Post by Judith Eastman on Sept 27, 2020 1:13:14 GMT
Just a few hours behind my deadline, I bring you our submissions. There are 8 in total, from several different players.
All worthy submissions, but we give you until Monday, September 28th, at 6 PM PDT (48 hours from this posting), to select one. As usual, if no post wins a majority of votes, we'll have a runoff.
All worthy submissions, but we give you until Monday, September 28th, at 6 PM PDT (48 hours from this posting), to select one. As usual, if no post wins a majority of votes, we'll have a runoff.
{Submission #1, by Kaya Som , is in the Down Time thread After-Action Wind-Down}Here's what the nominator wrote:
Here's the post itself:
Jin was in an argument with Oarren when Kaya noticed Joshua Niles walk in. She watched as he got a pair of drinks and joined the reporter at a table in the corner.
"...Kaya..."
Oarren elbowed her back to reality and Kaya blinked.
"What?" he asked, following her gaze.
"Nothing. Just a sec," she said and pushed back from her seat. Carried by an untracable impulse, Kaya stalked the length of the room and placed her palms on the table between Fox and Niles with no care at all that she was interrupting.
"Hey, psycho," she said in a sing-song with a dead-eyed smile. "Doing okay? I know you wanted to blow some shit up today, huh? Maybe next time we won't be outnumbered and you can play out your revenge fantasy. Mmm?"
You can read the post in context here.
It's not realistic to expect that our characters will get along, or agree, or even like each other all that much, all the time. We all recognise this, but it takes a rare player and a rare character to follow through. Here we see Kaya, who has just been through quite the ordeal with the crew of the Mac, challenge a superior officer. She fundamentally disagrees with him, and she's not afraid who knows it. Love this post.
Here's the post itself:
Kaya'd had a shower and a change before meeting up with Jin and a few other friends in the lounge. The last twenty-four hours had been, to say the least, eventful and decompression was in order. For Kaya, that included getting a head start in her quarters with something not served in the replicators. Something, anything, to wash off what had happened.
Jin was in an argument with Oarren when Kaya noticed Joshua Niles walk in. She watched as he got a pair of drinks and joined the reporter at a table in the corner.
"...Kaya..."
Oarren elbowed her back to reality and Kaya blinked.
"What?" he asked, following her gaze.
"Nothing. Just a sec," she said and pushed back from her seat. Carried by an untracable impulse, Kaya stalked the length of the room and placed her palms on the table between Fox and Niles with no care at all that she was interrupting.
"Hey, psycho," she said in a sing-song with a dead-eyed smile. "Doing okay? I know you wanted to blow some shit up today, huh? Maybe next time we won't be outnumbered and you can play out your revenge fantasy. Mmm?"
You can read the post in context here.
{Submission #2, by Kova Sh'qaleq , is in the Event}Here's what the nominator wrote:
Here's the post itself:
It is, Saya answered, recovering her equilibrium somewhat. Slightly different in that the train was mostly just our means of transportation throughout Europe, much as it was in this era, rather than an event in itself.
It was a fun trip, but trying at times. Ancient buildings in Europe were not made for people my height. I took the skin off my forehead more than once on low beams, Kyo said with a laugh. I'm a composer, actually. Or trying to be. I played with an orchestra for a number of years - an earth instrument called a bassoon and sometimes the Bajoran tivara. I decided that I wanted to try my hand at writing music, and that works much better to keep our family together. I've gotten a couple of pieces published, but it's a slow and temperamental field.
[Kova Sh'qaleq - Orient Express]
Kova took another sip of her Rigellian drink. It was certainly helping matters, especially given that the happy couple thought Kova had any real interest in their romantic tales. Did the pair of them really think that they were a walking rom-com holonovel? Considering the cast, it was laughable at best. Either way, it seemed that they were more amused by the actual transport than spending time with one another. Kova took a long sip from her glass, hoping that it would some how speed time along.
Kyo seemed to be infatuated with Saya, and that was a mystery in itself. He went around regaling in their journey to the point where he proclaimed himself an admitted clutz. How hard was ducking? He revealed that he was a composer, but from the sound of it, he seemed to be settling his career for Saya's sake. Typical Vulcan... finding a way to make the world revolve around them. She thought perhaps he'd wise up eventually, but the mention of a kid made it abundantly clear that he was at Saya's mercy for the foreseeable future.
"Well, that's a shame," Kova remarked. "Maybe you can find some other musicians on the station, if you haven't already. Hold a few concerts. Surely, that's something the Commander would sign off on." It seemed like a human sentiment. "I knew someone that played the tivara before. Amazing instrument." And that was likely the extent of Kova's cultural contribution. It was getting close to time to flag Jack down for a refill.
Tag: Ozu Saya (& Kyo)
You can read the post in context here.
Kova is just... Kova. I'm always guaranteed a laugh when we hear from her; her sassy, judgmental inner monologue just sings to me. This post in particular represents the only singleton at a wedding banquet, or the unromantics among us, forced to deal with a besotted couple. Seriously, keep that glass topped up.
Here's the post itself:
[Ozu Saya and Domen Kyo]
It is, Saya answered, recovering her equilibrium somewhat. Slightly different in that the train was mostly just our means of transportation throughout Europe, much as it was in this era, rather than an event in itself.
It was a fun trip, but trying at times. Ancient buildings in Europe were not made for people my height. I took the skin off my forehead more than once on low beams, Kyo said with a laugh. I'm a composer, actually. Or trying to be. I played with an orchestra for a number of years - an earth instrument called a bassoon and sometimes the Bajoran tivara. I decided that I wanted to try my hand at writing music, and that works much better to keep our family together. I've gotten a couple of pieces published, but it's a slow and temperamental field.
Kova took another sip of her Rigellian drink. It was certainly helping matters, especially given that the happy couple thought Kova had any real interest in their romantic tales. Did the pair of them really think that they were a walking rom-com holonovel? Considering the cast, it was laughable at best. Either way, it seemed that they were more amused by the actual transport than spending time with one another. Kova took a long sip from her glass, hoping that it would some how speed time along.
Kyo seemed to be infatuated with Saya, and that was a mystery in itself. He went around regaling in their journey to the point where he proclaimed himself an admitted clutz. How hard was ducking? He revealed that he was a composer, but from the sound of it, he seemed to be settling his career for Saya's sake. Typical Vulcan... finding a way to make the world revolve around them. She thought perhaps he'd wise up eventually, but the mention of a kid made it abundantly clear that he was at Saya's mercy for the foreseeable future.
"Well, that's a shame," Kova remarked. "Maybe you can find some other musicians on the station, if you haven't already. Hold a few concerts. Surely, that's something the Commander would sign off on." It seemed like a human sentiment. "I knew someone that played the tivara before. Amazing instrument." And that was likely the extent of Kova's cultural contribution. It was getting close to time to flag Jack down for a refill.
Tag: Ozu Saya (& Kyo)
You can read the post in context here.
{Submission #3, also by Kova Sh'qaleq , is in the Event as well}Here's what the nominator wrote:
Here's the post itself:
We should ask Judy about putting something formal together, Kyo said. But I don't really miss performing in front of crowds. Judy, Saya and I play together a lot, and I've started teaching Evekh, our son.I'm glad you like the tivara. It's still one of my favorite instruments to hear or play, though the bassoon is fun, and I actually enjoy the reactions I get from people who have never seen one before. It's an odd-looking instrument.
Just then waiters surrounded their table and set appetizers in front of everyone.
Saya sniffed appreciatively and said, That smells amazing.
What sort of music do you like? she asked Kova before taking her first bite.
"My dear boy, are you quite alright?" Benjamin J. Reddington briefly paused in his applause for Miss Jem Sparkles to reach out toward one of their servers, his expression concerned. The young man's pallor was death-like, and he was dangerously unsteady on his feet. "Take a seat, here..." Redd stepped to the side and away from his chair, and then offered an arm to the once-smart waiter to assist.
Before Redd could steady him, the man's eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he fell, face-first, into a tray carrying bowls of the Mediterranean stew. For several heavy, shocked moments he seemed suspended there, then he slid unceremoniously to the ground, pulling the main courses with him.
A distinctly feminine scream sounded from the next car over. The music stopped, Brack resembled a deer caught in some warp core lights, and Reddington was at a loss for words.
[Kova Sh'qaleq - Orient Express]
Kova exhaled as she sat at the table. What she'd learned thus far was that the Bajoran was a talker. He seemed interested in the idea that Kova had proposed, but then mentioned something about not missing performing for crowds. Kova began to wonder if he suffered from stage-fright. It was possible being married to a Vulcan could do that to someone. And then, there were the ridges on her nose. Kova took another sip of her drink, trying to reconcile the paradox sitting in front of her. It was then that the servers swooped down upon their table like a lock of birds as they delivered their appetizers. To be honest, it would have been nice if they wore bells or something.
The arrival of her rollatini gave her something to do... if something was simply to push the organic mass around on the plate. Kova began to wonder how long she needed to expose herself to this type of torture before it was acceptable to leave. This just kept happening. She'd be pressured to attend these little soirees that the humans like to throw together and wish nothing more than to leave the entire time. At least until some sort of tragedy struck.
And as if on cue, the clatter of dishes falling to the floor seemed to capture everyone's attention in the room. Kova frowned at first, as noticed all the spilled stew that had pooled around the unconscious man. "I bet that was mine," she mumbled. Nevertheless, it seemed like this party was actually picking up for a change. Reaching for her glass, Kova took yet another sip of the Rigellian booze. Perhaps that pour sap couldn't hold his booze. Kova began to wonder what he was drinking, and where she could find it. Though, as the man continued to lay their motionless... even Kova began wonder.
He was awfully still. Yet, this was a holo-program and the safety protocols prevented anyone form receiving major injuries. Perhaps this was part of the program? Kova craned her neck slightly for a better view. And then, the scream. It seemed like time had slowed, but it was all happening so fast. Kova's eyes snapped back towards Saya. Surely, with ears like that, she'd heard the scream as well. Kova pushed herself up from her seat and started towards the next car, where the scream had come from. The first thing she discovered was that this dress doubled as a mild restraint. She moved as quickly as she could, while everyone else seemed preoccupied with the stiff that had knocked over her soup, the Andorian was more concerned about who was--
Kova stumbled slightly, but managed to catch herself, her hand bracing her weight as she reached the end of the car. She was uncertain if it was the dress or those Rigellian shots were finally beginning to catch up with her. She reached for the latch to pull the door open so that she could move to the next car, and possibly help the woman that sounded as if she had been in distress.
Tag: Ozu Saya (& Kyo), possible slasher victim(?)
Soft Tags: Everyone else stuck aboard the Death train
You can read the post in context here.
Someone falls over, dying, knocking over a bowl of soup in the process. Kova's response? "I bet that was mine."
Here's the post itself:
[Ozu Saya and Domen Kyo]
We should ask Judy about putting something formal together, Kyo said. But I don't really miss performing in front of crowds. Judy, Saya and I play together a lot, and I've started teaching Evekh, our son.I'm glad you like the tivara. It's still one of my favorite instruments to hear or play, though the bassoon is fun, and I actually enjoy the reactions I get from people who have never seen one before. It's an odd-looking instrument.
Just then waiters surrounded their table and set appetizers in front of everyone.
Saya sniffed appreciatively and said, That smells amazing.
What sort of music do you like? she asked Kova before taking her first bite.
[Benjamin J. "Redd" Reddington - Orient Express]
"My dear boy, are you quite alright?" Benjamin J. Reddington briefly paused in his applause for Miss Jem Sparkles to reach out toward one of their servers, his expression concerned. The young man's pallor was death-like, and he was dangerously unsteady on his feet. "Take a seat, here..." Redd stepped to the side and away from his chair, and then offered an arm to the once-smart waiter to assist.
Before Redd could steady him, the man's eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he fell, face-first, into a tray carrying bowls of the Mediterranean stew. For several heavy, shocked moments he seemed suspended there, then he slid unceremoniously to the ground, pulling the main courses with him.
A distinctly feminine scream sounded from the next car over. The music stopped, Brack resembled a deer caught in some warp core lights, and Reddington was at a loss for words.
Kova exhaled as she sat at the table. What she'd learned thus far was that the Bajoran was a talker. He seemed interested in the idea that Kova had proposed, but then mentioned something about not missing performing for crowds. Kova began to wonder if he suffered from stage-fright. It was possible being married to a Vulcan could do that to someone. And then, there were the ridges on her nose. Kova took another sip of her drink, trying to reconcile the paradox sitting in front of her. It was then that the servers swooped down upon their table like a lock of birds as they delivered their appetizers. To be honest, it would have been nice if they wore bells or something.
The arrival of her rollatini gave her something to do... if something was simply to push the organic mass around on the plate. Kova began to wonder how long she needed to expose herself to this type of torture before it was acceptable to leave. This just kept happening. She'd be pressured to attend these little soirees that the humans like to throw together and wish nothing more than to leave the entire time. At least until some sort of tragedy struck.
And as if on cue, the clatter of dishes falling to the floor seemed to capture everyone's attention in the room. Kova frowned at first, as noticed all the spilled stew that had pooled around the unconscious man. "I bet that was mine," she mumbled. Nevertheless, it seemed like this party was actually picking up for a change. Reaching for her glass, Kova took yet another sip of the Rigellian booze. Perhaps that pour sap couldn't hold his booze. Kova began to wonder what he was drinking, and where she could find it. Though, as the man continued to lay their motionless... even Kova began wonder.
He was awfully still. Yet, this was a holo-program and the safety protocols prevented anyone form receiving major injuries. Perhaps this was part of the program? Kova craned her neck slightly for a better view. And then, the scream. It seemed like time had slowed, but it was all happening so fast. Kova's eyes snapped back towards Saya. Surely, with ears like that, she'd heard the scream as well. Kova pushed herself up from her seat and started towards the next car, where the scream had come from. The first thing she discovered was that this dress doubled as a mild restraint. She moved as quickly as she could, while everyone else seemed preoccupied with the stiff that had knocked over her soup, the Andorian was more concerned about who was--
Kova stumbled slightly, but managed to catch herself, her hand bracing her weight as she reached the end of the car. She was uncertain if it was the dress or those Rigellian shots were finally beginning to catch up with her. She reached for the latch to pull the door open so that she could move to the next car, and possibly help the woman that sounded as if she had been in distress.
Tag: Ozu Saya (& Kyo), possible slasher victim(?)
Soft Tags: Everyone else stuck aboard the Death train
You can read the post in context here.
{Submission #4, by K'Dex , is in the Mission}Here's what the nominator wrote:
Here's the post itself:
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.
Judy was, mostly, encouraged by the initiative and creativity of the crew around her. Some suggestions veered into diplomatically iffy territory, however. She also thought there were hints of Lt. Niles' overly aggressive tendencies, as described in after-action reports from the Talorian incident.
"You're all fine tacticians, but we need to keep track of something else: this is a war game. We don't want to get too close to our maximum capacity, so as not to reveal our hand. We don't want to do anything particularly suspicious, or hit too far below the belt, because we don't want a diplomatic incident," she noted, aware that she was throwing cold water on their cleverness.
"Think about it. If the Nyberrites were to show signs of having some advanced propulsion technology, or, worse yet, advanced weapons like Transphasic torpedoes, we'd report that up, our superiors would be concerned, and the result would be more geopolitical tension. However, what maybe could work, Mr. K'Dex, would be for us to fake a coolant that, on first glance, seems sophisticated and novel, but when you really look at it properly, turns out to be either implausible or just unimpressive. Something that won't draw much long-term intrigue. Maybe Mr. Quinn could have some ideas," she added, throwing in a hook to revive the Caitian's idea.
"That being said, we also need to anticipate what the Nyberrites might try to do. For Vasser, this is a chance to get a little victory, to blow a raspberry at us. It's probably the only opportunity she'll get to face off against her former employer. What do we think she will do?"
Judy wasn't going to divulge the fact that Vasser had lobbied, unsuccessfully, for command of their duty station. That would surely influence her thinking, but again, Judy didn't feel the stakes were high enough to merit breaking confidence, not where gossip moved at a breakneck pace.
The discussion was starting to go places that might be exploitable, but Commander Eastman had to put up some barriers as to how things would proceed. Of course, they would have to fight below their real capacity, going no higher than could be found through various open sources like Janes Federation Starships, just as he had suggested. But, there were also a lot of other constraints she was bringing forward. Like not angering them with being too underhanded. Which, frankly, could very well be another consideration to hide their real capabilities.
"Ma'am, not showing our true capabilities and refraining from using any unconventional hardware tweaks was pretty obvious. And, I can see how using any dirty tricks we might have could very well tip our hand, plus annoy the Nyberrites more than we'd. So that means we pretty much have to stick to standard doctrine and not get too creative." If anything, Niles sounded a little bit doubtful. To deliberately restrict their hardware capabilities would already hamper them, but to have to rely strictly on established doctrine would not just be tying one hand behind their backs, it would also be breaking one of their legs.
So, they had to think, all right. "Colonel Vasser knows our playbook, would have a good idea of the Mac's capabilities, and doesn't have the same ethical guidelines we do. If I was her..." The Lieutenant was starting to consider options that would be open to the Nyberrites that Starfleet could not engage in, not as representatives of the Federation who had a degree of ethics and reputation to uphold. But mercenaries had no such compunctions... "If I was her, I'd be considering espionage and sabotage. We should quietly raise the internal security level, increase patrols, increase scans, and secure all our computers and terminals. I'd suggest a communications lockdown and to jam all frequencies, including our own commbadges for the time being; communications only through wall panels will be less flexible, but it is hard-line, can't be tapped or intercepted without us knowing. Call it... running an internal security exercise at the same time."
Tags K'Dex Ozu Saya (Aravis) Judith Eastman
[Bridge, USS Mac]
K'Dex nodded as the discussion continued. He felt a little lost, as he had seriously not been up to date on the Nyberrite issue. He found himself relying more and more on his short years with the Ferengi, they being the most off the wall species he'd interacted with, at first. Eventually he found their culture not totally unsettling, but quite different. But, a fair portion of what the Ferengi did was cheat, lie, and break most of the rules that applied to Engineering, let alone tactics or anything else.
He took the Commander's curbing of his suggestion in stride, since it mostly lined up with what he had intended anyway. "Oh, I didn't mean anything particularly scary for them, just confusing. I think my favorite one time was mixing an alcohol, a lubricant, and an adhesive, which we had leaking from an empty container in a debris field."
He turned to the woman at the helm. "We can set the restrictions to whatever you'd prefer, in regards to faking power loss. The actual simulation damage we take will affect the systems, but if we are faking damage, at worst you'd get a slight delay to initiate the faked loss. Unless you'd prefer we lock the fake damage to the system, in which case it might be more believable, but that will make it take slightly longer to come out of the faked damage, as we'd have to reset the system. If you feel you can fake the effects yourself and prefer the flexibility to adjust on the fly, that can be arranged just as easily."
He felt an ear flick once, before continuing to the bridge as a whole. "Speaking of which, we could consider various jettisonables. If we save a few probes, those can usually be configured for a wide variety of strange phenomona. Again, Science would be better at hand for some more obscure effects. As far as defending... the tactical officer is right. Hardline communications, increased internal sensors. I don't know that they'd go so far as to transport anything, but a scrambler set for most of the typical transporter frequencies might not be exaggerated. It'd be difficult to create something for shipwide, but possibly a few small ones could be set up out of various parts or systems for critical areas. Also, we could do the reverse possibly just as well. If we can create the right opportunity, we could beam a probe onto their hull, have it set for a high penetration signal, and relay some information from their own ship. It may not end up being much, dependent on the probe, their hull, and just the environment in general." K'Dex shrugged, letting his brain expand on possibilities it was coming up with. He felt more of an officer now, attempting a brainstorm. No real propriety to the idea's coming out of his head, but just a free flow. However, he was coming up against a few walls of possibilities. Seeking inspiration, he browsed various, general files on his console.
He stopped short at one obscure line of the general ship specifications. He took on a look of concentration, and pulled up 3 other files, and then a 4th, glancing through them for what he was looking for. K'Dex felt a smirk come across him. "If we have time, we could maybe rig up a weird concept. In short, we could attempt to program a few of the workerbees for 'repair' duties, but set the opposing ship as the home dock. They are equipped with short plasma cutters and electrical probes. It wouldn't do much, unless we overloaded the electrical probes. The plasma cutters might cut through a layer of various armor plates, not much more. But if they were set to something, say the main deflector, it could have unusual effects. Of course, we might lose them as well, and it'd take some figuring to configure them to the opposing ship, let alone to get them past the shields. If we placed that relay probe near the main deflector though, it might just be able to send us enough of the shield frequencies to get the chopperbees through. I doubt we have time for anywhere near all that though." He said, ending on a wistful note for his bizarre mutation of proper Federation equipment.
Tags Judith Eastman , Joshua Niles , Ozu Saya as Aravis
You can read the post in context here.
I've always stayed away from writing Engineering, Science, or Medical characters because I am completely inept at technobable. Technobable is a bit reductive a term for this post because it flows well and is very creative and clever, not simply making up technical sounding words. I was very impressed by the creativity of K'Dex in this post, and as a bonus we also got some insight into K'Dex's thoughts as he became more comfortable in his role.
Here's the post itself:
[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.
[Cmdr. Judith Eastman(-Williams) & Ens. Mabel Henriksen - Bridge, USS Mac]
Judy was, mostly, encouraged by the initiative and creativity of the crew around her. Some suggestions veered into diplomatically iffy territory, however. She also thought there were hints of Lt. Niles' overly aggressive tendencies, as described in after-action reports from the Talorian incident.
"You're all fine tacticians, but we need to keep track of something else: this is a war game. We don't want to get too close to our maximum capacity, so as not to reveal our hand. We don't want to do anything particularly suspicious, or hit too far below the belt, because we don't want a diplomatic incident," she noted, aware that she was throwing cold water on their cleverness.
"Think about it. If the Nyberrites were to show signs of having some advanced propulsion technology, or, worse yet, advanced weapons like Transphasic torpedoes, we'd report that up, our superiors would be concerned, and the result would be more geopolitical tension. However, what maybe could work, Mr. K'Dex, would be for us to fake a coolant that, on first glance, seems sophisticated and novel, but when you really look at it properly, turns out to be either implausible or just unimpressive. Something that won't draw much long-term intrigue. Maybe Mr. Quinn could have some ideas," she added, throwing in a hook to revive the Caitian's idea.
"That being said, we also need to anticipate what the Nyberrites might try to do. For Vasser, this is a chance to get a little victory, to blow a raspberry at us. It's probably the only opportunity she'll get to face off against her former employer. What do we think she will do?"
Judy wasn't going to divulge the fact that Vasser had lobbied, unsuccessfully, for command of their duty station. That would surely influence her thinking, but again, Judy didn't feel the stakes were high enough to merit breaking confidence, not where gossip moved at a breakneck pace.
[ LT(JG) Joshua Niles - Bridge, USS Mac ]
The discussion was starting to go places that might be exploitable, but Commander Eastman had to put up some barriers as to how things would proceed. Of course, they would have to fight below their real capacity, going no higher than could be found through various open sources like Janes Federation Starships, just as he had suggested. But, there were also a lot of other constraints she was bringing forward. Like not angering them with being too underhanded. Which, frankly, could very well be another consideration to hide their real capabilities.
"Ma'am, not showing our true capabilities and refraining from using any unconventional hardware tweaks was pretty obvious. And, I can see how using any dirty tricks we might have could very well tip our hand, plus annoy the Nyberrites more than we'd. So that means we pretty much have to stick to standard doctrine and not get too creative." If anything, Niles sounded a little bit doubtful. To deliberately restrict their hardware capabilities would already hamper them, but to have to rely strictly on established doctrine would not just be tying one hand behind their backs, it would also be breaking one of their legs.
So, they had to think, all right. "Colonel Vasser knows our playbook, would have a good idea of the Mac's capabilities, and doesn't have the same ethical guidelines we do. If I was her..." The Lieutenant was starting to consider options that would be open to the Nyberrites that Starfleet could not engage in, not as representatives of the Federation who had a degree of ethics and reputation to uphold. But mercenaries had no such compunctions... "If I was her, I'd be considering espionage and sabotage. We should quietly raise the internal security level, increase patrols, increase scans, and secure all our computers and terminals. I'd suggest a communications lockdown and to jam all frequencies, including our own commbadges for the time being; communications only through wall panels will be less flexible, but it is hard-line, can't be tapped or intercepted without us knowing. Call it... running an internal security exercise at the same time."
Tags K'Dex Ozu Saya (Aravis) Judith Eastman
K'Dex nodded as the discussion continued. He felt a little lost, as he had seriously not been up to date on the Nyberrite issue. He found himself relying more and more on his short years with the Ferengi, they being the most off the wall species he'd interacted with, at first. Eventually he found their culture not totally unsettling, but quite different. But, a fair portion of what the Ferengi did was cheat, lie, and break most of the rules that applied to Engineering, let alone tactics or anything else.
He took the Commander's curbing of his suggestion in stride, since it mostly lined up with what he had intended anyway. "Oh, I didn't mean anything particularly scary for them, just confusing. I think my favorite one time was mixing an alcohol, a lubricant, and an adhesive, which we had leaking from an empty container in a debris field."
He turned to the woman at the helm. "We can set the restrictions to whatever you'd prefer, in regards to faking power loss. The actual simulation damage we take will affect the systems, but if we are faking damage, at worst you'd get a slight delay to initiate the faked loss. Unless you'd prefer we lock the fake damage to the system, in which case it might be more believable, but that will make it take slightly longer to come out of the faked damage, as we'd have to reset the system. If you feel you can fake the effects yourself and prefer the flexibility to adjust on the fly, that can be arranged just as easily."
He felt an ear flick once, before continuing to the bridge as a whole. "Speaking of which, we could consider various jettisonables. If we save a few probes, those can usually be configured for a wide variety of strange phenomona. Again, Science would be better at hand for some more obscure effects. As far as defending... the tactical officer is right. Hardline communications, increased internal sensors. I don't know that they'd go so far as to transport anything, but a scrambler set for most of the typical transporter frequencies might not be exaggerated. It'd be difficult to create something for shipwide, but possibly a few small ones could be set up out of various parts or systems for critical areas. Also, we could do the reverse possibly just as well. If we can create the right opportunity, we could beam a probe onto their hull, have it set for a high penetration signal, and relay some information from their own ship. It may not end up being much, dependent on the probe, their hull, and just the environment in general." K'Dex shrugged, letting his brain expand on possibilities it was coming up with. He felt more of an officer now, attempting a brainstorm. No real propriety to the idea's coming out of his head, but just a free flow. However, he was coming up against a few walls of possibilities. Seeking inspiration, he browsed various, general files on his console.
He stopped short at one obscure line of the general ship specifications. He took on a look of concentration, and pulled up 3 other files, and then a 4th, glancing through them for what he was looking for. K'Dex felt a smirk come across him. "If we have time, we could maybe rig up a weird concept. In short, we could attempt to program a few of the workerbees for 'repair' duties, but set the opposing ship as the home dock. They are equipped with short plasma cutters and electrical probes. It wouldn't do much, unless we overloaded the electrical probes. The plasma cutters might cut through a layer of various armor plates, not much more. But if they were set to something, say the main deflector, it could have unusual effects. Of course, we might lose them as well, and it'd take some figuring to configure them to the opposing ship, let alone to get them past the shields. If we placed that relay probe near the main deflector though, it might just be able to send us enough of the shield frequencies to get the chopperbees through. I doubt we have time for anywhere near all that though." He said, ending on a wistful note for his bizarre mutation of proper Federation equipment.
Tags Judith Eastman , Joshua Niles , Ozu Saya as Aravis
You can read the post in context here.
{Submission #5, by Shavan Th'zhaar , is in the Event}Here's what the nominator wrote:
Here's the post itself:
It took Charlie a couple of moments to figure out what Left Ear was asking, but when she did, her face broke into a charmed smile. "Oh! Effennenn is the Federation News Network, where I work. We report on all the goings on here on the Frontier and transmit it all back to the Alpha Quadrant." She continued slicing up her beef, champagne momentarily forgotten with the task, and nodded along to what T'Laara was saying. She got it.
"It was unfortunate. I got the information I needed in the end, and Jett helped, but it was a bit of a mess." She couldn't absolve him completely, however. Had he not interfered in the first place she never would have needed outside help, but his intentions had mostly been altruistic. And entirely too reactive. When Shavan piped up to promise never to rescue her, she grinned and rested her knife and fork on her plate to signify she was done.
"Don't say that Shavan! What if I suddenly took ill and required mouth-to-mouth in order to live?" It was, of course, at that moment the waiter chose to keel over, as though her words had some strange power over the dining car. She frowned, staring with narrowed eyes at the prone body on the floor. All she could hear then was the drip-drip-drip of the thick soup as it dropped on the man's pristine white shirt.
"This is the Orient Express," she began, mostly for her own comfort, "Perhaps it's part of the program?"
Charlie didn't seem to buy it herself. She dabbed the corners of her mouth with her linen napkin and then rose, her natural curiosity far too piqued to remain seated.
Sir Doug stood next to Alec as the doctor worked, not having anything of his own to contribute to the news of the poisoning. It was bad, certainly since the reaction of others indicated that this wasn't a hologram that had been poisoned.
The holodeck not shutting down was much closer to his fields, as problems went.
"A holodeck malfunction! Of course!" he exclaimed to no one in particular. "We'll need to out what's wrong with it and how to get around it. The smart money's on a software bug, but hardware issues are possible too."
He cast his eyes around for the Starfleet engineers that were sure to be present, while the furry animal on his head cast her eyes around for the most scrumptious treats.
[Shavan & T’Laara - Dining Car, Orient Express]
Shavan smirked. “Well, there are always exceptions.” He looked away as the sudden chaos demanded their full attention, and the waiter still did not get up. Charlie nervously suggested that it was part of the program, to which T’Laara gave a less optimistic reply. “It is possible, but I do not believe that man is a hologram. I have seen him at the Blue Beta.” “So have I.”
Someone was calling for a doctor, and Charlie got up, but Shavan had a feeling it would be too late. There was no sign of injury, which meant.. “Poison.” he said under his breath, looking at his untouched food. T’Laara raised an eyebrow. “Earth food is an acquired taste for some, but I would not go so far as to call it that.” Shavan took another long drink (if that was poisoned, he was dead anyway) and shrugged. Despite assuming the worst, he wasn’t too concerned about it. T’Laara, however, stopped eating, and focused her more sensitive hearing on the wailing from the next carriage. “It sounds like something similar has happened to someone in there.”
And then it was in fact confirmed that the man had been poisoned. And was dead. T’Laara stayed in her seat, staring in silence. She had never seen someone die before. And while this was more a job for security, Shavan looked around the room, thinking. There was no sign that anyone else was in danger, or of impending violence. They were simply stuck there; a captive audience. Poison was normally a weapon of secrecy, but whoever did this wanted to put on a show. The question was, was someone trying to recreate a murder novel, or was this all a distraction? “What happened in that story?”
From somewhere nearby, he heard someone say that the holodeck was malfunctioning. And he had to agree, shutting it down should be first priority regardless of the poisoner's motive. While not an engineer, he thought he knew enough to try to help. If necessary. =/\= Lt Th’zhaar to Engineering, requesting emergency shutdown of Holodeck 1. =/\= … “Computer, arch” ... When neither of these got an immediate response, Shavan stood up, only swaying a little, and approached the old man. Whether to offer him assistance, or to ask for it, he wasn’t entirely sure. “If its a software malfunction, we’ll need some way to interface with the systems. Do you have anything?” Shavan stared at the strange animal on the man's head.
Tag Charlie Fox Dugris Zaman
You can read the post in context here.
I really appreciate the masterful flow of personalities as Shavan and T'Laara as they begin to analyze the early chaos. Shade did an amazing job of giving the both life, distinct personalities and even wove in some Vulcan wit to boot.
Here's the post itself:
[Charlie Fox - Dining Car, Orient Express]
It took Charlie a couple of moments to figure out what Left Ear was asking, but when she did, her face broke into a charmed smile. "Oh! Effennenn is the Federation News Network, where I work. We report on all the goings on here on the Frontier and transmit it all back to the Alpha Quadrant." She continued slicing up her beef, champagne momentarily forgotten with the task, and nodded along to what T'Laara was saying. She got it.
"It was unfortunate. I got the information I needed in the end, and Jett helped, but it was a bit of a mess." She couldn't absolve him completely, however. Had he not interfered in the first place she never would have needed outside help, but his intentions had mostly been altruistic. And entirely too reactive. When Shavan piped up to promise never to rescue her, she grinned and rested her knife and fork on her plate to signify she was done.
"Don't say that Shavan! What if I suddenly took ill and required mouth-to-mouth in order to live?" It was, of course, at that moment the waiter chose to keel over, as though her words had some strange power over the dining car. She frowned, staring with narrowed eyes at the prone body on the floor. All she could hear then was the drip-drip-drip of the thick soup as it dropped on the man's pristine white shirt.
"This is the Orient Express," she began, mostly for her own comfort, "Perhaps it's part of the program?"
Charlie didn't seem to buy it herself. She dabbed the corners of her mouth with her linen napkin and then rose, her natural curiosity far too piqued to remain seated.
[Sir Dugris "Doug" Zaman, MBE, PhD, JD, MBA, PE, RA - Orient Express]
Sir Doug stood next to Alec as the doctor worked, not having anything of his own to contribute to the news of the poisoning. It was bad, certainly since the reaction of others indicated that this wasn't a hologram that had been poisoned.
The holodeck not shutting down was much closer to his fields, as problems went.
"A holodeck malfunction! Of course!" he exclaimed to no one in particular. "We'll need to out what's wrong with it and how to get around it. The smart money's on a software bug, but hardware issues are possible too."
He cast his eyes around for the Starfleet engineers that were sure to be present, while the furry animal on his head cast her eyes around for the most scrumptious treats.
Shavan smirked. “Well, there are always exceptions.” He looked away as the sudden chaos demanded their full attention, and the waiter still did not get up. Charlie nervously suggested that it was part of the program, to which T’Laara gave a less optimistic reply. “It is possible, but I do not believe that man is a hologram. I have seen him at the Blue Beta.” “So have I.”
Someone was calling for a doctor, and Charlie got up, but Shavan had a feeling it would be too late. There was no sign of injury, which meant.. “Poison.” he said under his breath, looking at his untouched food. T’Laara raised an eyebrow. “Earth food is an acquired taste for some, but I would not go so far as to call it that.” Shavan took another long drink (if that was poisoned, he was dead anyway) and shrugged. Despite assuming the worst, he wasn’t too concerned about it. T’Laara, however, stopped eating, and focused her more sensitive hearing on the wailing from the next carriage. “It sounds like something similar has happened to someone in there.”
And then it was in fact confirmed that the man had been poisoned. And was dead. T’Laara stayed in her seat, staring in silence. She had never seen someone die before. And while this was more a job for security, Shavan looked around the room, thinking. There was no sign that anyone else was in danger, or of impending violence. They were simply stuck there; a captive audience. Poison was normally a weapon of secrecy, but whoever did this wanted to put on a show. The question was, was someone trying to recreate a murder novel, or was this all a distraction? “What happened in that story?”
From somewhere nearby, he heard someone say that the holodeck was malfunctioning. And he had to agree, shutting it down should be first priority regardless of the poisoner's motive. While not an engineer, he thought he knew enough to try to help. If necessary. =/\= Lt Th’zhaar to Engineering, requesting emergency shutdown of Holodeck 1. =/\= … “Computer, arch” ... When neither of these got an immediate response, Shavan stood up, only swaying a little, and approached the old man. Whether to offer him assistance, or to ask for it, he wasn’t entirely sure. “If its a software malfunction, we’ll need some way to interface with the systems. Do you have anything?” Shavan stared at the strange animal on the man's head.
Tag Charlie Fox Dugris Zaman
You can read the post in context here.
{Submission #6, by Isaiah Quinn , is in the Mission}Here's what the nominator wrote:
Here's the post itself:
[...]
" 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
- 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.
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)
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)
You can read the post in context here.
Isaiah's reaction to his double promotion was both sweet & sincere, definitely an aww moment between the pair. Not to mention the joke about paper work which never fails to give us a giggle.
Here's the post itself:
[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".
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?"
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.
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)
You can read the post in context here.
{Submission #7, by Charlie Fox , is from Charlie's personal writings, "Beneath the Veneer"}Here's what the nominator wrote:
Here's the post itself:
Gruesome tragedy for the freighter, Talorian extremists
suspected
By Charlie Fox
You can read the post in context here.
I love seeing in-character interpretations of in-character events. Seeing these from Charlie just makes the character all the more complete.
Here's the post itself:
REMEMBER THE JUPITER STAR
Gruesome tragedy for the freighter, Talorian extremists
suspected
By Charlie Fox
August, 2380
It has been five months, one week and two standard days since the families of those aboard the Orunmila have spoken to their loved ones. The science vessel was lost in the frontier of the Beta Quadrant, and despite the efforts of several search parties and the interest of Starfleet's Admiralty, the only lead came in the form of a second disappeared civilian freighter, Jupiter Star.
The USS Mac was deployed from Front Ear Station and sent on a trail that pointed in the direction of a region of space containing the last sighting of these two unconnected ships. Within days the crew of the Mac, led by Dominion War veteran Commodore Calvin Perry, had picked up on the civilian Star's trail, located her, and sent a Search & Rescue team under Lieutenant Commander (Dr.) Thea Baker's command. Unfortunately the images the team captured were so disturbing in nature that we have not yet obtained permission to distribute them. Dr. Baker had the following to say regarding what was discovered:
"It you wanted to know what hell looked like, this was it and it's something I'll never forget."
Out of a crew of thirty, two survivors were found and delivered safely to the Mac's medical team. Thanks to their expertise and intervention both will physically recover, but will forever carry the psychological scars from the horrors they witnessed when a group of blood-thirsty criminals forced their way on to their ship, their home, and butchered their families. Twenty-eight bodies had been left strewn about the Star, mutilated and harvested, with medical reports and autopsies confirming that many of these victims were alive and watching while the masked raiders removed their organs, one from each individual. It has also been suggested that several of the victims would have lived for many long, agonising minutes afterward.
Following a brief investigation, it was discovered that a single Talorian ship had been in the same region of space. In addition to the Talorian blood found on-scene, and one of the surviving witness' testimony, the Mac gave pursuit, catching up quickly once the suspects entered their own system. At that juncture, the Talorian vessel opened fire and Commodore Perry ordered a response of force. Before the ship could be destroyed or the suspects remanded in custody for questioning, the Talorian Armada, tasked with protecting their system and their people, requested that the USS Mac cease fire and depart without delay. Primary L'Sho of Talor refused further negotiations, but when the Federation News Network reached out for a comment, his office issued a statement.
"All of Talor, our great cities and peaceful colonies, are observing a mourning period for our beloved Princess Orya, last remaining member of our royal family. Along with her decorated guard on the royal vessel Dies Irae, our Princess was murdered by Starfleet agitators who entered our territory without notice and proceeded to initiate an unprovoked attack on our sovereignty. At this time we are not in a position to welcome any overtures from the United Federation of Planets."
When asked if they would like to comment on the rumour that the Dies Irae burned for a further ten minutes under the Talorian Armada's careful watch, the office of Primary L'Sho declined to respond.
The USS Mac was deployed from Front Ear Station and sent on a trail that pointed in the direction of a region of space containing the last sighting of these two unconnected ships. Within days the crew of the Mac, led by Dominion War veteran Commodore Calvin Perry, had picked up on the civilian Star's trail, located her, and sent a Search & Rescue team under Lieutenant Commander (Dr.) Thea Baker's command. Unfortunately the images the team captured were so disturbing in nature that we have not yet obtained permission to distribute them. Dr. Baker had the following to say regarding what was discovered:
"It you wanted to know what hell looked like, this was it and it's something I'll never forget."
Out of a crew of thirty, two survivors were found and delivered safely to the Mac's medical team. Thanks to their expertise and intervention both will physically recover, but will forever carry the psychological scars from the horrors they witnessed when a group of blood-thirsty criminals forced their way on to their ship, their home, and butchered their families. Twenty-eight bodies had been left strewn about the Star, mutilated and harvested, with medical reports and autopsies confirming that many of these victims were alive and watching while the masked raiders removed their organs, one from each individual. It has also been suggested that several of the victims would have lived for many long, agonising minutes afterward.
Following a brief investigation, it was discovered that a single Talorian ship had been in the same region of space. In addition to the Talorian blood found on-scene, and one of the surviving witness' testimony, the Mac gave pursuit, catching up quickly once the suspects entered their own system. At that juncture, the Talorian vessel opened fire and Commodore Perry ordered a response of force. Before the ship could be destroyed or the suspects remanded in custody for questioning, the Talorian Armada, tasked with protecting their system and their people, requested that the USS Mac cease fire and depart without delay. Primary L'Sho of Talor refused further negotiations, but when the Federation News Network reached out for a comment, his office issued a statement.
"All of Talor, our great cities and peaceful colonies, are observing a mourning period for our beloved Princess Orya, last remaining member of our royal family. Along with her decorated guard on the royal vessel Dies Irae, our Princess was murdered by Starfleet agitators who entered our territory without notice and proceeded to initiate an unprovoked attack on our sovereignty. At this time we are not in a position to welcome any overtures from the United Federation of Planets."
When asked if they would like to comment on the rumour that the Dies Irae burned for a further ten minutes under the Talorian Armada's careful watch, the office of Primary L'Sho declined to respond.
You can read the post in context here.
{Submission #8, by K'Dex , is in the Mission}Here's what the nominator wrote:
Here's the post itself:
K'Dex was monitoring systems, everything was fine, and then it all went to pieces. Engineering was suddenly filling his console with alerts of possible sabotage, while he heard people beaming away. He cleared the alarms, told the officer on duty to get Engineering under control, and began checking the transporter logs. It was soon clear what was happening, as it was all being run out of one transporter. Someone was accessing it remotely through a console. Since they'd adjusted all of the ship's transporters to the auxiliary frequency, they weren't affected by the jamming they'd installed earlier. K'Dex cursed at not locking transporters to in room console control. "Dealing with transporters, Engineering reporting a disturbance, and starboard nacelle is taking damage." He growled out as he clicked his claws rapidly across the console screen. The first part was simple, writing a return transport sequence for the last 3 transports. It ran, giving a failure on the last transport for the target had moved. No real matter then, but he saw the confirmation of the medic in the gym being returned to medbay, and then heard Thea returning back to the battle bridge. Then he initiated a lockout on all transporter systems, before tracking the route of the initial transport commands.
"Transporters inoperative for now then. K'Dex to Security, secure Crew Quarters K-12, possible saboteur. " He sent a command to place the console in those quarters to a live simulation, essentially locking it out from the rest of the ship without giving the appearance of having been locked out, besides a short glitch as it would change over.
His console reported a short report from Engineering that Lt. Harmon was taking charge of the situation there. Good enough for K'Dex, and he sent a reply to redirect all personnel Lt. Harmon wasn't using into repair teams for the Starboard Nacelle. He then turned to the damage report, and grimaced.
"Starboard Nacelle shields at 5% when it's holding. Redirecting tertiary power and pushing aft deflectors to compensate where possible. Should put the shields at 20%, but that won't last. Taking minor damage across the saucer, but shields are holding. Tactical, adjusting shield strength based on target locks. Whatever you aim at, the shields will swap to protect the other side of the ship."
K'Dex muttered some short hisses at his console as he continued to deal with reports coming in. He hoped Security had been smart enough to lock the quarters themselves, as he didn't have the time for it.
"If you need some room, we could disrupt the fighters by pulling your navigational probes in much closer. Their linked to your helm control, so they'll move in sync, and the close distance may force the fighters back." K'Dex mewled over towards the Helm station. Slightly quieter, but loud enough to be heard, he added "Or they'll shoot them." His head turned slightly to direct his voice to the Commander.
"With the Soteria so close, we should deploy the probe on their next pass, followed by the workerbees on the one after." K'Dex said, dragging the link to the cargo bays where the chopperbees and probe were awaiting to be launched. Thankfully, even with the main transporter rooms disabled, they could still use the cargo transporters for the chopperbees.
TAGS Judith Eastman Joshua Niles Isaiah Quinn Thea Baker Ozu Saya As Avaris/Banks Matthew Harmon
You can read the post in context here.
I think a post can be evaluated both on its craftsmanship and its circumstances. All of K'Dex's posts this month have been most excellent, and this one is no exception, but I credit this one above all else because he had to write it while catching up, having fallen slightly behind in a chaotic scene with a busy OOC schedule. The way the post fit in smoothly and caught up with the thread is truly exquisite.
Here's the post itself:
[Battle Bridge, USS Mac]
K'Dex was monitoring systems, everything was fine, and then it all went to pieces. Engineering was suddenly filling his console with alerts of possible sabotage, while he heard people beaming away. He cleared the alarms, told the officer on duty to get Engineering under control, and began checking the transporter logs. It was soon clear what was happening, as it was all being run out of one transporter. Someone was accessing it remotely through a console. Since they'd adjusted all of the ship's transporters to the auxiliary frequency, they weren't affected by the jamming they'd installed earlier. K'Dex cursed at not locking transporters to in room console control. "Dealing with transporters, Engineering reporting a disturbance, and starboard nacelle is taking damage." He growled out as he clicked his claws rapidly across the console screen. The first part was simple, writing a return transport sequence for the last 3 transports. It ran, giving a failure on the last transport for the target had moved. No real matter then, but he saw the confirmation of the medic in the gym being returned to medbay, and then heard Thea returning back to the battle bridge. Then he initiated a lockout on all transporter systems, before tracking the route of the initial transport commands.
"Transporters inoperative for now then. K'Dex to Security, secure Crew Quarters K-12, possible saboteur. " He sent a command to place the console in those quarters to a live simulation, essentially locking it out from the rest of the ship without giving the appearance of having been locked out, besides a short glitch as it would change over.
His console reported a short report from Engineering that Lt. Harmon was taking charge of the situation there. Good enough for K'Dex, and he sent a reply to redirect all personnel Lt. Harmon wasn't using into repair teams for the Starboard Nacelle. He then turned to the damage report, and grimaced.
"Starboard Nacelle shields at 5% when it's holding. Redirecting tertiary power and pushing aft deflectors to compensate where possible. Should put the shields at 20%, but that won't last. Taking minor damage across the saucer, but shields are holding. Tactical, adjusting shield strength based on target locks. Whatever you aim at, the shields will swap to protect the other side of the ship."
K'Dex muttered some short hisses at his console as he continued to deal with reports coming in. He hoped Security had been smart enough to lock the quarters themselves, as he didn't have the time for it.
"If you need some room, we could disrupt the fighters by pulling your navigational probes in much closer. Their linked to your helm control, so they'll move in sync, and the close distance may force the fighters back." K'Dex mewled over towards the Helm station. Slightly quieter, but loud enough to be heard, he added "Or they'll shoot them." His head turned slightly to direct his voice to the Commander.
"With the Soteria so close, we should deploy the probe on their next pass, followed by the workerbees on the one after." K'Dex said, dragging the link to the cargo bays where the chopperbees and probe were awaiting to be launched. Thankfully, even with the main transporter rooms disabled, they could still use the cargo transporters for the chopperbees.
TAGS Judith Eastman Joshua Niles Isaiah Quinn Thea Baker Ozu Saya As Avaris/Banks Matthew Harmon
You can read the post in context here.