Vemlar

Vemlar was a planet in the Norvel system, outside of Federation space. The inhabitants of Vemlar, the Vemlarites, were farmers, going back for generations. However, in the mid 2370s, the soil of Vemlar became infertile, leading to an economic collapse. Independent businessman Rod Portlyn then offered to buy all the real estate on Vemlar, with the intention of turning the planet into an industrial complex and scientific research and development center. The Velmarites, who were promised jobs in this deal, gratefully agreed to the offer.

In 2376, Portlyn entered into an agreement with the Federation to help develop Vemlar, in return for shared ownership of any technological breakthroughs. The USS da Vinci was sent to help in this venture, and were present when a terroristic attack was made on the laboratory complex by the group Taru Bolivar. Investigations of this group led to the discovery that Portlyn himself was responsible for damaging Vemlar's farmlands by introducing Bio-Agent "V" into the planet's biosphere. Once this was discovered, a competing investor, Patrice Bennett, was able to purchase controlling interest in Vemlar from Portlyn's creditors. Bennett then announced her intention of finding a way to counteract the viral agent and restore Vemlar as an agricultural world.