Ozu Saya
Engineering/Ops
[TI19]
Posts: 878 Likes: 29
Rank: Master Chief Petty Officer
Position: CoB/Chief Engineer
Species: Vulcan-Bajoran
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Post by Ozu Saya on Sept 4, 2020 16:38:28 GMT
[CMO's Quarters - USS Mac] [...] " Well I'll admit that I had some help, this is all freshly prepared rather than replicated ... although I do make a mean replicated bacon and mushroom pancakes".Joking aside, Thea looked at her boyfriend, knowing that the secret was soon to be revealed. " You see, I wanted to do something a little special as I have some wonderful news to tell you" she said, pausing slightly for effect as she produced the small box and held it out to him. " Congratulations Babe .... I mean full Lieutenant Isaiah Quinn, Chief of Science".[Lt. Isaiah Quinn - CMO's Quarters, USS Mac] Isaiah listened carefully as Thea admitted to having some help preparing this food rather than replicating it. His lips curled into a smile as he made a mental note to persuade her to make those mushroom pancakes at some point in the future. Though, she stated that she had something a bit more serious to discuss. He was only concerned for a moment as she revealed that it was actually good news. That certainly seemed to fit the festive mood that she'd set with this breakfast. And then, she gave him a small box, congratulating him. He seemed to open the box at about the same time as she notified him that he had not only been promoted in rank, but been promoted to Chief Science Officer. He seemed to take a moment, absorbing the revelation. In some ways it didn't seem real, but hearing it from Thea, he knew that it wasn't simply a dream. "Chief of Science?" he repeated. Isaiah took a deep breath, but finally moved to close the space between himself and Thea, his arms enveloping her in a tight embrace. "I don't know what to say," he said still holding her. "Thank you... for all of this. As he pulled back a little, he planted a soft kiss upon her lips. "I couldn't imagine a better way of hearing about this, nor anyone else I'd rather share this moment with, Thea." His eyes stared down at the pip, still in the box that he held on his hand. "I just earned a lot more paper work, didn't I?" he jested, though he was confident he knew the answer to the question already. "Care to give me a hand with this?" he said holding up the full pip.
Tag: Thea Baker
[PO2 Bav Th'cherreq - Docking Port] Generally Bav was left alone by his boss. The two men didn't like each other and sure as hell didn't respect each other. Bav didn't care for his job, he did the bare minimum and was just waiting out for retirement. Not that Harmon would have noticed, he seemed to spend all his time drinking, reading, or talking to the young and irritating special little miss Hudson. He hated being stuck in that office all day, almost as much as he hated being forced to actually do his job. Today however, he had been made accompany the Mac on it's mission with the Alliance. As the only other person working in Intelligence on Front Ear, he had been ordered to investigate and gather intelligence on their station disguised as an Operations Petty Officer given that Harmon's position was known but Bav's was not. This was sure to be a tedious day. [ PO2 Kaya Som | Starbase Sigma 4 - Docking ]When the joint exercises were announced, Kaya had played all her cards to get scheduled off-ship. The rumors about the Nyberrite Alliance had been swirling since their arrival at Frontier Station months ago, but the last thing she wanted right now was to participate in more military-style posturing. Their encounter with the Jupiter Star last month had been more than she'd ever bargained for. Her recent promotion to PO2 had done less to ameliorate her discontent than to solidify a growing sourness over her career choices. When the doors of the docking port opened, they were all met by an Alliance officer. Kaya lifted her hand in a tired wave. "Hi. Kaya Som. Where should we be?" [NPC - PO1 S'Riia - Docking Port, Starbase Sigma 4] There was a hint of excitement buried within the curiosity that S'Riia had. She was going onto the Nyberrite station. She typically enjoyed away missions, as well as the opportunity to experience something new. And that was exactly what this was. She could hear some of the other officers in the corridor bubbling with the same excitement, while others were already pessimistic and critical. No one was armed, as this was outlined as a diplomatic excursion. They had all been read the riot act about how they were ambassadors of the Federation. As she cleared the port, her eyes sought out Kaya. Last she'd heard, her friend had been assigned to visit the station as well. S'Riia was hoping this would be an opportunity to cheer her friend up, who... didn't seem to be herself lately. Or at least since that whole ordeal with the Talorians. Her eyes finally spied the Trill speaking with a Nyberrite representative. She started in that direction, but her eyes fell upon something else unexpected. She understood exactly what was going on almost immediately, and was a tad disappointed. The people of Nyberr had never been antagonistic towards her people (or so she'd heard.) It was just a surprise that they were descending to these tactics so quickly with potential allies. Perhaps this was the reason S'Riia never had a stomach for Intelligence. She moved towards the Andorian, sporting a gold-colored shirt, similar to her own. "I'm hoping you're keeping an open mind, Petty Officer," S'Riia said with a smile as she sidled up next to the Andorian. "What's the human expression? Glass half full, or half empty?"
Tag: Matthew Harmon (Bav); Soft Tag: Kaya Som
[NPC - 2nd Lieutenant Neema - Docking Port, Plaza Level, Starbase Sigma 4] Neema brightly greeted the Starfleet officers as they strolled through the port. Some of them returned her greeting with smiles of their own. There were a few questions about directions that she answered. There was even a rather rude reply of two, but Neema's smile never waivered. There was even a junior officer... a pilot, that strolled by, who's smile was etched deeply in memory... almost as deeply as the thoughts sifting through his mind, particularly about her. Time and opportunity permitting, maybe she'd share a drink with him at Kirby's later. Neema then saw a young Trill approach her. She didn't appear very enthused. There seemed to be something troubling her. Neema didn't delve, but her smile softened, her eyes sympathetic to the young woman's tone. "Hello, Kaya Som. I am Neema," she said introducing herself. "I'm not sure what you were told, but you don't have to be anywhere. I was told that we were simply supposed to entertain you as guests." Neema took a deep breath and tried to consider the best way to proceed with the Trill engineer. "May I ask, where is it that you wish to be?"
Tag: Kaya Som Soft Tag: Matthew Harmon (Bav)
[ 1st Lt. Robyn Banks - Operations - Bridge, NSS Soteria] Robyn listened to the report from engineering and wondered if the Soteria really had any chance, even in simulated battle, against a Sovereign-class. It seemed overly-ambitious to hope for anything more than maybe fighting them to a draw. Yes, Colonel, she said in response to Vasser's order. Robyn had never served on the Mac, but the Sovereign's specs were fairly well known at this point. After a couple of minutes, she reported, Colonel, the ship seems to be running at reduced capacity. Nothing special at all. They could be planning on pulling surprise maneuvers on us, since they know we're likely to have a lot of knowledge about what would be standard. Their engineers might have also gone out of the way to camouflage any extra capabilities. If they have their chief engineer with them, I'd expect some nasty surprises. I've heard she can get really creative in a pinch. Unfortunately, there wasn't much more to say, unless Vasser wanted her to try a little hacking. Robyn eyed the woman speculatively, unsure whether it would be considered cheating and how the colonel would feel about it. [NPC - Colonel Helena Vasser - Bridge, N.S.S. Soteria] Vasser listened as Banks offered her report, and her insight. In Vasser's opinion, the intel the woman could provide was invaluable. She may not have served aboard the Mac, but she was familiar with the players. And that would be what made the difference on this day. And it seemed that Banks delivered as desired. The Mac was running at a reduced capacity. Surely, they didn't think that would fool Vasser. She may not have commanded a Sovereign-class vessel, but she knew it's capabilities. Still, it sounded as if they were relying on cunning rather than brute strength. As Banks mentioned the Chief Engineer, Vasser searched her memory. "You're referring to Chief Ozu, correct?" she asked for confirmation. It was one of the few moments that she was thankful for Chromar's intelligence profiles. He'd drawn one up on most of the Senior Staff. Most of it available in the public data banks, but he had his sources to pick up a few details here and there that was not readily accessible. A smile spread across Vasser's face. "Whether or not she's there won't matter, Lieutenant. I plan to keep them busy with the punches they'll see coming, as well as the one's they won't."Colonel Vasser rested her hand at the top of Banks' console and leaned closer. "I've got a little project for you, Ms. Banks. Something that may play to your strengths." Vasser lowered her voice. "How familiar are you with cyber infiltration tactics?"
Tag: Ozu Saya (1st Lt. Banks) [ 1st Lt. Robyn Banks - Operations - Bridge, NSS Soteria] Yes, ma'am, Chief Ozu. She served in combat more than once, along with Commander Eastman. I know she was decorated at least once for some creative engineering solution that saved her ship. Robyn nodded in agreement with the colonel's declaration of keeping the Starfleet crew busy. She was starting to get a little excited about the whole thing - still thought it was kind of a bad idea, but the idea of showing up the crew that had turned her world upside down and ruined her career was more and more appealing. And then Vasser asked her about cyber infiltration. A slow smile spread across her face as she leaned back in her seat and folded her arms. I have some skills, she said slyly. What do you have in mind, Colonel?Tag Isaiah Quinn
[Ens. James Aubrey - Bridge, USS Mac] As James continued to work at his station, his attention snapped to Commander Eastman's announcement. His heart raced as he heard her speak, his eagerness to see his first action getting him quite excited. His heart nearly leapt into his throat when the Commander asked for the opinions of her Bridge Crew. He turned over his shoulder to look at her, and cleared his throat. "Commander," he said, hoping he wasn't stepping on any toes by speaking up so quickly but in any case unwilling to cap his ambition, "in my opinion, the Alliance has one major advantage over the Federation - they know us. Our codes, procedures, and our weaponry are either common public knowledge or easy enough to guess at in most cases. Not to mention their penchant for poaching our people at any opportunity. I am sure Tactical will have a more than effective plan for us," he said, nodding his head to Lieutenant Niles, "but, in my opinion Ma'am - if we do this thing by-the-book, we're doomed. We need something bold." James was a stickler for formality and proper procedure, but not if it meant being defeated. "Maybe I'm showing my age here," he half-joked, a smile on his face, "but perhaps you could tell us a little more about the parameters and objectives of the games today? With more information, we can better formulate a plan of attack. Something they won't expect."
[ LT(JG) Joshua Niles - Bridge, USS Mac ]Once the docking instructions were sent out, Niles double, then triple-checked that his combat systems were locked down. Of course, it required undoing multiple lock-outs to bring weapons online, let alone fire them, but docking procedures at a putatively friendly station called for ensuring all would be safe, lest there might be the possibility of a tragic accident. While Commander Eastman gave her speech over the shipwide intercom, the Tactical Officer had every intention to stay on board. In fact, he had been preparing for that since they had departed for Sigma Four, and just now he was working some of is preparations towards those war-games. He was always looking at opportunities to improve on his combat expertise, especially following the Talorian fiasco. And if he wanted to truly achieve the the position of chief tactical officer for the Mac, he would have to prove he had the chops to back up his ambition. Aubrey, though, was the first one to speak to their upcoming series of exercises. "Commander, I've been reviewing what little we know about the Nyberrites' ships, and I've had Mister Aubrey start compiling emission profiles on everything we can see since we got in this system. At least it'll give us some better target definition and we'll be a lot less likely to be able to fool us."Then, he considered what the young man had to say, though there was much more he had to worry about. And among those, there was the fact they would be operating with an independent armed power they didn't really trust. "However, in the meantime, we should be sure to put lock-outs and governors on all our systems to make sure we don't exceed our maximum published capabilities. We don't need the Nyberrites to know exactly what we're capable of." [ Lt, jg. Aravis - Main Bridge] Aye, Commander, Aravis answered quickly. Docking port 2, adjusting heading to approach, switching to maneuvering thrusters. Thankfully, when it came down to the actual docking procedure, Aravis' fingers remembered exactly what they were supposed to do, and in short order, the Mac had bumped lightly against the station and locked onto the port. Docking complete. Engines going to standby, she reported. Aravis turned in her seat as Judy made her announcement. There was no way she was going to miss the chance to pilot the ship through these games. The Ba'ku listened with interest as her colleagues made suggestions. Commander, I've worked up some non-standard evasive maneuvers that might be useful. I'd prefer to run a couple of simulations on the holodeck if we have the time, but I think they might be unexpected enough to give the Alliance pause. [Bridge, USS Mac]K'Dex let an ear twitch as he heard the thoughts for the battle simulation, while still typing away on a very basic impression of the space station they were now docked with. There was little impressive about it. A lot of makeshift work, which made things hard to identify on occasion. Ferengi technology tended to be makeshift in and of itself, so K'Dex could see where there was some seamless reinforcement on the space station, additional docks, and other minor improvements. He finished a short report on it, with notes directly tied to the scans taken. He turned to the ship they would be going toe to toe against, and found it surprisingly similar to the USS Mac. The nacelles were lower, and brought in closer to the stern. An Aegis class, he thought. Both ships were based off a hundred year old design. Why fix what wasn't broken? There were some who would disagree, as the very reason the Aegis class had nacelles pulled in was due to the inherent structural weakness of the nacelles being targeted at the connection points. But all of that was obvious. He sniffed slightly. What else was there? This was to be a low-yield firefight with simulated effects. At most, he'd probably be monitoring a lot of the simulated effects on their systems from this station, and correlating that with a real-time system status from engineering. Outside of that, all he could think of was that the Mac would need to be adaptable. If they wanted to lock all systems to within parameters, it would be a relatively simple, straightforward firefight. Why would it be anything else? And if the Nyberrites did pull anything, it would come down to how well the Mac could respond. K'Dex could feel his brain spinning as he considered things, and began to talk out loud. "How would I defeat the Mac?" He said, forgetting that he wasn't just brainstorming by himself but on the bridge of all places. [LCDR Matthew Harmon - Bridge]
"Niles is right," he said in a uninterested tone as he continued to stare into the viewscreen not bothering to look at who he was talking to. "We don't want to broadcast our capabilities and we don't want to show them any tricks we have up our sleeves," after all they're not our friends, he thought. "We want to stay competitive, goad them into showing off without doing so ourselves. Winning isn't the goal here. Information is," he explained to the young science ensign. He then quickly jumped out of his chair, the sudden burst of energy contrasting with the tired and bored tone he had before. "Come with me, Ensign, I have a job for you," he said beckoning towards the Turbolift door. [Cmdr. Judith Eastman(-Williams) & Ens. Mabel Henriksen - Bridge, USS Mac]As the crew members spoke, Judy gave each their due attention, her bespectacled eyes tuned on each one in turn. They were bright young kids. "Mr. K'Dex, that's exactly the question we need to be asking," she began her response. "We need to deliver some punches, but we also have to anticipate the ones that'll be dealt to us. Vasser used to be one of us, as did many of her people, so they know the Sovereign class. Not necessarily the Mac personally - though some of them know her almost as intimately as we do, but her sisters. Any vulnerability we know of on, say, the Enterprise, we can bet the Nyberrites will exploit."It brought Judy a measure of pride to mention the great USS Enterprise-E, the flagship of the Federation, as their sister ship. She took a quick breath, and then went on. "And, as several of you pointed out, we don't want to teach them anything they don't already know. Any little mechanical rabbits we can pull out of our hats, we'll keep in those hats. We will have to win on ingenuity, fancy footwork, and the human element of surprise," she added. "The Nyberrites know me - or at least they think they do," she said, with a little wriggle of her eyebrows. "But they don't know you. Ms. Aravis, clever flying maneuvers will be excellent; we can probably run a couple of simulations. And, as Mr. Aubrey so aptly said, we need to surprise them. Something innovative, maybe a little daring, reckless; something that's in the back of your head, but that you think I'm going to shoot down. We can't change the nature of how our munitions work, because the computer simulation isn't that good, but anything outside of that."The Federation's image to the Alliance, at least to some of its members, was as a useless group, arrogantly aloof and stuck in place. The image Judy herself evoked, of a grandmother (literal and metaphorical), played to that as well. Vasser probably knew better than to buy into the caricature, but Judy nevertheless believed that a nimble, unorthodox approach was not what the Alliance expected. She reluctantly waved goodbye to Aubrey and Harmon. Mabel, meanwhile, took careful notes on her PADD.
Tag Joshua Niles , Ozu Saya , K'Dex Soft Matthew Harmon , James Aubrey [ Lt, jg. Aravis - Main Bridge] Aye, Commander, Aravis answered quickly. Docking port 2, adjusting heading to approach, switching to maneuvering thrusters. Thankfully, when it came down to the actual docking procedure, Aravis' fingers remembered exactly what they were supposed to do, and in short order, the Mac had bumped lightly against the station and locked onto the port. Docking complete. Engines going to standby, she reported. Aravis turned in her seat as Judy made her announcement. There was no way she was going to miss the chance to pilot the ship through these games. The Ba'ku listened with interest as her colleagues made suggestions. Commander, I've worked up some non-standard evasive maneuvers that might be useful. I'd prefer to run a couple of simulations on the holodeck if we have the time, but I think they might be unexpected enough to give the Alliance pause. [Bridge, USS Mac]K'Dex let an ear twitch as he heard the thoughts for the battle simulation, while still typing away on a very basic impression of the space station they were now docked with. There was little impressive about it. A lot of makeshift work, which made things hard to identify on occasion. Ferengi technology tended to be makeshift in and of itself, so K'Dex could see where there was some seamless reinforcement on the space station, additional docks, and other minor improvements. He finished a short report on it, with notes directly tied to the scans taken. He turned to the ship they would be going toe to toe against, and found it surprisingly similar to the USS Mac. The nacelles were lower, and brought in closer to the stern. An Aegis class, he thought. Both ships were based off a hundred year old design. Why fix what wasn't broken? There were some who would disagree, as the very reason the Aegis class had nacelles pulled in was due to the inherent structural weakness of the nacelles being targeted at the connection points. But all of that was obvious. He sniffed slightly. What else was there? This was to be a low-yield firefight with simulated effects. At most, he'd probably be monitoring a lot of the simulated effects on their systems from this station, and correlating that with a real-time system status from engineering. Outside of that, all he could think of was that the Mac would need to be adaptable. If they wanted to lock all systems to within parameters, it would be a relatively simple, straightforward firefight. Why would it be anything else? And if the Nyberrites did pull anything, it would come down to how well the Mac could respond. K'Dex could feel his brain spinning as he considered things, and began to talk out loud. "How would I defeat the Mac?" He said, forgetting that he wasn't just brainstorming by himself but on the bridge of all places. [LCDR Matthew Harmon - Bridge]
"Niles is right," he said in a uninterested tone as he continued to stare into the viewscreen not bothering to look at who he was talking to. "We don't want to broadcast our capabilities and we don't want to show them any tricks we have up our sleeves," after all they're not our friends, he thought. "We want to stay competitive, goad them into showing off without doing so ourselves. Winning isn't the goal here. Information is," he explained to the young science ensign. He then quickly jumped out of his chair, the sudden burst of energy contrasting with the tired and bored tone he had before. "Come with me, Ensign, I have a job for you," he said beckoning towards the Turbolift door. [Cmdr. Judith Eastman(-Williams) & Ens. Mabel Henriksen - Bridge, USS Mac]As the crew members spoke, Judy gave each their due attention, her bespectacled eyes tuned on each one in turn. They were bright young kids. "Mr. K'Dex, that's exactly the question we need to be asking," she began her response. "We need to deliver some punches, but we also have to anticipate the ones that'll be dealt to us. Vasser used to be one of us, as did many of her people, so they know the Sovereign class. Not necessarily the Mac personally - though some of them know her almost as intimately as we do, but her sisters. Any vulnerability we know of on, say, the Enterprise, we can bet the Nyberrites will exploit."It brought Judy a measure of pride to mention the great USS Enterprise-E, the flagship of the Federation, as their sister ship. She took a quick breath, and then went on. "And, as several of you pointed out, we don't want to teach them anything they don't already know. Any little mechanical rabbits we can pull out of our hats, we'll keep in those hats. We will have to win on ingenuity, fancy footwork, and the human element of surprise," she added. "The Nyberrites know me - or at least they think they do," she said, with a little wriggle of her eyebrows. "But they don't know you. Ms. Aravis, clever flying maneuvers will be excellent; we can probably run a couple of simulations. And, as Mr. Aubrey so aptly said, we need to surprise them. Something innovative, maybe a little daring, reckless; something that's in the back of your head, but that you think I'm going to shoot down. We can't change the nature of how our munitions work, because the computer simulation isn't that good, but anything outside of that."The Federation's image to the Alliance, at least to some of its members, was as a useless group, arrogantly aloof and stuck in place. The image Judy herself evoked, of a grandmother (literal and metaphorical), played to that as well. Vasser probably knew better than to buy into the caricature, but Judy nevertheless believed that a nimble, unorthodox approach was not what the Alliance expected. She reluctantly waved goodbye to Aubrey and Harmon. Mabel, meanwhile, took careful notes on her PADD. [ LT(JG) Joshua Niles - Bridge, USS Mac ]
Indeed, with his recommendation to not play all their cards and to hide what hardware capability they had that was not easily accessible, Mac would be entering those wargames with a disadvantage, compared to going in flat-out. It would cost them a non-trivial fraction of their combat potential, but nothing so much that it would be like going in with an outdated ship. As had been said, it would be cunning and now technology winning the day, if they were to win it. And as Mister Harmon said, intelligence gathering would be a victory in its own right. However, at first they would need to take some protective measures. "My first thought is they're going to try and get every bit of information out of us as they can. We need to stop that, maybe through a communications blackout for anything outgoing that's not authorized through the Bridge. We need to limit our exposure. As for how I would defeat the Mac?"The Sovereign class was one of Starfleet's leading designs and a hell of a combat platform. In a single ship duel, she could take on just about anything that was in space, but she certainly had her vulnerabilities. The pylons and nacelles were always vulnerable, as were openings in the hull. Weapons could be disabled, sensors could be blinded... And they would have to refrain from making any of their systems do anything out of the ordinary, at least to the outside eye. "My suggestions would start by deploying some probes with a tight-beam telemetry link. If our own sensors are damaged, then we won't be blinded. Even if all they operate is passive sensors, it should give us additional eyes in the battlespace. And, I think we might have a chance at fooling them into thinking we've taken more damage than we actually have. Let them think they've hit us with the Golden BB at some point, that they've hurt us a lot worse than they thought they might have."He was running ideas off the top of his head into this brainstorming session. He needed ideas, and he needed them fast. "And, maybe we need to find ourselves a blind spot on the enemy vessel, or create one. Lieutenant Aravis, how are you at station-keeping in high speed maneuvers? If we can make a hole in their gunnery, we could slot ourselves into that blind spot and keep hammering at them... or lure them into doing the same to us... until we're ready to hit them?"
Tags Judith Eastman Ozu Saya (Aravis) K'Dex[ Lt, jg. Aravis - Main Bridge] A pleased grin flashed across Aravis' face at the commander's praise of her idea before she composed herself and listened intently as Judy continued and others also threw in their thoughts and ideas. She bit her lip when the other JG asked about her flying abilities. Aravis didn't want to lie or inflate her skills, because that could lead to them losing the games. I've done it in flight simulations, but never live. If we did launch those probes, I could probably use them to help me anticipate the Soteria's movements and optimize our movement around them.
We did our own small-scale version of this type of games in flight school with runabouts and shuttles. I was able to draw one of the 'enemy' ships into a trap by making my maneuvers look like I was compensating for a blown plasma relay to one of the warp nacelles. We even vented a little plasma to make it look real. That might be a little to obvious for more experienced people, but maybe we could do something similar? Fake a weakness in one of the struts or something.Tag Judith Eastman and Joshua NilesSofties to the rest of the bridge
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on Sept 4, 2020 17:56:07 GMT
[ LT(JG) Joshua Niles - Bridge, USS Mac ]
Indeed, with his recommendation to not play all their cards and to hide what hardware capability they had that was not easily accessible, Mac would be entering those wargames with a disadvantage, compared to going in flat-out. It would cost them a non-trivial fraction of their combat potential, but nothing so much that it would be like going in with an outdated ship. As had been said, it would be cunning and now technology winning the day, if they were to win it. And as Mister Harmon said, intelligence gathering would be a victory in its own right. However, at first they would need to take some protective measures. "My first thought is they're going to try and get every bit of information out of us as they can. We need to stop that, maybe through a communications blackout for anything outgoing that's not authorized through the Bridge. We need to limit our exposure. As for how I would defeat the Mac?"The Sovereign class was one of Starfleet's leading designs and a hell of a combat platform. In a single ship duel, she could take on just about anything that was in space, but she certainly had her vulnerabilities. The pylons and nacelles were always vulnerable, as were openings in the hull. Weapons could be disabled, sensors could be blinded... And they would have to refrain from making any of their systems do anything out of the ordinary, at least to the outside eye. "My suggestions would start by deploying some probes with a tight-beam telemetry link. If our own sensors are damaged, then we won't be blinded. Even if all they operate is passive sensors, it should give us additional eyes in the battlespace. And, I think we might have a chance at fooling them into thinking we've taken more damage than we actually have. Let them think they've hit us with the Golden BB at some point, that they've hurt us a lot worse than they thought they might have."He was running ideas off the top of his head into this brainstorming session. He needed ideas, and he needed them fast. "And, maybe we need to find ourselves a blind spot on the enemy vessel, or create one. Lieutenant Aravis, how are you at station-keeping in high speed maneuvers? If we can make a hole in their gunnery, we could slot ourselves into that blind spot and keep hammering at them... or lure them into doing the same to us... until we're ready to hit them?" [Main Bridge - USS Mac] K'Dex arched an eyebrow as the captain jumped on his question. His tail twitched slightly at the mention of the Golden BB concept. "For better or for worse, no matter how much we want to win, this is a simulation. I'd be careful of relaying faulty information for that simulation, as that has a tendency to go ... screwy. If they realize our information relayed back is false, it could make them think that almost anything is fair game then." K'Dex said, stressing slightly his reluctance for that. He turned to the captain though, as he made a few thoughts aloud. "Since this is a simulation though, and a planned battle, we can do things we'd never truly consider. For one, we can centralize our critical components. This bridge is centered in ... not the useless section, but... it's surrounded by quarters, offices... Non-essentials! That's the word. I apologize. If we pulled back to the battle bridge on deck 18, and ran through the secondary computer core, we could consolidate most essential components between, oh, decks 10 to 20, 21 if you want the phaser array. Then the shields could be modified to consolidate on those decks, mostly on the side sections, and the aft shields to protect the nacelles. Then, use the top 10 decks or so as... well, 10 decks of armor. Shut down power in decks 1-6 except for weapon systems. Keep deck 7, as we'd always want sickbay online, no matter the fight..." K'Dex realized he'd ran on and on with his thoughts, thinking how to adjust things. He chirpped slightly in embarrassment, and looked down at his console. "Apologies. I forgot myself." K'Dex closed his eyes for a few moments, trying to center himself back into his 'professional' frame of mind. The engineering of how was not the focus. Be the officer. Do the job. Man the console. [ Lt, jg. Aravis - Main Bridge] A pleased grin flashed across Aravis' face at the commander's praise of her idea before she composed herself and listened intently as Judy continued and others also threw in their thoughts and ideas. She bit her lip when the other JG asked about her flying abilities. Aravis didn't want to lie or inflate her skills, because that could lead to them losing the games. I've done it in flight simulations, but never live. If we did launch those probes, I could probably use them to help me anticipate the Soteria's movements and optimize our movement around them.
We did our own small-scale version of this type of games in flight school with runabouts and shuttles. I was able to draw one of the 'enemy' ships into a trap by making my maneuvers look like I was compensating for a blown plasma relay to one of the warp nacelles. We even vented a little plasma to make it look real. That might be a little to obvious for more experienced people, but maybe we could do something similar? Fake a weakness in one of the struts or something. [Cmdr. Judith Eastman(-Williams) & Ens. Mabel Henriksen - Bridge, USS Mac]Rather than continue to crane her neck as different people around the bridge spoke, Judy stood up from the center chair. She clasped her hands together, holding them against the left side of her stomach, as she realized there may be a misunderstanding or two about the mechanics of the simulation. "Good thinking, all of you, but I think I should clear up one thing before we go on. The computer will be simulating damage for us and for them. They won't have access to the full readings our computer gives us, just as we won't have full access on their end. This means that we can, as Ms. Aravis and Mr. Niles suggest, deceive the Nyberrites without cheating the simulation," she clarified, to make sure they were all roughly on the same page. "Now, keep going," she urged the green officers, not wanting to end the lively discussion with an opinion of her own, out of fear that it would be taken as gospel. "Maybe we can pretend that we're saving power more intensively than we really are," Mabel suggested. "We can try to make it look like we really abandoned the saucer right at the start, without actually abandoning it, and then we can surprise them."Mabel looked uncertainly to her peers. She wasn't sure if she was making sense.
Tag Joshua Niles , K'Dex , and Ozu Saya
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Isaiah Quinn
Science
[TI36]
Posts: 1,153 Likes: 57
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Chief Science Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Isaiah Quinn on Sept 4, 2020 17:59:54 GMT
[CMO's Quarters - USS Mac] [...] Her gaze followed his to the box in his hand, aware of how this was yet another moment to remember in what was fast becoming a very close and loving relationship, before he made a jest about the extra paperwork. " Pretty much yes, although you now get a fancy office and DH quarters, which just happen to be closer to mine too" she replied with a slight playful wink, as Isaiah then asked her to give him a hand with his new pip. " I'd love too".Carefully taking the pip from Isaiah, Thea then reached up and fixed it to his uniform, her hands brushing his skin softly, until it was in place and she delivered another soft kiss to his lips until the announcement came through from Judy. " If only this was Aitrus V" Thea said wistfully at the timing of the announcement from the Bridge, knowing Isaiah would appreciate her comment. However was thankful that she had at least gotten to do his promotion, even if breakfast might be rushed in order to get to their duty stations in preparation for the games. " We can celebrate properly later but we better make a start on breakfast, we don't want to be taking part in war games on an empty stomach".[Lt. Isaiah Quinn - CMO's Quarters] Isaiah could feel Thea's hand brushing gently against his skin as she affixed the new pip to his collar. As she finished, she gave him yet another soft kiss. He stared into her eyes smiling broadly as he gazed back into hers. It was Commander Eastman's voice that reminded him that they were still aboard the Mac, and that the rest of the day was ahead of them. His first day, in fact, as a senior officer. How many could boast that their first mission was a battle simulation. Thea referenced Aitrus V, and a soft chuckle left is lips. "If only," he replied. Thea suggested that they get started on breakfast. He looked at the chronometer and realized that they still had some time before the simulation was scheduled to start. "Good idea," he stated. "We should have enough time to finish eating, an even arrive in time to go over strategy," he stated. He moved to one of the chairs and pulled it back for Thea.
Tag Thea Baker
[ PO2 Kaya Som | Soteria - Docking ]Kaya paused at the unexpectedly philosophical question. She blinked and looked over her shoulder. S'Riia, her mate from security, was there talking to an Andorian she couldn't name. Her other close friend Jin would never pass up the chance to get bonus points at work so was absolutely playing war on the ship today. Nyberrite Neema was offering to entertain them all as guests, which wasn't a common luxury. "Anywhere but here?" Kaya tried. "You have, like, a pub? Shops?" Sure, Sigma 4 was a military outpost of this quadrant's most well-dressed organized crime gang (depending on who you asked), but with a bit of self-delusion and could easily be a holiday. [NPC - 2nd Lieutenant Neema - Docking Port, Plaza Level, Starbase Sigma 4] At first, it seemed the Trill was unsure of how to answer the query. Neema wondered if this had anything to do with the image of the Nyberrite Alliance that had been drilled into members of Starfleet and the Federation abroad. It was strange to Neema that it had become such popular rhetoric as of late, given that the Alliance had been in good standing with both the Federation and the Klingon Empire for years. She wasn't even certain why that had changed as of late. Had it been Starfleet's commitment to extend their exploratory exploits into this region of space? Many suspected that it was simply due to being jaded by the recent war. Neema was unsure what was the source of all the negativity, but part of her responsibilities today was to improve that image and that was what she was determined to do. "Yes, we have both!" Neema announced brightly. "We have plenty of shops. Believe it or not, but a lot of us try to avoid our uniforms when we're off duty. And we have some of the trendiest merchants in the quadrant! But first... let's hit, Kirby's. I think you'll appreciate their drink menu." Neema paused for a moment, and then added as an afterthought, "Um... they're synthehol is pretty tasty too." Neema could have kicked herself for forgetting that they were all probably on duty and asked to keep their wits about them. "That invitation is extended to anyone else that's willing," Neema said, raising her voice.
Tag: Kaya Som Soft Tag: Matthew Harmon (Bav)
[PO2 Bav Th'cherreq - Docking Port] Bav snorted a laugh at S'Riia as she suggested he keep an open mind. "The only thing my mind is open to is a better salary and less hours than what Starfleet gives me now." He was seriously considering enquiring with the Alliance. He was only a year out from a larger pension, however so he would need a decent enticement to beat that. "There's nothing else to be open minded about. They're mercenaries. You pay them and they'll shoot who you like. It is what it is." [NPC - PO1 S'Riia - Docking Port, Starbase Sigma 4] S'Riia instantly began to wonder if Bav had gotten the same guidelines about visiting the Alliance starbase as everyone else had. Primarily about being an ambassador of the Federation and exemplifying a positive image. The Caitian-Gideon security officer was pretty sure that insulting them by referring to the Alliance as mercenaries was not the way to do that. She could only hope that no one had overheard that remark. "Then, I'd suggest you not give them any motivation to use you for target practice," she said with a slight growl. Her ear twitched at the invitation by the Alliance's junior negotiator, the very same that had been talking with Kaya. It sounded as if they had been invited somewhere for drinks. "You know, by your own logic, they're just as much our allies as our enemies. Focus on the positive and you render the threat moot." S'Riia started to turn towards the others. "Wait up. I thought I heard you mention drinks." While turning, S'Riia made a conscious effort to flick her tail at the Andorian, if only to annoy him.
Tag: Matthew Harmon Soft Tag: Kaya Som
[ 1st Lt. Robyn Banks - Operations - Bridge, NSS Soteria] Yes, ma'am, Chief Ozu. She served in combat more than once, along with Commander Eastman. I know she was decorated at least once for some creative engineering solution that saved her ship. Robyn nodded in agreement with the colonel's declaration of keeping the Starfleet crew busy. She was starting to get a little excited about the whole thing - still thought it was kind of a bad idea, but the idea of showing up the crew that had turned her world upside down and ruined her career was more and more appealing. And then Vasser asked her about cyber infiltration. A slow smile spread across her face as she leaned back in her seat and folded her arms. I have some skills, she said slyly. What do you have in mind, Colonel?[NPC - Colonel Helena Vasser - Bridge, N.S.S. Soteria] Vasser listened intently as Banks confirmed her assertion about Chief Ozu, but also made note of Commander Eastman. Vasser was slowly growing more and more familiar with the woman. Judy wasn't the sort to be rattled by whatever went on. She'd remain calm under pressure, regardless. Beyond that, she'd keep in mind that this was only a simulation. Ultimately, that would dictate the amount of effort that was going into this. That meant Vasser would have to wage any of her psychological tactics on Judy's subordinates. If mistakes were to be made, that's where it'd occur. There were certainly ways to make that occur. Banks' response to Vasser inquiry about her familiarity even seemed to solicit a bit of a smile from the Soteria commander. "Oh, I have quite a bit in mind," Vasser said. "Right now, I imagine that our friends aboard the Mac aren't inclined to take this too seriously. I want to exploit that, and make them realize that underestimating this crew under any circumstances would be a mistake." Vasser took a deep breath, before proceeding. "Tell me, will it be possible to manipulate some of their tertiary systems? Doors? Lights? Panel displays? Either directly or via a computer virus?"If Banks was remotely as good as Vasser suspected, the young officer could think of something. Execution was another matter, but Vasser had faith. Besides, this was a learning opportunity. It gave her the chance to evaluate the skill of those under her command, but also gave them a chance to gain some confidence. Something akin to knocking an older sibling off the pedestal. Starfleet may not take this exercise seriously, but Vasser was determined to show her crew that win or lose, they weren't going to be pushovers. "And if you can handle that... well, I have something else in mind that they'll never see coming."
Tag: Ozu Saya (1st Lt. Banks)
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Thea Baker
Command
[TI12]
Posts: 1,448 Likes: 46
Rank: Captain
Position: Commanding Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Thea Baker on Sept 4, 2020 18:36:32 GMT
[Lt. Isaiah Quinn - CMO's Quarters] Isaiah could feel Thea's hand brushing gently against his skin as she affixed the new pip to his collar. As she finished, she gave him yet another soft kiss. He stared into her eyes smiling broadly as he gazed back into hers. It was Commander Eastman's voice that reminded him that they were still aboard the Mac, and that the rest of the day was ahead of them. His first day, in fact, as a senior officer. How many could boast that their first mission was a battle simulation. Thea referenced Aitrus V, and a soft chuckle left is lips. "If only," he replied. Thea suggested that they get started on breakfast. He looked at the chronometer and realized that they still had some time before the simulation was scheduled to start. "Good idea," he stated. "We should have enough time to finish eating, an even arrive in time to go over strategy," he stated. He moved to one of the chairs and pulled it back for Thea.
Tag Thea Baker [CMO's Quarters - USS Mac] " Hopefully it won't be to long before we can go back" Thea admitted, allowing her mind to wander back to the three days that they had spent in the private cabin and how neither of them had really wanted to leave. However despite how nice it would of been for them to be there right now for such a special occasion, neither of them could ignore their duties or the fact that they were lightyears away from the pleasure resort. When her boyfriend agreed with her suggestion of making a start on breakfast and how they should have enough time to eat and still be able to go over strategy with the others. Thea agreed with his assessment of how the pair of them could still do both without jeopardising anything. " What can I say .. I'm full of them" she joked as he pulled out a chair for her and sat down, before adding. " But I agree we should and then off to Sickbay I go to run things from there ... anyway let's not work spoil your celebration breakfast, we have your favourite blend of coffee and juice".
tag Isaiah Quinn
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Joshua Niles
Security & Tactical
[TI22]
Posts: 649 Likes: 21
Rank: Lieutenant
Position: Tactical Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Joshua Niles on Sept 5, 2020 0:51:52 GMT
[Main Bridge - USS Mac] K'Dex arched an eyebrow as the captain jumped on his question. His tail twitched slightly at the mention of the Golden BB concept. "For better or for worse, no matter how much we want to win, this is a simulation. I'd be careful of relaying faulty information for that simulation, as that has a tendency to go ... screwy. If they realize our information relayed back is false, it could make them think that almost anything is fair game then." K'Dex said, stressing slightly his reluctance for that. He turned to the captain though, as he made a few thoughts aloud. "Since this is a simulation though, and a planned battle, we can do things we'd never truly consider. For one, we can centralize our critical components. This bridge is centered in ... not the useless section, but... it's surrounded by quarters, offices... Non-essentials! That's the word. I apologize. If we pulled back to the battle bridge on deck 18, and ran through the secondary computer core, we could consolidate most essential components between, oh, decks 10 to 20, 21 if you want the phaser array. Then the shields could be modified to consolidate on those decks, mostly on the side sections, and the aft shields to protect the nacelles. Then, use the top 10 decks or so as... well, 10 decks of armor. Shut down power in decks 1-6 except for weapon systems. Keep deck 7, as we'd always want sickbay online, no matter the fight..." K'Dex realized he'd ran on and on with his thoughts, thinking how to adjust things. He chirpped slightly in embarrassment, and looked down at his console. "Apologies. I forgot myself." K'Dex closed his eyes for a few moments, trying to center himself back into his 'professional' frame of mind. The engineering of how was not the focus. Be the officer. Do the job. Man the console. [ Lt, jg. Aravis - Main Bridge] A pleased grin flashed across Aravis' face at the commander's praise of her idea before she composed herself and listened intently as Judy continued and others also threw in their thoughts and ideas. She bit her lip when the other JG asked about her flying abilities. Aravis didn't want to lie or inflate her skills, because that could lead to them losing the games. I've done it in flight simulations, but never live. If we did launch those probes, I could probably use them to help me anticipate the Soteria's movements and optimize our movement around them.
We did our own small-scale version of this type of games in flight school with runabouts and shuttles. I was able to draw one of the 'enemy' ships into a trap by making my maneuvers look like I was compensating for a blown plasma relay to one of the warp nacelles. We even vented a little plasma to make it look real. That might be a little to obvious for more experienced people, but maybe we could do something similar? Fake a weakness in one of the struts or something.[Cmdr. Judith Eastman(-Williams) & Ens. Mabel Henriksen - Bridge, USS Mac]Rather than continue to crane her neck as different people around the bridge spoke, Judy stood up from the center chair. She clasped her hands together, holding them against the left side of her stomach, as she realized there may be a misunderstanding or two about the mechanics of the simulation. "Good thinking, all of you, but I think I should clear up one thing before we go on. The computer will be simulating damage for us and for them. They won't have access to the full readings our computer gives us, just as we won't have full access on their end. This means that we can, as Ms. Aravis and Mr. Niles suggest, deceive the Nyberrites without cheating the simulation," she clarified, to make sure they were all roughly on the same page. "Now, keep going," she urged the green officers, not wanting to end the lively discussion with an opinion of her own, out of fear that it would be taken as gospel. "Maybe we can pretend that we're saving power more intensively than we really are," Mabel suggested. "We can try to make it look like we really abandoned the saucer right at the start, without actually abandoning it, and then we can surprise them."Mabel looked uncertainly to her peers. She wasn't sure if she was making sense.
Tag Joshua Niles , K'Dex , and Ozu Saya [ LT(JG) Joshua Niles - Bridge, USS Mac ]The Engineering crewman on the Bridge was quick to offer ideas, but then he apologized, as though he considered himself to be too forward. And, in some circles, he might be. In fact, Niles himself was not entirely sure he approved of just how brazen he had been... but that might have been the residual attitude of commissioned superiority that had been inculcated at the Academy; since he'd arrived at his duty station, he'd taken orders from enough highly competent non-commissioned types, and had observed they tended to be at least as professional as he was (with a few minor exceptions) that he could accept their input with the same certainty he would accept that of an officer; and in some case, with even more confidence. That, and Commander Eastman was one to encourage this sort of things, and of course she was someone he respected immensely. "Mister K'Dex, while I wouldn't be willing to write off that much of the ship, not when we might need the redundant computer pathways and power conduits. But I agree we should at least relocate to the Battle Bridge. I'd be a lot more comfortable deeper in the ship going into action. Though, we should rig up some tricorders to fake our lifesigns in here, at least give them something to shoot at if they want to go for the soft-kill."Once Commander Eastman further explained the parameters of the exercise, the Tactical officer nodded. That was making things more clear to him. Of course there would be no actual sensor readings of actual damage, and the effects would be known solely within the ship as the computer would simulate weapons effects. Well, that was something they could work with. "Then, as Lieutenant Aravis and Miss Henriksen said, we will have to fake the damage, with deliberate losses in capabilities to lure them into a false sense of confidence."Frankly, it would be a lot easier if they could truly fake damage rather than just expect the other side to interpret their ship-handling. But, that in and of itself was a valuable skill to develop in its own right. "Now, in my Tactics classes, there were two things I was taught, and we need to figure out how to exploit that. The first was 'surprise is what happens when what you saw something all along and failed to recognize it', and the second was 'if you ain't cheating, you ain't trying hard enough'. So, how do we generate surprise, and how do we cheat?"And just as he finished talking, his drew his lips into a predatory parody of a smile. Oh yes, he was ready to get into it.
Tags K'Dex Ozu Saya (Aravis) Judith Eastman
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James Aubrey
Science
Posts: 35 Likes: 1
Rank: Ensign
Position: Science Officer
Species: Human
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Post by James Aubrey on Sept 5, 2020 2:22:33 GMT
[LCDR Matthew Harmon - Bridge]
"Niles is right," he said in a uninterested tone as he continued to stare into the viewscreen not bothering to look at who he was talking to. "We don't want to broadcast our capabilities and we don't want to show them any tricks we have up our sleeves," after all they're not our friends, he thought. "We want to stay competitive, goad them into showing off without doing so ourselves. Winning isn't the goal here. Information is," he explained to the young science ensign. He then quickly jumped out of his chair, the sudden burst of energy contrasting with the tired and bored tone he had before. "Come with me, Ensign, I have a job for you," he said beckoning towards the Turbolift door. [PO2 Bav Th'cherreq - Docking Port] Bav snorted a laugh at S'Riia as she suggested he keep an open mind. "The only thing my mind is open to is a better salary and less hours than what Starfleet gives me now." He was seriously considering enquiring with the Alliance. He was only a year out from a larger pension, however so he would need a decent enticement to beat that. "There's nothing else to be open minded about. They're mercenaries. You pay them and they'll shoot who you like. It is what it is."
Tag: James Aubrey , Isaiah Quinn , soft tag Joshua Niles , Judith Eastman [ James Aubrey - Crew Bridge] James listened as a few other officers offered up their thoughts before the Lieutenant Commander spoke up. Matthew managed to confuse James a bit - the object wasn't to win? But the Commander had literally just said the opposite moments ago. James cleared his throat and prepared to say as much before the Lieutenant Commander suddenly beckoned him to the turbolift. Immediately, James panicked. Was he being removed from the bridge? But he was so excited to participate! He needed Commander Eastman to see what he could do! He looked desperately around at the other officers, landing finally on the Commander herself, before he stood solemnly and followed Harmon to the turbolift. He tried not to despair as he heard the other members of the bridge crew strategize - without him. When they reached the turbolift, James couldn't help but speak up. "Lieutenant Commander," he said, his desperation and frustration barely contained, "with all due respect, I must ask exactly what job it is you have for me? Am I being removed from the bridge? Did I do something wrong?" His heart almost pounded in his chest. "I must say, I object strongly to my removal and I feel that I have as much right to participate in these games as anyone else. I am perfectly capable of performing my duties!" He was a half-step away from stomping his foot, but he knew better than to act entirely unprofessional.
Tag - Matthew Harmon and softies for the bridge.
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Isaiah Quinn
Science
[TI36]
Posts: 1,153 Likes: 57
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Chief Science Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Isaiah Quinn on Sept 5, 2020 19:14:46 GMT
[CMO's Quarters - USS Mac] " Hopefully it won't be to long before we can go back" Thea admitted, allowing her mind to wander back to the three days that they had spent in the private cabin and how neither of them had really wanted to leave. However despite how nice it would of been for them to be there right now for such a special occasion, neither of them could ignore their duties or the fact that they were lightyears away from the pleasure resort. When her boyfriend agreed with her suggestion of making a start on breakfast and how they should have enough time to eat and still be able to go over strategy with the others. Thea agreed with his assessment of how the pair of them could still do both without jeopardising anything. " What can I say .. I'm full of them" she joked as he pulled out a chair for her and sat down, before adding. " But I agree we should and then off to Sickbay I go to run things from there ... anyway let's not work spoil your celebration breakfast, we have your favourite blend of coffee and juice".[Lt. Isaiah Quinn - CMO's Quarters, USS Mac] Isaiah smiled as Thea commented that she was full of ideas. "I never thought otherwise," he said. He then moved to his own seat and started to get to breakfast, listening to Thea as she spoke. She pointed out that after they finished, she'd be off to Sickbay to run things from there. Looking up, Isaiah's brow was slightly furrowed. "Sickbay? he stated with only a hint of surprise. Though as he thought it over, it made the most sense for the sake of the exercises. The computer would simulate injuries, and people were expected to actually report to Sickbay for treatment. "I just assumed that you'd be acting as first officer on the Bridge," he stated. Perhaps he had simply gotten used to seeing her there when they were aboard the Mac. And luckily, they had been able to avoid a situation that called for her presence to be primarily in Sickbay. He pushed the observation aside and reached for the juice first, opting finish with the coffee towards the end of the meal.
Tag Thea Baker
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Thea Baker
Command
[TI12]
Posts: 1,448 Likes: 46
Rank: Captain
Position: Commanding Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Thea Baker on Sept 5, 2020 19:58:13 GMT
[Lt. Isaiah Quinn - CMO's Quarters, USS Mac] Isaiah smiled as Thea commented that she was full of ideas. "I never thought otherwise," he said. He then moved to his own seat and started to get to breakfast, listening to Thea as she spoke. She pointed out that after they finished, she'd be off to Sickbay to run things from there. Looking up, Isaiah's brow was slightly furrowed. "Sickbay? he stated with only a hint of surprise. Though as he thought it over, it made the most sense for the sake of the exercises. The computer would simulate injuries, and people were expected to actually report to Sickbay for treatment. "I just assumed that you'd be acting as first officer on the Bridge," he stated. Perhaps he had simply gotten used to seeing her there when they were aboard the Mac. And luckily, they had been able to avoid a situation that called for her presence to be primarily in Sickbay. He pushed the observation aside and reached for the juice first, opting finish with the coffee towards the end of the meal.
Tag Thea Baker [CMO's Quarters - USS Mac] " Another reason why I love you and how I can be myself around you" Thea said in response to what Isaiah had said about her ideas, before he took his own seat and began to help himself to the feast laid out for them. Of course she picked up on the hint of surprise about her going to Sickbay and how he had assumed she would be acting XO on the Bridge. Not that Thea blamed him for that as she had been an almost permanent fixture on the Bridge lately and knew that it was likely something that they were both used to. " I understand why you thought that Babe, it might change yet depending on how things go, but at the very least I'll only be in Sickbay for the start of the games". Thea hoped that might appease him a little and for her too in a way, because she did feel reassured knowing he was close by without him having to say anything. But for now they could just enjoy that moment of normality and breakfast as she poured some juice and helped herself to breakfast.
tag Isaiah Quinn
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Isaiah Quinn
Science
[TI36]
Posts: 1,153 Likes: 57
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Chief Science Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Isaiah Quinn on Sept 5, 2020 21:42:11 GMT
[CMO's Quarters - USS Mac] " Another reason why I love you and how I can be myself around you" Thea said in response to what Isaiah had said about her ideas, before he took his own seat and began to help himself to the feast laid out for them. Of course she picked up on the hint of surprise about her going to Sickbay and how he had assumed she would be acting XO on the Bridge. Not that Thea blamed him for that as she had been an almost permanent fixture on the Bridge lately and knew that it was likely something that they were both used to. " I understand why you thought that Babe, it might change yet depending on how things go, but at the very least I'll only be in Sickbay for the start of the games". Thea hoped that might appease him a little and for her too in a way, because she did feel reassured knowing he was close by without him having to say anything. But for now they could just enjoy that moment of normality and breakfast as she poured some juice and helped herself to breakfast. [Lt. Isaiah Quinn - CMO's quarters, USS Mac] Isaiah nodded. The computer would ultimately dictate the location of every crew member, especially as it doled out damages and injuries throughout the ship. All they could do was treat it as a real situation. While the crew had experienced a great deal, they had thus far avoided an all-out battle. While this one was a simulation, it would likely be quite informative to them as a whole. He pushed the thought aside for the time being, his attention all of a sudden on the taste of the meal before him. "This is really good," Isaiah commented. He recalled that she said that it hadn't been replicated. "How did you pull this off again?" he asked. And perhaps he shouldn't have. After all, Thea had a knack for pulling together such intimate surprises such as this. Perhaps it was best that he didn't try to peek behind the curtain, in search of the source of her magic-like powers when it came to such affairs. Naturally, it was the course of being a scientist: looking for an explanation in everything.
Tag: Thea Baker
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Matthew Harmon
Intelligence
[TI42] Frontier's Most Malcontent Malcontent
Posts: 540 Likes: 18
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Intelligence Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Matthew Harmon on Sept 6, 2020 5:15:53 GMT
[ James Aubrey - Crew Bridge] James listened as a few other officers offered up their thoughts before the Lieutenant Commander spoke up. Matthew managed to confuse James a bit - the object wasn't to win? But the Commander had literally just said the opposite moments ago. James cleared his throat and prepared to say as much before the Lieutenant Commander suddenly beckoned him to the turbolift. Immediately, James panicked. Was he being removed from the bridge? But he was so excited to participate! He needed Commander Eastman to see what he could do! He looked desperately around at the other officers, landing finally on the Commander herself, before he stood solemnly and followed Harmon to the turbolift. He tried not to despair as he heard the other members of the bridge crew strategize - without him. When they reached the turbolift, James couldn't help but speak up. "Lieutenant Commander," he said, his desperation and frustration barely contained, "with all due respect, I must ask exactly what job it is you have for me? Am I being removed from the bridge? Did I do something wrong?" His heart almost pounded in his chest. "I must say, I object strongly to my removal and I feel that I have as much right to participate in these games as anyone else. I am perfectly capable of performing my duties!" He was a half-step away from stomping his foot, but he knew better than to act entirely unprofessional. [LCDR Matthew Harmon - Bridge -> Turbolift]
Harmon was surprised by the spirit of the young man. Harmon had observed him willing to give his view sure, but formal, rigid, and a little shy. He chuckled and shook his head a little at the insistence of the Ensign. Harmon again held out his arm and indicated the turbolift in an 'after you' fashion. "Get in, I'm not abducting you, you're not in trouble."
Once they were in the turbolift and away from the ears of the rest of the bridge crew he began to explain. He set the turbolift to go to the docking port. "You did nothing wrong, you're fine," he said dismissively with a hint of amusement. "If you want to go back, you can go back. One would hope you'd act a little more professional for the war games though," he warned, staring into the eyes of the young officer. "You can play games with Lieutenant Niles and the others and shoot invisible torpedos, stumble around a little under the pretend explosions rocking the ship and then ultimately pat yourselves on the back for winning the little trivial endeavour, or you can sulk and brood about it if you lose," he described. "Or you, can work for me and do something that matters. The risk will be real as will the rewards," he finished, his tone a little ominous.
Tag: James Aubrey
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Thea Baker
Command
[TI12]
Posts: 1,448 Likes: 46
Rank: Captain
Position: Commanding Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Thea Baker on Sept 6, 2020 9:58:34 GMT
[Lt. Isaiah Quinn - CMO's quarters, USS Mac] Isaiah nodded. The computer would ultimately dictate the location of every crew member, especially as it doled out damages and injuries throughout the ship. All they could do was treat it as a real situation. While the crew had experienced a great deal, they had thus far avoided an all-out battle. While this one was a simulation, it would likely be quite informative to them as a whole. He pushed the thought aside for the time being, his attention all of a sudden on the taste of the meal before him. "This is really good," Isaiah commented. He recalled that she said that it hadn't been replicated. "How did you pull this off again?" he asked. And perhaps he shouldn't have. After all, Thea had a knack for pulling together such intimate surprises such as this. Perhaps it was best that he didn't try to peek behind the curtain, in search of the source of her magic-like powers when it came to such affairs. Naturally, it was the course of being a scientist: looking for an explanation in everything.
Tag: Thea Baker [CMO's Quarters - USS Mac] With the food before them causing a natural distraction from talk about work and more specifically the training exercise. Thea took a bite of the Argelian sausage, savouring it's delicious flavour and decided that she had made the right choice in going for that first. Although it didn't take her long to fill up her plate with the waffles, toast and jam or the bowl of egg broth. Knowing that if she ate well for breakfast it would give her that much needed boost to get through the simulation and of course spending time with Isaiah also had a similar effect. She had just taken a sip of juice, when Isaiah commented about how good breakfast was, which elicited a satisfied smile from his Girlfriend, clearly happy that she had come up with the perfect menu, even if it wasn't quite executed by her hands. Thea didn't have a lot of culinary skills but she knew good food and what Isaiah's favourites where, so she hadn't wanted to risk unleashing her limited knowledge without resorting to the replicator or burning everything. Okay she had gotten better since their vacation but still, she enjoyed it more when she wasn't the one cooking anything. However when he then asked how she had pulled this off, her smile became more of a grin, liking his way of trying to get the truth from her. " I agree it's really good and all I will say is that I had some help" Thea replied, realising that her answer might not truly satisfy the scientist within her boyfriend, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't get to know the truth whilst enjoying teasing him and being playful in the process.
tag Isaiah Quinn
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Matthew Harmon
Intelligence
[TI42] Frontier's Most Malcontent Malcontent
Posts: 540 Likes: 18
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Intelligence Officer
Species: Human
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Post by Matthew Harmon on Sept 6, 2020 13:30:03 GMT
[ PO2 Kaya Som | Soteria - Docking ]Kaya paused at the unexpectedly philosophical question. She blinked and looked over her shoulder. S'Riia, her mate from security, was there talking to an Andorian she couldn't name. Her other close friend Jin would never pass up the chance to get bonus points at work so was absolutely playing war on the ship today. Nyberrite Neema was offering to entertain them all as guests, which wasn't a common luxury. "Anywhere but here?" Kaya tried. "You have, like, a pub? Shops?" Sure, Sigma 4 was a military outpost of this quadrant's most well-dressed organized crime gang (depending on who you asked), but with a bit of self-delusion and could easily be a holiday. [NPC - 2nd Lieutenant Neema - Docking Port, Plaza Level, Starbase Sigma 4] At first, it seemed the Trill was unsure of how to answer the query. Neema wondered if this had anything to do with the image of the Nyberrite Alliance that had been drilled into members of Starfleet and the Federation abroad. It was strange to Neema that it had become such popular rhetoric as of late, given that the Alliance had been in good standing with both the Federation and the Klingon Empire for years. She wasn't even certain why that had changed as of late. Had it been Starfleet's commitment to extend their exploratory exploits into this region of space? Many suspected that it was simply due to being jaded by the recent war. Neema was unsure what was the source of all the negativity, but part of her responsibilities today was to improve that image and that was what she was determined to do. "Yes, we have both!" Neema announced brightly. "We have plenty of shops. Believe it or not, but a lot of us try to avoid our uniforms when we're off duty. And we have some of the trendiest merchants in the quadrant! But first... let's hit, Kirby's. I think you'll appreciate their drink menu." Neema paused for a moment, and then added as an afterthought, "Um... they're synthehol is pretty tasty too." Neema could have kicked herself for forgetting that they were all probably on duty and asked to keep their wits about them. "That invitation is extended to anyone else that's willing," Neema said, raising her voice.
[PO2 Bav Th'cherreq - Docking Port] Bav snorted a laugh at S'Riia as she suggested he keep an open mind. "The only thing my mind is open to is a better salary and less hours than what Starfleet gives me now." He was seriously considering enquiring with the Alliance. He was only a year out from a larger pension, however so he would need a decent enticement to beat that. "There's nothing else to be open minded about. They're mercenaries. You pay them and they'll shoot who you like. It is what it is." [NPC - PO1 S'Riia - Docking Port, Starbase Sigma 4] S'Riia instantly began to wonder if Bav had gotten the same guidelines about visiting the Alliance starbase as everyone else had. Primarily about being an ambassador of the Federation and exemplifying a positive image. The Caitian-Gideon security officer was pretty sure that insulting them by referring to the Alliance as mercenaries was not the way to do that. She could only hope that no one had overheard that remark. "Then, I'd suggest you not give them any motivation to use you for target practice," she said with a slight growl. Her ear twitched at the invitation by the Alliance's junior negotiator, the very same that had been talking with Kaya. It sounded as if they had been invited somewhere for drinks. "You know, by your own logic, they're just as much our allies as our enemies. Focus on the positive and you render the threat moot." S'Riia started to turn towards the others. "Wait up. I thought I heard you mention drinks." While turning, S'Riia made a conscious effort to flick her tail at the Andorian, if only to annoy him. [PO2 Bav Th'cherreq - Docking Port]
Bav scoffed and shook his head at S'Riia. He didn't particularly care if they used him as target practice. Would make for a more lively day at the very least, or mean he didn't have to put up with all the bullshit anymore. Certainly not the worst thing that could happen. "What positives?" he grumbled under his breath. She then hit him with her tail and he tried to grab it out of anger but missed. Figuring he could use a drink right about now he followed the small group that had begun to assemble. No reason he couldn't enjoy this useless assignment a little.
Tag: Isaiah Quinn, soft tag Kaya Som
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K'Dex
Engineering/Ops
[TI20]
Posts: 50 Likes: 2
Rank: Ensign
Position: Engineering
Species: Caitian
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Post by K'Dex on Sept 6, 2020 21:28:54 GMT
[ Lt, jg. Aravis - Main Bridge] A pleased grin flashed across Aravis' face at the commander's praise of her idea before she composed herself and listened intently as Judy continued and others also threw in their thoughts and ideas. She bit her lip when the other JG asked about her flying abilities. Aravis didn't want to lie or inflate her skills, because that could lead to them losing the games. I've done it in flight simulations, but never live. If we did launch those probes, I could probably use them to help me anticipate the Soteria's movements and optimize our movement around them.
We did our own small-scale version of this type of games in flight school with runabouts and shuttles. I was able to draw one of the 'enemy' ships into a trap by making my maneuvers look like I was compensating for a blown plasma relay to one of the warp nacelles. We even vented a little plasma to make it look real. That might be a little to obvious for more experienced people, but maybe we could do something similar? Fake a weakness in one of the struts or something.[Cmdr. Judith Eastman(-Williams) & Ens. Mabel Henriksen - Bridge, USS Mac]Rather than continue to crane her neck as different people around the bridge spoke, Judy stood up from the center chair. She clasped her hands together, holding them against the left side of her stomach, as she realized there may be a misunderstanding or two about the mechanics of the simulation. "Good thinking, all of you, but I think I should clear up one thing before we go on. The computer will be simulating damage for us and for them. They won't have access to the full readings our computer gives us, just as we won't have full access on their end. This means that we can, as Ms. Aravis and Mr. Niles suggest, deceive the Nyberrites without cheating the simulation," she clarified, to make sure they were all roughly on the same page. "Now, keep going," she urged the green officers, not wanting to end the lively discussion with an opinion of her own, out of fear that it would be taken as gospel. "Maybe we can pretend that we're saving power more intensively than we really are," Mabel suggested. "We can try to make it look like we really abandoned the saucer right at the start, without actually abandoning it, and then we can surprise them."Mabel looked uncertainly to her peers. She wasn't sure if she was making sense.
Tag Joshua Niles [ LT(JG) Joshua Niles - Bridge, USS Mac ]The Engineering crewman on the Bridge was quick to offer ideas, but then he apologized, as though he considered himself to be too forward. And, in some circles, he might be. In fact, Niles himself was not entirely sure he approved of just how brazen he had been... but that might have been the residual attitude of commissioned superiority that had been inculcated at the Academy; since he'd arrived at his duty station, he'd taken orders from enough highly competent non-commissioned types, and had observed they tended to be at least as professional as he was (with a few minor exceptions) that he could accept their input with the same certainty he would accept that of an officer; and in some case, with even more confidence. That, and Commander Eastman was one to encourage this sort of things, and of course she was someone he respected immensely. "Mister K'Dex, while I wouldn't be willing to write off that much of the ship, not when we might need the redundant computer pathways and power conduits. But I agree we should at least relocate to the Battle Bridge. I'd be a lot more comfortable deeper in the ship going into action. Though, we should rig up some tricorders to fake our lifesigns in here, at least give them something to shoot at if they want to go for the soft-kill."Once Commander Eastman further explained the parameters of the exercise, the Tactical officer nodded. That was making things more clear to him. Of course there would be no actual sensor readings of actual damage, and the effects would be known solely within the ship as the computer would simulate weapons effects. Well, that was something they could work with. "Then, as Lieutenant Aravis and Miss Henriksen said, we will have to fake the damage, with deliberate losses in capabilities to lure them into a false sense of confidence."Frankly, it would be a lot easier if they could truly fake damage rather than just expect the other side to interpret their ship-handling. But, that in and of itself was a valuable skill to develop in its own right. "Now, in my Tactics classes, there were two things I was taught, and we need to figure out how to exploit that. The first was 'surprise is what happens when what you saw something all along and failed to recognize it', and the second was 'if you ain't cheating, you ain't trying hard enough'. So, how do we generate surprise, and how do we cheat?"And just as he finished talking, his drew his lips into a predatory parody of a smile. Oh yes, he was ready to get into it.
Tags K'Dex Ozu Saya (Aravis) Judith Eastman [Main Engineering] K'Dex frowned as the Commander spoke, realizing where he had screwed up. He was thinking of the simulations at the Academy, or the internal simulations among Starfleet, where the simulation was carried by Federation software, and then regulated from a combined computer program. They wouldn't be doing that with the Nyberrites. They'd be running separate simulations, and relying on sensor data. That opened up some options, but also led to a lot less of the safety features he was used to. Either way, he'd screwed up. He heard the faint memory of a particular session focused on the idea of what to do when he screwed up cross his mind. He sent all of that to the back, breathed deep for 3 breaths, and then opened his eyes and focused on the next thing. He'd find out if he'd truly screwed up in what he did after the fact, when others could review it and bring him their criticisms, not his own. "I'd be careful with venting plasma, especially near the nacelles. Low-yield or not, it could cause problems with a misplaced shot. However, if we vented coolant, it could coincide with us dropping power levels, making it appear we are dealing with overheat problems."He considered the other words passed around. "If we were to do that, and wanted to pull a 'surprise'... It would take some calculating right now, but I could work with engineering to create a power shift program. In essence, we could simulate lifesigns, high data transfers, and power readings coming from this bridge, perhaps even fluctuating into the extremes of official safety limits for the Soverign-Class. The Mac's been upgraded to go a bit further than those limits, so it shouldn't cause much damage at all. As the battle progresses, and with damage to this fore section, we could simulated power loss, coolant leak, and whatever else seems appropriate. Then, with the 'bait' set, we could activate the program to switch to the battle bridge, and reset all systems to almost full, from shields to weapons."K'Dex considered it, realizing that he was doing exactly something he'd done before on the Ferengi ship. All too often, the Ferengi's would play dead while leaking radiation to block exact sensor readings, and then shoot off into warp to escape. This would be more difficult, especially working with only coolant as the block to sensors, and having to reactivate multiple systems instead of just the warp drive. But, he had an actual team of trained engineers to work out specifics. "The only other idea's I have coming to mind is to leak question substances and parts. Things that could lead them to assume we have technology we couldn't possibly have. Science I think would have to see what we have in storage that might work, if anything. Or create a chemical for an 'advanced' weapon coolant that we could leak instead of standard." So much of what he'd learned with the Ferengi had been misdirection, confusion, or outright lies. Of course, it annoyed the Ferengi when he would as an engineer tell them directly what they absolutely had to have, since they assumed everyone else was exaggerating too. But a few times of breaking down had eased that annoyance. But now, now K'Dex was working within the Federation. Rules, boundaries, controls. His posting here was so different from his last. Damage control was part of everyone's duties, because it was so, so much of the frontier out here. He cursed himself silently with an annoyed flick of his tail. His concentration had continued to be abysmal today. Officer. Decisions. Suggestions. Suggestions... He almost sent a short message to the officer on duty in Engineering describing the current predicament, and searching for anything from the other Engineers there, but stopped short as he remembered the communications blackout. Perhaps he could send the message, encrypted, from the Battle Bridge. Less chance of interception. He deleted the message, and the saved draft, for now.
Bridge Tags, Judith Eastman Joshua Niles Ozu Saya as Aravis
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Ozu Saya
Engineering/Ops
[TI19]
Posts: 878 Likes: 29
Rank: Master Chief Petty Officer
Position: CoB/Chief Engineer
Species: Vulcan-Bajoran
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Post by Ozu Saya on Sept 7, 2020 2:14:36 GMT
[ LT(JG) Joshua Niles - Bridge, USS Mac ]
Indeed, with his recommendation to not play all their cards and to hide what hardware capability they had that was not easily accessible, Mac would be entering those wargames with a disadvantage, compared to going in flat-out. It would cost them a non-trivial fraction of their combat potential, but nothing so much that it would be like going in with an outdated ship. As had been said, it would be cunning and now technology winning the day, if they were to win it. And as Mister Harmon said, intelligence gathering would be a victory in its own right. However, at first they would need to take some protective measures. "My first thought is they're going to try and get every bit of information out of us as they can. We need to stop that, maybe through a communications blackout for anything outgoing that's not authorized through the Bridge. We need to limit our exposure. As for how I would defeat the Mac?"The Sovereign class was one of Starfleet's leading designs and a hell of a combat platform. In a single ship duel, she could take on just about anything that was in space, but she certainly had her vulnerabilities. The pylons and nacelles were always vulnerable, as were openings in the hull. Weapons could be disabled, sensors could be blinded... And they would have to refrain from making any of their systems do anything out of the ordinary, at least to the outside eye. "My suggestions would start by deploying some probes with a tight-beam telemetry link. If our own sensors are damaged, then we won't be blinded. Even if all they operate is passive sensors, it should give us additional eyes in the battlespace. And, I think we might have a chance at fooling them into thinking we've taken more damage than we actually have. Let them think they've hit us with the Golden BB at some point, that they've hurt us a lot worse than they thought they might have."He was running ideas off the top of his head into this brainstorming session. He needed ideas, and he needed them fast. "And, maybe we need to find ourselves a blind spot on the enemy vessel, or create one. Lieutenant Aravis, how are you at station-keeping in high speed maneuvers? If we can make a hole in their gunnery, we could slot ourselves into that blind spot and keep hammering at them... or lure them into doing the same to us... until we're ready to hit them?" [Main Bridge - USS Mac] K'Dex arched an eyebrow as the captain jumped on his question. His tail twitched slightly at the mention of the Golden BB concept. "For better or for worse, no matter how much we want to win, this is a simulation. I'd be careful of relaying faulty information for that simulation, as that has a tendency to go ... screwy. If they realize our information relayed back is false, it could make them think that almost anything is fair game then." K'Dex said, stressing slightly his reluctance for that. He turned to the captain though, as he made a few thoughts aloud. "Since this is a simulation though, and a planned battle, we can do things we'd never truly consider. For one, we can centralize our critical components. This bridge is centered in ... not the useless section, but... it's surrounded by quarters, offices... Non-essentials! That's the word. I apologize. If we pulled back to the battle bridge on deck 18, and ran through the secondary computer core, we could consolidate most essential components between, oh, decks 10 to 20, 21 if you want the phaser array. Then the shields could be modified to consolidate on those decks, mostly on the side sections, and the aft shields to protect the nacelles. Then, use the top 10 decks or so as... well, 10 decks of armor. Shut down power in decks 1-6 except for weapon systems. Keep deck 7, as we'd always want sickbay online, no matter the fight..." K'Dex realized he'd ran on and on with his thoughts, thinking how to adjust things. He chirpped slightly in embarrassment, and looked down at his console. "Apologies. I forgot myself." K'Dex closed his eyes for a few moments, trying to center himself back into his 'professional' frame of mind. The engineering of how was not the focus. Be the officer. Do the job. Man the console. [ Lt, jg. Aravis - Main Bridge] A pleased grin flashed across Aravis' face at the commander's praise of her idea before she composed herself and listened intently as Judy continued and others also threw in their thoughts and ideas. She bit her lip when the other JG asked about her flying abilities. Aravis didn't want to lie or inflate her skills, because that could lead to them losing the games. I've done it in flight simulations, but never live. If we did launch those probes, I could probably use them to help me anticipate the Soteria's movements and optimize our movement around them.
We did our own small-scale version of this type of games in flight school with runabouts and shuttles. I was able to draw one of the 'enemy' ships into a trap by making my maneuvers look like I was compensating for a blown plasma relay to one of the warp nacelles. We even vented a little plasma to make it look real. That might be a little to obvious for more experienced people, but maybe we could do something similar? Fake a weakness in one of the struts or something. [Cmdr. Judith Eastman(-Williams) & Ens. Mabel Henriksen - Bridge, USS Mac]Rather than continue to crane her neck as different people around the bridge spoke, Judy stood up from the center chair. She clasped her hands together, holding them against the left side of her stomach, as she realized there may be a misunderstanding or two about the mechanics of the simulation. "Good thinking, all of you, but I think I should clear up one thing before we go on. The computer will be simulating damage for us and for them. They won't have access to the full readings our computer gives us, just as we won't have full access on their end. This means that we can, as Ms. Aravis and Mr. Niles suggest, deceive the Nyberrites without cheating the simulation," she clarified, to make sure they were all roughly on the same page. "Now, keep going," she urged the green officers, not wanting to end the lively discussion with an opinion of her own, out of fear that it would be taken as gospel. "Maybe we can pretend that we're saving power more intensively than we really are," Mabel suggested. "We can try to make it look like we really abandoned the saucer right at the start, without actually abandoning it, and then we can surprise them."Mabel looked uncertainly to her peers. She wasn't sure if she was making sense.
Tag Joshua Niles , K'Dex , and Ozu Saya [Main Bridge - USS Mac] K'Dex arched an eyebrow as the captain jumped on his question. His tail twitched slightly at the mention of the Golden BB concept. "For better or for worse, no matter how much we want to win, this is a simulation. I'd be careful of relaying faulty information for that simulation, as that has a tendency to go ... screwy. If they realize our information relayed back is false, it could make them think that almost anything is fair game then." K'Dex said, stressing slightly his reluctance for that. He turned to the captain though, as he made a few thoughts aloud. "Since this is a simulation though, and a planned battle, we can do things we'd never truly consider. For one, we can centralize our critical components. This bridge is centered in ... not the useless section, but... it's surrounded by quarters, offices... Non-essentials! That's the word. I apologize. If we pulled back to the battle bridge on deck 18, and ran through the secondary computer core, we could consolidate most essential components between, oh, decks 10 to 20, 21 if you want the phaser array. Then the shields could be modified to consolidate on those decks, mostly on the side sections, and the aft shields to protect the nacelles. Then, use the top 10 decks or so as... well, 10 decks of armor. Shut down power in decks 1-6 except for weapon systems. Keep deck 7, as we'd always want sickbay online, no matter the fight..." K'Dex realized he'd ran on and on with his thoughts, thinking how to adjust things. He chirpped slightly in embarrassment, and looked down at his console. "Apologies. I forgot myself." K'Dex closed his eyes for a few moments, trying to center himself back into his 'professional' frame of mind. The engineering of how was not the focus. Be the officer. Do the job. Man the console. [ Lt, jg. Aravis - Main Bridge] A pleased grin flashed across Aravis' face at the commander's praise of her idea before she composed herself and listened intently as Judy continued and others also threw in their thoughts and ideas. She bit her lip when the other JG asked about her flying abilities. Aravis didn't want to lie or inflate her skills, because that could lead to them losing the games. I've done it in flight simulations, but never live. If we did launch those probes, I could probably use them to help me anticipate the Soteria's movements and optimize our movement around them.
We did our own small-scale version of this type of games in flight school with runabouts and shuttles. I was able to draw one of the 'enemy' ships into a trap by making my maneuvers look like I was compensating for a blown plasma relay to one of the warp nacelles. We even vented a little plasma to make it look real. That might be a little to obvious for more experienced people, but maybe we could do something similar? Fake a weakness in one of the struts or something.[Cmdr. Judith Eastman(-Williams) & Ens. Mabel Henriksen - Bridge, USS Mac]Rather than continue to crane her neck as different people around the bridge spoke, Judy stood up from the center chair. She clasped her hands together, holding them against the left side of her stomach, as she realized there may be a misunderstanding or two about the mechanics of the simulation. "Good thinking, all of you, but I think I should clear up one thing before we go on. The computer will be simulating damage for us and for them. They won't have access to the full readings our computer gives us, just as we won't have full access on their end. This means that we can, as Ms. Aravis and Mr. Niles suggest, deceive the Nyberrites without cheating the simulation," she clarified, to make sure they were all roughly on the same page. "Now, keep going," she urged the green officers, not wanting to end the lively discussion with an opinion of her own, out of fear that it would be taken as gospel. "Maybe we can pretend that we're saving power more intensively than we really are," Mabel suggested. "We can try to make it look like we really abandoned the saucer right at the start, without actually abandoning it, and then we can surprise them."Mabel looked uncertainly to her peers. She wasn't sure if she was making sense.
Tag Joshua Niles , K'Dex , and Ozu Saya [ LT(JG) Joshua Niles - Bridge, USS Mac ]The Engineering crewman on the Bridge was quick to offer ideas, but then he apologized, as though he considered himself to be too forward. And, in some circles, he might be. In fact, Niles himself was not entirely sure he approved of just how brazen he had been... but that might have been the residual attitude of commissioned superiority that had been inculcated at the Academy; since he'd arrived at his duty station, he'd taken orders from enough highly competent non-commissioned types, and had observed they tended to be at least as professional as he was (with a few minor exceptions) that he could accept their input with the same certainty he would accept that of an officer; and in some case, with even more confidence. That, and Commander Eastman was one to encourage this sort of things, and of course she was someone he respected immensely. "Mister K'Dex, while I wouldn't be willing to write off that much of the ship, not when we might need the redundant computer pathways and power conduits. But I agree we should at least relocate to the Battle Bridge. I'd be a lot more comfortable deeper in the ship going into action. Though, we should rig up some tricorders to fake our lifesigns in here, at least give them something to shoot at if they want to go for the soft-kill."Once Commander Eastman further explained the parameters of the exercise, the Tactical officer nodded. That was making things more clear to him. Of course there would be no actual sensor readings of actual damage, and the effects would be known solely within the ship as the computer would simulate weapons effects. Well, that was something they could work with. "Then, as Lieutenant Aravis and Miss Henriksen said, we will have to fake the damage, with deliberate losses in capabilities to lure them into a false sense of confidence."Frankly, it would be a lot easier if they could truly fake damage rather than just expect the other side to interpret their ship-handling. But, that in and of itself was a valuable skill to develop in its own right. "Now, in my Tactics classes, there were two things I was taught, and we need to figure out how to exploit that. The first was 'surprise is what happens when what you saw something all along and failed to recognize it', and the second was 'if you ain't cheating, you ain't trying hard enough'. So, how do we generate surprise, and how do we cheat?"And just as he finished talking, his drew his lips into a predatory parody of a smile. Oh yes, he was ready to get into it.
Tags K'Dex Ozu Saya (Aravis) Judith Eastman [ Lt, jg. Aravis - Main Bridge] A pleased grin flashed across Aravis' face at the commander's praise of her idea before she composed herself and listened intently as Judy continued and others also threw in their thoughts and ideas. She bit her lip when the other JG asked about her flying abilities. Aravis didn't want to lie or inflate her skills, because that could lead to them losing the games. I've done it in flight simulations, but never live. If we did launch those probes, I could probably use them to help me anticipate the Soteria's movements and optimize our movement around them.
We did our own small-scale version of this type of games in flight school with runabouts and shuttles. I was able to draw one of the 'enemy' ships into a trap by making my maneuvers look like I was compensating for a blown plasma relay to one of the warp nacelles. We even vented a little plasma to make it look real. That might be a little to obvious for more experienced people, but maybe we could do something similar? Fake a weakness in one of the struts or something.[Cmdr. Judith Eastman(-Williams) & Ens. Mabel Henriksen - Bridge, USS Mac]Rather than continue to crane her neck as different people around the bridge spoke, Judy stood up from the center chair. She clasped her hands together, holding them against the left side of her stomach, as she realized there may be a misunderstanding or two about the mechanics of the simulation. "Good thinking, all of you, but I think I should clear up one thing before we go on. The computer will be simulating damage for us and for them. They won't have access to the full readings our computer gives us, just as we won't have full access on their end. This means that we can, as Ms. Aravis and Mr. Niles suggest, deceive the Nyberrites without cheating the simulation," she clarified, to make sure they were all roughly on the same page. "Now, keep going," she urged the green officers, not wanting to end the lively discussion with an opinion of her own, out of fear that it would be taken as gospel. "Maybe we can pretend that we're saving power more intensively than we really are," Mabel suggested. "We can try to make it look like we really abandoned the saucer right at the start, without actually abandoning it, and then we can surprise them."Mabel looked uncertainly to her peers. She wasn't sure if she was making sense.
Tag Joshua Niles [ LT(JG) Joshua Niles - Bridge, USS Mac ]The Engineering crewman on the Bridge was quick to offer ideas, but then he apologized, as though he considered himself to be too forward. And, in some circles, he might be. In fact, Niles himself was not entirely sure he approved of just how brazen he had been... but that might have been the residual attitude of commissioned superiority that had been inculcated at the Academy; since he'd arrived at his duty station, he'd taken orders from enough highly competent non-commissioned types, and had observed they tended to be at least as professional as he was (with a few minor exceptions) that he could accept their input with the same certainty he would accept that of an officer; and in some case, with even more confidence. That, and Commander Eastman was one to encourage this sort of things, and of course she was someone he respected immensely. "Mister K'Dex, while I wouldn't be willing to write off that much of the ship, not when we might need the redundant computer pathways and power conduits. But I agree we should at least relocate to the Battle Bridge. I'd be a lot more comfortable deeper in the ship going into action. Though, we should rig up some tricorders to fake our lifesigns in here, at least give them something to shoot at if they want to go for the soft-kill."Once Commander Eastman further explained the parameters of the exercise, the Tactical officer nodded. That was making things more clear to him. Of course there would be no actual sensor readings of actual damage, and the effects would be known solely within the ship as the computer would simulate weapons effects. Well, that was something they could work with. "Then, as Lieutenant Aravis and Miss Henriksen said, we will have to fake the damage, with deliberate losses in capabilities to lure them into a false sense of confidence."Frankly, it would be a lot easier if they could truly fake damage rather than just expect the other side to interpret their ship-handling. But, that in and of itself was a valuable skill to develop in its own right. "Now, in my Tactics classes, there were two things I was taught, and we need to figure out how to exploit that. The first was 'surprise is what happens when what you saw something all along and failed to recognize it', and the second was 'if you ain't cheating, you ain't trying hard enough'. So, how do we generate surprise, and how do we cheat?"And just as he finished talking, his drew his lips into a predatory parody of a smile. Oh yes, he was ready to get into it.
Tags K'Dex Ozu Saya (Aravis) Judith Eastman [Main Engineering] K'Dex frowned as the Commander spoke, realizing where he had screwed up. He was thinking of the simulations at the Academy, or the internal simulations among Starfleet, where the simulation was carried by Federation software, and then regulated from a combined computer program. They wouldn't be doing that with the Nyberrites. They'd be running separate simulations, and relying on sensor data. That opened up some options, but also led to a lot less of the safety features he was used to. Either way, he'd screwed up. He heard the faint memory of a particular session focused on the idea of what to do when he screwed up cross his mind. He sent all of that to the back, breathed deep for 3 breaths, and then opened his eyes and focused on the next thing. He'd find out if he'd truly screwed up in what he did after the fact, when others could review it and bring him their criticisms, not his own. "I'd be careful with venting plasma, especially near the nacelles. Low-yield or not, it could cause problems with a misplaced shot. However, if we vented coolant, it could coincide with us dropping power levels, making it appear we are dealing with overheat problems."He considered the other words passed around. "If we were to do that, and wanted to pull a 'surprise'... It would take some calculating right now, but I could work with engineering to create a power shift program. In essence, we could simulate lifesigns, high data transfers, and power readings coming from this bridge, perhaps even fluctuating into the extremes of official safety limits for the Soverign-Class. The Mac's been upgraded to go a bit further than those limits, so it shouldn't cause much damage at all. As the battle progresses, and with damage to this fore section, we could simulated power loss, coolant leak, and whatever else seems appropriate. Then, with the 'bait' set, we could activate the program to switch to the battle bridge, and reset all systems to almost full, from shields to weapons."K'Dex considered it, realizing that he was doing exactly something he'd done before on the Ferengi ship. All too often, the Ferengi's would play dead while leaking radiation to block exact sensor readings, and then shoot off into warp to escape. This would be more difficult, especially working with only coolant as the block to sensors, and having to reactivate multiple systems instead of just the warp drive. But, he had an actual team of trained engineers to work out specifics. "The only other idea's I have coming to mind is to leak question substances and parts. Things that could lead them to assume we have technology we couldn't possibly have. Science I think would have to see what we have in storage that might work, if anything. Or create a chemical for an 'advanced' weapon coolant that we could leak instead of standard." So much of what he'd learned with the Ferengi had been misdirection, confusion, or outright lies. Of course, it annoyed the Ferengi when he would as an engineer tell them directly what they absolutely had to have, since they assumed everyone else was exaggerating too. But a few times of breaking down had eased that annoyance. But now, now K'Dex was working within the Federation. Rules, boundaries, controls. His posting here was so different from his last. Damage control was part of everyone's duties, because it was so, so much of the frontier out here. He cursed himself silently with an annoyed flick of his tail. His concentration had continued to be abysmal today. Officer. Decisions. Suggestions. Suggestions... He almost sent a short message to the officer on duty in Engineering describing the current predicament, and searching for anything from the other Engineers there, but stopped short as he remembered the communications blackout. Perhaps he could send the message, encrypted, from the Battle Bridge. Less chance of interception. He deleted the message, and the saved draft, for now.
Bridge Tags, Judith Eastman Joshua Niles Ozu Saya as Aravis [ Lt, jg. Aravis - Main Bridge] Aravis conceded the point of the dangers of venting plasma with a nod while continuing to consider the other ideas the officers were suggesting. So, really the biggest thing we have to do is make sure our computer is showing them more damage than we actually have. A couple of questions: will the computer automatically shut down or reduce power to systems that it reads as damaged? If so, we're going to have to trick our own computer as well as theirs. Second, for my own purposes of piloting, are we going to be limited to impulse or low warp speeds? It will make a difference in the maneuvers I can use.The Ba'ku chewed her lip and considered. I could pre-program a few ship movements based on parameters it receives from the computer on our 'damage'. Things that'll happen quicker than I could do manually - stutters in maneuvers, things like that. And then I can 'correct' them. Just lend a sense of reality and unexpectedness.
Tag Judith Eastman and the bridge
[CMO's Quarters - USS Mac] [...] Her gaze followed his to the box in his hand, aware of how this was yet another moment to remember in what was fast becoming a very close and loving relationship, before he made a jest about the extra paperwork. " Pretty much yes, although you now get a fancy office and DH quarters, which just happen to be closer to mine too" she replied with a slight playful wink, as Isaiah then asked her to give him a hand with his new pip. " I'd love too".Carefully taking the pip from Isaiah, Thea then reached up and fixed it to his uniform, her hands brushing his skin softly, until it was in place and she delivered another soft kiss to his lips until the announcement came through from Judy. " If only this was Aitrus V" Thea said wistfully at the timing of the announcement from the Bridge, knowing Isaiah would appreciate her comment. However was thankful that she had at least gotten to do his promotion, even if breakfast might be rushed in order to get to their duty stations in preparation for the games. " We can celebrate properly later but we better make a start on breakfast, we don't want to be taking part in war games on an empty stomach".[Lt. Isaiah Quinn - CMO's Quarters] Isaiah could feel Thea's hand brushing gently against his skin as she affixed the new pip to his collar. As she finished, she gave him yet another soft kiss. He stared into her eyes smiling broadly as he gazed back into hers. It was Commander Eastman's voice that reminded him that they were still aboard the Mac, and that the rest of the day was ahead of them. His first day, in fact, as a senior officer. How many could boast that their first mission was a battle simulation. Thea referenced Aitrus V, and a soft chuckle left is lips. "If only," he replied. Thea suggested that they get started on breakfast. He looked at the chronometer and realized that they still had some time before the simulation was scheduled to start. "Good idea," he stated. "We should have enough time to finish eating, an even arrive in time to go over strategy," he stated. He moved to one of the chairs and pulled it back for Thea.
Tag Thea Baker
[ PO2 Kaya Som | Soteria - Docking ]Kaya paused at the unexpectedly philosophical question. She blinked and looked over her shoulder. S'Riia, her mate from security, was there talking to an Andorian she couldn't name. Her other close friend Jin would never pass up the chance to get bonus points at work so was absolutely playing war on the ship today. Nyberrite Neema was offering to entertain them all as guests, which wasn't a common luxury. "Anywhere but here?" Kaya tried. "You have, like, a pub? Shops?" Sure, Sigma 4 was a military outpost of this quadrant's most well-dressed organized crime gang (depending on who you asked), but with a bit of self-delusion and could easily be a holiday. [NPC - 2nd Lieutenant Neema - Docking Port, Plaza Level, Starbase Sigma 4] At first, it seemed the Trill was unsure of how to answer the query. Neema wondered if this had anything to do with the image of the Nyberrite Alliance that had been drilled into members of Starfleet and the Federation abroad. It was strange to Neema that it had become such popular rhetoric as of late, given that the Alliance had been in good standing with both the Federation and the Klingon Empire for years. She wasn't even certain why that had changed as of late. Had it been Starfleet's commitment to extend their exploratory exploits into this region of space? Many suspected that it was simply due to being jaded by the recent war. Neema was unsure what was the source of all the negativity, but part of her responsibilities today was to improve that image and that was what she was determined to do. "Yes, we have both!" Neema announced brightly. "We have plenty of shops. Believe it or not, but a lot of us try to avoid our uniforms when we're off duty. And we have some of the trendiest merchants in the quadrant! But first... let's hit, Kirby's. I think you'll appreciate their drink menu." Neema paused for a moment, and then added as an afterthought, "Um... they're synthehol is pretty tasty too." Neema could have kicked herself for forgetting that they were all probably on duty and asked to keep their wits about them. "That invitation is extended to anyone else that's willing," Neema said, raising her voice.
Tag: Kaya Som Soft Tag: Matthew Harmon (Bav)
[PO2 Bav Th'cherreq - Docking Port] Bav snorted a laugh at S'Riia as she suggested he keep an open mind. "The only thing my mind is open to is a better salary and less hours than what Starfleet gives me now." He was seriously considering enquiring with the Alliance. He was only a year out from a larger pension, however so he would need a decent enticement to beat that. "There's nothing else to be open minded about. They're mercenaries. You pay them and they'll shoot who you like. It is what it is." [NPC - PO1 S'Riia - Docking Port, Starbase Sigma 4] S'Riia instantly began to wonder if Bav had gotten the same guidelines about visiting the Alliance starbase as everyone else had. Primarily about being an ambassador of the Federation and exemplifying a positive image. The Caitian-Gideon security officer was pretty sure that insulting them by referring to the Alliance as mercenaries was not the way to do that. She could only hope that no one had overheard that remark. "Then, I'd suggest you not give them any motivation to use you for target practice," she said with a slight growl. Her ear twitched at the invitation by the Alliance's junior negotiator, the very same that had been talking with Kaya. It sounded as if they had been invited somewhere for drinks. "You know, by your own logic, they're just as much our allies as our enemies. Focus on the positive and you render the threat moot." S'Riia started to turn towards the others. "Wait up. I thought I heard you mention drinks." While turning, S'Riia made a conscious effort to flick her tail at the Andorian, if only to annoy him.
Tag: Matthew Harmon Soft Tag: Kaya Som
[ 1st Lt. Robyn Banks - Operations - Bridge, NSS Soteria] Yes, ma'am, Chief Ozu. She served in combat more than once, along with Commander Eastman. I know she was decorated at least once for some creative engineering solution that saved her ship. Robyn nodded in agreement with the colonel's declaration of keeping the Starfleet crew busy. She was starting to get a little excited about the whole thing - still thought it was kind of a bad idea, but the idea of showing up the crew that had turned her world upside down and ruined her career was more and more appealing. And then Vasser asked her about cyber infiltration. A slow smile spread across her face as she leaned back in her seat and folded her arms. I have some skills, she said slyly. What do you have in mind, Colonel?[NPC - Colonel Helena Vasser - Bridge, N.S.S. Soteria] Vasser listened intently as Banks confirmed her assertion about Chief Ozu, but also made note of Commander Eastman. Vasser was slowly growing more and more familiar with the woman. Judy wasn't the sort to be rattled by whatever went on. She'd remain calm under pressure, regardless. Beyond that, she'd keep in mind that this was only a simulation. Ultimately, that would dictate the amount of effort that was going into this. That meant Vasser would have to wage any of her psychological tactics on Judy's subordinates. If mistakes were to be made, that's where it'd occur. There were certainly ways to make that occur. Banks' response to Vasser inquiry about her familiarity even seemed to solicit a bit of a smile from the Soteria commander. "Oh, I have quite a bit in mind," Vasser said. "Right now, I imagine that our friends aboard the Mac aren't inclined to take this too seriously. I want to exploit that, and make them realize that underestimating this crew under any circumstances would be a mistake." Vasser took a deep breath, before proceeding. "Tell me, will it be possible to manipulate some of their tertiary systems? Doors? Lights? Panel displays? Either directly or via a computer virus?"If Banks was remotely as good as Vasser suspected, the young officer could think of something. Execution was another matter, but Vasser had faith. Besides, this was a learning opportunity. It gave her the chance to evaluate the skill of those under her command, but also gave them a chance to gain some confidence. Something akin to knocking an older sibling off the pedestal. Starfleet may not take this exercise seriously, but Vasser was determined to show her crew that win or lose, they weren't going to be pushovers. "And if you can handle that... well, I have something else in mind that they'll never see coming."
Tag: Ozu Saya (1st Lt. Banks) [ 1st Lt. Robyn Banks - Operations - Bridge, NSS Soteria] Robyn chewed the inside of her cheek while she thought about Vasser's request. Even those types of systems are difficult to access from the outside, she said slowly. If I could get over there... She hesitated. Some of their officers are visiting the station, right? So what if I replicate a Starfleet uniform and combadge and just mosey on over there as if I belong? I can plant a harmless virus that will give us a backdoor to access at least those tertiary systems, possibly more if there's enough time. If they have anyone on guard, it's not likely to be anyone who knows me, and if it is, I can scrap the whole idea. But I'll just walk on, get to an empty computer console and work my magic.
We could also transport a few small surprises aboard. Nothing to cause real damage, but the equivalent of smoke bombs. Get them running around thinking there's actual damage to the ship. Transporters are a bit of a specialty of mine, she said with fond reminiscence, despite the fact that her use of the transporter had led to her downfall.
Tag Isaiah Quinn
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James Aubrey
Science
Posts: 35 Likes: 1
Rank: Ensign
Position: Science Officer
Species: Human
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Post by James Aubrey on Sept 7, 2020 3:16:11 GMT
Harmon was surprised by the spirit of the young man. Harmon had observed him willing to give his view sure, but formal, rigid, and a little shy. He chuckled and shook his head a little at the insistence of the Ensign. Harmon again held out his arm and indicated the turbolift in an 'after you' fashion. "Get in, I'm not abducting you, you're not in trouble."
Once they were in the turbolift and away from the ears of the rest of the bridge crew he began to explain. He set the turbolift to go to the docking port. "You did nothing wrong, you're fine," he said dismissively with a hint of amusement. "If you want to go back, you can go back. One would hope you'd act a little more professional for the war games though," he warned, staring into the eyes of the young officer. "You can play games with Lieutenant Niles and the others and shoot invisible torpedos, stumble around a little under the pretend explosions rocking the ship and then ultimately pat yourselves on the back for winning the little trivial endeavour, or you can sulk and brood about it if you lose," he described. "Or you, can work for me and do something that matters. The risk will be real as will the rewards," he finished, his tone a little ominous.
Tag: James Aubrey [ James Aubrey - Turbolift] James swallowed and thought for a moment. Even after what Harmon said, a little part of him still wanted to take part in the games. He was so excited to be on the bridge, surrounded by other officers and a commander, his mind racing with strategies and plans. But ... how could he say no to something real? Something that would really count? He flicked the right side of his nose with the pad of his thumb - a nervous tick - and clenched his jaw slightly. "Alright," he said. "What do you need me to do, Lieutenant Commander?"
Tag Matthew Harmon
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