Punishment & Crime (STA)
The crew of the U.S.S. Lexington arrives at an uninhabited moon. As they wait for Starfleet’s follow-up orders, an unexpected coronal flare from the nearby star causes the ship to temporarily shut down — and reveals that the tech on the moon's surface isn't derelict or disabled. As the ship is repaired, Pruitt expresses a chilling but far-fetched tale of possession and evil technology, while Admiral Stoker confides that Starfleet cannot be fully trusted on this matter.
When the ship is restored to working order Pruitt uses the ship's transporter to reach the surface. The crew follows her down, only to find that she is well ahead of them and appears to be fleeing. She is discovered in due time, only for the crew to realize that she is somehow interfacing with the ancient technology directly. The crew must face the protections of the alien research station and secure their own positions before they are killed or run out of air.
Pruitt is released from the machine and confirms that a dire plot is unfolding throughout the galaxy as more stations will be activating across other systems. Admiral Stoker suggests using the alien technology to create a cover story for their own deaths and adds that "going rogue means that we already know who we can trust."
As a moon-wide storm settles, the crew finds a repairable shuttle and escapes. Upon reaching orbit they witness what appears to be a Starfleet vessel firing on the Lexington, destroying it.
