- (Docked at) Pandora Station.
- Near the Romulan Neutral Zone.
Summary:
- 2393.05.20:
The Atlantis was docked at Pandora Station for some shore leave and to bring on board supplies and crew. One of the new crew members was Lieutenant O'Gallagher, the ship's new CMO, who previously served on board the Odyssey with Commander Velden. He went to visit her to talk about old times.
- 2393.05.23:
Still docked at Pandora Station, the crew of the Atlantis was enjoying a brief respite from the normally stressful missions. Captain Torn took this opportunity to talk to Admiral Khatibi about Glitch, the allegedly self-aware hologram. Glitch's fate is yet to be decided.
When, a few hours later, the Atlantis was called into immediate action, the crew scrambled to get to their stations before the ship left. During a mission briefing, the Captain explained why their shore leave was cancelled: the USS Birnam, a Galaxy class starship under the command of Captain Krella, had disappeared from sensors. Its last known course would take it directly towards the Romulan Neutral Zone. The crew speculated about Romulan involvement, but accidents were not entirely ruled out either. After using the transwarp drive, the Atlantis arrived at the last-known co-ordinates of the Starship Birnam... But the ship was nowhere to be found.
After some searching, the crew did, however, find the Birnam's warp trail, and Captain Torn ordered the Atlantis to follow that trail at maximum warp. The chase was on.
Meanwhile, the USS Birnam was racing at maximum warp towards Lysian territory, its crew convinced that the Federation is at war with the Lysians. They believe that the Birnam is the last Starfleet ship left. Two members of the crew, however, know better. Commander Lenox, the Birnam's First Officer, has something to hide, and Lieutenant Dobin, a Ullian telepath and the Captain's advisor, also knows more than he lets on. It turns out that Commander Lenox is making Dobin alter the crew's memories, to make them think they are at war with the Lysians. Eager to fight, the Birnam's crew heads towards Lysians Central Command, determined to end this war.
If they succeed, thousands of innocent lives will be lost. It is up to the Atlantis crew to find the Birnam and stop them... Before the killing starts.
