest confidanté, General Isaac Brahms. All that is clear is that Rol posesses a powerful intellect, a dangerously clear head, a memory to match them both.

Rol was his parents' only child; Teresa and Tom Bevoney were still a young couple when they were killed in the Setlik III massacre. As New Essentialists, the Bevoneys had become estranged from their own families; thus, Rol has never met much of his extended family. Rol did have a warm relationship with his stepparents, Jane and Rick Rol of the Caldoria orbital habitat, until around 2373, when he became suddenly distant and perfunctory with them. Rol has had no known close relationships outside Intelligence since the War.

Rol once wrote, "I speak: Standard English, Spanish, French, Italian, Latin, Greek, Vulcan, Romulan, Reman, Bajoran, ancient Bajoran, Cardassian, Klingon, Ferengi, Andorian, Betazoid, Bolian, Breen, Kazon, Risean, Nausicaan, and Tholian. Yet I still often have trouble expressing myself." It is not clear from the context how seriously this claim to mastery of twenty-two independent languages should be taken, but Rol has previously demonstrated many of the traits exhibited by polyglots. It should not be dismissed out of hand.

Alex Rol was born Alexander Bevoney Rol on April 1, 2343 at the Federation colony on Setlik III. His parents were prominent members of the neo-puritan New Essentialist movement. Though this often put them at the center of colonial controversy, political strife never leaked into life at home, and Alexander spent his first four years blissfully—if largely alone. Perhaps one day he would have rebelled against his parents' strict way of life. As it turned out, he would never get the chance.

On July 12, 2347, a small fleet of veteran Cardassian warships, believing on false intelligence that Starfleet was massing an army at Setlik III, crossed the disputed Federation-Cardassian border and attacked the nearly defenseless colony. The carnage was total. More than one hundred civilians—nearly the entire population—was wiped out in a matter of minutes. Alexander's mother was among the initial casualties, but Tom Bevoney and his son were on a camping trip that day and spent the next four hours evading Cardassian foot patrols in the woods, waiting for rescue.

Rescue came too late; Mr. Bevoney, knowing that he and his son were trapped, hid Alexander under some brush and then ran, whooping, deep into the woods, drawing the prowling Cardassians away from the boy at the cost of his own life. Rol would be picked up a few hours later by troops from the U.S.S. Rutledge, the first starship to arrive on the scene after the surprise attack. He was found beneath the body of a Cardassian soldier, his body burned through with a shot from his own disruptor. Young Alexander, not yet five, had killed for the first time. His sole remaining posession, besides the clothes on his body, was a small, leather-bound book containing some of Robert Frost's poetry—a gift from his mother to read aloud with his father on the camping trip. Alexander would treasure the volume throughout his life, rarely allowing it to leave his person.

The Federation's robust adoption system and the sensational media attention on the Massacre conspired to ensure Alexander's rapid adoption by a warm and loving human couple, the Rols. Though the first year or two in Earth orbit were trying for all of them, as Alexander dealt with the deaths of his parents and the devastation of everything he knew, he emerged a remarkably healthy boy, now calling himself "Alex," with normal boyish interests, a curiously strong intellect—which his stepparents cultivated well—and a peculiar, almost worshipful attitude toward the United Federation of Planets. Though more solitary than most, Rol still faced all the normal challenges of adolescence, and met them well with the guidance of his stepparents. He would maintain warm ties to his adoptive parents throughout much of his life, and, even after growing distant from them following the Dominion War, Rol would write in 2376, "They were the best parents I could have asked for... except my own."

Assured, thanks to his keen mind, of a job in essentially any white-collar profession anywhere in the Federation, Rol surprised everyone and joined Starfleet, working long hours for months preparing his less-than-impressive body for the rigorous physical challenge. It seemed that he had decided to follow in the footsteps of those who had rescued him on that terrible day all those years ago. It seemed also, that, in a roundabout way, he was living up to the ethos of his parents; instead of coasting through life in a comfortable and productive service position, he was going to work hard, every day, in a job that most people around him didn't think quite suited him, before counting out his daily wages.

For a while, though, it seemed that Rol's detractors might be right, as Rol struggled to find his place at the Academy. Then he discovered the Intelligence Division, where physicaly prowess met split-second thinking and long-term tactical planning in glorious synergy. He'd come home. Rising quickly through the ranks, field operative Rol was a Colonel by the age of thirty, working closely through many of those years with one Isaac Brahms. He never lost his idealism.

...until the Dominion War intervened. After a mission on Loval went badly, Rol was forever changed.

Returning to field work in 2382, Lieutenant Rol was assigned to the U.S.S. Excelsior, purportedly as an infiltration specialist, though his true work was to monitor and protect General Brahms's Sword-of-Damocles project aboard the Excelsior. This went well.

...until it didn't.

On Christmas Day, 2382, Alex Rol had an apparent change of heart about his role in the Sword of Damocles project. He relented, and helped Excelsior forces in their effort to apprehend General Brahms. Brahms, attempting to escape, used a pre-programmed genetic "kill word" to neutralize Rol. Though help arrived quickly, and Rol's genetic programming had been severely handicapped by Rol's earlier attempts to remove it, the attempt on his life left Rol in severe distress. Since he was beamed out to emergency medical care on Starbase 911, the Excelsior has received no word on Mr. Rol's (now-classified) condition, whether living or dead.

Sanders, Becca
(Played by Joyce Bender) Colony Governor on Planet Paradise. Becca led the effort to tame that mucky bog hog infested planet and made it habitable, growing crops, raising children, making a future. As much as Samantha Cox was determined to get the Anbar back home, Becca was determined to make a future on Paradise. As a result, on more than one occaision, she butted heads with Skipper Sam Cox. Still, Sanders and planet Paradise were crucial in providing food and raw materials for the Anbar. Becca fell in love with, and married the Skipper's son, Jack Jr. together they decided to remain on Paradise, away from the impending zero invasion of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Sharp, Melissa
(Played by Emily Potter) Ensign Melissa Sharp only asked for a starship assignment. Under normal circumstances, she could have anticipated assignment as a junior Medical Officer on a Starship or starbase. But Captain Rachel Cortez was looking for potential, as well as talent when she was filling out her senior staff. The diminutive young physician was the Chief Medical Officer of the USS Excelsior. In the Excelsior's first mission, Sharp faced a telepathic plague, massive battle casualties, along with a series of murders, and a mysterious infestation. Melissa rose to the challenge, as Captain Cortez predicted.

Siresh, Sharvah
(Played by James Smagata)(Deceased)A retired Starfleet Captain. After leaving Starfleet, Siresh took up residence on Planet Deneva. Isaac Brahms and Ryan Willis approached the Captain with a request for his services. Initially declining, Siresh reconsidered after Brahms told him, that in exchange for his cooperation, he would be offered command of the currently mothballed USS Excelsior. His mission would be to investigate a distress signal near a dark matter nebula that appeared to be from the SS Anbar, a class III Neutronic fuel carrier that disappeared on a routine run nearly 70 years previous. After clearing Starbase 911, the ship arrived on scene to find the Anbar adrift, no weapons, shields or propulsion. After rescuing the survivors, Captain Siresh was investigating an undetonated zero boarding pod on the Anbar, nicknamed a "bug bomb" when a zero operative, Ensign Phillipe Ermez fired a phaser at the pod, causing it to open. Siresh was infested by one of the zero parasites. Now under the control of the bluegills, Siresh violated Starfleet orders to sterilize the area, and tried to bring the parasites back to Federation space. In accordance with her orders, the First Officer, Commander Rachel Cortez killed Captain Siresh.

Skolund, Tom
(Played by Karl Puder) (Deceased) Terran Navigator aboard the SS Anbar. Tom was the last remaining crewmember to have actually stood on planet Earth prior to the Anbar's run for the passage. (Star Trek: Anbar, The Barrier Pt XII Sunset) Skolund was a friend and mentor to both Captains Cox. Tom was held in high esteem by all who knew him. Skolund died just after the Anbar's successful transit of the passage.

T'Kala
(Played by Anne Maloney) (Deceased) A Vulcan Starfleet Special Operations officer, Ensign T'Kala was assigned to the Starfleet Marine Force attached to the USS Excelsior. Along with Alex Rol and Leo Amara, the three of them had secret orders from General Brahms himself to destroy the Excelsior upon receipt of a coded signal from him.T'Kala was killed instantly when the flight recorder she was examining was blown up by Ensign Ermez.

Triassa
A member of the Scion ruling council. Triassa was an ally of the Anbar crew, and the closest thing among the Scions Samantha Cox had for a friend. When the ruling council declined to join the Anbar in their attempt to enter the passage and return to the Milky Way galaxy, Triassa saw his friends prepared to die trying to protect the Milky Way from invasion by the zero fleet and decided to join the fight. In his own words, "Ten ships were persuaded by Triassa illogic." The ten ships joined Triassa in the transit into the Galaxy. Their current whereabouts are unknown, though there are hints that they are in the proximity of the Gevinon system.

Underwood, Joshua
(Played by Gareth Bowley) Excelsior Chief Diplomat LCDR Joshua Underwood was her former Captain at some time prior to the ship being placed in mothballs. Then - Captain Underwood, in a fit of rage struck his superior officer, Admiral Athos Roarke-Parker because, "I thought he had it in for me!". Rather than face incarceration, Underwood resigned from Starfleet, purchased a reconditioned garbage scow, and spent six years chasing space boomer legends about the Scions of the Stars. Finding little or no success, he petitioned Admiral Parker for reinstatement. After being turned down multiple times, he was reinstated by Admiral Parker with a two grade reduction in rank, and was assigned to his old ship, Excelsior as Chief Diplomat. Officially, Admiral Parker admonished him not to try to seek a return to Excelsior's center chair, but both CDR Dovan, as well as Underwood knew that Parker had placed him there to keep Dovan in line, and, failing that, take his place. Underwood's zeal to regain his old chair earned him the emnity and suspicion of nearly everyone onboard. His behavior went so far as to make an end run around Excelsior's chain of command and report to Admiral Parker, directly on at least one occaision.

His first attempt to keep CDR Dovan in line occured in orbit over Planet New Victoria, following Excelsior's breakout from Starbase 911. The ship was responding to a distress call, the colony having been attacked by pirates, the same pirates that had been harrassing the ship for most of her journey. They had been acting on the orders of General Isaac Brahms, who needed to slow the Excelsior down enough so he and his ship, the Renegade could catch her, and destroy her. After his attempts to slow the ship by damaging its warp drive were thrwarted, Brahms ordered the pirate ships to attack the Federation Colony on New Victoria. He knew that Excelsior would have to stop to render aid.

After the Ship arrived in standard orbit, Underwood ordered the shields dropped and placed into low orbit to recover survivors. Dovan countermanded the order, reminding him that the pirates could still be in the area. As inappropriate as it was, Underwood argued with Dovan on the bridge, just before the pirates appeared from behind New Victoria's moon and attacked.

The Second attempt occured as LCDR Neeva reported from the Computer core that she had broken Brahms' encryption. again, without consulting anyone, Underwood ordered Neeva to contact Brahms and signal Excelsior's surrender, believing Brahms would be reasonable and spare their lives. Despite Dovan's protests, Underwood persisted, firing off, "You don't have to follow the orders of a rogue captain, Neeva!" When Dovan accused him of mutiny, Underwood shot back, "_Now_ you know how Admiral Parker feels, Dovan!" Neeva lost consciousness in the damaged computer core due to leaking viridium 9 gas before she was able to do either Dovan or Underwood's bidding. After Dovan used the decrypted code to redirect the pirate fighters to a new target. . . . . The USS Renegade. Dovan then ordered security personnel to the computer core, and for Underwood to accompany him. When he asked Dovan why, he merely replied, "So you can be a hero." Underwood sputtered that "Captains don't commit suicide, Dovan! That's selfish emotional indulgence. I think Neeva would appreciate that!" Despite his apprehensions, Dovan managed to rescue Neeva. After a halfhearted attempt to turn Excelsior around, Underwood conceded to Dovan's leadership.

Underwood indirectly achieved his goal with the help of the Bluegill operative Ensign Phillipe Ermez. Ermez fed Underwood's fears when he told Underwood that several key personnel had been infested with parasites. That list included CDR Alcar Dovan. Ermez fed the same story to Dovan, telling him that Underwood was the parasite. A showdown on the bridge followed, Dovan and Underwood each accusing each other of being the bluegill infiltrator. As it turned out, while the Chief Diplomat and Captain were playing 'phaser tag' on the bridge, The operative was down in deflector control, trying to signal the Bluegill fleet. In order to catch the real parasite, Dovan conceded that until the parasite crisis was resolved, he transferred command authority to LCDR Underwood.

Following the attack by the Bluegill three ship task force on the Excelsior, Underwood fought the ship while Dovan hunted down the parasite operative. The situation was deteriorating when the Renegade finally arrived. Underwood hailed Brahms and simply asked, "Are you friend or foe?" He then spat out, "Either give us a hand or get out of the way!" Surprisingly, given that his mission was now a moot point, Brahms cooperated. The two ships were holding their own, but Excelsior had an away team trapped onboard the Anbar, the ship they were searching for. Despite their combined efforts, the Bluegill ships were preventing recovery of the away team. Underwoods efforts had almost succeeded when one of the bluegill ships rammed the Anbar, hoping to cover its escape. The Anbar was destroyed, the away team, presumed lost.

Since the loss of the Anbar, Underwood has pretty much dominated the bridge. CDR Dovan has isolated himself in his cabin, officially doing research, but in the eyes of the crew, he seemed to be hiding.

Winters, Brady
(Played by Vivian Cheung/Eliza Martin) Chief of Triage on the SS Anbar. Brady was the closest thing to a physician the crew of the Anbar had. Brady's favorite line was, "I'm not a Doctor!" Winters was best friend to Skipper Sam Cox. They grew up together on the Anbar. Though she was as good as any EMS tech, Brady hated the trauma and the death she was forced to confront during the many attacks the Anbar was forced to endure. During the Anbar's run for the passage she was forced to abandon a patient, engineer Thor, because she knew Thor was dying, and she couldn't waste time or resources on him. She broke her own orders when she came across a child, little Tommy Chen. though she ordered her assistant on, she stayed with Tommy until he died from his wounds. Brady survived the Anbar's transit of the passage and was rescued following the arrival of The USS Excelsior. Brady volunteered to join Sam and Mrs Chen, the Schoolmarm back on the Anbar to cover the escape of the Excelsior. Her current fate was unknown.

The Zero
First impression, the Zero, (or Bluegill as they are known to the Federation) do not appear to be a serious threat. They are only approximately 6 to 8 inches in length, have no natural offensive weaponry, and are blind. Their advantage is that they can enter sentient species through their mouths, clamp onto the host's neural system and take control of the host body. The procedure is over in a matter of seconds, and the parasites attack by the thousands.

The Zero originated beyond the Milky Way Galaxy. Reconaissance units made a successful incursion into Federation space, making their their way to the highest levels of Starfleet Command.. Their mission was compromised when the queen was killed, which meant all the other parasites perished as well. But, the incursion began anyway, an entire galaxy was theirs for the taking.

That is, until they ran into the Borg.

Where they had sheer force of numbers, the Borg had power and adaptability. The battle was joined. Millions of ships were lost on both sides, yet the battle continued. It was a stalemate, neither side gaining the upper hand.

The Borg, ever the master of adaptation, created an innoculation against parasite infestation. They identified it as compound 130385. It is unknown if the Bluegills are aware of this innovation. But the day that one side triumphs over the other, the winning side will either murder or enslave the survivors.

Season 1 - The Excelsior Returns

 * Act I - There You Are (Released 28 September 2007)
 * Act II - The Valandrian Expedition (Released 05 December 2007)
 * Act III - Turns of Events (Released 25 January 2008)
 * Act IV - Wildfire (Released 05 April 2008)
 * Act V - Down The Rabbit Hole (Released 12 July 2008)

Season 2 - Murder in the Blue Morgue

 * Act I - The First Two Deaths (Released 05 October 2008)
 * Act II - The Investigation (Released 04 January 2009)
 * Act III - Her Hardest Hue to Hold (Released 29 March 2009)
 * Act IV - The Manchurian Officer (Released 01 July 2009)
 * Act V - Golden Things (Released 24 October 2009)

Season 3 - The Sword of Damocles

 * Part I - Every Good Captain has Admiral Issues (Released 19 March 2010)
 * Part II - The Pursuit (Released 09 May 2010)
 * Part III - The Wreck in the Hesperus (Released 20 October 2010)
 * Part IV - The Infestation (Released 26 December 2010)
 * Part V - Trust but Verify (Released 06 February 2011)
 * Part VI - The Man From Syracuse (Released 01 June 2011)
 * Part VII - Ozymandius (Released 26 December 2011)
 * Part VIII - What Happened on Gevenon Prime (Released on 08 July 2012)
 * Part IX - The Graceful End (Unreleased)

Specials

 * 1A - Debugging Entry (Released 01 April 2008)
 * 2A - The Line (Released 10 September 2009)
 * 2B - No One Gets out alive (Released 26 December 09)
 * 3A - Star Trek: Anbar, The Barrier Part XII (Released 07 August 2010)
 * 3B - Safeties Off (Released 08 September 2010)
 * 3D - Swordplay: A Recap (Released 01 April 2011)
 * 3E - Five Minute The Excelsior Returns (Released 01 April 2012)

Memorable quotes
"You're our Captain! You can be a hero on your own time! But your job right now is to get your people out of here alive!" - Lt Yubari Asuka, Ep 103 Wildfire

"I'm not a nice man! Polite, but not nice!" - Admiral Parker, Ep 301 Every Good Captain has Admiral Issues

"I've gotten a second chance, Dovan! I intend to use it!" - LCDR Joshua Underwood, Ep 301 Every Good Captain has Admiral Issues

''"Your record is one of the most heavily reprimanded in Starfleet! You're insubordinate and self-righteous! Now, those qualities have made some great Starfleet Captains, I'm very optimistic about your future, Commander. But not this time. _This_ time, I need you to follow my orders. Commander Underwood is my guarantee that you will." ''-Admiral Parker, Ep 301, Every Good Captain has Admiral Issues

''"I've never had a male C.O. I didn't hate. . . . . I suspect, when you start acting like your personnel file, you'll join that club." ''- LCDR Neeva, Ep 301 Every Good Captain has Admiral Issues

''"Do not presume to judge me, Commander! You don't know what you're dealing with!" ''- General Isaac Brahms, Ep 204 The Manchurian Officer

External link

 * Starship Excelsior