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The Cloud

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TimelinePeople
Universe : Prime Timeline
Species Name : The Cloud1
Quadrant : Delta

Encountered by the USS Voyager on Stardate 48546.2, the cloud is the largest living thing ever discovered by the Federation at approximately one billion kilometres in diameter.

The cloud was at first thought by the Starship crew to be a nebula. It was composed largely of hydrogen, helium hydroxyl radicals and some local dust nodules. The nebula was giving off gamma and thermal emissions, but was not judged a hazard to the ship. It also contained unusually high levels of omicron particles, which Voyagers crew were eager to use to supplement their energy systems. Captain Janeway ordered the ship inside.

Once within the perimeter, Voyager encountered strong currents in the outer layers on the nebula. Beyond this there was an energy barrier which blocked the ships progress, although they were able to force their way through with a sustained thruster burst. Beyond there was a huge region filled with a blue substance which began to pass through the shields and attach itself to the hull, draining energy through the shield grid. Voyager retreated back to the energy barrier, only to find that it had thickened behind them and trapped them inside. Janeway used phasers and a photon torpedo break through and escape the cloud, having lost some 11% of the ships energy reserves in the process.

Subsequent analysis of the material attached to the ship showed that the cloud was in fact a single living being. Concerned that the photon torpedo may have injured it, Voyager returned to the breach they had created to repair it. The cloud used multi-polar charges to attack the ship, but Voyager was able to divert it long enough to insert itself in the wound and use nucleonic beams to act as a suture, promoting rapid healing.

With the wound well on the way to closing Voyager escaped the nebula and continued on its way. No further encounters with life forms of this type have occurred.1

Colour key

Canon source Backstage source Novel source DITL speculation

References

# Series Season Source Comment
1 VOY 1 The Cloud
Series : VOY Season 1 (Disc 2)
Episode : The Cloud

© Graham & Ian Kennedy Page views : 15,854 Last updated : 15 Mar 2013