Star Trek Online/Codex/The Path to 2409/2395

Tragedy struck for Starfleet on Stardate 72487.91, when the U.S.S. Kelso was lost with all hands.

The Kelso was supposed to be on a routine mission to study the long-term effects of the Hobus supernova on star systems in the Devron Sector when it was destroyed. Initial reports indicated that the Kelso could have come under attack. However, when the remains of the vessel were recovered by the U.S.S. April, it was found that a coolant leak caused by an experimental cloaking device onboard the Kelso caused plasma to vent from the ship. The plasma reacted with ionizing radiation present in the area, causing the explosion which destroyed the Kelso.

After careful consideration, Captain Barax Wenn of the April revealed the cause of the Kelso's destruction to the captains of the Romulan ships assisting in the search for the vessel. In response, Praetor Taris lodged an immediate complaint with the Federation Council, and, as a "gesture of good faith," informed the Klingon Empire of the details of the Kelso's destruction as well.

Starfleet Security admitted that the U.S.S. Kelso was testing a Federation cloaking device. The Romulans then ejected all Federation diplomats and ships from their space in protest, and Chancellor J'mpok recalled the Klingon ambassador to the Federation back to Qo'noS for "strategic discussions."

After the revelation that Starfleet was testing a cloaking device, tensions between the Federation, Romulans and Klingons were at their highest point since the destruction of the Romulan homeworld in 2387. After a full inquiry, six members of Starfleet Security were court-martialed.

It took three months for Federation President Aennik Okeg to convince the Romulans and the Klingons to send representatives to a summit to discuss the situation. When the meeting finally began, Okeg made the Federation's position clear. He apologized for the experiments into cloaking technology, and said that he had signed an executive order banning all research into or creation of Federation cloaking technology.

"The narrow legal view may be that the Treaty of Algeron ended when Romulus was destroyed," Okeg said. "The Romulan Star Empire we knew is gone, and you are a new people. What has not changed is the Federation's commitment to peace."

Happier news for Starfleet was the successful conclusion of the dispute over the mobile emitter now in the possession of the photonic lifeform known as The Doctor. He agreed to accept a commission as a lieutenant commander in Starfleet and took the post of chief medical officer at the research facility on Galor IV. Because the mobile emitter would be with him at Galor IV, the Starfleet Corps of Engineers would have the opportunity to study the device.

"It was never that I didn't want to let Starfleet learn more about the mobile emitter," said The Doctor in an interview with the Federation News Service. "I respect Starfleet a great deal, and I have the utmost amount of admiration for Admiral Janeway and the fine men and women in the service. I needed Starfleet to respect me."

On Stardate 72858.96, the Vulcans honored the 225th anniversary of the completion of work on the monastery at P'Jem. The original monastery was constructed more than 3,000 years ago, but it was destroyed by Andorian orbital bombardment in 2151.

After the founding of the United Federation of Planets was founded in 2161, a coalition of Andorian, Vulcan and Human craftsmen rebuilt the monastery using hand tools and ancient Vulcan techniques.

A strange incident was reported on the Klingon world of Rha'darus. While on shore leave from his duties on the I.K.S. Kang, Ja'rod, son of Torg, was ambushed by three Klingon warriors. He managed to kill two of them and brought the third back to his ship.

Expecting the attack to be from an enemy of the House of Duras, Ja'rod was shocked to discover that his attackers weren't Klingon at all! Application of a painstik forced the captive to change and its shape morphed from a Klingon to that of a strange tripedal alien.

Under questioning by Ja'rod and members of the Kang's crew, the alien revealed that it was a member of a species known by its Borg designation of Species 8472. The alien called itself an Undine, and revealed that not only was its party specifically sent to Rha'darus to capture Ja'rod and replace him, this was not the first time the Undine have done so. There were Undine infiltrators in every major political entity of the Alpha and Beta quadrants.