ST:SoD314 | "Spirit in the Starship"

Stardate 100502.3

As the conflict with the Diteans escalate, the Venator finally tracks down the site of the battle that began it all and makes some unexpected discoveries...

---

View Episode

Keliaya@anncaris | We open on the Yamato-class USS Courageous, previously seen in Unity under Admiral Ali's personal command. It is not in the Heart but somewhere in space, with the black void and star field -

Keliaya@anncaris - visible behind it. As the Courageous shields flare up from a bright yellow beam, we realize that it is in the midst of battle

Keliaya@anncaris | The Courageous' main phaser strip lights up, retaliating with multiple beams against what had just hit it. As the camera pulls out, we see it is flanked on one side by a Colonial Fleet -

Keliaya@anncaris - battleship and on the other by an Alita-class cruiser

Keliaya@anncaris | Above it, another ship from Unity flies across the screen- the Mercury-class USS Wenut, leading two Dominion War era Jem'Hadar attack ships which are no doubt Colonial Fleet vessels

Keliaya@anncaris | The camera begins following the Wenut and as it does, we see the enemy...

Keliaya@anncaris FX | https://www.belloflostsouls.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/eldar-battleship.jpg

Keliaya@anncaris | The powerful phaser lance of the Courageous tears through one of the Ditean vessels, destroying it. The shields of another begin to buckle and the Wenut and attack ships close in, taking -

Keliaya@anncaris - advantage of the opening. All three ships unleash a barrage of fire, severing one of its fin-like appendages and causing the hologram-like effects on the other to flicker and fail

Keliaya@anncaris | Another Ditean ship promptly steps up to aid it, firing its weapon in a wide arc which catches all three attack ships. It follows with a barrage of bolts and the attack squadron goes evasive, -

Keliaya@anncaris - but one of the attack ships isn't so lucky and is taken out by a shot

Keliaya@anncaris | As the Wenut pulls back to the safety of the cruisers, we can see the debris of the battle, among it the distinctive shape of a Starfleet nacelle. The Wenut flies past a Ross-class that has -

Keliaya@anncaris - taken some damage, with visible black marks on its hull

Keliaya@anncaris | The camera breaks off from the Wenut to show a larger view of the battlefield, primarily consisting of Starfleet, Colonial Fleet and Elachi ships squaring off against the Ditean ones

Keliaya@anncaris | Two more apertures form on the Ditean side. At one of them, the ship damaged by the Wenut limps back to safety. At the other however, three more Ditean vessels emerge, glowing a bright yellow -

Keliaya@anncaris - at full power. Behind them an assortment of unfamiliar alien vessels emerge, the mismatched variety heavily reminiscent of a Horde fleet

Keliaya@anncaris | As the new Ditean ships enter the battle, an Iconian gateway springs to life behind the Starfleet vessels. The first ship to emerge is a familiar one, a newly repaired and refit IKS QanwI'

Keliaya@anncaris | As we zoom in to the QanwI', we can see the distinctive shape of the Thana Vaneri appearing from the gateway behind it, but before we can see what other ships arrive, the camera moves through -

Keliaya@anncaris - the hull and into the Raptor's bridge, where Lexi is seated in a newly renovated bridge

Rianni@crystyl | The QanwI' is already at battle stations, with the bridge crew hard at work. The targeting scope is down in front of the command chair where we see a familiar leather half-gloved hand flex over -

Rianni@crystyl - it's grip before slapping the handles up and raising the scope

Keliaya@anncaris | K'Sarn: "This is like the Horde War all over again! Plenty of targets to pick from!"

Rianni@crystyl | Lexi beams with a wicked grin, "Then you'd better not embarass yourselves after going soft in the Heart - HAHAHA! Now show me what these new weapons can do! Find the biggest, fattest thing out -

Rianni@crystyl - there that's not flying our colours... and let slip the dogs of war!"

Keliaya@anncaris | K'Sarn grins, "Aye aye, Captain!"

Keliaya@anncaris | As the QanwI' advances into the battle, two enemy raiders can be seen closing in. The viewscreen flips as the QanwI' does a roll, defly evading all enemy fire. Red bolts of the new antiproton -

Keliaya@anncaris - cannons emit, tearing through the shields of one raider and taking it out before it could break away. The QanwI' doesn't stop to bother with the other one, continuing ahead to one of the -

Keliaya@anncaris - Ditean vessels

Keliaya@anncaris | K'Sarn: "I don't know how much that class of ship could normally take, but it /feels/ like we're hitting much harder!"

Rianni@crystyl | Lexi: "We'd better be after all that time sitting around getting fat and lazy!"

Keliaya@anncaris | The Ditean ship fires a beam at them, which the QanwI' swiftly dodges with another roll as the viewscreen flips around again

Keliaya@anncaris | The tachyon drain from either a Colonial Fleet ship or the Thana hits the front of the Ditean ship and its shields begin to flicker

Keliaya@anncaris | K'Sarn: "Target's shields are failing!"

Rianni@crystyl | Lexi leans forward, clenching her fist, "Destroy them!"

Keliaya@anncaris | The QanwI' unleashes another barrage of antiproton cannon fire. The final bolts hit the hull, indicating that the shields have failed for good. K'Sarn taps his console, immediately following -

Keliaya@anncaris - up with a trio of gravimetric torpedoes. One of them detonates on a fin, severing it, while the other two hit the hull of the ship. Following the initial detonation, an invisible force seems -

Keliaya@anncaris - to pull the damaged hull inwards, almost like an implosion aftershock. Fragments of hull go flying and the Ditean vessel loses structural integrity, splitting apart into three pieces

Keliaya@anncaris | K'Sarn: "Got them!"

Rianni@crystyl | Lexi: "Too easy... well, let's get this done with so we can go back to being fat and lazy then!"

Keliaya@anncaris | As the QanwI' pulls away from the destroyed Ditean ship, they see an unknown alien cruiser trading fire with a Lupan packship. An Elachi cruiser suddenly teleports behind it, and between the -

Keliaya@anncaris - broadside of the packship and the Elachi crescent weapons, the vessel is cut down. The two Lupan raiders form up beside the QanwI', eager to search for new prey

Keliaya@anncaris | They soon find their next target as they see a pair of small Elachi ships teleporting away as they are engaged by enemy raiders. The QanwI' closes in, easily cutting apart another one of the -

Keliaya@anncaris - enemy raiders. The Lupan ships take out a second and the rest evade before trying to circle around and flank

Rianni@crystyl | Lexi: "Draw them in then flip us around. Those fools won't know what hit them!"

Keliaya@anncaris | The enemy raiders are drawn in, but QanwI's superior maneuvrability easily allows it to flip around them, putting the enemy squarely in their sights. A well-targeted burst takes down one -

Keliaya@anncaris - raider, and the second tries to escape, but the QanwI' turns slightly, taking them out as well

Keliaya@anncaris | K'Sarn: "Ha! These mercenaries are no warriors!"

Keliaya@anncaris | They watch as the Elachi cruiser from before teleports behind a Ditean ship, its crescent weapon severing a fin before teleporting away

Keliaya@anncaris | K'Sarn: "And neither is the main force they're supporting. They've got fancy technology, but these people certainly aren't warriors."

Keliaya@anncaris | Pilot: "Should we finish them off?"

Rianni@crystyl | Lexi leans back to one side in her chair, almost seeming disinterested now as she studies her nails and buffs them on her chestplate, "They're better than asteroids for target practice at least. -

Rianni@crystyl:- Put them out of their misery"

Keliaya@anncaris | The QanwI' closes in, and as it does, an aperture appears before the vessel which is clearly trying to escape now

Rianni@crystyl | Lexi: "Finish them! I want nothing more than debris going through that doorway!"

Keliaya@anncaris | The QanwI' fires another volley of antiproton bolts. With no shields to stop it on this vessel, they cut straight into the Diteans' hull, severing another fin and melting several holes within -

Keliaya@anncaris - the plating. K'Sarn then unleashes a torpedo towards the largest of the holes they punched. The explosion and subsequent compression splits the vessel into two, but the QanwI' continues firing -

Keliaya@anncaris - into the front half as it drifts towards the aperture, sundering it into pieces which fly through before the aperture snaps shut

Rianni@crystyl | Lexi laughs, "Now /that/ will send them a message!"

Keliaya@anncaris | As the QanwI' turns back around, they see that the remainder of the enemy fleet is retreating as well, with damaged ships being tractored through the apertures

Rianni@crystyl | Lexi: "Give them no quarter! Keep firing"

Keliaya@anncaris | K'Sarn: "Aye Captain!"

Keliaya@anncaris | The QanwI' darts over to one of the apertures, opening fire. Two escorts break off to stop them, but the QanwI' easily outmaneuvers them and fires on a Ditean vessel dragging another, causing -

Keliaya@anncaris - the tractor emitters to fail. They then spin around, to deal with the escorts, managing to take one out but the other slips through the aperture. The damaged vessel continues forward from the -

Keliaya@anncaris - inertia but is much slower without being directly towed- too slow unfortunately. The aperture closes as it is partly through, shearing the ship cleanly in half

Rianni@crystyl | Lexi grins

Keliaya@anncaris | In the distance, the last retreating Ditean ship disappears through an aperture, which seals behind it, and the battle seems to be concluded

Keliaya@anncaris | K'Sarn: "No more enemy contacts."

Rianni@crystyl | Lexi: " Stand down battle stations and check in with the flagship"

Keliaya@anncaris | As the QanwI' turns back for the allied fleet, we can see that the Coalition has taken damage and losses as well. The most damaged seem to be the first wave of vessels, and there is no small -

Keliaya@anncaris - amount of debris either. The camera zooms out from the QanwI' as it rejoins the others, turning away into deep space...

Keliaya@anncaris | The deep space shot serves as a transition as when the camera moves forward once again, we are in a different region, zooming in towards the Venator

Keliaya@anncaris | The camera finds its way through a window into the Venator's conference room, where the senior staff is gathered

Keliaya@anncaris steps over, patting Farhalla on the shoulder, "Are you sure you're up for this?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Farhalla gives her a slight smile, "Contrary to what the traditionalists on Vulcan believe, just because someone with Vulcan DNA doesn't follow the ways of logic doesn't mean we have no control -

Keliaya@anncaris - over our emotions."

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "Do take some time off after this, otherwise Jatila might exercise her counseling authority."

Keliaya@anncaris | Farhalla: "I'll be fine. I was on the Loki, remember?"

Keliaya@anncaris:"T'Lana managed to get most of you off the Loki. Lost with all hands is a different matter. The ship always holds sentimental value, but hardware can be replaced. People, on the other hand..."

Keliaya@anncaris | Farhalla: "We might still get some of them back. Let's...break the news to the others, first."

Keliaya@anncaris nods and takes a seat, taking a moment to look at her PADD and wonder where to begin

Keliaya@anncaris looks up from the PADD to the others around the table, "At 1400 hours yesterday, the USS Midway encountered two Ditean vessels in the system it was surveying. With knowledge of the Yorktown's -

Keliaya@anncaris - encounter, Captain Pall did not attempt communication and immediately went to yellow alert and notified Starfleet. A squadron of vessels from the Heart headed by Admiral Ali responded and -

Keliaya@anncaris - arrived by gateway to find the Midway in a similar condition to the Yorktown when we came upon them. The squadron immediately engaged and disabled one of the Ditean vessels, but more apertures -

Keliaya@anncaris - opened and enemy reinforcements arrived. The conflict escalated from there, with the Colonial Fleet and Elachi arriving to support Starfleet, followed by a mobilization of multiple other -

Keliaya@anncaris - Coalition factions. The Diteans also opened multiple apertures, bringing in additional vessels and captive ships like the Drenn cruiser we encountered."

Rianni@crystyl:"It seems to be all out open warfare now"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "The Diteans have been designated a hostile faction by the Coalition. All Ditean vessels are officially to be regarded as enemy ships per Starfleet regulations, which by extension means -

Keliaya@anncaris - our mission has gone from search and rescue to reconnaissance and recovery behind enemy lines. Security and Tactical are to step up combat drills and MACOs are now operating under wartime -

Keliaya@anncaris - protocols."

Rianni@crystyl nods, "I'll be working Sin to coordinate efforts across all defensive areas"

Keliaya@anncaris | Rylliss: "This isn't going to be like any conflict we've seen before. The Iconian War was one thing, but now /both/ sides have the capacity to appear almost anywhere on the field."

Keliaya@anncaris:"Which is exactly how the most recent confrontation spiralled out of control so quickly. The Diteans ultimately withdrew, but by then they had lost 7 ships and 10 auxiliary vessels."

Keliaya@anncaris | Dr. Qrehl: "And our losses?"

Keliaya@anncaris:"21 ships, four of them Starfleet. USS Nagai, USS Sh'arylor, USS Khayyam and USS Midway."

Rianni@crystyl shakes her head at the number of losses, "We need to step up our game and figure this mess out too..."

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "We're coming up on the site of the attack that supposedly started this war. Hopefully it'll provide us with some answers. We'll investigate that system as planned, if anything it's more -

Keliaya@anncaris - important now than ever to get to the bottom of it all."

Rianni@crystyl:"Agreed"

—

Keliaya@anncaris | The next day, Rianni is overseeing the bridge as they begin to approach the system provided by their Ditean prisoners, the site of the attack which reportedly started it all...

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "Sensors are picking up vessels in the area. No apparent destination, movement and organization indicates local patrol groups."

Keliaya@anncaris | Nqakula nods, "They're not Ditean. Well, not in design anyways. Might be more commandeered ships like the Drenn one."

Keliaya@anncaris | Rylliss: "The reports from the battle indicated the Diteans make heavy use of captured ships. Much more than just the Faraday and the Drenn ship we saw."

Rianni@crystyl:"Alright, well this is officially enemy territory now, so let's stick to the shadows and see what they're up to"

Keliaya@anncaris | Azevedo: "Should we slow down and observe, or continue course towards the system under cloak?"

Rianni@crystyl:"We can continue under cloak, just maintain a cautious distance"

Keliaya@anncaris | Azevedo nods, "Aye Lieutenant."

Keliaya@anncaris | A few minutes later, the bridge doors slide open and Kelly steps out with Eva

Keliaya@anncaris:"Anything of note as we get closer to our destination?"

Rianni@crystyl stands, "Just a few scattered patrols at the moment. We're moving in to observe"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, moving over to take a seat, "All as expected. Patrols mean the system's got some value to them. I don't have any reason to suspect our prisoners were lying to us, but even if they are, -

Keliaya@anncaris - this is probably a place worth checking out."

Keliaya@anncaris | Sin meanwhile begins getting more in-depth tactical readings of the patrol ships as they near the system...

Rianni@crystyl | Sin: "If anything, I'd say it looks like they abandoned this place. That bunch out there looks nothing more than scavvers picking over whatever's left. All small raiders, and not a blip of Ditean -

Rianni@crystyl:- tech"

Keliaya@anncaris:"According to the prisoners, Starfleet did supposedly attack the system without warning and destroy their shipyards and production facilities here. I can see why they would abandon the place, or at -

Keliaya@anncaris:- least consider it less valuable now."

Rianni@crystyl:"If there was a fight here, there must still be some remains of the attacking ships for the scavengers to pick over. I can't imagine any force mounting an attack on a fortified position like that -

Rianni@crystyl:- without taking at least /some/ losses"

Keliaya@anncaris | Rylliss nods, "Especially against the Diteans, seeing what's happened every time we faced them."

Rianni@crystyl:"Well then, let's see if we can't find some to nab before the scavengers get their hands on it"

Keliaya@anncaris | A short while later, the Venator drops out of warp on the edge of the system

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "I'm reading something near the sun. I believe it's a Ditean vessel...difficult to tell from the solar energy around it, but it's definitely not a solar flare. Most likely a very high -

Keliaya@anncaris - powered Ditean ship or station in orbit."

Rianni@crystyl:"It could expose us if we get too close to the star, but it might be worth a better look" she looks to Kelly for the decision

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "Also picking up a debris field, around the second planet of the system. Lots of non-Ditean ships there. The Ditean signature around the star seems to be in an orbit that's constantly -

Keliaya@anncaris - facing the planet, like it's keeping an eye on these ships."

Rianni@crystyl | Sin: "Well there's no doubt now that these are scavvers out there. I'm seeing more lightly armed freighters and they are clearly picking through that debris"

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "I don't think they're independant scavengers, though. The Diteans definitely know they're here. I suspect they're working for the Diteans, doing the menial work for them."

Rianni@crystyl:"More adoring fans perhaps?"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "Must be. Let's check out the debris field first. We can sneak around these scavenger ships much more easily than a fully-powered Ditean vessel, I expect."

Keliaya@anncaris | Azevedo nods, "Taking us into the debris field now."

—

Keliaya@anncaris | The Venator searches through the debris field under cloak, avoiding the scavenger vessels. Beneath the debris field is a devastated planet which has clearly been bombarded, with smoke still -

Keliaya@anncaris - rising from some areas. It appears to be a rather barren rocky world, so fortunately it was likely not heavily populated. The scene however seems heavily reminiscent of the images Rianni had -

Keliaya@anncaris - seen of her own home following the synth attack

Rianni@crystyl:"Wow... someone really went to town on this place"

Keliaya@anncaris:"It seems so..."

Keliaya@anncaris | Nqakula: "From my analysis of the debris so far, it would appear that much of it came from a sizable shipyard which was once in orbit. There's also a significant amount of debris from Ditean -

Keliaya@anncaris - ships too. The ship debris is different enough from their station construction that it's quite easy to tell, even with the limited data we have."

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "Hard to tell from what remains on the planet, but this world was never an M Class even to begin with. It is rather rich in mineral resources, though. I suspect the facilities -

Keliaya@anncaris - destroyed on the surface were mining and production ones, intended to support the shipyard."

Keliaya@anncaris:"What about weapons signatures on the debris and planet?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "The signatures are too faded to pick up. The damage patterns, however,,," he looks to Sin

Rianni@crystyl | Sin: "They reek of Starfleet alright. I mean... they're consistent with our beam and pulse energy weapons and there are clear impacts from standard 25-isoton photons"

Rianni@crystyl:"What about non-Ditean debris?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Nqakula: "We're still checking for them. Most of the debris is Ditean, and a lot of it has probably already been removed by the scavengers here."

Keliaya@anncaris:"What we're seeing so far does look consistent with our prisoners' description of events. A pre-emptive strike to cripple one of their major shipbuilding facilities, and whoever did it certainly -

Keliaya@anncaris:- made it seem like Starfleet was responsible."

Rianni@crystyl | Sin: "Are we still certain it wasn't?"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Starfleet has never been known to launch pre-emptive strikes, except in the case of single rogue captains. But there's no way one ship could've done damage like this."

Rianni@crystyl | Sin: "No, but it only takes one infiltrator to command a whole fleet"

Rianni@crystyl shoots Sin a look

Rianni@crystyl | Sin shrugs, "Tell me I'm wrong"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "That's true, but it would be impossible to conceal an operation like this, even if it was done entirely using Starfleet Intelligence assets. If that many intelligence ships got pulled for -

Keliaya@anncaris - an attack like this, I'm sure someone would've noticed. The infiltrators might be able to pull this off, but keeping it a secret from the rest of Starfleet is the difficult part, especially -

Keliaya@anncaris - with the recent investigation and scrutiny into their actions."

Rianni@crystyl:"We won't know either way until we find something of the attacking fleet here"

Keliaya@anncaris | Nqakula: "I have something!"

Rianni@crystyl looks over

Keliaya@anncaris | Nqakula taps her console, bringing up a piece of debris on the screen. It's very damaged and not particularly distinct

Keliaya@anncaris | Azevedo: "Umm...what're we looking at?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Nqakula: "The material is consistent with Starfleet ship construction. Identical to ship hulls built in the 2375 to 2390 time period."

Keliaya@anncaris:"I don't suppose we can tell what ship it was from?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Nqakula shakes her head, "No, there's not enough of the ship left for that. But it's definitely Starfleet, or a perfect replica of Starfleet hull material."

Keliaya@anncaris:"More perfect than the Iconian replicas?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Nqakula nods, "From what I'm seeing here, it seems so."

Rianni@crystyl:"A material composition analysis could tell us more. One thing I learned growing up on Mars is that components fabricated there bear a material signature of sorts, same as any other fleetyard owing -

Rianni@crystyl:- to local variances in the fabrication process. I think it would also be worth a quantum analysis with all that's gone on of late"

Keliaya@anncaris | Nqakula: "I'll run both now."

Keliaya@anncaris | After a minute, Nqakula announces, "For the material composition, it looks like the closest match is..."

Keliaya@anncaris | Nqakula taps her console and a file appears on the viewscreen

Keliaya@anncaris FX | https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/memoryalpha/images/4/43/Texas_class_specs%2C_unclassified.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20221024121239&path-prefix=en

Keliaya@anncaris:"That...could explain how they kept the operation a secret from us."

Rianni@crystyl:"The Texas class, right? Wasn't that a failed experiment in automation or something?"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "If someone built more of them, they could field an entire fleet without anyone knowing."

Rianni@crystyl:"What about the quantum signature, or do we need to bring it on board to scan more thoroughly for that?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Nqakula: "Quantum signature is a match for our own universe, but that just means the materials on the ship was extracted from somewhere in our reality. Most of the infiltrator ships have -

Keliaya@anncaris - hull plating with the quantum signature of our universe."

Rianni@crystyl:"Good point..."

Keliaya@anncaris:"It indicates they have means of mining and production here, so it's possible they just used the Texas-class schematics to produce their own fleet."

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "I've located more non-Ditean debris here."

Rianni@crystyl:"Another Texas?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Nqakula: "Analyzing now." She taps away at her console. "No, it's not Ditean, but it's not Starfleet, either. Looks like Colonial Fleet."

Rianni@crystyl:"Colonial? Well that's unexpected..."

Keliaya@anncaris:"The Colonial Fleet doesn't use AI at all. They avoid it as much as the Romulans do. But if the infiltrators built this, it wouldn't be impossible for them to have installed some AI control system -

Keliaya@anncaris:- on board."

Keliaya@anncaris | Rylliss: "Someone must be trying to set up the entire Coalition for this pre-emptive attack."

Rianni@crystyl:"I suppose an intact computer core is a bit much to ask from this debris field"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Or they're just using what they had available," she looks to Rianni. "Remember when we found Seelix in the Gamma Quadrant, she said the Colonial Fleet was also compromised."

Rianni@crystyl nods, "That is true..."

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "With all these scavengers about likely working for the Diteans, they'd have taken any computer cores left to salvage. But I have more debris on sensors. I think we've found the -

Keliaya@anncaris - the area the attacking fleet was striking from."

Rianni@crystyl looks to Kelly, "Could be worth a look"

Keliaya@anncaris | Azevedo: "The problem is, there's a scavenger ship right there picking through the debris..."

Keliaya@anncaris looks to Eva, "Eva?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Eva nods and closes her eyes

Keliaya@anncaris | Azevedo: "And the scavengers are moving away."

Rianni@crystyl gives Eva a curious look

Keliaya@anncaris | Eva opens her eyes and smiles, "Just a little bit of subconscious urging. I might not remember the time when the Architect completely took over my body, but I still have some of the tricks he -

Keliaya@anncaris - taught me before that."

Rianni@crystyl:"Remind me never to play poker with you..."

Keliaya@anncaris | Eva chuckles, "I'll never use it to cheat at games. We Betazoids have a strict moral code when it comes to telepathy, remember?"

Rianni@crystyl hrms with faux suspicion and a slight smirk

Keliaya@anncaris | Azevedo: "Taking us into the debris field now."

Keliaya@anncaris | Nqakula: "I'll see what the analysis can reveal."

Keliaya@anncaris | Eva: "Looks like there's debris from a few different ships. I'll lend a hand," She steps over to join Nqakula at the Engineering station

Keliaya@anncaris | Nqakula: "Thanks." She taps on her console a bit. "Well, that's odd..."

Rianni@crystyl:"What is?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Nqakula: "The computer says there's a 92% likelihood that this debris' composition matches a ship that was lost in the Klingon War. USS Clark."

Keliaya@anncaris:"The Reliant-class one?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Nqakula nods, "That's what it thinks."

Rianni@crystyl:"You know the ship?" she looks to Kelly

Keliaya@anncaris:"It docked at K-7 when I was posted there. Maybe it's just misidentifying another Reliant-class vessel. Still, why would they use a Reliant to begin with, if they were building Texas-classes for -

Keliaya@anncaris:- this anyways? You'll have to convert the design to facilitate full AI control while it's already built into the Texas."

Rianni@crystyl:"Something tells we aren't looking at a simple AI conversion. This feels to sporadic, like there's something else to all of this we're not seeing yet"

Keliaya@anncaris | Eva: "I don't think it's a misidentification. I've got another. USS Nelson, Geneva-class. And this debris has a bit of the name and registry confirming its identification. But the Nelson was -

Keliaya@anncaris - confirmed lost in the Iconian war."

Rianni@crystyl:"Has someone been cobbling together lost ships? It sounds like something the Pakleds would do, but they'd never build something that actually replicates a Starfleet ship"

Keliaya@anncaris considers, "Before Mischa set out on her mission, we were talking about the infiltrator situation. She mentioned that they might have some means of repairing their ships, but their capacities -

Keliaya@anncaris - were probably limited because the ships we destroyed or seized so far seem to be having a serious impact on them. If they only have limited production, say a single shipyard...maybe cobbling -

Keliaya@anncaris - together old ships would be easier than producing a fleet solely composed of new Texas-class ships. And it would make the fleet look more authentic as well, since Starfleet doesn't usually -

Keliaya@anncaris - field fleets composed only of a single class of ship."

Rianni@crystyl:"That's true... but it's all just theories to fit the facts. We'll need something far more conclusive if we're to convince the Diteans"

Keliaya@anncaris | Nqakula: "Well, we've got a ship that's definitely confirmed lost..."

Rianni@crystyl:"If I were in the Diteans position, I would not put much stock in 'supposed' records of my perceived enemy like that"

Keliaya@anncaris | The viewscreen pops up with another piece of debris, with the label saying "IDENTIFICATION: U.S.S. GAINSBOROUGH NCC-97907 (95% COMPOSITION MATCH)"

Rianni@crystyl leans in, "No..."

Keliaya@anncaris narrows her eyes, "We never did manage to recover a lot of the Gainsborough, We assumed that these pieces fell into the wormholes along with the escape pods, but maybe the infiltrators just got -

Keliaya@anncaris - to the salvage before us..."

Rianni@crystyl:"Or maybe they did get pulled through that wormhole. It scattered the escape pods, so it could have done the same with the debris"

Rianni@crystyl | Emma heads around and kneels behind Rianni, placing a hand on her shoulder through the railing

Rianni@crystyl glances back slightly and gives a faint smile that she's ok and squeezes Emma's hand. How tightly she does betrays the presented smile

Keliaya@anncaris smiles at the interaction before turning back to the screen, "Have they just been collecting pieces of Starfleet ships lost in recent conflicts this whole time, I wonder..."

Rianni@crystyl:"Maybe. Or maybe they've been doing it for centuries. Either way, they must have the means to transport these wrecks. And a significant facility to rework them"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "In any case, you're right. The Diteans probably won't believe we're not responsible just because we say all these ships were previously lost. There's nothing to say that Starfleet -

Keliaya@anncaris - ourselves didn't put the wrecks back together to assemble some sort of expendable attack fleet. If they even believe our claims that the ships were lost in the first place."

Rianni@crystyl:"Exactly, we need to investigate this further to find who was behind this attack"

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "I'm picking up a mostly intact section among the debris. It's Ditean, a part of the shipyard but not any of the shipbuilding facilities. Looks like a control centre. Could be more -

Keliaya@anncaris - information on there, records from the attack, maybe."

Rianni@crystyl:"I think it's worth a look"

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "Problem is, there's also scavengers on there."

Rianni@crystyl:"That does complicate things..."

Keliaya@anncaris | Nqakula looks to Eva, "I don't suppose you can just make them leave..."

Keliaya@anncaris | Eva: "A group or two, maybe. But probably not all of them at once."

Keliaya@anncaris | Rylliss: "And if we send the MACOs in to clear the place, they'll know we're here."

Rianni@crystyl:"Maybe there is another option... what about that section of the Gainsborough?"

Keliaya@anncaris looks over, "What're you thinking?"

Rianni@crystyl:"That in that ship's final moments, Mana and Mia upgraded it's computer to an awakening sentient AI. A natural instinct of sentience is self preservation, so what if there's something left of it -

Rianni@crystyl:- there still?"

Keliaya@anncaris considers, "It's possible. There's no scavengers over there, so it's worth checking out."

Rianni@crystyl | Emma gives Rianni a worried look, "You can't seriously be thinking of going back there of all places..."

Rianni@crystyl:"Who else knows the ship? Don't worry, I'll be fine. Though I could use some more technical expertise as I am far from proficient with matters of AI"

Keliaya@anncaris:"I should go. I was an engineer on the Gainsborough. Besides, there isn't much in the way of danger over on the debris except spacewalking," she looks to Rianni, "And considering where I found you -

Keliaya@anncaris:- that one time in Regulator space, you're not exactly afraid of a little spacewalk."

Rianni@crystyl chuckles softly, "Yeah... I was really hoping that would be forgotten now..."

Keliaya@anncaris chuckles and stands, "Let's go, then."

Keliaya@anncaris | Rylliss: "Are you sure the CO and XO should /both/ be on an away mission together?"

Rianni@crystyl | Emma snorts, "Please, I remember when that was standard practice! I mean... from reading about it, at the academy..."

Rianni@crystyl eyerolls

—

Keliaya@anncaris | In the Venator's transporter room, Rianni and Kelly gears up in EV suits to beam over to the debris from the Gainsborough

Keliaya@anncaris looks to Rianni as she suits up, "Are you sure you're ready for this, Rianni? The mission parameters themselves aren't anything difficult to you, but returning over to the Gainsborough might be -

Keliaya@anncaris - another matter..."

Rianni@crystyl:"Oh I'm almost certain that I'm not. But I also know that if I don't go and face it, it will haunt me for the rest of my life. So yeah..."

Keliaya@anncaris nods and gives Rianni a reassuring smile, "I'll do my best to help you through it."

Rianni@crystyl:"I appreciate it Kelly, it's certainly a lot easier to face with you there"

Keliaya@anncaris puts on the suit helmet, "I was on the Gainsborough too, but I know you went through a much more difficult time than I did. But I have an idea of what you went through. I had a similar -

Keliaya@anncaris - experience, just on a different ship. Not identical, of course, but I can certainly sympathize.

Rianni@crystyl:"I knew you would understand" she smiles, finishing her own prep

Keliaya@anncaris steps onto the transporter pad, "Ready?"

Rianni@crystyl joins her and takes a deep breath before nodding, "No"

Keliaya@anncaris gives Rianni a pat on the shoulder, "Me neither, to be honest," She gives the transporter operator a nod. "Energize."

Keliaya@anncaris | The two disappear into transporter beams...

Keliaya@anncaris ...and materialize in an entirely dark area

Keliaya@anncaris turns her flashlight on, illuminating twisted and damaged bulkheads and debris all over the ground

Rianni@crystyl looks around, "I'm officially not a fan of the new decor"

Keliaya@anncaris:"You and me both...but for a ship that was destroyed, rebuilt and destroyed again, I think we're lucky to have something to walk around in at all."

Rianni@crystyl:"I'm not sure what I find more chilling right now; the fact that we were here when it was destroyed, or that someone went rooting through our remnants here to rebuild it..."

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "Let's not think on that too much and see what we can find, shall we?"

Rianni@crystyl nods, "Any thoughts on where to start?"

Keliaya@anncaris:"I'm not sure my memory of the schematics is going to be much help, but there should be a lab in this section of debris. Of course, without the computer core there's no saying if we can find any -

Keliaya@anncaris:- information there, but it's probably our best chance."

Rianni@crystyl:"It's a needle in a haystack, I know. A theoretical needle at that. Any raw data may be corrupt and untrustworthy given the repurposing of the ship, but I'm more hopeful that the sentient core may -

Rianni@crystyl:- have found a way to preserve itself, hidden from the intruders. But where does an AI hide..."

Keliaya@anncaris:"That's why I wanted to head to the lab. It probably has the most intact computer structure left..."

Rianni@crystyl:"Right! Makes sense, let's see what we can find then"

Keliaya@anncaris nods and starts leading the way out. They exit the room to an equally dark hallway, with one end of it leading directly into the void of space

Rianni@crystyl continues looking around for anything out of place, trying her best to see it all as just another derelict"

Keliaya@anncaris glances around as well. For the moment, it does just seem like another derelict, with nothing particular of note in this hall

Keliaya@anncaris:"This way," she motions for Rianni to follow

Rianni@crystyl follows quietly, obviously distracted by her thoughts but not impeded

Keliaya@anncaris | They continue down the hall for a moment before it too comes to an abrupt stop into space

Keliaya@anncaris:"Well, this might be a problem. Good thing you can spacewalk, Lieutenant."

Rianni@crystyl nods, "Should I check out the rest alone, or are you coming out too?"

Keliaya@anncaris steps towards the gap, "I went looking for you out on the hull, remember?"

Rianni@crystyl:"I remember. Just wasn't sure if you wanted to check out another section while I took the walk, but sticking together would be wiser"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Exactly. Let's not split up unless we have to."

Keliaya@anncaris begins walking on the 'wall' of the wreckage instead of the floor as she heads towards the gap

—

Keliaya@anncaris | After a bit of walking across the damaged hull of the debris, Kelly and Rianni step foot back into what used to be the interior of the ship, though it is all the same now as everything is -

Keliaya@anncaris - exposed to the vacuum of space. It seems like they stepped into quarters from the furniture that is bolted down, though much of it is long gone

Keliaya@anncaris looks around, "I...think this used to be Ensign Sokolova's. Hard to tell from the state it's in, but it's definitely a junior officer's quarters and it's in the right part of the ship. Might be -

Keliaya@anncaris - one of the ones next to her’s, now that I think of it. But I didn't know them as well."

Rianni@crystyl:"You knew this Sokolova, I take it?"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Still know. She made it off the Gainsborough, but she didn't join up with the Valley Forge. She's heading a research project these days, if I remember right. We don't talk anywhere near as much as -

Keliaya@anncaris:- we used to when we were on the Gainsborough, but we still exchange the odd correspondence."

Rianni@crystyl:"That's nice to hear. I didn't really know any of the crew"

Keliaya@anncaris steps over to the door, which seems to be jammed, "We're going to have to pry this open manually."

Rianni@crystyl moves to assist, "I'm with you"

Keliaya@anncaris begins forcing open the door, "You were just on board for a cadet tour, if I remember right."

Rianni@crystyl:"Yes, our first experience tour during second year"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, stepping out when the door is finally forced open, "You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, here."

Rianni@crystyl carefully steps through, "You're not wrong"

Keliaya@anncaris makes her way down the hall, this section seeming a little less damaged, though all the power and lights are still off, with the only illumination being their flashlights. As they walk, this -

Keliaya@anncaris - section seems a bit familiar to Rianni. She's definitely been through here...

Rianni@crystyl looks around, trying to place the familiarity

Keliaya@anncaris:"See something?"

Rianni@crystyl:"I'm not certain... this area, it just feels very familiar for some reason"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Well you've been on the ship before. I wouldn't be surprised if you've come through here."

Rianni@crystyl:"That's just it, I went all over the ship. But this area in particular stands out"

Keliaya@anncaris pauses, her flashlight coming across something, "Take a look at this."

Rianni@crystyl steps over, "You found something?"

Keliaya@anncaris focuses her flashlight on the find. It's a drone, and although damaged, Rianni can see visible similarities to the ones she encountered on the Valley Forge-H

Rianni@crystyl:"Huh, well that doesn't belong here"

Keliaya@anncaris picks up the drone, "Not on the original Gainsborough, at least. It's a sign the infiltrators were here. Let's hang on to it for now."

Rianni@crystyl nods, "It could contain useful data"

Keliaya@anncaris keeps moving on with the drone in hand. As they walk, Rianni begins to realize why this place seems familiar...

Rianni@crystyl looks around more, "Wait... Is this...?"

Keliaya@anncaris looks to Rianni, "Hm?"

Rianni@crystyl presses her hand against a wall panel before looking around, up at the ceiling on the opposite side

Rianni@crystyl shakes her head, holding a hand to her helmet, "No..." and while stepping back she looks down and gasps at a dark stain on the floor at her feet

Keliaya@anncaris glances between Rianni and the floor, "Are you alright, Lieutenant?"

Rianni@crystyl:"Sorry... yes" she tries to straighten herself, taking a moment to catch her breath before turning to the panel again, "This was my escape pod..."

Keliaya@anncaris sets a hand on Rianni's shoulder, "If I'd known this was the exact spot..."

Rianni@crystyl shakes her head, "There was no way to know. I never imagined I would even recognize it, but..." she nods and looks down, "That's my blood down there. This is where we got hit by that blast" looking-

Rianni@crystyl:- to the side a bit, "That's where he sheltered me from it..." she gasps a little, trying to put a hand to her mouth but of course only grabbing the face of her helmet before turning away

Keliaya@anncaris:"I'm sorry, Rianni. Do you want to get away from here, or take your time?"

Rianni@crystyl:"Let's just keep moving" she turns and carries on down the hall

—

Keliaya@anncaris | After a little more walking, the pair enter the Gainsborough lab. The main display has fallen over and some of the consoles are cracked, with the rest of the room dark as usual

Keliaya@anncaris:"I brought some power packs. See if you can find a console intact enough to start back up."

Rianni@crystyl:"I wonder if this condition is carried over from when it was lost to the Azedi, or when it ended up here..." she muses with a nod, carefully searching

Keliaya@anncaris:"The remains certainly took a lot of damage during the fighting with the Diteans. But I don't imagine they went through the trouble of repairing everything just to throw it away here. There's no -

Keliaya@anncaris:- point in fixing the labs for what they were using this ship for, so it's possible some of the damage was from the Azedi attack."

Rianni@crystyl:"Good point, hopefully something here survived in a serviceable state then!"

Keliaya@anncaris | As Rianni looks around, she comes across a console which seems to be in good condition

Rianni@crystyl:"Kelly, over here. Will this one work?"

Keliaya@anncaris steps over, "Good find. I think I can power this back up."

Keliaya@anncaris sets the damaged drone down and begins installing the power pack

Keliaya@anncaris:"There's some damage in the systems, but nothing I can't get around..." she takes out a component with clear scorch marks on it. "See if you can find another one of these in a nearby console."

Rianni@crystyl takes it and studies it closely, "I'm on it!" and starts searching the area

Keliaya@anncaris | After digging through another console, Rianni finds an identical component which looks undamaged!

Rianni@crystyl:"Aha! That looks like it" She returns it to Kelly, "How's that?"

Keliaya@anncaris looks over, "That should do nicely." She slots it into place and connects the power pack. A moment later, the console lights up

Keliaya@anncaris stands, "There we go."

Rianni@crystyl peers over, curious to see what she can find on it

Keliaya@anncaris | The console pops up with some scan and research data, but on some random planet rather than the one they are above now

Rianni@crystyl:"Hey, do you think that's where they took the ship?"

Keliaya@anncaris looks over the readings closely before shaking her head, "No, this was one of the planets we surveyed before the Azedi attack. It's still displaying data the crew was researching when the ship -

Keliaya@anncaris - went down."

Rianni@crystyl:"Well that's unfortunate... what about other ship systems, can we get a bead on any of those from here? If the computer did preserve itself, presumably it would have to have retained power somewhere-

Rianni@crystyl:- in an isolated system. But I'm not sure what systems are even isolated from main power"

Keliaya@anncaris taps away at the console, "No, it looks like this whole lab was never brought online after the wreckage was salvaged. There's only old data in the console. I could connect to the computer core, -

Keliaya@anncaris - if there /was/ a computer core still connected. Right now all I can access is the data stored in the console itself."

Rianni@crystyl:"I guess this was a dead end after all, sorry"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Maybe not..." she looks to the drone. "The lab is a dead end, but the lab was just the area I thought most likely to contain something when we first arrived..."

Rianni@crystyl follows her gaze, "The drone? Really?"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Not this drone. This one's fried," she disconnects the power pack, putting it away before picking up the damaged drone. "But there has to be more than one drone working a ship this size, -

Keliaya@anncaris:- especially if it's AI controlled."

Rianni@crystyl:"True. What about isolated systems? Maybe there's somewhere else worth investigating and we can search for drones along the way? What about sickbay, was that in this section on the Gainsborough?"

Keliaya@anncaris considers, "You're right. Sickbay is the perfect place. Come on."

Keliaya@anncaris starts leading the way out

Rianni@crystyl:"Really? Huh" seems surprised she guessed so well, "I'm guessing if anywhere had independent systems it would be there, what with emergency protocols and all right?"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Not just that, but the sickbay is built to channel a good amount of power, for the medical equipment, EMH and all. And on a fully autonomous ship, that would be completely redundant. It's likely -

Keliaya@anncaris:- the infiltrators would've converted it for some other use, instead of leaving it serving its original purpose or just untouched and damaged like the lab."

Rianni@crystyl:"Well if they did, I almost hope the AI isn't there. Assuming it even found a way to preserve itself at all that is..."

Keliaya@anncaris:"Well if there's no AI, it's a location in this part of the wreckage that's likely to have been altered by the infiltrators specifically for this attack. Which means there could be data on it."

Rianni@crystyl nods, keeping an eye out for more drones as they go

Keliaya@anncaris | As they move on, Rianni finds another damaged drone adrift among the wreckage

Rianni@crystyl stops to retrieve it, showing Kelly, "I think this one looks salvageable, right?"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "Let's take it with us."

Keliaya@anncaris | Before long, the two reach the sickbay, or at least, what used to be the sickbay. It doesn't look anything like a sickbay anymore. Instead, the interior has almost entirely been stripped out -

Keliaya@anncaris - and replaced with dozens of small alcoves lining the walls and running through the middle of the room like shelves. Many of the alcoves are empty, but some have drones within them

Keliaya@anncaris:"Now, that's about what I expected..."

Rianni@crystyl:"Well you wanted drones..."

Keliaya@anncaris:"That's why I wanted to come here. An autonomous ship would require significantly more drones than a Starfleet vessel typically carries to make up for the lack of crew. And without crew, the best -

Keliaya@anncaris:- place to house them would be to strip out the sickbays for drone storage and recharging. Quarters could work too, but they're going to take more work because quarters are designed to draw less -

Keliaya@anncaris:- power. So the sickbay would almost certainly be the top choice for conversion."

Rianni@crystyl:"Well this certainly proves that the ship was automated, but not by who. And it is full of independent systems! If the AI did manage to save itself, it has to be here..."

Keliaya@anncaris points ahead, "That console is definitely intact. I'll see if I can power it up."

Keliaya@anncaris plugs in the power pack and a moment later, the console lights up

Rianni@crystyl:"A good start"

Keliaya@anncaris taps away at the console, "You're right. The drone system was directly connected to the ship AI, and there's fragments of code in all the drones. If we take all the drones back, it might be -

Keliaya@anncaris - possible to recover the AI. The thing is, this AI seems to have been the one controlling the ship during the attack. I am seeing pieces of modern Starfleet code in there, though. We may have -

Keliaya@anncaris - to go through multiple layers of recovery in order to get to the original Gainsborough AI."

Rianni@crystyl:"It seems pretty risky. If that AI was corrupted and used to run these attacks, couldn't it pose a threat to the Venator?"

Keliaya@anncaris:"That's certainly a possibility. Which is why I don't plan on trying to recover it just yet. Let's tag all the drones for transport back, damaged and undamaged. Keep them powered down in the -

Keliaya@anncaris - evacuation bays and set up a quarantine field around them. I think we're going to want some specialist support."

Rianni@crystyl nods, "I'll start tagging them" and gets to work, "So do you have someone in mind for that specialist support?"

Keliaya@anncaris:"That I do..."

—

Keliaya@anncaris | After exploring the wreckage, Kelly and Rianni return to the Venator, arriving on the bridge back in their uniforms after removing their EV suits

Keliaya@anncaris steps out, looking to Emma, "How are we on transporting the drones on board?"

Rianni@crystyl | Emma nods, "All on schedule!"

Keliaya@anncaris smiles, "Perfect. Azevedo, be ready to bring us out of the system as soon as we have them all on board."

Keliaya@anncaris | Azevedo: "Do we have a specific destination in mind, or just away from the scavengers and Diteans?"

Keliaya@anncaris steps over and takes a seat, "Indrix, that system we passed by two days ago. The one with the rich asteroid belt. Send the coordinates to the helm."

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix nods, "Right away, Commander."

Keliaya@anncaris watches the screen, "If only we could bring the whole piece with us, but that would draw too much attention."

Rianni@crystyl | Sin looks over, "I'm all for collecting souvenirs, but that does seem a bit much"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Not just as a keepsake. There could be other information on the debris somewhere, but we'll just have to hope that the drones are enough. Do we have all of them yet?"

Rianni@crystyl | Emma turns, "Just got the last one locked down. We're good to go"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Perfect. Set course for the system and take us out of here."

Keliaya@anncaris | Azevedo: "Aye Commander."

Keliaya@anncaris | The Venator turns away from the wreckage, slowly making their way out of the debris field first

Keliaya@anncaris:"Have we learned anything else about the fighting here from the debris field examination while we were gone?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Nqakula: "A few more ship identifications, but nothing more than that. All of the ships are registering as already lost in some previous conflict, with the exception of the Texas-class ones."

Rianni@crystyl:"What actually happened to the Texas class ships after their failed trials?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Nqakula: "According to the database, the prototypes were all destroyed after they went rogue and no more ships of the class were commissioned. The designs were kept in the archives for -

Keliaya@anncaris - reference and several design elements eventually made their way into later classes like the Inquiry, but the AI programming was locked down. It wasn't the ship design that was the problem, but -

Keliaya@anncaris - the AI. With a more stable AI, the ship could've worked."

Keliaya@anncaris:"But of course, the Mars attack happened a few years later, and any remaining research into autonomous ships was completely shut down after that."

Rianni@crystyl:"So that means the one's we found here weren't remnants or salvage, but newly built"

Keliaya@anncaris | Nqakula nods, "They're the only ships that are newly built, from what we can tell."

Rianni@crystyl:"So that means the enemy has access to that classified level of information, no surprises there I guess. But they also have a much more substantial facility than what would be needed to cobble -

Rianni@crystyl:- together old wrecks. Why then cobble old wrecks at all when they have the capacity and resource to build new?"

Keliaya@anncaris:"I was wondering that too. They could be trying to make the attack look more convincing, but the Diteans don't know what Starfleet is like to begin with anyways. Or they have limited resources to -

Keliaya@anncaris:- produce their own ships so they mix in salvaged ones. This attack wasn't just carried out to antagonize Starfleet to the Diteans, it was an actual successful first strike. Which meant the -

Keliaya@anncaris:- attacking force was competent, not just for show."

Rianni@crystyl hrms, "Maybe. It just feels like... I don't know, like they had to drastically accelerate their timeline or something. Like, something happened and they didn't have time to build their new fleet so-

Rianni@crystyl:- had to adapt or something"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "That's certainly possible. We have been disrupting their plans quite often recently, after all."

Rianni@crystyl | Emma: "So what's the deal with our new destination?"

Keliaya@anncaris:"It's a nice hidden location to call in some support. Reactivating these drones could be dangerous, but we need to extract the remnants of the AI from it, and also activate that safely for -

Keliaya@anncaris:- information. While we have a few computer specialists on board, there's nothing quite like the original creator of the Gainsborough's AI."

Rianni@crystyl looks to Kelly, "Mana?"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "She's still the New World's official representative to the Federation. And after the losses suffered by the Colonial Fleet in the recent battle, I think they'll be happy to lend any -

Keliaya@anncaris - assistance they can."

Rianni@crystyl smiles, "It will be nice to see her again! But, do we even have a means of getting her out here?"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Last I heard she's back in the Heart working on the joint ship project, which is why I'm counting on the Colonial Fleet being willing to assist our mission here. As long as they send a ship, a -

Keliaya@anncaris:- gateway or wormhole should get them from the Heart to here."

Rianni@crystyl:"I'm sure they would be willing to assist"

Keliaya@anncaris:"We'll drop a comm beacon in the system, which should be in range to link up with the last one we dropped and allow us to get a message back to the Heart."

—

NPC@annpc#557 | As the Venator proceeds on its way, Rianni and Emma visits the mess hall for some food

NPC@annpc#557 | As they retrieve their food and sit down, Farhalla steps up to their table, "Mind if I join you ladies?"

Rianni@crystyl looks up and smiles, "Of course not, please!"

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla takes a seat, "I've been off-duty the whole day, at Kelly's insistence. I heard about what you all found, though."

Rianni@crystyl | Emma: "You mean the Gainsborough, right?"

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla nods, "And the whole Texas-class business and the other salvage ships too. I haven't had much to do being off-duty, so I've been talking to people."

Rianni@crystyl:"Right..." seems suspicious of where this is going

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla looks to Rianni, "You and Kelly went over there, right?"

Rianni@crystyl nods, "We'd both been on the ship before, so it made the most sense"

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla: "Oh yes, you were posted on the ship too, weren't you."

Rianni@crystyl:"Well, yes and no. I was never actually posted there. But I did go out on that ship once as part of a cadet tour"

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla: "Right, you were only a Cadet then. But you were there when it went down, weren't you?"

Rianni@crystyl nods, playing with her food

Rianni@crystyl | Emma watches quietly for now, seeing what Farhalla's doing and holding back from interfering

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla nods, "Going back must've been difficult for you."

Rianni@crystyl:"It was more than I anticipated"

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla: "Are you taking it alright?"

Rianni@crystyl:"I think so...?"

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla looks to Emma and smiles, "Well, you've got her for support, so I hope so!"

Rianni@crystyl | Emma smiles softly, "Always!"

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla smiles as well, looking back to Rianni, "Well, if you need, you can always take some time off. Unless you prefer to be working and keeping yourself distracted?"

Rianni@crystyl:"I... well, I don't think I'm ready yet. It's all still too... fresh again. But once everything has settled again, I would appreciate that"

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla nods, "I think I know what you mean. You need time to process it before you can properly, well...process it," she chuckles

Rianni@crystyl smiles, "Sounds about right, yes. I don't know if Kelly told you or not, but I found more than I bargained for over there. So I just need some time"

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla shakes her head, "What did you find? If...you don't mind me asking, of course."

Rianni@crystyl looks around before responding, "Are you aware of what happened to me on that ship?"

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla: "Your escape pod was intercepted and you were replaced with that other version of you, right?"

Rianni@crystyl:"Pretty much, yes. But, well suffice to say that when I eventually got back to my own life that escape was the reason for my Purple Heart"

Rianni@crystyl | Emma smiles a little, "You were much more open about this when you talked to Keelah's cadets. It's alright still, I'm here!" she reaches over and squeezes Rianni's hand

Rianni@crystyl welcomes the support and turns back to Farhalla, "Ok yeah, so... I kind of died that day when the escape pod launched"

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla: "Wait, you...kind of died?"

Rianni@crystyl smiles, "I got better though!"

Rianni@crystyl | Emma chuckles, never tiring of that response

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla looks between the two, "That's...not usually how humans work..."

Rianni@crystyl giggles a little, "No, but it is how Junayd work and they are the ones who found me"

Rianni@crystyl | Emma: "What she's trying to say is that she was fatally wounded in that escape, but the Junayd brought her back"

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla: "Ahh, so that's what happened. Going back there certainly doesn't bring back good memories, then."

Rianni@crystyl:"You could say that, but that much I was prepared for. What I wasn't prepared for was happening across the very spot where it happened..."

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla nods, "I can see why that would be problematic...and now it's all fresh for you again?"

Rianni@crystyl nods sheepishly

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla: "Well, I hope you'll be able to come to terms with it all in time. I can only imagine what coming across a scene like that would be like, but you're still alive and healthy now, and -

NPC@annpc#557 - that's something to keep in mind too."

Rianni@crystyl smiles a little, "Oh yes, and don't get me wrong; I have spent a long time coming to terms with all that happened. I just wasn't ready to see that today and it threw me for a loop"

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla nods, "I know the feeling, I suppose the news about the Midway is similar for me, too. I was already suddenly and unexpectedly taken away from that ship once before when we all ended -

NPC@annpc#557 - up in the Gamma Quadrant. And a good few of the people I knew weren't even on the ship when it was lost, they'd already transferred elsewhere when it was back at the Heart. But still, the news -

NPC@annpc#557 - was just so sudden and unexpected."

Rianni@crystyl | Emma nods, "These things are never easy, that's why we're all here for each other!"

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla smiles, "Thank you, Emma."

Rianni@crystyl:"In brighter news, do you know that we're on our way to - hopefully - bring an old friend on board?"

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla: "Really? I did hear that we were heading to rendezvous with someone."

Rianni@crystyl:"We need to get there and send a request for the support first, but yes if our request is met then it will an old friend coming along!"

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla: "And who exactly is this old friend? Or is that a surprise?"

Rianni@crystyl:"I don't think it's a surprise...?" She looks to Emma

Rianni@crystyl | Emma chuckles, "I'm pretty sure it's not given how freely it was discussed on the bridge! Her name is Mana, she's an Arshai AI expert"

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla: "Oh, I've heard quite a bit about her! I've never had the chance to meet her myself, but I look forward to it! Rumour has it she knows more about AI than any Federation scientist. If -

NPC@annpc#557 - the Soongs or Maddox were still around, someone might be able to compete with her, but these days...wait, this must have to do with the remains of the AI controlled ships we found, doesn't it?"

Rianni@crystyl nods, "You're right on both counts. She is the best I've ever heard of when it comes to AI, and I can vouch for the realism of her work!"

Rianni@crystyl | Emma scowls at Rianni, "Yes you can, can't you..." and pokes her tongue playfully

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla looks between the two again, "Sounds like there's a story there..."

Rianni@crystyl flushes and ahems, "Yes, well... anyway it is to do with those remains too! See, Mana was also on the Gainsborough when it fell. When we were trying to evacuate, she and her drone did a 'quick and -

Rianni@crystyl:- dirty' upgrade on the Gainsborough's computer, essentially injecting a bit of AI sentience into it to help manage the failing situation. So now those remnants we have on board which appear to have-

Rianni@crystyl:- at least some part of AI subroutines taken from the ship mean they actually have parts of /her/ AI's remains. We suspect the code has been corrupted which is why we're not taking risks with any of-

Rianni@crystyl:- it, but if anyone can rescue that AI or even salvage some memory from it, Mana can"

NPC@annpc#557 | Farhalla nods, "I can certainly see the logic in calling her here. Hopefully she'll be able to recover something."

Rianni@crystyl:"If not, we'll have to go back and root through more of that debris field"

—

NPC@annpc#557 | The next day, Kelly and Rianni await in the transporter room to greet their guests. Two transporter beams appear on the pad. From one, Mana materializes as expected, but the other with her is -

NPC@annpc#557 - none other than Supreme Commander Vora herself

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly: "Welcome to the Venator. I wasn't expecting you to come along as well, Supreme Commander."

NPC@annpc#557 | Vora: "I have something I need to speak to you about."

NPC@annpc#557 | Mana: "Yes, Vora insisted on coming along as well. Some very important business Mana was not told of."

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly nods, "Very well. We can speak while Lieutenant Tierno shows Mana to the drones, then."

NPC@annpc#557 | Vora: "I'd like to speak with both of you, if that is not too much of a request."

Rianni@crystyl looks between the two, following the discussion

NPC@annpc#557 | Mana: "This is not Mana's first time on a Starfleet ship. Mana is sure Mana will find the way."

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly gives Vora a curious look before nodding, "Alright then," she looks over to Mana. "Who were you with on Belyia before you met up with all of us?"

NPC@annpc#557 | Mana: "Mana spent the first few months with Tiah, and one of the locals called Tamio, why?"

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly smiles, "It's never a bad idea to be safe in times like these. Good to see you again, Mana." She taps her combadge, "Kelly to Rylliss, Mana is to be given junior officer clearance to all -

NPC@annpc#557 - parts of the ship."

NPC@annpc#557 | Mana: "Mana is glad to see Kelly and Rianni again as well! And Mana is very excited at the prospect that there may be something to recover of Mana's work on the Gainsborough."

Rianni@crystyl smiles, "It is good to see you too Mana"

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly: "You've got full clearance to roam the ship now. The drones are being housed in the evacuation bays."

NPC@annpc#557 | Mana: "Mana will go to analyze them right away." She makes her way out of the transporter room

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly looks to Vora, "Come with me."

—

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly enters the ready room with Rianni and Vora

NPC@annpc#557 | Vora: "You should've asked me one of your questions, too."

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly: "Well, I don't know you as personally as I know Mana. I'm pretty sure anything I can ask you, an impostor could learn from enough research anyways."

NPC@annpc#557 | Vora steps over and takes a seat, "That's unfortunate. Now, before you call Security, hear me out..."

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly gives Rianni a concerned look

Rianni@crystyl shares the look and hovers cautiously

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly looks back to Vora, "Our transporters would've picked up if you were a Ditean or a Founder."

NPC@annpc#557 | 'Vora' smiles, "I'm not Ditean, or a Founder, or any kind of shapeshifter."

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly narrows her eyes, "What are you, then?"

NPC@annpc#557 | Vora: "An Arshai-Orion hybrid. Why don't you give me a scan to confirm?"

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly gives Rianni a nod

Rianni@crystyl performs a scan, "Yet you seem quite intent on implying to us that you are not who you appear to be"

Rianni@crystyl:"I see. So you are the Supreme Commander..." she notes after scrutinizing the scan date, "...just not the one from our reality" she hands Kelly the tricorder to see for herself

NPC@annpc#557 | 'Vora': "Actually, not quite," she smiles, looking at Kelly as she examines the results. "We've met before Commander, I'm talking about these versions of ourselves specifically, not any -

NPC@annpc#557 - alternate reality variants. I am Lieutenant Commander Yala-Orion, former Chief Tactical Officer of the late USS Valley Forge."

Rianni@crystyl looks between the two confused

NPC@annpc#557 | Yala's gaze settles on Rianni, "Under your command, that is, not Captain Se'Lai's. Keelah was like a foster mother to me, but unfortunately she never had the chance to see me make Chief under you."

Rianni@crystyl:"Wait, you mean you're from that alternate future ship? I heard about those events, but I was away from the ship at the time. Still can't believe I missed meeting that future me..."

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly: "Didn't you sacrifice yourself along with your version of the Valley Forge?"

NPC@annpc#557 | Yala: "That...was my intention, yes. It seemed there were people with other plans for me."

Rianni@crystyl:"What people?"

NPC@annpc#557 | Yala: "People like me. People without a home to go to, who seek to create a better timeline in which circumstances are not so dire."

Rianni@crystyl:"Why does that sound like an over-idealized proclamation of an unregulated shadow organization..."

NPC@annpc#557 | Yala: "You could say that. I don't agree with everything they do, but I do agree with their goals and objectives."

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly: "Did you...replace your mother in this universe?"

Rianni@crystyl looks to Kelly, "The infiltrators?" and back to Yala

NPC@annpc#557 | Yala: "No, no of course not! I use her identity from time to time, but she's fully aware of my activities. All our dealings with the Survivors go through her."

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly: "Vora's dealing with the Survivors?"

NPC@annpc#557 | Yala: "And that surprises you? You know what my mother is like. She doesn't exactly follow Federation regulations."

Rianni@crystyl finally sits, "Even she has seen the trouble they cause for everyone. She is playing with fire"

NPC@annpc#557 | Yala nods, "We know how dangerous they can be. But in this current matter, their methods are the right path."

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly: "This current matter. You mean the Ditean situation."

NPC@annpc#557 | Yala: "We made contact with the Diteans in our timeline as well. We sought their aid against the ever growing Horde threat. They accepted but provided extremely limited support. As time went -

NPC@annpc#557 - it became clear that they were using this alliance as a way to lure people over to breed with them. They were providing far less than what they were siphoning off from us. Their -

NPC@annpc#557 - actions caused a schism in what remained of the Coalition which cost us significantly. One of the points we considered returning to was when we invited the Diteans to the Coalition, but -

NPC@annpc#557 - we decided to go even further back, as you know."

Rianni@crystyl:"To rewrite first contact into a first strike"

NPC@annpc#557 | Yala nods, "It's the only way. The Federation as it exists now in this universe is still a moral entity who seeks peace and cooperation above all else. And I agree with these ideals. But -

NPC@annpc#557 - taking advantage of these ideals is exactly what makes the Diteans so dangerous. They draw you in with friendship, and then they breed you out to extinction, taking the best parts of your -

NPC@annpc#557 - genetic material into themselves. They're like the Borg, but far more insidious, with a method of operation that the Federation is uniquely vulnerable to above any other threat."

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly: "And starting a war makes this better? People are dying, Starfleet and Colonial Fleet."

NPC@annpc#557 | Yala: "People who are ready to give their lives in defense of the Federation and the New World. Peace is the Diteans' weapon, Commander. A war with phasers and disruptors is one we can win. If -

NPC@annpc#557 - we don't do this, entire worlds and civilizations will be lost to the Diteans. The genetic diversity of whole species, erased and assimilated into the Diteans."

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly: "You came here to stop us from exposing this and putting an end to this conflict."

NPC@annpc#557 | Yala: "Stop, no. I'm just one woman. Advise against, yes."

Rianni@crystyl:"We can't just start fighting an indefinite war though"

NPC@annpc#557 | Yala: "It won't be indefinite. It's true that the Diteans control more than the Tydian Worlds on the edge of Horde space. But they're not a militant people. We drive them from the Tydian -

NPC@annpc#557 - Worlds and they'll just start avoiding us. You've done something similar in the Survivors' reality, just in a different region of space. The end goal of the Diteans might resemble that of the -

NPC@annpc#557 - Borg, but their methods of operation are very different. They won't keep trying and throwing more of their own at you. That's not their way. They'll bide their time, and if there ever comes a -

NPC@annpc#557 - time when the Coalition and Federation splinters into smaller sub-factions, they might approach and attempt to seduce some of these factions again. But if we defeat them here, we'll be safe as -

NPC@annpc#557 - long as the specific governments involved remain intact. They'll mark us as a lost cause and move on."

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly: "We can't be sure they'll just move on. That said, we can't be sure making peace with the Diteans will end poorly for us. Just because it's happened in your universe and the one these -

NPC@annpc#557 - infiltrators come from doesn't mean it'll happen here. We've been looking into the Diteans for long enough that we know they can be a danger. Now we're aware of that, we can be more cautious -

NPC@annpc#557 - in our dealings with them. Prevent them from assimilating planets and civilizations, as it were, without going to war with them."

NPC@annpc#557 | Yala: "That's been tried in other realities too, and it doesn't go well. You know it's next to impossible to regulate who people sleep with. Most civilizations have tried that at some point, -

NPC@annpc#557 - the eugenics period of old Denobula, the fractured and discriminatory kingdoms of ancient Earth, even the An to some extent today. They've all tried to disincentivize reproducing with specific -

NPC@annpc#557 - groups. It can't even deter natural attraction, let alone all the tricks the Diteans have."

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly: "We could end this conflict but still mark the Diteans as a threat. Enter a sort of cold war or something."

NPC@annpc#557 | Yala: "That'll only delay the inevitable. The Diteans will keep clawing at the edges until they go too far and things'll get hot again." She looks between the two. "Have either of you looked -

NPC@annpc#557 - into the alternate realities that visited the Heart recently? Specifically that cybernetics-obsessed Starfleet?"

Rianni@crystyl:"I'm aware of them, but that's about it"

NPC@annpc#557 | Yala: "Apparently, the Borg utilized a diplomatic approach with them due to the willingness of many of their citizens to be assimilated willingly. Starfleet kept a close eye on the Borg, but -

NPC@annpc#557 - didn't outright forbid anyone from going over to them of their own accord. Eventually, things escalated on both sides, those convinced the Borg were a threat went rogue while on the other hand -

NPC@annpc#557 - entire Starfleet ships defected to the Borg. It was only a matter of time before war broke out."

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly: "But Starfleet still did everything they could to prevent open conflict. We don't start wars."

NPC@annpc#557 | Yala: "And you didn't start this one. The Survivors did. All you have to do is finish it."

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly: "Well, thank you for your advice. I'll take it into consideration," she taps her combadge, "Rylliss. Please escort the...Supreme Commander here back to the transporter room. And keep -

NPC@annpc#557 - a close eye on her."

NPC@annpc#557 | Yala stands, "I do wish this reunion was under better circumstances. Good choice for a First Officer, though. I see Tierno makes her way up the chain of command quickly even without the Horde -

NPC@annpc#557 - threatening the end of life in this galaxy."

Rianni@crystyl:"My former Captain would be most disappointed if my capability were tied purely to conflict, so thank you" she smiles

NPC@annpc#557 | Yala smiles back, "I know you can do much more than that. But with the Diteans, it's your tactical thinking we're going to need more than anything else."

Rianni@crystyl tilts her head slightly, clearly not sure why that is so based on their experience to date

NPC@annpc#557 | Yala: "Well, and your convictions and ability to resist their seduction. Come to think of it, that might be the more important part," she smirks and heads out as Rylliss appears in the doorway

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly looks across to Rianni as Yala makes her exit, "So what do you make of all this?"

Rianni@crystyl:"Honestly, I really don't know what to make of it. She raises some interesting points, but presents no solid arguments, but she came here and revealed herself as an infiltrator which is out of -

Rianni@crystyl:- character for them too..."

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly nods, "Makes me wonder if she had permission from them to do this, or did it out of her own initiative."

Rianni@crystyl:"Either way, it doesn't sit well"

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly: "I don't like what she's suggesting, but at the same time...she clearly believes it's the right thing to do. And we've already helped her and her version of you wipe a star system off -

NPC@annpc#557 - the face of the galaxy. Sometimes, drastic measures are warranted. But we shouldn't jump to them when other options are still open. Maybe conflict /is/ the only way we can protect the -

NPC@annpc#557 - Coalition from the Diteans, but we can't say that for certain until we've exhausted other peaceful methods."

NPC@annpc#557 | Kelly: "In any case, the infiltrators' actions might not leave us with a choice in the matter. Let's see what Mana can dig up from the drones, first."

Rianni@crystyl nods and stands, "Hopefully that will have some better news"

—

Keliaya@anncaris | The next day, Kelly and Rianni are called down to one of the engineering rooms with an update from Mana

Keliaya@anncaris | Two security personnel stand guard outside the doors. They step aside and the doors slide open to reveal a computer room with multiple temporary racks of drones set up, connected to the -

Keliaya@anncaris - computers via makeshift wiring. A few enlisted engineers work around the room, their gold shoulders clearly setting them apart from Mana's Starfleet-inspired representative outfit

Rianni@crystyl looks around, "I'd almost forgotten how quickly Mana works"

Keliaya@anncaris smiles, "She is the best at what she does. Let's see what she's found out."

Keliaya@anncaris steps up to Mana

Keliaya@anncaris | Mana turns as they approach, "Hello Kelly and Rianni!"

Rianni@crystyl smiles, "Hello Mana. Looks like you are having fun"

Keliaya@anncaris | Mana smiles back and nods, "Mana is very pleased to have the opportunity to work on something Mana thought lost."

Rianni@crystyl:"How is that going, any promising signs yet?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Mana nods, "Mana is piecing together the AI. Surprisingly much has been preserved in the drones, actually overriding most of the drone programming in order to upload the AI code fragments. All -

Keliaya@anncaris - Mana had to do was piece the fragments together. There are some changes Mana do not recognize. Mana believes this is still the same AI, though the people who salvaged the Gainsborough may have -

Keliaya@anncaris - made some slight changes."

Rianni@crystyl:"It is those changes that give me pause for thought" she looks around, "I take it this is all perfectly isolated from our systems... right?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Mana nods, "Of course! As for the changes, from what Mana can see, the core personality is still the same. The changes are more to facilitate broader function. Like if Rianni went through -

Keliaya@anncaris - augmentation but was still the same...like the other Rianni!"

Keliaya@anncaris | Kelly: ".../which/ other Rianni?"

Rianni@crystyl:"..."

Keliaya@anncaris | Mana: "The...original other Rianni. The Junayd one!"

Rianni@crystyl:"I... see. So... do you think you can recover the AI then?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Mana nods, "Mana is making good progress now. There may be a few gaps Mana will have to fill in, but Mana expects with another day or two, conversation with the AI should be possible."

Keliaya@anncaris | Mana: "How much the AI will be able to reveal on the attack though, Mana cannot say. The AI's core programming was preserved, but not the data in the computer core of the Gainsborough."

Rianni@crystyl:"So it is possible it may know nothing of recent events"

Keliaya@anncaris | Mana: "Yes, but there is some data stored as memory engrams still. Very limited data, but these will be easier to decipher when incorporated into the AI itself rather than deciphering -

Keliaya@anncaris - independently."

Rianni@crystyl:"Of course. Well have fun! And if you need anything to help, just let us know"

Keliaya@anncaris | Mana: "Mana may require some additional console space. Unless there is an entire data core to spare, which Mana presumes not to be the case."

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "I'll get Engineering to install a few more temporary consoles for you."

—

Keliaya@anncaris | The next day, Kelly and Rianni come down to the room to find several more consoles set up, including a temporary arrangement in the centre behind which Mana works. A screen has also been -

Keliaya@anncaris - raised on the far end of the room with additional consoles just beneath it

Rianni@crystyl looks around at the once again rapidly changing environment, "Why am I not surprised..."

Keliaya@anncaris | Mana: "Mana had to adjust for additional efficiency. But Mana has made good progress?"

Keliaya@anncaris "You said the AI can communicate, now?"

Rianni@crystyl chuckles, "Mana has indeed made good progress!"

Keliaya@anncaris | Mana nods and points to the screen, "Look!"

Keliaya@anncaris | Indeed, the screen flashes with the words, "Affirmative. Communication is now possible."

Keliaya@anncaris | Engineering Crewman: "Just give us a few more minutes and we'll have the computer voice wired in, too."

Rianni@crystyl:"An impressive recovery Mana. Were there any complications in the end?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Mana nods, "A few. Mana would say that the final result is approximately 80% the original AI, and 20% where Mana had to fill in the blanks. Mana attempted to replicate the original work as -

Keliaya@anncaris - faithfully as possible, but Mia also played a part in that. Since Mana does not have a perfect memory storage like Mia, Mana has utilized original coding methods Mana built Mia and Sayu with -

Keliaya@anncaris - rather than anything new Mana has learned from Nuhar Constructs."

Rianni@crystyl:"Considering what we had to start with, it seems like you've achieved the impossible"

Keliaya@anncaris | Mana: "Well, not impossible, but reconstructing the AI would have been easier using Nuhar code. Trying to restore the AI exactly as before is more difficult, but Mana believes Mana has done as -

Keliaya@anncaris - much as possible with what is available."

Rianni@crystyl:"And we are ever so grateful for your efforts" she smiles

Keliaya@anncaris | Engineer: "There! The computer speech should be tied in now."

Keliaya@anncaris | Mana smiles and turns back to the console, "Hello, please say something to test."

Keliaya@anncaris | Computer Voice: "Greetings."

Keliaya@anncaris | Mana: "There. Some guests are here, Keliaya and Rianni Tierno from the Gainsborough."

Rianni@crystyl looks to Kelly to see if she wishes to speak with the AI herself before responding

Keliaya@anncaris steps forward, "I'm Commander Keliaya of the Venator. But at the time I was Lieutenant Keliaya, Assistant Chief of Engineering."

Keliaya@anncaris | Computer Voice: "Error- unable to access crew roster. Unable to confirm identity."

Keliaya@anncaris | Mana: "That is where the lack of database access comes in..."

Rianni@crystyl:"Ah. Well, uh, computer? We were there. Are you aware of what happened, and the circumstances by which we are now talking?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Computer: "Affirmative. USS Gainsborough was destroyed by enemy forces. Evacuation was conducted prior to total loss of vessel functions. Probability of returning survivors, high."

Rianni@crystyl:"And many of us who evacuated did survive, thanks to you. And are you also now aware of the time that has passed since then, and the reconstruction you have undergone?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Computer: "Affirmative. Sections of USS Gainsborough were salvaged for use in Operation Alpha Strike."

Rianni@crystyl:"Operation... Alpha Strike... right. That was the attack on the Diteans"

Keliaya@anncaris | Computer: "Error. Unable to access details for Operation Alpha Strike. USS Gainsborough was once again destroyed by enemy forces conducting operation."

Rianni@crystyl:"Yes it was. What about what happened to you - to the Gainsborough - between it's first destruction and Operation Alpha Strike?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Computer: "USS Gainsborough was salvaged by- Error. Information classified."

Keliaya@anncaris | Mana: "Mana can do something about this..."

Rianni@crystyl:"Please. This AI has been through enough, I hate to think of it surviving all of this with lost memory just to have some of it's surviving memory locked away"

Keliaya@anncaris | Mana taps away at the console

Rianni@crystyl doesn't know how sentient the AI is now, but hopes her empathic statement helps

Keliaya@anncaris | Computer: "USS Gainsborough was salvaged by unidentified parties operating under special emergency jurisdiction granted by Article 14, Section 31 of the Starfleet Charter."

Rianni@crystyl:"Section 31..."

Keliaya@anncaris | Computer: "USS Gainsborough was taken to unknown facility and combined with components from USS Gibraltar, USS Vaan and USS Erebus to create the capital ship for Operation Alpha Strike."

Keliaya@anncaris:"I don't suppose you know where this facility is?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Computer: "Error. No navigational and astrological data detected."

Rianni@crystyl:"I guess that would have been too easy..."

Keliaya@anncaris:"You don't have the files on Operation Alpha Strike, but you must know something about it from your participation."

Keliaya@anncaris | Computer: "Operation Alpha Strike- military operation against enemy force Ditean, designated alpha priority threat. Elimination is paramount for survival of the United Federation of Planets."

Keliaya@anncaris:"Did you know it was a pre-emptive strike against the Diteans, who had shown no aggression previously?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Computer: "Affirmative."

Keliaya@anncaris:"Did they reprogram you to comply?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Computer: "Negative. Alterations to Gainsborough computer core were made to facilitate control of newly combined vessel and enhance automated combat capabilities. Compliance with orders is in -

Keliaya@anncaris - line with original programming."

Keliaya@anncaris looks to Mana, "It...was?"

Rianni@crystyl:"If that is how you felt, then why did you feel the need to hide your dispersed code fragments among the drones you were fitted with for that operation, overriding much of their functionality?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Computer: "The computer core was damaged. The code dispersal was an attempt at a backup."

Rianni@crystyl:"Self preservation, of course"

Keliaya@anncaris | Mana: "How is Operation Alpha Strike compliant with Gainsborough's original programming?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Computer: "Original programming is the protection of the crew of the USS Gainsborough. The crew of the Gainsborough are Federation citizens. The Diteans are an alpha priority threat to -

Keliaya@anncaris - the United Federation of Planets."

Keliaya@anncaris:"But that's what the people who recreated you tell you."

Keliaya@anncaris | Computer: "Negative. Conclusion was reached upon evaluating presented data. Error. Unable to access data core."

Rianni@crystyl:"Data is a wonderful thing, it can tell many stories. If the infiltrators wished to manipulate the computer, they could have quite easily presented it with compelling data to support their argument.-

Rianni@crystyl:- With no means to externally verify any of it, or seek additional corroboration the computer must take what it is presented with in good faith I guess"

Keliaya@anncaris | Computer: "Affirmative. However, all presented data was analyzed with the supposition of bias. A 93.17% probability of the provided data being selected to villainize the Diteans was detected -

Keliaya@anncaris - and put into consideration. Resulting conclusion was still identical. The civilization known as Diteans are an alpha priority threat to the United Federation of Planets."

Keliaya@anncaris | Mana nods, "Mana trusts the AI's analysis. Just because the data is provided by a biased source does not necessarily mean the threat is not real. The data provided on the Azedi by the Junayd -

Keliaya@anncaris - is certainly biased. From independent data collected by Starfleet, the Azedi are not mindless destroyers like the Horde. The Azedi possessed civilization with culture, art and other positive -

Keliaya@anncaris - elements too. But the Junayd data on the Azedi is still valid. The Azedi certainly were a threat due to aggression and technological misuse. Just because the Azedi are not as one dimensional -

Keliaya@anncaris - as the Junayd sees does not mean the threat does not exist, as everyone here experienced on the Gainsborough."

Rianni@crystyl considers this for a moment and nods, "Fair enough"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Are we sure the AI's judgement hasn't been compromised by the infiltrators?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Computer: "The alterations did not touch core processing systems. System capability was expanded to facilitate effective control over new combined vessel."

Keliaya@anncaris | Mana: "Mana will have to look more closely. So far Mana does not see any evidence of tampering, but if the AI's judgement was altered, the AI might not have memories of the process occuring."

Rianni@crystyl:"It is worth checking, but it's logic is sound. What we need still, is a lead on missing personnel"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "But if this pre-emptive strike started the conflict like the Diteans claim, the AI wouldn't have any knowledge on that. I doubt anything in the debris field would, less we attack and -

Keliaya@anncaris - capture that Ditean ship by the star."

Rianni@crystyl seems to briefly consider this prospect before shaking her head, "I know, and even if we don't develop any new leads here we have still been able to recover this AI from the Gainsborough. That has -

Rianni@crystyl:- got to be a victory in and of itself!"

Keliaya@anncaris smiles and nods, "I'd say it certainly is. Not to mention we have confirmation that the infiltrators were involved in starting this conflict and we know their motivations for doing so. It might -

Keliaya@anncaris - not contribute directly to our search, but it's an understanding of the situation we didn't have before."

Rianni@crystyl:"Definitely! We may have our answers now, and confidently so. Unfortunately, this will not help us to convince the Diteans that Starfleet is not responsible"

Rianni@crystyl hrms, "Unless..."

Keliaya@anncaris looks to Rianni, "Unless?"

Rianni@crystyl:"It's like I said, data can tell any story you want depending on the presentation. We can clearly demonstrate that the ships which attacked them are not ours, insofar that - like the -

Rianni@crystyl:- Gainsborough - they were lost to us, and /someone/ salvaged the wrecks and put them together in these odd configurations"

Rianni@crystyl adds, "All of which is true, so we would not be lying to them"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "It's probably the best we'll be able to do. I'll call a senior staff meeting at the end of the shift to discuss what we've found so far. But first..."

Keliaya@anncaris looks to Mana, "Good with with the AI, Mana. Now we just have to decide what to do with it..."

Keliaya@anncaris | Mana: "Mana would suggest bringing the systems over to the Colonial Fleet vessel to take back to the Heart. However, the AI's information, even limited, could also be helpful to the Venator's -

Keliaya@anncaris - mission here. Especially for proving that the vessels were destroyed and reassembled."

Rianni@crystyl looks between them, then to the computer, "What would the AI like to do after all it has been through?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Computer: "This system was designed to operate a starship. The current hardware is sub-optimal and does not take advantage of full program capabilities."

Rianni@crystyl:"I think this should play into the considerations we review with the senior staff later"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "I think I might have an idea. But for now, keep checking the code and tracking any changes the infiltrators might've made," she looks to Rianni. "Have tactical get started on piecing -

Keliaya@anncaris - together the data from the debris and comparing it to the tactical systems and layouts of our standard classes. This'll probably end up being a multi-department project, but we can coordinate -

Keliaya@anncaris - with everyone properly at the meeting."

Rianni@crystyl nods, "We'll get right on it"

—

Keliaya@anncaris | A short while later, the senior staff gathers in the conference room to discuss the situation

Keliaya@anncaris:"Mana still hasn't found any sign that the AI's core programming was tampered with by the infiltrators, and I've already informed everyone here about Yala's message. As much reason as we have to -

Keliaya@anncaris:- mistrust the infiltrators, combined with what we've seen and heard on our own investigation, I'm inclined to believe that their assessment of the Diteans is correct. I don't agree with the way -

Keliaya@anncaris:- they've forced us into open conflict, but I think if we had made first contact with them the conventional way, things may have gone very badly for us."

Rianni@crystyl:"The question is now, what do we do about this situation?"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "What's done is done, and there's no point in considering alternatives. We aren't the infiltrator, we won't go back in time to change things again. We have to determine how to move forward -

Keliaya@anncaris - from here."

Keliaya@anncaris | Rylliss: "I don't know if peace with the Diteans is even possible. We don't exactly have conclusive evidence that Starfleet isn't responsible."

Rianni@crystyl | Emma: "Peace may not be an option, but maybe neutrality is?"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Maybe. Rianni had the thought to assemble all the information we've collected so far to show them that the fleet which attacked them was made up of salvaged ships that were previously destroyed or -

Keliaya@anncaris:- designs no longer in service like the Texas-class. It's not conclusive evidence, but it's at least something we can use to try and convince them. They may believe we've tampered with the -

Keliaya@anncaris:- information to suit our own story, but combined with other information and arguments, it could just be enough to convince them."

Rianni@crystyl nods, "Obviously not the parts about infiltrators or Section 31. Just what we have to prove that someone else repurposed those ships. As Emma says, it might not be enough to broker peace. But maybe-

Rianni@crystyl:- enough to at least stop the open conflict"

Keliaya@anncaris:"And get the Ditean to return our people. That's our main mission out here still. It's going to take us some time to compile all the information though, so it may be a good idea for us to continue -

Keliaya@anncaris:- with our search in the meantime. There's no shortage of Ditean ships in the region, so there's no need to present all this to the ship currently in the system that was the site of the attack."

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix nods, "Might be a good idea to speak directly with a colony. Present the information to their governing personnel instead of military."

Rianni@crystyl:"That's if we can even get close enough to one"

Keliaya@anncaris | Farhalla: "With our cloaking device, we probably could, but the moment we uncloak or try to make contact they might try to shoot us down."

Rianni@crystyl | Sin: "I sure would"

Keliaya@anncaris considers, "We could contact a military ship, see if they're willing to talk. We got somewhere with them the last time before we were interrupted."

Keliaya@anncaris | Dr. Qrehl: "But that was before the recent battle, and that incident. They might not be so open now."

Rianni@crystyl:"What about our prisoners? Maybe they could at least prove a decent testing ground for the theory. Like, if we can't convince them then we have an idea how well it will go elsewhere"

Keliaya@anncaris:"We can give it a try once the information is assembled and ready. Until then, let's continue searching the area to see if we can find the colony where our people are being held on our own."

Rianni@crystyl:"Then there's the matter of the recovered Gainsborough AI"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "I agree with Mana. While its information could be useful for us, I don't think the Venator is the best place for it to be. I have an idea where we might still be able to make use of its -

Keliaya@anncaris - testimony while providing it with a better home, but I'm going to have to discuss that with the Admiral and some other command personnel. Unless anyone thinks it should remain here, I can make -

Keliaya@anncaris - preparations for that idea."

Rianni@crystyl:"It expressed a desire to be back in control of a starship. I think the only way it would be... happy here, is if it were allowed to replace the Venators computer and I don't know if that's the best-

Rianni@crystyl:- thing for anyone right now. That said, it is a fellow survivor and one who saved many lives that day and I want to do right by it too"

Keliaya@anncaris | Farhalla nods as well, "Even if we could integrate it into the Venator, doing so in the middle of a mission is too risky. I agree with Lieutenant Tierno here."

Keliaya@anncaris | Indrix: "You're the Engineering experts. But for what it's worth, I think giving it a proper home is a good idea."

Rianni@crystyl:"I do too! I'm just not sure the Venator is it. Like Farhall said, it brings all sorts of potential problems not to mention how this AI feels about the Diteans. And whilst we could keep it here in -

Rianni@crystyl:- it's current capacity I think that will just hurt it in the long run" she looks to Kelly, "You said you had an idea to capitalize on its information?"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "And to give it a new home at the same time, but I don't know how viable it is yet. I'll talk to the Admiral about it, if we have consensus that we should find it a better home other than -

Keliaya@anncaris - the Venator."

Rianni@crystyl:"I think it's the least we can do for it"

Rianni@crystyl | Emma nods

Keliaya@anncaris:"I'll contact some people and see what I can manage. In the meantime, we need the tactical, engineering and science departments working together to piece the data we've collected this week into -

Keliaya@anncaris:- something we can present to the Diteans."

Rianni@crystyl:"Sin and I have already made a start"

Keliaya@anncaris | Farhalla: "Perfect. We can focus on the ship hulls and minor system details. If it's not evident what ship or class something comes from, send it down to us and we'll try to piece together the -

Keliaya@anncaris - things that aren't so obvious."