"Extinction"

The Phoenix was tasked with a routine check on the planet of Thagantu, a planet very close to joining the Federation. However, upon arrival, scans revealed that a large volcano on the central continent was close to erupting. Previous scans indicated that the chance had increased rapidly, so an away team was dispatched to investigate. They met with both the political and religious leader of the Krinaix to discuss evacuation, as an eruption would destroy both the Krianix people and the dilithium deposits that they mined. Both leaders, however, were opposed to the idea, as they viewed Thagantu as a sentient being and respected whatever natural processes were going to occur. They believed they had a responsibility to stay with the planet during its transformation. After a visit with an exiled Krinaix scientist, and after determining the eruption was an artificial phenomenon caused by Iconian intervention, an evacuation effort was launched in spite of objections. A group of about fifty civilians were all that remained of the planet's population before the eruption.