- Near the Romulan Neutral Zone and Lysian territory.
- On the USS Birnam, near the Romulan Neutral Zone and Lysian territory.
Summary:
- 2393.05.23:
The Atlantis had located the USS Birnam, the renegade Galaxy-class Starship which had cut all communications with Starfleet. After a short fight, the Birnam crew stood down, and arrangements were made for Captain Krella and some of her staff to come aboard the Atlantis to discuss the situation. Meanwhile, a Starfleet Arrow-class runabout dropped out of transwarp: Lieutenant Montgomery and Ensign Vil were rejoining the crew of the Atlantis.
As Captain Krella, Commander Lenox and Lieutenant Dobin of the Birnam beamed to the Atlantis, an Atlantis away team was beamed to the Birnam to determine what was causing the crew to behave so strangely. They found evidence of neurogenic fields on several decks. In the meantime, Captain Krella and her landing party were at the negotiating table with Captain Torn, where Dobin, at Lenox' orders, altered Torn's memories. He was making the Captain believe the same lies he had made the crew of the Birnam believe: that the Lysians were enemies, that all of Starfleet had fallen under Lysian mind control, and that the salvation of the Federation lay in the destruction of the Lysian Central Command.
Now under the influence of Dobin's mind control, Captain Torn ordered the Atlantis to cut all communications with the rest of Starfleet and to set course to the Lysians system. He further ordered all senior officers to the conference room, where Dobin would 'liberate' them from Lysian mind control. Confused, the crew of the Atlantis complied and assembled in the conference room, unaware of the danger awaiting them there.
On board the Birnam, the Away Team found out, to their surprise, that the Atlantis had jumped to warp, leaving their own officers behind. Now stranded on a disabled ship, surrounded by hostile officers, things look mighty grim for Commander Velden and his team... But, as the Atlantis prepares to go to war, things look even more grim for the Lysians.
