| Universe : |
Prime Timeline |
| Species Name : |
Parasites [1] |
| Quadrant : |
Alpha |
In 2364 Admiral Quinn asked Captain Picard to become commander of Starfleet academy, citing as his reason that he suspected there was something terribly wrong within the Federation. Although alarmed, Picard declined the offer in favour of remaining in command of the Enterprise. [2] On Stardate 41775.5, Picard was again contacted and warned of a danger within the Federation, this time by a group of Starfleet captains led by Walter Keel. Keel believed that Starfleet officers were being subverted somehow. On investigation Picard discovered a pattern of strange orders which indicated that some form of invasion was underway. Picard took the Enterprise to Earth to investigate Starfleet command. He found that all of the senior admirals had been infected with an alien parasite; once inside the body, the small parasite took complete control of all neural and physiological functions. The parasite was approximately ten centimetres in length, hexapedal, with two prominent horn-like feelers on its head. It entered the body via the mouth, burrowing until it reached the top of the spine. There it would push its tail through the skin; this organ allowed it to breathe, and was the only visible sign of infection. It would access the nerves of the spinal cord in order to control the host.
Picard and his first officer were able to beam into Starfleet command and incapacitate several of the command staff. They subsequently followed one of the parasites to Lieutenant Commander Remmick, who was attempting to send a homing signal out into the galaxy. Picard and Riker killed Remmick, and discovered a much larger creature within his body. Although it was resistant to phaser fire, the officers managed to kill the creature. Once it was dead, the remaining smaller parasites died also, presumably as a result of some form of telepathic link to their 'mother creature'. [1]
Even after some years, relatively little is known about the creatures. The homing signal which Remmick sent was presumably aimed at their home space, but has brought no further attack thus far. It is possible that the signal warned the rest of the species to avoid further contact with the Federation because of the resistance experienced, or it may be that the distances involved are great enough that an attack is yet to come. More worrying is the possibility that a further infiltration is going undetected by Starfleet...
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