After the Kaylon fleet launched a surprise attack on Earth and failed, its robots unusually kept quiet for a while, allowing the Planetary Union—especially the people of Earth—to finally breathe a little easier.
However, although there were no major battles for the time being, some of the Planetary Union's preparations for war showed no signs of stopping.
For example, ships—especially nimble, fast medium-sized vessels like the Orville and larger ships—were receiving large-scale upgrades to their shields, energy systems, and cannons.
When the Orville went to a Moclan space station shipyard for a day of upgrades, its plasma cannons gained thirty percent more firepower, its particle torpedo capacity increased by twenty percent, and the ship was preparing to leave. But then it received a temporary mission from Commander Halsey: they were to take two researchers from the Moclan Institute to a certain location, where they would hand them over to a Moclan research vessel?
Although Captain Ed was a little annoyed by the request, he had no reason to refuse, so he agreed.
Soon, the next day, two Moclans moved aboard the Orville with some large pieces of luggage.
To Ed and the others' surprise, what they had assumed was a perfectly ordinary transport mission took an unexpected turn when the passengers' quarters began drawing an abnormal amount of power?
So, in the spirit of considerate management and avoiding upsetting the passengers as much as possible, Ed ordered Bortus, their Moclan second officer, to go investigate.
As it turned out...
Bortus discovered something strange and found a Moclan girl hidden inside one of the two passengers' large suitcases, protected by life-support equipment and a shield that blocked scans?
Apparently, that explained why the two had immediately used so much power after settling into their quarters on the Orville: the life-support device