Terms & Conditions
Posted on Sun Dec 16th, 2018 @ 10:12pm by Captain Benjamin Ingram Dr & Lieutenant Commander Mara Ricci & Lieutenant Commander Meilin Jiang & Lieutenant Francesca Ricci & Lieutenant JG Rella Samaras & Lieutenant JG Teeran Shard
Mission:
S1E2: A Temple To New Gods
Location: USS Resolute, entering Eg-M4-SO2
Timeline: MD3 9.30AM
( https://www.deviantart.com/falke2009/art/Nova-Class-Refit-Bridge-402529786 : The mental landscape of the Resolutes bridge. Makes sense given the class Norway came out of the same design school as the Akira, Steamrunner, and Nova they'd share certain designs.)
Benjie had always imagined moments of discovery like this to be somewhat more...majestic. Sitting in the centre seat of a starship venturing into unseen space, visiting strange new planets, literally going where no one had gone before was meant to feel exhilarating. But this wasn't exploration. This was hopping over the fence to pick up a lost ball.
And calling the Resolute a starship was pushing the terminology a bit. 15 decks, ten of which were comfortable to work in, and 214 meters from bow to stern. And only two-thirds of that was again suitable for people to work in. Its like they found an arrowhead-shaped saucer section, stuffed a warp core in unceremoniously, and then remembered to tack on a pair of dinky warp nacelles.
Going to warp out of the Carpathia system he had half expected things to fly off. A pleasant surprise was had when he discovered this was not the case.
"Alright everyone, we'll be arriving shortly. A quick recap of what we need to accomplish. Secure the Modules, survey the planet, and return with the Modules to Carpathia at best possible speed," Bengie said, looking around the bridge. "And how are we all prepared to meet these challenges head-on?"
“I’m the best pilot in the fleet,” replied Francie from her place at the helm without the least bit of either embarrassment or narcissism; it was presented as simple fact. “So no worries on that end.”
Meilin turned from the Science station and smiled merrily. "The survey team is mobilizing in the shuttle bay. We should be ready to depart as soon as we arrive in system."
"Well let's make sure you're not diving into a disaster before we go too far. And modest, Miss Ricci. You're the best pilot Messier 4, let's not bill ourselves too highly. Are the 4 Warp Tug's still formation with us?" he asked. The quartet of drone ship's were massively overpowered warp and impulse drives, designed to be remotely controlled and docked to the Modules to provide motive power.
He looked to the empty chair to his right and frowned.
"Where's that civilian colony rep? Bibat? I did tell her we were warping out after breakfast?" he narrowed his eyes and nodded. Seeing as he thought he'd told her about the timing, then he must have done.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Francie muttered, but she was grinning when she said it. After all, why would Starfleet have picked her for this Missionen if she weren’t among the best? Add to that that on a Starbase, the chief support craft pilot position was giving to the strongest flight control officer, that made her best in the fleet, right? No matter. She wasn’t concerned. She would just do her job to the best of her abilities and leave it at that.
Meilin's eyes fluttered in a suppressed rolling motion, but she was already turned back around. She knew what she was about, and neither criticism nor praise would faze her much.
The turbolift doors opened with a gentle hiss, releasing Bahat Riya to the bridge. In one hand she carried a pair of scones wrapped in a loosely woven cloth, in the other a steaming cup of dark blue liquid. She paused mid-sip to take a survey of the available seating. After making a satisfied noise, she lowered the cup and stepped toward the captain's chair. "Good morning," she said evenly. She looked at the available seating and raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Ingram.
"Collectors are standing by with the survey team." Dania sounded off from one of the side stations she'd commandeered and re-purposed for intelligence analysis.
"Good, good, good," Ingram said to Dania's statement but did not look at her. Instead, he kept his eyes on Riya, narrowing them slightly and flicked his head to the right-hand seat. He then looked over to the helm. "Miss Ricci prepare to bring us and the Warp Tug's out of lightspeed and into the orbit of the planet. Full active sensor sweep Miss Jiang and Storm, I want to know exactly what we're flying into."
Bahat kept a polite smile firmly planted on her face as she swept behind the mission specialist station in the center of the bridge, stepped onto the command level, and planted herself in what she understood was traditionally the executive officer's chair. She wondered whether Ingram bothered with such things as symbolism. Just in case he'd intended it as a courtesy, she held up the pair of buttery snacks toward him. "Scone?"
With just a single scan for tactical threats, Meilin found none. She left the vigil for local space threats int he hands of Danie, instead choosing to focus on the upcoming survey.
"No threats detected," Meilin said distractedly as she already descended into the next series of scans on the planet. "Bad news, Commander. It appears the planetary landmasses are highly irradiated with most of the oceans boiled away into a dense cloud cover. Telemetry scans are having a difficult time penetrating it. Launching a Class 4 probe now."
"Put it up on the main on the viewer," Benjie commanded with a frown creasing his forehead. The main view screen was soon half filled with a view of the planet. What Canopus's sensors had deduced as a Class M world riding gracefully around its sun's Goldilocks Zone, was a poisonous-looking world of caramel browns and sooty blacks. "Dammit, all..."
Ingram shook his head slowly and retreated to the captain's chair and the computer terminal that unfolded between himself and Riya.
"All of the sensors on Canopus we could use were short range, meaning mostly FTL limited. Optical telescopes, radio frequency checkers, infrared and ultraviolet absorption filters. So at least we have a timeline of sorts. Somewhere between now, and five years ago, there was a very energetic event akin to a planetary nuclear war," Benjie shook his head again, as though trying to make a puzzle piece fit within his head. "It's like looking back at 21st century Earth following the Eugenic's War. Except no one shouted 'stop' after Nankin and Revakjvec were glassed. If indeed a war there was. Meilin make sure to throw a probe towards the solar primary, just in case it was a solar event that caused this."
"Aye, sir," Meilin said, complying with the order, "but further readouts from the probe are detecting noxious synthetic gases in several urban areas. Some of it is consistent with low-yield nuclear detonations, but others are indicative of either severely toxic industrial contamination or chemical weapons of mass destruction. Either way, the likelihood of this being a solar event is very low."
Meilin pursed her lips for a moment. "The probe has identified multiple kinetic impact sites. At least a dozen confirmed with more sites as candidates." She looked to Benjie. "These asteroids were guided. The timeline all but confirms it, even without further analysis."
"Asteroid bombardment..." Dania muttered as she observed the same readouts.
Despite everything, Meilin was still keen on performing her survey. Identifying a potential colony was just her justification. What they had stumbled upon here was the murder of a planet -- population, ecology, and all.
"There's also a broadcast tower of some kind emitting a radio signal. It's seated on a low mountain ridge that overlooks an urban center and lies equidistant from several impact sites that lie a thousand kilometers in either direction. It seems like the best place for a landing party."
"We should try to identify the signal before we step foot in there and get shot down by surviving locals believing we're the enemy?" Dania queried aloud as she initiated several algorithms to begin analysis of the signal. "Because it can just as easily be a trap as it could be an SOS."
"Was that an offer to lead the away team, Commander?" Meilin asked with a winsome half-smile. "I am content to collect samples while you...lead."
Storm shrugged, "if you're confusing healthy paranoia with desire to lead, then, I suppose one could take my words so."
"Then it's settled." Meilin's smile spread wider, though it failed to touch her slanted eyes. "How splendid."
"A healthy dose of paranoia, given the only thing that could possibly survive in that toxic soup down there are microbes. Storm, Meilin take Miss Rici with you as your pilot. A shuttlecraft will serve you better as a mode of transport, as a transporter beam through that soup might leave your atoms splayed across a mountainside. Also, the shuttle will make a good shelter in case you're down there for a protracted period of time," Ingram said. He then turned his attention to Riya. "It's safe to say that this world is not a Plan B for Carpathia. It would take the entirety of the Federation's resources to undo the ecological damage caused by both nuclear, kinetic, and chemical weapons on this scale. Better to look to the other Modules which we can use to support the colony, or evacuate them to orbit if all goes against our plans."
He stood, and looked back at the team of would-be explorers and investigators.
"So, unless we have anything to add, the ground team should get going whilst those of us who remain will head to Modules and begin the actual important work."
Meilin nodded in assent. Only an idiot would attempt sending a transporter beam through the irradiated mess down there, but now was not the time to point that out. While Benjie's interest was nullified with the cancellation of the planet as a potential colony, the situation only further piqued Meilin's curiosity. Just what had happened here?
Her drink and scones forgotten, Bahat leaned forward and got Ingram's attention. "I'd like to volunteer for the landing party. I've worked in disaster relief, and if there's anyone alive down there sending out that signal, I want to help." Plus, whoever destroyed this planet was probably still out there, and she wanted any information on that possibility before it went through a Starfleet log filter.
"Agreed." Despite the turmoil of their first meeting, Meilin had quickly warmed to the Bajoran's way of thinking. Her pragmatic perspective would likely be useful and help counterbalance the more strict priorities of the Starfleet officers. "We would welcome your company."
"Good, good. Enjoy the scenery," Benjie said, casting an eye back to the main viewer. "I'd take an umbrella if I were you. I'm sure the replicator can make one made of asbestos,"
