ST:SoD117 | "Expansion"

Stardate 99037.6

The Valley Forge discovers an old Starfleet vessel where they least expect it, and are quickly made aware of a situation which could lead the Coalition to its first conflict following the defeat of the Horde...

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Alien NPC@annpc#557 | A figure walks down a hall bearing architectural resemblance to the interior of the ship where LCDR Hall spoke with Commodore Fox after his daughter's failed sabotage attempt. The figure is - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - wearing the same uniform as Halls' captain was, mostly dark like modern Starfleet uniforms with blue shoulders and a white strip. This figure however is an Andorian male rather than a human - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - female. As our view follows him down the hall, a pair of Orion women can be seen in the hallway ahead Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Both Orions are wearing the same type of uniform, but with grey stripes instead of white. One has gold-coloured shoulders, while the other has blue-grey shoulders, almost identical to the - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - colour for the Medical department in modern times. The two Orions are chatting but quickly snaps to attention as the Andorian passes by, addressing him as "Captain." Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Andorian: "At ease, ladies. Just passing through." He continues down the hall as the two Orions return to their conversation Alien NPC@annpc#557 | As the Andorian continues to walk, a hologram forms beside him of a humanoid woman wearing a similar uniform to him, once again with a grey stripe. The hologram smiles and passes him a PADD Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Hologram: "Latest reports from Starfleet Intelligence regarding the Romulan situation as you requested, sir." Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Andorian: "Thank you, Yeoman." He takes the PADD and the hologram disappears Alien NPC@annpc#557 | The Andorian steps through a set of doors, past what seems to be a holodeck arch suggesting the room beyond is holographically generated. The room consists of a large round meeting table - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - around which some people are sitting, while others like the Andorian are still walking in. We have seen this room before- at the end of the credits in the final TTV episode Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Several familiar faces can be seen around the table, such as LCDR Hall's captain, as well as Yala, now wearing the same uniform as the others instead of her Odyssey uniform. She is one of the - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - few in the room with a grey stripe, displaying red shoulders above that. Most sport white or gold stripes with blue shoulders being the most common, but other colours of shoulders can be seen Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Fleet Admiral Yanishev can be seen at the table as well, standing out with being one of the few wearing an Odyssey uniform. There are two others in modern uniform, all of them wearing flag - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - officer variation. Commodore Fox is present, but he seems to have changed out his uniform for one with black shoulders and a single purple strip. Beside him sits the mysterious man we have - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - also seen before. Like previously, we don't get a good look on his face due to the lighting, though we can tell he is a humanoid with dark skin and rounded ears. His uniform also has a purple - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - strip, with blue shoulders above it Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mysterious Man: "We have a number of subjects to discuss today. Phase Three is proceeding more or less as planned, but this has been a...rougher start than we hoped for. As we expected, events - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - have become less predictable. Our work will not be as easy as those of the previous generations. We must not fail now." Alien NPC@annpc#557 | The Man takes a drink from a glass, setting it down before continuing, "Firstly, the Romulan situation. What is our progress on dismantling the Shadow Guard?" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Fox: "The Latenter has identified a high probability of their Vault being located in the Noro Sector based on observations of Vitellius' forces. They have not yet located a specific system, - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - but from the course taken by Vitellius' task force, it is likely one of these five." He swipes his hand and a holographic projection of the area containing the systems appears in the centre of - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - the table Alien NPC@annpc#557 | A Gorn on the other side of the round table speaks up, "There isss little of value in the Noro Sssector. I sssay we evacuate the few mining colonies and detonate an Omega particle in a central - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - location between these syssstems." Alien NPC@annpc#557 | A Krenim with a gold stripe and blue-grey shoulders joins in, "I agree, but perhaps with something a...little less destructive. Another subspace supernova like Hobus, for example." Alien NPC@annpc#557 | A Vulcan man in a modern flag officer uniform speaks next, "We must not only consider the physical collateral damage, but the political ramifications as well. Deteriorating the relationship - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - between the Iconians and the Coalition could prove even more disastrous than the detonation of omega, and utilizing Iconian technology to cause yet another Hobus will do precisely that." Alien NPC@annpc#557 | The Mysterious Man holds up his hand, "We are not destroying any systems, even if we have confirmation that the Vault is there. Remember, our people in the Republic informed us that Sela was - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - transferred to the custody of the Shadow Guard. She is not being held in any facility we are aware of, and in all likelihood, she has been imprisoned in that Vault." Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Klingon Captain: "That honourless baktag has served her purpose already. She is of no more use to us!" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mysterious Man: "We do not leave our friends behind. Besides, you never know when someone may still be of use. Have the Latenter continue their search. We will assault the base the - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - conventional way. You'll enjoy that much more in any case, Captain Kas'tor." Alien NPC@annpc#557 | The Andorian Captain we followed in speaks, "What of the Vitellius situation? The Latenter seems to have taken it upon themselves to deal with that as well." Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mysterious Man: "They can handle it." Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Klingon Captain: "They are one Eclipse-class cruiser." Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mysterious Man: "Crewed by two of the most promising graduates of the field agent program, the training regimens of which I personally had a hand in crafting. I am confident in their success, - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - but that does not mean I do not have a contingency. In the chance that they do fail, Vitellius will no doubt attempt to create a situation to keep Starfleet occupied while seeking some way to - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - manipulate the KDF before making his move on the Republic. We will simply have to beat him to it; engineer a diplomatic incident which paints him as the enemy of all factions. His Zauger - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - forces will be no match for the combined strength of Starfleet, the Klingon Defense Force and the Republic Navy." Alien NPC@annpc#557 | An Arshai female wearing a uniform with golden shoulders and a different shade of gold stripe chimes in, "But such a plan would likely involve the loss of a starship and numerous lives, no?" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mysterious Man: "Of course, that is why it is not our primary plan. But needs must, Admiral." Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Arshai Admiral: "Yes. This is not the first time such a sacrifice has been made, after all." Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mysterious Man: "Far from it. On the subject of which, as we are all aware, our plan to quietly dissuade the Coalition from resettlement has failed." Alien NPC@annpc#557 | The captain of LCDR Hall's ship turns her gaze down to the table as the subject is brought up Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mysterious Man: "We have agreed on a less subtle secondary plan last meeting. Is everything ready, Captain Watson?" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | The Captain looks back up, turning her gaze to the mysterious man, "Yes sir. Everything is in place. The Coalition will be aware of it any moment now." Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Fox: "Excellent. I knew your previous failure was an exception on your otherwise impeccable record." Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mysterious Man: "And the finishing touch?" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Captain Watson: "Just waiting for the Valley Forge, Admiral." Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mysterious Man: "Good. Let's get everything back on track." --- Keliaya@anncaris FX | The Valley Forge sits in the midst of deep space as the camera pans around the ship and towards the bridge Keliaya@anncaris:"First Officer's Log, stardate 99026.4. The Valley Forge's mission to return the artifacts is almost nearing its end. The exact borders of Kratt space are unclear to us, so we have stopped a - Keliaya@anncaris:- conservative distance away to drop a comm buoy before proceeding with the final leg of our journey." Keliaya@anncaris | Keelah strolls into the bridge as the crew is in the process of deploying and setting up the buoy Keelah@crystyl:"Is everything in place?" Keliaya@anncaris nods and stands as Keelah enters, "The buoy's been deployed. We're just activating it now. Eva'll be performing a quick field test, then we should be good to go." Keelah@crystyl:"Very good. Then let us make preparations to get back underway as soon as Evan is satisfied" Keliaya@anncaris | Ann nods, "Aye Cap'n. Preparin' us to jump back to warp an' resume course now." Keliaya@anncaris:"Looking forward to checking in with Pia again once the buoy's up, I imagine?" Keelah@crystyl smiles, "Naturally. I am still acclimatizing to not having her on board" Keliaya@anncaris:"She's been here with us ever since she was born. It's quite a change, that's for sure." Keliaya@anncaris | Ann: "I don't remember if she ever told me...was Pia down there with ya when we first got dropped on Belyia, Cap'n, or did you get separated for a while?" Keliaya@anncaris | Ann: "I know I ended up not far from Lennie even though we weren't together on the ship when we got taken away, so I dunno if those spirit things take emotional connections into consideration - Keliaya@anncaris - or somethin'." Keelah@crystyl nods, "I just hope she is still enjoying herself back at the Heart" she looks over to Ann, "No, we were initially separated though fortunately not by as much as some. Our connection quickly led us - Keelah@crystyl:- back together though" she pauses for thought, "Perhaps the same applies for yourself and Lendaria, or something similar at least given your bond" Keliaya@anncaris | Ann: "Could be. Glad to hear you an' Pia found each other soon. I know I never heard anythin' from Pia 'bout havin' to rough it on her own, must be thanks to you findin' her nice an' early." Keelah@crystyl:"One of the benefits to a Vulcan's maternal connection" she smiles Keliaya@anncaris:"Do you still have some of that connection now, despite being far apart and all?" Keelah@crystyl nods, "It is something which is always there on what you would call a subconscious level. It typically only becomes more consciously apparent during times of distress though - when one's mind - Keelah@crystyl:- reaches out for the others" Keliaya@anncaris smiles, "Not unlike what Eva and I have, then. Speaking of which," she looks over to Eva. "What've you found?" Keelah@crystyl looks over as well Keliaya@anncaris | Eva: "Something strange. I didn't want to trouble the Captain until I've finished double-checking it though..." Keelah@crystyl:"It is no trouble Eva, take your time" Keliaya@anncaris | Eva taps on her console a few more times, "Well, it doesn't seem to be a glitch with the buoy, at least. It's picked up a distress call coming through on an old frequency Starfleet used over a - Keliaya@anncaris - century ago. No feed, just a distress pulsar giving a location and an ID. The frequency's not that odd, it could just be a coincidence that someone else in the region is using the exact same - Keliaya@anncaris - frequency, but the thing is...the ID roughly matches the era when Starfleet made use of this frequency." Keelah@crystyl:"What is the ID it is presenting?" Keliaya@anncaris | Eva: "USS Defiant. Not the one in service at DS9 now. NCC-1764." Keelah@crystyl:"Does the registry match the historical records?" Keliaya@anncaris | Thorkildsen taps on his console, "It does. There's a Constitution-class Defiant with that registry. It was also observed to have disappeared into an interphasic rift. Maybe it's reappeared here." Keelah@crystyl | Rianni: "Not so, Captain" glancing to Thorkilsden, "Sorry Sir" and back to Keelah, "But this particular incarnation of the Defiant was drawn into the mirror universe - the same one who's - Keelah@crystyl:- Kassandra we encountered. It was lured across by a fake distress signal and captured by the Tholians. But there was a temporal element involved and it appeared there some time earlier in history - Keelah@crystyl:- around the post-Starfleet, but pre-Federation era by our measure. The records were a little... ambiguous, but after lots of glorious exaggeration worthy of a Klingon opera, it was apparently used - Keelah@crystyl:- by the newly pronounced Terran Empress to overpower the entire Terran fleet of that early time and laid the foundation of the Terran Empire's superiority" Keelah@crystyl:"And now - it seems - it is all the way out here, and now. Definitely worth investigation I would say, adjust course to track the signal but maintain yellow alert as we can't rule out any mirror - Keelah@crystyl:- universe element at work" Keliaya@anncaris | Ann nods, tapping on her console, "Aye Cap'n. New course set an' ready to engage." Keelah@crystyl:"Take us out" she nods. Keliaya@anncaris FX | The VF warps away. --- Keliaya@anncaris | Some time later, the VF begins to approach the source of the distress call Keelah@crystyl | Lennie: "I'se got somethin' on long range sensors. Unable t'confirm yet, but composition does match a Constitution class ship o'tha' era" Keelah@crystyl:"Drop to impulse and get us a visual as soon as we have range" Keliaya@anncaris | Ann: "Droppin' us outta warp now." Keliaya@anncaris FX | The starstreaks turn back into stars on the viewscreen Keelah@crystyl | Rianni: "Maintaining alert ready status" Keliaya@anncaris | Thorkildsen: "I'm seeing some differences between this ship and the Defiant on our records. It seems to be closer in configuration to a Constitution-class refit of the 2270s and beyond, but our - Keliaya@anncaris - Defiant never underwent such a refit before it was lost." Keelah@crystyl:"Seems increasingly likely that we are seeing the later fate of the ship following those events from the mirror universe" Keelah@crystyl | Rianni: “I know the Terrans would have made certain upgrades, focused on tactical systems. Scanning for key markers now" Keelah@crystyl:rolls 9 (1-100) Keelah@crystyl | Rianni: "Hrmm... I can't get a solid read on the specifics of the upgrades due to the extent of damage to the ship. What I /can/ tell you though is that the damage was caused by Kratt phased - Keelah@crystyl - biomatter weapons" Keliaya@anncaris:"We /are/ close to Kratt space, and I can see the Terrans being the type to antagonize them." Keelah@crystyl:"No surprise given our proximity to their territory. Let's get a closer look at this ship for now; close to visual range and scan for lifesigns" Keliaya@anncaris | Ann: "Aye Cap'n." Keliaya@anncaris | A few minutes later, the heavily damaged ship appears on the viewscreen... Keliaya@anncaris FX | https://i.imgur.com/Y9g6oho.jpg Keelah@crystyl:"Well, that definitely seems to be what it seemed to be" Keelah@crystyl | Lennie: "No lifesigns, but life support systems're still active in some areas. An'... yeah, it's got a unique quantum signature - not native t'either this nor th'mirror universe" Keelah@crystyl looks over with a perked brow, "Another quantum variant? I know multiple variant universe exist, but to see a crossover from any other than our own mirror universe is... rare to say the least" Keelah@crystyl | Lennie: "Certainly seems tha' way. Gonna keep scannin' th'region for signs of any temporal or subspace activity tha' might explain it's presence" Keliaya@anncaris | Thorkildsen: "Well, it certainly does seem to be a different variant. Some of the upgrades are similar to our own Constitution-refits, but there's significant deviations as well. And I'm - Keliaya@anncaris - seeing signs of design elements from this region of space. Some of these alterations look like they're inspired by Nuhar and Arshai technology." Keelah@crystyl | Lennie adds after working a few moments, "Yep, I got somethin'! Seein' traces o' tachyon an' chroniton particles in th'region. No explanation for 'em though" Keelah@crystyl:"Most curious..." Keelah@crystyl | Rianni speculates: "Perhaps they crossed over in one piece and had to adapt to survive here. It is not unreasonable to expect a ship even of that era to last as least a while out here by - Keelah@crystyl:- salvaging and upgrading with locally sourced modern technology" Keelah@crystyl:"True enough, but speculation won't get us answers. Kelly, can we access their computer from here?" Keliaya@anncaris shakes her head, "It looks like their computer core is damaged. Probably salvageable, maybe even repairable, but we can't access it remotely." Keelah@crystyl smiles, "You just want to go see it for yourself don't you" Keliaya@anncaris smiles back, "Well, it is the best way to learn more. There's some radiation around the computer core itself, but the bridge seems in good shape. We can start there and see what we can do." Keelah@crystyl nods, "Alright, put your team together and see if Kazra has something to handle the radiation" Keliaya@anncaris:"On it." She looks over. "Rianni, you're with me." Keelah@crystyl | Rianni nods, signing over her station and heading for the turbolift with Kelly --- Keliaya@anncaris beams onto the bridge of the alternate Defiant with Emma, Rianni and Mia Keliaya@anncaris FX | https://i.imgur.com/aMe3Qp1.png Emma Ralde@crystyl looks around, "Now this takes me back" Emma Ralde@crystyl | Mia: "A bit more recent than our golden age, but still always pleasant!" Keliaya@anncaris:"The two of you will probably be more familiar with this ship's systems than I am, at least." As they step further into the bridge, they begin to notice bodies of the crew, dressed in the red - Keliaya@anncaris - uniforms of the era Emma Ralde@crystyl | The pair nod and get to work Emma Ralde@crystyl | Rianni looks around, "I however know less than any of you about this ship or it's era. I'll check the crew and see if I can't build a picture of what transpired here" Keliaya@anncaris steps over to a console as well to check the ship systems and data Keliaya@anncaris | It doesn't take Rianni long to realize that all signs point to the crew having killed each other. There are three black marks, one on the floor and two on the walls, all of which still give - Keliaya@anncaris - off faint signatures matching those given off by two phaser pistols lying around on the floor near two of the bodies Emma Ralde@crystyl | Rianni: "Commander, there's no denying it. They killed themselves, well, each other to be specific" Keliaya@anncaris:"That matches the record of what happened to the crew of the Defiant in our universe. But this is clearly not our Defiant. It was lost before uniforms and upgrades like those we see here were - Keliaya@anncaris - rolled out." Emma Ralde@crystyl | Rianni: "But... we know that was a falsehood tied to the mirror crossover. How could the same events be mirrored here?" Keliaya@anncaris:"There's a theory proposed by Dr. Forven, well actually I believe the Trill, Orions and maybe a few others developed very similar theories independently, but Forven's is the one I'm most familiar - Keliaya@anncaris:- with. He proposed it to the Denobulan Science Academy in the 22nd century shortly after Dr. Phlox confirmed the existence of time travel and alternate realities. In short, it postulates that time - Keliaya@anncaris - is something like a river. It's linear for us because we're caught in its flow, but with enough energy, it is possible to go backwards. Similarly to a river, it tends to flow in a certain - Keliaya@anncaris:- direction because it is being directed by formations in space-time, just like how a river flows based on the geography around it. When a river splits off, the branches can often flow in roughly - Keliaya@anncaris - the same directions, and a similar phenomenon happens with time and different branching timelines." Keliaya@anncaris glances around herself, "So despite the fact that this ship's timeline split from our own at some point, we might still see some eerily similar occurrences in both realities." Emma Ralde@crystyl | Rianni: "A reasonable analogy. It still just all seems a little too... unlikely" Emma Ralde@crystyl laughs, "Sweety, you're exploring this temporal relic with your unaging girlfriend and an AI who remembers living in this time even though she didn't, all in a distant corner of the galaxy. - Emma Ralde@crystyl - 'Unlikely' would seem to be standard operating procedures for us, no?" Keliaya@anncaris chuckles, "That's a very good point." Emma Ralde@crystyl | Mia giggles: "And that's not even touching on you yourself Ms. Rianni! With all your own unlikely history and quantum duplications!" Emma Ralde@crystyl:"Aah yes, my many many Rianni's..." she grins Emma Ralde@crystyl | Rianni eyerolls at Emma, "Don't start! And... I suppose I get it. Sure, we deal in the unlikely all the time. Still doesn't stop things feeling off" Keliaya@anncaris:"You're right. This seems too coincidental. Not just in the way the crew died, but in us finding the ship here. They've been broadcasting a distress signal, which must’ve started recently - Keliaya@anncaris - recently. Otherwise someone else would've found it before us. There's scavengers plenty around here now, not to mention the Kratt. And when Itadow told us about the Kratt, he also said the - Keliaya@anncaris - Corporations frequently try to comb the edges of Kratt territory for their technology. It's unusual that we're the ones who found a Starfleet ship from another reality, when Starfleet's only - Keliaya@anncaris - just started to have a presence around here." Emma Ralde@crystyl | Rianni nods: "I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this doesn't feel right" Keliaya@anncaris:"Speaking of which, see if we can turn off that distress signal. We don't want to lure in pirates and scavengers" Emma Ralde@crystyl meanwhile, has taken a seat in the Captain's chair, running a reminiscent hand over it's form before starting to work on it's console, "Commander, I have access to the Captain's logs. - Emma Ralde@crystyl - Let's see what the last one said..." Emma Ralde@crystyl | Rianni joins her, "You ok?" noticing her distractedness Keliaya@anncaris steps over as well Emma Ralde@crystyl smiles, patting Rianni's hand, "Though it's not quite the same, this is the closest I've seen in... well a very long time, to my own command" Emma Ralde@crystyl | Rianni squeezes Emma's shoulder, knowing the unhappy ending that story has Keliaya@anncaris nods, "I know the feeling of coming back to something similar to a ship you used to spend a lot of time on," she smiles as well. "Anyways, the logs." Emma Ralde@crystyl | Emma nods and begins the replay Keliaya@anncaris | A male voice plays: "Captain's Log, stardate...oh what does it matter anymore? The phase cloak's busted and my engineering team's all but killed one another. We're drifting in and out of - Keliaya@anncaris - interphase and the crew's slowly being taken by bouts of madness. I've had to restrain my First Officer and stun two of my bridge staff. We've got less than a skeletal crew now. It's only a - Keliaya@anncaris - matter of time before the madness takes me, or someone else on the crew I can't stop in time. I've considered triggering the self-destruct...just end it all while we still can, but we're - Keliaya@anncaris - Starfleet, and I'm a Starfleet captain. We don't give up. If there's a chance that I can get my people, any of them, out of this alive, we've got to hang on and-" Keliaya@anncaris | The captain is interrupted by the sound of clattering noises and several other people shouting. The captain's voice can be heard shouting, "Keep her down!" Keliaya@anncaris | Voice 2: "I can't, she's too str-" Keliaya@anncaris | Voice 3: "Get the phaser, get the pha-" Keliaya@anncaris | Two phaser shots are heard, then Keliaya@anncaris | Voice 4: "Damn green-blooded devil! I'll kill you! I'll kill you a-" The log ends abruptly Emma Ralde@crystyl:"Charming..." Emma Ralde@crystyl | Rianni: "What could have driven them to this madness? A biological agent of some kind maybe?" Emma Ralde@crystyl | Mia: "Perhaps it was tied to the fault mentioned in this 'interphase cloak'" Emma Ralde@crystyl:"Horde influence perhaps, depending how long it has been" Keliaya@anncaris:"According to the historical logs, something similar happened to the Defiant crew of our universe when they entered an interphase rift. We have countermeasures against it now, but they weren't - Keliaya@anncaris - developed until this happened to our Defiant. Maybe since it happened later in this universe, the crew of this Defiant also didn't have a defense against it." Emma Ralde@crystyl:"Stands to reason. What about this cloak though? If they've been phasing in and out that could explain why they've evaded attention. To a degree at least" Emma Ralde@crystyl | Rianni: "Either way, we should probably investigate before attempting anything more intrusive with the computer to make sure we don't inadvertently trigger it ourselves" Keliaya@anncaris nods, stepping over to a console, "Let me check." Keliaya@anncaris taps away for a bit before announcing, "I'm seeing a cloaking system based on phase cloaking technology, not too dissimilar to the one Starfleet developed, the one with the whole Pegasus - Keliaya@anncaris - scandal. They must've developed it earlier in this timeline. The cloaking system is damaged beyond repair, and I don't see any way for it to phase us out if we don't tamper with that system - Keliaya@anncaris - specifically, so we should be safe." Emma Ralde@crystyl:"Good to know. So what's our next step, the main computer?" Keliaya@anncaris:"We need to vent the radiation first, and get more engineers to work on repairs. It'll take a while just for the four of us to do it." Emma Ralde@crystyl | Mia chirps: "Actually Commander! We have detected a contingent of little ones in the cargo bay!" Keliaya@anncaris glances over, "Little ones, as in drones?" Emma Ralde@crystyl | Rianni: "Little Ones, as in... like your... What she said!" she chuckles, almost mirroring Kelly's response Emma Ralde@crystyl | Mia giggles too, "Oui! They are in a sleep mode from what we can tell. Basic drones with slight modification as to be expected. But they are immune to the radiation and so we could activate them- Emma Ralde@crystyl:- and get them working on the core much more expediently if preferred?" she looks to Kelly Keliaya@anncaris smiles and nods, "Good find, Mia. Have them repair the core." Emma Ralde@crystyl | Mia nods and begins the process Keliaya@anncaris makes her way back over to the captain's chair, "Let's see what else we can find in these logs." Emma Ralde@crystyl taps away to start the next oldest Keliaya@anncaris | Defiant Captain: "Captain's Log, stardate 8147.4. The Defiant is disabled and adrift. The evacuation ships couldn't get everyone off the planet in time. We tried to delay them for as long as - Keliaya@anncaris - we could. They tore through our shields and inflicted heavy damage. The Riders lasted longer, dodging and weaving between the Kratt vessels, but they're gone now, too. I activated the phase - Keliaya@anncaris - cloak to save my crew, but the cloak malfunctioned due to the damage. We seem to be stuck between different planes of reality now, in something my science officer is calling 'interphase.' I - Keliaya@anncaris - have all hands working on getting us out of here, but the ship's taken heavy damage and I've lost nearly a quarter of my people. At least most of the Widhari were safely evacuated. Apparently - Keliaya@anncaris - we're still occasionally phasing back into our own reality, so I'm putting out a repeating distress signal, in the hopes that someone will come to our aid." Keliaya@anncaris:"It sounds like the Defiant was already out here in their own reality and didn't encounter the Kratt in ours. But all the way back during stardate 8147?" Emma Ralde@crystyl:"It certainly seems that way, and that could explain the regional upgrades we detected" Emma Ralde@crystyl | Rianni: "An alternate reality with Starfleet this far out that long ago, could such a thing even be possible?" Keliaya@anncaris:"I remember Mischa encountered one where the Constitution-class Enterprise was out here. I think the Observer was there, too." Emma Ralde@crystyl | Rianni: "Really? Huh... perhaps this ship is from that universe then?" Emma Ralde@crystyl:"An established link between the two universes - like that with the mirrorverse - would certainly make it seem more likely" Keliaya@anncaris:"I think T'Lana speculated that there was some sort of link between our universe and that one, since when they were accidentally thrown back through time and reality, they somehow ended up at a - Keliaya@anncaris:- point in their timeline where the Coalition was in an almost exact same situation as our own timeline, despite that situation being separated by over a hundred years. Unfortunately I don't think - Keliaya@anncaris - we have the data for the quantum signature of that universe...pretty sure Mischa kept all the scan data they collected on her ship." Emma Ralde@crystyl:"Of course she did" Emma Ralde@crystyl | Rianni: "Is it possible then, that the temporal displacement of this Defiant is consistent with that which they experienced, or is this definitely later than even that era?" Keliaya@anncaris:"From what I was told, they had their standoff with the Horde inside the Sphere when James Kirk was captain of the Enterprise, with Commander Spock as First Officer. Assuming they didn't - Keliaya@anncaris - significantly deviate from our timeline beforehand, that would suggest...late 2260s?" She glances to Mia for confirmation Emma Ralde@crystyl | Mia smiles and nods, "Very good Ms. Kelly, you would have done well in our classes!" Keliaya@anncaris smiles back, "Thank you, Mia. Stardate 8147 is fifteen years after that, assuming they had their Battle of the Heart in 2270. It couldn't have been any later, I'm sure their Architect would've - Keliaya@anncaris - rallied a second fleet just like our own, and if they delayed any more they would've lost. Meanwhile for us, we just had our battle several months ago, so it doesn't entirely line up. Let's - Keliaya@anncaris:- check out another log, maybe there's more information we can use." Emma Ralde@crystyl nods and obliges, tapping the armrest Keliaya@anncaris | The Defiant Captain speaks again: "Captain's Log, stardate 8140.6. We've discovered the cause behind the colonies and worlds going silent in this sector. It's the Kratt. I don't know why, but - Keliaya@anncaris - they've suddenly begun expanding and conquering worlds. They've never cared much for species like us- I'm not sure they even /can/ care. According to Kirk's reports, they're basically organic - Keliaya@anncaris:- automatons, with no consciousness of their own. The Admiral is as surprised as we all are- he believed the Kratt only used to move because they were driven away from a region by the Horde and - Keliaya@anncaris:- we shouldn't have a problem with them now. But we do, and the Kratt are ignoring all attempts at communication." Keliaya@anncaris | There is a brief pause, then, "Captain's log, supplemental. Admiral Kirk has dispatched Coalition forces to assist, but we've detected a Kratt fleet on a course to the Widhar system. - Keliaya@anncaris:- The reinforcements won't arrive in time to help. We've sent a warning and I've ordered the Defiant to the system to assist the Widhari in any way we can." Keliaya@anncaris:"That does sound like it fits with the history of the reality Mischa encountered." Emma Ralde@crystyl:"Seems so. Do we know anything about this Widhari he keeps mentioning?" Emma Ralde@crystyl | Mia: "We are aware of them through the little ones! Their home is not far from here - a world with historical Nuhar technology. Having evolved on such a world, they grew to worship the Nuhar and - Emma Ralde@crystyl:- much of their own technological development was driven by a desire to emulate the Nuhar Constructs. Our Nuhar recognize their territory as a safe haven not only for repairs but as a hub to engage - Emma Ralde@crystyl:- with other species when required for trade. They are considered by introverted as a species, but generally welcoming to those who show good intent" Keliaya@anncaris:"Why would the Kratt attack them? They haven't attacked them here yet, at least." Emma Ralde@crystyl:"Circumstances in that universe could be very different" Keliaya@anncaris nods, "It does confirm what we've heard from the Progenitor trap, that the Kratt are non-sentient. Kirk seemed to believe they weren't a problem though, and this sudden attack seems like it was - Keliaya@anncaris - caused by something in that universe. Hopefully that'll be something we can avoid here." Keliaya@anncaris:"Anyways, let's see what other bits and pieces we can pick up while we wait for Mia's little ones to fix the computer core." Emma Ralde@crystyl smiles and goes further back in the logs Keliaya@anncaris:"I'll report what we have so far. Keep me updated if you find anything interesting, Emma," she smiles back and steps off to comm Keelah --- T'Lana@anncaris | Back on the VF, Kelly is on the viewscreen with the Defiant bridge visible behind her as she calls in from one of the consoles, "That's everything we've learned so far. We're waiting for the - T'Lana@anncaris - drones to repair the computer core so we can access some more information, but it's certainly looking like this ship originates from the same reality that Commander Leveson-Scott visited." Keelah@crystyl:"Quite the coincidence indeed. Good luck with the drones, keep us apprised" T'Lana@anncaris | Kelly nods, "I'll let you know when we can get some data out of the computer core." T'Lana@anncaris | Eva: "We're still well within range of the comm buoy. I can contact the Loki. Commander T'Lana probably has the data on hand. If she doesn't just recognize the quantum signature by memory, - T'Lana@anncaris - that is." Keelah@crystyl:"Yes, let's see if we can raise them" T'Lana@anncaris | Eva nods, tapping on her console, "Contacting them now." T'Lana@anncaris appears on the screen over half a minute later, dressed in her SFI uniform with her office as the background behind her T'Lana@anncaris:"Captain Keelah. You are contacting me from your bridge. I assume you are in need of some intel to assist with an immediate situation?" Keelah@crystyl nods, "Yes Commander, no social call this time I'm afraid. We have encountered an... unlikely scenario, and so I must request details from one of your previous missions which is known only to us - Keelah@crystyl:- insofar that it occurred, not the specifics" T'Lana@anncaris raises a brow, "And which mission might that be?" Keelah@crystyl:"When you were aiding in our search for artifacts shortly before the conclusion of the war, you investigated an anomalous region which took you into a parallel reality in which you encountered an - Keelah@crystyl:- earlier comparative time period experience what we consider current events" T'Lana@anncaris:"I recall the mission. I believe Commander Leveson-Scott withheld details for reasons which are less relevant now that the Horde conflict has concluded. What information do you require?" Keelah@crystyl:"The quantum signature of that universe if possible" T'Lana@anncaris glances down to tap on a console, "I am sending it over to you now. Have you encountered someone or something you suspect to be from that universe?" Keelah@crystyl nods, "Yes, an abandoned starship. Curiously, the time differential is not consistent with your previous encounter though" T'Lana@anncaris:"Interesting. We theorized that our two universes were linked, quite possibly by the events of the Horde conflict. That is the only logical explanation for why our accidental crossover landed us at - T'Lana@anncaris - the exact same stage of their Horde conflict, rather than their universe during the same year as with accidental crossovers into other universes. Either our theory is incorrect, or this - T'Lana@anncaris - encounter was not accidental." Keelah@crystyl:"Even without the theories, there is a little too much convenience in everything here for me to truly believe it is happenchance" T'Lana@anncaris:"A curious situation indeed. I look forward to seeing your report on it, Captain. Let me know if there is anything else you require." Keelah@crystyl:"I believe that is all for now, that we know of at least. Thank you Commander" T'Lana@anncaris nods, "Good luck unravelling this mystery, Captain." T'Lana@anncaris | The comm ends and Eva announces, "I've received the quantum signature. It's an exact match for what we're picking up from the Defiant." Keelah@crystyl:"So the origin universe is verified at least. Now just for the small matter of unravelling the mystery as to why it is here, and now" T'Lana@anncaris | Thorkildsen: "I hope Kelly's investigation can find something. We haven't been able to tell much from here. I can give you the technical specs of the ship and all the similarities and - T'Lana@anncaris - differences from the Constitution-class refits of our own timeline, but I don't see any systems related to time or interdimensional travel. Closest thing is the phase cloak, but as you - T'Lana@anncaris - said, the time doesn't match up for an accidental crossover." Keelah@crystyl:"What about the trace particle readings in the area, can those shed any more light on things?" T'Lana@anncaris | Thorkildsen: "Nothing beyond the tachyon and chroniton particles Lennie picked up earlier.” Keelah@crystyl:"What about known methods of temporal disruption - do any portray both chroniton and tachyon residue?" Keelah@crystyl | Lennie: "Runnin' a check now. Wha' I can tell ya is tha' th'traces were faint. So either wha'ever happened, happened some time ago - or someone tried t'cover 'em" Keelah@crystyl hrms, "Commander if you wanted to disperse trace chroniton particles, you would use an anti-chroniton sweep no doubt. Would that leave any evidence in its wake?" Keelah@crystyl | Lennie checks that as well Keelah@crystyl:rolls 44 (1-100) Keelah@crystyl | Lennie: "Not conclusive but there's definitely some antichronitons present. Not enough t'be only from this kinda sweep but it is possible" Keelah@crystyl:"So someone put it here, presumably for our attention. The question remains... to what end?" --- Keliaya@anncaris | Some time later on the Defiant bridge, Mia receives notification from the drones that the computer core is repaired enough to be able to access its contents, though some may be corrupted Mia@crystyl:"Ms. Kelly, the little ones have repaired the computer core access. But they also advise that some degree of data corruption has occurred" Keliaya@anncaris:"Only to be expected with the damage this ship's taken. Let's see what we can learn." She steps over to a console and begins tapping Mia@crystyl joins her to see Keliaya@anncaris:"I definitely see the data corruption, but it looks like some of the sensors were still functional and collecting data this whole time. And everything that's come in after the damage hasn't been - Keliaya@anncaris - corrupted. Look here, the internal sensors detected people transporting onto the ship /after/ the lifesigns of the crew were all already gone." Mia@crystyl:"Mon dieu! Did the sensors register the species?" Keliaya@anncaris nods, "They're humans and one Andorian. Check the external sensor logs, see if they picked anything up at the time." Mia@crystyl:"Of course! A moment" she moves to check, "Human and Andorian lifesigns beaming aboard after the damage... does that mean that the ship crossed into our time and universe after this occurred?" Mia@crystyl hrms, "It would seem there was a great deal of activity around this ship after the crew was lost. Sensors were damaged and so not perfect, but we are seeing signs of Starfleet, KDF, Arshai, Nuhar - Mia@crystyl:- and even Guardian vessels responding to the distress signal" she turns to Kelly confused, "Why would so many - even successfully boarding the ship - end up abandoning it still, with the distress - Mia@crystyl:- signal still repeating?" Keliaya@anncaris steps over to check out Mia's data, "Well, the crew was already dead at this point. Maybe with the ship badly damaged, they decided it wasn't worth recovering? At this point the Constitution - Keliaya@anncaris:- was already an aging design and many older ones were decommissioned by stardate 8000s in our own timeline." Mia@crystyl:"We understand this, but is it not standard procedure to secure a found vessel from illegal salvage - scuttle if necessary? At the very least, the Starfleet crew registered on sensors should have - Mia@crystyl:- disabled the distress signal. We do not find this level of activity around an already lost ship to be consistent with established practices" Keliaya@anncaris:"I think I know why they didn't scuttle," she taps on the console a little more, scrolling down the sensor log, "Look here, the readings started vanishing just ten minutes after the boarding party - Keliaya@anncaris - beamed over, and..." she continues scrolling down, "They don't show up again. The log said they were phasing in and out of their universe, they probably phased back out before there was a - Keliaya@anncaris - chance to scuttle the Defiant, and the fleet had to move on to deal with the Kratt situation instead of waiting to see when it returned, if ever. But they had more than enough time to turn off - Keliaya@anncaris - the distress signal..." Keliaya@anncaris looks over to Emma, "Check the distress signal. Was it on all this time when the ship was trapped in interphase?" Mia@crystyl | Emma moves to the comm station and checks Mia@crystyl | Emma, "Yes, it seems like it-... wait a minute... no! Commander! This signal has been tampered with - deactivated and since reactivated, but... I know these systems and this isn't a simple - Mia@crystyl:- switch - whoever reactivated has taken steps to hide the fact that the signal was ever turned off!" Keliaya@anncaris:"So they /did/ turn it off, then someone's activated it again. This seems more and more like a trap, but why hasn't someone sprung it yet..." Mia@crystyl | Emma: "Please don't say things like that Commander, you know exactly what it leads to..." Keliaya@anncaris:"Good point...let's check later data, anything the sensors might've picked up more recently." Keliaya@anncaris steps over to the other console and taps away Mia@crystyl nods and returns to the console, backtracking from the Valley Forge's arrival to any anomalous data points Mia@crystyl:"Last thing before we arrived seems to be a 2 hour block of corrupted data..." Keliaya@anncaris:"I see it too on the internal sensors," she steps over again. "The timespan seems to match with those of the external sensors, but none of the other data gathered by the sensors after the damage - Keliaya@anncaris:- is corrupted. Someone is trying to cover something up." Mia@crystyl:"It would certainly seem that way" Mia@crystyl | Emma: "Let me see if I can find anything in the secondary systems. If this ship is halfway as close to my old bird as it looks, then there should be at least something there I can find" Mia@crystyl:rolls 13 (1-100) Mia@crystyl | Emma huffs: "Nope, nothing here. But that at least confirms someone has tampered with things here - /and/ they knew what they were doing" Keliaya@anncaris:"Who other than the two of you would know what they're doing with an old Constitution-class cruiser?" Keliaya@anncaris:"Especially out here in this region of space. Starfleet might have been here earlier in the timeline this ship came from, but not in our own." Mia@crystyl | Emma: "Best guess... someone who worked with them like we did. That's either a very long-lived person like me, or a very lucky Vulcan at a push. A Trill maybe, but they weren't exactly prominent - Mia@crystyl:- in Starfleet back then. Otherwise, a temporal element maybe. Someone out of time" Keliaya@anncaris nods, "Lycas would probably know what he's doing, but he's back in the Sphere, not to mention he has no reason for doing any of this even if he wasn't. A temporal element's looking to be the - Keliaya@anncaris - more likely element. Which isn't good." Mia@crystyl:"So that means... someone from the future brought this ship here, right in our path. Granted, it serves as bait to draw our attention but there are much less extraneous means of achieving that. What- Mia@crystyl:- is the significance of this ship specifically - one from the parallel universe?" Keliaya@anncaris:"I have no idea. First things first- Mia, now that we have access to the core, have the drones scour the Defiant for anything that could be part of a trap." Mia@crystyl nods, "Understood. They know this ship including it's local modifications so they can easily identify any element that is not familiar to them" Keliaya@anncaris:"Perfect. In the meantime, keep looking through what information we can access from the computer core. They want us to find this ship for a reason- let's figure out why." Mia@crystyl:"Worry not Commander, we will find whatever mysteries this ship is holding for us!" --- Keliaya@anncaris | As the team does their research on the alternate universe Defiant, Emma comes across the historical documents for their Battle of the Heart. The first thing she notices is a surprising number - Keliaya@anncaris - of all-too familiar names. Not only are many of them names of ships from the 2260s, but also numerous ships from the 2250s, ships on which Emma remembered losing friends on back during the - Keliaya@anncaris - first Klingon war, except here they are all listed as losses during the Battle of the Heart Emma Ralde@crystyl takes note as a personal point of interest but otherwise continues her research for anything of relevance Keliaya@anncaris | The records on the battle seem to be mostly undamaged, and she is able to gleam many more details. It seems in the alternate universe, despite the lower technological level of the Federation - Keliaya@anncaris - Klingons and Arshai and the absence of Romulan support, there were additional Coalition members we aren't familiar with in our own timeline Keliaya@anncaris steps over to Emma from her own console, "Find anything interesting?" Emma Ralde@crystyl:"A comprehensive accounting on their version of the battle of the Heart. Interesting for record purposes but nothing jumping out as pertinent to our immediate concern" Keliaya@anncaris peers over at the records, "It seems like the Iconians and Elachi showed up for their battle too, and in greater numbers than our own universe. No doubt because they weren't depleted by the - Keliaya@anncaris - recent war. This must mean they never /had/ an Iconian War, then, if the Iconians came in as allies." Emma Ralde@crystyl:"Stands to reason, since that whole affair tracks back to the Romulan intervention which hasn't occurred in that universe yet" Keliaya@anncaris:"And they seem to have struck an alliance with the Klingons already during the battle as well. Seems like their timeline must've had a lot less conflict than ours..." Emma Ralde@crystyl:"Well, a lot of the time since that period in our own history was filled with conflicts. Maybe they just didn't get to it yet, maybe having encountered the Horde early will bypass a lot of that" Keliaya@anncaris:"They seem to have bypassed the Iconian War already. Not sure about the Klingons, the Dominion might still try to invade, but with all the Coalition allies and perhaps even the Iconians on side, - Keliaya@anncaris - they wouldn't be anywhere near the threat we know them as." Emma Ralde@crystyl:"It does seem at a glance that they are off to a better start for the future than we were. It would be interesting to see how it looks there in our current timeframe, but none of this helps shed - Emma Ralde@crystyl:- light on our current mystery" Keliaya@anncaris nods, "Maybe we're looking too deep. It could be something on the surface, about why the Defiant got here. We don't need a warning against phase cloaking technology, we've learned our lesson in - Keliaya@anncaris - our own timeline. If they wanted to warn anyone about that, it would be the Regulators. But seeing as it's a Starfleet ship broadcasting a Starfleet distress call, it's probably pretty safe to - Keliaya@anncaris - assume we were the intended ones to find it." Emma Ralde@crystyl:"And if it was a warning, why all the cloak and dagger stuff right? Keliaya@anncaris:"It's certainly an unusual way to warn someone. Especially since we're well aware of multiple dangers of interphase and already developed countermeasures for what killed the Defiant crew due to the - Keliaya@anncaris - same thing happening to our Defiant. It can't be for the phase cloak, which leaves one other option...and the only one that might make any sense." Emma Ralde@crystyl:"And that is?" Keliaya@anncaris:"Since we were clearly intended to find it, and we're on a mission to Kratt space, maybe this is a warning about them. I don't know why, the Kratt weren't exactly great hosts, but we already - Keliaya@anncaris:- reached some degree of understanding with them the last time we were here. But a warning against the Kratt lines up- the Defiant discovered they were inexplicably expanding in their universe, and - Keliaya@anncaris - we're here to deal with the Kratt of our own universe. Maybe someone's trying to warn us that the same thing could happen here in the future, and there's something we need to do to prevent it - Keliaya@anncaris - during our upcoming diplomatic efforts with them." Keliaya@anncaris:"It doesn't quite explain why they go through the whole cloak and dagger part rather than just sending someone to tell us, but maybe the people behind this don't want to show their faces." Emma Ralde@crystyl:"There is also no incentive that I can see. I mean, why go out of their way to warn us of anything now? You would have thought if they were ever to do that then they would have done so for the Horde" Keliaya@anncaris nods, "If they wanted to help us, they should've brought a ship from this timeline into Federation space so we knew about the Horde." Emma Ralde@crystyl:"Exactly, so I'm still not convinced this is a well intended warning at all" Keliaya@anncaris:"Perhaps it's a not so well intentioned warning? Something intended to turn us against the Kratt? It certainly doesn't seem like a trap so far, at least a physical one. Or it could be a way to - Keliaya@anncaris:- demoralize us by showing us a timeline with less conflict, but that doesn't quite hold up. They'd make us find ship further into that timeline to show us that these wars never happened rather - Keliaya@anncaris - than extrapolating from what happened at the Heart..." Emma Ralde@crystyl:"It definitely feels like there is more to this yet that we just aren't seeing" Keliaya@anncaris nods, "Agreed." She glances over to Mia. "Have the drones found anything off yet?" Emma Ralde@crystyl | Mia shakes her head, "Nothing so far Commander" Keliaya@anncaris nods, "I guess we'll just have to keep-" she is interrupted as her combadge chirps, and she taps to answer it... --- Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | On the VF, the bridge crew is still carefully monitoring the area. As they work away, Lennie notices a ship pop up on the very edges of her long range sensors, then two, then four. The numbers - Evanne Dra@annpc#557 - rise as more and more ships enter into range. They seem to be coming closer, but their course does not seem to be directly at the VF; they look to simply be passing by Keelah@crystyl | Lennie reports this as she tries to identify them Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | It soon becomes apparent that it is a small fleet of ships as all twenty-five enter sensor range. As they come closer while passing through the region, Lennie is able to get better readings… Keelah@crystyl | Lennie: "Confirmed now Cap'n, they're Kratt" Keelah@crystyl:"Well then, this could save us some time. Open a channel" Evanne Dra@annpc#557 nods, tapping her console, "They're not saying anything, but they should be able to hear us." Keelah@crystyl:"Alright, general hail it is. Give me a wideband subspace frequency" Evanne Dra@annpc#557 taps on her console again, "All set." Keelah@crystyl:"This is Captain Se'Lai of the Valley Forge speaking to the Kratt fleet. We are known to your kind and have previously visited this region. We are making a promised return from that time" Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | A few seconds pass... Evanne Dra@annpc#557:"No response." Keelah@crystyl continues, "Your people took us to a sacred site where we were given the use of certain artifacts. We have come to return them but require direction through your territory" Evanne Dra@annpc#557:"Still nothing..." Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Ann: "They haven't even slowed down at all. They're just continuin' on their course." Keelah@crystyl signals Eva to end the comm, "Well, we tried at least. Continue monitoring their movement" Evanne Dra@annpc#557 nods, ending the comm Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Ann: "Lookin' at their present course, they seem to be headed towards tha' Corporate colony we briefly visited. Where we dropped off the pirates an' parted ways with those Iron Guardians." Keelah@crystyl:"That does seem a rather sizable fleet for a trade mission... Eva, try raising the Iron Guardians" Evanne Dra@annpc#557:"On it," she taps away on her console. "I have a channel open with them." Keelah@crystyl:"On screen" Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | The synthetic with the markings of Captain Thal-Ked appears on the viewscreen Keelah@crystyl:"Captain, I hope we are not disturbing you so soon after our previous encounter" Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Thal: "You need not worry. It is no disturbance, though we were not expecting to hear from you again so quickly." Keelah@crystyl:"I too did not expect to see you again so soon, but I must call on your familiarity with this region. Are you still at the Corporate colony?" Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Thal: "That is correct. Do you require something from the Corporations?" Keelah@crystyl:"Just some verification; to your knowledge, does this colony have any regular dealings with the Kratt?" Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Thal: "I will have my communications specialist confirm, but I suspect the only dealings they have involving the Kratt are the salvage of Kratt technology. The Kratt do not deal with others. I - Evanne Dra@annpc#557:- have never heard of a single instance of negotiation with them, whether mercantile or diplomatic." Keelah@crystyl:"Then you may be equally alarmed to know that we have just detected a fleet of 25 Kratt vessels on a direct course for the colony there. They are not responding to our attempts at communication" Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Thal: "That is concerning. While the Kratt do not typically leave much of their technology to be salvaged, they are also not known to be vindictive against those who do manage to obtain their - Evanne Dra@annpc#557 - technology. They will certainly not dispatch a fleet to punish any scavenging operations. They have been known to move their territories, usually due to conflict with the Horde, but with the - Evanne Dra@annpc#557 - Horde gone, they should have no reason to uplift and relocate from the territories they presently hold." Keelah@crystyl:"Nonetheless, they are doing just that as we speak. Without communication from there, we must at least prepare for the possibility that this is an invasion force" Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Thal: "My knowledge of the capabilities of Kratt ships may be out of date, but if anything, they would have improved their technology since I last witnessed them in action. This colony does - Evanne Dra@annpc#557:- not have sufficient defense against twenty-five of their vessels, and the addition of my own ship will do little to sway the tide. It may be prudent to evacuate, as there are a number of cargo - Evanne Dra@annpc#557 - ships which can carry colonists to safety." Keelah@crystyl:"I leave that to your discretion as Guardians. We can return to assist if you wish, but otherwise the best I can do is suggest contacting the Coalition to see if they can rush out reinforcements. I - Keelah@crystyl:- am sure the Nuhar would be eager to assist there and the Junayd may have the capacity to get them to you before the Kratt arrive" Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Thal nods, "We shall communicate with them. Any additional evacuation capacity, or firepower if that proves necessary, will be appreciated, if you are able to spare your vessel, but I shall - Evanne Dra@annpc#557 - leave that to your discretion as well." Keelah@crystyl:"We should be able to get back to you in good time Captain" Evanne Dra@annpc#557 | Thal: "Excellent. We will inform the Corporation and begin evacuation immediately." Keelah@crystyl nods as the comm closes, "Hail the away team" Evanne Dra@annpc#557 nods and taps again Evanne Dra@annpc#557 <C - Kelly> "Kelly here." Keelah@crystyl:"Time to go Commander. We're heading back to the colony to help evacuate ahead of what looks like a Kratt invasion fleet" Evanne Dra@annpc#557:<C - Kelly> "That sounds a little too similar to what we've heard from the Defiant logs. Speaking of- what should we do with the Defiant?" Keelah@crystyl:"Is she operable?" Evanne Dra@annpc#557:<C - Kelly> "The warp drive's still offline, but it's repairable. There's some pretty major damage throughout some of the ship and it's probably not worth repairing a hundred year old ship - Evanne Dra@annpc#557 - even if it is more advanced than our equivalents were at that time. Could be an interesting thing to study in the future, though." Keelah@crystyl:"If it can't be used to help evacuate the colony then it is of no imminent purpose. Lock it all down and return here, we'll leave as soon as you're aboard. We can return to the Defiant later if - Keelah@crystyl:- necessary" Evanne Dra@annpc#557:<C - Kelly> "Understood. I can have Mia get its drones working on repairs in the meantime and functioning as security in case scavengers find it before we return." Keelah@crystyl:"Alright, we'll see you when you're ready" Evanne Dra@annpc#557:<C - Kelly> "We won't take long, Captain." --- Keliaya@anncaris | As the VF travels towards the Corporate colony, Keelah works away in her ready room when the doorbell rings Keelah@crystyl:"Come in" Keliaya@anncaris steps inside with Eva, "Ann estimates at our maximum warp, we'll arrive at the colony well before the Kratt fleet. They're moving in formation at a slower speed. We're preparing the ship to hold - Keliaya@anncaris - evacuees as we go." Keelah@crystyl:"Very good. It would be nice if we did not have to follow through on this, but I am seeing little option open to us at present" Keliaya@anncaris nods, "From the way the Kratt are moving, it looks like an invasion fleet," she takes a seat and Eva follows suit Keliaya@anncaris | Eva: "And there's something else that supports that, too." Keelah@crystyl:"What is that?" Keliaya@anncaris | Eva: "We just received it through the comm buoy a few minutes ago. A report, from the USS Trinity," she takes out a PADD, handing it over to Keelah. "They're not far from Kratt space either, - Keliaya@anncaris - but further rimward in former Horde territory. They're doing an initial survey of a system called Gersi where the Coalition had plans to return the remnants of the Agersi species." Keelah@crystyl takes the PADD, skimming as she listens, "The Kratt are venturing out that way as well?" Keliaya@anncaris | Eva nods, "They arrived to find Kratt ships in orbit of Gersi Prime. They were using some form of terraforming technology we've never seen before. They didn't even bother cleaning up the - Keliaya@anncaris - debris the Horde left behind. They're just covering the whole planet in a new layer of biomass, and they're not doing it for the Agersi either, since the new environment's very different from - Keliaya@anncaris - the old. The Trinity tried communicating with them and had as little luck with that as we did. When they tried to approach the planet, the Kratt ships opened fire. The Trinity pulled back, but - Keliaya@anncaris:- weren't pursued. They're still observing from the edges of the system now. The environment's shaping up to be primarily ocean and wetland- exactly what the Kratt themselves like." Keelah@crystyl:"Even if this were simply an opportunistic push into now unclaimed territory, why would they target a world known to be occupied by a Corporation already as well?" Keliaya@anncaris:"The why I can't answer, but this whole situation is shaping up to be eerily similar to what we heard from the Defiant logs..." Keelah@crystyl looks to Kelly, "Tell me about your time over there, what is your feeling about it all?" Keliaya@anncaris:"Well, from the surface of it all, it's looking more and more like someone wanted us to find the Defiant to warn us about the Kratt. But Ensign Ralde raised a good point- why would someone go out - Keliaya@anncaris - of their way to warn us about this, when Starfleet was never warned about the Horde, or the Iconians? And when we were warned about the Borg, Q was very direct with it. It doesn't make sense." Keelah@crystyl:"So we are content at least then, that this was intended as a warning to us about the Kratt?" Keliaya@anncaris:"That's what it seems like- I can't see any other reason they'd put the Defiant out here for us to find. And we're pretty sure it was set up for us; Emma was able to tell that the distress call had - Keliaya@anncaris - previously been turned off when the Coalition of their universe found but didn't manage to recover the Defiant, and someone turned it back on. There's also a stretch of two hours where the - Keliaya@anncaris - sensor data's inexplicably corrupted both internally and externally. Someone could have pulled the ship out of interphase and reactivated the distress call then." Keelah@crystyl:"It certainly is a convoluted way to send a warning, and there is no logic in the Coalition of that universe making this action as you said. Which suggests somebody else wanted us to know about the - Keelah@crystyl:- Kratt, but not that they had the foresight. Tell me, had we not diverted course to study this ship, would we have still detected the Kratt fleet on long range sensors?" Keliaya@anncaris shakes her head, "We would've still received the Trinity's report, but the fleet here would've passed us by without us ever knowing." Keelah@crystyl:"By which time, would we have still been able to make it back to the colony ahead of them?" Keliaya@anncaris:"Assuming one of the colony's ships detects them, probably not. I doubt the colony would have time for a full evacuation either in that case." Keelah@crystyl:"So it stands to reason then, that someone with insight of both the here and now, and of the past in the alternate universe, is manipulating history - or rather - manipulating us to achieve their - Keelah@crystyl:- desired history" Keliaya@anncaris nods, "The question is whether this desired history is to our benefit, or theirs..." Keelah@crystyl:"Whichever the case, I do not much care for being manipulated in this manner. We must focus on the task at hand, but I want to find a way to find out who is behind this as well" Keliaya@anncaris:"Agreed. Now that we know about the Kratt expansion, we have to help evacuate the colony. Once they're safe, then we can figure out what to do next." Keelah@crystyl:"And return to the Defiant to do so if we believe it will help still" Keliaya@anncaris nods, "I'll make sure we're ready to fill our evac capacity as soon as we arrive." Keelah@crystyl:"Very good then. Well if there is nothing further for the moment, don't let me keep you" Keliaya@anncaris stands and heads out with Eva --- Keliaya@anncaris | A while later, the Valley Forge has arrived at the colony without incident and joined the evacuation efforts. So far, all is going well, and with Junayd support, the planet is nearly entirely - Keliaya@anncaris - evacuated with just a few stragglers left to go Keliaya@anncaris | The turbolift slides open and Kelly steps onto the bridge, "They're settling in well. We've got the capacity for a few hundred more, but we shouldn't have to cram them in. There's enough ships - Keliaya@anncaris:- to give everyone a little room." Keelah@crystyl:"Good. What is the latest on the Kratt fleet?" Keliaya@anncaris | Ann: "They're still holdin' the same speed. Should be here in a lil over an hour." Keliaya@anncaris:"That should be more than enough time to get everyone out." Keelah@crystyl:"Good. Rianni, how is the defensive line looking?" Keelah@crystyl | Rianni: "We've got as good a formation as we're going to get, but it won't stand up against the Krat fleet. The evacuation will have to be completed" Keelah@crystyl:"Of course, but we must be ready still as they have yet to declare their intentions" Keliaya@anncaris:"From what we've seen so far, I have a feeling we'll have to figure out their intentions ourselves. They're not big on talking." Keliaya@anncaris:"Speaking of which, I have an idea." Keelah@crystyl:"Glad to hear it. What are you thinking?" Keliaya@anncaris:"If the Kratt are expanding and they opened fire on the Trinity when they tried to approach one of their worlds, the Valley Forge might not be welcome to them either. But we know the Aethon's - Keliaya@anncaris - stealth systems can evade Kratt detection, since it followed both us and the Kratt ship escorting us to Ha-at when we first encountered it. I'm thinking we could continue our original mission - Keliaya@anncaris - with the Aethon and return the artifacts to the Silver Blood. They exist in the middle of Kratt space, or at least what used to be their territory, if they're moving out now. Ketkolep should - Keliaya@anncaris - still be there too, and one of them might know what's going on with the Kratt." Keelah@crystyl:"A fair point. Would you want to get them underway immediately or wait until the Kratt arrive to see what happens first?" Keliaya@anncaris:"Let's see what happens here first. We might want to switch up the crew first, too, since Aethon will be going back into a dedicated stealth role rather than scouting as they've done so far." Keelah@crystyl nods, "Agreed" Keelah@crystyl | Rianni: "And one ship doesn't make all the difference, but I'd still rather have them in my starting lineup" Keliaya@anncaris looks over to Rianni, "Feel like taking command of the Aethon again once we do get underway with that mission, Rianni?" Keelah@crystyl | Rianni looks up and smiles, "Really? Well sure! Assuming I am not required here of course" Keelah@crystyl smiles, "We shall see" Keliaya@anncaris:"I can command the mission as well, but I was going to suggest the Valley Forge can return to the Defiant, in which case I'd lead more teams over to perform more repairs and see if we can find - Keliaya@anncaris - anything else." Keelah@crystyl:"We will be able to determine our next action once the immediate crisis is over" Keliaya@anncaris nods, "Let's see what happens here." Keliaya@anncaris | Nearly an hour later, Lennie shows the planet surface devoid of sentient life as all residents are evacuated Keliaya@anncaris | Ann: "Fourteen minutes till the Kratt enter the system." Keelah@crystyl:"Understood" Keliaya@anncaris steps over to a console, "Evacuation ships are clearing the system. Should we maintain the defense line or escort them out of the system?" Keelah@crystyl:"Hold position with the defensive formation" Keelah@crystyl | Rianni: "The planetary defense grid is online and synced to our formation as well" Keelah@crystyl:"Good, I know we aren't the only ship in the line with evacuees on board. Eva, warn all vessels to prioritize civilian safety for those carrying them" Keliaya@anncaris | Eva nods, tapping her console to send the message, "All ships are confirming they'll retreat if endangered." Keliaya@anncaris | Several minutes later, Ann announces, "Kratt ships have entered the system. They're proceedin' towards the colony at low warp." Keelah@crystyl:"Open a channel, same as before" Keliaya@anncaris | Eva nods, "Still no response. I've got another general hail open." Keelah@crystyl:"Kratt fleet, this is a protected system under Coalition occupation. Cease your advance and state your intentions" Keliaya@anncaris | Once again, there is no answer Keliaya@anncaris | Ann: "They're still comin'." Keelah@crystyl:"Kratt fleet, any further approach into this system will be considered hostile action and you will be fired upon. This is your last and only warning; cease your advance or face the consequences" Keliaya@anncaris | No response Keliaya@anncaris | On the viewscreen, twenty-five Kratt ships drop out of warp in front of them Keelah@crystyl:"Close channel, they've had their chance" Keelah@crystyl | Rianni: "Their shields are raised and they are powering weapons" Keliaya@anncaris | Eva nods with a frown, closing the channel and looking to the viewscreen Keelah@crystyl:"Red alert, signal the fleet to hold the line" Keliaya@anncaris | The bridge lighting switches to red alert. The Kratt ships move closer and closer on the viewscreen... Keliaya@anncaris | Ann: "They'll be enterin' weapons range in ten seconds." Keelah@crystyl:"Launch the squadron and prepare to engage" Keliaya@anncaris | The squadron launches just in time as the Kratt enter weapons range, and the firing begins immediately. Bolts of phased biomatter shoot out from the Kratt vessels and the Coalition ships, - Keliaya@anncaris - primarily Corporate ones, return fire. Two Kratt vessels focus on the Valley Forge, and those don't fire their bolts. Instead, they launch two isokinetic bursts. The VF's point-defense lights - Keliaya@anncaris - up, taking down the projectiles within the bursts, but the energy still impacts the ship, shaking the bridge Keelah@crystyl | Lennie: "Armour integrity at 75%!" Keelah@crystyl | Rianni works on responding in kind Keliaya@anncaris | Rianni lands a few direct hits, punching through the shields of one of the Kratt ships. Meanwhile, what seem like orifices open in the organic hulls of the two Kratt ships attacking VF. A - Keliaya@anncaris - stream of missiles emerge from each orifice. The point defense manages to take out most of them, but due to the sheer volume, a few land on the hull. They don't detonate though and do no - Keliaya@anncaris - direct damage, but begin spreading some form of biomass which begins corroding away at the generated armour, dropping its integrity rapidly Keelah@crystyl | Lennie works to analyze the biomatter and counter it. The ship itself would also be responding to such an attack Keliaya@anncaris | Before Lennie is able to work out and deploy any counter-agent, the ship diverts power to the hull, electrifying it to the extent that streaks can be seen running across the ship. This seems - Keliaya@anncaris - to fry the biomass, stabilizing the armour before it drops below 50%, but it also has the side effect of knocking out a few phaser arrays Keelah@crystyl doubletakes, "Nicely done Commander" Keelah@crystyl | Lennie: "Don't thank me, I were still figurin' things out! Tha' was th'Forge" Keelah@crystyl smiles faintly, patting her armrest, "Atagirl" Keliaya@anncaris | Around them, several Kratt ships has taken some damage, but their organic hulls quickly begin growing over the breaches almost like a Borg ship regenerating. The squadron takes advantage of - Keliaya@anncaris - the downed forward shields of one of the ships attacking the VF, making an attack run and peppering its hull with damage, but it similarly starts regenerating. Further along the defensive - Keliaya@anncaris - line, the Iron Guardian vessel fires a stream of pale red phaser bolts, supported by the dark green of a Corporate ship's disruptors. Several large sections of a Kratt ship's organic hull is - Keliaya@anncaris - disintegrated away and before it can grow back, the Iron Guardians fire a transphasic torpedo directly into the gap, taking out the enemy vessel Keliaya@anncaris | However, the victory is short lived as the Coalition line quickly begins wavering as several ships break off Keliaya@anncaris | Eva: "Multiple ships reporting that they are losing shields and falling back." Keelah@crystyl | Rianni: "Redeploying to cover, but the lines are thinning" Keliaya@anncaris | As the lines thin, a third Kratt cruiser joins in to engage the VF, this time sending three isokinetic bursts. Once again, the point-defense turrets take out the projectiles, but the - Keliaya@anncaris - surrounding layer of energy cannot be shot down and pummels the ship, rocking it harder than before and bringing armour integrity down to 20% Keelah@crystyl looks to Lennie, "Can we adapt that discharge the ship produced into an outward burst of energy?" Keelah@crystyl | Lennie nods, "We can, but it'll be useless against their shields an' two outta three still got 'em up" Keelah@crystyl:"Then have Aethon gather them up with a gravity well off our bow. Focus fire on the shielded vessels and stand by on the discharge" Keliaya@anncaris | Aethon manages to gather them up, but they unleash a barrage of phased biomatter fire towards the little stealth ship. The Aethon dodges most of them, but the barrage is thick enough that some - Keliaya@anncaris - bolts are unavoidable, and it is forced to break off as most of its shield is stripped away. However, the gravity well gets them close enough together for Rianni to do something about the - Keliaya@anncaris - shields... Keelah@crystyl | Rianni and the support squadron focus fire to drain the shields of the two where needed Keelah@crystyl | Lennie builds up the discharge, ready to unleash it as soon as she sees the shields down Keliaya@anncaris | The shields buckle under the fire, and the following discharge hits all three ships, causing electricity to course through them. Some of the organic components seem to wither from the attack. - Keliaya@anncaris - The three ships don't explode like the one hit by the Iron Guardians' torpedo, but their power levels do drop as their weapons, shields and engines read as offline to Rianni's tactical sensors Keelah@crystyl | Rianni: "All three read as disabled!" Keelah@crystyl:"Make sure our allies know how to produce that discharge" Keliaya@anncaris | Eva nods, sending the info to the other ships, but unfortunately there aren't many left in the defense line. Several more ships break off, and apart from the VF and QanwI', only the Iron - Keliaya@anncaris - Guardian ship, two Nuhar Watchers and a single Corporate cruiser remains. The Kratt don't chase the retreating ships and instead three more turn their attention to the VF, firing isokinetic - Keliaya@anncaris - bursts as soon as they come into range. The first two bursts takes down the generated armour, causing sparks to fly down from the bridge console. The VF automatically raises regular shields - Keliaya@anncaris - just in time to block the third. The Kratt quickly switch over to their phased biomatter bolts, peppering the VF with volleys of fire that start pounding away at the shields Keliaya@anncaris | Nearby, a second Kratt ship explodes from concentrated Nuhar beams, but as more ships move in to deal with the few remaining allies, the Nuhar and Iron Guardians start retreating as well... Keelah@crystyl | Rianni: "Allied forces are falling back, Captain. We don't have enough numbers in our lines to hold back the Kratt" Keelah@crystyl sighs, "Signal all remaining defenders... fall back, the system is lost. Helm, regroup with the allied forces" Keliaya@anncaris | Ann nods, "Aye Cap'n. Fallin' back now." Keliaya@anncaris | As the VF retreats with the remaining allied forces, the defenses of the planet continue firing on the Kratt. The Kratt ships don't pursue, instead turning their fire on the automated defense - Keliaya@anncaris - systems. The viewscreen shows the rear view as they move away and the Kratt methodically takes out the defense systems with barrages of phased biomatter Keliaya@anncaris FX | https://i.imgur.com/ZSuAAEr.jpg Keelah@crystyl slumps, "Stand down to yellow alert. All decks report in" Keliaya@anncaris taps her console, "No major damage, Captain. Sickbay is reporting four injuries, none of them life-threatening." Keelah@crystyl:"And the rest of the allied forces?" Keliaya@anncaris | Eva: "Roughly in the same position we are. Most of them pulled back before they lost shields. One of the Corporate cruisers lost an impulse engine, but they're all capable of warp." Keelah@crystyl:"They will have to retreat back with Coalition forces for now" Keliaya@anncaris | Behind them, the shooting stops as the still functional Kratt ships settle into equidistant points in orbit Keliaya@anncaris nods, "Let's get these refugees to safety, and then proceed with the plan involving the Aethon?" Keelah@crystyl nods, "With the Kratt on the advance like this, it is not safe to take the Valley Forge into their territory with its present condition. We will return to continue investigating the Defiant while - Keelah@crystyl:- the Aethon progresses the mission from there" Keliaya@anncaris:"Do you think we'll run into any more confrontations with the Kratt, or should we give Rianni command of the Aethon again?" Keelah@crystyl:"As it stands, Rianni is the most experienced commanding officer when it comes to the Aethon and combat. She will assume command of the Aethon-" looks to Rianni, "But as before, I don't want to - Keelah@crystyl:- throw you in over your head. So when putting your team together, I expect to see an experienced command officer joining you" Keelah@crystyl | Rianni nods, "I understand Captain" Keliaya@anncaris:"Let me know if you need any help with the crew assignment, Rianni." Keelah@crystyl | Rianni: "Thank you Commander, I will take some time to assess the mission and present my assignment choices to you for approval as soon they're ready" Keliaya@anncaris:"Sounds good to me. Take your time, we've got to drop off the refugees and return to the Defiant before we launch the Aethon on her own mission." Keelah@crystyl | Rianni nods --- Keliaya@anncaris | As the VF travels, Rianni works out her crew assignment and heads to Kelly's office to discuss her selection... Rianni@crystyl chimes the door on arrival Keliaya@anncaris:"Come in!" Rianni@crystyl approaches Kelly's desk, "Commander, I have the crew assignments for the Aethon for your review" she offers over a PADD Keliaya@anncaris:"Thank you Rianni," she takes the PADD. "How'd you feel about getting back to work on the Aethon? You haven't been formally assigned there since the battle. It has a full Coalition crew now, and - Keliaya@anncaris:- besides you have a lot on your hands as Chief of Tactical." Rianni@crystyl:"It is definitely a full time job here, but I can see the sense in going with the Aethon for this mission. As for state of things there, that was actually something I wanted to ask about" Rianni@crystyl sits while getting started Keliaya@anncaris:"You want to know more about the Coalition crew, I assume?" Rianni@crystyl nods, "Yes, and chiefly; will I not be treading on their new CO's toes by taking command for this mission?" Keliaya@anncaris:"I can see why you'd be concerned about that. It's good to be thinking about command politics, it's something you'll have to deal with going forward on the Command track. But in this case, you - Keliaya@anncaris:- don't need to worry. Captain Arvalan requested command of the Aethon for this mission because Elder Yaseni is the representative sent by the Coalition, and he wanted to be the one to protect an - Keliaya@anncaris - Elder of the Sanctuary on a mission so far from home. And because the scout ship he brought with him was lost during the battle. But he's still Guard-Captain of the Lupan Sanctuary and they - Keliaya@anncaris:- have multiple other scout ships for him to command. It's more of a temporary situational assignment, and now that the Aethon is going to be undertaking a full stealth mission, Yaseni's going to - Keliaya@anncaris:- stay on the Valley Forge, so Arvalan's quite content to stay here as well." Rianni@crystyl:"At least that won't be a source of tension then. I imagine such friction being difficult even for full and experienced command officers - it's certainly not something I feel ready to face yet, - Rianni@crystyl:- especially as the one weighing in to take charge!" Keliaya@anncaris smiles, "I wouldn't ask you to take command if it would set you up for friction like that. But unfortunately, it is something you'll eventually have to deal with if you want to be captain one - Keliaya@anncaris - day. Do you know anything about Captain Lee Dale of the Courageous? You probably saw him around when we were back in the Heart of Unity." Rianni@crystyl:"I know of him, but little else" Keliaya@anncaris:"He's an old friend of mine from the Academy. Dale was a year above me, but I knew him fairly well. He's like you in a few ways- great tactical mind, good instincts. Between you and me though, I think you're the better tactician," she smirks Rianni@crystyl smiles sheepishly, "So has he faced a similar situation to this?" Keliaya@anncaris:"Oh, much worse. He was offered the Courageous as his first command, since he had a prestigious XO posting as first officer of the Odyssey. The thing was, someone else on the admiralty had been - Keliaya@anncaris - vying for Captain Sh'rhillan of the Theia to command the Courageous. As one of the new Yamato-class dreadnought cruisers, it was a coveted command and Dale ended up winning out. That got him - Keliaya@anncaris - in a very long-running feud with Captain Sh'rhillan, who firmly believed that such a powerful Starfleet ship should be commanded by an Andorian, since they were the warrior race of the - Keliaya@anncaris:- Federation. She ended up challenging him to an Ushaan duel and all." Rianni@crystyl:"Oh my! I certainly wouldn't want to do that myself, especially with a Lupan captain" she chuckles Keliaya@anncaris chuckles, "Exactly. Though with your record, I'm sure you'd be a match for Captain Arvalan. Anyways," she looks through the PADD, checking to see which experienced officer Rianni chose to join - Keliaya@anncaris - her as Keelah had suggested Rianni@crystyl | The PADD shows everyone but the senior officer that was requested Keliaya@anncaris tilts her head, "Didn't Keelah ask for a senior officer to join you?" Rianni@crystyl:"Yes, but I did not feel it was my place to arbitrarily decide on that assignment, since all candidates are also department heads or bridge staff here. As you said yourself before; you would be a - Rianni@crystyl:- welcome addition, but circumstances with the Defiant warrant your attention more. The same could be said for Lendaria - and even as a command level officer, she is not necessarily of the right - Rianni@crystyl:- experience to provide support in this context. Kazra is also a valid choice, but again - department head. You can see the dilemma, which is why I wanted to seek your advice" Keliaya@anncaris nods, "I understand. We're already taking away one department head in the form of yourself and we don't want to take too many of the ship's senior staff away. This would be much easier if Mischa - Keliaya@anncaris - and T'Lana was with us like before, since it would be a fairly simple choice then. The only person I can think of outside the department heads is Commander Kivar. She's not the head of - Keliaya@anncaris - Counselling nor a bridge officer, but she does have bridge officer training despite never actually serving in the role. Her skills aren't of any direct benefit to the mission, but she's a good - Keliaya@anncaris - counselor who's worked with numerous captains and crews in the past. The extremely diverse Coalition crew of the Aethon could use a good counselor." Rianni@crystyl:"Interesting. I can see her benefitting the diverse crew as you say - but does she satisfy the Captain's criteria of providing command experience if I require support?" Keliaya@anncaris:"She doesn't have any direct command experience, but she often works with commanding officers and knows how they think. You're taking Emma with you again, I assume?" she looks through the list - Keliaya@anncaris - again to confirm Rianni@crystyl | Emma is indeed on the list Rianni@crystyl:"I suppose with the existing Aethon crew to hand as well, it is arguably less pertinent than when I last took command there" Keliaya@anncaris nods, "If you need any experience of past encounters to draw from, I think Emma has enough of that already. But Jatila could be good to have along as support. She has less experience of dealing - Keliaya@anncaris - with command problems, but quite a significant amount of experience in dealing with command /officers/. You could find that useful," she smiles Rianni@crystyl smiles, "An excellent suggestion Commander, thank you! I think that should provide enough senior experience to satisfy any lingering concerns for the Captain. That, and my own experience has grown - Rianni@crystyl:- a lot since the last time we did this so hopefully that counts for some too" Keliaya@anncaris nods, "You've been department head for a few months, after all." She glances down to the list again to see if Sin is on it Rianni@crystyl | Sin is on there! Listed as mission specialist Keliaya@anncaris smiles, "I see you've thought of Sin as well. She's probably quite eager to speak with Ketkolep again, and she's probably the best one among us to communicate with him." Rianni@crystyl:"She is also the only person I know of who can take on the psionic security there" Keliaya@anncaris:"Well I'm sure the Witch can. Wouldn't count on her being willing to help, though," she chuckles Rianni@crystyl:"Yeah... I still don't know what to make of her, so it's hard to trust the unknown. Sin might be, well... Sin, but better the devil you know, as they say" Keliaya@anncaris:"Good reasoning, Rianni. She's also supposed to be here to guide and not do our work for us, so I doubt she'll be willing to come along even if you asked. It looks like you have the crew in hand, - Keliaya@anncaris - and you know the ship very well, so you should be good to go. Just one more thing..." Rianni@crystyl tilts her head a little, "Commander?" Keliaya@anncaris:"Your mission is to return the artifacts, as originally planned, and figure out what prompted the Kratt to start this indiscriminate expansion. From what we know of the Kratt, they only used to do - Keliaya@anncaris - this when the Horde got close enough to push them out of a region they've settled, which means there's a possibility that something more dangerous than the Kratt are causing them to do this. - Keliaya@anncaris - If that's the case, I highly doubt we'll be able to solve the problem with just the Aethon. Learn what you can, but turn back if it starts getting too dangerous. You're familiar with what the - Keliaya@anncaris - Aethon's capable of, so I trust you to make the judgement of when that needs to be done." Rianni@crystyl nods, "Regarding our secondary objective of investigation for the Kratt situation, how much bandwidth should we assume in diverting to investigate leads - if any? Or should we follow a strict path to - Rianni@crystyl:- return the artifacts only simply query the Kratt situation once there?" Keliaya@anncaris:"Head towards Ha-at to return the artifacts, but if you see anything unusual on the way there, you can investigate at your discretion. We have very little intel on what systems in their territory - Keliaya@anncaris - are inhabited other than the one we defended previously, but due to our different angle of approach this time, it won't be on the way to Ha-at. Surveying every system in the region for Kratt - Keliaya@anncaris - activity is too much of a task for Aethon to take on alone. If you don't see anything that warrants your attention on the way to Ha-at and if no one at Ha-at has any idea what's going on with - Keliaya@anncaris - the Kratt, then I'd suggest making for the Kratt planet we visited before and starting your investigation there." Rianni@crystyl nods, "Understood Commander. Will the Valley Forge be holding position all this time with the Defiant or do you have a new course in mind?" Keliaya@anncaris:"We were thinking about circling around to the other side of Kratt space, but if there is something more dangerous than the Kratt that's pushing them out of their territory, it's not a good idea to - Keliaya@anncaris - take the Valley Forge in blind. We both know all too well what happened with the Gainsborough. For the moment we're planning on waiting with the Defiant until you gather more intel, but the - Keliaya@anncaris - Kratt situation is developing. We could be called away to help defend or evacuate other systems, but if that happens we'll leave a message in the comm buoy so you'll know what happened upon - Keliaya@anncaris - returning to the Defiant's position." Rianni@crystyl:"I understand. We'll be sure to provision adequately for a long stay. Just in case" she smiles, "So with time to play with the Defiant, do you think you'll try and get her operational? It might be - Rianni@crystyl:- an old ship but like you said, further evacuation calls could come in and age doesn't affect capacity" Keliaya@anncaris smiles, "That's what I was thinking too. From our studies of its systems, it's warp drive is more similar to an Excelsior than a refit Constitution. It's still not as fast as the Valley Forge, - Keliaya@anncaris - but it can easily keep pace with the transports and freighters and other ships being used for evacuation." Rianni@crystyl:"And dated as it may be, it is heavily modified with technology we are still not so familiar with. Enough so that it stood up against the Horde. It could be worth dissecting those upgrades as some - Rianni@crystyl:- may still be valuable to learn from" Keliaya@anncaris:"Agreed. Especially as from our study of the Defiant so far and knowledge of their timeline, they must be further along with integrating Coalition technologies than we are here. It could be very - Keliaya@anncaris:- helpful for the shipbuilding project, and other repairs and refits going on back at the Heart right now." Rianni@crystyl:"Yeah! I'll look forward to hearing all about it when we get back" Keliaya@anncaris smiles, "I'll be sure to tell you all about it! Oh, and speaking of provisioning," she grabs a different PADD, tapping on it before handing it over to Rianni. "Here's a requisition approval for - Keliaya@anncaris - one of the combat exosuits. Take one with you just in case you need it. Emma's worn an actual Regulator suit during our time on one of their ships, so it shouldn't be too much work for her to - Keliaya@anncaris - get used to it." Rianni@crystyl takes it with a curious glance, "Hopefully we won't need it, but it is indeed good to have all the bases covered. I suppose with the possibility of investigating the Kratt, we might face more - Rianni@crystyl:- extreme environmental conditions. I had not considered that..." Keliaya@anncaris:"There's also Ha-at itself, and the environment the silverblood exist in. Normal suits can handle that for a while and we managed with them last time, but it'll be useful to have something better - Keliaya@anncaris - on hand, just in case." Rianni@crystyl:"That is a thought as well; the artifacts we are transporting. Here, they are locked in the vault but the Aethon has no such facility. Knowing the Aethon's systems as you do, can you recommend a - Rianni@crystyl:- suitable means of locking them down with what we have there?" Keliaya@anncaris:"The Aethon doesn't have a vault, but I can have an engineering team further secure the main armoury to lock them inside. Hopefully everything should be fine, since there's not much of the journey - Keliaya@anncaris - left, but it's a good concern to address. We still have some time before the mission, we'll see what we can do." Rianni@crystyl:"There is not much left, but the crew are also fresh and diverse. Not to be too blunt, but I do not believe it wise to trust so many unknowns with something like this. A Starfleet crew is one thing - Rianni@crystyl:- since we all share the same standards as a minimum, but this crew do not necessarily" Keliaya@anncaris nods, "I'll make sure the artifacts are secure. And that's another reason it could be good to have a Counselor along as well. Hopefully Jatila can help keep everyone on the same page." Rianni@crystyl:"And help me to get a read of so many new faces!" Keliaya@anncaris chuckles, "And that! Anything else you want to ask about the mission?" Rianni@crystyl thinks, "No... I think we've covered all the bases" Keliaya@anncaris:"Well, good luck commanding the Aethon then, Lieutenant. And remind Emma to pack her Regulator undersuit!" Rianni@crystyl stands and smiles, "I'll be sure to remind her, thank you!"