Star Trek Into The Wilderness: Day of the Demon

Season Four Finale: "The Day of the Demon"
After the events of the previous episode the Federation stands on a precipice. Three of the earliest, founding members of the Federation. The Andorians, Vulcans and the Tellarite have rescinded from the 'Archer Accord.' -The Federation is falling.
With countless worlds still struggling to cope with the consequences of the Borg's invasion some two years ago, many worlds are becoming home to a seemingly endless stream of refugees. Mass over crowding and illness are crippling many of the world's of the Federation and are a far cry from its utopian vision.
Not to mention Starfleet failing to help in assisting the Andorian people in helping them stop a disease that caused them to be able to reproduce AND the reunification of Vulcan and The Romulans, many Starfleet ships are left without crews as officers resign in order to return home to their home worlds, things have taken a decided turn for the worst.

This episode takes place four months after the discovery of what is now believed to be a Dyson Sphere located exactly in the middle of Romulan and Vulcan space.
It also shows the consequences of Andor and Vulcan leaving the Federation.

Ro reports that over thirty percent of Fleet personnel have left the Starfleet and she believes that the situation is at breaking point. -To that end, Elysium is one of many ships that is operating with a reduced staff as so many of Ro's crew have been relocated to fill positions aboard other vessels.

Making things worse, Betazed, Pacifica and the Rigel System all declare independence from the Federation.

Anxious to follow up their mission to Vulcan, Ro is frustrated to be ordered to Rigel when a conflict on one of its most densely populated worlds refuses to follow suit of the neighbouring planets and leave the UFP.
Starfleet are ordered to protect the world that wishes to remain in the Federation however, the other Rigellian planets want to leave and are prepared to take up arms and overthrow its government.

Many among Ro's senior staff believe this to be a prelude to a civil war. It also becomes clear that much of Starfleet has gone 'dark.' Thankfully, Ro has managed to keep her crew in check and has only accepted missions from trusted members of the admiralty.
Marcus, cannot grasp how many worlds, worlds that have grown stronger through Federation aide over the years would want to turn their backs and go it alone. Whilst Cameron, who grew up on Rigel IX can see the other side of the argument and feels obligated to return home.
Ro asks if he'll really consider taking up arms against the Federation, to which he tells his commanding officer that if it means protecting his people, his family he may not have a choice.
Ro reluctantly accepts his resignation and agrees to allow him to depart when they arrive at the Rigel System...

The Elysium is one of six Starfleet vessels that arrive in the Rigel System and joins a further three ships that were already there.
Captain Ezri Dax of the Aventine has taken command of the three vessels already in the system and is coordinating efforts.
Two of the Starfleet vessels, in the name of forging peace in the system have been ferrying Rigellians too and from the various worlds as well as returning people back to Rigel IX who wish to remain Federation citizens.

Rigel IX is one of the largest worlds in the system however, is fast becoming overcrowded with people terrified of the idea of leaving. Many however are uncertain, having always lived with the Federation flag flying on the horizon.
An explosion cripples the Aventine and it quickly becomes apparent that the Rigellian leave camp are to blame.
Ro learns that Dax has been ordered by Starfleet to put an end to the leave camp and to assassinate their leader.
Disgusted that Federation would even consider this and even more so, disgusted at Dax for agreeing to put the plan into motion, relieves her of command...

...And so begins a war: The Elysium crew learn that one of the members of the Rigellian Leave Camp and a former Starfleet officer knew about the Aventine's covert mission and set a bomb aboard her...

Ro now finds herself torn. Torn in the same way she felt about the Marquis. Unsure as to whether or not she should still be wearing her uniform she empathises with what is going on here and genuinely doesn't know how to proceed. The crew offer various different thoughts and standpoints yet they are also conflicted.
Ro foresees this situation echoing on countless Federation worlds. In some cases on some of the lesser developed worlds she can imagine the Starfleet imposing martial law whilst on the more powerful, she imagines them taking up arms against them.
Now in command of nine starships, having relieved Ezri of duty, Ro signals her former captain, mentor and friend, Jean-Luc Picard for advice...

Jean-Luc is equally torn however, he, a staunt believer in the Federations founding ideals believes that they must continue to stay true to those ideals and make a stand if necessary.
He expresses that those that choose to walk away from the Federation's believes will have to be held accountable if they rise up against them and with regret, respect the decisions of the worlds that choose to leave and go it alone. He tells Ro that he will not allow the Starfleet to fight to hold on to those worlds as Starfleet and the Federation wasn't designed to go forth and conquer, that it is an organisation of exploration and unity...

Matters take a further turn for the worse when one of Ro's fleet is attacked. The Chariot, a Defiant-Class starship is captured and along with a band of Rigellian cargo and transport ships subsequently attempts to chase Ro's fleet out of the Rigel sector.
As the Elysium fends off its aggressors, the cries for help start to pour in from Rigel IX.

Katana learns that the main culprits of the Rigellian Leave Camp are aboard the Chariot after receiving information from a former Starfleet officer, who overwhelmed with guilt believes he has made a terrible mistake aligning himself with the Leave Camp offers to help.
Regrettably, the officer is killed after one of the leavers discovers he is providing the Elysium with tactical information. Thankfully it is enough for Katana to take an away team aboard the ship and take back control of the Starfleet vessel.
Ro meets with the Leave Leader, the orchestrator, a renowned former Starfleet Admiral and whilst understanding his motives manages to talk him down from a potential Rigellian war with the Federation.
He gives himself up, despite knowing that he will spend the rest of his life in prison for mutiny, he selflessly orders his people to stand down.

Starfleet order the Elysium back to the Rigel System to continue the mission that Dax started however this time far less covertly.

Ro and the crew spend three weeks within the Rigel System and bring peace to the surrounding sectors however, the fact still remains that the Rigel System, bar one planet have left the Federation wish to go it alone...

At the end of the episode, Ro receives orders from Riker, ordering her to meet him at a set of secret coordinates and advises her that whilst he cannot go into too much detail, he has a mission for her and her crew which will send them back to the Dyson's Sphere...

Cameron Bond thanks Ro for his understanding in his decision to remain on Rigel IX. The Elysium leaves the Rigel-System and sets a course to rendezvous with the Titan.
Ro has been given orders to meet with Riker and to hand over Ezri Dax who has spent the last couple of weeks in the brig for defying orders.

Over the course of her 'stay,' Ezri has been seen by Rebecca Sisko and Alicia Monroe -they both believe that it is their professional opinion that Dax is not who she claims to be and is an imposter. Many of Alicia's scans have resulted in undetermined results, forcing her to believe that Dax has been replaced however, she is unable to ascertain by whom.
If the imposter is an alien, she's an almost perfect replica. From her DNA to a duplicate of the Dax symbiont is almost a perfect replication.

Upon arriving at a set of pre arranged coordinates, the Elysium arrives alongside the Titan.
Riker greets Ro with some startling news. He believes that the Iconians are somehow involved with the recent issues facing the Federation. Will gives the captain a large amount of evidence to suggest their involvement however, Laren finds it difficult to believe as it is commonly thought that the Iconians are long extinct.
Riker presents Ro several reports obtained by the Orion Syndicate containing information surrounding the recent discovery of an Iconian Gateway. Only two have ever been discovered since the Federation's founding and this new Gateway, a means of travelling to just about anywhere in the Galaxy has been located on Romulus.
The Gateway's use causes a shift in subspace, Riker explains that the same 'shift' was detected in the far reaches of the Delta and Beta-Quadrants. Ro asks if the Iconians had retreated to the Delta-Quadrant however, Riker is unable to clarify this. Riker can confirm however that materials used in the creation of the Iconian Gateway had been found in long range scans of the Calcutta Sector, the region of space where a massive Dyson like Sphere was detected between Romulus and Vulcan.
Not only that, but the same subspace disturbances that are a side effect of an Iconian Gateway being used were located emanating from the centre of the sphere.

Ro asks what information Starfleet has on the Iconians. Will explains that regrettably it's very little. He expresses that before she came aboard the Enterprise-D, he and the crew discovered what is believed to be the former Iconian Homeworld, they learnt that the world was abandoned and the Enterprise was almost destroyed by an ancient Iconian computer virus. Ro remarks that she recalls Geordi LaForge telling her of that mission and asks if there is any way of preventing the Elysium falling fowl of being attacked by another computer virus. Riker is unsure, he tells Ro, that frankly they only have very little information however, the subspace shift has been detected throughout the Federation also -he believes that the Iconians are somehow taking control of many key Federation worlds in attempt to seize control.
Riker also alludes to another fact -this leading back to his first year as executive officer aboard the Enterprise-D.
Starfleet was infiltrated by a race of parasitic aliens, named 'The Blue Gill Parasites' that attempted to seize control of Starfleet Command and the Federation. He along with the Enterprise-D crew managed to foil the aliens plans however, a signal was transmitted into the ether.
Admiral Riker explains that after much study, Starfleet's science branch have deduced that the signal was dispatched to the Delta-Quadrant. It wasn't until The Federation President gave him permission to pursue every avenue into putting an end to this latest threat to security, that Riker and his crew investigated this possible lead and have come to the conclusion that the parasitic aliens may have some how used Iconian technology to begin an invasion of the Federation.

Note: in actual fact, the parasites are in collusion with the Iconians. However, this is only a means to an end, the Iconians use the parasites to lay down the ground work to destroying many of the Alpha-Quadrant governments before planning an assault on the Federation, Klingons and Romulans -this doesn't become clear to the crew until much later.

The first point of call is the Sphere. Riker orders Ro to take the Elysium, under cloak, having obtained special permissions for the ship to violate the Treaty of Algeron and utilise a cloaking device to get as close as possible to the Sphere and to infiltrate whoever is in command.
Ro asks why her, why her ship -after all, she is operating the Elysium with a skeleton crew after the majority of her non-human officers have left to return to their home worlds following the withdrawal of the Federation.
Riker is frank with his reply, he tells her quite simply, miss-quoting Ambassador Spock, that the needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many. Laren corrects the admiral and reminds him of the ambassador's inspiring words and reluctantly agrees. Riker expresses that he has every faith in Laren and her crew.
Once the intentions of whoever built the sphere are ascertained, he gives her permission to do whatever it takes to stop them from undermining the Federation and to prevent further imbalance in the Alpha and Beta-Quadrants.
Finally, Riker has his tactical officer transfer a supply of experimental transphasic torpedoes aboard. After reviewing their specifications, Ro learns that the torpedoes are three times more powerful than that of the ones currently in use by Starfleet and that they could potentially cause tares in the fabric of subspace. Accepting her concerns, Will expresses that the weapons are only to be used in extreme circumstances to where their use can help prevent the destruction of the Federation or severe loss of Federation life...

Marcus escorts Riker to the transporter bay, en-route, the Rikers discuss Marcus' father and about how he met his fate. Will tells Marcus that whilst Tom had passed, he is pretty much the same man that his father was. That if he ever needs anything, then to contact him, that there's always a home for Marcus at his and Deanna's on Earth. Also, Will tells Marcus that if he ever considers leaving the Elysium then he'd be welcome aboard the Titan. Flattered and overwhelmed, Marcus and Will share an almost father and son hug before he wishes Will goodbye...

Assembled on the bridge, the senior crew watch on the viewscreen as the Titan departs.
Ro uses this rare occasion of all her senior officers together to remind them of what's at stake. She recalls the time she had to choose to stand and fight for what she believed in and that it had come again. Ro explains that whilst the Federation has been in peril before, the stakes [now] have never been higher.
Reminding the crew that over the last few years the Federation has weathered many attacks, but this threat right now could destroy it from within. Whilst they only maybe one ship, one crew, Ro knows that they have got what it takes to stop this latest threat to the Federation's integrity...

The next scene shows something slightly different; Jessica Lange stars as Captain Mekendra Michaels overseeing the final stages of what appears to be a large weapon or device being constructed. Surrounded by many Starfleet officers, Mekendra gives orders and oversees the 'final stage' of its construction.
She is clearly in charge, a strong, confident, commanding woman, Michaels is a powerful force in the command centre as she takes dispatches officers to their assignments -their goal, their mission unsure.
The scene gives the viewer/reader an unsettlingly eerie view of what the Federation will go to in order to preserve itself...but, who is Mekendra really working for? The Federation or the Iconians?...

Having travelled for two days at high warp as the cloaking device would be rendered ineffective at Slipstream velocities, the Elysium finally arrives within a hares breadth of the Sphere. Marcus brings the ship out of warp in a nearby star system after detecting a Starfleet ship in high orbit of a gas giant.
Wrecked and without power, Katana reports that the Starfleet vessel is trapped in a decaying orbit around the planet. Further scans suggest that the ship suffered hull breaches in main engineering and the bridge however, there is no sign of an fowl play. Marcus identifies the ship as the USS Boston -a long range survey vessel...commanded by Mekendra Michaels.
With the Elysium's sensors affected by the planet's atmosphere, Ro enquiries as to whether an away team would be able to beam aboard to search for survivors.
Marcus and Katana believe that they could beam aboard using transporter beacons and then once aboard beam back using transport pattern enhancers. Ro gives the order for Marcus and Katana to beam aboard along with Doctor Monroe to search for survivors...

The Boston is understandably heavily damaged, thankfully there are several sections of the ship that have survived the decompression and Alicia is able to treat a handful of survivors who have managed to take refuge in one of the Boston's cargo bays.
One of the survivors grateful to be rescued is Lieutenant Commander Gallow, he expresses his gratitude after asking if the away team have found anyone else alive.
Now aboard the ship, the away team's sensors are able to scan for life free from the planet's disruptive atmosphere however, Katana has to break the news to Gallow that regrettably the survivors in the cargo bay are the only people they've detected alive.
Not surprised after the hell he's been through, Gallow remarks that he and his fellow survivors have been trapped here for weeks.
Alicia, treating one of Gallow's men reports that they need to get back to the Elysium now, that her patient is close to death.
Katana gives her the go ahead to beam back to the ship. They remove several transporter pattern enhancers and place them on the survivors before beaming back.
Katana, Marcus and Gallow remain to attempt to download the ship's logs.

Aboard the Elysium, JJ reports that he's detecting a massive shift in subspace. Ro signals the away team and orders them back to the ship at once however, JJ exclaims that the subspace shift is effecting the transporters.
Marcus responds by stating that they're only a couple of decks away from the Boston's shuttlebay and should be able to reconfigure the pattern enhancers to beam to an intact shuttle.

The shift in subspace, emanating from the Sphere causes some kind of shockwave and emerges outward towards the Elysium.

JJ tells Ro that they need to get out of here now; that they haven't got time to wait for the away team to return. Ro orders Sarah (at the helm) to stay put, telling JJ that they're not going to leave Marcus and Katana over there.

The wave approaches, it hits the Boston first and completely overwhelms its already battered and weakened hull. Ro attempts to signal the away team however the wave distorts the comms link.
The Elysium's shields hold as the the subspace shockwave engulfs the Starfleet vessel.
Sarah reports that she's detected a shuttle, Ro asks if they can lower the shields to beam the shuttle aboard. JJ shakes his head, he expresses that if they did that it'd destabilise the warp core...however, he does have an idea...

Sarah reports that the wave will pass in two minutes however, the shuttle's shields will have failed in less than one.
Suddenly, the Elysium shakes heavily -JJ has ejected the warpcore.
The away team and Commander Gallow are beamed directly to the bridge. Ro asks just how JJ managed to beam the shuttle crew aboard to which he reports that he's ejected the ship's core. With that, he calls out to tactical for the shields to be restored as the core explodes!

Thrown from stem to stern Elysium barely survives the exploding core. Not only that, but the cloaking device has failed and the ship is now detectable to long range sensors.

With no warp core, the hull severely compromised and the mystery to the Boston's destruction still a mystery, Ro stands on the bridge of a stricken ship, wondering if her crew will suffer the same fate of the Boston...

To be continued!

Image Credits
New Romulus by STO
Nebula - 'Eden' by Starkiteckt Designs
Akira Class and Alien Sphere by unknown artists
Image by JonBromLE1