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Dammit... not that i'd be above doing it on purpose but definitely not intentional, sorry about that!Quote:
Originally posted by CatInASuit
Can I suggest fixing your auto-correct: Ranging != Rangin :fishbeat:Quote:
Originally posted by general_urko
I'll fix it.
Heh, Kylah's measuring Hsu's emotions like crazy over here! :psychic: Can you share a li'l hint about what she's sensing from him when she asked the affair question, and as he's answering it?
New Apocrypha Tale in which Rangin's continued xenobioology studies at Starfleet take a more practical and hands-on turn.
Thanks for the added reading, EH -- Not surprised Kylah's losing her abilities just when she needs them most, but it does seem that Hsu is mighty uncomfortable with this topic now. Wow, here's a twist: what if he's a surprise romantic partner for Wilson? :D
Ha, well done! Anyone who's watched as many episodes of All Creatures Great and Small as I have can appreciate this particular... outreach program. Although usually they were going in for a calf or prolapsed uterus or what have you; I'm not sure what, um, orifice poor Velir was up to his shoulders in.Quote:
Originally posted by CatInASuit
The cadets made a sound of horror? What about the poor cow?!!Quote:
There was a collective sound of horror from the rest of the cadets as they watched and Rangin could almost feel them recoiling in disgust as they suddenly realised they would be doing this shortly.
Heh. My sister joked that every episode of All Creatures Great and Small had someone up to his elbow in the squishy parts of a cow. It was almost a law or something.
And the actors really had to do it, too. Robert Hardy: an expert in bows and arrows, and also shoving his arm into a cow's nether regions.
So, did Peter Davison play the Dish of the Day in HHGttG before or after his stint on ACGaS?
Didn't the team trade up to Phaser IIs at some point?
Not that I remember. Show me where, if so, please.Quote:
Originally posted by anyrose
Graham tried but transporter not reliable due to storm.Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's HeirNot that I remember. Show me where, if so, please.Quote:
Originally posted by anyrose
Hey Graham and Rangin! Just a note that during a lightning storm, you shouldn't lie down flat on the ground when a strike is imminent--that just adds to the surface area that's in connection w/the ground and thus capable of conducting electricity. Nowadays the recommendation is to squat, your feet tightly together, w/your head between your knees. Basically, a tiny ball. This makes you the smallest possible target since the only part of you touching the ground is your feet.
(Some people say if you start to feel the tingle/electric charge building up, you should lean forward with both arms on the ground in front of you. Hopefully the lightning will just travel through your arms and miss your trunk/heart/vital bits entirely.)
Gonna answer this without looking at Wikipedia. I know he was on ACGaS on and off for quite a while, because of various specials and delays during shooting (he went from a regular to a recurring/guest as late as the early- to mid-1990s when a much-delayed fourth series was commissioned).Quote:
Originally posted by anyrose
I can't imagine it being earlier than ACGaS, as he wouldn't have been popular enough to make such a cameo--even as hard to recognize as he is, all his handsomeness hidden behind latex and rubber and an amusingly ponderous voice. Of course he really did it because his then-wife Sandra Dickenson was playing Trillian. Anyway, given the sci-fi connection, it was probably during or after his Doctor Who reign. And thus, later.
Yes, the fifth Doctor was my favorite, why do you ask? :D
Perhaps Starfleet training on avoiding getting zapped by lightning (presuming there's any such training at all!) has returned to traditional methods after several hundred years.
FYI assuming my ignorance does not get me fried by lightning I will be back from vacation & back on West Coast time tomorrow.
I was intending to post that a key learning from this trip has been that ants are astonishingly flavorful; catching up on Apocrypha I think that the Yorktown High alternative storyline would somehow have a story that involved Graham boiling up Rangin's carefully tended ant farm as a tailgating snack....
Kylah is playing Good Cop *AND* Bad Cop, now?
What can I say, she's multifaceted. :)
Yup, Kylah's a real diamond :D
awwwwww. <3 :barf:
Shiny!
Wow, Kylah goes to 11.
I do look forward to Rangin lecturing her about her bullying, thuggish behavior....
"Kylah, you've been mean and nasty to poor Mrs Hsu." Rangin picks up Kylah's arm by the wrist.
"Don't. Do. It. Again." he lectures punctuating each word with a light tap on the wrist and keeping his face serious.
"Now, how about lunch, my treat. You've earned it for solving the case ahead of security."
Heh. :bravo:
"Please do not think too little of me for only using words rather than shoving a knife in her face or making her sit on the floor," Kylah says, accepting the feather-light taps with a downcast, chastened expression but twinkling eyes. "I accept the punishment of eating lunch with you. And if there is any further discipline needed, I accept that as well..."
Well Mrs. Hsu is acting as thick as two bricks, to absolutely no one's surprise. I suppose I've reached the end of her AI's limits and she has no more dialogue programmed in.
Ouch.
Well hey, she's not the sharpest knife in the drawer. She tries to have a secret meeting in the middle of a hugely public nightclub? :D
I may be rather busy in the next few days, and may only be able to post once daily, if that. Thanks for your patience.
No probs - probably don't say it often enough, but thanks for running the game, we can be patient.
My pleasure, and my thanks in return for all playing so well.
I hope the busy period is due to something enjoyable, EH! And I echo my colleague. Thank you for this ripe canvas you've primed and painted for us!
Not enjoyable, no, but something that must be done. Thanks again.
There goes the theory that Hardin had also murdered Hsu.:RAEG:
Ok, so who is going to hold their hand up and say they forgot about the transporter? :smack
Hey Kylah's just a lowly comms officer. :angel:
I've gotten into the habit of using YouTube as a jukebox of sorts. Put these on when you need a little ST:TOS audio inspiration:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LleeMp9aJH8 (several things happen)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKJcgelw2F4 (just the background hum)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rT0fwaXVk8 (ditto)
:)
I'm just sad that we missed an opportunity for a discussion during which Delaney or, ideally, Rangin would say they aren't certain about whether they can lock down the transporter, at which point Graham solves the problem by bashing it with a convenient rock...Quote:
Originally posted by CatInASuit
Whoever was the last one out should've locked the door. That's what my parents always said. :)
But if it was Mr. Hsu or Hardin, they probably have overrides anyway.
I wonder how many more times Graham is going to have Rangin run through the rain. Three so far and counting...
Behind the scenes of ST:TOS S2: http://io9.com/the-weirdest-things-y...eas-1662774616
A crawlspace? :D That's just evil. I'd've liked to have seen a visual of Mattie Hsu climbing on top of the toilet and somehow hoisting herself up into a crawlspace in the ceiling. Does she have a prehensile tail, maybe?
That's great reading, EH, thank you! Kudos to Nimoy for playing hardball--and, in fairness, to the producers for giving him the raise.Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
Well it was probably the more preferable option to using the window. Getting a little bit dusty vs, soaking wet.
It's the gift that keeps on giving! :D:devil:Quote:
Originally posted by CatInASuit
In fairness to Russell, he has not been in Mrs. Hsu's office before this, has he? He stayed outside with Kylah and Mr. Hsu when he arrived.
Aw you're such a softie! I dunno, if I ask a professional security officer whether someone's in a two-room office, I'd like to think that before he pronounces her missing, he'd check the bathroom first, no? Who knows, maybe it's his first posting. :)Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
Forgot to add: I hope everyone who celebrates it has a great Thanksgiving! (Sorry, CIAS. Have some canned haggis in honor of the celebration. :devil:)
Enjoy thanksgiving, all you who are celebrating it.
HAPPY TURKEY DAY !!!
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A very Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it. Our family feast will be in just a few hours.
You had earlier written, "Of course she does not bother to ask why Russell did not investigate the office enough to notice this crawlway before; after all, he is Security and she in comms, so naturally it would be up to her to consider identifying a fugitive's escape route. Hardin may not be the only corrupt person in Starfleet. Vargas has peopled his staff with imbeciles."Quote:
Originally posted by choieAw you're such a softie! I dunno, if I ask a professional security officer whether someone's in a two-room office, I'd like to think that before he pronounces her missing, he'd check the bathroom first, no? Who knows, maybe it's his first posting. :)Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
She told Russell to keep an eye on Mr. Hsu. He did not enter the office until after Kylah had left; she did not ask him to do so before that. As soon as he saw Mrs. Hsu was gone, he reported it. I guess I still don't see how he acted like an imbecile.
Ah, but he didn't see Mrs. Hsu was 'gone.' From his apparently limited vantage point, he couldn't locate her. Clearly he didn't even notice the bathroom, so how did he know she wasn't in another part of the room? As far as having to look after Mr. Hsu, Russell could've just ordered Hsu into the office with him. At the very least, I'd think that instead of answering definitively, "No, she's not there," Russell could've given the more accurate response, "I can't see the whole office, but she's not in sight."
I mean heck, thanks to Russell, we immediately had the impression the gal vanished, whereas the whole time poor Mrs. Hsu could've just been in the bathroom, uh, 'washing her hands.' Wouldn't that be a kick in the head? :D
But all this is almost besides the point, because you're defending him against something that a character in a high state of agitation is thinking. Kylah called him an imbecile because she's neither Spock, Data nor an unbiased narrator. Kylah's felt screwed over by multiple security officers since her time on the Yorktown; she isn't likely to give them much slack when they give her incomplete answers at a time like this. Her thinking would be: I asked Russell to make sure Mrs. Hsu was in her office, but apparently he just gave a cursory glance before claiming she was missing?
Even to me that seems kinda sloppy of him, and I figure it seems even worse to Kylah considering she heard this right on top of discovering she's been left in the lurch because Kjaerstad made the brilliant tactical decision "Let's see, a lone inexperienced young officer is running down to the transporter after a fugitive/possible-murderer having just ordered Garcia to give her backup; meanwhile, I need some help looking through videotape. Who needs Garcia more? Eh, I guess I do. Chick's on her own."
So hell yeah, she's pretty much convinced Security isn't exactly the Best and the Brightest. If it makes you feel better, I doubt she's thrilled with fellow Communications officer Garcia either for letting himself be pulled away from providing vital backup to a teammate.
Kylah thinks what she does for at least three reasons:
1) In the big picture, she doesn't trust people much, particularly men and Starfleet officers;
2) Despite being told multiple times by two Security mission leaders that she's waay out of her depth and They Know Best because Security Is Their Job, she's witnessed various Security members making some significant mistakes that affect her and others' lives; and finally
3) Right now she's tired and scared and furious and has to take her emotions out on somebody and Russell/Kjaerstad just gave her some great reasons to do so.
I write Kylah's reactions according to her character, her background, and her current state of mind--just like everyone else writes his/her character. Sometimes I agree with her in part (as I do now) but not necessarily to the same degree. That's roleplaying, isn't it?
I've never noticed debates with anyrose why she shows obvious preference to humans or calls Kylah a spoiled brat among other epithets. Nor have I seen any questioning of general_urko why he thinks Rangin is such an idealistic, naive peacenik (despite coming from Coridan!) who wants to heal murderers with hugs. And CatInASuit catches no flak for believing Graham is a club-wielding Neanderthal. Presumably that's because we all know that anyrose is writing from Collins's POV, general_urko is writing from Graham's, and CIAS is writing from Rangin's. So why the hubbub when Kylah disses some unknown, one-off character?
Hey, if the actor playing the NPC is complaining to the producer about his character's depiction in a mental voiceover, I'd tell him to suck it up, that's his job. A zing from Kylah is better treatment than most redshirts get! :D
:bravo: :popcorn:
I thought it reflected a misunderstanding of the situation; that's all. Never mind.
But I paid for the full argument. That was never five minutes just now! :)
Edited to add: Okay, one question after reading g_u's excellent post. Will communicators work if they're on your utility belt (or whatever it's called)? Because Kylah's obviously gonna need both hands for her phaser. There's another question I want to ask, but Kylah can ask it in-game. Since she'd certainly know how communicators work, I figured I'd better ask this one in here.
Geeze it's situations like this that make it obvious why they upgraded to TNG's communicator badges!
At this rate, Rangin is gong to be running back and forth across that hill and miss out on all the fun at both ends.
Will probably still managed to get injured somehow.
Communicators must be in hand and with the flip-grid antenna open to work. Remember, for instance, Kirk in "Devil in the Dark" talking to Spock as he held his phaser on the Horta.
I hadn't thought of hitting Rangin with a club. Will have to try that...
Thanks, EH! I was afraid of that.
Annnnnd the question Kylah was gonna ask has already been answered: "What happens if the door is locked?" :fist: Oh dear, Kylah's not going to get a moment of awesome (or terror) after all.
Oh, she might. That buzzing (or whatever) sound that doesn't sound like a transporter could be a disruptor
The way things go for Rangin, you won't even have to bother.Quote:
Originally posted by general_urko
Just saw Christopher Nolan's Interstellar tonight with my eldest son. A bit overlong, and some farfetched moments plotwise, but great acting, dazzling sfx and an engrossing story. A solid A, I'd say.
I'm dying to see that. I haven't actually read any reviews since I'm keeping very spoiler-free, but from what little I know it seems right up my alley. I loved Contact, Gravity and Moon -- do you think this is of similar quality (assuming you liked any of those)?
Yes, it's roughly comparable to them. If you liked any of those, I strongly suspect you'd like Interstellar, too. And you are wise to avoid spoilers!
T'Var and Johnson - after the chess evening. Now available in the Apocrypha
Thanks for the rec, EH! In somewhat related news, RadioISS is a feed tracking the International Space Station, and playing radio stations received from Earth along the way. In the twenty minutes I've been listening, it's gone from a Brazil station to Rome to Slovakia/Bratislava, then Kiev, and now Volgagrad. (And the song is in English, surprisingly. Sounds like a 1990s dance track.) I'm looking forward to what happens over the Pacific Ocean.
CIAS: Hmm, looks like things are going to get a bit dirty with T'Var and Johnson alone in her room that evening. I mean the chess pieces, of course, because of the finger food. But it's a good thing--I've long thought T'Var needed a bit of tapas, and how fortuitous that Johnson is providing it. I doubt Waite was ever much good at that sort of thing. :devil:
Seriously, 'twas an enjoyable story, and how nice to see a joint effort--with WES, yay! Nicely done, guys.
Nice Apocrypha story & good to see WES back.
But sheesh Delaney's task list just got longer, now we need him to rig up a communicator to keep an open channel while stowed...
Dumb question--by saying that the transporter is ready to energize, does this mean it's set to send or receive a traveler? I don't remember whether hearing Kirk or Picard or whomever saying "Energize" indicated only beam-outs, or if beam-ins also required the command.
Actually not necessarily dumb....clearly, to beam "out" you needed to "energize!" but as we have seen, you can beam "in" to anywhere, not just a transporter pad. Does the pad provide any added mojo (speed? reliability? easier targeting) than anyplace else? (I do recall transporting within a ship was supposed to be hard to do Does a pad "block" inbound transport unless it's active? Or are the little lighted circles just convenient places to target & stand when you're inbound?Quote:
Originally posted by choie
Good additions to my question (and thanks for saying it wasn't dumb... necessarily :D)! That's what I was figuring initially, since you can beam someone from a ship to a patch of grass, it seemed likely that Mrs. H. was trying to escape. OTOH, then why is Kylah hearing a sound that's not a standard Federation transporter? Is that the sound of the outside ship trying to beam Mrs. Hsu to safety? But if so, why wasn't she already on the pad waiting to be beamed up?
Questions, questions...
Quote:
Originally posted by general_urkoActually not necessarily dumb....clearly, to beam "out" you needed to "energize!" but as we have seen, you can beam "in" to anywhere, not just a transporter pad. [2] Does the pad provide any added mojo (speed? reliability? easier targeting) than anyplace else? (I do recall transporting within a ship was supposed to be hard to do [3] Does a pad "block" inbound transport unless it's active? [4] Or are the little lighted circles just convenient places to target & stand when you're inbound?Quote:
Originally posted by choie
Answers, answers....Quote:
Originally posted by choie
1. Just send; it's not necessary to have a transporter to receive.
2. Yes; that's why you often saw Starfleet personnel beaming from the transporter room of one place into the transporter room of another, where available (another ship, Space Station K-7, etc.).
3. No.
4. Yes, and they are the actual points from which transportation is to take place.
5. I never said it was "not a standard Federation transporter."
6. Sounds like something the characters should look into.
7. Ditto.
Thanks very much, EH!
Oops sorry. Damn, how did I get that so wrong? I could've sworn it said "standard Federation transporter," when apparently it says "It does not sound like a Starfleet transporter." I've been curious about that for years now (or however long it's been, heh) because my brain was continually reading that as meaning a non-Fed technology. Dummy!Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
You're no dummy, or you wouldn't be doing so well in the game.
Sheesh I should've had Graham send some resort staff with candles and flowers and maybe a couple strolling musicians skilled at playing soft romantic music over to the transporter room...
:D LOL! Hey, why not? In the 45 minutes or so while you guys have been creeping toward an empty house, she's found video evidence no one else bothered to check, determined Hardin isn't the murderer, proved Palver lied in his account of where he was that night, similarly wiped out Mrs. Hsu's alibi, learned Mr. Hsu is covering for her, forced Mrs. H. to go on the run, proved Mrs. H. is dangerous, and finally--no thanks to her hapless colleagues--blasted her way in and stunned the bitch so she could be brought in for questioning.
I'd say that earns my girl a hug at the very least. :hug:
The hallmark of a truly great leader is getting the most out of his people :DQuote:
Originally posted by choie
Random post - this scene came to me a while back as a picture of Graham and Rangin "negotiating" who got the top bunk when they had to share a room in the research station... finally remembered to find a pic online...
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4...urko_pelea.jpg
Hee! I'm sure each of them would say the other's the guy on top.
:bravo: Truly Kylah could've done none of this without Graham's efforts.Quote:
Originally posted by general_urko
Can we get that on expenses? Damn, if that's the case Rangin might actually have to have a nice thought about Graham. :DQuote:
Originally posted by general_urko
Sounds like the kind of expenditure the Starfleet Comptroller General's Office might have to approve.
Oh....
Note that my last post may show my confusion. Acc. to #3125, it was Russell and a guy named Barbour outside Ebling's door. But in #3133 it was David Nelson with Russell. Where did Barbour go?
And whatever happened to that guy, Ens. Terrance Thayer "Two Tons" Rawlings? He'd be awfully useful right around now! Went back up to the ship, I guess?
Just noticed Geleil is also Canopian. Looks like they make good Security folks!
See the game thread for updates on dirtside Security assignments on OC3.
Just dropped you a note about that.Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
And I just responded to your PM! Thanks.Quote:
Originally posted by CatInASuitJust dropped you a note about that.Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
Thanks EH!Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
Great now Kylah and Rangin are in command of a small army of Security officers... :oQuote:
Originally posted by choieThanks EH!Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
Graham still is... but he may delegate, if he wishes.
Kylah asked what time it was. I think it'd be late afternoon by now - does 1600 hours sound about right?
1600 sounds about right to me, FWIW. Damn no wonder Kylah's hungry!
Much to his chagrin, I'm sure, he's already delegated--he told all personnel staying behind at the resort that Kylah was in charge. :devil: Of course, that was when he thought there were only four Starfleet people besides Kylah and Garcia being left behind. (We were told that all the security team except four were gathered with us in the transporter room just before Graham et al. went off to find Hardin. The missing four were described as the two outside Ebling's room, plus Kjaerstad and some unnamed crew member who was with him in the Security office.)Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
But Rawlings, Barbour and Coringu are welcome additions, although it's too bad Rawlings wasn't part of the search team. A big guy like that would sure be handy right about now!
1600 sounds good. Afternoon tea awaits.
Shush, no-one tell Graham about the Security Officers on site.
Holy cow, Graham thinks. I'm really freakin' hungry... :oQuote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
Star Trek casts on CNN's "Selfie of the Year" list: http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/05/living...html?hpt=hp_c4
No I am not being productive right now...
I love that everyone else knows to clam up and wait for an attorney, but VICE ADMIRAL HARDIN, one of the most powerful guys in Starfleet, decides to shoot his way out rather than just smile and hire himself the most expensive law firm he can. :D
Maybe Hardin's just a paranoid schizophrenic and had nothing to do with the murder.
Wait for it....
It's almost certainly true (unless he has a clone or evil twin who took up residence in the nightclub during the time of the murder) that he didn't have a direct hand in the actual stabbing. But even if he didn't, he seems to have fled as a result of Delaney's recitation of the file contents outlining Hardin's corruption. At least that was the inspiration for him zapping Graham and Kylah with his Flash Gordon ray gun. Instead of just leaning back with a satisfied smirk and saying, "yeah, okay. Talk to my attorneys. And good luck putting a top Federation official on trial."Quote:
Originally posted by anyrose
:popcorn:
Wow assuming Graham takes Hardin into custody without incident he'll amble happily back into a giant shitstorm...
Oh please please please 10 billion quatloos if, when Graham gets back, the Security crewmembers are griping that "Ens. Kylah's kind of high strung, but it was that Rangin guy who was really busting our balls..."
It'a almost Xmas after all, EH... :D
Correction after Graham watches Hardin blow his own head off he'll grimly return to a giant shit storm....
That's probably exactly what they would do. You think a bunch of these security goons would admit that a little girl shoved their testicles down their throats for being incompetent?Quote:
Originally posted by general_urko
So what happened to Hardin's box of tricks - was he really just going to hide in the corner and hope it all blew over. Oh well.
On an upbeat note, Rangin is going to have great fun telling Graham his security detail think his orders aren't worth following. :D
Wow. What would they have thought of Collins?
A very ST:TNG Christmas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrG4JnrN5GA
Well, she's a Security Officer. That probably grants her the status of Honorary Male (2nd Class), so she's okay. :)Quote:
Originally posted by anyrose
I love that!!Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
Okay, I give. What's the correct form of address for this job? "Specialist Coringu" sounds weird. I'm sure "Mr. Coringu" would be fine, although I hate the "Mr." designation for women, but there must be an official rank form of address?Quote:
The Elasian officer recalls that Ji Coringu is a Specialist First Class ("Spec/1"), not an ensign.
"Specialist" or "Mr." are both acceptable. The latter is ST canon for either men or women, most notably in Wrath of Khan.
"Mistress" would really create an interesting vibe on the ship...Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
I suspect the Captain and CMO wouldn't be too keen on that.
...or would they... :cool:
Thank you for the response about Coringu's title. I know "Mr." is canon, it's just silly that women have to be addressed as men while serving in Starfleet. "Okay, you can join, but we'll have to just consider you honorary guys." I'd've hoped by the 23rd century the military would've accepted "Ms." along with the rest of the English-speaking world post-1980.
If the tables were turned, I'm sure male officers would just love being addressed as "Ms." But let's face it, the tables never would be turned, would they? The default is male, forever and ever, amen.
(Although biologically, the opposite is actually true: we all start out as female.)
I consider myself a feminist, so I completely understand and sympathize - but it was intended, from all I've read, as a continuation of ancient Earth naval nomenclature, not as an oppressive measure. Of course Federation civilian women are referred to by gender-appropriate prefixes.
Oooh who will be the first to counsel Mr. Kylah to be less "abrasive" after the mission and really get the party started...*
The One Word Men Never See In Their Performance Reviews
http://www.fastcompany.com/3034895/s...rmance-reviews
*Obviously not St. Rangin
Oooh! oooh! I'll do it, that is Collins will! :devil: :dance:
Ah yes. Then again, I've always been told not to be so blunt with people.Quote:
Originally posted by general_urko
They earned it.
Woot - the promotion from Starfleet finally came through. :dumbo:Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
LOL! Oh please, please let Collins tell Kylah she's too abrasive. That's just what Kylah's been waiting for.Quote:
Originally posted by anyrose
That's hilarious! But hey if Collins can be a Lt. JG, Rangin can certainly be a Vice Admiral.Quote:
Originally posted by CatInASuitWoot - the promotion from Starfleet finally came through. :dumbo:Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
Oh, did I say that out loud? :angel:
In other news, I am suddenly very glad I did that infamous thread re-read and created those documents for us with all the clue-filled posts a couple of months ago. Although at the time it seemed that Delaney's sudden reveal of Wilson's conveniently indiscreet file data made all my hard work useless, apparently things are much more complex than we thought.
Picking up on these little clues and inconsistencies in people's stories, or in our own previously assumed narrative of events, is something I'd never have been able to do without that arduous task of copying over all the important posts and so on.
Whether EH is pleased about our having such an aide-mémoire is another story. :D
You're all doing fine. On the homestretch now - hope to be done by New Year's Eve!
D'oh! Second time I've done that.Quote:
Originally posted by CatInASuitWoot - the promotion from Starfleet finally came through. :dumbo:Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
I've faced down Orions, Klingons, multi-headed poison-spitting carnivores...but nothing's more terrifying than the thought of 'Vice Admiral Rangin,' Graham thinks.
You left out "or mutters that Graham's suggestion is [stupid / thuggish / brutish]"Quote:
Originally posted by choie
I meant to imply by my words the likelihood that Velir would make a suggestion under his breath about what Graham could do with his suggestion. I'm too much of a lady to say anything further. :DQuote:
Originally posted by general_urkoYou left out "or mutters that Graham's suggestion is [stupid / thuggish / brutish]"Quote:
Originally posted by choie
Interesting! Since CIAS/Rangin didn't actually ask any of those questions, but Halsey's answering them as if he did, can we assume the game's entered some kinda "autoplay" or "cutscene" mode, where we don't have to do anything and the NPCs will just answer all the right questions for us? 'Cause that would definitely make things easier! :DQuote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
Or on the other hand...
...Maybe Halsey's just talking to himself via telepathy, since apparently Graham doesn't see Rangin in the infirmary talking to the doctor. Some weird, wacky stuff's happening in this place. :oQuote:
Originally posted by general_urko
Quote:
Originally posted by choie
Just trying to move things along.Quote:
Originally posted by CatInASuit
And perhaps Rangin is right around the corner in the Infirmary....
Some new Apocrypha.
Thanks to you both!
Aaaaaand clocking in at 10,456 out of 695, Spock's Brain....Quote:
Originally posted by anyrose
Definitely. And I remember TNG "Masks," which they have as fifth-from-the-bottom, as not a bad episode.
Thanks for posting this link, anyrose.Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
What a walk down memory lane: Miles O'Brien, Garak, the Gorn: what great characters. And Edith Keeler...Trek gold.
Conversely: Neelix...better than Jar Jar Binks but that's not saying much. Chakotay demonstrates Native Americans can hold senior positions--albeit in tedious and pedantic fashion.
Of course I expect choie to have re-scored this list, with full commentary, by Tuesday...
I think I will check that link out of working hours
:bravo:
No need to hold back CIAS, what does Rangin really think of Graham?
That was a tour de force of vitriolic resentment, CIAS. Well done.
Did I miss something or didn't the footage from the nightclub show that Hardin could not have carried out the murder?
He's not confessing to the murder, just to stunning Graham and Kylah, and the embezzling.
Graham just arrested Hardin for Wilson's murder.
Yeah, a charge for which we have literally no evidence. Hardin's got a video alibi--the only provable defense any suspect has. And we have nothing whatsoever linking him to any of the people who could have killed Wilson, so this isn't even worthy of a conspiracy-to-commit-murder charge. Heaven knows why murder was included, and none of the financial misdoings of which we actually have at least circumstantial proof.
But given that EH PMed us with the specific wording to use, including charging Hardin with murder, and unlike Mrs. Hsu, Hardin isn't raising the slightest objection to being called a murderer, much less asking for an attorney (because why would Starfleet's Comptroller General be as smart as an assistant hotel manager or thick-as-two-bricks hotel security chief?), we can take it as read that Hardin did it. All that remains is the Villain's Monologue telling us how.
To fanwank, my guess is that the videotape was from a month ago, when Hardin, Fastolfe, Mrs. Hsu and Palver all secretly conspired to show up at the nightclub and go through the motions, knowing that later Hardin would need a perfect alibi. Then the footage was substituted into the system for Kylah to "discover" with the faked explanation that the nightclub was somehow separate from the rest of the video and thus safe from the sabotage.
In any event, who knows? I think since it's the endgame, we've turned into NPCs and the GM has taken over. There's nothing more for us to do but sit back and enjoy the show! :popcorn:
Edited to add: Also, anyrose, Hardin isn't guilty of embezzling--Wilson is. For Hardin, bribery (or maybe graft?) would probably be the charge. Or it might be extortion if it can be proven that Hardin was the one who demanded money in order to maintain the hotel's license. And/or even blackmail if Hardin knew about the embezzling and threatened to reveal it.
1. Those were suggestions only.Quote:
Originally posted by choie
2. Not so.
3. Ditto.
I'm sure Graham would be deeply appreciative if Rangin were to interrupt and explain to Graham why Hardin couldn't possibly have committed the murder... :DQuote:
Originally posted by CatInASuit
Not to get too meta - obviously the characters should act based on in-game info - but Graham arresting Hardin for murder wasn't a 'mistake' in the sense that (a) I did it on purpose and (b) I didn't forget that there was evidence to the contrary (at least from the angle of being the actual assailant).
As to Graham's rationale, that I suspect will have to wait for a constructive dialogue among the PCs big screaming argument... :o
Grief no, Rangin is not going to interrupt. He's just surprised by Graham's opener to Hardin.
He'll be even more surprised if it works :D
After Rangin's most excellent tirade about Graham's apish behavior I saw the first photo in this story and thought "here's Graham being wheeled into sick bay..."
http://kuow.org/post/uw-surgeon-perf...orilla-surgery
:bravo:Quote:
Originally posted by general_urko
On the topic of Hardin, looking forward to how he is going to explain away all the evidence we have found.
Just don't turn it into one of those "Oh, crap, we've only got 10 minutes left in the episode! Quick! Have the writers come up with an implausible but correct solution!"Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
Thanks for the advice. Clearly we won't be done by midnight tonight.
I take it that's sarcasm because that's clearly what's happened. We literally had no chance to solve this crime thanks to false information re: time of death, and no clues whatsoever about the existence of "time release epinephrine pills," LOL. (And there are other inconsistencies too, and the rationale for the murder is not plausible either.) Let's face it, if Hardin hadn't confessed via the monologue I totally predicted (and pointlessly, since we had nothing on him for the murder!), we would never have discovered who killed Wilson. Honestly, the PCs were utterly extraneous over the past three months, aside from Velir finding the Wilson data files so that NPCs could dutifully decrypt them and tell us the entire story. Even capturing Hardin was no victory considering the guy had literally nowhere to go.Quote:
Originally posted by anyrose
There's some stuff to be cleared up, e.g. Mrs. Hsu's role in this. But otherwise we're done here. I had lots of fun in the mission, mostly between the character interactions and some of the NPCs like Fastolfe livening up the joint. The mystery, though.... arrgh! :)
Full props for the attempt, and I can absolutely appreciate how much work this must have taken, especially because behind the scenes we've been doing nearly as much work to solve it--although as it turns out, to no avail because the clues weren't anywhere to be found.
Mysteries are super-difficult to create when you want your readers/audience to have a fair chance of solving them. I steer clear of those where it's completely impossible because the author is hiding an extremely important detail so that he can dazzle us with the detective's cleverness. (Although my favorite author Rex Stout does that a lot, funnily enough. But his books are so charming and witty, and the Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin detective characters so interesting, that the solution of the mystery is almost besides the point.)
It's the difference between a Doyle-type mystery (usually only solvable by the detectives' specialized and secret knowledge) and a Christie-type mystery (which readers can almost always solve but have been so skillfully misdirected they usually don't). I'm bored by the former and love the latter, which are far more difficult to write. Playing fair is hard.
But I hate to sound like it's all sour grapes. I do applaud the effort, EH, and as I said, the roleplaying part of the mission was extremely enjoyable. Hopefully the next mission will utilize even more of that!
http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2...jection%21.png
*Points directly at the Judge*
Your Honour, this man could not have committed the acts he is describing, the evidence proves otherwise.
:bravo:
Oh CIAS, that's beautiful.
Anyway whatever the truth is, the game is still afoot as far as I'm concerned. And most importantly, I hope everyone has a...
http://media.giphy.com/media/nZ0oRwD...facebook_s.jpg
Happy New Year, all
IMO any module adventure of any type is basically a vehicle for role playing and character development...this fit the bill in my book...
Happy New Year!
http://indianareview.org/wp-content/...nahpo1_500.gif
Always nice to be appreciated.
May everyone have a happy, healthy New Year.
Hey! I learned a new word! Thanks, EH.
Sorry if I was holding up progress, last few days were unusually busy...I'm back!
Excellent story - if only Collins had listened a little more :)Quote:
Originally posted by anyrose
"Don't worry your pretty little head, that's MAN STUFF," Graham says, figuring there has been too little intra-party drama lately...Quote:
Originally posted by choie
LOL! And then he punches ("gently") Rangin just to get things started again. :DQuote:
Originally posted by general_urko
Original draft of the post:Quote:
Originally posted by choieLOL! And then he punches ("gently") Rangin just to get things started again. :DQuote:
Originally posted by general_urko
Graham bounces on the balls of his feet a little, trying to raise his own energy and add to that in the room. "We're almost home...something's got to give soon," he says. As he does so, he glances from person to person, his instincts momentarily thwarted by second-guessing himself...in the end after vacillating a second he attempts to give Rangin an encouraging gentle punch on the arm. Unfortunately, since he forgot to wear his glasses, Graham expects Rangin's head to be two feet further away and a foot higher, and instead delivers a solid shot to the jaw.
Two recommendations:
The Theory of Everything, a new movie, a tragic romance about Dr. Stephen Hawking and his first wife.
Redshirts by John Scalzi, a hilarious, would-be-R-rated meta spoof of Star Trek.
Jeez Louise, that was quite a flurry of posting, CIAS & choie.
I'm just going to make my next one:
Graham takes five to use the bathroom. /end
Thanks for the recs, EH! I've heard great things about The Theory of Everything, and I'm inclined to go if only to see wonderful David Thewlis not playing a scumbag for once.
Quote:
Originally posted by general_urko
ROTFL. Well, I'm online very late (I keep odd hours) and they coincide with CIAS's over in the UK, so... we got on a bit of a roll and were able to let Kylah & Velir bounce ideas off each other.
I must say if this Klingon stuff actually goes anywhere, my hat's off to EH for seeding in those clues so deftly, especially the "Q" thing and the dream.
Of course I'm also the genius who thought "Co. Bd." was something other than "Company Board" so I'm clearly the John "A Beautiful Mind" Nash of the group, the nutjob seeing patterns that just aren't there. I'm probably way off again.
Yes, in fact, he plays a good guy - an academic who reminded me just a little of another such role of his, Prof. Lupin.Quote:
Originally posted by choie
Oy, tell me about it--when I saw his interaction w/Hawking in one of the extended trailers, he was so Lupinesque I wanted to cry. I'm still mourning that guy. Curse you, Rowling! :fist:Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
*phew* I thought I was going to have to go back and reread the last four pages. Good call, Kylah. :D
So, status quo, then? :devil:Quote:
Originally posted by anyrose
Don't worry, I was going to PM you the link to the Klingon incident reference. I thought it would be fun to get some input from Collins again and you might enjoy being back in the game for a bit. Even if the only response Collins gave was something like, "Oh yeah, I think the Romulans were, uh, getting into a fight with some... people... somewhere?"
Kylah stares without comprehension at the datapad. "Why yes, yes I have. I see there are four files. One, two, three... yep, four. I'm.... not entirely sure why I only looked at how many files there are without actually looking to see their names or dates, much less their contents. But I did find out the number. Do you think I should click on them to find out?" :PQuote:
Originally posted by CIAS
Oh HELL yes!Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
We appear to have been joined by Ebling of the Yard :cage:
Ha!
If she's from the Yard she's worse than Lestrade ever was. Girlfriend lets her target loose to attack Starfleet officers, never giving them even a heads-up? Starfleet's really firing on all cylinders when it comes to their investigative prowess. :D
And gang, we need to make sure we close this case, because HELLS NO to her forcing us to turn over the investigation! There'll be a cover-up for sure. We had no real closure with the Sakathian mission and Waite, I'll be damned if we end up in the dark again.
Heh, it was Rangin who discovered those evidence files first. Delaney and Garcia just decrypted them. Why am I not surprised Graham left this little factoid out? :devil:Quote:
Originally posted by general_urko
Well really encrypted files don't tell us anything... :iiam::psychic:Quote:
Originally posted by choie
Guess what, no files at all tell us even less :p *high fives choie*Quote:
Originally posted by general_urkoWell really encrypted files don't tell us anything... :iiam::psychic:Quote:
Originally posted by choie
And agreed on trying to close the case down before anyone else gets here.
Oooh another potential flashpoint for conflict on the team, as we are beginning to see .... :popcorn:Quote:
Originally posted by CatInASuit
I can't tell whether to be surprised that Graham appears to believe in pursuing justice only for people he personally likes. I think I would've expected him to be one of those maverick cops who'll defy authority because he wants the guilty to be fried found and properly processed through the legal system, no matter who they are. Even if the victim isn't an innocent, likeable damsel in distress person.Quote:
Originally posted by general_urkoOooh another potential flashpoint for conflict on the team, as we are beginning to see .... :popcorn:Quote:
Originally posted by CatInASuit
Besides, what happened to that picture of Wilson's wife and wide-eyed little kiddies, the one he put at the head of the CP table so that we'd remember those to whom we were supposed to be answerable? :D
In any event, Ebling pisses me off and I don't trust her. She has a lot to answer for, if you ask me. I was gonna explain why but nah, I'll let Kylah explain to Velir if he happens to ask.
Right back atcha, CIAS. Kylah's gotta take care of her boo. (Or "bae" as I believe the young kids are saying nowadays.)Quote:
Originally posted by CatInASuit
For realsies! There's gotta be a way to get at Palver without merely relying on testimony from two highly unreliable sources (who'd be willing to blame anyone--as any good defense attorney Palver would hire might well argue).Quote:
Originally posted by CatInASuit
choie, I can't reply to your comments yet about Graham because as I started to write one, I realized some of what I was writing might, in-game, provoke another screed from Rangin :popcorn:
Ooh intriguing. Well, Kylah's thoughts are basically out there--if Ebling had informed them of the investigation into Hardin, it's likely neither Kylah nor Graham would've been cold-cocked by Hardin's stun weapon.Quote:
Originally posted by general_urko
In any event, where's Palver, dammit?!!
Dude! I know Kylah had heard about the jammers from T'Var, Graham & St. Croix. But in the post I linked to, I wrote (bolding the rather important part):Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
So, yeah. Kylah specifically asks Rawlings to ask Graham to see if a transporter jammer can be placed near the guest houses. I'm not sure how much clearer she could've gotten.Quote:
"Thank you, Mr. Rawlings," she says, turning to Velir automatically when she learns that Palver is leaving. "I am not in command any longer, but... I would strongly recommend you follow him discreetly. As best you can. But you should probably confirm that with Mr. Graham in case he thinks there is a better option." She pauses and then wonders what might happen if Palver were to beam away... "While you are speaking with him, can you please see if a transporter jammer can be placed near the guest houses? I have no idea if this is legal--but let our mission commander decide."
I know I write a lot but that was in one of the early paragraphs of that post. I guess you missed it, and that's fine, because heaven knows I miss stuff too. But what's done is done, the words were said, and there's really no weaseling out for Rawlings here. He needs to admit he fucked up, and big time.
A pattern has been that NPCs tend to make excuses for every mistake (e.g. Peters with his almost pathological inability to remember how many damn knives were stolen; Delaney when he couldn't remember that Wilson had used the word "she" in talking about the guest who was in the yellow house; Garcia who decided Kjaerstad's need to look at videos was more important than backing Kylah up in a potentially dangerous situation; or even Jan, who couldn't make a decent apology to Kylah but just said "gosh I had no idea, I thought you enjoyed it, but hey maybe we can do this again sometime" and got the hell outta Dodge). It's as if they're all programmed to avoid responsibility!
So since this is very very obviously an error, can't we just please have one of these side characters acknowledge a massive screw-up?
I mean, we either blame the GM for not reading, or the NPC for not obeying/remembering. I think a more noble NPC would jump on that grenade for his creator. :D
And I suppose the team's not allowed to be upset that Captain Singh allowed the Trimalchio to drop shields 20 minutes ago without the crack Security genius Cmdr. Vargas bothering to mention this fact to Graham or any of the rest of the gang? Y'know, so we'd've known that the Trimalchio was now open for transporting business? I mean, WTF, Yorktown? general_urko I sure as hell hope Graham makes mention of this idiocy to someone.
Well.
The passages I noted in the game thread were what I interpreted to be the orders for the placement of the transporter jammers. The key concern, as expressed earlier, was someone whisking away or attacking the three prisoners. St. Croix said three jammers would be beamed down, and no one inquired as to their range or if those would be sufficient for three suspects in custody and Palver, who was already at some distance away.
Clarity and unity of command are undoubted virtues. If an NPC does not appear to have followed through as expected or as ordered, of course you'll want to remind him immediately, or follow up later. And as far as anyone on the Yorktown knows, all suspects are already in custody and there is no particular need for any ship in orbit to keep shields up anymore, or to notify the landing party when any are dropped. Vargas has twice advised you to arrest anyone you think ought to be arrested; Palver remained at liberty.
And yes, I read everything posted. But I do not - and the dice do not - always do what is expected. Life is messy. Mistakes occur. Shit transpires. Military history, in particular, is full of errors - often fatal ones - which occurred because of ambiguous orders, poor follow-through and incompetent or responsibility-averse subordinates. I speak not of you, but of the NPCs.
It's a game. Just roll with it.
Yeeees, obviously, which is the whole reason Kylah asked Rawlings to contact Graham about that! Why is this so hard to acknowledge?!!Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
OMG, it's happening again, we're being blamed for mistakes by NPCs. WHY would the Yorktown assume that all suspects were already in custody? Why would an experienced Security Chief "assume" anything in such a situation? Vargas said "be damn sure the charges will stick." So no, of course Palver remained at liberty; that didn't mean he wasn't a suspect, for chrissake. What idiotic Security Officer would think that? What real-life law enforcement officer would?Quote:
And as far as anyone on the Yorktown knows, all suspects are already in custody and there is no particular need for any ship in orbit to keep shields up anymore, or to notify the landing party when any are dropped. Vargas has twice advised you to arrest anyone you think ought to be arrested; Palver remained at liberty.
Remember, we're talking only a matter of minutes, maybe ten or so, before this apparent twenty-minute lapse in the shields began. (It hasn't been that long since Kylah/Rangin/Graham were told to arrest whoever they wanted "as long as the charges will stick.") Let's be generous and say it was thirty minutes later that the Trimalchio--a ship that had been the would-be getaway destination of a possible murderer--asks to lower its shields. Vargas's (or Singh's) brilliant tactical decision is that well, they haven't heard of any arrest in a half-hour, so clearly no arrests are gonna be made, and who cares anymore? It's a free-for-all, people!
Really? That's the Yorktown's experienced captain and/or top security officer's default position? Shrugging shoulders and thinking, "Okay, well, I haven't heard of any arrest, so sure, I might as well let the Trimalchio lift its shields without even bothering to double-check with the investigators first, much less telling them afterwards. I'm sure these Ensigns I've placed in charge of a murder investigation will, after only thirty minutes, have made all the arrests they'll ever need, complete with air-tight cases as demanded. If not? Meh."
Sweet Jesus, thank God Vargas is leaving if he's this bad at his job.
Okay, now I'm actually genuinely irked. Is that really fair? I, and the rest of us, have been rolling with it for several years. The bolded lines are perilously close to "Mistakes were made. By someone. Not saying it was me, not gonna do that, but they were made." Am I talking to Donald Rumsfeld?Quote:
And yes, I read everything posted. But I do not - and the dice do not - always do what is expected. Life is messy. Mistakes occur. Shit transpires. Military history, in particular, is full of errors - often fatal ones - which occurred because of ambiguous orders, poor follow-through and incompetent or responsibility-averse subordinates. I speak not of you, but of the NPCs.
It's a game. Just roll with it.
What pisses me off so much about that is, Kylah made a (damn good) suggestion, Rawlings didn't follow through, and when she pointed that out in-game by asking Rawlings to explain himself, you took an out-of-game comment to completely put the onus on me. (And I mean me, not Kylah.)
Wouldn't it have been fairer to just have Rawlings say something like, "Oh shit, you're right. Palver was about to get out of sight and I had to follow and... I just lost track of the order. I am sorry, I accept the responsibility" instead of making excuses for a goof-up? That was the most easy and thoroughly believable fix you could've made. Are there no officers except the PCs (other than Collins :devil:) who can say "I screwed up, that's on me"?
Admitting mistakes and explaining them in-character... that is what "rolling with it" is all about. Kylah, Velir, Graham have all done it multiple times. I think Collins might've even done it once. Probably in private, to Graham, in a very small voice.
Your OOC green text that linked to irrelevant posts and implying that I'd forgotten who had spoken about the jammers made me out to be a twit with a bad memory, when to the contrary, in the actual relevant post to which I'd linked, Kylah had made a damned intelligent move (at last); the request just turned out to have been forgotten. Either on purpose or accidentally, by you or Rawlings.
To top it all, now, because I asked you to have Rawlings or your omniscient narrator acknowledge that Kylah did not screw up, that it was Rawlings (and now Vargas) who made fatal miscalculations... that's when I'm told "mistakes occur" and I should "just roll with it."
That's what is so frustrating. And unfair. And dismissive. And it makes me sad and kinda want to resign Kylah's commission. :(
Many thanks, as always, for sharing your views, choie. I am never in any doubt as to your opinions. But as I wrote, "I speak not of you, but of the NPCs." Rawlings, in-game, may indeed have screwed up. Kylah or others should call him on it, if so. This mission has gone on a long time - far longer than I thought it would - and has a lot of moving parts. I have certainly made my share of mistakes, for which I apologize.
Oh grief.
And yes, Rangin would not be too happy about Kylah scanning like that. Oh well.
*sigh* - you head off for a day and hell break loose behind you.
Although I know have this image of six-footer Rawlings being ripped a new one, by someone a tenth the size, and looking really abashed about it.
Oooh it's like Xmas in January... :devil:
"We'll settle any issues the old-fashioned way," Graham says. "Mano-a-mano fisticuffs. Since Ens. Kylah is female and as commanding officer I can't take sides, Rangin, you'll duke it out with Rawlings."
Some new Apocrypha
Me likey! Was that a Hot Fuzz joke near the end...?Quote:
Originally posted by general_urko
You know, y'all're about to be kidnapped since as soon as you're aboard, Palver's gonna give the order to leave orbit.
Now there's an interesting theory....
Now why would he do something as stupid as that...*looks at the rest of the NPCs*...yeah, you're right.
One step at a time, a "transporter accident" didn't just kill us so that's something...
Heh, we probably spent days in the transport buffer and are presumed lost. Yorktown is probably long gone and we're stuck with a lunatic with a freeze ray :p
Seriously: where do they get those wonderful toys.
Suddenly, Collins heroically beams in, stuns Palver, finds the release button freeing her shipmates, and beams back out without so much as a 'how do you do'
1. Gotta love the entirely different + entirely authentic responses by each of the frozen PCs
2. Well well I was ninja'd by EH but didn't actually have to change anything...
Good lord, where is this magical mental ability coming from? Memory Alpha says nothing about Rhaandarites' mental abilities--indeed they are, as I quoted, better suited to a subservient role than powerful psi creatures.
Another amusing tidbit from Memory Alpha about Rhaandarites: "They were very long-lived and didn't really reach maturity until they were 150 or so." Amusingly, according to his bio, Palver is only 57. That means he has the maturity level of a human 7-year-old! :D
Meta-wise, I really don't understand the determination to put Hardin in the murder scene at the cost of all credibility and logic. First we're told of a transporter buffer scheme--which turned out to have a pretty major science gaffe--and now the discovery that we've got a bulbous-headed Uri Gellar on our hands? All this despite no evidence of Rhaandarite psi abilities and the obvious problem that Dr. Villa was involved w/the autopsy too, and I doubt Uri's spoon-bending abilities reach up to the Yorktown. I think I preferred Hardin's heretofore unknown stun field technology.
Speaking of which, CIAS and general_urko, do either of you think as I do--that the way Hardin keeps getting revealed as being at the crime scene is... well, both unnecessary and impossible? He's in this up to his neck already, he doesn't have to be in the transporter room when every bit of evidence precludes it.
So I still don't trust Palver. Surely we're gonna get a rational, believable explanation for this mystery, something Trek-like, rather than a comic book universe with Brainiac the Supervillain controlling everyone. I bet Palver's lies will hopefully be explained as malicious attempts to drag Hardin even further into the mire.
He's a corrupt Vice Admiral of Starfleet. Everyone wants to put him at the scene of the crime to make sure he can never get out of the hole he dug himself.
Petty Corruption - a couple of years in a prison resort for retired grandees
Murder in the first - He's spending the rest of his life behind bars.
Also, if Palver is as he claims to be, T'Var is going to lobotomise him when she finds out. It's a perfectly logical way to stop him doing it again. You do not mess around with a Vulcan's mind like that. I almost feel sorry for him....almost.
Wow. Kylah just grew a pair! :bravo:
I'll find out it Palver can really read minds:Quote:
Originally posted by anyrose
Uncharacteristically standing behind rather than in front of Kylah whens she's yelling at someone, Graham thinks "So this is what her ass looks like when she's angry."
Right, naturally, but we can get him for conspiracy to commit murder without Palver having to shove him somewhere he has literally no logical way of being. Palver can easily come up with proof that Hardin knew about--even suggested, if only half-heartedly--the idea of "neutralizing" Wilson. Besides, if Hardin were really frozen in place while Palver did the killing, he'd be guilty of being a trapped witness, which isn't exactly damning.Quote:
Originally posted by CatInASuit
IMHO if Palver wants Hardin guilty of murder, presumably under the notion that he might get a deal/plea bargain out of this? He'll probably start giving us solid evidence of conspiracy. (And a motive would be nice. I think Palver was behind it, wanted to outbid WR&R/Wilson, then Wilson discovered that WR&R wasn't really going to get the contract after all and then threatened to reveal the corruption. That's the only thing that makes sense as to why Wilson would be a threat to anyone, and really, the only logical reason for Wilson to blab (given his own culpability for bribery) is if he had hopes of getting immunity if he testified against Hardin and Palver.
In fact, that might be something Ebling might know about. Something we should think about (if Palver doesn't explain it).
If Palver is as he claims to be, we've entered an alternate universe--or he's not really a Rhaandarite. Maybe he's got some Ornithoid blood in him! :D In fact there's very little natural mind control in TOS species; it's almost always technology. The only race shown using some mind control powers on their own seems to be the Vulcans. I just can't buy that T'Var would've been susceptible to such a thing. And of course it doesn't explain Villa at all.Quote:
Also, if Palver is as he claims to be, T'Var is going to lobotomise him when she finds out. It's a perfectly logical way to stop him doing it again. You do not mess around with a Vulcan's mind like that. I almost feel sorry for him....almost.
It's gotta be technology. I'd be interested to find out if Palver had any connection to the Tantalus Penal Colony, which did have a neural neutralizer that gave them control over the prisoners' emotions. Palver could've had it adapted somehow. Although this makes the ship's crew part of the conspiracy, since they almost certainly would've known about such technology added to one of their rooms.
Hey, she's been mouthing off to people since the beginning of the mission. She stood up to the Hwuen, for pete's sake! But losing control over her own body was a trigger for her, not surprisingly, and it brought up her PTSD from her rape/non-consensual sex, whatever one wants to call it. (I consider it rape or as near as makes no difference, but it'd never be legally proven.)Quote:
Originally posted by anyrose
Plus I just always enjoy showing off her knowledge of Klingon culture. It's so antithetical to TOS-era Starfleet officers!
If she did indeed 'grow a pair,' I'm not entirely sure the view would be something he'd enjoy seeing. :DQuote:
Originally posted by general_urkoI'll find out it Palver can really read minds:Quote:
Originally posted by anyrose
Uncharacteristically standing behind rather than in front of Kylah whens she's yelling at someone, Graham thinks "So this is what her ass looks like when she's angry."
:bravo:Quote:
Originally posted by choie
Mind control of various types was not all that unusual in TOS-era Star Trek:
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Platonian
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Vian
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Redjac
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Melkot
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Talosian
Which does raise the question of why Starfleet would not issue its personnel Magneto helmets...Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
Which does raise the question of why Starfleet would not issue its personnel Magneto helmets...Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
Collins would never wear one - it'd hide her lovely red hair
I found a much better picture for Collins
http://cdn.craftsy.com/upload/49953/...5_DSC0092a.jpg
"I would like that Magneto Helmet headband please, no, not that one, the one on the left...no the other one...were you weaned properly?"Quote:
Originally posted by anyrose
:bravo:Quote:
Originally posted by general_urko"I would like that Magneto Helmet headband please, no, not that one, the one on the left...no the other one...were you weaned properly?"Quote:
Originally posted by anyrose
"The left... the other left... uh, is there someone else here I could talk to?"
Good find, anyrose. She fits Collins very well. And heaven knows she's better than that pic used for Dobson! The somewhat tarty gal never quite suited her. :D
Nice one anyrose :bravo: