Conversation with #st_missionroom1 at Wed Oct 19 20:58:16 2016 on VAdmBlackthorne@chat.startrekengage.com (irc)
(20:58:16) The topic for #ST_MissionRoom1 is: =/\= Star Trek: Engage Mission Room 1 =/\=
(20:58:16) Topic for #ST_MissionRoom1 set by GM_James at 11:22:06 on 11/16/2015
(21:20:12) CO_Capt_Harper: BEGIN SIM
(21:20:13) CO_Capt_Harper: BEGIN SIM
(21:20:14) CO_Capt_Harper: BEGIN SIM
(21:20:54) CTO_Maj_Wolfe: :: stands at Tactical, thinking. ::
(21:20:55) CO_Capt_Harper: :: in the ready room, checking the ship's position ::
(21:22:38) XO_Cdr_Vallero: :: on the Bridge, appearing to monitor their progress through slipstream, but in truth is inwardly troubled and distracted ::
(21:22:57) CO_Capt_Harper: :: stands and Picard maneuvers :: Step three. :: exhales sharply then exits to the bridge ::
(21:23:15) NAV_2Lt_Suzuki: :: sitting at the helm, doing pilot things ::
(21:26:30) ENG_LtJG_Ilaihr: ::Is sat at the ENG console, either checking many things, or only seeming to check things whilst he quietly monitors the tension levels of the room.::
(21:26:45) CO_Capt_Harper: :: steps at the helm :: NAV: Prepare to exit slipstream early, at these coordinates. :: leans down and punches in a set ::
(21:27:23) CSO_LCdr_Wright: :: looks up when Harper enters, noting that her expression is carefully neutral ::
(21:27:46) SCI_Lt_TLira: :: hasn't moved an inch at the secondary science console, other than to occasionally turn her head to look at something, such as that long-range sensor diagnostic that just came back all clear ::
(21:28:53) NAV_2Lt_Suzuki: :: is surprised at the notion of the early slipstream exit, but immediately gets to work :: CO: Aye, sir.
(21:29:40) XO_Cdr_Vallero: :: glances up momentarily at Harper at navigation and finds himself not wanting to meet her eyes, but at the same time he feels lighter having finally told her the truth ::
(21:30:04) CO_Capt_Harper: :: crosses to the center seat :: XO: Did anyone ask to leave?
(21:31:33) MED_Ens_Morsby: ::heading to the bridge, and salutes the Captain when he sees them:: CO: Mitch Morsby, standing by for assignment.
(21:31:36) XO_Cdr_Vallero: CO: No, not even one. :: can't help but grin at this ::
(21:32:06) CO_Capt_Harper: :: smiles a bit :: Now there is a good Starfleet crew.
(21:32:53) XO_Cdr_Vallero: :: raises an eyebrow, one a Vulcan could be proud of :: CO: Mutinous to the last?
(21:33:02) CO_Capt_Harper: MED: Doctor. Ensure sickbay is ready to go, since we will likely need you.
(21:33:15) CO_Capt_Harper: ENG: Lt. Ilaihr.
(21:34:10) ENG_LtJG_Ilaihr: ::Shakes his focus on whatever it was he was doing.:: CO: Yes, Captain? ::Smiles.::
(21:34:14) MED_Ens_Morsby: CO:Understood. Best of luck. ::heads to sick bay, where he begins refilling the medecine cabinets::
(21:34:59) CO_Capt_Harper: XO: Indeed. May fortune favor the bold.
(21:35:25) CSO_LCdr_Wright: :: looks over the diagnostic results that T'Lira recieved a short while ago, calling them up on her console ::
(21:36:05) CO_Capt_Harper: :: turns to Ilaihr :: ENG: Please relay this to Lt. Quinn. I need Engineering to change our prefix code.
(21:36:18) ENG_LtJG_Ilaihr: ::Nods.::
(21:36:48) ENG_LtJG_Ilaihr: CO: Anything else, Captain?
(21:37:00) MED_Ens_Morsby: ::Inspects his medical tricorder for damage, and goes through the medical database, checking for any new developments in the field. If a potentially fatal disease had been cured ercently, he wanted the recipe in his cabinets::
(21:37:41) CO_Capt_Harper: ENG: We simply can not allow our fellow fleet members to override us remotely. Also, please consider possible uses for the device we took from the rogue planet. It may come in handy.
(21:38:28) NAV_2Lt_Suzuki: CO: Approaching target coordinates. Slipstream exit in 1 minute.
(21:39:35) ENG_LtJG_Ilaihr: ::Smiles wider.:: CO: It does appear great minds think alike, Captain. ::Indicates the research and testing data on his console.:: And I shall relay that information now. Will it be S.S. or are you thinking something else?
(21:41:11) CO_Capt_Harper: ENG: What do you mean, Lieutenant?
(21:41:16) CO_Capt_Harper: NAV: Understood.
(21:42:00) NAV_2Lt_Suzuki: Bridge: Slipstream exit in 5.. 4.. 3.. 2..
(21:42:13) ENG_LtJG_Ilaihr: CO: Are we not currently the S.S. Atlantis at this time?
(21:42:39) XO_Cdr_Vallero: :: watches the main viewer expectantly ::
(21:43:10) CO_Capt_Harper: ENG: I am referring the combination code that prevents remote override of our systems from another Federation starship. Perhaps you are unaware, since that knowledge may be gated by rank.
(21:44:17) CO_Capt_Harper: ACTION> Atlantis pops out of the sliptream into normal space.
(21:45:01) CO_Capt_Harper: ACTION> A few seconds later, another vessel emerges behind us...
(21:45:37) ENG_LtJG_Ilaihr: ::Nods.:: CO: Ah, yes of course. ::Stares at the screen for a moment, before quickly calling engineering.::
(21:46:15) NAV_2Lt_Suzuki: CO: Normal space achieved. Drift is 2.2 AU.
(21:46:30) ENG_LtJG_Ilaihr: *CEO*: Iliahr to Engineering. Lieutenant Quinn, the captain has requested the prefix codes for the ship be changed, to prevent remote access by the fleet.
(21:46:31) NAV_2Lt_Suzuki: :: having not noticed anything amiss yet ::
(21:46:49) CO_Capt_Harper: :: sits down :: NAV: Thank you, Lt. Do not worry about the drift.
(21:47:13) NAV_2Lt_Suzuki: :: had thought her wince was entirely internal... ::
(21:47:47) CEO_LtQuinn: :: Continues tapping furiously away at a console by the warp core, even as he slaps his comm badge to answer the chime. :: *ENG* Okie dokey. Please relay to the Captain that I'll assign someone to that immediately, and assist personally once I'm done making these modifications to our warp signature.
(21:48:41) CEO_LtQuinn: *ENG* Pretty sure I can make us look like a small convoy of Nyberrite freighters. That way, we don't have to worry about our power giving us away.
(21:50:29) ENG_LtJG_Ilaihr: *CEO*: Yes. The captain and I believe we can also use the device we acquired from the rogue planet some months back.
(21:52:16) NAV_2Lt_Suzuki: CO: Proceed to coordinates at what warp factor, sir?
(21:52:17) ColDougMcKnight: ACTION> A hail comes in from the other ship. Which, is anyone is curious, looks as much like an Old Earth spy plane as an ordinary Starfleet ship. The "saucer" is a black arrowhead shape, and its two nacelles just almost directly out to either side, each one rivaling the center section for overall size. Overall, it's about the size of an Intepid Class.
(21:52:57) CTO_Maj_Wolfe: CO: Captain. Incoming hail.
(21:53:23) ENG_LtJG_Ilaihr: *CEO*: I am currently looking into that, using all of the data the team acquired from it during testing. But i shall relay the information to the Captain. Ilaihr out.
(21:53:53) CEO_LtQuinn: *ENG* Good, good. Keep me posted. Engineering out.
(21:54:06) CO_Capt_Harper: On screen.
(21:54:08) CTO_Maj_Wolfe: :: complies ::
(21:54:12) SCI_Lt_TLira: :: looks up at the screen, wondering who could be hailing ::
(21:55:00) ColDougMcKnight: ACTION> Colonel McKnight, clad in the same black fatigues he favored when he manned Wolfe's station, stands up from his chair to face the viewer with a scowl.
(21:55:40) ColDougMcKnight: *CO* Gotta say. I didn't like this slipstream thing when we first got it, and I can't say I'm crazy about it now, either. But it should keep us in the game a little longer.
(21:56:04) XO_Cdr_Vallero: :: watches McKnight on the main viewer ::
(21:56:16) CO_Capt_Harper: *McKnight* It is quite an advantage, and as a pilot, I am fond of it.
(21:58:44) ColDougMcKnight: *CO* It's the idea of it. I was convinced us having it and the Romulans NOT was going to drag us into another one of their wars of paranoid desperation. I don't know that I was wrong...but it's hardly worth worrying over right now. So, with your permission, I was thinking I'd beam over. Some of your people might like some details filled in.
(22:00:04) CO_Capt_Harper: *McKnight* By all means.
(22:04:38) ColDougMcKnight: :: Nods off to his right, off screen. :: That's your cue, Zuriyev.
(22:06:52) ColDougMcKnight: ACTION> A moment later, McKnight can be seen disappearing off his bridge, only to re-materialize smack dab in the middle of Atlantis'.
(22:07:25) CO_Capt_Harper: Doug: Welcome aboard. :: as if he hadn't already been aboard ::
(22:07:55) ColDougMcKnight: :: Takes a deep breath. :: Nice to be back. Openly, anyway.
(22:08:19) ENG_LtJG_Ilaihr: ::Uses this sudden break.:: CO: I have informed Lieutenant Quinn of you're requirements, he is also working on modifying the warp signature.
(22:09:12) SCI_Lt_TLira: :: looks over at the sudden appearance briefly before returning to her work ::
(22:09:25) ColDougMcKnight: :: Looks around the bridge, pausing briefly as he chooses his words. :: Thank you. All of you. I'd never have actually said this, but I doubt this would have worked without this ship, and you people flying her. Now, I've got a little more on what we're picking a fight with.
(22:09:30) CSO_LCdr_Wright: :: turns to look at McKnight ::
(22:09:47) CSO_LCdr_Wright: :: wonders who "we" is ::
(22:09:50) CO_Capt_Harper: ENG: Thank you, lieutenant.
(22:12:07) CO_Capt_Harper: Doug: That would be welcomed.
(22:12:55) NAV_2Lt_Suzuki: :: still waiting patiently for instructions on warp factor to destination, not sure if she should ask again ::
(22:13:16) ColDougMcKnight: CO: Well, you're the host. Conference room, or shall we just go over it out here?
(22:13:54) ENG_LtJG_Ilaihr: ::Listens on the Colonel, whilst looking at how to best implement the sensor device, to make it essentially a cloak.
(22:14:55) CO_Capt_Harper: Doug: I think out here is fine, though we are missing a few.
(22:15:04) CO_Capt_Harper: CSO: Summon all department heads that are not present.
(22:16:22) CSO_LCdr_Wright: CO: Aye. :: immediately gets to work, quickly summoning Quinn and Kymar to the Bridge ::
(22:16:54) CO_Capt_Harper: Doug: Aside from that, I would say that what we have to discuss is open to all at this point.
(22:19:24) CSO_LCdr_Wright: CO: They should be here shortly, Captain.
(22:19:39) ENG_LtJG_Ilaihr: Self: Hmmm, well we have a vast array of costumes to choose from. ::Chuckles.:: But I believe the Lieutenant specified a Nybarrite freighter.
(22:19:47) ColDougMcKnight: :: Nods. :: Fair enough.
(22:20:43) CEO_LtQuinn: :: Arrives on the bridge, and at seeing the new face, silently takes his place. ::
(22:21:11) CO_Capt_Harper: :: nods as Kymar also enters :: Doug: Shall we?
(22:23:03) ColDougMcKnight: Alright, so...my part in all this starts just after the premature funeral I last visited for. On that occasion, I became aware of suspicions, quickly verified by your Captain with help from Engineering, that the shuttle explosion was no accident. I promised I'd use every resource I had to get to the bottom of it, and so I started going through every single
(22:23:45) ColDougMcKnight: contact, calling in just about every favor anyone in the intelligence community ever owed me. It took awhile, but finally, I got a bite. One that hurt.
(22:24:40) ColDougMcKnight: If you'll call it up, you'll find the Minuteman's transmitting a visual file.
(22:24:50) CO_Capt_Harper: :: nods to Lexy ::
(22:25:25) CSO_LCdr_Wright: :: belatedly sees the nod and quickly calls it up to the main screen ::
(22:27:07) ColDougMcKnight: ACTION> A moment later, two side by side photographs dominate the viewscreen. Two humans in black jumpsuits devoid of any markings or decoration to identify them. Both look tired and bedraggled, though otherwise unharmed.
(22:28:11) CO_Capt_Harper: :: looks at the viewer with interest, this part being new to her ::
(22:28:35) ENG_LtJG_Ilaihr: ::Watches the viewscreen, taking the information in.::
(22:28:53) ColDougMcKnight: These men are, we believe, William Spinoza and Adam Jennings. We got those names out of grade school year books, after an age regression program had gone over their faces for several days. As far as any database is concerned, these two do not exist. In the Federation, or anywhere else.
(22:28:55) CSO_LCdr_Wright: :: watches, waiting ::
(22:29:39) CO_Capt_Harper: :: glances at Vallero, then back to the viewer ::
(22:29:46) ColDougMcKnight: That did not stop either of them from paying me an armed and unsolicited visit at my home at 3 in the morning, hours after I'd been warned I'd finally poked around the wrong hole.
(22:29:50) SCI_Lt_TLira: :: looks over at the viewscreen and listens to the description. Most fascinating. ::
(22:30:44) CSO_LCdr_Wright: :: quietly gasps, looking over at McKnight in dismay ::
(22:31:04) CO_Capt_Harper: Doug: For intelligence operatives, one would think they might know what a bad idea that is.
(22:31:09) ENG_LtJG_Ilaihr: ::Nods, thinking that sounds about right.::
(22:32:09) ColDougMcKnight: Fortunately, I had an inkling they might be coming, and my wife's high tech gadgets trumped their high tech gadgets. Their subsequent interrogations, sadly conducted by necessity off the books, are the source of what your Captain has told you by now. They organization they work for is named for an obscure clause of the original Starfleet Charter.
(22:33:20) ColDougMcKnight: Article 14, Section 31 allows for extreme measures in the event of extraordinary threats. These people have used that, over the past 200 years as justification for...whatever the hell they want, basically. Only recently, in the wake of the last bloody war that caught us with our pants down, they've decided they need to take a more active hand in guiding us.
(22:34:08) CO_Capt_Harper: :: frowns, thinking that war had already taken enough of a toll ::
(22:34:16) ENG_LtJG_Ilaihr: ::Smiles.:: Article 14, Section 31 of the United Earth Starfleet.
(22:35:01) ColDougMcKnight: ENG: Yeah. Like I said, the original charter. The change of management doesn't seem to have bothered them much.
(22:35:46) ENG_LtJG_Ilaihr: Col: They consider themselves both the first and final defence.
(22:35:50) CSO_LCdr_Wright: :: frowns, remembering having read that but not having considered the implications ::
(22:36:40) ColDougMcKnight: Over at least the past year, they've been quietly subverting or replacing enough key figures, the President included, that...well, that it came to this. You all worked for them, knowingly or not. And so does the rest of the fleet. I won't make any bones about it, people. We're in it up to our eyeballs here.
(22:36:53) SCI_Lt_TLira: :: listens to the conversation at hand and wonders how this Section 31 could have been allowed to grow quite like it had, or how it had even been allowed to begin in the first place, if these are their methods of choice ::
(22:37:30) CO_Capt_Harper: Doug: To what end? Why are they doing all of this?
(22:38:02) CSO_LCdr_Wright: :: looks down at her hands, extremely troubled by what she's hearing ::
(22:39:42) ColDougMcKnight: CO: Why else? Because they truly believe it's the right thing to do. That the Federation is hobbled to the point of ineffectiveness by its rigid adherence to interstellar law and the treaties it's made. And under their leadership, a leadership that couldn't care less about the sanctity of our word or values, we'll be safer and stronger than ever before.
(22:40:06) CSO_LCdr_Wright: softly: But at what cost...
(22:41:33) ColDougMcKnight: :: Smiles. :: CSO: Higher than I'm prepared to pay. Higher than I think anyone else is, too. But let's not allow ourselves to think for a moment that these people are simply crazy. They're as focused and devoted as we are. And they've got the upper hand.
(22:42:08) ColDougMcKnight: But they do have some semblance of honor...class, at least. And as such, they HAVE left themselves one weakness.
(22:42:32) CSO_LCdr_Wright: :: looks up at him, waiting for the answer to the unspoken question ::
(22:42:32) CO_Capt_Harper: :: does not allow herself to show just how much despair this knowledge has caused her, maintaining her command presence at the expense of all else ::
(22:42:49) ENG_LtJG_Ilaihr: CO: All the major powers have an organisation such as this. The Tal Shiar, The Obsidian Order.... they are the culmination of an ancient fear of the dark, the quiet distrust of the unfamiliar, and are a vestige of pre-warp political ideologies.
(22:43:28) CSO_LCdr_Wright: :: gives Ilaihr a thoughtful look ::
(22:44:05) ColDougMcKnight: :: Waits for Ilaihr to contribute, and looks around for anyone else before he continues. :: They did NOT kill either Blackthorne or T'Kirr. I got that much out of my visitors very clearly. It was their reward for decades of meritorious service. Exile instead of murder.
(22:45:09) CO_Capt_Harper: How charitable of them.
(22:45:13) ColDougMcKnight: Now, they told me that don't know where they were ultimately taken. And I think I got the truth of that out of them, too. But they DID give up the location of their nearest facility to where the Naiad was destroyed.
(22:45:15) CSO_LCdr_Wright: McKnight: Surely they were kept alive for a reason other than charity.
(22:46:08) ColDougMcKnight: :: Frowns. :: Yeah, Wright. We can be pretty sure they had every secret and interesting scrap of information they had pried out of their heads first, one way or another.
(22:49:01) CO_Capt_Harper: :: tries not to imagine what that entailed ::
(22:49:29) CSO_LCdr_Wright: :: has a dubious expression, thinking Blackthorne and T'Kirr are extremely resilient people ::
(22:50:22) ColDougMcKnight: Even so, let's stay on what's important. They're alive. And they'll have a story to tell. One that nobody in the Federation will be able to ignore. If there's one thing that could mobilize whatever Section 31 doesn't already own, and MAYBE do something about it, it'll be their testimony.
(22:51:03) ColDougMcKnight: So, how about it? Since we're all full blown felons anyway, who wants to upgrade that to VIOLENT felons?
(22:52:19) ENG_LtJG_Ilaihr: ::Laughs.:: Self: Well this really does feel like the good old days.
(22:52:49) CSO_LCdr_Wright: :: looks down at her hands again :: McKnight: I'd prefer to exhaust our non-violent options first... but I speak only for myself.
(22:54:24) SCI_Lt_TLira: :: considering anything, certainly isn't entirely against the idea of upgrading the felon status, but keeps that to herself ::
(22:56:55) ColDougMcKnight: :: Smiles sadly. :: CSO: I admire the sentiment, I really do. But I don't think we're going to get this information by asking nicely. And even with the Minuteman's stealth systems, sneaking in is going to be a chore.
(22:57:04) CO_Capt_Harper: While more death is likely unavoidable, I would like to employ non-lethal methods as much as we can. Unfortunately, that may always not be feasible.
(22:57:33) ENG_LtJG_Ilaihr: Self: I can't wait to get hold of that snake Yix.
(22:58:15) ColDougMcKnight: :: Looks quizzically over at Ilaihr, then back at Harper with an arched eyebrow of his own. ::
(22:58:50) CSO_LCdr_Wright: McKnight: Because what good would enough of this be if we simply became that which we were fighting against?
(22:59:43) CO_Capt_Harper: Doug: You Marines still have stun on your rifles. Larger weapons may still cause unavoidable casualties, but let us try to minimize it.
(23:00:07) ColDougMcKnight: Well, then. If you don't want to go in guns blazing, then I suggest you make some plans for a quiet approach. And they better be good ones. They set this place up in the void, a dozen light years from the nearest star. Mostly, that's to make sure nobody ever stumbled across it, but it also means you'll stand out like a signal fire.
(23:00:40) CO_Capt_Harper: Doug: Shall we have a look at the intel, then?
(23:00:53) ColDougMcKnight: :: Grins. :: Uploaded and waiting.
(23:00:58) CSO_LCdr_Wright: :: looks around the Bridge, then finally to Kate, and then nods at McKnight :: I think you will find us quite resourceful.
(23:02:10) ColDougMcKnight: :: Chuckles for the first time since arriving. :: I DID spend 11 years here.
(23:02:17) CO_Capt_Harper: PAUSE SIM
(23:02:18) CO_Capt_Harper: PAUSE SIM
(23:02:18) CO_Capt_Harper: PAUSE SIM