Conversation with #ussatlantis at 6/22/2011 9:59:06 PM on VAdmBlackthorne@opus.il.us.darkmyst.org (irc)
(9:59:06 PM) ChanServ [services@darkmyst.org] entered the room.
(9:59:06 PM) mode (+o ChanServ) by ChanServ
(9:59:06 PM) ChanServ has changed the topic to: Last time, we managed to explain pretty clearly to our reluctant hosts precisely what the problem was. Now, we get to try and sell them a solution, and deal with any potential backlash from that.
(9:59:07 PM) mode (+ntro VAdmBlackthorne) by ChanServ
(10:02:52 PM) CdrTKirr [tkirr@dm-10506.res.bhn.net] entered the room.
(10:03:00 PM) LtKuari [kuari@dm-10506.res.bhn.net] entered the room.
(10:04:03 PM) ColDougMcKnight [Mibbit@dm-27274.hsd1.ma.comcast.net] entered the room.
(10:04:21 PM) ColDougMcKnight: Evening! Sorry I'm late. This computer takes awhile to fire up.
(10:06:00 PM) LtCmdrBusard [Mibbit@dm-27274.hsd1.ma.comcast.net] entered the room.
(10:06:11 PM) VAdmBlackthorne: Evening!
(10:06:29 PM) mode (+o ColDougMcKnight) by VAdmBlackthorne
(10:06:34 PM) ColDougMcKnight: Ooh, BRB actually. We need to make a substitution over here.
(10:06:46 PM) VAdmBlackthorne: Just don't have too many men on the ice.
(10:06:48 PM) LtCmdrBusard left the room (quit: Exit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client).
(10:07:12 PM) ColDougMcKnight left the room (quit: Exit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client).
(10:07:15 PM) LtCmdrBusard [Mibbit@dm-27274.hsd1.ma.comcast.net] entered the room.
(10:07:29 PM) ColDougMcKnight [Mibbit@207.192.158.28552] entered the room.
(10:07:31 PM) ColDougMcKnight: Right then!
(10:07:42 PM) CdrHarper [Mibbit@dm-10730.rcmdva.fios.verizon.net] entered the room.
(10:07:50 PM) ColDougMcKnight: Just need Carre, I see.
(10:08:01 PM) VAdmBlackthorne: Lemme text her
(10:08:06 PM) ColDougMcKnight: Kay.
(10:10:38 PM) LtKuari: :: paces in a circle, waiting for Carre ::
(10:11:11 PM) DrRoxanneCarre [Mibbit@dm-25098.tukw.qwest.net] entered the room.
(10:11:48 PM) LtKuari: :: perks up, glomps the new arrival with gusto ::
(10:11:51 PM) DrRoxanneCarre: Evening, sorry I'm late.
(10:12:15 PM) VAdmBlackthorne: Hiya Doc
(10:12:42 PM) DrRoxanneCarre: (three hours in dentists chair, with some nice painkillers on board, i'm a little more spacey!)
(10:13:12 PM) LtKuari: Eesh... no superior technology
(10:13:24 PM) DrRoxanneCarre: I knows. :(
(10:13:27 PM) VAdmBlackthorne: Oh dear
(10:14:50 PM) VAdmBlackthorne: Well, we're all here, you ready there Colonel?
(10:15:52 PM) ColDougMcKnight: I am indeed. Let's have the whistle.
(10:16:28 PM) CdrHarper: :: blasts Ye Olde Whistle of Deafness +5 :: TWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!!
(10:16:40 PM) DrRoxanneCarre: :: aa ::
(10:17:04 PM) LtKuari: :: AA ::
(10:17:12 PM) CdrHarper: :: AA ::
(10:17:45 PM) LtCmdrBusard: ::AA::
(10:17:54 PM) ColDougMcKnight: Nicely done. So, last time...shit got blowed up real good. In the aftermath, McKnight has summoned everyone involved to main engineering to find out what the hell happened. Any questions?
(10:18:23 PM) CdrTKirr: Even Ash?
(10:18:55 PM) ColDougMcKnight: No, not Ash.
(10:19:03 PM) CdrTKirr: Kay.
(10:19:30 PM) ColDougMcKnight: I THINK he requested department heads, so Harper would be there, but the Sharks are unlikely to have any information...seeing as how they were on their way back when it happened and all.
(10:19:48 PM) CdrTKirr: Sure.
(10:19:57 PM) ColDougMcKnight: So, if that's all...
(10:20:16 PM) ColDougMcKnight: BEGIN SIM
(10:20:17 PM) ColDougMcKnight: BEGIN SIM
(10:20:19 PM) ColDougMcKnight: BEGIN SIM
(10:21:24 PM) CdrHarper: :: in a foul mood from what almost happened as she stalks into Engineering ::
(10:21:54 PM) ColDougMcKnight: :: As captain, McKnight knows it's his right to be late to a meeting he calls...but then, it's not every day he's actually eager for said meeting to start, so he's waiting when she shows, leaning against the guard rail in front of the dilithium chamber, arms crossed. :: Commander.
(10:23:18 PM) CdrHarper: Colonel.
(10:23:46 PM) LtKuari: :: strides purposefully into Engineering, all fours ::
(10:24:11 PM) CdrHarper: Syvek> :: enters alongside Kuari, expressionless ::
(10:24:18 PM) ColDougMcKnight: Went over the exterior camera feeds. Thank God you weren't too rusty in the cockpit after all.
(10:24:57 PM) CdrHarper: What is it they say on Earth? It is like riding a tricycle?
(10:25:20 PM) ColDougMcKnight: That's...closer than usual. And good enough.
(10:25:27 PM) LtCmdrBusard: :: In a foul mood from what DID happen, of course, but is dealing with it as she normally does. Which is, to say, by being quiet and burying herself in work. Still, the suddenly higher amount of people in Engineering suggested she'd probably have to talk. Damn.::
(10:25:41 PM) LtCmdrBusard: :: Until called upon, she stands by the main console.::
(10:26:16 PM) CdrHarper: Thank you, Colonel.
(10:26:27 PM) DrRoxanneCarre: :: Enters engineering, looking a little frazzled, has her medi-scanner on and its silently sending signals to her earpiece ::
(10:27:49 PM) ColDougMcKnight: Quartermaster Istari (Since I can't remember what the guy's name REALLY was.)> ::Stands awkwardly off to the side, trying not to gawk at the surroundings. As he understands, only Voth's presence was required, but he insisted. ::
(10:28:23 PM) LtKuari: :: resists the urge to jump onto a console and seats herself next to one respectfully so as not to tower over people, nods her head to McKnight :: Colonel.
(10:28:43 PM) LtKuari: (Oh right, Voth)
(10:29:39 PM) CdrTKirr: Voth> :: stands next to Istari, openly gawking at the warp core ::
(10:30:29 PM) ColDougMcKnight: ::Looks up as Carre enters.:: Doctor, good. You I want to hear from first. The irradiation of the saucer section. Anyone get a really serious dose before those decks were evacuated?
(10:31:23 PM) DrRoxanneCarre: No, our crew is minimally affected. Cant say the same for the refugees though.
(10:31:44 PM) ColDougMcKnight: Go on.
(10:34:16 PM) DrRoxanneCarre: A couple of the Sharks are a bit higher in radiation than I'd like to see but we can handle that. All in all, excluding the refugees that didnt get beamed over, we have 4 critical cases, a dozen or so serious, and the rest are to be expected.
(10:35:03 PM) CdrHarper: :: figures she's included in that group ::
(10:35:38 PM) DrRoxanneCarre: We've converted one of the cargo bays into a makeshift infirmary to house those affected.
(10:36:59 PM) ColDougMcKnight: I guess catching us with our pants down meant not getting on the horn to warn their own people about standing too close to the radar array housing. Just frickin' lovely. So what's the prognosis? Can you help them all?
(10:37:08 PM) DrRoxanneCarre: I've also comandeered one of the holosuites to house the remaining refugees. I'm sure you'll see to having a security detail if that is your intent.
(10:37:08 PM) CdrHarper: :: actually wonders how much radiation she took, after the fact ::
(10:38:57 PM) DrRoxanneCarre: Sure, they'll all eventually recover, some sooner than others. Our people will all recover quickly due to the preventative they receive. :: eyes land on Syvek :: Those who are up to date on their shots anyway.
(10:39:24 PM) CdrHarper: Syvek> :: is quite up to date on his radiation shots ::
(10:40:53 PM) ColDougMcKnight: ::Nods, looking to Voth and Istari:: I don't want you people to think of yourselves as prisoners. But I hope I don't need to explain why we can't just give you full access to go where you like.
(10:43:05 PM) CdrTKirr: Voth> :: stands stoically, the futuristic environment enough to be intimidating, but manages to bow his head somewhat graciously :: We understand, especially in light of our people's recent... "decision" against your assistance. I hope there's no lasting damage.
(10:44:46 PM) CdrHarper: :: is quite relieved to see Voth alive and present ::
(10:45:36 PM) ColDougMcKnight: Compared to some of the crap we've gotten into, the damage to the ship is superficial. Though I'll admit, it was very nearly anything but. Under other circumstances, I might even admire the audacity of the attempt. Of course, there are not other circumstances, so...what the hell happened over there?
(10:49:02 PM) CdrHarper: :: all she knows is that there was a ramming and a bomb sent toward the deflector ::
(10:49:17 PM) ColDougMcKnight: This is the "Anyone feel free to speak up" portion of the debriefing, by the way. Anyone who was onboard at the time, anyway.
(10:51:21 PM) CdrTKirr: Voth> :: sighs, his shoulders slumping somewhat :: Mr. Strokhar and those he recruited to his cause clearly did not trust you. They did not have the fortunte of dealing directly with you. I could see your eyes, Colonel--the truth behind them. Strokhar not only wished to free us by his own power, but destroy you, a possible threat, in the process.
(10:55:07 PM) ColDougMcKnight: A...threat? Threat of what? If he thought we wanted to kill you all, I'm missing why we didn't just, you know, do it straight up. Granted, you never saw our weapons systems in operation, but I was briefed on how freaked you all were by our transporters. Understandable, but it must have occurred to you that we could easily turn them to some
(10:55:38 PM) ColDougMcKnight: nasty purposes if that was actually our intent.
(10:56:58 PM) CdrHarper: :: frowns ::
(10:57:08 PM) CdrTKirr: Voth> He wanted to take the knowledge of your species back home. I can understand you wanting to keep it from us, and while it was tempting to accept his offer of knowledge for the progression of our race, my entire world and existence as I know it, the only way he could do that was to destroy you. :: shakes his head :: It wasn't worth committing such an act on behalf of our collective morality in the name of progress.
(10:57:48 PM) DrRoxanneCarre: :: guesses that he thought the 'memory wipe' would be less than selective ::
(10:58:14 PM) CdrTKirr: Voth> :: drops his gaze to the deck plating, his mind mulling over missed possibilities and choices taken ::
(10:58:46 PM) ColDougMcKnight: Istari> ::Coughs nervously:: He admitted he didn't know your minds. We still don't. But he and the others had a plan. They said it could save us from burning up, correct out course, and all without the need for anyhelp from you. Therefore, no violation of our minds.
(10:59:49 PM) ColDougMcKnight: Istari> I see no point now in denying, that part was very attractive. But he also said your laws that compelled you to board us in the first place would not allow you to just let us go.
(11:01:05 PM) CdrTKirr: Voth> :: glances sideways at Istari :: It was a foolish move. The chance of success was low. These people offered us safety, even if we couldn't remember what happened.
(11:03:42 PM) ColDougMcKnight: Istari> :: Grits his teeth:: Don't lecture me, Voth. I refused to help him, the same as you. That doesn't mean we were all prepared to submit to this crime against us as happily as you.
(11:04:21 PM) CdrTKirr: Voth> :: deflates a little :: There was nothing happy about it. It's all happened so fast. No damn time to think.
(11:05:05 PM) DrRoxanneCarre: Sir, most cultures that are not aquainted with our technology have a fear that the memory wipe will wipe out far more than the time period we can. For example, they fear they will lose all memories of home and such, when in reality the best we can do is about 200 hours max.
(11:05:25 PM) CdrHarper: It was a difficult situation for all of us.
(11:05:45 PM) CdrTKirr: (afk 3min)
(11:06:01 PM) DrRoxanneCarre: It can make people react in unpredictable ways, which is why we dont generally give out much information about it.
(11:07:22 PM) LtCmdrBusard: :: Steps forward, sympathizing with both parties:: Please. I realize that these are questions that should be brought up and discussed, but perhaps not so close to this unfortunate event? I know everyone's very much on edge right now, and surely continued argument at the present time will only divide your people further.
(11:08:13 PM) LtCmdrBusard: Are there...burial ceremonies that should be addressed?
(11:11:49 PM) CdrHarper: :: unconsciously bows her head a little bit at the mention of that ::
(11:12:32 PM) ColDougMcKnight: Istari> ::Not seeming set to receive fully just yet, staring at Carre in outrage:: Lose a toe, maybe you can still walk. Wear a shoe, maybe you don't even think about it much. But do you expect me to believe that's something you dismiss as inconsequential? And that's just meat and bone! It doesn't make you YOU!
(11:12:45 PM) ColDougMcKnight: Istari> If you want to understand how this happened, try thinking on that!
(11:14:06 PM) CdrTKirr: Voth> :: puts a hand on Istari's shoulder ::
(11:16:53 PM) LtCmdrBusard: :: Looks to Istari :: Please! Fighting got us here in the first place! And because of it, we have injured and DEAD! Can we honor them instead? Or perhaps discuss what to do now that you have no ship?
(11:17:03 PM) LtCmdrBusard: (*Can't)
(11:19:37 PM) ColDougMcKnight: I...I apologize. Please, forgive my outburst. I know you were all trying to help as you could. It's just...you have some damn stupid laws. What were you asking? Burial?
(11:19:45 PM) ColDougMcKnight: (Istari^)
(11:21:24 PM) LtCmdrBusard: Yes. Are there any ceremonies that should be arranged?
(11:22:27 PM) ColDougMcKnight: Istari> We have observances, yes. Most of them require a body, but the plea to the Ancestors should be recited.
(11:23:09 PM) CdrTKirr: Voth> :: pulls his arms around himself, as if bracing for the reality that is to come ::
(11:23:35 PM) ColDougMcKnight: Istari> ::Looks to Voth:: And perhaps the dirge for our sons and daughters lost at sea? It wouldn't be the first time it was used for a death in space.
(11:25:38 PM) CdrTKirr: Voth> :: nods slowly as he thinks it over :: No matter which side we fell on, we all wanted the same thing, ultimately. Their deaths were not in vain. Casualties on the path forward.
(11:29:09 PM) ColDougMcKnight: ::Nods slowly:: I find it very hard to feel sympathy for a man who tried to murder 1,000 people...but I'll give him this. He was right. Even if you DID have a way to save yourselves, we would have been compelled to go through with the plan anyway...or something almost as jack booted. As it is, he DID buy you a way out of that.
(11:29:35 PM) ColDougMcKnight: Missing memories sure as hell aren't going to cover up missing crew. To say nothing of a missing goddam ship.
(11:30:29 PM) CdrTKirr: Voth> :: frowns to himself, having not thought of this, then looks up worriedly :: What does this mean for your law, then?
(11:31:58 PM) ColDougMcKnight: ::Leans back and stares up at the ceiling, thinking. :: Oh, boy. Okay, the Prime Directive. Well, this whole mess started because your ship both detected us and had the means to transmit that. Neither of those apply anymore.
(11:33:47 PM) CdrHarper: :: steps up next to her commanding officer and hopes she isn't out of line :: We could transport you to your ship's intended destination.
(11:34:03 PM) ColDougMcKnight: ::Shakes his head:: Negative.
(11:35:55 PM) ColDougMcKnight: If the planet in question was viewed as a good target for colonization, then there's a strong possibility that a second mission could be dispatched...could already be on its way. All it takes is another ship successfully reaching that destination within this expedition's lifetime, and we have the same problem.
(11:37:22 PM) CdrHarper: :: looks solely at McKnight:: Then what do you intend, sir?
(11:37:29 PM) CdrTKirr: Voth> :: begins to worry more, looking from Istari to McKnight :: What... um, what does that mean for us?
(11:38:27 PM) LtCmdrBusard: Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find something suitable for you.
(11:38:45 PM) LtCmdrBusard: :: Looks to McKnight hopefully::
(11:38:50 PM) ColDougMcKnight: Well...it does occur to me, your ship was going to fly right past a perfectly nice M Class planet right here in this system. Sadly, that one's no good either. Too much risk with a planet in the line of transit.
(11:39:29 PM) CdrTKirr: Voth> What are you saying? That we'll never see our people again? :: voice rising in volume ::
(11:43:10 PM) ColDougMcKnight: ::Meets Voth's gaze.:: Yes. I'm sorry, but in all likelyhood, that's exactly what I'm telling you. But your children...they could still have that chance. If you had a world. And a chance to HAVE children. That, we can offer.
(11:44:54 PM) CdrHarper: :: bites her lip ::
(11:45:23 PM) CdrTKirr: Voth> :: pulls in a shaky breath, bringing his fist to his mouth as he considers the repercussions, telling himself over and over that his own people brought this on them, not the Atlantis crew, and begins to nod slowly, more in acceptance than actual agreement, then stops :: Is there no other way?
(11:48:35 PM) ColDougMcKnight: ::Sighs:: Look. If we just take you to your original destination as is, I'm not doing my job. If we wipe your memories and THEN take you there, then I'd only half be doing my job. You'd still have no full crew complement, no ship to explain how you got there...and furthermore, I'm just not doing it. The memory wipe was a brutal necessity for me to begin
(11:50:30 PM) ColDougMcKnight: with. Seeing what it represents for your people, I just don't have the stomach for it. If we take you somewhere new, you can live, you can have the fresh start you set out for in the first place, and maybe some day, you can find your way back to the homeworld yourself.
(11:51:32 PM) ColDougMcKnight: At which point, how you want to handle things is nobody's business but your own. It falls pretty damn short of perfect, I know. But let's be honest with ourselves, here. Perfect was never on the table. And this is the best I can do for you.
(11:52:46 PM) CdrHarper: (IM)
(11:55:05 PM) LtKuari: Voth> :: shares a look with Istari ::
(11:55:51 PM) ColDougMcKnight: Istari> By the ancestors, Voth. 40 years we spent stuck in those damn tubes. We've earned the right to breathe real air again.
(11:57:50 PM) CdrHarper: :: looks to Voth and Istari, wishing they could do better for them with all their technology ::
(11:58:07 PM) CdrTKirr: Voth> We've seen what's possible. We have even more incentive to progress now than ever before, to reunite with our homeworld.
(11:58:47 PM) CdrTKirr: Voth> :: to McKnight :: Without you, we wouldn't even have a chance at all to seed another planet.
(11:59:01 PM) ColDougMcKnight: ::Nods:: Percy, you were making copies from their database as you worked, right? Did that include their cargo manifest, by any chance?
(12:00:48 AM) LtCmdrBusard: ...I believe so. :: Turns to her PADD, tapping a few keys:: Yes! Yes, I have everything they had on record.
(12:00:56 AM) ColDougMcKnight: Good.
(12:01:57 AM) CdrTKirr left the room (quit: Ping timeout).
(12:01:59 AM) ColDougMcKnight: ::Looks to Voth and Istari:: Obviously, we can't replace the people you lost. But everything else you had to build a new home, you'll have again. Consider it a housewarming gift.
(12:02:12 AM) LtKuari left the room (quit: Ping timeout).
(12:02:28 AM) CdrHarper: (T'Kirr bluescreened)
(12:02:35 AM) ColDougMcKnight: (Ah, yikes.)
(12:02:39 AM) DrRoxanneCarre: (Eeek!)
(12:03:00 AM) ColDougMcKnight: (Well, timing was okay I guess? It has gotten pretty late, once again, so I'm going to call it here.)
(12:03:26 AM) CdrHarper: (Yeah, that works)
(12:03:28 AM) ColDougMcKnight: PAUSE SIM
(12:03:31 AM) ColDougMcKnight: PAUSE SIM
(12:03:32 AM) ColDougMcKnight: PAUSE SIM
(12:03:35 AM) CdrHarper: :: paused ::
(12:03:42 AM) DrRoxanneCarre: :: le pause ::
(12:04:17 AM) ColDougMcKnight: Okay! I'll try to release a highlight or something to tie up any loose ends, but for all practical purposes, thus concludes McKnight's first command!
(12:04:36 AM) VAdmBlackthorne: And well done, if I may say so!
(12:04:50 AM) DrRoxanneCarre: You are so in trouble when Ian gets back! Also, that was fun!
(12:05:05 AM) LtCmdrBusard: Yes it was!
(12:05:21 AM) CdrHarper: Well, you did scratch the paint...
(12:07:14 AM) CdrTKirr [tkirr@dm-10506.res.bhn.net] entered the room.
(12:08:20 AM) ColDougMcKnight: He said "Good care of the ship".
(12:08:32 AM) ColDougMcKnight: Relative to his track record, that was more than adequate.
(12:09:26 AM) DrRoxanneCarre: :D
(12:09:26 AM) VAdmBlackthorne: That's a good point.
(12:10:16 AM) ColDougMcKnight: Besides, by the time he gets back, he'll never be able to prove he got so much as a window smudged.
(12:10:50 AM) CdrHarper: Sweet. :)
(12:12:32 AM) ColDougMcKnight: Anyway, I should get going. But I'm glad people had fun. Always a relief to end a plot on a high note.
(12:12:54 AM) CdrTKirr: Whatever it was. =X
(12:12:55 AM) DrRoxanneCarre: Okay, I gotta go. Nice sim, see y'all next week.
(12:13:08 AM) CdrTKirr: Night all
(12:13:17 AM) CdrHarper: I think we'll party next week and celebrate 14 years!
(12:13:25 AM) ColDougMcKnight: Woo!
(12:13:25 AM) DrRoxanneCarre left the room (quit: Exit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client).
(12:13:27 AM) CdrTKirr: Woot!
(12:13:29 AM) LtCmdrBusard: Woo!
(12:13:30 AM) ColDougMcKnight: Later!
(12:13:54 AM) LtCmdrBusard: Alright, well, I gotta call it a night. Work in the morning.
(12:13:58 AM) LtCmdrBusard: G'night all!
(12:14:01 AM) CdrTKirr left the room.
(12:14:06 AM) ColDougMcKnight left the room (quit: Exit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client).
(12:14:32 AM) VAdmBlackthorne: Night!
(12:14:56 AM) CdrHarper left the room (quit: Exit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client).