2389/06
Following the reception of the USS Traveller distress beacon, transmitted through the Alpha Phase Space Accelerator in the Alpha Quadrant as the starship travelled through phase space via the Prior Whisper Gate in Carpathias sun, Starfleet acted. Moving the Long Jump Project time table up by months, Expedition Two was sent through in one June 1st 2389.
Using the data from the distress beacon to refine their calculations, the Alpha Accelerator was able to send through the component parts of a Stardock class starbase. And whilst far more accurate than the first Long Jump, there was still a scattering effect. Only the Command Module of the station arrived in the outer reaches of the Carpathia Star System, with the Support and Engineering Modules falling out of Phase Space 5 light-years deeper into Messier 4 in Xilos star system.
Getting the Command Module into the orbit of Carpathia, and making contact with the beleaguered colony of Landersfell, the command team of Canopus Station sent out a retrieval team aboard the USS Resolute and four Warp Tugs. Upon arrival, they discovered the Support Module was in a decaying orbit around Xilos, a world so thoroughly bombed, nerved gassed, and comet struck as to be assumed lifeless. The Engineering Module, on the other hand, had fallen into a stable L2 orbit around Xilos, but had suffered a biohazard contamination.
Later investigation would reveal that an ill-fated away team from the Engineering Module, lead by the 2nd Expeditions Marine contingent, had investigated the planet below after picking up an FM radio broadcast from the surface. Upon a quick return, an infection had rapidly spread throughout the Engineering Module, starting with the Marines, making them turn on their fellow crew and slaughtering the uninfected.
A surface team was dispatched from the USS Resolute and the source of the FM radio signal discovered to be a black onyx temple. This temple was at the head of a valley, a valley filled with the rusting decaying wrecks of thousands of ground transports neatly parked up before it. Landing near the temple, the surface team investigated the temple which was filled with piles of ashen dust. At the heart of the temple was the source of transmission and an altar upon which a fine;y route glass skeleton of a short bipedal humanoid had been laid. Entering this chamber triggered a crude hologram, which presented a figure representing The Concordance. Expositing its views and belief, the temples true purpose became self-evident as flames began to erupt from the walls.
It was an incinerator.
Escaping through the use of an overloading phase pistol, the surface team escaped the fires and were greeted by a firing squad. Two heavily armoured land trucks with slug projector turrets, and a squad of thickly armoured by primitive powered armour wearing humanoids, had surrounded their shuttle and them. After a brief standoff, as the Universal Translator got to work, they were found to be The Xilosians the surviving native population of their planet. Invited at gunpoint to return with them to their shelter, the Cradle Facility, the Xilosian who called himself Prime Philosopher Kisbeck told the tale of his people: how they had greeted visitors from beyond the stars, welcomed them to their planet, and then suffered through a plague of madness and occupation only to barely survive an orbital bombardment fit to sterilise all life from their world.
The hallmark of first contact with The Concordance.
The Cradle Facility was a mix of civilian and military survivors, the latter being suspicious of the new arrivals. But following a successful demonstration of their will to help all, the Xilosian survivors accepted Starfleet's help in relocating themselves to Canopus Station until a more suitable home could be found. The Engineering Module was sedated, the infected crew quarantined and secured, and the Support Module brought back into a stable orbit. Before leaving, the crew of the USS Resolute used a 1 Mega Ton anti-matter device to eradicate the Concordance Temple.
