ST:SoD203 | "The Zarrakin"
Stardate 99346.3
Even in the midst of a world-ending plague outbreak deep in unexplored territory, the Valley Forge finds themselves dealing with an all too familiar problem...piracy.
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Keliaya@anncaris | As the Valley Forge travels through the space of the Hyrdeum 'Thousand Clans' Empire, Keelah speaks with Kazra in sickbay about their newest discoveries on the mysterious virus plaguing this - Keliaya@anncaris - region Keliaya@anncaris | Kazra: "Captain. Thanks for joining me. I don't have any major breakthroughs, just a few updates I thought you should be aware of." Keelah@crystyl:"Any update is valued at this point, doctor. What have you learned?" Keliaya@anncaris | Kazra: "Well firstly, employing the transporter method on a planet-wide scale isn't an option. We can construct something to detect contamination more easily, but actually filtering it out - Keliaya@anncaris - requires the subject to pass through a transporter. Not only will the Hyrdeum need transporter tech, they'll also need one big enough to transport a whole planet." Keelah@crystyl:"What about our idea to adapt the biofilter tech from the transporters, or is that dead in space now too?" Keliaya@anncaris | Kazra shakes her head, "We can't implement it exactly without the transporters. There is a way to do it without transporter tech though, which involves using medical nanites. But that's got - Keliaya@anncaris - its own set of problems." Keelah@crystyl:"I bet it has..." Keliaya@anncaris | Kazra: "Firstly, Hyrdeum nanobot technology isn't advanced enough to pull it off, which means we're still going to have to give them our tech. And honestly between transporters and nanites, I - Keliaya@anncaris - think transporter tech's the safer of the two for them to have. They might become better at conquering, but at least they won't accidentally turn themselves into Borg or something." Keliaya@anncaris | Kazra: "And speaking of Borg...secondly, the nanite solution's got the same limitations as transporters anyways. We can use it to clean the virus from one patient, or even a whole group of - Keliaya@anncaris - patients. But to implement it on a planetary scale, that we're going to need the Borg's help for, and our Borg friends are halfway across the galaxy." Keelah@crystyl:"Well, even ruling out possibilities is a form of progress" she smiles Keliaya@anncaris | Kazra smiles back, "True. The Hyrdeum themselves have also experimented with vaccination already. It's not difficult to make a vaccine for the virus, but vaccinations work by teaching your - Keliaya@anncaris:- body to recognize the virus. Just like how this virus can mutate itself to infect almost any species, it can also mutate itself to circumvent a vaccine. It'll delay the infection, but it's not - Keliaya@anncaris:- a solution. At the moment, we know that preventing infection is next to impossible. We do have a treatment for someone who is infected, but no way of dispersing it on a large scale." Keelah@crystyl:"So then do we need to focus on immunization?" Keliaya@anncaris | Kazra: "I'm looking for ways to immunize other than traditional vaccination. So far, I haven't-" Keliaya@anncaris | Keelah's combadge chimes Keelah@crystyl holds up an apologetic hand to Kazra as she taps with the other, "Se'Lai" Keliaya@anncaris <C - Eva> "Captain, QanwI' has detected a ship passing through the area. The Loki has just performed an analysis and would like to discuss our course of action." Keelah@crystyl:"Ok, thank you. Begin the discussion, I'll be right up there" Keliaya@anncaris:<C - Eva> "Understood." Keelah@crystyl:"Well doctor, keep up the good work. For now though, duty calls" she smiles again and waves, heading out --- Keelah@crystyl steps on to the bridge a short time later Keliaya@anncaris | On the bridge, not only T'Lana has holocalled in, but also Kelly, now wearing a Latenter uniform in Engineering colours Keelah@crystyl looks between the two as she sits and smiles at Kelly, "Going native on me already, Commander?" Keliaya@anncaris chuckles, "I just thought it was a good idea to switch back to Engineering colours so people wouldn't get confused. And since I was making a new uniform anyways, might as well replicate the - Keliaya@anncaris - local one to fit in with the crew. Don't worry, as interesting as the Loki's systems are, I'll be back on the Forge when Farhalla's ready to take over, or when we get back home, whichever - Keliaya@anncaris - comes first." Keelah@crystyl:"Hopefully the former, but let us not digress" looks to TL, "What have we got then?" Keliaya@anncaris | T'Lana: "A single ship, travelling at warp three in our general direction, but not towards us specifically." Keliaya@anncaris:"The QanwI's managed to collect some good scans and I've just finished studying them." Keelah@crystyl:"Recommendations?" Keliaya@anncaris:"The ship is definitely Hyrdeum in design, there's obvious similarities to the vessels we've seen as well as the research station. But it's damaged, and I don't think it's military. It's structured - Keliaya@anncaris - like a freighter and it's only armed with three disruptor turrets." Keelah@crystyl:"So you think we should approach and offer aid?" Keliaya@anncaris:"Well it looks like it could use a hand. It's still warp capable, but all three turrets have been disabled and one of its cargo bay doors has been blasted open. But helping them could still be a - Keliaya@anncaris - risk, with the Hyrdeum military likely searching for us." Keliaya@anncaris | T'Lana: "While this vessel is unlikely to be a military one, it could inform their people of our whereabouts, and they may be able to extrapolate the path Corcais plotted for us." Keelah@crystyl:"I assume we can venture into communications range with them before being visible on their sensors?" Keliaya@anncaris nods, "With their sensor systems, yes. It's significantly less refined than what Corcais' ship is equipped with, another reason we're pretty sure it's a Hyrdeum civilian vessel." Keelah@crystyl:"Then we can do so and contact them to see if they require aid. If they ask, we can go help. Otherwise, leave them to it" Keliaya@anncaris:"Sounds like a plan." Keliaya@anncaris | T'Lana: "We will stay cloaked and monitor their communications. If necessary, we will be able to jam them and delay any information from reaching their military until we are safely away from - Keliaya@anncaris - this region." Keelah@crystyl:"Then it does indeed sound like we have a plan" --- NPC@annpc#557 | Not long after meeting with T'Lana and Kelly, the VF begins to approach the ship in question NPC@annpc#557 | Ann: "Approachin' comm range now, Cap'n." NPC@annpc#557 | The image of the vessel appears magnified on the viewscreen NPC@annpc#557 FX | https://i.imgur.com/9jonQLB.png Keelah@crystyl:"Try hailing them" NPC@annpc#557 | Eva nods, tapping her console, "They've answered the hail. Putting them onscreen now." NPC@annpc#557 | A female Hyrdeum appears on the viewscreen, with a bridge showing some minor signs of damage behind her, "Hello? Who is this?" Keelah@crystyl smiles, "Hello, I am Captain Se'Lai of the Valley Forge. Forgive the intrusion, but we picked up your ship on our sensors and it looked like you may be having some difficulty. Which does appear to - Keelah@crystyl:- be the case, from what I see" NPC@annpc#557 | The Hyrdeum chuckles, "Difficulty's putting it nicely. You don't look like you're from any species of our Empire or our regular trading partners. Where did you come from?" Keelah@crystyl:"We are travellers from a distant part of this galaxy. Just passing through your Empire's territory on our way home" NPC@annpc#557 | Hyrdeum: "This is not the usual route merchants and travellers use through our territory. You avoiding inspection like we are?" Keelah@crystyl:"You are avoiding your own people's inspections?" NPC@annpc#557 | The Hyrdeum nods, "We're not smugglers, if that's what you're thinking. You can tell we're having difficulties, so I assume you're seeing the damage we've taken?" Keelah@crystyl:"That much is apparent. What happened to you exactly?" she asks, indicating the bridge behind her NPC@annpc#557 | Hyrdeum: "We were boarded by Zarrakin pirates. They took our cargo; fortunately these ones weren't carrying any plague. I've had every bulkhead scanned and none of my crew have any symptoms, - NPC@annpc#557 - but we can't go back, so we're just...wandering while we try to figure things out." Keelah@crystyl:"I'm sorry, Zarrakin?" NPC@annpc#557 | Hyrdeum: "They're a species that used to be part of our Empire. We let them go after the plague outbreak and many of them have become pirates since. I'm no doctor, but from what I understand, - NPC@annpc#557 - the plague's mutated in a way that's very generous to them." Keelah@crystyl:"Generous? That is hard to believe from what we've heard of it" NPC@annpc#557 | Hyrdeum: "The effects of the plague are random, right? It's mutated to infect Zarrakin in a way that apparently just gives them a fever the first few times around. Eventually it mutates them, - NPC@annpc#557 - turns their skin a reddish colour and gives them increased strength and pain tolerance. Basically become a different species or something. We call them 'Berserkers,' and only on berserkers is - NPC@annpc#557 - the virus actually fatal. Which means they can get infected multiple times before they're actually at risk of dying." Keelah@crystyl:"Curious, I was not aware of any consistent effect across a single species" NPC@annpc#557 | Hyrdeum: "It tends to settle on a specific effect for a species, always goes for the easiest way to infect that species whatever effect that may induce. Path of least resistance and all. It's - NPC@annpc#557 - not guaranteed, a Hyrdeum could survive multiple infections and a Zarrakin still has a chance of dying the first time, but we got unlucky in that the effect most of us get have a fifty-fifty - NPC@annpc#557 - chance of being fatal." Keelah@crystyl:"I see. So you were attacked by these pirates, but why does that mean you are left wondering now?" NPC@annpc#557 | Hyrdeum: "My shipping company's...not particularly massive. More of a family business with only five freighters. We've already lost four of them- three of them were contaminated and purged, - NPC@annpc#557 - two as a result of other pirate raids. Sold another to keep the business afloat. This is our last ship and our last chance. If I go back empty-handed, I lose everything." Keelah@crystyl:"I see, that is unfortunate indeed. What were you shipping, out of interest?" NPC@annpc#557 | Hyrdeum: "Topaline. And it's a contract for the military, so if I ask them for help, they'll know I lost the shipment. Best case, they retrieve the supplies themselves and refuse to pay me, - NPC@annpc#557 - but I'm still done for. I need the payment to get my ship repaired up or I won't get another job, military or otherwise." Keelah@crystyl:"I see. That is certainly quite the predicament. Sadly, that is not something we carry and nor can we simply replicate. But what if we could get your shipment back from these pirates?" NPC@annpc#557 | Eva: "Receiving the data now, Captain." Keelah@crystyl:"I wish I could promise success, but for now the best I can say is that we will look into it. Stay safe, and hopefully we will speak again soon with good news" NPC@annpc#557 | Hyrdeum: "It is already most generous for a stranger. I'll look forward to seeing you again. Good luck with the pirates, and keep safe too." Keelah@crystyl nods a farewell before the comm ends. "Alright, so what have they given us?" NPC@annpc#557 | Eva: "We've got the coordinates where they were attacked and scans of the pirate ship that raided them. Looks like a single light cruiser, similar level of technology to the Hyrdeum ships." NPC@annpc#557 | Thorkildsen: "Shouldn't be a threat to us, even if they have an entire fleet." Keelah@crystyl:"Let's not jump to conclusions too early" she chuckles, "Share the data with other ships, they can scout ahead and begin the search for these pirates" NPC@annpc#557 | Eva nods, "Sending it now." --- Marion Watson@annpc#557 | On the bridge, Rianni prepares VF's tactical systems for a potential encounter with pirates when she notices something unusual... Marion Watson@annpc#557 | The phaser targeting systems have increased in accuracy by 0.34% and their power transfer efficiency has been improved by 0.16%. Despite the fact that Rianni and Thorkildsen have already - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - fine-tuned the system to as far as it can go... Rianni@crystyl begins investigating the source just to be safe Marion Watson@annpc#557 | Rianni traces down the source of the improvements to adjustments that were made down in phaser control roughly half an hour ago Rianni@crystyl checks the log to see who was working in there at the time Marion Watson@annpc#557 | One Ensign Hoffman, several enlisted personnel, and Commander Watson Rianni@crystyl opens a channel to phaser control Marion Watson@annpc#557 | Ensign Hoffman's voice comes through, "This is phaser control." Rianni@crystyl:"It's Rianni. I'm seeing some unexpected changes in tactical systems that seem to have originated from down there" Marion Watson@annpc#557:<C - Hoffman> "Oh yes, Commander Watson was making some calibrations since we received word that we might be running into some pirates. Should I ask her to stop, or?" Rianni@crystyl:"No, that's fine. Just make sure you flag any proposed improvements before implementing them. Never know who else is doing what at the time that might interfere!" Marion Watson@annpc#557:<C - Hoffman> "Understood, Lieutenant. Speaking of proposed improvements, Watson did mention a more drastic improvement she probably needs to run by you first before implementing, whenever you've - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - got the time." Rianni@crystyl:"Oh yeah? I'll come see now then!" --- Marion Watson@annpc#557 is working away at a console in phaser control Rianni@crystyl steps over, "Keeping busy I see" she smiles Marion Watson@annpc#557 turns as Rianni steps over, "That I am! Sorry for the unannounced calibrations. I was just working and suddenly recognized how I could improve things. I don't know /how/ I knew what to do, but I - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - just did. Old habits I guess," she chuckles Rianni@crystyl shakes her head, "Think nothing of it. I'm glad you able to help make a difference here already! Just... do me a favour the next time you feel inspired and drop a call to the bridge first. Trust - Rianni@crystyl:- me, you do /not/ want to feel the wrath of our Chief Engineer if you do something that gets in their way!" she chuckles, clearly the voice of experience there Marion Watson@annpc#557 chuckles, "I'll keep that in mind for the future! The Chief Engineer isn't upset with me now...right?" Rianni@crystyl:"Well he has a very... Norwegian temperament. Fear not though, the changes flagged up to me first so I've got your back if he asks!" Marion Watson@annpc#557 smiles, "Thanks. Speaking of dropping a call, I did remember something else I could do to improve the weapons systems, but it's more than a few calibrations so I wanted to check it with you first. Rianni@crystyl:"Yes, Hoffman mentioned something about that so I thought I'd come and see what you had in mind" Marion Watson@annpc#557 turns to the console, tapping on it, "Here's the specifications. It's a modification to induce quantum fluctuations in the phaser systems, allowing them to destabilize enemy shielding, and other - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - systems once we get past the shields and land hits on their hull." Rianni@crystyl:"Quantum fluctuations? This sounds pretty intense!" Marion Watson@annpc#557 nods, "It'll require a bit more power to the phaser systems of course, but it can easily be turned off when we don't need it. When we do, I've run through the calculations and the benefits - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - gained through this is better than simply adding the additional power required to boost the raw output of the phaser arrays. Take a look." Rianni@crystyl looks over the data, "Almost seems too good to be true. An upgrade on this level will need the Captain's approval, but I see no reason why she'd reject it. We just need to fully arm a proposal with- Rianni@crystyl:- engineering support and some simulations" Marion Watson@annpc#557 | As Rianni examines the data, she notices that modifications would produce similar results to the phaser modifications Ketkolep provided back when he was on the ship and helping out. This isn't - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - as drastic as Ketkolep's quantum-modified phasers, but it's what Rianni was hoping to recreate after witnessing Ketkolep's modifications, but was unable to find a viable method to do it. - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - Watson's method seems like it would be stable, though Marion Watson@annpc#557 smiles, "Sounds good! As long as I don't have to explain to the Captain where I got the idea from, since I don't know that myself..." she chuckles Rianni@crystyl:"Maybe you had some dealings with an alien who has helped us out before too. He applied a similar technique here once, but I've been unable to replicate the results since" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Really? Interesting. I guess I must've crossed paths with him as well in my career. I wonder if he's mentioned in my personnel file anywhere, or the reports of the ships I served on." Rianni@crystyl:"Maybe! He's pretty elusive though, so the odds are slim I'll admit. But the important thing is that this is a potentially viable way to achieve our goal of reproducing his results!" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Maybe it's just one of those cases where two people came up with the same idea independantly. After all, many civilizations invented very similar warp technology on their own too. You've looked - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - into making similar modifications before, then?" Rianni@crystyl:"Yes, but never came up with anything like this so have not yet been able to actually propose a solution" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Well, your research so far might be helpful in better optimizing mine!" Rianni@crystyl:"Doubtful, but you are welcome to it in any case" she taps on the console, calling it all up, "So how about we polish this into a proposal fit to wow the Captain?" Marion Watson@annpc#557 smiles, "Sounds good to me! I assume it'll take some time to get it approved before we can get started on implementation?" Rianni@crystyl:"More than likely" she nods Marion Watson@annpc#557 nods, "That's fine, these modifications are probably overdoing it against the ships in this region," she chuckles. "I took a quick look at the scans of the pirate ship we're looking for. It - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - seems like most people in this region are less advanced than us." Rianni@crystyl:"Seems to be the case. Still, can never be too careful. So let's get straight to work on this - if we draft up an implementation plan first, we can at least keep it in reserve while we gather up the- Rianni@crystyl:- simulation data with engineering" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Good thinking. We have enough data on the raider that captured me to make an accurate simulation of it, I assume? What about the larger ship you encountered from your reports in the...Kratt - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - territory, was it?" Rianni@crystyl:"Well, there's more data on it than any other ship besides that raider. But when it comes to stuff like this, no amount of data is every truly enough" she chuckles Marion Watson@annpc#557:"True! I was looking through the data we have on those ships and thought we could use all the advantages we can get. I don't think my phaser improvement idea is going to help all that much, but - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - if it works, it's still an improvement..." Rianni@crystyl smiles, "And one we wouldn't even be considering without your work!" Marion Watson@annpc#557 smiles back, "I'm glad I can contribute! I had no idea how helpful I'd be when Keelah accepted me onto the crew, but these old memories I don't know I have are being quite helpful. Did you have - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - a similar experience? With the Observer's memories, that is." Rianni@crystyl:"Sort of, though I suppose the real difference was that where you don't know you have the memories, but can call upon them when made pertinent; I did know I had them but lacked the capacity to draw - Rianni@crystyl:- from them" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Did you know what areas these memories covered, or just the fact that you /had/ her memories, but not quite what they are?" Rianni@crystyl:"Oh no, I knew exactly what they were! Like..." she glances to the console, "...I knew how to hack a communications system from any connected console. Even how to tap into encrypted SFI channels! - Rianni@crystyl:- But I had comprehension of how to enact the memories into real life skills or applications until such a time that instinct almost took over. Then there's the martial arts, which I was aware of but- Rianni@crystyl:- lacked the physical prowess to back up until I trained" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"I almost feel like I'm experiencing the exact opposite. I don't know what it is I can do, until I actually need to do it. Then, the instinct just comes back and I suddenly just...know. Like when I - Marion Watson@annpc#557:- was looking to improve the weapons systems, I just knew what to do, but I didn't even know that I knew! That's a lot of knowing in one sentence," she chuckles Rianni@crystyl smiles, "Yea, it's like the same thing but the opposite at the same time! I do get it though, like my example with the comms encryption - that was something I was not consciously aware of until I - Rianni@crystyl:- found myself in a situation so desperate that it just sort of came out. So I think maybe certain aspects of the Observer like that - stuff she played much closer to her chest as it were - is a lot- Rianni@crystyl:- more similar to what you're experiencing" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Maybe! I know I definitely don't have the problem with physical prowess, but I suppose past-me wasn't genetically enhanced, unlike other-you where you got your memories from." Marion Watson@annpc#557:"But I'm also just using pure instinct when it comes to things like martial arts. I just know what to do from more muscle memory than actual brain memory." Rianni@crystyl chuckles, "Again the same but opposite then! I had the brain memory of combat but not the muscle memory!" Marion Watson@annpc#557 chuckles, "I wonder how I hold up to your skill...perhaps we could give it a try when we're working with simulations anyways. But first, let's get this proposal ready." Rianni@crystyl smiles, "I'd welcome it! Might be nice to spar with someone besides that Klingon assassin!" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Klingon assassin...? I shouldn't be surprised, this crew has no shortage of interesting personalities!" she chuckles. "I look forward to it too when we get the chance, Lieutenant." Rianni@crystyl:"Oh, she's on the QanwI' don't worry! But yes, we do seem to have built up quite the collection of personalities on this ship..." Marion Watson@annpc#557:"And now I'm just adding to the collection..." she laughs. "Anyways! Onto work with the proposal." --- NPK@annpc#557 | The cloaked QanwI' cruises through space, scouting ahead for signs of the pirates NPK@annpc#557 | On the bridge, the officer on sensors announces, "Captain! I have a ship on long-range sensors." Lexi@crystyl wakes up, "Is it the pirates?" NPK@annpc#557 | Sensor Officer: "Too far to tell. It's not a small ship and it doesn't seem to be moving. Could be lying in wait for prey. I suggest we get a closer look." Lexi@crystyl:"Do you now? Well if you suggest it..." she gestures to the helm with a smirk, "Best get to it" NPK@annpc#557 | Pilot: "Aye Captain!" The QanwI' quickly changes course, heading towards the newly spotted ship NPK@annpc#557 | Sensor Officer: "Correction- the ship is moving, just at very slow sublight speed. Almost like it's drifting. These may not be pirates but their latest target." Lexi@crystyl:"Maybe. Or maybe something they've setup as a tasty little trap for do-gooders" NPK@annpc#557 | K'Sarn: "If these pirates behave anything like the ones back home, that's a possibility." Lexi@crystyl:"Here's hoping. It's been too long since we had a good old fashioned pirate hunt" NPK@annpc#557 | K'Sarn: "Aye. Closest we've had were dealings with hostile Lupan, but most of them's been on our side for a while. Fighting them was good while it lasted, though!" He laughs Lexi@crystyl:"Well I wouldn't get your hopes up for this lot from what we've seen so far" NPK@annpc#557 | K'Sarn: "The people here really don't have the tech to stand up to us. Wonder how they do in personal combat though. I hope we get a chance to test out at least that much!" Lexi@crystyl grins, "Now that sounds like a plan to me!" NPK@annpc#557 | Sensor Officer: "We're getting closer scans of the ship now. Seems to be a similar type of vessel as the freighter that asked for help." Lexi@crystyl:"Totally a trap" NPK@annpc#557 | Sensor Officer: "This one is damaged. Much more so than the other one. Don't think it's warp-capable anymore. No sign of any other ships in the area though, or anything that might hide ships. - NPK@annpc#557 - Unless these people have cloaks, but they weren't advanced enough from what we've seen." Lexi@crystyl:"Anything of interest on board?" NPK@annpc#557 | Sensor Officer: "There's lifesigns. Five of them. Three look Hyrdeum. The other two...well they're something similar to Hyrdeum but not quite. One of them is very faint, probably won't live - NPK@annpc#557 - much longer. Other than that, looks like the ship's been raided of any cargo other than basic provisions." Lexi@crystyl:"Could be plague carriers given those lifesigns then" NPK@annpc#557 | The sensor officer nods, "Very likely. Ship itself is in /bad/ shape. Just take a look." NPK@annpc#557 | The magnified image of the ship comes up on the viewscreen NPK@annpc#557 FX | https://i.imgur.com/BgemzJR.png Lexi@crystyl:"Wow, they really did a number on this one didn't they. Alright, well let's relay this one back to Starfleet and let them handle the messy side while we continue the search" NPK@annpc#557 | Comm Merc: "Relaying it to the Valley Forge now." NPK@annpc#557 | Sensor Officer: "No warp trails I can pick up on. Attack must've happened too long ago for any to be intact enough to follow. Should we just pick a direction and fly?" Lexi@crystyl:"Yes, back on our original search pattern for now" NPK@annpc#557 | Pilot: "Aye Captain. Resuming original search pattern." NPK@annpc#557 | The cloaked QanwI' jumps away to warp again, leaving the damaged freighter behind for the Valley Forge to deal with... --- NPC@annpc#557 | On the VF bridge a short while later, they begin to approach the damaged freighter... NPC@annpc#557 FX | https://i.imgur.com/BgemzJR.png Keelah@crystyl:"Open a channel" NPC@annpc#557 | Eva nods and taps her console Keelah@crystyl | Lennie: "Only 4 lifesigns o'er there now. Either QanwI' were wrong..." Keelah@crystyl nods, "Or they've already lost one" NPC@annpc#557 | Eva: "Channel open, Captain." NPC@annpc#557 | A Hyrdeum male appears on the viewscreen with a damaged and empty bridge behind him. He looks paler than usual for his species. Keelah@crystyl:"Hello, I am Captain Se'Lai of the Valley Forge. Forgive the impromptu arrival but we detected your vessel on our long range sensors and it looked like you might be in some trouble. Do you require - Keelah@crystyl:- assistance?" NPC@annpc#557 | Sick Hyrdeum: "Yes, yes you can. Is your ship armed?" Keelah@crystyl nods, "Yes..." NPC@annpc#557 | Sick Hyrdeum: "Good. Our ship is...contaminated. The warp core is gone and we cannot self-destruct. Please, destroy us, and then turn your weapons to the thieving velis who did this to us." Keelah@crystyl:"You mean the plague" NPC@annpc#557 | The sick Hyrdeum nods, "You know of it. Then you know how deadly it is. I am...no warrior. I cannot bear to kill us all personally, and even if we did all die, the virus might still live on - NPC@annpc#557 - somewhere in the ship. We must be scuttled lest we spread the plague to others. It will be a favour to the empire, and a mercy to us." Keelah@crystyl:"Well... if it's all the same to you... I'd rather not turn our weapons on you like that. How about we just cure you and your crew instead?" NPC@annpc#557 | Sick Hyrdeum: "You...have a cure? How?" Keelah@crystyl:"It is a long way from being effective yet. But our technology has been proven capable of cleansing individuals of the plague. If you would permit it, we could transport you all over here and help - Keelah@crystyl:- get you straightened out. Once you're healthy and happy again, then let's talk about your ship" she smiles NPC@annpc#557 | Sick Hyrdeum: "Of course. We will not turn down a chance for a potential cure. But be careful, do not get your own crew infected in the process." Keelah@crystyl:"I appreciate your concern, but I promise you our method is tried and tested. I suggest powering down your engines and allowing us to take your vessel under tow while you are here" NPC@annpc#557 | Sick Hyrdeum: "We do not have any engines left. We are adrift and should not be too difficult for you to tow. I will gather with what remains of the crew in the bunks." Keelah@crystyl:"Alright. We will transport you over shortly, then I look forward to greeting you properly" NPC@annpc#557 | Sick Hyrdeum: "We'll await you here." Keelah@crystyl lets the comm end, "Alright, tell Kazra it is as we thought and she is clear to process the survivors" NPC@annpc#557 | Eva nods, tapping her console, "Sickbay and transporter room is proceeding with the recovery of survivors." Keelah@crystyl:"While they work, let's get a more detailed scan of their ship and it's current condition. I'd like to have a good idea of what can be done for them by the time we sit down" NPC@annpc#557 | Thorkildsen: "I've been examining the ship. He wasn't exaggerating when he said their warp core and engines are gone, and so are pretty much all the aft cargo storage areas. Some of the - NPC@annpc#557 - forward sections are still intact, but it's more of a floating hulk of metal than a ship now. It'll need a full drydock to repair and I doubt anyone will bother with it; with this level of - NPC@annpc#557 - damage it'll be easier to just commission a new ship. All the propulsion systems and everything that actually makes it a starship is gone." Keelah@crystyl:"I see. well, let's hope they don't mind sticking around here for a while then" --- NPC@annpc#557 | Down in sickbay, three of the Hyrdeum are sitting, either on beds or stools, conversing among themselves. Kazra and a number of nurses are busy working at the surgical bed, where the fourth - NPC@annpc#557 - survivor lies. The three sitting Hyrdeum includes the one Keelah spoke to on comms, whose skin is no longer sickly pale as it was before Keelah@crystyl approaches the group, leaving Kazra to work, "Welcome aboard. It is good to see you looking better already" she glances to the surgical bed, "How is your fourth crewman?" NPC@annpc#557 | Hyrdeum Crewman: "Thank you for the rescue. Your doctor tells us the virus has been cleansed from our systems. That teleportation technology of yours truly is a miracle! The infection was not - NPC@annpc#557 - advanced enough among the three of us to cause any mutation yet. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of Setyis. Her infection was in a more advanced stage..." Keelah@crystyl glances again, "I know my medical staff is doing all they can for her" NPC@annpc#557 | The crewman looks over again, "It certainly looks like it. We are in your debt for all you have done for us, regardless of her fate. I am Kuhiem, and these are my crewmates, Debain and - NPC@annpc#557 - Rekkavis. Your people have quite the advanced technology. I take it you're not from this region, otherwise we would've known." Keelah@crystyl:"It is good to meet you all properly. And you are quite right, we are travellers passing through this region" NPC@annpc#557 | Kuheim: "We are fortunate you have come across us, then. We may have lost our cargo and our ship, but at least we still have our lives." Keelah@crystyl:"Yes, I am sorry we did not reach you before you were attacked. Am I safe in assuming it was the pirates who currently operate in this region?" NPC@annpc#557 | Kuheim nods, "Yes, the Zarrakin velis. You've crossed paths with them?" Keelah@crystyl:"No, but you are not the first we've encountered who have been hit by them. We are trying to track then down now" NPC@annpc#557 | Kuheim: "Any trail they left would be gone by now, but our ship sensors caught the course they left on after they raided us. Going to our contaminated vessel is a risk...but I suppose with - NPC@annpc#557 - your transporters able to cleanse the virus upon return it's not really a risk for you." Keelah@crystyl:"We can take necessary precautions" she nods, "We can also try to establish a remote connection from here first, with your assistance" NPC@annpc#557 | Kuheim nods, "Of course. We'll do anything we can do to assist, after what you've done for us. Once you have what you need from our ship, I still suggest scuttling it- without us on it this time - NPC@annpc#557 - though." Keelah@crystyl smiles, "I'm glad to see you came round to my way of thinking on that. I still think it would be a shame to just scuttle your ship, especially when these pirates are causing so much damage out - Keelah@crystyl:- here right now. Maybe we can just park it until this is over. I would hate to scuttle it, only to then find the needed parts recoverable from the pirates later on" NPC@annpc#557 | Kuheim: "I suppose, but there may still be plague contamination on board. You could put a warning broadcast on repeat while you're accessing the sensor data. Unless you have a way of clearing - NPC@annpc#557 - the ship of any trace of the virus?" Keelah@crystyl:"We'll have to take a closer look in order to determine that. Once we know the state of plague conditions there, then we can better determine what to do about it" NPC@annpc#557 | Kuheim nods, "Very well. Let me know when you need my assistance with anything." Keelah@crystyl:"We can get to work straight away, but you should see to your people first. So take your time here and once everything is settled, just let the staff here know and they can get you where you're - Keelah@crystyl:- needed" NPC@annpc#557 | Kuheim: "We will. Thank you again for the rescue." NPC@annpc#557 | Meanwhile, Kazra steps away from the surgical bed to speak to Keelah as she wraps up her conversation with Kuheim Keelah@crystyl turns, "Doctor. How is your patient?" NPC@annpc#557 | Kazra: "She'll live, and be completely healthy again. But we've run into some difficulties and there'll be complications. Which might sound like a contradiction to the 'healthy' statement, but - NPC@annpc#557 - it's more of a recovery process complication." Keelah@crystyl:"How so?" NPC@annpc#557 | Kazra: "The virus has already began mutating her when we recovered her. The transporter cleared the virus and prevented any further mutation, but in order to ensure she lives, we had to undo - NPC@annpc#557 - the mutations using genetic therapy. The problem is, the virus has already altered her DNA and there's no record of her DNA before contracting the virus that her crewmembers knew where to find." Keelah@crystyl:"So what is the prognosis? You said before she will be healthy again" NPC@annpc#557 | Kazra nods, "Fortunately, we do have DNA from a healthy Hyrdeum female-" she gestures to the three Hyrdeum at the patient beds, "her crewmate Rekkavis. We also have genetic data of the species - NPC@annpc#557 - courtesy of Corcais and his crew. Combining that information with the patient's corrupted DNA, we've been able to regenerate her body to a healthy state. The problem is, her body might not be - NPC@annpc#557 - exactly how she remembers it before, since we had to fill in the blanks with genes from other members of her species. She's still a Hyrdeum female, but there might be slight differences here - NPC@annpc#557 - and there which may require a little rehabilitation." Keelah@crystyl:"Well she's in the best hands here to prepare her for it" she smiles NPC@annpc#557 | Kazra smiles back, "I'll make sure she gets the support she needs. And it's good to see our treatment working on sentient beings and getting to finally put it to use." Keelah@crystyl:"Indeed. We may still need your input to assess conditions on their ship. When you have the time, of course" NPC@annpc#557 | Kazra nods, "I'll look into it as soon as I'm free here." Keelah@crystyl nods and heads out, leaving her to her work --- Marion Watson@annpc#557 | As Kazra continues doing her medical work, Rianni and Watson proceeds to the ready room with their proposal, ringing the doorbell Keelah@crystyl:"Come in" Marion Watson@annpc#557 steps into the room with Rianni, "Hello Captain. I hope we're not interrupting. This isn't any urgent business, but we heard we were waiting on the patients to recover before we proceed with what - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - to do regarding their ship." Keelah@crystyl:"It's alright ladies, what can I do for you? Must be serious if you're ganging up on me..." she chuckles Marion Watson@annpc#557 chuckles, taking a seat, "Not quite, it's just a proposal we've been working on." Keelah@crystyl:"Oh? Do tell" Marion Watson@annpc#557 takes out a PADD, setting it on the desk, "It's a modification that's going to add quantum fluctuations to our phasers. Lieutenant Tierno says that our weapons have been similarly modified - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - before in the past by an alien lifeform, but we were unable to reproduce the effect," she looks to Rianni to elaborate Keelah@crystyl | Rianni nods, "That time Ketkolep worked his magic on our systems" Keelah@crystyl:"I see. So you think you have come up with an upgrade to reproduce those results?" Marion Watson@annpc#557 nods, "It's another one of those things I don't exactly know /how/ I know, but I just do. It won't be an exact reproduction of these results, but it'll be something along the same lines which - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - provides an improvement on the weapons systems. In short, the fluctuations will make our phasers more effective at stripping energy shielding and it'll also negatively affect their other - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - systems once we're past the shields by playing havoc with power levels." Keelah@crystyl:"That is certainly quite the upgrade. But at what cost does it come?" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"The phasers are going to require at least fifteen percent more power with the modification active. The more power we can give it, the more effective it'll be. We're going to build in a switch for - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - the modification that allows it to be toggled on and off easily for when we wish to apply the modification. It might increase the power costs of the phasers while on, but all our calculations - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - show that it's a more worthwhile use of the additional power than simply using it to boost raw energy output from the arrays." Keelah@crystyl:"So is it comparable to using an array overload?" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Not quite. An array overload will cause more raw damage and cost even more additional power, plus we'll have to wait before we overload the same array again or we'll burn out the array. We /can/ - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - still overload with the modification active, but in addition to extra energy output, the modification makes the phasers significantly more effective at stripping enemy shields and disabling - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - their systems. Basically, it makes our phasers exceptional at disabling enemies, rather than causing more destructive damage with an overload. Starfleet prefers to disable rather than destroy, - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - so I think it's a more preferable option." Keelah@crystyl:"And it sounds like it would even be less of a strain overall on our power distribution, compared to a typical heavy combat scenario at least" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Exactly. If we do combine an overload with the modification, our calculations indicate it'll be enough power to punch through the shields of a lighter ship such as a Nova-class in a single shot." Keelah@crystyl:"Well, as long as it doesn't pose any real risk of burning out our arrays or anything like that, I see no reason not to proceed. How long would it take to install the upgrade?" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Preliminary estimates are about two to three days per array, plus twice as long for the forward dual beam battery. About a month overall, give or take a few days. We can do it as we travel without - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - any need for docking facilities." Keelah@crystyl:"And I assume each array will be offline while it is being upgraded?" Marion Watson@annpc#557 nods, "That's why we're planning to only work on a single array at a time, as to minimize disruption to the ship's overall readiness status. This might be the best time to make these - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - modifications as well, since every ship we've come across here has been significantly less advanced than we are. We wouldn't want to be caught without all our arrays online once we start - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - approaching Dominion space. The Dominion are allies now, but we know civilizations near or within their territory have quite powerful tech as well." Keelah@crystyl:"Very true. And does the time you've allotted per array include a margin for calibration and testing?" Marion Watson@annpc#557 nods, "It does. We'll probably continue tweaking it as we go, but we'll have each array calibrated to a satisfactory degree before we move on to the next." Keelah@crystyl smiles, "Well, you certainly have made a solid case here. I can see you really believe in this little project" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"I've been looking at the scans of those temporal ships. I don't think my modification will be enough for us to go toe-to-toe with them, but it's an improvement that'll even the odds at least - Marion Watson@annpc#557:- slightly more in our favour," she smiles back Keelah@crystyl:"I do believe you're right. Well ladies, I look forward to seeing the fruits of your labour" she smiles Marion Watson@annpc#557:"I'll make sure it won't disappoint, Captain." --- NPC@annpc#557 | On the VF's bridge, Eva is working with Kuheim in remotely accessing his freighter's data NPC@annpc#557 | Eva: "We have it! Scans of the pirate ship and the course they took after the raid." Keelah@crystyl looks over, "Nicely done. Relay the data to the others" NPC@annpc#557 | Eva nods, "Sending it now. Should we follow on the course, or continue having the scouts check it out before us?" Keelah@crystyl:"They can continue ahead for now" she looks to Kuheim, "We still need to decide what to do here after all" NPC@annpc#557 | Kuheim: "Your doctor had an idea on that." Keelah@crystyl:"Oh?" NPC@annpc#557 | Kuheim: "The ship's not worth fixing to get spaceworthy again, but there might still be some salvage worth collecting. If we don't want to scuttle it, we could flood it with radiation. Don't - NPC@annpc#557 - remember which type it was that she suggested, but it'll destroy all organic matter, including the virus. Since we're no longer on the ship it's a viable method. All it'll do is spoil a few - NPC@annpc#557 - food rations." Keelah@crystyl:"That sounds reasonable. I hope you won't mind remaining here as our guests for a while longer?" NPC@annpc#557 | Kuheim: "Not at all. Your ship's got more amenities than anything we've ever built. But even living on a crammed military destroyer's better than the wreckage we left behind." NPC@annpc#557 | Ann: "Maybe they could hitch a ride with the other freighter, once we get back to 'em." Keelah@crystyl:"That was my thought, yes. It is also why I was hoping to try and salvage the ship - or at least as much of it as we can" NPC@annpc#557 | Ann nods, "So we can use it to help fix up the other, less damaged one." Keelah@crystyl:"Exactly, yes. But first we must deal with these pirates" NPC@annpc#557 | Thorkildsen: "From these readings, it looks like this is the same class of ship as the one that attacked the other freighter, but there's some differences indicating it's not the same ship. - NPC@annpc#557 - Which means this group probably has multiple ships at their disposal." Keelah@crystyl:"Stands to reason". NPC@annpc#557 | Kuheim: "You know the story behind these Zarrakin, Captain?" Keelah@crystyl shakes her head, "No, but I would welcome hearing it" NPC@annpc#557 | Kuheim: "They were a part of the Empire, before the plague outbreak. When the plague hit, we pulled out of their space, along with several others, to focus on trying to keep the plague out of - NPC@annpc#557 - territories inhabited by our own people." Keelah@crystyl:"And they sought to capitalize on this no doubt" NPC@annpc#557 | Kuheim: "From what I know, they didn't turn to piracy right then and there. They tried to establish control over their own space, built a provisional government, but it didn't last long. - NPC@annpc#557 - Without the guidance of the Empire that they were used to, it all fell apart. The Zarrakin homeworld's pretty much ruled by crime syndicates with little more than a puppet government in - NPC@annpc#557 - charge, and many of them turned to raiding and smuggling in the absence of legitimate trade, since their people developed a reputation as plague-carriers." Keelah@crystyl | Emma looks up from her work at a rear station at the mention of crime syndicates and all Keelah@crystyl has the same thought, glancing her way briefly, "I see. A situation not unfamiliar to many on board here. So these pirates, do they represent the spacefaring aspect of the Zarrakin people now or - Keelah@crystyl:- just a particular minority?" NPC@annpc#557 | Kuheim: "Well they're mostly known for being criminals now, at least to us in the Empire. There's word of groups still trying to build a proper government, but I'd say those are the minority - NPC@annpc#557 - at the moment. At least in terms of ships. I don't doubt plenty of their citizens want the crime lords gone, but they don't have much at their disposal to fight back with." Keelah@crystyl | Emma: "Definitely familiar..." NPC@annpc#557 | Kuheim looks over to Emma curiously, "Got a similar group where you come from?" Keelah@crystyl | Emma nods, "From what you describe, these Zarrakin sound a lot like my own people were until recently" NPC@annpc#557 | Kuheim: "I take it your people managed to turn things around?" Keelah@crystyl | Emma smiles, "Things were definitely looking more positive the last I was back home!" NPC@annpc#557 | Kuheim smiles as well, "That's good to hear. If the Zarrakin can manage to do the same, trade'll be a lot safer around here. We don't need pirates running rampant on top of all the problems - NPC@annpc#557 - caused by the plague. I mean, the Zarrakin situation's indirectly caused by the plague too, but you get what I mean." Keelah@crystyl | Emma nods Keelah@crystyl nods as well, "Still, the fact that this group might represent more than a simple band of pirates is rather troubling..." NPC@annpc#557 | Kuheim: "Hard to say- some of them operate on their own, but they've got bigger syndicates and cartels running more organized operations too. Our military's been too busy trying to keep our - NPC@annpc#557 - worlds free of plague to do much about it." Keelah@crystyl:"Well, we can only focus on one thing at a time. So for now, let's continue looking into this immediate pirate threat and take the rest from there" NPC@annpc#557 | Kuheim nods, "One less band of pirates is still better than nothing." Keelah@crystyl:"Hopefully" --- Marion Watson@annpc#557 | As the VF awaits words from the scouts on the whereabouts of the pirates they are tracking, Rianni and Watson meet up outside a holodeck to run simulations of the proposed phaser upgrades Marion Watson@annpc#557 awaits Rianni outside the holodeck door, "Hello Lieutenant. I hope I'm not taking time away from anything important." Rianni@crystyl smiles, "Nonsense! Outside of actual duty time, this is the highest priority right now so it couldn't possibly be taking us away from anything more important!" Marion Watson@annpc#557 smiles back, "Let's get to work, then!" She steps into the holodeck, turning to the console and slotting in an isolinear chip Marion Watson@annpc#557 taps on the console and the holodeck shimmers into the bridge Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Alright, the program should be set with the parameters to simulate the effects of the modified phasers. You're more familiar with the ship's tactical systems, you can take over tactical while I - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - monitor the power levels on engineering." Rianni@crystyl:"Fair enough. So what's the scenario?" Marion Watson@annpc#557 heads over to the engineering console, "That's adjustable. It can add any ship we have sufficient data on for us to test again. It's not a very complex scenario, so there's no negotiation or - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - enemy ambushes or anything like that," she chuckles. "We can also toggle enemy AI on or off, depending on whether we want an actual simulated fight or just a target dummy to see how effective - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - our weapons are." Rianni@crystyl:"Alright, let's start with a well documented target dummy then just to get a feel for the systems behaviour. I've worked a lot with the collective data from Borg cube encounter at Wolf 359, so how - Rianni@crystyl:- about that" Marion Watson@annpc#557 nods, "Let's try it with the AI off first to test purely the weapons. Computer, one Borg Cube, 2360s, no AI." Marion Watson@annpc#557 | On the viewscreen, a Borg cube jumps out of warp Rianni@crystyl smiles and mutters, "Hello again old friend" Marion Watson@annpc#557 glances to the viewscreen, "That was from quite the pivotal battle from Starfleet history, wasn't it?" Rianni@crystyl:"Yes, it was a horrific defeat for Starfleet at the time as they were woefully unprepared to face the technology of the Borg. During my academy years, I spent hours in the holodeck with the - Rianni@crystyl:- simulation of this battle" she chuckles, "I had it in my head that there had to be a tactical approach which could have made it an allied victory and was determined to prove it" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Did you manage to find one in the end?" Rianni@crystyl shakes her head, "Not within the limits of the actual engagement. Utilizing modern technology and anti-Borg methods, sure. But they weren't available or known at that time so I kept them out" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Sounds like you treated it as your personal no-win scenario." Rianni@crystyl:"Pretty much, yeah" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Well, it's hardly fair with the technology we're using here, but let's see how we do. Try a regular phaser array first, see how much we do in one hit." Rianni@crystyl nods, "Yes, this is no fleet tactics study. Weapons testing it is! Firing" Marion Watson@annpc#557 | The modified phaser fires a blue bolt, impacting the cube and dropping its shields to 89%. A significant improvement, as in previous tests a modern phaser on this cube only lowered shields - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - anywhere between 4-7% per bolt Rianni@crystyl:"A significant boost!" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Try a second hit with the same array." Rianni@crystyl nods and fires again Marion Watson@annpc#557 | Another blue bolt hits the cube, lowering its shields to 79% Marion Watson@annpc#557 taps her console and smiles, "Perfect. The cube doesn't have AI right now so it won't try to counterattack or evade, but the computer is still factoring for all the properties of a Borg cube. - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - Which means it /was/ trying to adapt. Keep it up, I wonder if my hypothesis will hold up..." Rianni@crystyl:"Alright, continuous firing" she taps Marion Watson@annpc#557 | The shields drop to 70%, then 62, then 55, then 50, 48, 47, before the Borg finally adapt Rianni@crystyl ceases fire once they fully adapt, "In line with your hypothesis?" Marion Watson@annpc#557 nods, "As I thought, the quantum fluctuations make it difficult for the Borg to adapt. Actual Borg might adapt a little faster than simulated Borg, but the principle should still be intact. If - Marion Watson@annpc#557:- we implement the modern phaser frequency remodulation we use against Borg though, we could be able to circumvent their ability to adapt entirely, even on a modern ship." Rianni@crystyl:"Good to know, but the borg aren't the threat now they used to be. Well, not all of them at any rate!" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Do you want to try it on one of those future vessels? Or something a bit more modern first before we really challenge the weapons system?" Rianni@crystyl hrms, "How are our power levels behaving?" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"As expected so far. The modifications are taking more power than unmodified phasers, but no more than anticipated." Rianni@crystyl:"Alright, resetting for the future ship we faced with the Aethon. It's the one we have the most detailed data on" Marion Watson@annpc#557 | The ship warps in on the viewscreen Marion Watson@annpc#557 FX | https://i.imgur.com/nsEbjGz.png Rianni@crystyl:"And hello, not so old friend" she chuckles, "Still target dummy mode for now" Marion Watson@annpc#557 nods, looking to observe the viewscreen, "That ship always looks so familiar, for some reason..." Rianni@crystyl glances up, "This faction was involved in events around what happened to you. So maybe you had some previous encounters or something with them? How does it feel, besides familiar? If it's anything - Rianni@crystyl:- like those comparable experiences of mine we've talked about, then I'd wager there's some emotion - a gut feeling - tied to the familiarity" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"I'm getting a mix of them. It's...strange. There's a sense of...worthlessness? Maybe tied to how powerful these ships are. But also a sense of safety as well. I don't know, some form of Stockholm - Marion Watson@annpc#557:- Syndrome? I don't know, I feel like I'm happy and upset at the same time. It doesn't make much sense." Rianni@crystyl:"I guess confusion is only to be expected... do you want to leave this sim alone for now and try something else?" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"No, I want to see how well the modified phasers do against it. Or poorly, probably, but let's give it a try. The whole reason I want to implement these modifications is to give us at least a - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - little more of a step up when we come face to face with these ships again." Rianni@crystyl nods, "Understood, just shout though if you need to get some fresh air from this or anything" she smiles before tapping, "Beginning firing sequence" Marion Watson@annpc#557 | Blue bolts spring out from the VF again, hitting the future ship. Each bolt seems to be lowering its shields by about 1%- far from ideal, but much better than what they would have been doing - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - without the modification, judging from the Kratt's performance against that ship Rianni@crystyl:"Well, it's something at least" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"About as much as we could've hoped for. I wonder how much we can do by overloading the forward dual battery with the modification active. Computer, reset enemy ship." Marion Watson@annpc#557 | The ship flickers and its shields are completely restored Rianni@crystyl taps, "Reconfiguring the emitters now" Marion Watson@annpc#557 | Two blue beams shoot out from the front of the VF, impacting the future ship and dropping its shields to 95% Rianni@crystyl:"Nice. How was the power cost on that?" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"It's...something we might be able to spare for a single shot. It's almost four times the required power for a regular shot with the dual battery, without modification or overloading. But even at - Marion Watson@annpc#557:- maximum power expenditure, phasers are never going to be able to channel as much power as a deflector, so many deflector tricks are still going to be more power hungry than this." Rianni@crystyl:"This is definitely looking like a solid improvement though" Marion Watson@annpc#557 nods, "That it certainly is! The downside is that if we do use an overload, we'll have to wait for the array to cool down, even if we can afford the power for another shot. So we'll have to use - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - this tactically, when a significant hit is worth taking our forward batteries offline for a while." Rianni@crystyl nods, "At least it won't burn them right out or anything so that's a bonus" Marion Watson@annpc#557 | As Rianni tests the weapon on the future ship, she gets an idea... Marion Watson@annpc#557 | Due to the shield draining/power disrupting nature of the modified system, if more power is put to the quantum fluctuation and minimal power on the actual phaser beam, it could effectively be - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - used as a shield and power draining beam. It won't be very practical on ships of similar capability to the VF as simply firing on them will be a better idea, but against ships of significantly - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - lower tech like the ones in this region, it could be very useful for disabling them without risking accidentally doing too much damage and blowing them up Rianni@crystyl hrms and replaces the future ship with a local one to test, "Let's see..." Marion Watson@annpc#557 looks over curiously, "What're you up to? Even unmodified phasers can easily bring down their shields." Rianni@crystyl:"Yes, but see..." she taps, "I think that if we amp up the quantum fluctuations and fire a low yield beam, we can sustain a longer burst and essentially use it quickly whittle down the shields of - Rianni@crystyl:- weaker ships like these without the risk of causing damage or injury" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Ohhh, clever thinking! That didn't even occur to me; I was thinking about how to deal with ships much more powerful than us, rather than much weaker. Let's give it a try." Marion Watson@annpc#557 turns back to her console to observe the power levels Rianni@crystyl finishes the calibration then fires Marion Watson@annpc#557 | As expected, the shields of the ship are rapidly whittled down, and then as the beam hits the hull, the lights on the ship flicker erratically as it loses power in multiple systems. Their - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - engines are knocked offline, leaving them adrift, before their weapons, deflectors and other high-power systems fail as well Rianni@crystyl smiles at the success Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Power costs are roughly around that of firing phasers normally as well, without the modification. Even a little bit lower at times. It's beneficial both ways- less power consumption for us and - Marion Watson@annpc#557:- lower chances of accidentally destroying the enemy ship as well." Rianni@crystyl:"An effective shield drain could be useful with enemies like these like pirates!" Marion Watson@annpc#557 nods, "That it could! I don't know if we can implement the modifications before we find these pirates, but it'll certainly be good to have while we're in this region. Especially if these Hyrdeum - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - military ships do find us and we have to confront them." Rianni@crystyl:"Then let's get straight to work on the forward emitters" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"I'm ready when you are," she smiles. "Anything else you'd like to try out in the simulation first?" Rianni@crystyl:"I think we've covered the essentials here, anything more you can think of?" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"I wonder...yes, there is one thing I'd like to test out. Keep your current configuration for the power drain. Computer, set enemies: three Valkyrie-class fighters, full AI." Marion Watson@annpc#557 | Three fighters appear on the viewscreen and immediately begins to make an attack run Marion Watson@annpc#557 FX | https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/stexpanded/images/7/74/Valkyrie_class_fighter.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20070809040730 Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Keep the point defenses off. Grab a fighter with a tractor beam and then fire. Let's see if the drain is effective on smaller craft of similar technological capability." Rianni@crystyl:"On it" she taps away Marion Watson@annpc#557 | The three Valkyries open fire, causing the bridge to rock slightly. A tractor beam springs to life, grabbing one of the Valkyries before the draining beam fires on it, quickly rendering it - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - disabled. This allows the tractor beam to move on to the next fighter to repeat the process Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Perfect. Keep going." Rianni@crystyl works away at the rest Marion Watson@annpc#557 | A second fighter is soon disabled. The third breaks off from the attack run and goes evasive, causing the tractor beam to take longer to lock on. When it finally manages to catch the last - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - fighter, the drain once again makes short work of it Marion Watson@annpc#557 smiles, "Now we know it works against fighters too. And probably other smaller craft such as shuttles and runabouts. It gives us an option to disable these craft without harming the occupants." Rianni@crystyl:"A very useful option as small craft like those can be hard to disable without destroying them" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"My thoughts exactly. Great idea on the drain application there, Rianni." Rianni@crystyl:"That's why we make a great team!" Marion Watson@annpc#557 smiles, "Let's get those upgrades installed, then." Rianni@crystyl:"Yes, there's no time to waste!" --- NPC@annpc#557 | A while later, Keelah is called to the bridge upon receiving news that a pirate ship has been sighted Keelah@crystyl arrives and takes her seat, "How far out are they?" NPC@annpc#557 | Ann: "Bout fourty-five minutes out from our current position at maximum warp." Keelah@crystyl:"And their heading?" NPC@annpc#557 | Ann: "017-mark-044. Don't see anythin' o' note on stellar surveys in tha' direction. Closest is a system tha'll take 'em over a month to reach at their warp speeds, an' it ain't an exact - NPC@annpc#557 - headin' match either." Keelah@crystyl:"Heading to a secluded base of operations perhaps?" NPC@annpc#557 | Eva: "Most likely. Aethon's tailing them now, and they don't see any potential targets in the area despite having superior sensor systems to the pirate ships." Keelah@crystyl:"Alright, as long as Aethon's got a close watch on them then let's move to intercept" NPC@annpc#557 | Ann: "Aye Cap'n. Course set an' ready to engage." Keelah@crystyl:"Let's go then" NPC@annpc#557 | The VF jumps off to warp after the pirate ship NPC@annpc#557 | Fourty-five minutes later, they begin to approach the pirates' light cruiser... NPC@annpc#557 | Ann: "Pirate ship not far ahead. We'll be enterin' their sensor range soon." Keelah@crystyl drop to low warp as soon as we're in range. Let's see how they react to our presence" NPC@annpc#557 | Ann nods, "Droppin' to low warp now." Keelah@crystyl | Lennie: "Definitely got their interest, they're takin' a good long look at us" Keelah@crystyl:"Do what you can to regulate our signature and make us appear more tempting for them" Keelah@crystyl | Lennie nods, "Already on it!" Keelah@crystyl | Lennie: "They've bitten! Now comin' about on an intercept course wit' shields raised" Keelah@crystyl:"Bless. Continue the charade as long as we can, but prepare to bring all systems up to full power in good time" Keelah@crystyl | Rianni: "Yellow alert. Standing by on full battle stations" NPC@annpc#557 | A rather industrial-looking alien vessel appears on the viewscreen NPC@annpc#557 FX | https://i.imgur.com/BAuNc2M.jpg NPC@annpc#557 | Eva: "They're hailing us." Keelah@crystyl:"On screen" NPC@annpc#557 | An alien appears on the viewscreen, presumably a Zarrakin. The bridge behind him looks exactly as one would expect from the exterior appearance of the ship, being rather freighter-like - NPC@annpc#557 - in appearance NPC@annpc#557 | Pirate Captain: "We've not seen ships or people like you around before? Travellers?" Keelah@crystyl:"Hello there. Yes, we are but humble travellers passing through this region" NPC@annpc#557 | Pirate Captain: "That's a pretty bridge you got there? Some kind of luxury transport? You've come to vacation in the wrong part of space, friend." Keelah@crystyl:"Oh really? Well, thank you very much for the kind warning friend!" Keelah@crystyl | Rianni somehow manages to hide a snicker, and she's not alone NPC@annpc#557 | Pirate Captain: "You heard about the plague, haven't you? Must've run into a Hyrdeum ship by now to run their little inspection." Keelah@crystyl:"Oh yes, the inspection. They were very obsessive over something about a plague" NPC@annpc#557 | Pirate Captain: "And you aren't concerned?" Keelah@crystyl:"Well, we passed the inspection and - as you already surmized - we are simply cruising through the area so why worry?" NPC@annpc#557 | Pirate Captain: "Surely you can't be /that/ naive? You realize the Empire's not at their best, which makes this far from the most stable region of space." Keelah@crystyl:"Well as visitors, we don't exactly have any predisposition to this Empire or anyone else here. If you say they're not at their best, I can but take you at your kind word of it now can I" NPC@annpc#557 | Pirate Captain: "Maybe you should've read your news better, then. If you're so amenable to the Empire's inspections, we're going to have a little inspection of our own." Keelah@crystyl:"Oh? To what end, might I enquire?" NPC@annpc#557 | Pirate Captain: "To check your ship for valuables. If you let us come on board peacefully, your ship and crew won't be harmed. And we'll leave you with any essentials you need." Keelah@crystyl:"I don't know... I have a counter proposal, if you'll indulge" NPC@annpc#557 | Pirate Captain: "And what might that be?" Keelah@crystyl signals to lock a tractor beam on them, "That you return all which you have stolen from the local freight runners, and I'll consider allowing you to escort us back to your superiors from your own - Keelah@crystyl:- bridge and not our brig" Keelah@crystyl | Rianni and Lennie both hop straight to it NPC@annpc#557 | The pirate ship immediately locks weapons on the VF NPC@annpc#557 | The pirate captain glances offscreen, "What do you mean, our weapons won't even make a dent? Let me see!" Keelah@crystyl sits back, quietly watching the chaos unfold on screen Keelah@crystyl | Rianni looks over, "You're enjoying this..." Keelah@crystyl smiles a little, "You know I have never had much tolerance for bullies" NPC@annpc#557 | He gets off his chair and strolls offscreen, though his voice is still faintly audible, "Ettek! You weren't kidding. What is that ship?" NPC@annpc#557 | Rianni quickly reads that the pirate ship powers down weapons Keelah@crystyl | Rianni relays this NPC@annpc#557 | The pirate captain steps back into view again, "Okay, let's not do anything hasty here..." Keelah@crystyl smiles, "Funny, that's exactly what I was going to say" NPC@annpc#557 | Pirate Captain: "You want us to return our loot? Back to the ship we raided, or to you?" Keelah@crystyl:"That would depend on which ship I suppose. But let us cut to the chase now; what I really want is an audience with the ones in charge" NPC@annpc#557 | Pirate Captain: "We've only raided one lately. Hyrdeum freighter, tried to run and put up a fight, ended up getting shot pretty badly. Not sure if they're still alive even." Keelah@crystyl:"We might be familiar with them, and they would certainly appreciate having their cargo back" NPC@annpc#557 | Pirate Captain: "Alright. They're all yours if you want to take them back. And you want an audience with the bosses?" Keelah@crystyl:"well, what I want is to see a stop to the pirate activity against innocent civilians. And I can't imagine anyone other than your bosses is in a position to grant that" NPC@annpc#557 | Pirate Captain: "What are you, some kind of intergalactic lawmen? You know what- I don't want to know. I'll lead you to the Rogue's Den. You'll find who you're looking for there." Keelah@crystyl smiles, "I knew you'd be reasonable folks once we got to talking. Please lead the way, and we will of course be taking back what you took from our friends" NPC@annpc#557 | Pirate Captain: "I assume you'll want to send shuttles over, instead of letting ours come aboard your ship." Keelah@crystyl:"That won't be necessary, I'm pretty sure we already know where within your holds it is, but if you'd like to make sure we don't accidentally take anything else then please provide the exact location NPC@annpc#557 | Pirate Captain: "Alright, we'll send them over," he nods to a crewman offscreen NPC@annpc#557 | Eva: "We have the coordinates, Captain." Keelah@crystyl:"Commence transport and have our guests shown down to the hold to conduct an inventory" NPC@annpc#557 | On the viewscreen, the Pirate Captain looks offscreen, "Disappeared? What do you mean, just disappeared from the cargo bay? No, of course it's not magic, these people aren't space gods! If - NPC@annpc#557 - they're space gods then why would they be flying in a starship? Idiot..." Keelah@crystyl chuckles, "I appreciate your cooperation. Now how about that little escort job, hm? Keep up being so accommodating and I'll end up feeling obliged to offer payment for your troubles!" NPC@annpc#557 | Pirate Captain: "I wouldn't say no to that, seeing as you just took our week's earnings...alright, resume course for the Rogue's Den." Keelah@crystyl nods to her side, "Release the tractor beam and follow our good escorts" Looking back to the screen, "But of course, compensation would require further negotiation. So as long as you don't mind - Keelah@crystyl:- coming on board to discuss those particular arrangements? As you have seen already, we need not worry with shuttles or anything like that so we can beam you across at any time" NPC@annpc#557 | Pirate Captain: "Sure thing. I'll come over once we're underway, I suppose if you want to talk to the bosses, you'll want to know a bit about the way things work at the Rogue's Den." Keelah@crystyl:"That, and your people in general. But yes, let us get underway and then we can bring you over for a nice civilized discussion - as a guest, of course" NPC@annpc#557 | Pirate Captain: "Don't worry, I can play nice! Especially with somebody who can blow us to oblivion with a single shot..." Keelah@crystyl:"As can I, which I hope you will see for yourself shortly" she smiles --- Alien NPC@annpc#557 | As the VF gets underway, the pirate captain transports over for a visit, materializing on the transporter pad Emma Ralde@crystyl stands at the console, "There. Welcome aboard" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | He looks around the transporter room in amazement, then down at his own body, patting himself down, "I'm not missing any organs, right? Feels like everything's there...I think..." Emma Ralde@crystyl:"Ah don't worry, I only kept a few atoms as collateral" Emma Ralde@crystyl remarks dryly before slowly cracking a smirk Alien NPC@annpc#557 | The pirate grins before stepping off the pad, "I like your sense of humour. So this is how you took the loot from our cargo bay?" Emma Ralde@crystyl steps around, "Yeah, it's called a transporter. Oh, and if you were carrying a sidearm or anything, it is also the reason that will no longer work" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Pirate Captain: "Nah, I came unarmed. What good is a sidearm going to do against a ship like yours?" Emma Ralde@crystyl:"Smart. See, I knew you were going to be my kind of pirates" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | The pirate smirks, "I'm glad you approve. I'm Mel Tenn Druvan, by the way." Emma Ralde@crystyl:"Emma Ralde, nice to meet you Mel. You don't mind if I call you Mel, right? We spoke briefly over the comm before but face to face is always better don't you think?" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "That it is. Too many people scared to talk face to face now with the plague and all. Even among my people, who don't tend to get affected by it as badly." Emma Ralde@crystyl:"Well fortunately for us, this transporter takes care of that nasty little plague too! So you guys really don't get affected by it?" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "Oh no, we get affected by it. But something about our species means that the easiest way to infect us for the virus is a way that doesn't harm us too bad. So most of us get a fever and - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - headache for a week and get right back up. But the pesky thing about this plague is that it can keep infecting you. No such thing as immunity against it, and eventually we mutate. But we don't - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - die right from the mutation." Emma Ralde@crystyl:"Ahh, still quite pesky then!" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel nods, "The mutated ones, the berserkers, they're at more risk. They basically become a different species, and that species is much more susceptible to fatal symptoms of the plague. But - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - berserkers also get more aggressive. More reckless. Don't tend to be as concerned with the possibility of death as the rest of us. Hence the name." Emma Ralde@crystyl:"Makes sense. Kind of like a brute who's gone overboard with the implants" she chuckles Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "A brute? That a nickname for a species you know?" Emma Ralde@crystyl laughs, "More like a sub-species. It's what we call the males of my species, or at least... what I call them" she chuckles some more Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel chuckles, "I take it they're brutish?" Emma Ralde@crystyl:"You could say that. There's a few on board here, but they're... finer examples for the most part. The ones who really earned them that name are those who ran the slave markets for the Syndicate" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "Slave markets, that does sound bad. I take it the Syndicate's a crime syndicate where your people are from?" Emma Ralde@crystyl nods, "The Orion Syndicate in full. It grew so far beyond my own people that it became our entire galactic identity for a long time" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "Let me guess, your people are called Orion?" Emma Ralde@crystyl:"Right, sorry! Yes, we are Orions" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "So your people's got a reputation for crime too?" Emma Ralde@crystyl:"Among other things, but that is still fairly prominent even though the Syndicate's all but gone now" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "I guess a reputation can be hard to shake. What brings you with these...intergalactic lawmen or whoever this crew is, then?" Emma Ralde@crystyl:"They're called Starfleet. And I'm hanging with them because I believe in their cause" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel nods, "Assume you're trying to shake off that criminal rep?" Emma Ralde@crystyl:"As a people, yes we are. And it's getting there nowadays" Emma Ralde@crystyl:"What about you and yours though?" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "Me? Well I do what I got to in order to stay alive. As for the reputation, yes, it's probably not a good thing. But times like these, everyone's desperate. Maybe if we ever put an end to - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - this plague, we'll see better times. Personally though, I'd prefer the plague to take down the Hyrdeum's empire completely before it goes away." Emma Ralde@crystyl:"Those guys really did a number on your people, huh?" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel nods, "With the plague being less lethal to us, I'd rather we spend a while longer having to resort to crime rather than ending the plague now and getting conquered by the Thousand Clans - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - again. It's the whole reason we're here to start with. They wipe away our culture, our way of doing things, and replace it with theirs. They make our people serve them as low-ranking crewmen, - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - grunt troops, miners, and then they cut us loose and expect us to just re-establish our own civilization. They set us up to fail." Emma Ralde@crystyl:"That sucks alright. But why piracy? Surely now's the opportunity to strengthen yourselves up so even if the Empire does recover, they can't stand against you again?" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "Some of us tried, didn't work out. You should ask them about it when we get to Rogue's Den. My family were just traders before the plague." Emma Ralde@crystyl smiles, "Oh yeah? Must have a keen business sense in your blood then" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel smirks, "I'd like to think so. Speaking of which, I should go talk with your Captain. Give her the lay of the land, and maybe negotiate a deal." Emma Ralde@crystyl:"Of course, right this way!" she leads him out and to where Keelah is waiting --- Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Emma leads Mel to Keelah's ready room and the doorbell rings as they arrive Keelah@crystyl:"Come in" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel steps into the room, "So, the captain of this mighty ship in the flesh." Keelah@crystyl:"Please, come join me" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel takes a seat, looking around the ready room, "Even your office is fancy. You really are like a luxury transport. Just a really, really heavily armed luxury transport." Keelah@crystyl:"Starfleet is far more than a defense or peacekeeping service. Vessels like this which venture far beyond our space have to serve a multitude of functions including diplomatic events, so it is - Keelah@crystyl:- necessary for us to maintain certain standards and expectations. It also helps with long term journeys and having a crew boxed in on a ship for years at a time" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel nods, "I get what you mean. Spent most of my life on a ship so I know how things are. Though we can't afford all the luxuries you have, we still did our best to make it feel like home." Keelah@crystyl:"I understand. It can't be easy living under the shadow of the Thousand Clan Empire, and this plague" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "No, that it certainly was not. I don't know what's worse, really. Most of us prefer the plague- at least we've got freedom, but it's more like anarchy. But there's some who do prefer the - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - structure we had under the Hyrdeum. They're not very popular, though." Keelah@crystyl:"Is it true that your people tried to reform a legitimate government after they withdrew, but it collapsed?" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "Well, collapsed isn't exactly the right word. The government still exists, but it's got no real military. And a government without people to enforce its laws is just a bunch of old - Alien NPC@annpc#557:- people sitting around debating politics. Wasn't long before the syndicates took advantage. Bribed the politicians to pass the laws they wanted to pass and all. So there's still a government, it's - Alien NPC@annpc#557:- just there for the highest bidder to do with as they want." Keelah@crystyl:"I see. And the current highest bidder is who we're on our way to see then?" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "Well, all four of them. I can give you the rundown of who they are, if you like." Keelah@crystyl:"Sounds good, thank you" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "We're headed to the Rogue's Den. It's a rogue planetoid which is currently just outside of Thousand Clans space. It's where most of our crime activity is based, and all four of the main - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - Syndicates keep a base there. They've also got one back at the homeworld, but their leaders spend more time at the Den, since it's got more activity and generally the better place to manage - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - their affairs from." Keelah@crystyl:"I see, so does each of the four operate in a distinct area from one another, or is there crossover?" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "There's plenty of crossover. Some of the Syndicates are more specialized towards certain areas, but all four are always in constant competition. The only reason they play nice at the - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - Rogue's Den is because it's too useful of a forward base. They know if they cause trouble there, it'll probably cause an all-out gang war that'll hurt all four Syndicates." Keelah@crystyl:"Sounds rather precarious" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "That it is. Rogue's Den is owned by the most influential of the four syndicates, the Tea Road. That helps keep order around there, too." Keelah@crystyl:"The 'Tea road'?" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel chuckles, "An unusual name, I know. Comes from a trade route in ancient times on the homeworld, where exotic teas were delivered from one side of the planet to the other. The Tea Road of - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - today started as a smuggling group. It's the oldest of the syndicates and was active even while the Hyrdeum ruled over us. They got big when the Empire withdrew and due to operating for so - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - long, they easily have the strongest influence of the syndicates." Keelah@crystyl:"Ah, so there is a dominant force among the four then" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "Not quite. The Tea Road has the most influence, but in some ways they're also the weakest of the syndicates. See, they got their start by being sneaky, and even today they're the best at - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - the trade and smuggling of illegal goods. But they don't have a lot of well-armed ships or fighting forces. Technically, any of the other syndicates can destroy the Tea Road, but they've all - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - got deals with the Road, arrangements that aren't worth losing. So they don't antagonize the Road." Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "They're like the diplomats of the crime world. That's why they run the Rogue's Den." Keelah@crystyl:"Seems like my promising connection there. What about the others?" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "There's the Free Kin. They're the strongest when it comes to forces. You remember when I was saying the government doesn't have much in the way of a military?" Keelah@crystyl nods Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "Well they tried to build one. They selected Av Qet Ruvroka, a staunch anti-Hyrdeum, as the admiral to lead it. Wanted to form a strong national identity or something, I think. Well it - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - backfired on them. The government wasn't anti-Hyrdeum enough, and Admiral Ruvroka went rogue with most of the military to start raiding Hyrdeum trade routes to get their revenge. He was only - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - at it for two years before the Hyrdeum got him. His forces were committed to piracy though, so they became the Free Kin. They've got the best ships and the most well-trained fighters out of - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - the syndicates. The others often hire out their forces as mercenaries." Keelah@crystyl:"You say 'they', so I take it you are not with these Free Kin?" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel nods, "I'm with the Spacer's Union. As I told your officer there," he gestures to the door, "my family used to be merchants. After the plague broke out and the Hyrdeum withdrew, trade - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - options, they got bad. The Empire pretty much cut off all trade with us to keep their territory free of plague. The Hyrdeum could survive without it, but we couldn't. Many of us had to turn to - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - raiding, smuggling and other criminal activity to survive. We worked on our own at first, often getting bullied or shortchanged by the Tea Road and the Free Kin. So many of us decided to band - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - together, form our own syndicate, and the Spacer's Union was born." Keelah@crystyl:"Sounds like a relatively honest bunch" she smiles Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "Most of us were, before the plague broke out. Due to the nature of how we came to be, we do a little bit of everything." Keelah@crystyl:"So who's the last group?" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "The Marauders. They're the newest and the nastiest of the syndicates. The Free Kin might be pirates, but they still operate like a military in many ways and have got a high barrier for - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - entry. The Union evaluates all new applicants and we don't accept anyone who might be trouble for our other members. The Tea Road prefers people who value subtlety. The Marauders- they take in - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - the rest. They started as a group for berserkers, since their recklessness was getting them kicked out of other syndicates. But they recruit anyone who wants to join them and can keep up with - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - their brutal ways." Keelah@crystyl:"I can't imagine I'd be having quite such a civilized discussion right now had it been one of their ships we encountered" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "No, you'd probably have been forced to blow them up. Most of us do what we do because we've got to make a living somehow. Some of the Free Kin do it to get revenge on the Hyrdeum. The - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - Marauders, most of them enjoy raiding others." Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "They're led by a berserker known only as the Red Reaver. Never met her myself, but everybody who has says she's quite a piece of work." Keelah@crystyl:"Sounds like she's the most likely to stand in my way if I were to try and do anything to end the current situation" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel nods, "The Marauders aren't totally beyond reason. They've still got enough sense to strike deals with the Tea Road instead of destroying them, but then again, they've got no real reason - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - to go against the Road. The Marauders don't do much smuggling so they don't really compete with the Road." Keelah@crystyl:"Seems I've got quite the challenge ahead if I'm to find any kind of balance to this whole situation" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel nods, "I'll do what I can to help. I'm no Marauder and don't particularly like the state of affairs myself. How about I act as a local guide for you and your people at the Den, and if - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - you don't get yourself killed, I get a little something out of it." He smiles Keelah@crystyl:"Perhaps. What did you have in mind?" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel: "Nothing too much to ask. Some supplies, whatever you can spare to make up for returning the loot from our last raid. Don't worry, I won't ask for your teleportation tech or anything. I - Alien NPC@annpc#557 - can already tell you don't trust me with it," he smirks Keelah@crystyl smiles, "Don't take it personally, we just have strict rules about sharing any advanced technology. However, I am certain we can come to a suitable arrangements to adequately make up your loot" Alien NPC@annpc#557 | Mel grins, "That'll do. Sounds like we have a deal, then." --- Marion Watson@annpc#557 | A few days into the VF's journey to the Rogue's Den while following Mel's ship, Watson and Rianni work away at upgrades to the forward batteries alongside several enlisted crew Marion Watson@annpc#557 steps over to one of the crewmembers as he closes a panel, exchanging a quick word with him before tapping away at a nearby panel. After a bit of typing, she turns to Rianni, "There. That's the - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - modification in place for the forward beam batteries." Rianni@crystyl:"Nice job team! We should probably go and get this tested before doing any more" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Should we search for a good place to field test it, or just give it a few shots into space to see what happens?" Rianni@crystyl:"I don't really want to drag us off mission just for a weapons test. I'm also not sure if it's a good idea to let on to these pirates that we are testing weapons upgrades either" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Exactly what I was thinking. So any ideas on how to test this out? We've already run all the holodeck simulations we can think of." Rianni@crystyl hrms, "Nothing really comes to mind... we might just have to wait until we have a good opportunity to test that particular array before relying on it" Marion Watson@annpc#557 nods, "We probably don't need the forward dual phasers to deal with the pirates, anyways. Without the modification and your draining beam, it's our most powerful energy weapon and has a bigger - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - risk of accidentally destroying something than the rest of our arrays." Rianni@crystyl:"Alright then, we'll just keep that array offline for now and test it once we're clear of our current escort" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"And we hold off on modifying the other arrays until we get this one tested?" Rianni@crystyl:"I think that would be for the best" Marion Watson@annpc#557 nods, "I agree. Well, now that we've wrapped this up and aren't moving to the other modifications immediately, how about that spar on the holodeck we were talking about?" she smiles Rianni@crystyl:"Sure thing!" Marion Watson@annpc#557 meets up with Rianni in the holodeck, "Almost strange to be here with you and not be testing weapons upgrades now," she chuckles Rianni@crystyl:"All the more reason it's good that we're doing this. It's easy to get overly focused on work, especially when new and trying to fit in" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Something you or the other you have experienced personally, I take it?" Rianni@crystyl nods, "It was very much the experience of the other me" Marion Watson@annpc#557 smiles, "The other you certainly has quite the relatable experience!" She steps into the holodeck, "So, any programs in particular you like to use for this, or just go at it with the safeties on?" Rianni@crystyl:"I have no real preferences, so just going at it sounds good to me" Rianni@crystyl:"So any inkling if you've got a preference for hand to hand, or a particular weapon type?" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"I don't know, actually. The Loki crew only tested my hand to hand ability, but I wonder if I have any instinctive muscle memory with any close quarter weapons." Rianni@crystyl:Ok then, Computer; give me a general training ring with a selection of melee weapons" Marion Watson@annpc#557 | The training ring appears with racks of melee weapons. Watson steps over, examining the selection before picking a lirpa Marion Watson@annpc#557 holds the weapon, weighing its balance, "This...feels somewhat familiar." Rianni@crystyl takes one as well, "Feel free to give it a few swings, I'm good with it" Marion Watson@annpc#557 does indeed give the lirpa a few swipes at the air, "Yes, it definitely feels familiar..." Marion Watson@annpc#557 steps into the ring, looking to Rianni, "Ready?" Rianni@crystyl stands prone, "Ready. Come at me, react, do whatever comes to you. I can play the role of training dummy while you find your feet" Marion Watson@annpc#557 nods, prodding Rianni with a quick lunge using the front of the lirpa to begin Rianni@crystyl allows the hit to land on the first try Marion Watson@annpc#557 tries using the rear end of the lirpa next, making a well-aimed swing at Rianni Rianni@crystyl dodges this one, but doesn't counter, "How does it feel?" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"I think I've definitely used this weapon before. I don't know how good I am at it, though. I guess we'll see!" Rianni@crystyl smiles, "Alright, give it a shot then and let's see where it goes" Marion Watson@annpc#557 nods, giving Rianni a moment before once again starting with a jab from the sharp front end of the lirpa Rianni@crystyl parries and swings a counter with the rear Marion Watson@annpc#557 steps back, dodging the swing from the mace-like rear of the weapon instead of trying to block the blow. Once it swings past her, Watson tries to close in again with another lunge with the front Rianni@crystyl flows with her momentum and drops into a low leg sweep in order to dodge and catch her out Marion Watson@annpc#557 is caught by the leg sweep. As she falls however, she swings the lirpa in a wide arc towards Rianni's direction to try and keep her back Rianni@crystyl does indeed hop back to avoid the swing and give Marion time to get back up, "Hope that wasn't too rough a landing" Marion Watson@annpc#557 gets back up and smiles, "That was a good move, Rianni! I can see what you mean by inheriting the other you's skills." Rianni@crystyl:"The benefits of training with a Klingon! The price of failure is... painful" she chuckles Marion Watson@annpc#557 chuckles, "Much rougher than training in a holodeck with safeties on, I imagine." Rianni@crystyl:"Indeed. But it was worth it in the end" Marion Watson@annpc#557 nods, "As I can clearly see. Let me give it another try, now that I'm refamiliarizing myself with the weapon and know what tricks you have up your sleeve." Rianni@crystyl smiles, "By all means" Marion Watson@annpc#557 strikes again, this time with a diagonal swipe from the front instead of a jab Rianni@crystyl sidesteps and twists her lirpa to push Marion's further through it's intended swipe to off balance her Marion Watson@annpc#557 is pulled forward but immediately starts moving to the side to avoid any incoming counterattacks, while taking this opportunity to try and circle behind Rianni Rianni@crystyl steps back to avoid getting flanked Marion Watson@annpc#557 immediately presses the attack as Rianni steps back, this time starting with a lunge again. However, she transitions mid-lunge, bringing the rear of the weapon around instead to swing - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - at Rianni's side Rianni@crystyl twists her weapon to block the attack, allowing it to connect and jumping with it gain some distance, "Nice touch" Marion Watson@annpc#557 smiles, "Looks like I definitely still have some instincts with this weapon. This is what I meant when I was talking about having skills I don't even know I had until I need them." Rianni@crystyl:"Then it's good we're discovering it all again!" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Indeed it is! Shall we keep going?" Rianni@crystyl:"Up to you!" Marion Watson@annpc#557 assumes a ready position again, "Let's see what else I can do with this, then..."
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T'Quila@crystyl with the VF cruising through deep space, Marion is walking the ship. She steps into a turbolift, calling for a deck and waiting quietly as it travels T'Quila@crystyl the lift door opens sooner than expected, but at a glance there is nobody there Marion Watson@annpc#557 glances around, trying to see if there's someone further down the hall who called the lift and ran off T'Quila@crystyl | It would seem not... Marion Watson@annpc#557 peers out the lift, "Hello?" T'Quila@crystyl | The corridor is all quiet, nobody around Marion Watson@annpc#557 makes a note to inform someone that the turbolift might be experiencing some glitch before stepping back in to see if it proceeds T'Quila@crystyl it does indeed carry on T'Quila@crystyl | The odd moment soon passes and fades in her thoughts, until she feels something tickling her leg... Marion Watson@annpc#557 immediately looks down to see what it is T'Quila@crystyl | She is greeted by the sight of an all too innocent looking fluffy white little multi-tailed vulpine staring up at her and giving a friendly yip T'Quila@crystyl:( https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.1754374580.3373/raf,750x1000,075,t,FFFFFF:97ab1c12de.jpg ) Marion Watson@annpc#557 smiles at the sight, "Hello there. Did you get inside when I was trying to see what caused the door to open?" T'Quila@crystyl | It gives another yip in response, seems like a yes Marion Watson@annpc#557:"We better get you back there before someone comes looking for you. Now what deck was it..." T'Quila@crystyl | The vulpine yips excitedly over and over. Was that... 10 yips? Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Eleven? Ten? Wait, were you counting there?" She looks down at the vulpine again T'Quila@crystyl | It gives another positive yip Marion Watson@annpc#557:"You understand me, then? I don't think I've encountered your species before, I didn't know you could communicate." T'Quila@crystyl | It almost seems to purr, trotting around proudly Marion Watson@annpc#557 orders, "Computer, alter destination to Deck Ten," before looking back to the vulpine. "You must be quite the intelligent one." T'Quila@crystyl | Another proud yip while trotting around, tails swishing and pretty much taking over the whole turbolift at everything below waist height Marion Watson@annpc#557 chuckles and reaches down to pet the vulpine if allowed T'Quila@crystyl | It does indeed seem to allow, even welcome the fuss, nuzzling it's head against her hand T'Quila@crystyl | The lift door opens T'Quila@crystyl:"There you are!" Marion Watson@annpc#557 looks to the door as it opens, "I thought somebody would be looking for you! This one slipped into the lift when it stopped on this deck for some reason." T'Quila@crystyl:"Stopped here?" she chuckles, "I think you're mistaken Commander, I've been waiting here to meet Tiah" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Oh, you mean..." she peers out the lift, then back to Tiah, "This isn't the deck you got on at, is it? This is where you /wanted/ to go!" T'Quila@crystyl | Marion's gaze upon looking back to the vulpine meets only a pair of feet... Marion Watson@annpc#557 follows the feet up with confusion... T'Quila@crystyl | Following them up, she finds she is now standing in front of a girl with bright yellow eyes, fluffy ears, and several fluffy tails swishing happily behind her proudly smiling face T'Quila@crystyl:( https://img5.goodfon.com/wallpaper/nbig/1/a7/league-of-legends-ahri-by-sevenbees.jpg ) Marion Watson@annpc#557:"What...were you that fox all along?" she quickly counts the tails. "The number of tails line up..." T'Quila@crystyl | Tiah beams, "Tiah said she didn't need this form to communicate!" T'Quila@crystyl smiles, "That you did" Marion Watson@annpc#557 glances between TQ and Tiah, "Was this a challenge to see if you could communicate without words all along?" T'Quila@crystyl | Tiah looks to Marion, "And yes, to answer your question this was where Tiah wanted to go, not where she came from!" T'Quila@crystyl | Tiah shakes her head, "No, Tiah just wanted to try while she was coming here" Marion Watson@annpc#557 nods, "You were the one who called the lift as well, aren't you?" T'Quila@crystyl | Tiah smiles, "Of course!" T'Quila@crystyl:"Forgive her, she is playful at the best of times but means no harm by it" Marion Watson@annpc#557 smiles as well, "Nothing to worry about, I wasn't in any hurry! How does she transform like that? A natural trait of her species? I don't recognize her people, in either of those forms." T'Quila@crystyl:"Her people are rare, and don't normally take a humanoid form in adulthood. In that sense she is pretty much unique, we think. We were just heading to the lounge to listen to Mia's show, so if you're- T'Quila@crystyl:- in no hurry you're welcome to join us" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"I'll come along. Her people sound quite interesting and I'd love to learn more." T'Quila@crystyl | Tiah smiles, brushing past Marion and then TQ, "New friends for Tiah? Yay!" T'Quila@crystyl wrinkles her nose at the tail tickling and chuckles seeing Marion get the same, "Yeah... you get used to that too..." Marion Watson@annpc#557 chuckles, following along, "That is quite the number of tails..." T'Quila@crystyl:"Yes, she is /supposed/ to be practicing at keeping them bundled together as one in this form. But Tiah and discipline don't exactly go hand in hand, especially when she doesn't see any real benefit- T'Quila@crystyl:- to herself for it. Honestly, the only way we got her to start wearing clothes was by selling her on a sense of fashion and style..." Marion Watson@annpc#557:"A clever way of doing it. Her people's not used to Federation cultures I assume, just as she's very new to us." T'Quila@crystyl:"Very much so. That little fox-like form you met her in is more how her species naturally manifest. Sentient and intelligent still, but highly wary. The maturation is the unusual part" she notes as - T'Quila@crystyl:- they walk Marion Watson@annpc#557:"You said her people don't usually take a bipedal form. How did she end up maturing into it?" T'Quila@crystyl takes a seat in the lounge, "From what we've learned, they are naturally a non-corporeal species. At least in maturity. They assume a corporeal form for reproduction and maturation" Marion Watson@annpc#557 takes a seat beside TQ, "Like a metamorphosis? Most beings who undergo metamorphosis can't transform back into the pre-maturation forms though, I believe." T'Quila@crystyl:"That is true, and normally the case for the Tiah as well as far as we know. However over time, Tiah here has developed the ability to at least mimic her pre-maturation form. They are a naturally - T'Quila@crystyl:- powerful psionic species, so that plays a part I think. This may be a unique trait she evolved as a defense mechanism when times warranted it, and learned to control from there" Marion Watson@annpc#557 nods, "I suppose naturally non-corporeal beings don't play by the same biological rules, do they?" T'Quila@crystyl:"Not entirely at least. As for Tiah's bipedal form, that is down to her psionic imprinting at the point of maturation. Normally, they would imprint on their parents and take a like form. But they - T'Quila@crystyl:- were hunted by the Lupan, and in this case her parents were both killed while she was maturing. I happened to be the one who she imprinted on at the time, and so... here we are!" she smiles, - T'Quila@crystyl:- brushing swishing tails from her cheek Marion Watson@annpc#557 grins, looking between TQ and Tiah, "I can see the resemblance. I assume the loss of her parents is also why she came on board the ship?" T'Quila@crystyl:"The imprinting wasn't exactly something that could get a do-over. So once she had this form, she was unable to join the rest of her people. Taking responsibility aside, the connection between us - T'Quila@crystyl:- remains strong so we couldn't be apart after that anyway" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"How does this connection work? I assume it has a psionic component?" T'Quila@crystyl:"It seems to, yes. It is possible my Vulcan side plays a part in that too" Marion Watson@annpc#557 takes a closer look at TQ, "Your Vulcan side? You have the ears, I knew you were Vulcanoid, but I'd been assuming you were Romulan for some reason. I think it's the skin tone, Romulans generally - Marion Watson@annpc#557:- have more visible green in them, if I'm not mistaken." T'Quila@crystyl smiles, "A common misconception with me, yes. I am in fact part Vulcan and part Orion" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Orion, that would explain the green hue! But yes, Vulcans have psionic connections with their family. I'm not sure how I know that, but that goes for just about everything I know right now," she - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - laughs slightly T'Quila@crystyl smiles, "Still finding your feet I assume?" Marion Watson@annpc#557 nods, "Every so often I know something I didn't realize I knew. But they always seem to come to me when I need them, so I'm settling into my duties nicely." T'Quila@crystyl:"That's good! Hopefully you're settling in just as well outside of duty as well?" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"I think so! I've been meeting the crew and making some friends." She looks over to Tiah curiously as well. "Was it difficult for you to settle in here? Being used to an incorporeal and non-bipedal - Marion Watson@annpc#557 - existence and all." T'Quila@crystyl | Tiah nods, "Yes, Tiah kept doing things wrong! Still does sometimes..." T'Quila@crystyl chuckles, "But she is learning, and she tries. That's the important thing!" Marion Watson@annpc#557 smiles, "That's good to hear! Are you officially a member of the crew, or a civilian passenger?" T'Quila@crystyl | Tiah beams proudly, "Tiah is an official botanist!" T'Quila@crystyl ahems, "By which she means, understudy to the civilian botanist who runs things" T'Quila@crystyl | Tiah: "Well, yes... but Tiah is officially the unofficial understudy!" Marion Watson@annpc#557 chuckles, "Certainly settling in nicely then! Tiah has a talent for botany, then?" T'Quila@crystyl smirks, "You could say that" reaching for a pot plant on the table, "Go ahead" she hands it Tiah Marion Watson@annpc#557 observes curiously T'Quila@crystyl | Tiah sits up and holds the pot in her lap, cradling her fingertips around a leaf. Light particles seem to dance around it causing the plant to grow and bloom Marion Watson@annpc#557 widens her eyes, "Impressive. Is that a natural psionic ability you have?" T'Quila@crystyl | Tiah nods, setting it back down with a smile at how much nicer it is, "That is what they say. Tiah simply feels the life around her and interacts with it. She can't understand how everyone else - T'Quila@crystyl:- doesn't share this" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"So you can sense life, including other beings and flora as well?" T'Quila@crystyl:"The world we met her on - her homeworld as it were - was a lush forest world. After she first came on board, Tiah grew highly anxious because she couldn't feel that 'life' around her, saying - T'Quila@crystyl:- everything was dead" T'Quila@crystyl | Tiah nods to Marion, "Tiah can feel other flesh beings, but it is like..." she glances to the window, "...like a single distant star blinking faintly" T'Quila@crystyl:"But a natural environment - of any description - seems to resonate much more strongly with her" T'Quila@crystyl | Tiah beams, "That is like a nearby sun!" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"I assume the more life is in an environment, the...brighter it is for you? Would a forest resonate more than a desert? Or is it not determined by the amount of living things in the environment?" T'Quila@crystyl | Tiah smiles, impressed, "No, that is exactly right! At least... Tiah thinks so, she hasn't ever been to a desert but the pattern seems right!" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"We should put it to the test the next time we explore an inhabited desert environment. What about the Sphere you found, the Heart of Unity? There's flora and fauna all over its surface, but it's - Marion Watson@annpc#557:- still an artificial construct. How does that feel to you?" T'Quila@crystyl | Tiah: "That place was... not unlike this ship. Mostly dead, but where there was life it was vibrant and wonderful!" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Very interesting! You describe the ship and places without a lot of nature as...dead?" T'Quila@crystyl | Tiah nods, "Yep! No life means something is dead" T'Quila@crystyl:"It... seems to be how she views the world around her. She does not mean it as literal as it sounds to the rest of us..." Marion Watson@annpc#557:"I assume Tiah prefers places that are more livelier, though?" T'Quila@crystyl | Tiah nods, "Very much so! But she understands that this life requires time away from such places" T'Quila@crystyl:"That is why she works with the botanists on board. The hydroponics bays make for a reasonable 'home away from home' for her" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"That makes sense. What about places like this lounge? There's more people gathered in one place, probably still not as lively as the amount of plants in hydroponics I imagine. But is it still - Marion Watson@annpc#557:- better than quarters, or?" T'Quila@crystyl | Tiah shakes her head, "It is about the same really" Marion Watson@annpc#557 nods, "Right. Not /that/ much more people, but the density of life in general does increase a lot more with more plants." T'Quila@crystyl:"We're still not sure if she sees our kind of life in the same exact way or not. I mean, it's not like she can do that trick with the plant with one of us" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"That's a good point. It would be interesting if she could," she laughs T'Quila@crystyl:"That it would! But yes, it does seem that there is something about flora and fauna especially which resonates with her. Maybe it is simply the familiarity with the homeworld and her natural - T'Quila@crystyl:- environment" Marion Watson@annpc#557 nods, "Well, I look forward to getting to know Tiah more and learning about her! It seems like we all have quite a bit to learn about Tiah," she smiles T'Quila@crystyl | Tiah: "Including Tiah herself!" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"Reminds me of my own position. I take it there aren't other members of Tiah's species who can be contacted?" T'Quila@crystyl shakes her head, "Even at her homeworld, they are not exactly contactable. Everything she has been able to share with us so far pretty much just comes from her own instinct" Marion Watson@annpc#557:"I thought it would be something like that," she looks back to Tiah. "We'll both just have to learn more about ourselves as we go, then." T'Quila@crystyl | Tiah: "Does this mean Tiah has a new friend to share the journey with?" tails swishing excitedly Marion Watson@annpc#557 smiles, "That you do, Tiah. Let's see where this journey of self-discovery takes us, shall we?"
