Star Trek RPG - Mission #1: "On the Brink"

[anyrose]

"Aye, sir" Collins stands with the others to be transported. She'd love to stay and help, but she knows she needs a full eval in Sickbay.

[What Exit?]

Delaney moves into position for the beam out.

[Elendil's Heir]

Nivens, Collins, Mahmoud and Delaney are beamed out at once. Dr. Villa, Nurse Perry and several medtechs are waiting in the Yorktown's transporter room with an antigrav gurney for the gravely injured young Security guard, who is immediately taken to Sickbay for surgery. The other three are each escorted by a nurse or medtech to Sickbay, as well, for full scans and medical evaluations by Dr. Bucci. The plump Italian physician will also do the same for George, the man from the alien ship, before he is taken to the Brig. Ens. Ben Cooper drops by to see how Collins is doing.

The alien is taken to the Brig for scanning and confinement; his two mottled yellow shipmates are already there.

You learn that Hayes has come through surgery with flying colors, and is now in the recovery ward.

As promised, additional airtanks are beamed over for the spacesuits of those who remain aboard the alien ship. After Pourtash has verbally reported at greater length as to what happened after the boarding party fell out of contact, Capt. Singh says, "Well done, Mr. Pourtash. Now proceed with a full survey and analysis of the ship. Watch out for traps. See if you can access the computers for logs, astrometrics and navigation data, information as to its origin and that of its crew, and so on. If you need additional personnel, just ask. I'd like your report as soon as possible."

[anyrose]

Jeremi is surprised and happy that Ben has come to see her. She assures him she'll be fine, and tells him a few basics of what happened, without revealing any classified information.

[Pleonast]

Fujishiro says to Pourtash, "sir, I recommend doing a quick survey sweep of the vessel to map it and find any remaining traps. I can do it, with the help of one of the security team."

"Once we have the layout, we can do a more detailed survey of locations of interest."

[WES]

In Sickbay, Hayes is feeling much better and very grateful for the medical staff and their excellent care. Still, she's upset at missing all of the action aboard the alien vessel and hopes to learn more from Collins, Delaney and Mahmoud. On the alien ship, Dr. Brownlock is relieved that the injured are now receiving the very best care possible. He will continue to do what he can as a member of the boarding party.

[Elendil's Heir]

Collins is scanned and treated by Dr. Bucci, and then transferred to the recovery ward. The doctor says, "You're fully healed, Ensign, but I want you to remain in Sickbay overnight for observation. You should be able to resume your duties in the morning." She and Cooper have a very nice visit before a nurse shoos him out for the night. When his watch ends, Lt. Lars Dahlquist looks in on Hayes and is glad to see her feeling better, too.

Mahmoud and Delaney need only an optical scan, a few minutes' treatment with a retinal regenerator, a dose of Retinax-3, and an overnight stay in (darkened) quarters. Dr. Bucci expects that they, too, will be able to resume their duties in the morning.

Nivens remains in surgery with Dr. Villa and Nurse Perry. No word yet on a prognosis.

As ordered by the Captain, Ens. Pourtash and the rest of the boarding party begin their more extensive exploration of the alien ship.

[What Exit?]

"Thank you Doctor"

[anyrose]

Collins playfully gives the nurse a hard time for chasing away her visitor, then asks for a terminal so she can read before going to sleep.

[WES]

Hayes hates to admit it, but she's thrilled that Lars visited her in Sickbay. Perhaps there's more to life than Starfleet service.

On board the alien vessel, Dr. Brownlock explores the ship with his crewmates, hoping his medical services will not be needed again.

[Zuul]

"That seems like a sensible start. Bartlett, assist Ens. Fujishiro."

Pourtash will have Dodson, De La Paz, Russel, and Dr. Brownlock assist in an assessment of the ship to determine what they'll be capable of analyzing with the remaining boarding party. He'll make note of what may require expertise they lack and request further personnel if they're needed. How much has Fujishiro's sweep uncovered as far as places of interest? Is there enough of the communications panel left that having someone beam over to examine it could be at all beneficial at this time?

[Elendil's Heir]

Pourtash and the others explore the rest of the ship and learn that it's much like what you've already seen. The crew quarters and supply capacity could accommodate a much larger crew than four, Pourtash and Fujishiro realize. You find no other traps. Chief Engineer Cheverez also beams over, in a spacesuit of course, to have a look around. The warp drive is of a different design than any he's seen before but, as with the rest of the ship, is roughly of the same technological level as the Federation, and not especially unusual, all in all. There are nine roughly-equidistant cloaking nodes on the outer hull which are still emitting dangerous levels of Zheng radiation, even with the cloaking device disengaged, so you steer well clear of them. The communications panel in the control room is a total loss, unfortunately.

By now it's early evening, ship's time. Cheverez notices that the original boarding party members are showing signs of fatigue, and orders everyone back to the Yorktown to eat and rest. Another Engineering and Science team beams over to continue studying the ship with him. Back home, you're all glad to take off your spacesuits and scratch in those hard-to-reach places.

Collins, Delaney, Hayes and Mahmoud awake the next morning in good health but very hungry. After checkups, Dr. Bucci approves everyone's discharge from Sickbay. Dahlquist and Cooper are there to escort Hayes and Collins back to their quarters... or anywhere else. Ens. Terezis, Collins's cabinmate, and Ens. Sasok, who is Delaney's, are also there to welcome you back.

Nivens has come through surgery in good shape, you learn, and is now in the recovery ward. Dr. Villa expects him to make a full recovery and be discharged within a few days, if all goes well.

Capt. Singh calls a senior staff meeting for 1000 hours. Would you like to do anything before then?

[anyrose]

"Let's all go to the mess hall" Collins suggests to those around her, "I could *really* use some coffee"

[What Exit?]

Delaney agrees and asks Sasok if he would like to come along. Delaney is eager to discuss the impressions of this very strange mission and probable first contact for the Federation. As Collins gets a coffee, Delaney gets a black coffee but has a shot of anisette added to it. He also orders some scones and biscotti for the table.

[WES]

Ens. Hayes enjoys a cup of hot chocolate while listening intently to the others and their discussion of this mission so far. She's still upset at having missed most of the action.

Dr. Brownlock returns to his quarters, but can't sleep. He ends up playing a few jazz pieces on bass guitar -- which always helps him relax.

[Elendil's Heir]

Sasok accepts Delaney's invitation and sits with you. The Vulcan says, "Tell me about the mission, please. I only heard a little bit about it from another friend. I would be interested in hearing each of your perspectives."

The scones and biscotti quickly prove popular. Dahlquist has never had a scone before, and likes them very much.

[anyrose]

Collins decides to let Delaney do all the talking. She's too busy dunking biscotti in coffee and playing footsie with Ens. Cooper.

[Zuul]

After a good night's rest, Pourtash will look into how Nivens is doing and is pleased to hear he's recovering well. Before the meeting he'll get himself a cup of coffee in the mess and go over the mission and mentally prepare.

[Elendil's Heir]

Those gathered in the Mess Hall have a fine breakfast together, and talk about the mission at some length before realizing it's almost 1000. Delaney, Fujishiro, Collins, Hayes, Pourtash and Dr. Brownlock go to the Yorktown's Conference Room 1, where you find the Captain, First Officer, Chief Engineer and Ship's Psychiatrist already gathered. Coffee and tea are steaming in pots on a sideboard; juice and water are also available. Ens. Mahmoud comes through the doors right on the hour, just as you're settling in.

Singh says, "Good morning, everyone. I've reviewed your spacesuit comm recordings and tricorder readings. I'd be interested in a brief report from each of you as to your experiences on the boarding party: high points, low points, and lessons learned."

[anyrose]

To herself, Collins thinks "I learned never to get hit with a weapon blast like that ever again" but all she says is "Their weapons were comparable to ours, if not more advanced"

[What Exit?]

Delaney starts slow but speeds up as he goes. "Storming ships requires extra firepower and some sort of shielding.#2 Let security lead the way, they are trained for it. #3: Test for booby traps. I think some sort of hover drone with audio & camera would be a good idea and maybe a floor roller with a phaser and a wall hugger too. Oh, bring extra O2."

[WES]

"We need to have a clear plan of action when members of the boarding party are injured. We almost lost Nivens because communications were down and we could not contact the ship. I would say communications between the ship and boarding party must be maintained at all times," Dr. Brownlock says. "I agree with Ens. Delaney's suggestions as well." Nigel lets out a loud sigh. "We must be better prepared."

[Zuul]

Pourtash frowns slightly as the others speak, then nods to himself. "Agreed. Better preparation would have helped. There was little data we could gather before we reached the ship, but it would be very valuable to be prepared for every eventuality. Especially likely ones such as traps and injuries when communications have been disrupted. Some sort of drone in cases where we can't learn much ahead of time, as Ens. Delaney suggested, could be useful as well."

[anyrose]

"It would be interesting to see," Collins opined, "once we get all the data uploaded, if any other races allied with the Federation's enemies have the Zheng ray cloaks or comparable weapons."

She decides to do a little research of her own.

[Elendil's Heir]

The Captain says, "Thank you for your reports. You raise some good points for us to consider for next time. Despite the problems you had, I'm pleased by how well the boarding party did. Mr. Pourtash and Mr. Delaney, you two in particular deserve credit for your generally effective leadership of the party."

Hayes alone notices that the First Officer rolls his eyes ever so slightly at that comment.

As the others talk, Collins accesses the Library Computer on her datapad and refreshes her memory about Zheng rays. They're named after the Chinese astrophysicist who discovered them 20 years ago, and are rare enough that Starfleet sensors are not typically calibrated to detect them. The rays rarely occur naturally, and are usually a byproduct of particular alien technologies, especially Tiburon, Yottar and Cotopaxi shielding technology, but are rare even among those three races. There is no known connection between them and any cloaking or concealment devices indicated by Starfleet records; they have no known military or defensive applications. The few times that they have been noted as occurring naturally have been in the ionosphere of certain Class R worlds, of which there are none in the Banij system. The rays are not dangerous to humanoid lifeforms in typical dosages.

The Tiburon, Yottar and Cotopaxi are not allied with the Romulans, to the best of Collins's knowledge.

See posts 262, 270.

[Elendil's Heir]

There is some further discussion but Singh soon says, "Right, then. Mr. Delaney, I'd like you to return to the alien ship and study it further. Find out anything useful you can. If you think it can be safely operated by a prize crew, I'd prefer that, but we can take it under tow ourselves if necessary, or send for a Starfleet tug. Mr. Fujishiro, please assist him. Mr. Pourtash, I'd like you back at the Helm here on the Yorktown. Mr. Hayes, if you're feeling up to it, I'd appreciate your assistance during today's negotiations with the Banij leaders. While you were over there, the Soj military regime fell and a more peaceful provisional government is now in charge, at least for the moment. They want to make peace, and I think the other Banij nation-states do, too. Dr. Brownlock, you may return to your duties in Sickbay; I believe Dr. Villa has some work for you. Mr. Vargas?"

The First Officer says, "Mr. Collins, I want you to begin immediate interrogation of 'George,' if that is in fact his name. Find out all you can about who he is, how he came to be here, what the aliens were up to, and why they remained cloaked for so long. Mr. Hayes, when you're done with the negotiations, you may wish to have a word - or try to - with our three alien prisoners. So far they haven't said a word, or even made a sound. We could use a xenosociologist's perspective."

The Captain nods and looks around the table. "Any questions? If not, thank you, and dismissed."

[WES]

Dr. Brownlock is very relieved to be back in Sickbay.

Ens. Hayes studies everything available from the Library Computer in preparation for the negotiations. She looks forward to speaking with the alien prisoners and hopes her diplomatic skills will be helpful.

[Zuul]

Pourtash has no further questions. Once dismissed, he'll report back to the bridge.

[Elendil's Heir]

Dr. Brownlock is asked by Dr. Villa, the Chief Medical Officer, to conduct yearly physical exams on five members of the crew. This is part of Sickbay routine, and something he hasn't had much time for up to now. As he makes his rounds, he also notices Crewman Felice Dodson holding hands and speaking with Spec/2 Alex Nivens in the recovery ward. Spec/1 Josiah Russell and Spec/2 Fred Bartlett also briefly drop by to see how their Security colleague is doing. Brownlock reviews his charts and notes that he's making excellent progress since his surgery.

Hayes accompanies the Captain down to the meeting room after doing some quick research. The negotiations get off to a smooth start.

The double doors whisk open, and Pourtash steps onto the Bridge. He stops for just a moment to take a deep breath, enjoying the lights and sounds for what seems like the first time in a very long time. Mr. Roble, the Science Officer, is in the big chair, reviewing a report on a datapad. He nods distractedly as you take your seat at the Helm. The Yorktown is in a standard or synchronous orbit over the Na-Banij capital, trailing the alien ship by 50 kms. Bennett is at the Navigation console to your right. She smiles and says quietly, "Welcome back! I want to hear all about your adventure sometime."

[What Exit?]

Delaney has extra engineering tools brought to the transporter room and is doing some routine diagnostic before beaming back over. He will begin a slow study of the ship cautious of dangers and traps. Who else will be assisting?

[anyrose]

Collins enters the transporter room. "Need a hand, Delaney?"

[Zuul]

Pourtash takes his seat and makes note of their orbit. He gives Bennett a wry sidelong look. "I don't think it paints me in the most flattering light, but I'll tell you all about it later."

[Elendil's Heir]

The Captain ordered Ens. Fujishiro to assist Delaney. He can also assign any Engineering personnel he wishes, subject to the Chief Engineer's approval.

Collins remembers that the First Officer ordered her to interrogate George, who is not in the Transporter Room, but the Brig.

Bennett smiles and nods in response to Pourtash's remark. He sees that she's updating her file of possible transfer orbits and departure courses from Banij space.

[anyrose]

oops - guess I didn't retain what I read

"Just kidding. I just wanted to tell you all to be careful" Collins heads to the brig, stopping to get two cups of coffee on the way.

[anyrose]

Collins hands one cup of coffee to "George", then pulls a chair up to face his cell entrance and sits. She raises her cup as if in a toast, and waits to see his reaction.

[WES]

Dr. Brownlock continues with his regular Sickbay routine. He is grateful for the respite after such a stressful time aboard the alien vessel. He strongly considers speaking with Dr. Noel about this. He is a bit upset with the way in which he conducted himself as a member of the boarding party. Nigel sighs. Why is he always second guessing himself and his abilities? Perhaps he should discuss this with Dr. Noel, too?

Ens. Hayes is quite impressed with how the captain has handled the start of negotiations with the Banij leaders. She will pay very close attention and learn all that she can from the captain's experience in such matters.

[Pleonast]

Fujishiro is pleased to hear the situation on the planet is improving. Besides assisting Delaney on the alien vessel, she is curious about the Zheng radiation. Is there any internal shielding to protect the crew from it? If not, there's a good question for the medical researchers--what about the physiology protects them? Does the human collaborator suffer any effects?

And what she'd really love to do is get an up-close look at the sources of the Zheng radiation. Is it an essential ingredient in the cloaking process, or merely a by-product? There's going to be a lot of novel physics going on, plus the obvious technological advances.

[Zuul]

Pourtash notes Bennett's updates, thinking of the Captain's references to the Soj provisional government and other Banij desiring peace. "Things are looking up," he murmurs.

[Elendil's Heir]

Mahmoud and Bartlett are on duty in the Brig, phaser-2s on their hips. They lower the forcefield to George's cell just long enough so that Collins can hand the cup of coffee to him. George looks surprised, but takes the coffee, blows on it and says, "Thanks."

Dr. Brownlock has found Dr. Noel very approachable in his work with her so far, and knows that any discussions with her would be completely confidential.

The Captain's negotiations with the Banij diplomats are going well. Hayes sees that Singh is not too bad a diplomat, mixing patience with firmness in her dealings with the Yorktown's guests. A planetary accord seems quite possible, although there are still many details to work out, and old suspicions are dying hard between the Na- and Soj-Banij, in particular.

Fujishiro finds some minimal internal shielding from Zheng radiation aboard the alien ship, which is now crawling with some two dozen Starfleet personnel. In checking with Dr. Brownlock, she learns that it appears that the aliens are themselves naturally almost immune to the radiation's effects - far more so than a human would be. The Assistant Chief Medical Officer, upon a closer look at the medical scans of George, finds that there is indeed some tissue damage on the cellular level which might be attributable to prolonged and direct exposure to Zheng rays. Cheverez, Delaney and Fujishiro tentatively conclude that the rays are probably a byproduct and not a key element of the cloaking process, but more study will be necessary. The Chief Engineer asks the two of them to prepare a preliminary report on their findings.

Things remain quiet on the Bridge as Pourtash passes a largely uneventful watch at the Helm.

[anyrose]

"So, George" Collins begins "How did you come to be aboard that ship?" She sips her coffee, "the more details, the better."

[Elendil's Heir]

George takes a sip from his coffee, winces and blows on it again. He shrugs. "I needed a job. They offered me one."

[anyrose]

"Okay," Collins' expression went from casual to serious, "I'm going to need more than that. The, what did you say they called themselves? Eruunlac? What were they doing in orbit over Banij Prime? Are they enemies to one of the Banij nations? Are they mercenaries? That 'long story' you mentioned? Now's the time to tell it."

[Elendil's Heir]

"Why should I talk to you?" George asks. "Am I under arrest? Is there some reward if I tell you what I know?"

[WES]

Ens. Hayes suggests to the captain that finding a social activity both the Na and Soj enjoy might lessen tensions and help the negotiations continue in a positive way. She also offers to help Ens. Collins with George if needed -- though Hayes has no doubt that Collins is more than capable of handling the situation.

Dr. Brownlock stops by Dr. Noel's office. He hesitates at the door for a moment, then steps inside. "Excuse me, Doctor, but I was wondering if I might make an appointment to speak with you -- at your convenience, of course." Brownlock is disturbed by the dryness in his throat and the tentative tone in his voice.

[Pleonast]

Happy to be doing science instead of storming a ship, Fujishiro prepares a summary of all her findings about the alien vessel. She'll also update a continuing log on the Zheng rays. In particular, she intends to recommend to Star Fleet an optimized spec for a Zheng ray detector. Delaney should be able to help with that, if he's not too busy doing other things.

She openly wonders to Delaney and the others she's working with about whether some Banij knew about the vessel. And if it's worth consulting with them about it.

[Zuul]

Pourtash is relieved that the watch is uneventful, but it unfortunately gives him time to dwell. He can't help but keep thinking over the mission and his own panic early on, leading Delaney to replace him. Everything that went wrong from that point on, he feels falls fully on his shoulders.

[Elendil's Heir]

The Captain says to Hayes, "That's not a bad idea, Ensign. What would you suggest?" She wants to keep the xenosociologist with her to aid in negotiations for now, and agrees it would be best to let Collins proceed with George's interrogation by herself, at least for the moment.

Dr. Helen Noel looks up from her datapad and smiles at Dr. Brownlock. She says, "There's no time like the present - please, come in!" An impressive array of framed diplomas and certificates on her office bulkhead - from Oberlin College, the University of Alpha Centauri and the Starfleet School of Medicine, among others - reminds him that she's an accomplished psychiatrist as well as a beautiful woman. He remembers a rumor that she and the legendary (or notorious) Capt. Kirk were once... involved.

Fujishiro's work goes very well, and Delaney thinks the data she's gathered might be useful in calibrating the ship's sensors to more easily detect Zheng rays. They are rare enough, though, and the necessary modifications time-consuming enough, that the project will need a lot more work to make it practical.

Pourtash mulls over what happened back on the alien ship and doesn't realize how much he's frowning. Lt. JG Cecilia Bennett leans over a little from the Navigation console and says quietly, "Is anything wrong, Faraz?"

[WES]

"The Na and particularly the Soj seemed to enjoy the concert given by our crew recently. We could provide them with something similar. Also, they enjoyed trying a variety of foods." Hayes pauses a moment. "Perhaps a dinner party and a concert afterward would be a good choice. Negotiating over a good meal has been a useful diplomatic tool for many centuries." Rachel smiles at the captain. "If it works, don't fix it."

Dr. Brownlock sits down, staring at his hands for a moment. Maybe this wasn't such a bloody good idea, after all. He takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I have some concerns about my actions as a member of the boarding party. I am experienced as a medical researcher more than anything else. I found myself to be quite overwhelmed by the circumstances aboard the alien vessel." Nigel is surprised at how much he's just shared with Dr. Noel. He is usually very quiet and reserved around most people.

[anyrose]

"Well, George" Collins backs off just a little "you surrendered to us." She takes a breath, "Look, we could really use your help here. The Eruunlac never responded to our hails. The Captain determined them to be hostile, if not to us directly, then to the Banij. Please, tell us, tell me, what you know about the Eruunlac."

[Elendil's Heir]

Capt. Singh nods and says, "Very well. See to it, Mr. Hayes. Work with Mr. Thalen, who heads the Lyceum, to arrange for different performers than the Banij diplomats saw and heard last time. And why not arrange a seating chart that has the Banij delegations broken up, so that they're sitting next to different people and aren't just in their own little ethnic or national groups? I want them to become more comfortable with each other."

In her Sickbay office, Dr. Noel leans forward in her chair. "What concerns do you have, in particular, Nigel? And what made you feel overwhelmed? For what it's worth, none of the boarding party members' reports were critical of you."

George raises and eyebrow and says to Collins, "Well, you and your friends came into the control center pointing phasers at me, having shot the three Eruunlac, and I was unarmed, so of course I surrendered. I'm not crazy about the whole 'dying' concept. But if I'm not under arrest, I'd like to be let out of here, given guest quarters and taken to the nearest Federation or nonaligned world at your captain's earliest convenience. On the other hand, if there's a reward available for whatever I might be able to tell you, and my statement won't be used against me in, you know, a trial or anything, then my memory just might improve." He takes another sip of his coffee, and smiles.